《The Vespidian》


 Arc 1 Contamination, Chapter 1

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 1


    An alarm went off, beeping incessantly. My hand flopped out, smacking around the side table and hitting things while searching for it. I knocked over my water cup spilling it all over the place. Ugh, well, that is one way to wake up. Now my bed covers were a little wet. There was no sleeping in this. The phone kept droning on; it was almost like it was making fun of me. Shut up, will you? I sat up and actually managed to hit the button.


    Silence at last.


    Except now I needed to do something about my sheets and blankets. Grumbling, I threw off my covers and stumbled over the minefield of discarded clothes littering the floor. The pile looked impressive these days; washing them would probably be good. What time is it anyway? I blinked as the phone light illuminated the dark room. Is it already 11 am? Oh shit. I was supposed to be streaming three hours ago. Well, it is more of a personal goal, but still, I should really keep to a schedule.


    I flipped on the light, revealing my subterranean lair, or rather my parents basement. I didn''t have time to be fawning over the posters of Ichigo and her unrivaled cuteness or even Admiral Moon and his brawny muscles, for that matter. I opened a drawer expecting at least one pair of pants that was clean¡­ nope. Ok, seems to be a bigger problem than I had thought. My options were a little limited; I had to do face cam and couldn''t just be in my underwear. There be rules to these sorts of things. Well, if that stuff is all dirty, then I guess I should just cosplay then. Give those goons something to be happy about.


    My costume wardrobe was far more extensive than my every day clothes storage. Now the question became, what the hell to wear? I had a bit of a collection going here, from maid and nurse outfits clear on over to a full leather dominatrix catsuit. I even had a semi-legit superhero costume with a cape. It wasn''t anything too fancy and certainly wasn''t made out of any of that neato super stuff. Definitely wasn''t anything for protection. Although thinking about it, the catsuit could also be considered one. Those people wear some weird stuff. Ah, the Internet I don''t even have to leave the house to get things. Truly humanity''s greatest achievement.


    Schoolgirl would be the easiest to do. It was a replica of some school over in Japan. The texture was nice and soft, with deep blue and striped red on the upper chest area of the white blouse. The skirt was solid blue. The only real difference between this and the official one was the emblazoning on the chest and shoulders had been removed. I pulled up the silky skirt and wiggled my way into the button-up top. Bam, done easy.


    I sat down, woke up my computer, and turned on the camera to see what needed to be fixed. Some of my clutter was spilling into sight from the sides. My room might be trashed, but I keep it somewhat clean in view of the camera. Kicking the clothes to the side, I glanced over, making sure that was everything. On the other side, the leaning tower of empty pizza boxes looked rather precarious. I really need to do something about all this. Seriously though¡­ when was the last time I cleaned my room up? I will do it after my 12-hour streaming session.


    Maybe.


    I pulled at my eyelid, staring at the red veins and dark bags. Yeah, damn good thing I have not done a face reveal yet. This is no good. My hands came up, slapping both sides of my face, and my foggy-headedness disappeared. Now to the tasks at hand, getting everything together and starting. My VR helmet hung from the side of the tall, backed gaming chair. I slipped it on, buckling the strap under my chin, and flipped the switch on the side of it, turning it on. For now, it just had my computer screen in front of me.


    Ichigo the fairy stared back at me. It was my background currently. I don''t know where the hell she found a giant leaf, but it was adorable. She was an Internet idol that did a lot of cosplay stuff. She had prosthetic ears and fake butterfly wings on her back in that one. Getting distracted again. It was time to focus, so I directed my attention to the webcam, using it as a mirror to ensure everything was good. It was spotty, third-hand at best. I waved a little making sure that it worked properly. Sure enough, there I was in the blue, red, and white Japanese schoolgirl outfit. My face is covered by the VR helmet, save my lips and chin. I puckered my lips. They were a little chapped, though. This would not do, so I rifled around in my drawers, digging out some lip balm and hastily applying it.


    Everything looked good, so I fired up Spasm, logged into my account, and set the feed to on. My face popped up in the center, and I waved to the five people who were already waiting. Or, more likely, they were watching previous streams. I don''t have that many fans, after all. At peak hours, I have somewhere between a hundred and five hundred people depending on the day. Speaking of which¡­ what day even is it? It was the 8th of February, a Saturday at that. Crazy how fast the year goes by. Feels like it was just yesterday, I came home from college. Hard to believe that was three years ago.


    Saturday¡­ Saturday. Ah crap, I knew that there was a reason I wanted to stream early. This was my highest viewership day. I better get started before I lose anybody else!


    "Good Morning, everyone. Welcome to the Malachite Queen''s rampage. Feel free to donate. If you have requests go for it."


    The chat didn''t particularly respond¡­ well, only five of them. I didn''t recognize any of the names in the chat, but then again, I was terrible with names, so that was to be expected. "As you guys know, we will be playing Shattered Realms today. Next time I might do some Swolomon. So got any questions?"


    Crickets. Oh well, I better just get started. People will come, hopefully.


    I clicked on the SR icon, and it started, forcing the web browser to the second monitor. It would not show up while I streamed though I could still see it in my peripheral. There she stood, my Dark Elemental, Fallen Valkyrie named Malachite Queen. I know, I know it means green, but she is blacker than the night. It was more of a sentimental thing. I tried to make her look like Ichigo during character creation and got reasonably close. She was cute as a button when the passive armor broke, revealing her true form. However, while the passive was up, she was one sexy bitch with some big old melons or, as my chat liked to call it, personality. My armor, a metal bikini with loin cloth, helped out with that too. Gave her a bit o that dommy mommy snoo snoo energy. I wasn''t even going for that look. It just had the best stats.


    As usual, my thoughts relayed through the helmet, moving the character now that I had logged in. What the hell had I been doing when I logged out last night? I peered about the surroundings. A dead dragon lay next to me. Bones littered the dank cave, and a red glow came in from the cavern''s entrance. I squinted. No knowledge of this place, let alone how or why I was here, came to mind.


    Oof, it was like a drunken morning-after scenario! Oh wait, now I remember. I killed the dragon of Fire Rage Mountain. I pulled out my adventure log, flipping through the pages. Yup, there it was, Hidden Quest fulfilled. I gotta turn it back in now. What did this fella even drop? I pulled out my magical skinning knife and started hacking away at the thick scales. After about five minutes, I packed away the last of it in my magical bag of stuffing. Now for the totals, including the treasure horde I looted before logging off.


    I turned to the inventory page. Let''s see. Purple Dragon Scales 600, Dragon Hide 200 pounds, Dragon Bones 60, Dragon Talons 10, Dragon Meat 100 pounds, Lunar Stone Ingots 3, Platinum pieces 500, Gold pieces 1,000, Silver pieces 800, unidentified Long Sword, unidentified Full Plate Armor, Vial of Dragon Blood 5, and last but certainly not least Dragon Penis 2.


    "Yes! Got that D, baby!" I pumped my fist, shouting with glee, "Finally, Dragon Dong and two of them! I had to grind fucking dragons for the past week!"


    A chime went off, notifying me that somebody typed into my chat, "New here. What are you playing, and why are you so happy about dicks?"


    "Oh, hello. I am playing Shattered Realms, Broken Destiny. Well, these here are Dragon dicks, a scarce and potent alchemy ingredient. So rare you can''t even buy these fucking things. So I can either sell them for large amounts due to demand or use them for recipes."


    Several of them started up a conversation. The words scrolled along the side of my interface.


    "So is she good at this game, or what is happening?"


    "Mong over here hasn''t heard of the Malachite Queen. She is the top PvPer on the Shattered Realms."


    "So if she is so good, how come I haven''t heard of her?"


    "Who the hell are you? What do you think you are good, or something scrub? Check the forums. She is infamous for Player Killing, and she isn''t in a guild; she is a solo player."


    "So what, does she have the most op class and race combo? Or something else?"


    "Kinda. It is more of her build. She has done all of the God Quests, so she has blessings that multiply her stats."


    "Isn''t that broken as shit? Wait if she is a solo player, how did she do those? Those are high-end raids?"


    "She pugged with one of the better guilds, Black Fire, off and on for the first one and ninja looted the quest item when the group tried to muscle it so that their guild master would get it even though she had the most points in their system since she had not been spending them on loot. After that, she was strong enough that people wanted her in the raids for the DPS. Of course, she was blacklisted by Black Fire, but several other guilds were almost as strong as them at the time. The next time she straight up stole it since there was nothing anybody could do to stop her, and then things escalated, and she forced Black Fire, along with some of the better players, to raid with her to get the rest of the artifacts since they had been doing the easiest quests first and it was getting hard. On the last two blessings, she let her friends get the blessing from being in her party."


    "Why would anybody trust her to join their group?"


    "It hadn''t gotten around yet, and by the time people knew, it was too late."


    "Why don''t others do the quests to get the stats?"


    "It was a one-time special event quest line. Once the Quest was complete, no one could get it since the god had the item, and you couldn''t get the item anymore since the mob is dead and didn''t respawn. They were hidden quests to start with, so not too many people knew about them or that they were one-time things."


    "So then only one person could get it?"


    "Well, originally, it was rewarded to everyone present at the god and in the person''s party completing it. However, since she turned it in solo she monopolized the power. The original design was to make several factions extremely powerful, and they were supposed to fight over the remaining blessings."


    "Oh, somebody fucked up big time."


    "Yeah, that is why they are patching it soon."


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    I nodded and said, "Don''t remind me. That is why I am grinding so much so that I can take advantage before they steal all my hard-earned buffs."


    "Hard-earned buffs? You are cheating."


    "Hey, hey dick head. It is in the damned game, and they wouldn''t have put it in the game if they didn''t want people doing it."


    "Clearly, you are doing an exploit, which is why they are patching it."


    "Just cause I was ahead of the curve when it mattered, and then you get all these babies crying that it is unfair. Considering all the fucked up things you can do in this game, I don''t want to hear it. It is not like I go around raping people. I just murder people if they get on my bad side. Hell, I am pretty nice, you know. Typically I don''t even level camp people back to level one."


    "Well, sometimes you do spawn camp people till they are level 1 again."


    "I can''t help it if you lose a level if you die, and even players happen to be lootable. I said typically, as in sometimes I do. That is what they get for pissing me off. Whose side are you on anyway?"


    Almost immediately, my donation chime went off. I set it up to play, It''s Raining Men for about five seconds while showing a gif of Admiral Moon getting showered with money. Then the robot lady voice I had on started reading what the person, Tittymouse wrote, "When do we get to see your Bewbie, bewbies, bewbies?!"


    "Alright, alright, that is it; you all just lost boob privileges! I was going to cosplay some sexy shit later too. You cock bags wonder why we can''t have nice things, which is why! This isn''t a fucking stripper cam; now get the fuck outa of here."


    "Not fair, not fair! Don''t listen to the troll. We love you!" wrote a couple of them.


    "Alright, fine, we hit a hundred bucks, and I will dress up," I replied, crossing my arms.


    The fake woman''s voice appeared again as the donation popped up. "Thanks for streaming! Here is my part of the cosplay fund. Which are you going to do?"


    "Thanks for donating. I am still thinking we will cross that bridge when we get there. So what do we want to do next?"


    "Genocide, genocide!" filled the chat.


    "So, which ethnicity are we cleansing the Shattered Realms of today?"


    "Centaur, centaur!"


    "Sounds fun," I grinned, cracking my knuckles.


    Thus, the great Centaur massacre that forced a server restart began. It only took about six hours, and I still had time to start up dungeon runs for my subscribers. I loved being able to just zone out and murder things, strangle the life from their necks, burn their huts and slaughter their families. It is not real, of course, and it would be weird if it was. Sometimes I wish that I could live in the Shattered Realms, but only if I could be my character. Then remembering that they probably would not have invented toilet paper is very troubling. It is kinda like how everybody wishes they could be knights or something in medieval Europe. Fucking stupid, if you ask me.


    There is a reason it is called the dark ages. Plagues, wars, famine, and shorter life spans are not appealing. Not to mention the whole peasant class thing and crushing taxes on wheat or anything else for that matter. Then you had filthy religion getting its grubby paws into everything. Corruption, as far as the eye could see everything was about power and was utterly unethical back then.


    Another thing would be that knights back then were basically just a bunch of thugs pillaging and raping the countryside. Funny how history glosses over that. I guess I would fit in pretty well, considering the war crimes I just committed on those centaurs.


    ~~~


    The computer screen was dull, with Ichigo the fairy staring back at me. I blinked a few times, turning the streaming cam to the Intermission cover.


    After a moment a long, drawn-out sigh escaped and I set my virtual reality helmet to the side. It took another moment to make sure that I was logged out of Shattered Realms. My eyes were starting to burn from my latest dungeon-crushing marathon, and I had just taken scrubs through high-level dungeons and got paid to do it. Not real money of course... If only life was that simple. I sometimes did, but mostly it was just in-game money.


    Oh, look at that I made a hundred bucks from random donations. Looks like the chat earned themselves a dress up stream. The murder sprees always get the cash flowing. People really like violence and sex. I happened to have both. I suppose it is pretty entertaining. Looks like it is pizza tonight!


    The chat was scrolling up the side of the screen. They were trying to bribe me to show them my boobs. These fuckers never learn. It was the old Tips for Tricks fund, it never worked on me, but they tried it anyway. I am not that desperate yet; besides, I could get banned for that shit. Well, if I got desperate enough, I might make an Only Fap account and do some angry dommy mommy asmr streams or something.


    "Guys come on," I said exasperatedly. Seriously, there was no pleasing these perverts. "You know I don''t show. Look, do you want to dress up or not? Which do you want? Gothic Lolita, Magical Girl, or-"


    "Dom, Dom, Dom!" spammed through the chat.


    "Oh, for fuck''s sake. I should never have shown you guys that. That thing is so uncomfortable. I know it is all shiny, but I get all sweaty. Do you guys really want to see that?"


    "Shiny and Chrome! Shiny and Chrome!" filled the chat.


    "Feet pics!" popped up in there.


    "What is wrong with you, people? No feet pics."


    Thumbs up started filling the chat log, these guys¡­ whatever I will take your damned money.


    "Alright, look, when I return in about an hour or two, I will put on the dominatrix leathers. But no foot stuff, you weirdos. You guys better be donating."


    With that, I cut the feed to the camera. It is hard to move around in that costume. Money. Gotta think of the money. I gotta get that new Moon Sailors Hard Disk box set. It has that holographic poster and miniature set that is uncensored. But first, I need a break. I had been at it for the past what fiveish hour straight? Definitely not the longest stream. I had done a few 24-hour streams before, but then again, for that, I was hyped up on energy drinks and stuff, unlike now, not even a drop of caffeine in me.


    Glancing at the clock, I decided I should do something with my day. It was already 4:30pm in the afternoon. Natural light and fresh air would do wonders for my mood. I was a little pissed since I got stiffed on one of my runs in SR, and I murdered him and took all his money, but still, it is the principle of the matter.


    My room had become a staging area for trash after my latest gaming binge. A pile of pizza boxes leaned by the closet, and the trash can overflowed. The stairway leading out of my room was clear of debris, though it was kinda old and dingy. At any rate, I kept the room clean where the camera could see it. A little deceptive, but what people don''t know won''t hurt them. I heard the telltale signs that my Dad was home. The stomping above my head gave it away. I could even follow where people upstairs were and where they were going if I tried.


    My Dad roared from up above, "Vesper Walda Vasska! Get your deadbeat ass up here!"


    Shit, he used my full name. I must have fucked something up I don''t know about. I racked my brain, thinking of things that I have not done that he would be mad about. I guess the dishes were still floating in the sink, the water ice cold. That was supposed to be done yesterday. Ah, fuck. I forgot about the gutters. Reluctantly, I emerged from my lair and walked, following the heavy footsteps. He was in the kitchen, thick-shouldered, bald-headed, and pissed. His gaze could make milk curdle, and it was directed at me.


    I don''t even remember doing anything wrong recently; at least nothing worthy of this. It was hard to miss the pile of clean dishes. Looks like he did that, and he pointed at the kitchen table, and I sat down without a fight.


    "You know why I am angry?" He asked, plopping down on the opposite side.


    "Nope." I had to play stupid. Things would get worse if I started naming off stuff he doesn''t know about yet. I mean, my room was a disaster, among other things.


    He pointed his finger at the table, tapping it angrily. "You need to get outside and do something with your life. You are wasting it in that basement in front of that damned computer. I should never have bought that for you. When was the last time you went outside?"


    "I was going to go outside after I took out the trash." It was a weak answer, but it was the truth.


    "See, that is an improvement." He smiled for a moment, but then his face became stern again. "Now listen, I don''t mean to be angry with you. I seriously worry about your future. You have not left the house for over a week, and I hardly even see you unless I force my way into your room. That nest thing you got going on down there has to stop. Your mother is more worried than I am, and it is like you are withdrawing from the world or something."


    "You could watch my stream, you know."


    "I will not watch my daughter being a cam whore!" he yelled, and I scowled back.


    "Came Whore?! Who is a camwhore? I am not a fucking cam whore, Dad. Swolix on ice skates, I have some self-respect. At most, I dress up. People pay to watch me play games, and it is not like I am doing nothing down there."


    "I will take the damned Internet away."


    "Dad, be reasonable. I hear you, but what do you want me to do? You know that I am not some social butterfly."


    "You say that while actively streaming to strangers."


    "It is different. I don''t get all weirded out if they are not here in person, and I got like social anxiety and shit, you know?"


    "Fine, first off, take a shower. I can smell you from here," his face scrunched up. "No boy will ever go out with you if you smell like garbage and a jock strap."


    "Damn it, dad!" I yelled at him. He is always so rude about this. "This again? I am sorry that I am picky, but I will not just throw myself at somebody."


    "When did I say to throw yourself at somebody?" He raised his voice, and here comes the I am suddenly a responsible daddy time. All through high school, you ignored me. Where the fuck was this when I needed it? "Look, if some punk kid fucks with you, I will destroy him. You need to be out there to meet people. I want grandkids one day, you know."


    "Dad! I am only twenty-five. You are rushing this! I don''t want to be some trailer trash who got knocked up by some piece of shit, you know."


    "Your mom and I were married at twenty-two, you know."


    "Well, I am sorry there was no high school hunk to sweep me off my feet. I want an older guy. He has to be at least thirty, has a job, and a car, and not live with his parents. All these stupid kids my age are too obsessed with sex. They just want to get in my pants and drink all fucking day. They don''t care about me at all. I want something real, you know? You can''t blame me for wanting what you and mom have. I am not stupid. I know they just want to use me. Dad, look when I see somebody I like, I will tell you. Just let me take this slowly. I will do everything else, but this is not going to happen. This is uncompromisable."


    "When was the last time you got laid?" He said with a straight face, and it broadsided me from left field.


    "DAD! Are you fucking serious?" I sounded hysterical and I knew it.


    "What? Sometimes you need to get wild."


    "Lalala! We are not doing this! This is not a conversation a Dad should ever have with his daughter!"


    "Alright, fine. I will leave that alone. As for your goals, though. Those are good things to look for, but how in the hell is such a man going to find you if you are holed up in that cave down there?"


    "I know." I snarled at him. "Just leave me alone."


    "How about you join the Baseball Team? I remember you were great as the catcher. Think about it. You would be out of the house, and who knows, you might meet a nice boy."


    Whoah, that was a shot out of the dark. "Dad, that was high school. I haven''t even touched a baseball in six years. What makes you think I could even pass the physical at this point? I have not exactly been training."


    "You could do it if you put your mind to it. You have always been like that. Remember when you caught that ball the girl tried to bunt, then threw and took out third base?"


    I smiled. "Yeah, I clipped it right under the bitch and she stepped off of the plate."


    "See, you had fun. You should never have quit."


    "Oh god, dad is this about me not doing baseball in college?"


    "It is not, but you should have. You could have gotten a full scholarship and everything." My Dad looked hurt, and every time college got dragged up, he gave me that disappointed look.


    "I was not feeling it. I was already bored of baseball after high school. I was tired of being hit by balls all fucking day. It sucks being the catcher all the time. If anything went wrong, it was my fucking fault. I swear it is like being the jungler in Legend League. Gank my lane you boosted animal. Nice smite, kill yourself. That is all I fucking hear. Thank god, I can mute all in games."


    "You are talking like one of those little lesies."


    I rolled my eyes and almost walked away, but I knew that he would chase me down and this would get worse, so I just yelled at him. "Dad! For the last time, I am not gay! I wasn''t gay in college, even though half the damn dormitory was going through that experimental phase. You know, the hee hee haw haw Becky, I am so drunk like lets kiss girl; we are just girls, it is ok to kiss. My fucking roommate was a skanky dike plowing a different bitch every night. I had to listen to that shit. I am sure as fuck am not gay now! Stay the hell out of my nonexistent sex life."


    He crossed his arms, glaring at me, "Then why are you stalking that fairy girl?"


    "Dad! I am not stalking her," I glared right back. "For me to be stalking anybody, I would have to leave the house. I just love cute things, and she is fucking adorable, alright. So drop it."


    He sighed and shook his head. "Why can''t you just be normal and have posters of half-naked men all over your room. Instead of faeries and little Asian girls dressed up like those stupid cartoon characters, and those moon whatevers don''t count."


    "It is called cosplay, Dad. Moon Sailors. Fine, Dad, fine! I will show you my fucking porn folder. How about that? Dicks and tentacles everywhere. There are so many. It''s like a fucking forest. I like the dick for the last fucking time! God, I can''t believe I actually said that... You are so embarrassing, Dad! Why do you only care if I am getting railed or not?"


    "Hey, you are the one who said it." Smirked my Dad.


    The bastard was barely keeping himself from laughing!


    I scowled and turned away. "Because you won''t get off my ass about it."


    He just laughed, patted me on the back, and then ruffled my greasy hair. I could feel it standing up. I stormed off to shower while he chuckled and turned on the TV. I could hear the news something about some stupid Super getting caught and being labeled as a Villain. The world was crazy enough out there, and I hoped it would stay away from me. The bathroom was over my room; well, the whole house was over my room. I was of average height, five foot five. Short but not tall, either.


    Shit, I really let myself go. I had borderline abs in high school. Feels like I was getting fat, too. I could grab my flanks. Granted, it was not to the point that I had handles, but it was still troubling. I am going to have to lay off the pizza. Yeah, gonna have to start doing squats again. Am I even going to be able to fit in that leather jumpsuit? Some pretty bad bags under my blue eyes were dark and swollen. That VR helmet is not doing me any favors. My black hair looked like a quagmire from hell with tentacles everywhere.


    Thanks, Dad.

 Contamination chapter 2

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 2


    My mind wandered as I went through the motions, throwing my clothes to the side and stepping into the shower. I forgot to let it heat up and regretted it instantly, but it did drag away what little grogginess I was feeling. Shivers ran rampant. The hot water came at last, allowing me to think. At first, it was what was wrong with my life, which, well, there was a lot of stuff in there. Not the worst off, but it certainly could be a lot better.


    Then I remembered the news. I mean, really, if I had superpowers, I would not do something stupid like robbing a bank. That is just begging to get caught. Well, I would join the good guys, first of all. You get a license to beat the living shit out of criminals. It would be like living in a video game. I would have a bitchin costume and show off my boobs and ass. I would never let myself get out of shape, either. Could probably make a living as a model when I got bored of beating baddies.


    Then again, I doubt I could handle that kind of responsibility. I mean, in games, I am never a nice person. It is part of why people watch me. The way I see it is if you are weak, you deserve to have your shit stolen from you. Not in real life, of course. That is some scumbag shit, stealing from others. I mean, they worked hard to earn that. Although knowing me, I might get carried away and treat life like a game if I was a Super. Yeah, definitely need to avoid that. Supers are cool, but they are fucking scary too. Especially the Subhumans down there in the Slums. The animal people are a real problem, especially on the full moon. Even Dad tries not to leave the house after dark when it is that time of the month. The Blood Moon.


    After a short while, the shower stopped, and I stepped out to find that I looked like a certain girl who crawled out of a well. The brush got caught in the tangled mess of hair, but after wrestling with it, the sleek black gloss was perfectly straight and shiny. It reminded me of doll hair, which was exactly what I aimed for. It even smelled of lavender. I coiled the towel and retreated back to my room. The laundry needed to be done. A pair of jeans I wore the other day didn''t smell too funky, but it would have to do until I could wash everything.


    I wore my Captain Metal shirt. He is my favorite hero, well, local one anyway. My absolute favorite would be The Fast¡­ so what if he is Asian and looks like a boy band member. He is cool, I swear. He is the fastest man alive. He can literally run around the world in less than two hours. Not all Supers were terrible people; that''s why we called the good guys Heroes.


    At any rate, back to Captain Metal, his superpower revolved around sonic technology. He could make just about anything. He has a hoverbike that uses sound waves to create lift. Then he has his frequency rifle that can pierce steel or be used as a bean bag gun. I think his only weakness would be a sound vacuum or something like that. Or if you caught him without any of his gear.


    Then again, secret identities are sacred to the super community. Most try not to reveal who is behind the mask and don''t take kindly to it if somebody reveals a secret identity. I heard on a forum once that the whole super community will descend on the dumb fuck who spills the beans. I am not just talking about the heroes, the villains too. This one time, a reporter in South America revealed some Villain''s identity. The next day his body was found in his apartment room, dildos shoved in every orifice and a scorched tire track going up the wall before vanishing into the ceiling.


    Apparently, it was the doing of some guy called Demonrider. He is kind of a big deal down there. He is more or less the drug overlord, and it is very foolish to piss that crazy guy off. If the rumors were true, he has a cocaine-powered superbike and a harem of demon bitches. I would assume that said skankubi were responsible for the adult toys. They are infamous, and I heard of them, which says something since I usually avoid the outside world. Supers are kinda scary if you think about it. That would be a good part of why I don''t go out much. There are crazy people out there.


    The trash was more of a challenge than predicted, and it took a full three trips to get it all out. A brisk spring breeze swept by the desolate street. My house was in the boonies, but my Dad had five acres. Good luck getting that in the city limits. It gets frigid out here; even with the sun out, the snow still lingered at higher elevations, which means we are right in the middle of February. It was the eighth. I should really check that. A lack of a jacket made this a very short excursion, and I closed the door. Dad sat on the couch, still watching the news. It was about the weather now, and a quick glance revealed yet another storm coming in either tomorrow morning or the day after.


    Dad was always nice before he went to work, which was very soon since it was already passed five, and he was the bouncer at the nightclub Atomic Strobe. He just sat there patting me like I was some cat or something and didn''t say a word the whole time. He didn''t need to. I knew he loved me, even if we got into little yelling matches occasionally. I liked it when he was like this, just quiet and calm.


    "Hey, Dad, when is Mom coming home?" I asked.


    "I am not sure. You know your mother; she is always busy with those idols due to the Star Agency. I hear Isabelle is giving her lots of trouble."


    "Yeah, I know. I wish she was home more often, though."


    Dad just had a distant look on his face and kept petting me, "So do I. But you know your Mom, and she can''t stay still for long."


    "Yeah, but when was the last time we all sat down for dinner?" I asked.


    Dad thought on it for a little, then smiled, "How about when she gets home, we go out for a nice dinner?"


    "Oh?" I said eagerly; food was one of my weaknesses, "Where are we going?"


    "I will ask Caroline where she wants to go."


    "But then it not a surprise, Dad."


    "Good point. Ah, I know. I will cook us up a nice dinner."


    "Dad, you not gonna wear the apron, are you?"


    "What is wrong with my apron?"


    I glanced at the red apron with a pink heart that said, "Whats Cooking Good Looking?"


    "It is cringe Dad; look at that thing. And you complain about the Moon Sailors!" I scoffed


    "What? This is why you don''t get a boyfriend. Nothing is sexier than a man making his woman food."


    "Dad, you are too much, you know that?"


    He chuckled a little, and then his phone''s alarm went off. It was time for him to go to work. Our time together was all too short. As much as I love my Dad, I also love my time to myself. Go, go on, you old man you. He pulled on his leather jacket and made for the door.


    "Good night," I told him, and he grinned and said the same.


    "Night, Vesper. Don''t stay up all night."


    "I won''t." I crossed my arms, looking away from him. I don''t know if that was a lie since I had no reasonable sleep schedule.


    Then Dad was gone, and Mom was away on a business trip, as usual. So once more I will be all alone until tomorrow morning. I idly piled my clothes into the washer, threw in a cup of detergent, and turned it on. My head hurt. It was weird, like a stabby pain behind my eyes in the middle of my brain. I may have been staring at screens for too long. I sat down with my back to the machine as it spun. The vibrations wormed through me. It was like a nice massage as I sighed, closed my eyes, and enjoyed it. I zoned out for a long while, and then it beeped at me, signaling that it was done. I went about stuffing the clothes into the dryer and turned it on.


    I flopped down on the couch. It was an old thing, but it was soft, and I sunk into it. Maybe Dad was right, and I should try out for the women''s baseball team. Although I doubt, I could make the cut. My shape is not exactly prime these days. At this point, it was filled with the cream of the crop pro athletes or at least junior athletes. As such, competition would be brutal. I should start doing some running again. Squats would definitely do me some good. Help my figure, too, for the stream, so¡­ yeah, it''s a win-win. Ah, dammit, I just took a shower and here I am thinking about getting all sweaty and gross again. Ten minutes, then I will go out there.


    I idly flipped through the TV channels; nothing was really on. There were reruns of Moon Sailors, but I was not feeling in the mood for that amount of gay. Don''t get me wrong, the guys are fucking hot. I did not feel like hearing them scream love and peace while fighting skanky-looking space bimbos. I would be watching it if it was a new episode. I surfed about until an interview with Captain Metal popped up. He was in costume, like always. You could see his muscles under his jumpsuit. He was sleek, thin, and well-defined. He had a cape with the local hero''s branch logo, a B with two overlapping circles covering it. His helmet covered all, but his lower jaw and mouth.


    He chatted away with some frizzy-haired reporter about the recent villain who had been captured. Some scumbag from one of the local gangs. Seems he was robbing a pawn shop and got nabbed. Don''t particularly care, and that sorta thing had nothing to do with me.


    I shook my head vaguely, wondering what the hell to do now. I thought of playing some more Shattered Realms, but I was a little burnt out on it. To me, the Internet was an escape, but I had promised to stay away from it, no more day-straight marathon dungeon runs like I had been doing before. Hmm. Wait, it is sort of a job I mean I am making a bit of money doing it, and it is fun. I looked at my phone. 6pm. Wait, 6! Ah shit. I need to get back in there and stream more.


    First, I gotta get all dolled up, so I can make some money off those horny bastards. Gotta get that simp money. I quickly headed to the bathroom. I padded the concealer under my eyes to cover up the bags. As usual, it took two layers. Fluffed up my eyelashes and got my lips nice and red. Looks about right, I observed in the side mirror. Wait. I gonna be wearing a fucking VR helmet; why the fuck am I doing my face? I tossed my clothes to the side and attempted to fit into my tight leather jumpsuit.


    Yeah, that is right, it is basically bondage gear, and I got a whip too. You can find some great things on the Internet. I floundered about on my bed, fighting it so that I could zip it up. Oh, tighter than I remember. Fuck, definitely laying off the junk food. That was harder than it should have been. Finally, I got it up and felt the air get squished out of my chest. Not really surprising since it had a corset. Fit like a glove. I stretched, wiggling and getting it loosened up so that it would be tolerable to wear for a few hours. I had boots, but I don''t think that I need to wear them. Much comfier not wearing them. Where is that damned hat? It was on the stand with my red and black cape. I fastened it to a brooch, buckled on the VR helmet, and plopped my leather cap on. What can I say? I like to dress up, and I imagine myself as a Super when I do. I figure this is what it is like having a costume anyway. DaDaDa, to save the day! Pfft, like that would ever happen.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Checked myself in the camera. Alright, am I forgetting anything? Not that I can think of. Spasm started up.


    "Hey, hey people, Malachite Queen here. How are we all doing this evening?" I greeted my audience.


    The chat lit up with lots of comments and greetings. Bit spams started popping up with their messages attached. Most were well-intentioned and friendly though a few bad ones were snuck in there. Everything was looking good, but then an odd message appeared.


    "How is Bronson? I hear there are tons of subhumans there."


    I stopped for a long moment. Did I ever mention where I lived? I tilted my head a bit, thinking on it, and could not recall. I must have let it slip at some point. Well, not like I am trying to keep what city I live in a big secret or something. I don''t even go out, really, so not like I will get assaulted by raving fans.


    I nodded, "Yeah, we got a lot here. They are down in the south of the city, down in the Slums. I never go down there, so I don''t know much about them. The full moon is a bit hectic, though, and sirens are always loud those nights. Part of why I don''t stream on the full moon."


    "Tell us more."


    "What the Slums? Eh, well, there is a gang down there called the Mad Dogs. They are all subhumans, and they are a bit dangerous." I tapped at my helmet, thinking on it, "I believe the leader is called Glitter Kitten? Pretty sure she''s a cat girl or something. I try not to get involved with super stuff if I can help it."


    "Bronson¡­ isn''t that the place with the rats as big as dogs?"


    "Maybe? I don''t know. Haven''t seen it myself, so can''t say for sure. I mean, I know that there are a lot of irradiated animals down in the Slums. At the bottom of the Slums is a nuclear power plant that melted down like 10 years ago. That whole area is off-limits. Even the local heroes avoid going down there."


    As our little chat was going on, the lights flickered. The VR helmet went black as all the power went out, leaving me in the dark. I pulled the helmet off, finding that it wasn''t just my computer that went out. The whole room was dark. Odd. Very odd. Was it a rolling blackout? That didn''t seem right. It wasn''t even Spring yet, let alone Summer. A rattling noise started soft, then the room shook, things flopping off my shelves, and I teetered about in my chair, pushing back away from anything that might come down on me.


    It was an earthquake.


    As quickly as it had come, the quake subsided. Overall it had been relatively mild, maybe a 4.0. Living in California on a fault line, one tends to get used to them. Nothing serious unless it is at least 5.0. I waited in silence, hearing car alarms going off down the street. The light flickered back on after about ten minutes, and I scooted back to my desk. Tapping at my computer, I fired it back up, and it rebooted. All the apps and stuff were just as they had been. Well, almost all of them. Spasm wasn''t working.


    What the hell? It was stuck on the eternal loading screen. I shut it down and started it again, but nothing. I opened the browser to check Ichigo''s website. The swirly thing of doom popped up. It took only a few moments to see that I had no Internet connection¡­ son of a bitch! I did not just spend twenty minutes getting dressed up for this shit. I stormed up the stairs to poke at the Internet router. I stared in horror as I stared at the place where the normally blinky lights were. It had fallen off of the table and exploded on the floor. Oh, fuck me.


    I called my Dad, "Hey, Dad, we need a new router. The old one got smashed!"


    "I will get one after work."


    "But Daaaad, I need my Internet! I was going to make money, and I took a shower and everything. Come on Daddy."


    "I am not leaving work early to get you a router. Go for a run or something," he replied and hung up.


    Well, fuck! There goes my day. I guess my chat will just have to wait until tomorrow. Man, I wanted spending money. They consistently pay a bit when I dress up. My ass sunk into the couch while I brooded over how to get a connection again. Shit, I can''t think of anything. It is so stuffy in here. I stretched and decided that I really should go for a run. It might clear the air and help me think. It had been a long time. My hand almost opened the door, and precisely what I wore came to mind. Can''t go running in something like this. That is just asking to rip stuff or get a rash. Reluctantly, I took it all off and got back into my jeans and shirt.


    My favorite jacket that I got for Christmas sat next to the door, hanging from the hook next to Mom''s spare pea coat. Mine was a zip-up, lined with fur, and the insides were puffy and warm. It didn''t help my hands, though. They were always cold. Unfortunately, I did not have mittens. Do I have bad blood circulation or something? The night air fogged my breath, and the silvery moon above twisted with the tentacles of the Spore, gazing down at the half-shadowed world. I took off down the street jogging.


    The neighborhood was quiet, still as always. Nothing happened out here, nothin exciting anyway. The street was dead, not a soul to be seen anywhere. The only way anybody could tell that people were here was by the gentle glow of the house lights. Cars dotted driveways; everyone was already home or left for work by this point. The silence was calming. My feet scrabbling on the pavement was the only interruption. The rhythmic pace slowed as I bent over, catching my breath. My god, I was out of shape. It had only been two circles around the neighborhood, and I had already felt it. Back in high school, I could easily go five to six before being winded like this.


    Dad, Dad was right. I really did need to get my shit together. It is no use moping around that basement. I will start running every morning, and a month from now, I will take the test to join the Baseball Team. I bet Dad will be happy to hear that. Definitely going to fail the test, but hey, gotta start somewhere. I grinned happily, walking back. The air was so chilly it felt absolutely amazing to cool me down. I will probably still do the stream on the side.


    It did not take long to return home, but nothing awaited me there. No Internet and reruns on TV made for a very dull night. Dad went to work, and playing games did not feel right. Sleep was always a good option. The problem was I was not very tired. I thought for a long moment, then decided to visit my old childhood haunt. It must have been years since I last went there. While I was at it, I set off to walk the property and try to get my act together. It did not take long to arrive at my old hideaway, a fallen tree way out near the back of the property line. The gnarled stump was hollowed out where half of the tree had given way to rot long ago. The rest was still alive, standing tall like a sentinel. There was something about this place that always calmed me down. My thoughts shifted to how I ended up like this. I could have been making a six-figure salary, eh, maybe? Who knows? Life is a strange thing.


    I gazed up at that giant alien jellyfish thing in the sky. Super huh, and nothing really super about me.


    What does the word Super bring to mind? To most, it entailed being special, important, and better than everyone else. I would agree. My generation craved this feeling of superiority, of being unique. Why? Because all our lives, we were told by our parents, teachers, society, and ourselves that we were special, we were necessary, the main character of our own story. Anybody can be a Super, or so some say. It was only later in life, once the veil of childhood had been lifted, that the cruelty of adulthood and the reality of the world set in that I realized it was all a lie. Sure, we were all special, but there was always someone better.


    Athletes? Who cares? I could name off the top of my head ten men or women who could run miles in less than thirty seconds, and they were not even the fastest. Flying, some did that too. Strength? I watched a video of a man throwing a building with his mind. This was the world of the Supers, and I am certainly not a Super in anything. What were we to do, facing such insurmountable barriers? Even if we had Superpowers, there were tiers dividing the weak from the strong. It was referred to as Rank, and they went from 1 - 10, though rankings seemed a little arbitrary and abstract since the ranking as a whole seemed a bit iffy. Near as I could tell it was more like Milestones than anything else.


    We desired it so much that we would live vicariously through games, books, movies, and anything we could personify ourselves as the hero and savior. It got to the point where we idolized the very heroes who crushed our dreams, to begin with. Really, not such a bad thing considering that they fight Super Villains who want to destroy the world. There was another route, hatred. Some resented the Supers for being gifted and special and better than they ever would be through hard work alone.


    They were simply jelly and wouldn''t get over it. It was not fair; they would complain. Well, unfortunately, life isn''t fair. Never has been, never will be. Survival of the fittest has been repressed by our advancements, but it is there always waiting, running things in the background. At some point, we have to realize there is somebody out there who will be stronger, faster, smarter, and better in every way, and that person is probably going to bone the living shit outa some other superior being, and guess what? They will have a child, and it will ninety-nine percent of the time be in the top ten percent of Swolatas. Eh, wait, that is Swolomon. Same difference; it still applies.


    If I was not Super, well, I was nothing. That is just the cold hard fact of the world. It doesn''t matter how talented or hard I worked; Somebody somewhere was better than me because they had a Super Power. Not really resentful it is just fucking depressing.


    Even I am no exception to this. What have I done to deal with this soul-crushing realization? I gave up on the real world. I can''t be Super out there, but I can be my own hero playing games and slaying the evil demon lord to save all the peoples. Well, let''s be technical here. I could theoretically get powers if I, A. Throw myself into a vat of mystery goo, B. Get super rich and buy cool shit from people with superpowers; I sure as hell was not C. Born with it, or D. Got struck by cosmic rays from space, E. Get blessed by some outer god thing from beyond time and space, or F. Get mauled by a radioactive Subhuman monster, least appealing on the list, by the way.


    Subhumans. That was the real disincentive from trying to get powers. They are the freaks, the monsters, the failed Supers, and unfortunately, with how radioactive the Slums were, many of them were running around down there. Dangerous is what they were. Every month they made the news, running wild and killing people with the full moon. Makes me very happy I live on the opposite side of the city. Glitter Kitten would be the most famous. Super Villain stripper that is right, a Stripper. Now, the thought might occur, ''Who the fuck would go to a strip club run by animal people?'' a lot of people, actually. Never underestimate the power of horny. I think it has something to do with the fact that she has six boobies.


    One bite, one misstep in toxic sludge, and bam, slum city if you looked like a freak. And that is why I don''t leave the house anymore. The risks of obtaining superpowers far outweighed the reward. Not to say it is not tempting. The problem is that the odds were just not very high that something good would come from it. Superpowers were the best-case scenario; I would probably just get cancer and die in a gutter somewhere.


    I was more than content with my games, movies, tv shows, manga, comics, and anime. It is taking up so much time; I don''t have any to be getting into trouble. I learned life should be enjoyed, and so, I just don''t give a damn. Of course, I am not a productive member of society and probably shouldn''t be giving life lessons. Having a job is very fulfilling or can be soul-grinding and reduce you to being a zombie, but hey, if you are dead, then you don''t gotta eat, right? Me, I am mooching off my parents. Hypocritical? Maybe, don''t judge me. There are crazy people out there who could kill me with their pinky finger. So, why would I go outside?


    My parents'' disappointment in me has gnawed at my self-confidence ever since I dropped out, and since I did not have a degree in anything, I could not get a job that did not involve flipping burgers. I got nothing against burgers, but that is the type of job you only want for a few years. It is an entry-level job, not a career. I had no connections who could hook me up with a swanky job. A high school diploma wasn''t worth shit these days, not with how bad the economy was. So I had no money and was forced to live with my parents. The upside was that I was not dumb enough to get some arts degree that would never find a job even with a good economy. So yeah, not being crushed under a student loan wasted on a useless degree was a pretty damned good feeling.


    I saw what it did to a few people from the neighborhood. Joey, across the street¡­ hung himself. We were not really that close, but fuck man. I guess he or, rather she? Was Transgender came out and didn''t exactly receive a warm welcome, or so I heard. There was also the hundred thousand dollar schooling debt. I guess she couldn''t take it. I don''t know. Personally, I got nothing against gays or the rest of that; just not my cup of tea. Who you stick your thing in or let stick in you, well, that is your business.


    Super god damned depressing. I wish I had known, I would have been her friend, and we would have dressed up and shit. Some of the weirdest, most fun people I have ever met were queerer than a three-dollar bill. Best not to think about it.


    My life is not so bad if I ignore that I am twenty-five, but I can''t do much about it. I could get a better job, but that would involve a lot of legwork, and it was not even close to being a sure thing. My motivation was sitting at a cold sub-zero. I had better things to do with my time than fruitless job hunting, like streaming my exploits of SR, LL, and Swolomon to my rabid Spasm fan base of a hundred people. At any rate, it is neither here nor there.


    Hours passed in dead silence. It was peaceful and serene, just me, the night, and the giant translucent alien tentacle monster in the sky. This was just what I needed, no distractions, just time to organize everything. Finally, I was going to get my shit together. Tomorrow I will start my training. Sexy booty, here I come!


    I grinned, looking up at the night sky. It is funny how a single moment could change my life so dramatically. A car accident suddenly ripping my life apart. Just out of the blue, out of my control. But then there are other times when you wander onto the train tracks. You ignore all the warnings and walk out, then when the train hits you, you have only yourself to blame. This would be one such defining moment, though I did not know it yet. My life was about to become a circus fire.

 Contamination, Chapter 3

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 3


    The Spore. My eyes lingered on the tendrils that drifted out from the moon. Slowly, effortlessly they shifted, groping through the black sky; beyond them, the stars twinkled. It was expected to see that space jellyfish thing up there in the sky. It had been up there since the first time I looked at the sky and even before that. However, apparently, it had not always been there. I tapped at my head, trying to remember history lessons from high school. Oof, that was a few years back. Hard to remember that stuff. I frowned. My memory was somewhat blurred of that time. Or rather, I didn''t want to remember it. I am embarrassed about how I was back then.


    At any rate, I liked the Spore. There was just something about it that seemed¡­ familiar. Calming even. It might be because I would come out here and cry alone as a kid, always looking up at that thing. Guess I was feeling nostalgic after wallowing in my own woes for a bit.


    On the other hand, it might also be because of my gratuitous tentacle porn collection. I mean, I wouldn''t be against it if some alien tentacle creature wanted to do things to me. Though that would be a fantasy, I would likely die from that sort of thing, and no sex could be good enough to die over. I am not that desperate.


    I sighed, the brisk night air misting away. It was getting cold, I should probably go home and sleep. I stood up, patting my knees. That was when I noticed the noise. A low, dull droning. A¡­ buzzing noise. Almost sounded like when there was no sound. Where was it coming from? I squinted, looking about the dark forest. A slight movement above caught my attention, again drawing it to the stars.


    A strange dot appeared way up high. Oddly enough, from this angle, it looked like it was coming from the longest tentacle of the Spore. Speaking of said tentacle, it definitely shifted since the last I looked. The dot was red, and it was moving. I started to think it was a comet, watching as it drew closer and closer, skating across the sky. It wouldn''t be the first time the Spore had slapped an asteroid out of the sky. At first, a low rumble began to echo, and I felt it crawl through the ground and shudder the air. At this point, even I could figure out that it was not some cosmic thing; rather, it was something man-made.


    A strange sound echoed, and the clouds parted around it. It streaked right overhead, trailing metal pieces spiraling away from it as it plunged into the forest with a terrible crash. An explosion rang out, and orange plumed up, billowing smoke. The mountains loomed in the background. I stared in disbelief. Something had actually happened way out here. This just reeked of Nope. I mean, I really shouldn''t go look at it, but¡­ maybe I will find something cool? I should run home and hide under my bed, but how often did something like this happen? If I was lucky, I might even get to meet Captain Metal or something. I could get his fucking autograph!


    Well, that settled it. Away I went.


    I held out my phone, shining light on the path. The crash did not seem that far away, and it looked like it was just over the hill. I climbed along the trail I frequented back when I was just a snot-nosed kid. It wound its way up the mountain like a serpent, but at last, the trees gave way, and I stood, gazing down at a small valley that started up the side of the mountain proper. Nobody lived out here, and only the hardcore hikers and backpackers would bother to come out there.


    The fire filled my eyes, burning brightly against the forest''s black. It hit one of the meadows that lead into the bogs out here. I might be a basement-dwelling nerd now, but I know this place well enough; after all, I spent my childhood running around out here. The walkway was overgrown, though, it was not too bad to descend.


    All the flames had died down a bit by the time I muddled my way through the undergrowth. The clearing where the wreck lay was filled with the snaps and crackles of the twisted metal. The craft was tube-like in its structure. A thought crossed my mind; it looked like it was a section of a space station. Maybe, kinda hard to tell with how messed up it was. The end that hit first was crushed into the ground. It was not very likely that anybody survived that unless they were a Super. I had heard of a few that were borderline indestructible. Let''s see, there was Atomic Train and Armadillo, but that was about it. There could be a lot more, but I don''t follow Supers that much. I know some of them, but like football, I never really got into it. I don''t know too much about them besides what I occasionally see in the news. Most of the time, it was about the subhumans in the slums. All of it was bad.


    I stared at the flames, not really knowing what to do. The whole of area was lit up. While aimlessly circling the crash, I saw a strange metal canister lying about fifty feet away, along with a trail of debris leading off into the woods. This is the type of thing you see in movies. So I did what anybody in my position would. I got a large stick and poked it. An idiot would have just run up and grabbed it barehanded. I was not going to just go up and touch that shit. If it was important or something, I could turn it in for a reward, but I did not trust it as far as I could throw it.


    It seemed alright, so I gave it another prod, and it rolled out of the depression it made. That was when a green glow filled my eyes. The damned thing had already been broken open by the crash, and this is precisely why I did not walk up and grab it.


    I had seen enough horror movies to know where this was going. When has a fluorescent goo ever been a good thing? Oh god are those fumes?! This is how you get cancer. Just about everything gives cancer these days, but something tells me this might be super cancer. Back away, not today! I was getting a terrible feeling about this place. The inclination that I was in way over my head came to mind, and this was something that I should not be involved in.


    Fuck it, no autograph is worth this. I am out.


    Uneasily, I stepped back, giving it a wide berth. I turned around, getting ready to leave, when I noticed that trail of destruction clearly leading off into the forest away from the crash site.


    It wasn''t where the station had come down; rather, it was going north deeper into the woods. I pondered on it, hearing a crash resounding out there, along with a yell. Hearing the words was a little too far away, but it sounded like somebody was hurt. I hesitated, looking between the deep depths of the woods and the trail back home. Acha, well fuck me. What if somebody is actually hurt? I looked at my phone, no signal. I should help, right? Eh¡­ I should, but what if something happens to me too? This would be a nope moment, I suppose but damn it. If that was me out there, I would want somebody to help me.


    I bit my lip and gave the way home one last glance before I trudged along the broad path of upturned trees. Yeah, the more I looked, the more this was looking like a fuck this kinda situation. I mean, what the fuck even did all this? I found a hint of it, or instead, I fell face-first into it as I stumbled into a depression in the soggy ground. It was deep. Ugh, now my pants were all muddy. This stupid hole! I stood back and gave it a good look. It was oddly shaped, with two long outward marks from the top section and one from the back. Ah, there were more of them, a trail going down the path. I glanced at the much smaller depressions going along between them, footprints. For the distance between them, they were either very tall or running.


    It must be big, whatever the hell it is. The prints are bigger than me¡­ well, about the same size as me. Was it an experiment that escaped from the station when it crashed? Although, with how big it is, it could be a mecha. I mean, these don''t really look like animal tracks. Oh, a giant robot sounds cool. I wonder who made it? Could it have been Adamantine or maybe Mecha Man? Though I thought Mecha Man was in Japan?


    I should go-


    A scream echoed, and an explosion went off deeper in, illuminating long shadows for a moment. The trees were quivering and shaking as the ground rumbled. It was just ahead. I froze for a moment debating between fleeing and going the last few tree lengths forward to see what the hell was happening. Somebody needs help. I might be a bit of a wuss, but I am not evil. Leaving somebody to die out here is fucked up. The thought was gnawing at the back of my mind, compelling me. Finally, I moved forward, edging quietly to the side of a tree, peering out into the clearing ahead.


    Cratered glass, still smoking, reflected the moon''s light around a figure. It was facing away from me. Blackened, glistening blue like velvet in the silvered light. Something about that figure sent tingles and shivers all through me. The first thing I noticed was the massive long thick tentacles waving through the air. Of course, that is what drew my attention. I slapped my face to get my mind out of the gutter.


    Terror, a primordial fear from my very depths. I should not be here. Yet my body would not move, and I couldn''t take my eyes off of it. It was immense, tall, taller than the trees looking down upon something as the tentacles slowly weaved through the air behind it. An orange material flowed from the back, dragging on the ground to create an immense cape. It covered most of the figure though shadows pierced through the almost see-through material.


    It- She spoke, "Finally, we end this game of cat and mouse. No more running. Pitiful, foolish little human. Tell me, what did you seek to accomplish by coming to this place?"


    That... that sounded like some Villain shit right there. Typical monologue. Who was she talking- ah, I could see a much smaller figure in her hand. You know, that bitch sure is big. I mean, some person is being squeezed to death in her hand. Oh god, that is a villain, isn''t it? I should really go, huh? I could hear the cracking of the man''s bones from here as he screamed¡­ No, NO. NO. Nope. Nope. Nope to the Spore and back. I should go. It is past my bedtime. I mean, what am I even gonna do? Look at that fucking thing. I am unarmed, with no superpowers, nothing. Don''t even got a taser, got a stick, but what the fuck am I gonna do with that? If they were injured, I just wanted to help somebody, not get involved in a superhero battle.


    I turned to escape as quickly and quietly as possible. Slinking away a single step before my blood ran cold. The voice caused me to freeze mid-step. "You, over there behind the tree. Come out and prostrate yourself before my magnificence. I might let you live."


    How did she- She was still facing away from me. I stared at her in silence; a slight glisten made me give the back of her head a better look. It almost looked like a lens or a¡­ my heart hammered in my chest harder as the massive eye on the back of her head blinked. The glowing red iris seemed to glare at me from the pitch black surrounding it. Reflexively I gulped even though my mouth had dried in an instant.


    "Come, pitiful creature, I have little patience for insects such as humans."


    It was about this moment that my survival instincts slammed into high gear. My first instinct was to run as fast and as hard as I could. But my legs would not move. Damn you, body! This was fight or flight, and I sure as fuck can''t fight that. Flee, damn you, Flee! Move you stupid legs! The eye of the predator had me firmly in its sight. Remembering my earlier run and how I was not in the best of shape, my inclination to run withered away.


    Slowly I stepped out, crunching along the glassed ground. It was odd how it glowed with a slight heat.


    At my approach the immense figure turned revealing an unnerving sight. It was uncanny, human yet¡­ very not. The haunting face of bone white creased into a smirk that cracked the hardened features. Eyes, many, many eyes, gazed down upon me. Oddly, unsettlingly she had an alluring, feminine body sculpted from some sort of hardened material. Plated like armor. Was it some suit? It really was one of those, I really shouldn''t put my dick in there¡­ however-


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    With a clawed finger, she motioned down, "Bow before your better pathetic worm."


    Well, when she put it that way¡­ I lowered myself to the ground. I am a worm; step on me, mommy, just don''t kill me.


    "Tell me, who are you? Where is this place?" she asked. I could hear the tentacles sliding over one another, undulating through the air above me.


    I stammered, ¡°Momm- mean um, I- I am Vesper.¡±


    She paused thoughtfully, tapping her chin¡­ the movement seemed familiar to me. It reminded me of what I would do when thinking, well, I know a few others that did that too, so I guess even Villains do that. "That is an unusual name. And?"


    "And?"


    "Where is this place?" she asked.


    "Bronson, California."


    "Bronson?" she scowled in disbelief. "Impossible, it has been years since-"


    "I swear, I am not lying." I pleaded, and the words just kept spilling out, "I don''t know who you are or what you want but, but just let me go. I swear, I won''t say anything to anybody and will forget this all happened. Just, just let me go."


    The massive wasp woman''s eyes flashed with understanding as her voice boomed into an evil cackle that sent shivers down my spine and toppled over a nearby tree, "Oh. Muhaha Hehehahaha! Is that what you did. I guess you finally lived up to your name, Timeskip. So it worked then, and here I thought all this rumored time jumping was just a ploy. A clever ruse, misinformation during the war. To think it was real, so this was the Great Reset I had heard of. Here I thought you humans would destroy the world just to spite me. Yet this, this is far more interesting. Is this all going according to your plan? Did this already occur?"


    The man, Timeskip, I assumed, replied, "Third time is the charm, Eva."


    "Empress Eva, So, now that you have my undivided attention," she leaned in face to face with the man, "Tell me. Why here? Why now? What did you hope to accomplish here, now?"


    "As if I would tell you. Even if I were to die here, you would learn nothing," Timeskip spit in her eye.


    She didn''t even blink.


    Eva seemed amused, "Is it a loop? So we have done this before? Does it change? Or is it the same every time? So many questions, though I doubt you will answer me willingly. I suppose I will just have to eat your brain to find out."


    "Vesper Walda Vasska," choked out the man.


    "Yes? Wait, how do you know my name?"


    "You will pay dearly for all you have done, Eva!"


    "Empress Eva. Get it right, you disrespectful worm." She sneered back.


    "Empress, bah you are no ruler. A tyrant. A fiend. You don''t even care about your own children''s lives. You sacrificed them all, and for what?"


    Though confused, the face of the giant woman seemed to come to a realization. Her grip tightened as she snarled. She hurled the man into the ground, audibly bones broke, and the glassed earth shattered. She stepped on him, her talons gouging deep into the ground as blood shot out. The thin veneer of humanity that was Eva''s face cracked and split open revealing her for the monster she truly was.


    "All I have done? You humans were the ones who started this! I just wanted to live with my children in peace. You wretched things slaughtered my children! Burned my home! Murdered my mates! You bastards killed the only one I ever loved. The earth is stained with the blood of billions. You wretched fiends did this. There will be no quarter. No mercy!" her claws scraped and flexed, cutting at him, "You have failed, child of Man. To think you would bring me back, how ironic. Your last hope has become your ruin. Humanity will burn. It will suffer as I have. This time I know better than to try to coexist. Seeing how Bronson is still here, this is clearly before the War of the Wasp, before the Day of Descent. The Spore yet sleeps, and I will awaken it once more. Today Humanity ended thanks to your failure, and my Vesperium begins!"


    She bent down, grasping him even as his lower half was pinned, pulling him between massive fingers all four arms, pulling, crunching, tearing. I could hear every bone in the man''s body breaking. She was doing it slowly, as painfully as possible. He ripped in half. Even though he screamed, he started to laugh, "My future is just beginning, but yours ends here!"


    Lost, confused. No idea what the hell is going on here. I sat up and looked at him. I couldn''t see his face behind the cracked helmet, but his voice had felt accomplished? The hands around him glowed and evaporated as a bright light filled my vision. A tentacle smashed into me hurling me back. It faded to black as heat rushed through me. I felt numb all over. Vision blacking in and out as I lay there. Is this how I die? Caught in a pissing match between supers. Death by laser. At least it doesn''t hurt all that much. Can''t really feel much of anything. I knew I should have just stayed home.


    Vaguely, I heard a crunching, tearing noise as the massive form rose from where it had fallen. Only the bottom half was there. The rest melted off. Flesh and muscles rapidly growing, circling, and entwining as they pulsated and bulged. Soon the bluish-white skin faded below that familiar hard black armor. The haunting visage of Eva reformed, glistening in the light of the Spore above. Slowly she turned, gazing down in my direction.


    "So he ran again."


    She bent down, almost affectionately placing that cold, hardened hand on me, "Poor, poor little thing. And they call me Evil. As I learned long ago, you can never trust humans."


    The world blurred, fogged? I couldn''t move. I could feel a dull stinging, perhaps? Burning? Was I dying? Everything felt weird, like I was watching some movie playing out in slow motion.


    "Do you want me to end your suffering?" asked that white face that loomed before me, filling my vision.


    "I want to," I choked and felt something hot roll out, oozing out of my mouth, "live."


    "To live is to suffer." Eva smiled, at least. I think that is a smile. It seemed sunken and sad for some reason. ¡°Very well. Life is my gift to you, My dear Vesper. My other-half. To think I would see you again. This time will be different."


    Woozy. Faint. Vaguely, I could see the mouth gaping. The maw extended out as though to swallow the world. A tendril came forth and thrust forward. That face, the bone-white mask filling my eyes as they glazed over. Every second, a pulsing sensation radiated through my head. Slowly it grew in intensity as the tube throbbed. It was pumping something into my head.


    ~~~


    The world around me seemed to fade. Everything became white and red and yellow.


    Scenes, broken distorted views of a distant frozen hellscape materialized, a ruined world burning. It was burning, and yet it was so cold. The sky was black with bodies moving in a swarm, shifting as it descended. The ground was littered with dead or dying wasps, machines, and men piled together. Mountains of bodies raining down with every boom as the guns below thundered relentlessly. The snow dyed yellow and red as the two sides clashed endlessly. Great and terrible machines of war and super-powered beings cutting desperate swathes through the endless horde. A giant of a being was swarmed and dragged down below the tide of flesh and carapace that surged forward. Every flash swiped back the wave of carapace, and the screams silenced briefly.


    I felt it flow through me. An unbridled raging sorrow. As though all the light in the world was extinguished and all the happiness crushed. My great clawed hand motioned them forward more and more, descending as the clouds of wasps, my children, parted around a titanic tentacle that came crashing down, shattering the world.


    Pain.


    Power.


    Rage.


    Sorrow.


    Black.


    Quiet.


    Nothing.


    ~~~****~~~


    The fire filled my eyes, burning brightly against the forest''s black. This seemed familiar, yet it was wrong. Distorted. The sky was flickering. The Spore above pulsates with every beat of my heart. Every breath seizing in my chest. Something was wrong, very, very wrong. As though I had already been here. My thoughts were foggy, fragmented, mushed. I was here for something. It seemed to have hit one of the meadows that lead into the bogs out here.


    This was¡­ things pieced together haphazardly as though someone was throwing memories against a wall to see what would stick. This place was¡­ behind my house in the woods. I might be a basement-dwelling nerd now, but I know this place well enough. After all, I spent my childhood running around out here. The walkway was overgrown, though, it was not too bad to descend.


    All the flames died down a bit when I muddled through the undergrowth. The clearing where the metal wreck lay was filled with the snaps and crackles of the twisted metal. The craft looked like a small cargo plane; it''s hard to tell how messed up it was. A stabbing pain rushed through my brain as images overlapped. There was the section of the space station that had crashed.. The whole front end was crushed into the ground.


    It was not very likely that anybody survived that unless they were a Super. I had heard of a few that were borderline indestructible. Let''s see, there was Atomic Train and Armadillo, but that was about it. There could be a lot more, but I don''t follow Supers that much, kinda like football, I never really got into it. I don''t really know too much about them besides what I see in the news every now and again. Most of the time, it was about the subhumans in the slums, all of it was bad.


    I stared at the flames, not really knowing what to do. The whole of the area was lit up, and while aimlessly circling the crash, I saw a strange metal canister lying about fifty feet away, along with a trail of debris leading off into the woods. This is the type of thing you see in movies. So I did what anybody in my position would, I got a large stick and poked it. An idiot would have just ran up and grabbed it bare handed. I was not going to just go up and touch that shit.


    If it was important or something, I could turn it in for a reward, but I did not trust it as far as I could throw it. Seemed alright, so I gave it another prod and it rolled out of the depression it made, that was when a green glow filled my eyes. The damned thing had already been broken open by the crash, and this is exactly why I did not walk up and grab it.


    A sense of oddity came. I¡­ I have been here before. Done this before. I was sure of that. My head hurt. Throbbing, pounding. It felt like something, something was crawling through my brain. Sick. I feel sick. Yet, I soon realized my body and my thoughts kept moving. It was as though I were a passenger observing.


    I had seen enough horror movies to know where this was going. When has a fluorescent goo ever been a good thing? Oh god, are those fumes?! This is how you get cancer. Almost everything gives cancer these days, but something tells me this might be super cancer. Back away, not today! I was getting a horrible feeling about this place. The inclination that I was in way over my head came to mind, and this was something that I should not be involved in.


    Uneasily, I stepped back, giving it a wide berth. I turned around getting ready to leave when a low whine pierced through the air around the ship. Not liking that, I back peddle away as quickly as possible. Suddenly an explosion ripped through the crash, and I threw myself back onto the ground to dodge any shrapnel. Unfortunately, I was a bit late as several impacts resounded through my back. It surprisingly did not hurt as much as I thought it would.


    My chest felt wet. Ah fuck, it is blood, isn''t it?! I ran my hand down to feel. It was warm and squishy, green pervaded everywhere. Oh, fuck me. I am soaked in this shit! The glow was mocking me. It had seeped through my jacket, ruined my jeans, and I could feel it in my hair. I screamed, clawing my way out of the depression, and tried to stand, only to find a jagged piece of metal sticking out of my leg. I could tell that I was still in shock. Otherwise, something like that would hurt like a bitch. My right leg was useless, and that goop was getting into the wound. I hobbled towards the bog. My clothes were torn off as I went, and I threw myself into the filthy muck.


    Wrong. This was wrong somehow. My thoughts were reeling. Being shifted. Changed. Something else had happened. Yet my thoughts fled. Gritting, forcing all my attention and will to remember, to see what had happened.


    It, She appeared looming over me, tentacles slowly sliding over my body. Held in her hug? Embrace? It was almost tender. Images flashed of a cold white bone face smiling. That overwhelming presence a shadow, an all-consuming expanse before me. Within it was the hum, the droning of countless voices culminating into that face.


    ''Empress loves you, Vesper.''


    Too strong. It faded away as the outside lurched violently. Already the memories faded into cold dark silence. Submerged and drowned, yet the whispers remained.


    I could not get the jeans off. The metal was lodged in there. A throbbing spread and the serrated metal cut my fingers from trying to pull it out. Rubbing the mud over it did not help; now my skin felt like it was starting to burn, melt even. Thousands of stings radiated over my skin. It was worse than that one time I threw a rock at a massive killer bee hive.


    I wallowed about in the black mire, scraping my skin to the point it was bleeding. This is what I get for going outside. Why didn''t I just go home? I was burning up, my skin blistering and popping. It hurt more than anything I had ever felt before. Can''t even describe it. It raged and seared without end, even after I was too exhausted to move.


    A light appeared, and it swept over the area. I could only vaguely follow it. Pounding filled my ears, and a rhythmic sound reverberated overhead, and I realized it was a helicopter. The wind rippled the waves and made them slosh when it set down nearby. Figures poured out as two more landed, and they scattered all around, searching for something. In desperation, I crawled towards them, hoping that they could help. They were covered in thick suits, and lights beside their heads shone wherever they looked.


    A loud voice, gruff and heavily accented, rang out. It sounded like a huge Russian soldier from some movie I had seen somewhere. "Da. My team has arrived on site, securing the remains. Check hazmat suits quickly. Do not risk contamination. You will die. Be quick about it. We must remain undetected. Heroes will arrive in five minutes."


    "Comrade, one canister is left, but it is damaged." Shouted a subordinate, running over to one of the helicopters. He held that metal tube that caused all of this.


    My eyes blurred as someone stepped over, stopping right in front of where I lay. My mind swirled and churned. I wanted to yell, but I could only cry out incoherently.


    "Seems to be survivor. Bring girl along, be careful she is covered in Mutigene, and place her in the sterile transport container. Dr. Tesla, we are returning shortly."


    One of them approached with some sort of syringe-looking thing. I have always hated needles, and this thing did not look friendly. I retreated a few bumbling flops, but he pressed my chest to the ground with his knee. I felt a prick in my neck, and all the pain flew away, along with the world.

 Contamination, Chapter 4 Interlude Grains of Sand

    The Vespidian Arc 1 Contamniation, Chapter 4


    Interlude: Grains of Sand


    Saar never really had to worry about his daughter getting into trouble, not in the last five years. That was something adventurous people did. After she dropped out of college, it seemed that all ambition and anything even remotely resembling a will to get out there and do something had been stripped from her. It was as though she had given up and did not care if she was successful. It hurt a lot to see her like that. She was driven and motivated before college but had returned despondent and reclusive. No matter how much he asked, she never did tell him exactly what happened.


    She had once said, "I just got tired of caring."


    College became something of a taboo phrase around her, and just mentioning it was usually enough to make her completely shut down in a conversation. Unless she was outraged, then it would invoke a yelling match.


    Whatever trauma she endured from it had turned her into a slacker. At the least, that was it on the surface; he could tell that it was more profound than just being lazy and hoped that if she had enough time, she would pull herself out of this slump Vesper always had before.


    This time, however, wasn''t the same.


    It only got worse. The years ticked by, and she withdrew even further from the world, delving into games as though to escape reality. As though fleeing some dark and terrible event. She had to be dragged out of the basement for most anything. He only wanted her to get it together, stand back on her feet, and start doing things, but she was content with eating ramen and staring at a screen like a brainless zombie.


    It made Saar angry to see her wasting her life down there. She was dug in like a tick, though, and refused to budge. His only solace was that she had no interest in drugs, and he had seen many of her age group fall prey to it and end up as junkies. There was, unfortunately, an epidemic of opioids and other things like heroin raging through the city. It was likely the Angels of Hell pushing drugs again, but that was more of a symptom of how society seemed to be falling apart these days.


    Life moved on, but then she got that game, that damned game. The Shattered Realms Online. It was the first time in years that he had seen her smile. Little did he know that it would consume even more of her time. She would stay down there for days playing it non-stop. It had become an addiction, a rather destructive one as well. She once prided herself on her hair and how toned her muscles were, but now she hardly even maintained basic hygiene. She was just down there playing that game, and it had to stop, so he confronted her.


    He would never hit her or anything; in fact, the last time he bent her over his knee and spanked her was in middle school. Vesper was afraid whenever he raised his voice; then again, so were most people. This was the only time in her entire life that he truly yelled at her, and they both regretted it. She did not leave her room for the ensuing month; not even Caroline, her mother, could get through to her. Not even the scrumptious Thanksgiving Day dinner could lure her out; food had always been her weakness. It had been her favorite, turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy. She would sneak out late at night to raid the fridge to avoid them. He knew because he caught her red-handed, and she scurried back into her den like some sort of rodent.


    One day either she had burned herself out on the game or calmed down, but there she was, sitting on the couch watching TV. It was the first time they had talked face-to-face in a long while. She had dark circles under her eyes from not sleeping properly, and she listened to everything he said. Things began to look up from there. She would still have her binges, but they typically only lasted a few days, and she would actually do things around the house and show her face before he left for work. She had become rather mousy, a far cry from how confident and outgoing she had been. But when she was playing that game, she was completely different. She was malicious, insidious, and downright evil.


    Once, he watched her slaughter a whole herd of baby seals like it was nothing. She skinned them and everything. Then she proceeded to spawn camp some poor bastard and steal all his things. His friends tried to help, but she butchered them all like lambs and robbed them as well. The more she did it, the more people came to challenge her until the chat was filled with bounties to kill her, and whole guilds started showing up. It was a bloodbath. When she left, they were crying and had all been reduced from level fifty to one. In the game, if you died, you lost a level and dropped some of your equipment. Saar did not understand it properly, but he could tell she was very good at that game. Apparently, this was how she made money in there. It was cringeworthy how she grinned the whole time.


    The game had become something of an outlet for her aggression and pent-up rage. There was a lot of it. He had no idea where it could be stemming from, though. In real life, she was timid, good-natured, and was more likely to harm herself than a mouse. Granted. she was foul-mouthed, lewd, likely stalking some Internet idol, and needed a shower, but overall she was a good girl. She was certainly not the violent type; seeing her do that, though, was eye-opening. Vesper dismissed it as not real, but to be able to do that while laughing hinted at some deep seeded problem. There was an upside, though. She knew full well the difference between reality and fantasy. She just needed to be pointed in the right direction. Maybe it was society?


    Saar was naturally very worried about his daughter''s prospects. If she never left the house, then she would never make friends or get a boyfriend, for that matter. It was concerning, to say the least. He picked at her about it just about every time he could because he didn''t want her to end up all alone later in life.


    Other parents were having similar problems, though not as extreme, except in one case, it was worse. The kid across the street killed himself after college. Apparently, he had racked up a huge student loan debt and couldn''t take the pressure since he could not get a job. Then again, it was an Underwater Basket Weaver degree. Saar didn''t know what the hell the kid was going to do with it. If anything, he blamed the school for ripping the kid off with that worthless thing. He could not think of any jobs it would be useful. Well, besides basket weaving underwater, there was not exactly a crazy demand for that.


    Engineering or Architecture would be much better prospects, they were some of the highest paying straight out the gate, and demand was pretty good. Vesper was better than that, though, she might be weird, but she was not suicidal. She avoided conflict like the plague. It had been the main reason he was not worried too much about leaving her alone in the house while Caroline, and he were at work. She rarely even went outside, so why should he worry? He was most concerned about a burglar, but the front of the house looked a little beat up, so nobody would think to rob the place.


    ~~~


    Then the 8th of February came. A day like any other, well, actually a better day than most, at least at the start. Saar was rather happy when he left for work. He had finally broken through to her or at the least gotten well on the way to rehabilitate her. Who knows, she might even start working if he introduced her to his boss. They did need a new waitress, and it might entice her to pay attention to how she looked, perhaps even find a nice boy. It also helped that she was very good with money. To say that she was stingy with her dollar would be an understatement. He would talk to her about it when he got home.


    With a spring to his step, he walked down the old walkway to the truck in the driveway. It was a newer one with glossy red paint, it was somewhat intimidating to look at, but that was good since he worked in the slightly less upscale side of town. Not in the slums or anything, and certainly not the exclusive North West side; it was somewhere in the middle. Despite only being a bouncer, Saar made quite a bit of money. He gave a casual glance over the house and set off.


    The Atomic Strobe could be seen from a reasonable distance due to the spiraling neon lights on an antenna. It was a strip club on one side and a nightclub on the other. A little strange, but it worked well, and people came from all around. It was one of Bronson''s three major hangout spots for young adults. The only problem is kids get stupid when drunk and tend to get into fights. Drug use was frowned upon, but it was still there. So his usual day would consist of around three arguments with kids, dragging out those too drunk to drive, and getting a taxi for them. A few times, he had to beat up a stalker that was following around one of the dancers. The one thing that Saar always dreaded at work was that a Super would come in to wreck the place. He might be pretty strong, but that doesn''t mean shit. You can''t fight super freaks. They could throw a fireball at you, or it could be one of those damned were-beasts from the slums.


    Glitter Kitten was something of a menace; she owned the Sparkle Kat Cafe, the only strip club and whore house in the slums, well, actually the city since prostitution was illegal, not that it stopped them as there were no laws down there. She employed all the Supers who had transformed into less than humans, anthropomorphous mostly though there were a few others. She was reasonable, but her gang was running wild down there. Sometimes they would roam up and cause problems. That was what the Hero League and the Scarlet Souls were for.


    The Scarlet Souls were the local Super Villain gang that controlled the city''s northern section. They also happened to own the Atomic Strobe. One might not be too happy about super-powered thugs running around the place, but for the most part, they were decent people. They did not screw around with civis, lay low, and did not like attention. The only time you would even know they were about was when another gang encroached upon the area. Fold was the name of the boss, and his power was that he could make portals, which made getting around undetected very easy. Things had been relatively peaceful as of late.


    When he thought about what sorts lived down in the slums, Saar was actually glad that Vesper did not get out much. Ten years back, the nuclear power plant melted down just south of the city. They were lucky the city did not end up like Chernobyl. Though they contained it, the residual radiation mutated animals, and they wandered into the poor districts and the ghettos. The result was an outbreak of rabid animal people. Most were put down, but those that did not go completely feral formed a gang, the Mad Dogs. They quickly took over drug trafficking and prostitution in the area. They either killed their rivals, converted them, or drove them out. Since then, the whole south of the city has been referred to collectively as the Slums. The police and heroes fought them for a long time, but two years ago, they gave up and decided to simply contain the spread. Since it had been relatively quiet, the gang turf wars were the only disturbances.


    Saar had never been the so-called looker. He balded early in his twenties, which made him shave his head. Facial hair was not his thing, so he kept it baby smooth. His body structure had been large even in college when he was on the football team, a defensive lineman number 68. The flat face and dominant chin created an authentic macho look. He was a more quiet and kind man. Still, he often intimidated people without even meaning to, including Vesper. This was especially true if he wore sunglasses and a suit. Luckily she had taken more after her mother and only got his nose.


    He looked more like a thug than much else, which was not so bad considering the occupation he got into. Being able to make some little shit piss his pants just by glaring at him was rather rewarding. The leather jacket, with a random book in the inner pocket, was more to ward off knives than much else. One would be surprised at how shady some people get; that would be why he makes the big bucks. Over the last ten years, he had been stabbed eight times, shot twice, and wrestled with a Super before he ended up beating him unconscious with a beer bottle. Luckily, the Super was just some kid with Pyrokinesis, not telekinesis or super strength. It also helped that he was not a very high rank. After a little chat, the kid joined the Scarlet Souls and turned out alright.


    Saar''s focus returned to his surroundings. He stood at the door, checking IDs. There was this punk-ass kid who was clearly underage and had a fake card. He looked it over for a moment, considering what to do. He decided to just get rid of him. "Beat it, kid; come back in a few years."


    "Hey man, it''s legit. I am twenty-two." Complained the teen. Saar gazed down at the youth, not hard; he was six foot. His look sent shivers and spiders crawling down the line, waiting to get in. It took a few moments before he ran off.


    "Fucking kids," sighed Saar.


    "Hey, you should like come in here and look at the news," said a young woman behind him. It was Rosie, one of the dancers, dumb as a brick but a nice girl. Blond, fake tits, pouty lips, and barely a g-string to her name. The big dummy kept wasting her money on her deadbeat boyfriend. She looked like, well, she was a bimbo. Word around the bar was that she was easy.


    "Why? I am on the clock," asked Saar.


    "Something like happened by your house. You live up on Greenman Drive, right?" She asked, genuinely worried. This girl was usually nothing but smiles and cotton candy, so if something was bugging her, it must be serious.


    "What happened?"


    "I don''t know, like something blew up around there."


    Saar scrunched his face up and yelled. "Charlie, watch the door for a few."


    "Alright, alright," complained a shorter man in a suit. He wore sunglasses even though it was dark out and had been for a while now.


    He walked inside, shoving aside several stumbling drunks. Lights flashed through the odd mist that seemed to pulsate as though it were alive, and people danced within it to the roaring music. It was a writhing sea of sweaty bodies mashing together. It was like this most nights, full and seething with people. It was good for the business, but many of these kids should have better things to do. He passed a little huddle of people trying to stay to the side. The telltale sound of a lighter and sucking made it obvious they were getting high. Not to mention the plume of smoke and coughing. He frowned, ignoring them; it was just weed. Not like it was some hard shit. Saar entered the back room, looking up at the giant plasma screen. It was breaking news.


    "Roughly an hour ago, debris from the International Research Station crashed in the forest reserve near Greenman Drive. There have been no reported injuries besides the scientists who were on board when the Spore struck the station; all personnel on board the station are presumed deceased. First responders arrived on the scene minutes ago. The Hero League has quarantined the area and prohibited anyone from entering. Some dangerous chemicals are leaking from the wreckage, and they have begun investigating the crash site."


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    Rosie asked. "Like, is that a big deal?"


    Saar shook his head and walked back out to finish his shift. Vesper was likely playing her games and did not even notice the station crash. At most, she felt a small earthquake. It was times like this that he was thankful that she minded her own business and had her head so deep into that screen the world could end, and she would not know it. The rest of the night passed without too much trouble. A random fight, and he had to drive one of the strippers home. Her car had broken down, and she did not want to walk this late at night. He did not blame her. Super freaks were running around after all. It was a manageable detour, so he elected to do it. She thanked him for the ride, and he arrived in his driveway ten minutes later.


    It had been a relatively quiet day, with only two fights. Saar yawned and made his way inside. Usually, he would just go to bed, but something was bugging him; normally, Vesper left most of the lights on after her little expeditions through the house. It was nice to come home to a lit house, even if it raised the electricity bill. However, tonight there were no lights on besides the kitchen light. It seemed odd. His daughter was something of a creature of habit, and she seldom turned lights off. She did not like the darkness.


    He checked on Vesper, half expecting a locked door and low moans echoing from inside. Saar knew far more than he wanted to about his daughter''s intimate rituals. Right around now, he usually steered clear of bothering her for a good reason. She was not exactly modest. Often she would run around the house with just a towel on after taking a shower, mostly during summer, but still. The silence was a strange thing to be heard from her room. Usually, he could hear her loud-assed computer fans trying desperately to keep the motherboard cool or her talking to the streamers.


    He knocked and waited a few moments for a reply. Nothing. He hit again, then entered the pitch darkness. Roaches scattered when the light turned on, and the trash attracted pests again. She, however, was nowhere to be seen. He scoured the room and came up empty. Saar stared at the blank computer screen. He could not remember the last time it had been completely off. He glanced at the posters of Ichigo and the Moon Sailors, then shook his head.


    At this moment, he recalled the call about the router, and sure enough, it lay on the floor, shattered. Vesper had not even cleaned it up. She couldn''t have been playing games if there had been no connection. Apparently, the Gear account would only work with the Internet. Where would she have gone? Saar systematically went through the house.


    She was gone.


    This was¡­ concerning. Vesper had no friends. Well, there were those people that she chatted and played games with, but not real friends, none of them even lived in Bronson, and she had never met them in person. That chat was a bad influence on her, and as far as he was concerned, they were just a bunch of perverts looking at her like a piece of meat. It was why he wanted her to stop the streaming and get a real job, something to be proud of.


    However, that was a discussion for another time. There were no signs that the place had been robbed, and she had laundry still in the dryer. He called her cell phone, and the number was either out of service or off and went straight to voicemail. He sat on the couch, wondering where the hell she ran off to. The news did little to distract him while he waited for her to return.


    Morning came, but Saar had not slept, and Vesper never showed up. He called the police, "Hello, hello?"


    "This is nine-one-one; how might I be of assistance?" replied the rather bored-sounding operator.


    "My daughter has gone missing."


    "I am sorry, sir, but how long has she been gone?"


    "I don''t know, about nine hours or so."


    "Are you sure she is not a friend''s house?"


    "She doesn''t have any friends." Saar was felt a little sad about saying that, but it was true.


    "Well, maybe she is just out with a boy or something. Call back after twenty-four hours, and then we will see what is happening. It is probably nothing. We get a lot of these this time of year. Unless it is urgent, we are too busy to deal with runaway cases."


    "Wait, I live on Greenman Drive. She might have gotten involved in that crash today."


    "If she was, the Bronson City Rescue Team Heroes are already on site and investigating the scene, and they will get to the bottom of things. However, remember that they are incredibly busy maintaining order across the city. You can''t expect them to drop everything to search for your missing daughter. Hopefully, she will return after being drunk or something. You know kids, they are stupid."


    "She is not like that," replied Saar, but the line was already dead.


    He sat, rocking on the couch. Saar could not remember the last time he was this worried. However, she needed to be missing for more than twenty-four hours for a missing person''s case to be opened. The local law enforcement had their hands full, with the rabid animal people and supervillains running all over. Not to mention all the mutants in the sewer. The new crash site probably had stretched things a bit thinner than usual.


    He slumped on the couch and dozed off to sleep, or rather tried to, hoping she would be there when he woke up, and he was just overreacting. She was an adult, after all, so surely she would come back. Maybe she just went out to get something to eat and lost track of time playing a game on her phone. It was a stretch, but he was desperate.


    She did not return.


    Rain filtered in as a thunderstorm descended. He had not slept a wink. He left a note on the kitchen table telling her to call him before taking his truck out to search for her. Night came, but she had vanished without a trace. The downpour would wash away what little evidence there may have been. Saar sat there staring at the phone. He was about to make one of the hardest calls in his life.


    "Hey honey," said Saar, his voice strained and tired.


    "What is wrong? You don''t sound too good," replied Caroline.


    He was silent for a long moment. "Vesper is missing."


    "Wait, she actually left the basement?"


    "Listen to me. She did not come home last night, and I don''t even know where she would have gone."


    Caroline took a deep breath. "Alright, I am coming home. Call the police and get a report going. Hopefully, somebody saw something."


    "I will see you tomorrow. With luck, we will find her before then."


    He hung up the phone and called 911 again. This time they were far more accommodating. Some of the Bronson PD arrived. It was all a bit of a blur. He filed the paperwork. He gave them pictures of her, and they took her computer to see if there were any clues as to where she went. Her cell phone was still dead or disconnected. Saar called in to take the day off and began his search again. Through the pouring rain, he scoured everywhere he thought she would go.


    It was no use.


    For the eighth time, he circled the neighborhood, knocked on doors, and asked people if they had seen her. It had gotten to the point where they would not even open the door to hear him out. It did not help that most of the neighbors did not even know she was still living there since she had hardly left the house. It was ultimately fruitless. By the time he returned home, it was already in the early morning hours, and the rain had passed. The couch beckoned, and he passed out when he crashed on the cushions.


    The sound of the television woke him, and Caroline stood watching it. It was the news. "As of yesterday morning, Vesper Walda Vasska went missing. If anyone has information or has seen anything, please report it."


    She stood there rigid, with a scowl, and her dark hair was a little messy. Her business dress was wrinkled, and it looked like she had been up all night. She was drinking coffee and looked like she might strangle somebody if they said something wrong. Her frown was twitching slightly. Yup, Vesper really took after her mother.


    "Where the fuck did she run off to?" said Caroline, rubbing her tired eyes. She had been crying.


    She paced restlessly, and Saar grabbed her hand to make her stop. "You have any ideas where she would have gone?"


    She shook her head. "Not a clue. This is the first time in years that she has gone without her computer for so long. She might just wander back on her own."


    "What was that place she always ran off to as a kid? That old tree remember?"


    "What, that rotted-out tree in the back? I suppose it is worth a shot."


    They walked along the muddy path and soon came to the edge of the property and the fallen tree. The old gnarled bark was gray, and rot had spread, making half of the tree fall. It was still with only the chirps of blue jays and the buzz of mosquitoes. There was nothing here to even hint that Vesper had come recently. Their hearts sank, it had been a long shot, but now they could only rely on the police.


    That afternoon Officers arrived at the house with a hard knock. Saar opened the door to a tall, bulky white, blue suit of cybernetic-powered armor. On the shoulders, a pair of siren lights sat idle. The helmet was blank, leaving an expressionless chromed-out face.


    Flanking behind this massive man were several more nearly identical members of the Cyber Swat division of Bronson City. They dealt with any super-related crimes or cases. The only real difference between them was that the one in the lead was taller than the others by about a whole head''s height. It was an odd thing for Saar to have to look up to someone when talking to them.


    The big one was Enforcer, the leader of the Cyber Swat division. It was odd for such a highly profiled city hero to be here. Especially when his normal area was in the city''s southern section, quelling the constant subhuman raids.


    Behind them, a craft was situated on the lawn; it left deep grooves in the grass from the landing gear and the open loading ramp. It was the search and rescue team led by Medavac. Medavac was only a little smaller than Enforcer. Unlike Enforcer, he didn''t bother wearing a helmet. He had an older, craggy face scarred from years of battle. Short silvered hair. Saar knew just about all of the local heroes. Medavac was a veteran. Though he was a rougher sort by all accounts, he was a kind person.


    Conversing with Medavac was yet another high-profile hero. Fire Chief. He led the super suit-enhanced firefighting teams of the city and was responsible for majority of the power augmented suits in the city. The suit was around the same size as Medavac''s, but instead of being crisp white, it was a bright orange color with yellow reflective stripes. The helmet was similar to the usual firefighter gear, except for the completely sealed and tinted gas mask-like apparatus. It gave him a very mechanical appearance. On his shoulders were lights that strobe red and white when turned on. His back had a heavy looking tank and a large water canon connected to it.


    To have the entire local rescue team here was a little intimidating to be honest. Well, one member was missing, Neon Nurse. By this point, Caroline had arrived behind Saar, looking at the Heroes, a hopeful glint in her tired eyes.


    Enforcer spoke up, "You reported a missing persons case? Mr. Vasska. All details should be handed over efficiently in such cases, as time is a sensitive issue. Due to the issues at hand, a lot of time has already been wasted. The longer we delay, the less likely; statistically, she will be returned alive, if at all."


    Saar nodded, letting them in. Enforcer slowly looked over the room as though scanning it for something.


    "Is there something wrong?" asked Saar.


    "Negative. I was merely scanning for contamination. You are clear." replied his deep synthetic voice.


    "Clear? Oh good," said Medavac letting himself in Fire Chief followed him in shortly after.


    The living room had never felt smaller with these massive armored men looking things over. Medavac had a cheerful mood to him, despite the circumstances.


    "Contamination?" asked Caroline.


    Enforcer replied almost mechanically, "Affirmative. From the crash site, extremely volatile chemicals were released and have since been contained, and I was ensuring that it had not spread. Since you believed that your daughter was involved in this incident, and if she was exposed, she has not returned to this premises."


    "I see, and that helps us how?" asked Caroline, growing irritated.


    "It removes a search location and narrows down my search parameters."


    "Obviously, she is not here. I wouldn''t have reported her missing if she was, " Saar said, eyeing the machine man up and down.


    "Mr. and Mrs. Vasska, I must keep all options open and available. We have come here today to gather evidence and ensure that she has not been murdered and her body has been disposed of on the premises. The family is considered a prime suspect until investigations have been settled. If you have nothing to hide, this part of the investigation will be settled in short order. I request that you comply with my search."


    Saar stared at Enforcer''s faceless helmet. The accusation hit him from a blind spot, "You think I had something to do with her disappearance?"


    Caroline''s face went from disgust to outrage in the span of half a second as she shouted, "How could you even insinuate that we had anything to do with her disappearance!"


    Medavac slapped a hand on Enforcer''s back making him shift slightly, "Enforcer, come on now. They are going to misunderstand if you say it like that."


    "It is the optimal-" started Enforcer''s mechanical voice before it was shut down by Medavac interrupting him, "People are not optimal. You gotta understand that old friend. If you are too direct, you can be off-putting. You have been spending too much time with Neon Nurse."


    Fire Chief spoke up, diffusing the situation, "Calm down. We are not saying you did; we just want to rule out that you did it before moving on to other areas. From your description, she never leaves home, so it is logical to look over the house first."


    "So wait, you think she might still be here somewhere?" asked Caroline.


    "It is a possibility. I will ask again for your compliance." replied the cold, almost mechanical man.


    Saar nodded, "Do what you need to do. Just find her."


    "Compliance has been noted. I will begin my investigation," replied Enforcer.


    Several disk-like drones separated from his back. They scattered about the house as Enforcer walked through the kitchen out the back door. He crouched down, observing the ground. Slowly his metal hand traced along a depressed spot in the muddy ground.


    "Mr. Vasska, what size shoe does Vesper use?"


    "A woman''s 8. Why?¡±


    "Parameters have been met. I will begin tracking at once." Enforce said, jolting upright.


    His drones circled out of the house, and Enforcer efficiently moved in, not quite a run but certainly faster than a jog. His heavy footfalls faded to the twists and crashing of branches breaking upon his metal exterior. The cybernetic police officers ran into the woods, following his lead.


    Medavac smiled, giving a Saar a reassuring pat on his shoulder, watching the mechanical man bulldoze off into the woods, "Looks like he has got the trail. We will find her in no time."


    They left in search of Vesper, with the roar of the flying rescue craft fading into the depths of the woods. Unfortunately for all involved, the search proved fruitless, and it was as though Vesper had fallen off the face of the earth.


    Days turned into weeks. There was no ransom call, so the likelihood that she had been kidnapped was close to zero. Enforcer and his sophisticated drones had followed a trail into the forest but lost it around the crash site. The local search and rescue team with Supers: Medavac, Enforcer, Neon Nurse, and Fire Chief were stumped. It was like she never existed, to begin with.


    The police called off the search and all but a tiny sliver of hope had been extinguished. The Supers were still keeping an eye out. However, they did not promise anything. The more time passes in such a case, the odds that the missing person will be found alive plummets. To most, Vesper had been written off as dead after the weeks turned to months.


    Saar would not believe it. He dared not consider that she was dead. The following months were a swirl of regret and self-loathing. Caroline fell into heavy alcoholism to cope with the reality that Vesper was dead and not coming home. She blamed herself for always being harsh on her daughter, pushing her and challenging her to rise above where she currently was. She had always thought it was the right thing to do, it was how she had become successful, but now there was a gnawing doubt.


    There were even assumptions that she had run away from home, but that did not pan out. She had taken nothing with her; if it was their daughter, they knew she would have taken that damned computer. Caroline had lost motivation to do much besides lay around the house drinking herself into a stupor. He could not watch it any longer and took her in to get help.


    She yelled at him, blaming him for not correctly watching her. He took all of her abuse, physical and emotional. Despite how work kept Caroline from home, she cherished Vesper. The two were very close, and it was devastating to her to even fathom the loss. Her little Evening Star was dead, never to be seen again. It took a long time for that to sink in.


    After an excruciating three months of counseling, Caroline was mostly cured of her binge drinking, but she was cold and distant now. She hardly ever returned home from work, and there were rumors that no one wanted her as a manager due to how strict, unyielding, vicious, and impersonal she had become. The only upside was that she got a lot more work done than before, she forced an idol into stardom, but she was never thankful to her and more than happy to be under someone else after her debut.


    Saar was still in denial. Not even after four months could he accept that Vesper was really gone. He never spoke to Caroline about it anymore. It would end badly; usually, things broke, and he was tired, so very tired of it. Every day he went out to search for hours before going to work. He had let his appearance decline, he no longer shaved daily, and his balded head had sprouted gray hairs.


    June came just like all the other months. The 10th rolled around, and the phone rang. It was an unidentified number. He answered it vaguely, expecting to hear the robotic voice of a telemarketer, to his surprise, he listened to a deep Russian voice from the other side and dropped the phone.


    "Mr. Vasska. We need to talk. It involves your daughter."

 Contamination, Chapter 5

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 5


    Darkness and nothing for as far as I could see and feel. It was empty. What a strange place. Trapped here alone. A dream should have ended, but a nightmare would linger and torment. This was neither. It was more like space, cold and devoid of sound. I existed. That was all that I did here. The pain would come in waves, shattering the null, and I could only writhe and scream silently, all alone. If only there was someone else here. Someone to share this misery, to protect me, but there is nothing here except pain.


    How many waves there were, I do not know. It felt endless as the tide coming and going on a sandy bar, washing away more of me with every agonizing movement. Tiny stings spread out across my body like needles stabbing everywhere. It felt like I was being torn apart and put back together. My body was melting and bubbling, turning black as the seething surroundings. The tighter I held myself, the less it hurt. I lay there curled in a ball, trying to keep myself together. It was not working. Pieces would slough off usually when the rolling ocean of agony came.


    I could see them now before they came. The darkness would well up like a tsunami and crash down onto me. The terror that I felt seemed to only encourage it. My eyes burned from gazing into the abyss for so long, and hollow eyes looked back. They were everywhere, blinking slowly, always watching. They whispered my name, so many voices that seemed to crawl over one another, dragging themselves closer to me from the abyss.


    "Who, who are you? Can you hear me?" My voice echoed out into the cavernous abyss.


    There was no reply. All alone. Yet not alone. They were all around me, surrounding me, but their forms were muted and melted into the black. So lonely, so scared, why is there no one here to save me? Mom, Dad, where are you? I don''t want to be alone anymore. Where am I? Why can''t I leave? I don''t know how much longer I can keep myself together. Will I go mad in this place? A ringing filled my ears from the silence.


    Was it ringing? Or was it a buzzing?


    ~~~


    My eyes opened gently. It was more vivid than any dream I had ever had. After what felt like an eternity in darkness, light, light at last!


    Oh god, it burns!


    Bright bulbs glared at me, blindingly, in fact, but I could feel the heat radiating out of them. My fingers twitched as I tried to shield my eyes. However, the arms were restrained. It took far longer to realize this than I would have liked. I twisted and pulled with all my strength to no avail. It held fast. Something inside me was screaming to run, and I was trapped like an animal. For a moment, all of my limbs became lax, then I pooled my strength and thrashed.


    I felt weak. Like I had been asleep for a long time and had bed sores or something. I was likely, hurting myself, yet I needed to escape, this light, these shackles, driving me mad.


    "Easy." Said a voice from somewhere nearby. "Calm down. You are safe here."


    "Get the light out of my eyes!" I screamed, my voice cracking almost like it was the first time I had used it. It was wrong, all wrong. The shrill screech sounded strange, deep, and yet feminine.


    I blinked uneasily when the burning bulb turned off and lifted away from me. I could feel every muscle in my body spasm, and there were new sensations as well. My stomach hurt, and I could not quite see over these blackened mounds. My head was a mess, but I knew those... or at the least, I had. My breasts were different, bigger... Holy shit! When did I get Ds? They were encased in some hardened material. My eyes scanned over what little else I could see, but that black material that turned velvety blue under the light also covered my arms.


    My brain tingled with familiarity. I had seen that material somewhere before, but I couldn''t remember where. Only flashes of a face, a hard white mask. Every time it came into focus, pain shot through the center of my head, stabbing me. As though something was alive and squirming in my brain. Disliking the pain, I stopped thinking about that face. Exhausted, I lay my head back and closed my eyes, trying to sort everything out. None of this was making any damned sense.


    "What happened to me?" I asked more to myself than anyone else, but he replied all the same. "You were exposed to a very volatile substance. You are lucky to be alive. Although, you will soon find out that you are very different than you once were."


    "Who are you? Where am I?"


    The voice had a low mechanical buzz to it. "You may call me Dr. Tesla, and we are currently in my lab."


    "What is different? What did you do to me?" I cried. A million thoughts scattered like roaches through my head, and I could feel them crawling through my brain like fire. It was far too much to sort out. Did my skin melt off? I have cancer, don''t I!?


    "My associates and I saved your life. As to what has changed, it would be easier to see for yourself."


    The restraints loosened, and I pulled myself free from the slab-like table. Something got stuck, and I fell forward. However, something kept me from hitting the floor. My ass flared with pain, and I glanced over my shoulder. A huge thing was attached to my back, just about where the tailbone should be. Bugs had been my bread and butter when I was a kid and, that, that was an abdomen from some sort of ant or wasp. The problem is that thing was more extensive than half my body.


    My head started to throb, and my hands held it; even that felt wrong. The fingers were hard and sharp, like claws, then I realized there were four hands. A mirror flipped into view across from me. My eyes gaped at what it held, which was certainly not human. I felt disgusted to my core, and I had turned into some sort of monster. What the fuck? I thought exposure to superpower stuff was supposed to make you sexy and shit!


    This, this thing that I had become, was frightening to say the least. I had four arms, each more slender than a human''s and covered with a carapace. My chest was also armored, but it caved below the rib cage so that a prisoner of war looked fat. I had almost no stomach to speak of. It was like a skeleton with saran wrap over a piece of meat. I could wrap two hands entirely around my torso. How am I so skinny? This can''t be healthy.


    My legs were thick and powerful at the thigh, but below the knee joint, they grew spindly. I had no feet to speak of, only two curling, segmented claws and a third that came from the opposite direction intersecting it. They opened to make a tripod of sorts. Reminded me vaguely of a crane claw at some truck stop.


    My face was angular, like an armored mask, and my chin formed a spike. It was sharp too. I expected my eyes to be huge and round, but I was only half right. They were more prominent but almost like gashes in my hardened skin. Each was about the size of a chicken egg but held straight, wicked curves. Then I realized there were two more eyes, much smaller than the main pair but still larger than normal. They were positioned where my temples should be. There was no pupil, no white of the eyes, just blackness, or so I thought. When I concentrated on a spot, a red sphere materialized where I had been looking. It would shift as I looked around, then vanish so I could look all around. It helped allow me to see things in great detail.


    The lips were about the same but stretched much farther to each side. That was the standard part, well, as normal as this gets. However, what lay within was something out of a horror movie. My tongue was prehensile and long, about two feet. I know because I extended it as far as it would go. Oddly, I could tell that it was hollow. As to where it went and how it stayed there, it felt like a pouch or secondary tube in my throat.


    My jaw had extra hinges, allowing it to open so I could stuff an animal in there without trouble. There were no teeth. So at first, I thought I would have to gum my food to death, but then I discovered the mandibles. There were two sets, one in the center of my mouth and the other at the front. The front set came up and down, and the back came from the side. It made a jagged smile when closed, and my lips were open. Though it seemed relatively thin, my neck was extremely muscular. After a few test gulps, I knew it expanded when needed.


    At this point, I was more numb than anything else. I blankly looked at myself, then noticed something else about my head, which was more like a helmet now than anything else. It was elongated, becoming a crescent pointed back down, and looked almost like some ornate headdress. Even strange tendrils were hanging down it, and I could wiggle them. The feeling was similar to fingers without bones. My hair was all gone; only that carapace remained. It covered everything except the very front of my face. It made my face look like some mask that a monster was wearing to try and look human. Even then, it was too uncanny valley to actually pass off as human. Just looking at it felt wrong and induced terror.


    My face was nothing like before, and I doubted anyone would recognize me. There were no ears or nose holes, but instead, I had two thick segmented noodle-like antennae that curled up away from my head. I could move them, unfurl and wiggle them. It was so fucking weird. I was far too afraid to look over the abdomen carefully to see what else this horrible body had in store. It was an odd feeling to this new body. All of it felt wrong. This could not be happening... Why? What the hell did I ever do to deserve this?


    "Done looking yourself over?" Asked the man.


    "Kill me." I cried, tears flowing down my face. "Just kill me. I don''t want to live like this."


    "You have been given a great gift. Unfortunately, I have devoted far too much time and resources to you to allow you to die."


    "Gift? You call this a gift?! I am a fucking monster!" I screamed in a rage, tearing the light down and shattering it on the ground. That mirror mocked me, so I slammed two fists through it. Glass scattered across the floor, and my image grew more distorted. I kept hitting it, as though that would make this an illusion. My head bashed against it again and again.


    This was all just a bad dream. How did you wake up again? That hardened face crashed into the splintered glass, and I felt pain from a jagged piece sticking out. No, no, no, no! This is not a dream. Dreams don''t hurt. My clawed fingers ripped out the shard, and yellow stained the glass. Was that my blood? The wound was already closing... What the fuck am I?


    Words radiated in my head, My Child. As they did, a searing stabbing pain shot through every nerve in my body, crawling up and pooling in the center of my forehead. Come to Mother, Return to Empress. The words and flashes of the massive wasp woman filled my head. I doubled over, slamming my head against the floor. The pain receded, as did the image of the bone-white mask whispering.


    It faded, allowing my thoughts to come back. That face had been familiar, yet there was a blank spot where it should be. Just a faint, haunting smile. What was that? Who was that? My brain was throbbing, pounding. Just trying to think of it hurt.


    I closed my eyes, taking long, deep breaths, trying to push it out of my mind. Suppressing, and it helped. Calming, subsiding.


    "Are you ok?" asked the man from the monitor.


    I rubbed my head, "I think so?"


    "There are others that are far worse off than you. Your mind at least appears to be mostly intact. Just calm down and think. I did not spend the last four months keeping you alive to let you kill yourself."


    My thoughts came screeching to a halt. "Four months? My family, do they know about this?"


    "Unfortunately, we do not even know who you are. The men started calling you wasp girl."


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Wasp girl? What the fuck is that? Some stupid superhero name?" My mandibles clicked angrily.


    "Well, obviously."


    "A Super Hero? As if! If I went anywhere looking like this, I would be shot on sight. The phrase, kill it with fire comes to mind. Oh fuck, oh fuck. They will send me to the slums. Not like this, please not like this."


    "You do have a point. Captain Metal, for instance, would most likely blow your brains out rather than listen to anything you had to say."


    "Then what do you want me alive for?" My face was contoured, and it was evil-looking. The fractured slivers of glass made me look even worse.


    Monster was the only thing that filled my mind. Disgust and aversion to this face that was a mockery of humanity, the thoughts of tearing it off to see what horrors lay beneath, surfaced repeatedly. This was not my face. No, this would never be me! I could still see a face, my face as a phantom image. But it was not really there. Even now, it was fading away.


    "First of all, I want to study you. If given enough time, my associates and I might be able to turn you back. You should consider yourself extremely fortunate we happened to get the world-famous Dr. Arbor to help study you."


    Was that true? Would a superhero really just kill me without even attempting to reason with me? I thought they were supposed to be the good guys, for fuck''s sake. If I ran into something looking like me in a dark alleyway... I would run away screaming. If I was cornered, I would try beating it to death and keep hitting it until nothing was left. This doctor guy is probably lying. How the hell can I trust some sketchy guy I don''t even know. The room looks rather secure, too; I don''t see a way out. This is bad, but If he is telling the truth, maybe I can get back to normal.


    "Dr. Arbor?"


    "Why yes, she is the leading researcher on the Spore and Mutigene. One might say the stars aligned for her to be here when you were exposed. I can say without a doubt that you are most fortunate, and most are not as lucky. To put it into perspective, you would have melted. When you meet her, you should thank her for saving your life."


    "Let me see you face to face. How can I trust you if I don''t even know you? Besides, you can''t hold me here. It is against the law." Surely that would get me somewhere.


    "Caution is an admirable quality; it has saved my skin on numerous occasions. I would not trust myself either if I was in your position. As such, for now, we will video chat, and I can''t risk you attempting to kill me after all. As for the law, I don''t give a damn about it."


    A screen lowered into view. It flickered momentarily, then the crystal clear image showed a masked man. His face was covered in a dark-colored respirator or filter-like thing. Red goggles obstructed his eyes. He was wearing a half-buttoned white lab coat, and his hands had thick rubbery gloves. His hair was cut short and blond. Everything about him screamed supervillain. He looked like some guy out of a Bond film or something.


    "There we go, face to face. One Super to another. Now then, miss... What was your name?"


    "I-" I stopped myself- who¡­ who am I?


    I have these memories, but they are scrambled. It is almost like somebody else''s life. I am scared. Everyone has to be someone, then¡­ my brain hurts a lot. This, this is very important. I am forgetting something vital. Wesper? No, Vesper, yes Vesper sounds right. There was more to it, Valda? Walda? Yes, Walda. Then that must mean the last part was Vasska. Is that who I was? Who am I? So fragmented. I can''t think straight. I wasn''t. I was normal before. I remembered some things almost instinctively. I cleared my throat and said, "Vesper. My name is Vesper. This might sound rude, but you look like a Super Villain."


    "Well, it is not rude to call someone what they are. And seeing as you appear disorientated, I will pay no heed to it. Allow me to introduce myself once again. I am Dr. Tesla, philanthropist, scientist, and as some of the narrow-minded call me, Super Villain. I pursue the betterment of all mankind, but the government and the so-called Hero League limited my experimentation. The fools are impeding progress. They are afraid of what wonders can be achieved with proper testing."


    "You sound like some crazy guy. Ah, that was said badly." I muttered, and he replied, a little miffed. "Quite."


    "I didn''t mean crazy. I meant ahh.... a little unhinged."


    "That means the same thing, Miss Vesper. Though I have heard far worse, given your circumstances, it is understandable. For the time being, you will stay here until you are acclimated to your new home."


    "New home? I want to see my parents!"


    "In time, but let us say you did see them right now. How do you think they would react?" He asked, placing his hands behind his back and tilting his head. "Do you think they would even believe you are their daughter?"


    "They... They... Would, ah shit, you are right." I sat down on the table, letting my legs dangle lifelessly. This whack job was right. Damn it! I am a monster. There is no way my parents would believe me. I still don''t even believe this. Four months... I wonder how worried they are. Knowing dad, there is a missing person''s case, and he whipped the whole community into a fever. I can''t go back, not like this, but I don''t want him to be so worried.


    "Dr..." I started but trailed off, and he supplied. "Dr. Tesla, what is it, Miss Vesper?"


    "Would it be possible to contact my parents and let them know that, well, I am at the least alive?"


    He turned a little. "I will get in contact with them."


    "You mean it?" I smiled. It was scary how far this face stretched. "Wait, you are not going to hurt them or anything, are you?"


    "No. That would be counterproductive, and we want your cooperation, and that would only agitate you."


    "So, how long will I have to stay here?"


    "I am not sure. But once you are stable, you will be assigned a room and allowed supervised outings." He said, rubbing his face. "You have to show me that you can be trusted though. Otherwise, you will be confined to a room like this one."


    "That is inhumane! You can''t keep me here like some animal!"


    "You are forgetting several things, Miss Vesper. You are no longer human, so such laws no longer apply to you. Same with all Supers. You are misinterpreting my keeping you here. I am caging you not to keep you in but to keep those who would hurt you out. Should the government task force Chimera ever discover you... Well, if you were lucky, you would be dissected to see how you ticked."


    "There are boundaries," I snarled, "I mean, there is the Hero League, for fucks sake."


    "I suppose most civis would not have heard of Chimera. It is not the Hero League; think of it as a gray area. Morals don''t apply in this world. You place far too much faith in those who lie to us on a daily basis. I am surprised that anyone trusts the government these days. I suppose it is something that has to be learned firsthand rather than heard from someone else."


    "How do you know about that sort of thing anyway?"


    "I have seen what they do to those exposed to Mutigene. You are not the first and certainly not the last."


    "So explain to me exactly what this Muti whatever is and anything else I need to know."


    I sat cross-legged, thinking for a long time, listening to everything he said. A lot of technical science stuff flew over my head, but what I got out of it was more disturbing than I had initially thought. Mutigene was an extract from the great jellyfish in the sky. The Spore. Apparently, it was like a half plant, half animal? A fungal jellyfish?


    Mutigene itself was a deviant cocktail of DNA that was highly unstable and prone to wild mutations. It was essentially like taking a shotgun filled with foreign, extraterrestrial life and firing indiscriminately at the DNA strand to see what would stick. Due to how unpredictable the changes were, it was outlawed, but governments and various organizations continued experimenting. They simply moved it underground. Understanding it properly was beyond me. This stuff was where about a fourth of Supers came from. However, the majority of cases of Mutigene did not end well at all.


    I was something special, apparently, since my personality was mostly intact. Something in my head was all fucked up, but I couldn''t tell or even remember what it might be. Among the differences, I can feel a strong desire for meat. The rawer, the bloodier, the better. Just thinking about licking the blood off my fingers again made me quiver.


    Again?


    That is odd. I don''t recall eating anything solid since I woke up. But then again, I was always a steak and potato kinda girl. Maybe I am just so hungry I am hallucinating. That is probably nothing to worry about.


    About the others¡­ well, I am beginning to have an appreciation for my humanity. Some had their brains fried, others were reduced to some sort of primordial soup, and most mutated into freaks but became feral during their transformation. A very small percentage were like me and still held onto their humanity. The higher the amount of exposure, the more rapid and drastic the change that occurred. There were also different strains. I had been exposed to the Xo-395 strain. What the hell that is, I don''t know, he explained it five or so times, but I could not grasp it.


    One thing had become abundantly clear, I was fucked. Once exposed to that shit, there was no going back, there was no cure, and what little Dr. Tesla could do was a stopgap at best. His power was in creating technology that dealt with spatial dimensions; in other words, he could make a bag of holding. Which was pretty cool but meant that he did not specialize in organic engineering. On the plus side, he knew people who did. One of the best Bio Engineers in the world was here working on me. Or I should say studying me. Her name was Dr. Arbor. If his praise can be trusted, she was a fucking genius. An unhinged psychopath maybe, but a genius non the less. So, perhaps I will be alright? He did say something a little weird, though; she was very hands-on, whatever that means. At least he gave it to me straight.


    He had been tracking the space station debris as it came down and planned to steal the Mutigene. Unfortunately for him, the damage was more severe than he had calculated. They were only able to recover a small amount of it, and Dr. Arbor was currently decoding its structure to learn how to recreate it. If they had enough and were able to study it in depth, it could be possible to figure out some counter serum to reverse the effects. He was not sure, though, since no one had ever tried before well survived.


    Apparently, if somebody got all discombobulated, they were killed or studied indefinitely and never saw the light of day again. Those who still appeared human for the most part were allowed to join the heroes and those who deviated from this were labeled as villains. Some people were lucky and only received augmented abilities like super strength or counter magnetism that allowed them to fly. In other words, if what he was saying is true, there was no longer a peaceful life waiting for me. Either the government would track me down, or someone else would.


    Everything about this had all the hallmarks of an origin story. Kidnapped by a Super Villain, mutated by some crazy Mcguffin sauce, and next thing you know, some evil organization was going to try and recruit me. That last part was a stretch, but I had seen enough of these stories and movies to know that it was all downhill from here. Things never went well for those people, so why would it be any different for me?


    My thoughts steadily darkened. Dr. Tesla might be the lesser of two evils here. Something just tells me that the government was bad news bears. From the sounds of it, they would love to get their grubby mitts all over me. That did not bode well at all for me. The only thing I could do was trust Dr. Tesla and that was going to be hard.


    My time spent in that room seemed like an eternity. He did not trust me, and I did not trust him. I was fed through a tube in the wall: protein paste. Who wants to eat that shit? No matter how I protested, he would not give me any meat. I wanted a burger or something, hell I would take a slab of raw, bloody meat at this point. At first, I stared at it and refused to eat, but that stopped after the second day... I think it was a day there was no sun down here and no way to tell time. There was only the fluorescent light overhead, and it never turned off.


    I quickly learned that my new eyes were light-sensitive and that my antennae acted as my nose and ears. It was bizarre to experience sounds boring through the center of my head rather than the sides. As for the smell, there were many new things there, primarily pheromones, from me, no less. The aroma itself was pungent, like citrus fruit. The smell changed depending on my mood. Since I was so angry and scared, it kept switching between fruit and a musky wet dog smell. It was strange, I would have thought the stench would be less pleasant, yet it seemed to soothe me, focus me. It scared me that I was growing accustomed to it.


    The cameras were always watching. I was a prisoner here, no matter what he told me. Out of boredom, I explored the abdomen and discovered more troubling things, well perhaps useful. I had my back to the camera, trying to have something reminiscent of privacy. Granted, I felt they had already examined every inch of my body while I was out. Just thinking about it made me feel even more violated and vulnerable.


    The abdomen was extremely flexible. I could tuck it between my legs, and it could stretch to the point that it was right in my face, which made looking it over a hell of a lot easier. I had a stinger and almost lost an eye when it jabbed out. It oozed some sort of secretion, likely venom. It retracted, but the length was around a foot of barbed harpoon. Whoever was unlucky enough to receive this thing would hate their life. Unfortunately, my intimates were located in that thing as well. I found out the hard way.


    I had four holes beside the stinger, and they all looked angry. I did not want to know what any of them did. I was curious, but I was more scared of what I might find in there. For all, I knew, I had tentacle dicks or something... I mean, I already almost got my eye stabbed out by something. I had watched way too much hentai to know where this was going; pushing my luck did not seem like a good idea. I knew that two were for excretions, but that still left a mystery hole.


    I ignored them and started tapping the sides of it to figure anything else out. As far as I could tell, most of my organs were inside of the abdomen and not my main body. That would explain why I am so damned skinny; there are hardly any organs in there. The armor was thickest there, too, interlocking plates that sealed shut entirely. There was even a hatch sort of thing to cover my most intimate of places. My crotch was empty, just a crease in the armor, but that was because of the natural curve. I was actually relieved by that since, for all I knew, I had more than one muff. This is already weird enough, and I don''t want any more.


    My observation continued, and to my delight, I discovered that I had wings. Considering how big they were, I honestly don''t know how the fuck I missed them in the first place. It might have something to do with me smashing that mirror. They were orange mixed with red color. Very pretty, too, mesmerizing, in fact. I stared at them for hours. While not spread, they appeared like a cape, draping my back. It was kinda cool. The wing muscles were extremely hard to control I would have to devote a lot of time to train them. I still hated this body, but the wings were exciting. They brought the possibility of flying and that, that was something to look forward to. The more that I looked, the more I resembled a wasp. The amount of Super Villain vibes I was putting out was becoming apparent, like blatantly. Hopefully, nobody thinks I am a bad guy. I mean, I should be judged by what I do rather than how I look, right? I could see why people referred to me as a wasp girl.


    I despised that name.


    Dr. Tesla finally decided that I was somewhat safe. The door opened, and there stood something I would never have thought to see nor expected to fear, an adorable little girl.

 Contamination, Chapter 6

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 6


    There stood a girl, maybe ten years old, with platinum blond hair, blue eyes, and a sullen look across her face. She was four feet tall, more than two feet shorter than me. She looked like a doll, so damned cute! How could I not want to just hold something like that and pet it? I bet she would be all snuggly and soft. This little thing rivaled Ichigo in cuteness. She wore a black jumpsuit with ridges around the stomach''s sides. Atop her head, a crimson beret drooped to one side with a turnip patch on it; for that matter, there was another on her chest. A belt with compartments all over it hung from her waist. She looked like a cute little spy. I pulled her cheeks into a smile. For some reason, she did not like that. I found it odd that she was not reeling away out of terror. I do look like a monster, after all.


    "Who are you, little girl?" I asked, petting her head.


    She pulled away with a pouting face. It was so adorable how she tried to look tough. She spat on the floor, glaring at me. That was not so cute, but I can easily overlook it. She remained quiet, staring me down. The feeling that a gazelle probably experiences when a lion bears down on it ran up my spine.


    Odd.


    How could I be feeling that? Instinct screamed in my head, and I stepped back. Something was dangerous about her. She did not move an inch. In fact, her eyes roamed my room as though she was bored of me. This made me a little embarrassed over how messy the place was. If I had known that I would have had such cute company, I would have tidied up a little. I wrecked the place during my stay. There were streaks of various fluids on the walls as well... Not like they gave me a bathroom or anything! At the least, I have yet to start writing on the walls; give me some credit here. I mean it is only a matter of time, but I am not there yet.


    "Who is she? Is she your daughter?" I asked towards the camera. "Does she talk?"


    "That is Molotov. She is not my daughter. She is one of my most trusted associates, you would do best to not disrespect her." Said Dr. Tesla.


    "Da." A voice that crawled from the ground spoke. I had heard it before... That Russian guy from the crash site.


    I spun around wide-eyed, expecting to see a huge, bulking muscle builder. To my disappointment, there stood Molotov and nobody else. Cautiously, I approached her, and her eyes bore holes into me. I loomed over her, yet it felt like she was towering over me. I took my eyes off her and gazed at the cold concrete corridors outside my room. There was no one there. It took a long moment to realize that she had made that voice. I pointed at her with my lower right arm, right in her face. She stared daggers at me and grasped my finger, which snapped in half.


    "Fuck!" I screamed, clutching my hand. "What the fuck!"


    "Da." She said mildly, looking at the yellow blood on her fingers. It was sticky as she spread it, examining the fluid. After a moment, she wiped it off on the wall like it was unclean.


    "Why did you do that? How did you do that?" I glared at her, but the look she gave me made me feel like a whipped dog.


    "Da." She smiled, but there was no laughter nor cheer to be found.


    "Do you say anything other than Da!?"


    "Da, come along, little wasp girl." Said that thick Russian man''s voice. "It is rude to point at others."


    "Man voice... What the fuck are you? Lies! You are no little girl!" I screeched at her.


    "Da. Little wasp girl. You would do best to not judge book by cover. What I see is beautiful creature, but I know you are just little Suka."


    She smiled, and I shuddered in fear. My terror was warranted as she closed the distance in the blink of an eye. Her fist slammed into my gut. It felt like she just sucker-punched my spine. My whole body convulsed, and all sorts of liquids escaped from my abdomen. It went wild and uncontrolled. The stinger jabbed out at her, and she dodged it, dropping her elbow down. The impact ripped me from my feet and dented my thick exoskeleton. She lorded over me, and I cringed in my own shame. After the beating she gave me, there was not a shred of that initial image left. I understood she was the alpha predator here; me being some super bug freak didn''t mean shit.


    "I am Molotov Kurstov''e, former Russian Counter Intelligence Spy; currently, I am a Counsel Member of Kraken who personally reported and served under the Sanguine Puppeteer itself." She said, pointing down at me. "I have super strength, and despite how I might look, I am one hundred and sixty-five years old. My record includes completing over nine hundred special operation missions with a ninety-nine percent success rate. I have personally killed with bare hand three thousand men,  one thousand six hundred and twenty-two women, and two hundred thirty-two children. While on job, many more in private. Call me little girl one more time, you will be paraplegic wasp girl. As of now, you are my Suka, little wasp girl."


    ¡°Sanguine Puppeteer? Who the fuck is that?¡± I asked.


    It was a rather funny thing seeing the look of utter shock and horror that appeared on Molotov¡¯s face before she smirked, ¡°You jest. Had me for moment cheeky wasp girl.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. Who the fuck is the Puppeteer?¡±


    Her eye brow raised to the point that it might punch me in the face, ¡°Really never heard of the Sanguine Puppeteer?¡±


    ¡°I take it they important?¡± I asked defensively.


    ¡°Important is understatement. It is strongest Super in world.¡±


    ¡°It?¡± I squinted, ¡°is it not human?¡±


    ¡°No. It has long since transcended humanity.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said vaguely. ¡°That is nice for it. I think?¡±


    ¡°Odd one you are wasp girl.¡± Molotov stared me down. ¡°Most would be pestering me for details.¡±


    "I am not wasp girl. My name is Vesper. Why should I care, it is not like I am going to interact with it."


    She looked me over. "Nyet, I decide what to call you. You must earn name Wasp Girl. Obey me or I will break you like twig, Suka."


    I winced from her fist balling up, "Just don''t hurt me." My hand and body were already hurting enough from her beating what with the cracked open carapace and yellow blood leaking out.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Surprising I did not receive another impact, at least not a hard one. She pats me. "Good, so you understand. Come, your room is ready after you are settled, training begins."


    "Training? What kind of training?"


    "Da. You will be operative for organization to pay off your debt."


    "What debt? What the hell are you talking about?"


    "You are slow on uptake Wasp Girl. You think premium facilities are free of charge? Your medical expenses at moment are in the tens of million, and future procedures puts you in debt to Dr. Tesla and Arbor for hundreds of million, perhaps billions of American Dollars." Said Molotov, poking her finger in my face. "Do you understand? I have been placed in charge of you. Until debt is paid, I will be your shadow. You take piss, I be there. You fuck up, I be there, and you will be punished. I am cold and hard like turnip. You are at my mercy, and I have none, just like turnip."


    "That is fucked up. I never asked for this. You guys just arbitrarily took me and started experimenting."


    "I recall certain little girl crying for help as her face melted off."


    "I did?"


    "Do you not remember?"


    I shook my head. I mean, I kinda remembered, but my face was melting off? That is news to me. I don''t think that I said anything. Ah, shit, she is right. I did flop at them, gurgling and squealing, making all sorts of inhuman noises. Shit. I suppose that would be close to a cry for help. They might have me by the balls. Besides, does it really matter if I agree or not? They are going to force me to do stuff anyway; they are Super-Villains. I don''t think they are very high on moral standards. There wasn''t really much I could do about this, but that still left a question on my mind.


    "What is your beef with turnips?" I asked without thinking and regretted it instantly when she snapped another finger.


    "You will learn to fear turnip by time I done with you. Keep being cheeky and you will see horror of turnip."


    She pulled me to my feet and dragged me down the corridor. I was trembling when I realized what she had said. "Wait, you are going to watch me pee?!"


    "Da." She smiled, tightening her grip on my arm. "Taking samples as well."


    Scared? No. I was fucking terrified, and every part of me felt violated. I whimpered a little as she led me down the hall. If I did what she wanted, I did not get hurt. I guess it could be worse. Pain was an excellent incentive to not resist. The whole way, we were both quiet. The little walk ended before a heavy metal door that reminded me of a ship compartment hatch. My hopes died the moment I saw that door, but then I saw what lay inside. I was pleasantly surprised. A thick bed sat against the side wall with white sheets and a neatly folded pillow. On the other side were a metal desk and a stool. That was it, but compared to where I had just been, it was akin to heaven. Sure, it was a prison cell, but damn it, it was better than an autopsy table! A real bed. It felt like it had been ages since I last slept properly. Not that I was going to be able to for a while. Molotov had other plans.


    "Da. This is your room. Now come, You learn hand-to-hand combat. Then I teach weapons handling, starting with knife working up."


    "You trust me with a weapon?" I asked skeptically.


    She did not even stop, not even glance back, but she said. "Nyet, threat non-existent. Even with high velocity compartmentalized gauss rifle, capable of destroying heavily armored Mark Ten Abram Siege Tank, I rip head off before you could pull trigger. You try fifty caliber armor-piercing sniper rifle from two miles away; I bite bullet and spit it back at you. You, you little wasp girl are, but mewling Suka before me."


    "Not going to lie, I don''t know what any of that is. You keep calling me Suka, but what is that?


    "Da. Suka is how you say bitch in Russian."


    I gulped. "I think, I get the message. What you are really saying is that if I try anything, I am dead meat, right?"


    "Da. Now, do you understand little Wasp Girl?"


    I was lagging behind a little, but she had my finger, so I dared not test her. "Point taken... I am a little slow, so try to be gentle."


    She stopped for a moment and looked me in the eyes. "Bitches always ask for gentle, I break bitches. I make hard like turnip."


    "I... I don''t want to piss you off but.... What the fuck does that even mean?!" I cried, but it did not help.


    I never got an answer. Molotov didn''t think that I needed one. She walked, and I kept in line to make damn sure that I did not fall behind. My finger was at stake. One good thing about this body was that the regenerative effects were augmented, and the cracks were already sealed. As for my finger, it was still crooked as hell. Molotov was not letting it heal and had a firm grip on it.


    We went down two floors in a swanky elevator. The thing was covered in chrome and polished to a shine. According to the buttons, there were twenty floors. My room was on floor ten, and the training room was on floor twelve. The doors opened to a long flat room. It was cavernous, and there were dividing walls every fifty feet to create a catacomb. This place was the staging area with access to varied training grounds. Molotov continued on, so I had little time to scope it out.


    It was the third room that she took me to. A table, four chairs, and a locker were in this half of the room. On the other a matted floor, punching bags, and a training target. I looked it over, and seeing how clean the place was, made me wonder how there was no dust anywhere. She pointed to a chair, and I eagerly sat down. My finger was finally safe. It throbbed as I realigned it. She opened the locker, and there was an arsenal of conventional weapons. Handguns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, a broad sword, rocket launchers, and then there was a gun I had never seen before.


    It looked like some seriously dangerous shit. It had a long barrel with what looked like magnetic rings hovering around it, and the gun was humming lowly. I think it was that gauze gun she was talking about. Molotov ignored all of the high-end stuff and reached out a thick knife with a ribbed back. There was a serrated part so when stabbed into somebody, it could saw at the flesh to ensure traumatic damage and could probably also be used to make a fire. She walked back and stood before me.


    "Place hand on table." She instructed, and I warily complied.


    I felt like a dog being trained to do tricks.


    My left hand sat there on the table flat. I retreated when she stabbed the knife beside it into the table. Molotov forced it back into place and then proceeded to thrust the knife into the gaps between my fingers. Every stab came faster until her hand was a blur, and I dared not move an inch. She was, well, astounding at it. She was so good she never missed. Just when I started to think I was safe, she anchored the blade into the center of my hand.


    Never missed... that was clearly on purpose! I did not feel it for the first couple of seconds, but then the pain radiated out, and I screamed. It was a sound no human could have made, that insectoid screeching hiss. I reeled back, dragging the table with me. After a desperate yank, the hand was freed, and the knife was coated in yellow, still stuck in the table.


    I wailed, clutching my maimed limb, it hurt a lot, but by no means was it the worst that I have ever felt, let alone in recent memory. "Why? I did what you wanted! Stop torturing me!"


    She set the table right and sat on it, staring down at me. "Now listen carefully. Whatever life you lived before is gone. No one ever gets fixed after exposure to Mutigene. It changed you down to core of DNA. You are only five percent human now. You are less human now than monkey. What I do, I do to keep you alive in this world. I don''t know what you read in little stories and comics, but this is no little children''s adventure, this is reality, and you are a six-and-a-half-foot-tall humanoid wasp woman. I am surprised you not like others who became ravening beasts... only knew how to eat and kill, sometimes fuck. To be honest, you are most heavily exposed one I have met that still has mind. You are special, which means, others will want to get hands on you. I will be training you to resist torture should you be captured. You need to toughen up."


    "It is not fair. I just got my shit together, and I was going to work out and try to do something productive." I held my head, shaking it. "Why do I have to do all of this? I just want to sleep; no, I want to wake up from this nightmare."


    She sighed and slid off the table, walking over to me. Molotov pulled my head up and slapped me so hard it felt like my neck broke. I could not feel my legs for a long moment. My eyes spun when she hit me again. "Life is cruel. It is cold and hard like turnip, but you have to take it by balls, once you have balls never let go. When life comes to fuck you, you make it your bitch! You hold it down and fuck it like there is no tomorrow! You going to just lay here crying like Suka or will you get up and show me that you have balls? You want to live a real life, or do you want to be ripped apart and studied?"


    I coiled up, protecting my head. It hurt so much that it was numb. I needed to get her off of me. My legs thrust out, catching her right in the chest, hurling her away. She bounced off of the ceiling, but when she hit the floor, her arm punched into it, leaving a small crater and stopping her from going anywhere else. She stood wiping a smear of blood from the corner of her mouth, a grin that made all the blood drain from me.


    "Good! See, you has taken first step to not being life''s bitch, just like Nicky Mouse. Was not so hard, was it? You just needed to be pushed. Da, da, now I want you to try and punch me. Remember, thumb out, or it will be crushed. Your fingers need to be strengthened so you can jab at your opponents with those claws. If you are too weak, spindly little fingers will snap."

 Contamination, Chapter 7

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 7


    "Wait a minute! Turnips are one thing, and I still don''t get it, but what the hell does Nicky Mouse have to do with anything?" I said, wobbling to my feet.


    "Da. Nicky Mouse, my hero." Molotov almost looked shy, and she was blushing! So damned cute. What the hell is this adorable creature? No, don''t look her in the eyes!


    "Don''t fuck with me!" I shouted, resisting the urge to hug her. "What does a Russian spy know about a kid''s cartoon in America?"


    Her face suddenly went from an angel to the devil. ¡°Suka nyet like Nicky Mouse?! How you no like Nicky Mouse?"


    She stepped towards me with burning eyes, and I grasped the table to throw at her. "Calm down! I never said I don''t like Nicky Mouse, alright, but it is a kids show. Why do you like it so much?"


    "Wait, you don''t know?" Said Molotov, stopping in her tracks. "Nicky Mouse was a member of first American Hero Team one hundred and forty-two years ago. This made Russia make Super Soldiers to combat them. I was one of Super Soldiers, though back then, I looked very different. Nicky Mouse was deadly assassin who had heightened senses and reflexes to point that she could dodge bullets and lasers. She could contour her body to fit through things like octopus."


    "I never heard that. I only remember her from that cartoon. What was it again, Team Freedom? Well, that and Nicky Mouse Land, but that is just an amusement park for ten-year-olds. She was a superhero?"


    "She was not in history class?"


    "Nope. Well, I don''t remember too much from then."


    "Seems that Chimera has taken deeper root in America than I thought. Not even teaching about Nicky Mouse such shame must be Chimera changing things to look better for cause. They did this in Russia, started with the schools, changed history in books, took things out, and put things in. Taught the children so that they would not know any better, then they taught their children, and the lie became truth. It is the insidious lowering of the iron curtain. I thought that Nicky Mouse cartoon was just nice remembrance of her, to think it had more sinister motives."


    "That is right, in college, they had people teaching business 101 that had no idea how to successfully run a business. I dropped out because of that, well, and that cult thing that was going on."


    "Cults are rathe common these days, thanks to the Puppeteer. The Globalists, Chimera, any of this ringing a bell to you?"


    I shook my head, and she laughed lowly. It was not a happy sound. "Da. Certainly, a civi would not know. Seems things are far worse than I thought. Then again, I have not been to America for twenty years. I will have to bring this up with organization to start rooting out sleeper cells."


    Molotov sat down with a gloomy face, and I sat across from her. "I don''t get it. If you two were enemies, why do you like her."


    She glanced at me, smirking. "Like her? Nyet. I was in love with her. She opened my eyes to glory of capitalism and to soul-crushing despair that is communism."


    My mouth opened a couple times as I gawked at Molotov. "I feel like I am missing something. Wait, you are a lesbian?"


    She slapped me; compared to her usual strength, it was nothing, but it still left an imprint on the side of my face. She laughed. "Nyet. I was not always little girl. I used to be number one spy for Russia, my cover was bodybuilder, and my name was Dimitry Kurvinski. One could say I was manliest, sexiest man in world circa 1988. I was on cover of sexiest man three times in row before terrible accident. To think it has already been twenty-two years."


    I paused for a long moment there, "Wait. 22 years?"


    "Da."


    "That can''t be. It is 2111. 1988 was over a hundred years ago."


    "Huh- I suppose it is. Time tends to fly away when you don''t age. How about that. Anyway, I was sexiest man In the world."


    In my surprise, I pointed at her with all four of my hands. She glared at me and moved her hand to go for a finger. I snapped my arms back, waving them like jellyfish while backpedaling. She got up, cracking her knuckles.


    "Don''t hurt me! I was just surprised. Why are you a little girl? Were you changed by Mutigene as well?" I asked.


    "Nyet. It was not Mutigene that caused this. I am not stupid enough to play with glowing goo." Said, Molotov.


    "I didn''t do it on purpose... I fell in it! Besides, I still can''t believe that you were a man."


    "Da. Can''t you tell by my panty-dropping voice? I was sexy, man, I would bet million dollar I could have bent you over kitchen table. I miss Nicky. She was rough in sack and tried to claw my balls off twice before I fucked her hard enough to have her begging for more."


    I screamed, covering my antenna. "My childhood! Stop raping my childhood! Oh god! All I can see is a little girl pounding her. Give me back my childhood!"


    Molotov laughed heartily. "Nyet. Imagine hunky man, not little girl. What is wrong with you? That is right, I just made your childhood my bitch, just like Nicky Mouse. You are funny, Wasp Girl. Don''t worry, I will take good care of you."


    "You monster!" I cried. "I will never look at Nicky Mouse the same again."


    Molotov grinned happily at my despair. "There, there little wasp girl. I will be gentle. Now then, enough talk, time to train."


    "Are you going to break my fingers again?" I cringed.


    "Nyet. First, I want you to hit this bag until you are used to your new body. Then, I want you to try and hit me, don''t worry, I will block. Da. This calls for some music." She said, placing a boombox on the table.


    I stared for a moment, then pointed. "Where the fuck did that come from? What the hell, a boombox? They don''t even make those anymore. Shit, this thing is a fucking relic. Did you steal it from a museum? What year is it, 1980? Don''t you have a phone or something that can play music?"


    She glared at me. "You has problem with my super secret boombox. I will have you know I have killed many men with this. It shoots lasers and plays groovy music to slay premium pussy. How you think I got in Nicky Mouse''s pants?"


    "I thought you said you were a sexy beast? Why would you need a boombox to get laid?"


    She scowled, putting her hands on her hips, "You know nothing of the magical power of funk. It sets the groove and loosens things up. Chances of wild mambo increase by forty percent."


    "And I don''t wanna know. Where did you pull it out of your ass?"


    "Nyet. Size of my ass is far too inferior to hold something of this magnitude." Scoffed Molotov, placing both hands on the belt around her waist, she pulled out a rocket launcher. "Dr. Tesla invented dimensional compacting technology. I like his technology, allows me to carry weapon for every occasion. This utility belt is premium, real-deal technology. You could buy personal army for same price, worth every penny. In fact, watching you is part of contract to pay it off. I could just pay it outright, but easier to work it off. I like my money after all."


    "That is pretty damned amazing. How much can it fit?" I asked, looking closely at the small pockets of metal.


    She grinned, returning the weapon. "Da! Each compartment can carry five thousand pounds. Weight of things carried is nullified so long as it is within dimensional pocket. If need be, I could stuff body inside to hide it, and that is what second left pocket is used for. Good to keep things organized."


    "Do I get one of those too?" I asked with sparkling eyes, though to the outside, they were probably glinting with treachery.


    "Da. It will be most important gear you ever receive."


    "When do I get one?"


    "When I say your training is up to snuff. Currently, you are, but squishy banana. You must become hard like turnip. Now then, let''s funky."


    "Wait, is this a montage?" I thought for a moment and shouted with glee. "I always wanted to do a montage!"


    "Too bad cheeky wasp girl. This my sex music, and I am going to fuck you, just like Nicky Mouse." Laughed Molotov.


    She turned on the boombox and disco music... Oh god, it is sex music! I prepared myself to flee, knowing her it could be anything even.. even turnip. No! That''s why she keeps talking about them! It all made terrible sense now. I felt like a deer in headlights as she wolfishly walked toward me. Every step she took, I took three back until I was cornered like a rat... just like Nicky Mouse. Noooo! She lazily approached, knowing I could not escape. All the while, my imagination was going south fast. Be gentle! I don''t know if I am a virgin or not!?


    "Don''t be scared. It won''t hurt much. Now here, look at how I punch, and then you do the same." Said Molotov, clenching her fist in front of my face.


    I was scared, but then she opened and closed it, pointing out where and how it worked. I realized I was safe, kinda. She was an excellent teacher, surprisingly. This was extremely helpful, considering that I had never gotten into a real fight in my life. Well, there was some high school shit, but that wasn''t anything life-threatening. I would never have known not to tuck my thumb. She watched me as I did it. I was having difficulties controlling all four arms at the same time; bottom righty kept trying to play with her hair.


    She hovered by my side, watching every little thing. When she was not snapping my fingers, threatening to rape me, or death glaring at me, Molotov was the very image of an angel. So long as she never opened her mouth, I could keep my delusions of my adorable little coach and completely disregard reality. Yes, yes, I was completely trying to run away from reality. Cuteness to counteract the cruelty of my predicament. I really am going off the deep end, aren''t I? Interacting with someone, even if they enjoyed my pain was good. I think this is the start of a terribly abusive relationship... I see Stockholm written all over this.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    She laughed at my punches. The first glanced off of the hanging bag. She showed me that I needed to put my weight behind it and forcefully shift my body. This time the bag shot back from the hit and came right back, knocking me over. Molotov laughed, pointing at me. I glared at her, but then she stomped on my left hand. I was expecting my hand to be broken. Instead, it just stung. I realized that her super strength was not applied to her legs, only her arms.


    So she did have a weakness. Unless this was all just a clever ruse to make me think I could try something! It did not matter, though; I would have to be fast enough to hit her.


    She could seriously move like a blur despite not having super speed if she wanted to. She was like a damned ninja. I already knew that I could not catch her. My mind started working on the way to fight her. I would have to surprise her and go for the legs. Hopefully, I would have time to sting her before she ripped me in half. I wonder what the hell my venom even does anyway. It might be possible at some point, but getting my revenge was a distant dream for now.


    The hours passed, and my form had improved to the point that she was no longer laughing at every move I made. Molotov watched every punch as though it were a counterfeit hundred, thoroughly and from every angle. She even started distracting me to test how focused I was. She dived below me to knock me off balance. I discovered that I do not sweat, which had me worried since it felt like I would soon overheat from the exertion. My abdomen shuddered, and every layer of plating shifted, opening up like vents. My flesh below was white and squishy, gross! Steam wafted out for a moment, then they closed, grinding back together. The stench was muskier than a locker room for a football team. I was no longer burning up, and it felt absolutely divine.


    I realized that in the brief moment my armor was open, someone could severely damage my organs. Molotov had noticed as well with an evil grin. She knows my weakness now, not that she needed it. With her power, she could just punch through my body and leave a massive hole in me. She, however, had something very useful to tell me, I should end fights as quickly as possible without rushing; rushing led to sloppiness, which got people killed. If the fight lasted so long, I needed to cool down. I should fly away and come back after it is done. This was something else I would need to learn to control, mostly by muscle memory, but given enough time, this could be done consciously.


    I sat down, taking a break, and Molotov opened a cooler with drinks in it. She tossed one at me; it felt like catching a baseball pitch. "Be gentle, will you? You almost broke a claw."


    "Da. That was gentle. Want me to throw at you?"


    I shook my head, opening the water and gulping it down in seconds. I lay back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. "Hey, Molotov do you think I can get some meat after this. I have been really craving some lately."


    "Da. If you are good Wasp Girl, I will get us steak dinner." She said, taking a swig from her water. "If not, I will eat it in front of you and give you nothing, but turnips in dog bowl."


    I sighed, rolling over. "Are you ever going to be nice to me?"


    "Silly little girl, you still alive right? People typically don''t even know they have crossed me before they are dead. It is troublesome to train and tame you. Much easier to simply pop head like zit. Besides, I know all about your regeneration ability, it is rather potent, granted if the limb is severed you will not regrow it. You can reattach it and open wound again to reconnect. As such, I can thoroughly torture you and your body will be fine, only damage will be mental scars. Perfect for conditioning you to resist torture."


    "How do you know all of that?" I asked, sitting up.


    "What you think happened during months of coma? They noticed your regeneration and started testing its limits. Be thankful we know otherwise you might have tried something stupid. By way, do not lose a limb, they tried to see if you could connect regular human arm and see if it would mutate.... did not go well. Arm bloated to size of balloon and imploded. Your body is only compatible with itself so no transplants. They even took out organs, but the things killed all transplant recipients. Human blood could be transfused to you though, strange thing is you can either ingest it or be injected by it, but it always ends up in a new organ that they called... what was again? Cardiac Muto? I think that was it, I was not actually paying attention, two months ago I thought you were going to be dead already. Thing about it is that it converts foreign blood into your blood, turns yellow and everything. By the way counting that thing you have three hearts. Biologically you are unique, new species. Do not be mad. The experimenting left no lasting damage."


    I stared at her for a long moment, then threw up. My stomach churned, and it felt like worms were crawling under my exoskeleton, eating me alive. "They could have killed me. They butchered me and dissected me while I was still alive? If you are saying this just to fuck with me... I swear to god I will kill you!"


    I rose with every muscle bristling with killing intent. I could smell a new stench pouring out from me. It was terrible, almost like a stink bug but far worse, bordering on skunk level. I could hear a rustling in the walls, like little legs scurrying. Molotov pinched her nose, warily looking at me. I took a step towards her, and she put a hand up to stop me.


    "Don''t do anything stupid. Every word was truth. We don''t want to kill you." Molotov backed away still with her hand out; her other was on her utility belt. "In light of your mental state, I will go easier on you. How about that steak dinner? Eh, eh? No go? How about I take you to Nicky Mouse Land, just the two of us. Still no go? How about I call you name... Vespidian, just calm down. Please don''t force me to do something we both will regret."


    "Who the fuck is Vespidian?!" I growled, trudging towards her. "My name is Vesper!"


    Her husky man voice became dark and void of emotion. "Vesper. Stop. Take one more step and I will rip head off. Vespidian is what Dr. Tesla and Dr. Arbor have decided to name your new race. It is also your code name since you were displeased by being called Wasp Girl. Good just stay right there and calm down."


    I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself; rationally, I knew she could destroy me if she wanted to. It would be a child picking the wings off of a fly. My emotions were jumbled, and instincts that were not there before were firing off. Flee, fight, hunt, kill, nest, and breed; such thoughts were wrestling and swirling around. A new terrifying thought came to me, how much of me was still left? Would I cease to be and be drowned in these new hormones and inherent impulses? How much of my brain changed? If what she said is true and only five percent of me is still human, should I even act human? What even is human? How do I even remember anything about being human? There were a lot of things missing that I felt I knew at one point. What did my mom''s face look like? It was... oh god, I don''t remember. NO, no, no! It has to be in there somewhere, come on think! My brain was having a meltdown, and I could vaguely feel the vents open, but they did not close. My whole body was shuddering. The stinger stabbed into the floor repeatedly, making a terrible metallic sound. I could feel the room growing hotter and wetter from the plumes of steam pouring out of me. My eyes rolled, and the world turned black.


    ~~~


    This place again? I vaguely thought, gazing out at the perpetual black. Not even here was I human, my four arms stretched out, plucking at air. There was no silence in this place. At first, I thought the buzz was the absence of noise, but now I could hear clearly. It was the sound of tiny feet moving in the shadows. I turned warily, looking in every direction; there was still nothing but the inky abyss. My skin crawled; I could feel myself being watched. Whispers were there, mere mumbles, but they were there. The white eyes opened all around, and crooked smiles spread. I curled into a ball covering the antenna, but the voices were not coming from outside; they were in my head. Madness, this place was my own insanity. I could feel their voices crawling on little claws all over my brain. I am Vesper. I am human... There were doubts creeping in from all around.


    You are not human. We are not human. Why lie to yourself? It will only bring us pain. It would be easier not to feel.


    The distorted mouths whispered in my ears, my antennae. The voices were all around me. Just shut up! Leave me alone! I don''t care. Just leave me alone. I was human, but now I am something else, something more. No... no! I will not succumb to this. I screamed and drowned out all the sounds. Finally, I was alone, just me and myself. I am me... Nothing will ever change that.


    A single warped face remained, hovering in the abyss. It was silent and looked like it wanted to cry. I closed my eyes, sinking into the mire.


    ~~~


    Groggily, I opened my eyes. My body felt heavy, and I rolled over, falling out of my bed. It took a long time to focus; the glowing light was there, welcoming me to the world. I was Vesper, right? But then, who am I now? I was called Vespidian; yes, that is who I am. This is my reality. I am no longer human. Is there even a point in trying to act human? Will I be treated like a human if I act like one, or does it matter? I must survive; nothing else matters. Death means the end; it means to cease to be. That I cannot allow, I will not allow. I would rather live as a monster than fade into oblivion, not with those voices, never again. Crying and whining would not save me. I must become stronger so that I will not return to that abyss. My eyes closed for a moment as I sighed, organizing my thoughts. When they opened again, it felt like the weight of the world had left my shoulders; never mind, it was just Molotov.


    "You awake Vesper?" She asked with that face of an angel but a voice so low and thick it was like a tectonic plate. "Good you had us worried. Are you alright? Pain anywhere?"


    I shook my head and sat up. "Vesper is dead. I am Vespidian."


    "You sure about that? You look like Vesper to me."


    "She would never survive in this world. It is not meant for humans. Besides I can''t go back, not anymore. I can''t even remember my mother''s face."


    "They still might find way to fix you." She said, patting me on the back. "You can always make new memories with parents."


    "Don''t lie to me. You said yourself this can''t be fixed. No. I don''t want to go back. I don''t need to go back." I replied, pushing her hand away. "There is nothing left for me there. It would be better if they thought I was dead."


    "I would not give up hope. You still have family."


    "I can never face them again. Who the hell would want this as their daughter?"


    "Changes nothing, family is family. I will take you to see them."


    "I don''t think that I am ready."


    "It will only get worse with time. Stitch while wound is open, not after it has scarred."


    "You think I should?" I asked wearily.


    "Da. I hold hand whole way." She smiled, gripping my hand. It felt like she was going to tear it off. "Remembering who you were will give you strength to grow into who you will be. Roots strong like turnip after all."


    Tears welled up and started to flow down my face. I weakly hit Molotov''s shoulder. "Damn it, don''t be so supportive after making my life hell."


    "There, there just cry and let it all out. You been through more than most will ever even imagine." She patted me and forced my head onto her shoulder. It felt good to not be alone, to have someone to rely on. "Good, good. Da, that is right, just cry on shoulder like little girl you are."


    "Only little girl here is you," I muttered.


    She ruffled my head tendrils, laughing. My brain was tingling, dragging up this sensation from my memories. My dad would do this, well with hair, but still, whenever I felt down. At least I could still remember his face. I could feel something else, though, a scratching in my head. Like someone was erasing something. Fear was dribbling through my mind. Molotov smiled, wiping my tears away with a small bottle. My eyes opened wide.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Da? What is matter?" She said, then realized where I was looking. "Oh this, I distill my vodka from tears of capitalist and communist alike. Has very good flavor. Crispness is beyond potato and even turnip. Smooth enough to drink like fish."


    I had never heard of anybody doing that, so I had no idea how to feel about it. "Aren''t my tears poisonous or something?"


    "Nyet. Tear ducts still human, already made batch of your tears." Grinned Molotov. "I would give you about an eight out of ten. Very close to Grey Moose vodka. You cried a lot while in coma. You want try?"


    Something about this seemed extremely funny and sad at the same time. "No. I think I will pass on that... You said coma how long was I out for?"


    "Two days, not many tears just screams. I was talking about during transformation."


    "Screams?"


    "Da. You scream like little girl." We both started laughing, and she patted me on the back, almost making me choke on my own tongue. "Got it all out? Feeling better. Remember those tears are proof that you still human, Vesper."


    I smiled, even though I felt how wide it was, this evil smile. I seriously look like a villain now... Well, I might as well look the part, right? Better than being a little girl with a man''s voice. I chuckled to myself and finally said. "Yeah. I feel like a new person. Let''s go meet my parents."


    "Good along way I will tell you tales of Nicky Mouse. Brace yourself, she was very flexible." Grinned Molotov.


    "Damn it, I don''t care about that! LALALALA can''t hear you!"


    "Antenna still poking out. So there I was, cozy fireplace at my bare back and bear skin rug under my naked..."


    "NOO!" I cried while she giggled. She still told me the whole damned story. Apparently, Nicky Mouse put an octopus to shame. I tried to divert the conversation by asking how she knew about the octopus. I threw up five times, and she was only halfway through the story. I had not seen enough hentai to know where that one went.

 Contamination, Chapter 8

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 8


    Molotov stood before me as the elevator ascended to the ground floor. I had been wrong about the number of floors when I saw it earlier. The installation had been underground, not in a skyscraper. Thinking rationally, no lab would be above ground, especially if it was a supervillain''s base. At first, I was surprised that the lab was not inside of a dimensional pocket, but then I heard about what happens if you put a dimensional pocket inside of another. Both cease to exist, and everything in them becomes nothing.


    It basically made a black hole that lasted for a day. Since Dr. Tesla is making those things, he would never make his lab in one due to this. The lowest levels were his secret projects, apparently. I could only fantasize about what he was working on down there. The entire time I had been here, I never saw anybody other than Molotov and Dr. Tesla. I asked her, and the answer was rather simple, the lower levels were forbidden to non-important personnel. I had a feeling it was something like that.


    The elevator stopped at the first floor, and I realized exactly how big of an operation Dr. Tesla was running. This was the secret entrance and exit, but it looked like a parking garage from the number of vehicles assorted about the place. The goons wore plated body armor and were armed with assault rifles. I was a little disappointed, I thought they would have laser guns or something, but hey, they were just henchmen. They had Dr. Tesla''s insignia of a lightning bolt on the helmets. In this room alone, there were upwards of a hundred armed men and women. The moment Molotov and I stepped out, all eyes were on me. I could feel their gazes stabbing at me. Some were repulsed, others sympathetic, quite a few were excited, and still others were indifferent. It was strange to be gawked at like some animal at the zoo.


    "Look, it is Wasp Girl." Said one soldier with a wolf symbol on his shoulder. "See that you survived. Looks like I just lost a bit of money. There was a bet going around that you would not make it."


    He got jabbed in the ribs by another. "Don''t say that you ass. Good to see you up and about. You are a bit famous around here you know."


    "I-I am?" I asked warily, looking around at the gruff veterans starting to close in. These people seemed to be far better equipped than the guys with lightning bolts. Somewhere on each of them was a wolf head. Their armor was thicker, and they carried a wide range of weapons. Some even had a few of those Gauss rifles that Molotov was talking about.


    "Well, yeah it is not every day that a civi gets drenched in Mutigene and survives. Last person who got some on them turned into a flesh blob and imploded. Anyway, good to have you on board Wasp Girl, need all the Supers we can get."


    I cleared my throat and said loudly. "I am not Wasp Girl. I am Vespidian. So call me that."


    "Da. Vespidian is her name so stop with that nickname unless you want words with me. She does not like it." Said Molotov with crossed arms.


    It was peculiar to see the movement of the people with the wolf insignia. They lined up on two sides with their hands behind their back in an ordered motion, and they stood rigid and said in unison. "As you command, Comrade Molotov."


    "Well trained eh?" She smiled, looking up at me. "These are my men. Well trained indeed all are ex-Navy Seal, KGB, Spetsnaz or Marine and are Super Soldiers. Dr. Tesla has hired us on for a while. I am brawn in operation and he is brain. Not to say that I am not sly like jackal. My teams do mercenary work for varied Supervillains and even countries should their money be adequate. This is team Wolf, something of personal guard you would say. Teams; Jackal, Eagle, Marlin, Mamba, Mongoose, Cobra, Tiger, Panther, Shepard, Albatross, Widow and Anaconda are at various other deployments around the world. We are part of larger organization of worldwide Super Villains, it is called Kraken. We have insidious tentacle in every aspect of global societies. Think of it as the big leagues. I am planning on taking you into my group. This is only because I like you, play cards right, you could be my secretary."


    "Why are you telling me all of this?"


    "More you know deeper my fangs are sunk into your neck. In case you haven''t noticed I have taken somewhat personal interest in you." Smiled Molotov though I got a distinct feeling that it was bad to catch her eye. "I will have you join my group and after trial period where you complete several missions that I have planned throughout this city you will be formal member. I will also be recruiting other Supers from small time criminal groups. This city is like little league in baseball. I am what you call Major League Pinch Hitter. Given enough time you will form your own team and follow my orders completing missions."


    "What if I snitched on you or turned traitor?" I asked, looking around. "With what I know I am a liability, aren''t I?"


    She laughed lowly, and it felt like somebody had rubbed ice all over my back. "That is why I like you. At first glance you play stupid, but I know that your mind is very keen on survival. Da. You have cautious mindset, always plotting and scheming how to accomplish goal. You are good at figuring things out. You try to see big picture where everybody else is content with little picture. Always probing for information. Your hunger for knowledge is commendable. Well then, since I am such nice person, let me lay out all my cards for you to see. Should you ever betray me little Vesper, I would deploy the full extent of my power to hunt you down. I have agents around the world. So do not think you can run. I would then torture you until I broke your mind and made you my pet. You think what I did to you in there was bad? You are in for a rude awakening, that was not even foreplay and given your special attributes we could have fun for long time. If you are wondering, I have done it before on many occasions. So I trust that you will do what is best for both of us. Eh, Comrade? I like you, as such, I would much rather have you as friend, than pet. I can''t take pet to Nicky Mouse Land after all."


    I gulped, shivering, and nodded. "You mentioned something called Kraken?"


    "Da. I joined about five years after the Council founded Kraken, which was twenty years ago. When we realized that governments would try to stamp out those such as ourselves, the squabbles stopped and everybody pooled resources together. Supers have not always been looked at favorably or idolized as heroes. For long time we were ostracized and governments rounded us up like animal. They had their own lap dogs to hunt us down and so we banded together to fight them off. Soviet Union was worst offender doing terrible experiments. I was their best lap dog at one point, did many things I regret. Part reason why I defected. I will tell you later for now come along we have more pressing business."


    Molotov took my hand and dragged me along. It was intimidating to think that she was that much of a big shot. This also begged the question, what the hell would somebody like that want with me? Is it really as simple as her liking me? I thought that I had started to understand this pint-sized terror. But now, her shadow seemed to consume everything around us. What have I gotten myself into? Just how far-reaching is her power?


    I wonder if she is stronger than Empr- my thoughts seized up, choking and shuddering, a blinding pain made that thought melt away. I held my head, rubbing my temple as the thoughts and pain eroded away. I still have no idea why my brain keeps doing that. It is best not to think of Her.


    Molotov. Yeah, Molotov, I really shouldn''t fuck with her. Now, I knew for sure that I could not escape this and that crossing her would be a horrible idea. She mentioned that there would be other Supers... is this going to be like a team or something? Wait, am I supposed to be the leader!?


    A soldier opened the back door to a black-coated hummer, the windows were tinted, and it looked military grade. Molotov got in without a second thought, and I was dragged in next to her. I had to tuck my abdomen between my legs to sit down. I stared at it, remembering again just how big it was. The door shut, and I glanced around the interior. It was clean and downright sparkling; given how spacious it was, I almost thought that we were in a limo. She sat there biting the side of a cigar while digging around in the mini-fridge that was built into the front seat. Molotov pulled out a glass and filled it with Grey Moose Vodka. I stared at her until she finally lit her cigar and turned my way.


    "What? Never seen someone smoke or drink?" She asked, blowing smoke towards the vent in the ceiling and taking a gulp out of her glass.


    "Just strange seeing you do it. Don''t you know that stuff gives you cancer?" I shifted away from her and looked out the window. The vehicle had already moved from the concealed entrance into the streets. The Spore hung high overhead. It felt like it had been ages since I saw the sky. Just how long had I been down there? I found the street lights and high beams of oncoming traffic strangely enticing. They were vivid and mesmerizing. The world seemed to blur, and I began to wonder if I was drugged or something.


    My eyes lingered on the Spore. It was calming, a gentle blue pulsing light emanating from it. I don''t recall it being so bright before; I could see every contour. It felt familiar somehow. Images of it close up flashed in my mind. The translucent landscape, the mountain of gelatinous flesh rolling and undulating below the stars. The glow constantly pulsing and throbbing.


    Odd. I had certainly never been there, yet it was so vivid. I could almost feel the stinging of its tendrils gently coiling around my flesh- Molotov interrupted my thoughts.


    "Da. It gives normal people cancer. I don''t have to worry about such things. So tell me are you nervous to see parents?"


    I nodded, reluctantly tearing my eyes away from the window. "What will I do if they don''t believe us or think that I am a monster? What if I get rejected."


    She thought about it. "Well, it is up to them, but I have already contacted your father and explained some details. At moment they know that you had terrible accident and that you have been in my care last four months while recovering. I told them you are now a Super but I left out that you changed so dramatically."


    "Wait, how did you contact them? I never told you their names or my last name."


    "Da. Who you think I am?" Smirked Molotov, taking another puff from her cigar. "It was easy, who you think you are? CIA Jackal? I looked at missing persons cases in area around crash site for Vesper. I found out everything in five minutes. Easy, your father''s name is Saar Lavii Vasska works as bouncer at local strip club Atomic Strobe and your mother''s name is Caroline Amelia Vasska works as manager for Star Agencies currently her charge is a girl by name of Isabella. I did not care so much about her so did not bother for full name. You were Vesper Walda Vasska, college dropout who majored in business and is currently unemployed and addicted to game Shattered Realms Online, handle Malachite Queen, title Goddess of Death. Impressed yet?"


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    I nodded warily. How does she even know about my SR account? "So you really think they will accept me back?"


    She looked me in the eyes. "It will be painful I won''t lie. They might say some things that will hurt you, but once they know it is you, you will be accepted. It will take time though so do not expect them to just hold you and cry on shoulder. That not possible with extreme of situation."


    "Are you sure about this?"


    "Da. Give chance, but if it falls through I am always here. We will arrive shortly."


    I sighed, sitting in the chair, hugging my squirming abdomen. The trepidation still gripped me deeply. It was not something that could just be ignored or eased by simply talking about it. Until I actually saw them with my own eyes and heard them from Mom and Dad, I would be stuck between feeling elated and terrified. The drive was shorter than I had thought, and we had already arrived before I could even come to terms with this. Molotov had put out the cigar and finished drinking her glass. She stepped out and extended her hand to me, and I uneasily took it and followed behind her.


    The front steps that I had grown up knowing seemed so foreign now. The house, which had always been warm, was gloomy and foreboding. Molotov stepped up and rang the doorbell. There was only a short delay before the door opened, and there stood Dad. What the hell happened to him? His head was not shaved, and the hairs were all gray. Deep lines on his face were the kind you get from staying up all night worrying. He looked haggard, and the smile he had dropped instantly when he saw me. Fear. I could see it festering behind his eyes. I could smell it. Something inside of my head was crying, but at the same time, something else was elated to see my prey so vulnerable, so scared. I shook my head, wiping away the strange feelings.


    "We spoke on phone mister Vasska," said Molotov. "As promised I have brought your daughter. She is still recovering from accident."


    "Dad. I, well, I got out of the house." I smiled while crying. I must look hideous like the monster I am.


    He teared up and strode straight up to me. He grabbed me in a big hug even though I was taller than him now. He cried. "I am sorry. I never should have pushed you."


    "No, Dad. I fucked up, not you. This is my fault."


    "Let us take this inside, neighbors might start looking." Said Molotov, grasping my hand and dragging me and my father along.


    We sat at the kitchen table, but everything that should be familiar was now unacquainted. Something felt wrong, I could not explain it, but it felt as though something vital was missing. This was not my home anymore. That was the feeling that I could not shake off. I glanced about, trying to remember things about my home; however, it was as though my memories were being eaten. They were fragmented and broken. I recognized certain things, though they were always different than how I remembered them. The colors would be slightly off, or something would be in other places. I shook my head, clearing my doubts.


    "Where is mom?" I asked.


    "She went out to the store a bit ago," said Dad, holding my hand. "I don''t even know where to start. Are you alright? Does it hurt?"


    I shook my head, smiling, with such an ugly face. I could feel it stretching so wide. "These people are going to help me. There is no cure for this Dad. I am getting used to it."


    His face was hard; he was trying not to cry. "How did this happen to you? What exactly happened?"


    Molotov cut in. "She has undergone mutation due to exposure to unstable chemical compound. It occurred when she stumbled on a crash site. My associates and I recovered her and have taken the utmost care of her over the past four months. Now that she has stabilized physically I brought her here. She needs a solid mental pillar to rely on, to anchor herself. That is where you and your wife come in, I fear that without such support she will become mentally unstable. I will be having her work to pay off expenditures for her treatment. Before you offer, I am afraid you could never pay it off with your income. She is now a Super as I explained over phone. Which means that she is in delicate spot. Tell no one that she has changed. Bad people will come after her should they learn of her existence, it will put you and her in danger. If she was not insistent on meeting you, I would not have contacted you, it is safer that way."


    I nodded to everything she said, and he held his head on his clutched hands. "So the Hero League is going to take good care of her? Does this mean that I will get to see her on the news beating up bad guys? Will she be alright?"


    "Da. We will take good care of her. I will personally watch over her." She nodded. My eyes squinted a little as I stared at her. Why was she lying to my Dad?


    I heard the door open and glanced over, seeing a woman with black hair. Our eyes made contact, and she stood frozen in place, grocery bags dropping to the floor. Her face was etched in horror. I stared at her for a long moment but could not remember her. I could only assume that she was my mom... I mean, who the hell else would be in my house? My eyes skimmed the room until I saw the old family portrait; she was there hugging me and Dad. There were no doubts now; she was my mom.


    I smiled and stood, walking towards her. "Mom-" I never finished as she bolted upstairs screaming.


    My heart sank, and I felt bile in the back of my throat. I just stood there broken. My Dad had gone after her, and Molotov silently sat and watched. A part of me began to believe that she had set this all up just to crush me and make me dependent on her. The rest of me wanted to believe that this could be fixed, and it was, as she said, something that would come slowly. My mandibles were clacking together with irritation. Slowly I sat down across from her. We gazed at one another in silence; her face held no emotion to speak of. God damn, she had a good poker face! I stared her down, and she raised an eyebrow in my direction. She was still silent.


    We continued this until footsteps were coming down the stairs. My Dad was leading Mom down the stairs with his hand on her back. He brought her to the table, and she warily sat beside me. She scooted the damn chair as far away as she could. There was no need for words. I could tell what she felt; disgust, revulsion, and hatred. She still did not believe it was me. No. Her heart would never allow me to be her daughter, not this monster masquerading as her beloved daughter. For all that she knows or cares, I ate her daughter... Maybe that was not so far off.


    "Hey dad, is my computer still here?" I asked, not even looking at my mom; there was no point.


    He shook his head. "The police took it during the investigation. They still have it. Do you want me to try and get it back?"


    "No, they are probably beating off to all the porn I had on there," I replied. "I will buy a new one later. Take care of yourself Dad."


    "You are not leaving already, are you?" He asked, grasping my hand.


    "I think I should go. This is still a lot to take in. We should meet up again soon though." I replied gently, patting his hand.


    "Nonsense you are our daughter. It has been so long just stay here for a while longer."


    "You mean it?" I smiled with that ugly face. I wanted to hope this could work out. "I mean, look at me... I understand if you don''t want to see me ever again."


    "Don''t say that. I love you alright. This... we can work through this." He smiled.


    "Dad." I hugged him and could feel tears pouring down my face. "I am so scared."


    "It is alright." He went to ruffle my hair, but the smooth carapace was all that he found. I felt disappointed when he pulled away and sat back down. I lowered myself back into my chair and made the mistake of looking over at Mom.


    "That is not our daughter." Coldly said, my mom. "You are so desperate to replace her you would take in this abomination? Vesper is dead! This is not her!"


    Every word was a knife to the heart. I could feel the constricting of my lungs, it was hard to breathe, and there was a knot in my throat. My eyes twitched, and my mandibles clenched together, grinding. There was the strangest urge. I wanted to kill that woman. As quickly as they came, I brushed away those ideas. Those were not mine, just anger and agony. She was my mother no matter what; that was something I would not do.


    "What is wrong with you?!" Yelled Dad. "We talked about this remember? No matter what happened to her, she is still our daughter."


    "That is not her! How can our baby turn into this monster? She was just a little lazy, but she was a good girl! She was smart and if she applied herself then she could do anything! This freak isn''t even human!" She stood screaming, grasping at dishes on the counter, and threw them at me. "How dare you come in here and try to pawn off this, this creature as my daughter! Get the fuck out of my house!"


    A plate shattered on my face; I did not even feel it. How odd... I don''t feel anything at all. It felt like the sound had been sucked into a void, and all the color in the world had bled out. There was no warmth to be found, just a cold, gray, and silent world. Another crashed into me, and I slowly stood. Tears gushed down my face, but that did not stop her. No. It only encouraged her. Her pace became frantic, and she started throwing knives. They bounced off, doing no damage at all. It hurt, though; it hurt like hell this rejection. I thought I was ready. I thought I could deal with this. What did I expect, I wonder? Did I think that I would have been able to just come home like nothing had ever happened? What would we do, roast marshmallows over a fire and sing kumbaya? Who the fuck was I kidding? This is hopeless.


    Is there even a reason to try? I don''t see it. My smile slowly spread, and her eyes gaped in terror. Yes, that is right, fear me, you fucking bitch! So pointless. I see now how useless this all is. I am a monster; how could I ever get along with anything but other monsters? Dad was trying to calm her down and keep the dishes from her. It was far too late, I realized. I could feel it, this urge, this need to kill. Why was it so strong? I just wanted to grab her shrieking mouth and snap her neck. Maybe, if I stuck her head in my mouth and crunched down, she would shut up.


    Molotov spoke while I internally wrestled with myself. Mom, no, she is not my mom, not anymore. She dropped the things she had gathered in surprise. That thick booming voice was so dark it could block out the sun. ¡°Caroline Amelia Vasska! Do you even realize your words are ripping your own daughter to pieces?! Look at her, you stupid bitch! Do you not see what you are doing to her? How do you think she feels? How terrorized, how hurt, how desperate she is? She begged us to let her see you, and this is what you do to her? She needed support! She wanted to be loved and told everything would be ok. Even if it was a lie. She is not a monster; you are! What you have done today will scar her for life! I was wrong, Vesper. I thought too highly of your family. I am sorry. We should leave before I kill your parents."


    She grasped my hand and tugged; my arm came off... it popped right out of the socket, and my yellow blood spurt out. "Fuck!" I screamed, clutching the stump.


    "Stop hurting her!" Raged Dad before he turned blue from the looked that Molotov gave them.


    "Arm will fix self. Mind will not." She glared, pointing my arm at them. "She is Super now with capabilities beyond your imagining yet you cast her out and treat her like monster."


    She grabbed another and pulled gentler this time, dragging me away. I stared for a moment longer, my face drooping in despair. My Dad shouted when I turned, walking away. "Wait, Vesper! Don''t go we love you! Give it time your mother just doesn''t know how to react."


    "Goodbye Dad." My resolve was shattered, and the warm tears fell without end.


    My arm really could be reattached. She just held it there, and after a few moments, it scabbed over and held in place. It was numb, though, and I couldn''t move it for a few minutes. Her hand never let go, even after the car was driving down the street. Why was it so calming, her crushing grasp that left no room to escape, nor even doubt its intentions. She held me there so that I could not kill myself. She would not let me. The only thing holding me together was that Molotov wanted me for something. My head lay in her lap, and her fingers drummed along the extended carapace.


    "Well." She said lowly. "Could have gone better. Could have gone worse. Dad is on board, but Mom is needing a lot of coaxing. I expected her to be cold but not violent. Not that, that foolish woman could hurt my little Vesper."


    "My heart hurts." I blubbered.


    "Da. That tends to be all it good for. Now then, next visit we will approach at different angle." She said with a cheery tone. It made my stomach churn.


    "Next visit?"


    "Da. I told you these things take time."


    "I won''t go back! You can''t make me!" I tried to get up, but her hand held me in a death grip.


    "Poor little Vesper. Not even to visit your Dad, just your Dad?"


    "If it is just him," I mumbled, rubbing against her legs.


    "Good. See cheer up. I know somebody who earned a steak dinner." She smiled; it was strange how I used to be afraid of that smirk.


    I coiled around her, seeking any comfort that she would give me. Everything hurt on the inside. It all felt broken and mangled like a train wreck. I doubted that this pain would ever go away. It was almost as bad as when I was transformed. Yet that pain went away, so surely this one would as well. I just wanted to sleep; it seemed to be all that I was doing lately. Her hand rubbed my head; I did not even care that she treated me like a pet or something.

 Contamination, Chapter 9

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 9


    The vehicle slowed and stopped with a slight jerk.


    Molotov shifted. "What is problem?"


    "Comrade, road is blocked," said the Russian driver.


    I stirred, sitting up, gazing out vehicle at the road covered in tires. Something like that should not happen. My eyes roamed, but there was no one in sight. Molotov scowled and opened the door getting out. She looked left, then right, and sighed heavily. "Looks like we need some music."


    She pulled the boom box out, took a few paces, and set it on the ground. She pressed the play button and started tapping her foot to the beat. Nodding her head back and forth, she was shuffling a little bit. She clapped twice and mouthed the words to the song. She was really getting into it, then pulled out a rocket launcher. "Burn baby burn, burn baby burn. To my surprise it''s one hundred stories high. People gettin loose y''all. Getting down on the roof. Stoke the flame and out of control so entertaining, out of control."


    She pointed it to the run-down restaurant directly across the street. The windows broke out, and people threw themselves as she fired. The missile screeched and plunged deep inside. A shock wave burst out, and the building collapsed, with smoke and debris scattering everywhere. She smirked and put the rocket launcher back inside before pulling out a flamethrower. She primed it, and the flame spouted a hundred feet before her, landing directly on all those trying to get back on their feet. Screams filled the air, and the stench of burned flesh rose. Disgust filled me; the aroma made my stomach churn with hunger.


    "Babababa I hear music in the air." Molotov laughed. She stepped towards them and unloaded another burst, giving rise to even more frantic yells.


    She walked over, kicking the tires off of the street. Molotov glanced around and closed her eyes briefly, then her head snapped toward the ruined building. She pulled the pin of a grenade and hurled it over the next wall into a side alleyway. It detonated into a blood fountain, and gore spouting over the walls. She was still dancing to the boogie with a demonic grin. When the song ended, she wiped her hands and put away the boombox. She whistled when she returned to the car, closing the door gently. I held my head, trying to make sense of it all. She really did kill people. Somewhere in my head, I always thought it was a joke or something, but I can''t deny what I just saw, and she looked like she enjoyed it.


    "Drive." She said, twirling a finger through her hair and humming along. She gazed at me with a mischievous smile.


    "What was all that about." I cringed.


    "Just blowing off a little steam."


    I retreated from her hand. "You just killed all those people and it was nothing to you. What the fuck is wrong with you?"


    She sighed and scooted over so that I had nowhere to escape. Her arm wrapped around my waist, and she grinned. "They were going to rob whoever stopped there or tried to run. Unfortunately for them, they ran into me. They were scum, no one will miss them."


    "Why are you so heartless? I don''t want this." I tried to push her away, but her hand grasped my spine, and I shuddered, hearing a loud crack, unable to control my arms.


    "Shhh." She whispered, leaning in, her grip tightening. "You will learn to take life. Leave it to me. Given your disposition, I know you will learn to love it. Did you think I did not see how you yearned to tear your mother to pieces? I look at you Vespidian and see nothing, but boundless potential. I will train you to kill. I believe that you can eat people as well, I know you have been craving meat lately. I know... How about I lock you in a room with a little snack?"


    My eyes gaped at her, and I shook my head desperately. "Please anything, but that I don''t want to kill anyone!"


    "In time. No need to worry, I won''t rush this, that would ruin the enjoyment after all. By the end of this, you will see things my way, I assure you. How about that dinner? I have worked up an appetite."


    She nestled in, leaning against me. I trembled in horror. I realized once more just what sort of monster was keeping me company. Though I resisted her temptation and urging. I had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before I started to see things her way. If I wanted to survive in this world, I would have to adapt, and there was no better place to learn than from Molotov. I felt that if I could survive her cruelty, I could survive anything. What scared me more than her was that I really did want to kill my mother. If she had not intervened, I want to think that I would not have killed her. But I know deep down that is a lie. I have a feeling in my gut that I would have enjoyed it. I was disgusted with myself, but I had already decided to survive no matter what it took. Even still, I knew that I was not ready yet to take a life.


    The car arrived while I sat lost in my despair. Molotov pulled me along like always. I had no choice but to follow. We came to a new place this time. I jogged back into reality, gazing over the mess hall. Long tables were arranged in even formations. The armored men and women sat around eating and chatting. The room quieted down the moment we entered. It felt strange to draw such attention. I was unsure if it was me or Molotov that attracted their gaze. It was me. Of course, it was me. Smiles exploded all around from the hardened soldiers. They cheered, and I stood there, not knowing what the hell was going on.


    "Vespidian is alive! Hey, pay up!" Shouted a few, laughing and punching each other.


    Why do they keep thinking I am going to die? They were not looking at me like some monster. It felt so good. I never would have thought that a bunch of gruff and edgy people would be welcoming me. My smile spread, and one bolted over to the trash can, throwing up. My stomach churned. Was it my fault? Am I that ugly to cause a soldier to puke?


    A few others were patting him on the back. "Oi, what did we say, man. This is why you don''t start drinking at nine in the morning. How many shots have you had? Eight?! What the fuck man you holding out on us? Where is the stash?!"


    The guy got shaken down, and everybody was laughing except me. My mouth twitched. I hated this face, so what if I was not the cause this time. I brooded the whole way over to the food station, but then I smelled the meat. Steak lit up my eyes, and I grasped Molotov''s hand in excitement. She grinned, filling up a plate with mashed potatoes and gravy and a big juicy T-bone steak. I can say without a doubt that I was drooling. We made our way to the table, and the soldiers crowded around after we sat. Some of them were sneaking glances at me while others were poking at the wiggly things on the back of my head. I did not care. I wanted that food! I tried to use a fork and knife. Unfortunately, the utensils did not fit properly in my hands. It would take getting used to since my hand arrangement was different. Claws are hard to be delicate with. I ended up snapping the fork and knife from squeezing too hard.


    I stared at the food; however, I am no animal. I would not dig into it with my hands... Damn it, bottom righty! It was already grabbing the meat and raising it to my mouth. I gave up trying to be civilized and opened wide. The whole steak, bone, and all dropped onto my tongue. I almost died from how good it tasted. I closed my eyes, enjoying the flavor. My grin spread as the mandibles set to work, dismembering with crunches and snaps as they cracked the bone and tore the flesh.


    Meat at last. No wonder I had been craving it. How would something a little fresher taste? I opened my eyes and saw Molotov looking at me. She held another steak in her hand, dangling it in front of me. I turned away. With a sour look. What did I look like, some dog? It did look good; I could not help but sneak glances at it. It smelled so delectable too. My fingers were getting restless, and I ended up leaning toward her to get it. My mouth was open wide, waiting for it, and she plopped it in.


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    I chewed delighted, and for the first time in over an hour, my chest did not feel like someone had cut it open and ripped my hearts out. I ended up shoveling the potatoes into my gaping maw as well. They were so warm and fluffy, but for some reason, I did not really like them... It was strange. I had two different expectations. I remembered how good they tasted, yet now they were kinda sour, but at the same time, they were buttery and delicious. It was as though my brain was fighting itself over what was reality. I could not make heads or tails of it. I was getting worried since Molotov was so quiet and not hurting me. Her face was blissful as she gazed at me. I raised an eyebrow or rather the ridge above my eye, and she wiggled her fingers at me. Was she flirting with me!? Not interested. My face scrunched up into a scowl, and she started laughing.


    Molotov wiped a tear from under her eye. "You funny Vespidian. You should have seen face. Went from bliss to despair, then bliss to despair and now you''re pouting. Feeling better now?" I shook my head, and she frowned. "What is the matter? Is there something you want to do?"


    I thought about it and said. "I want to see you in an adorable dress."


    Molotov''s eyes nearly ripped open; she pointed at me and gritted her teeth. "Now you look here.... Wait, you were serious?"


    I nodded, and she crossed her arms with a sour look. She glanced at me twice before sighing, "Alright, I has some in my room come along. This make you feel better?"


    "Really? You actually will?" I fawned at her, and she blushed, swatting my twitching hands away from her. "No touchy feely got it. That is my job."


    "Wait, you actually have dresses?" I asked, following her like a shadow. She walked along to the elevator, and I squeezed in after her. The doors closed, and she pressed the ninth-floor button. So her room is on that floor. What is it like? The elevator began to move; it was hardly noticeable with how smooth it went.


    "Da. When I go undercover can''t exactly be wearing black jumpsuit. Draws too much attention. You sure about this? I thought you did not like me after I kill people?"


    I thought for a while. How did I feel, I wonder? I collected my thoughts and said. "Well, I still don''t like that, but I understand it on a level. I am not ready to kill."


    "Is that so? So you don''t care if I murder people in cold blood in front of you?"


    "I never said that! You should not kill either it is bad."


    She looked at me with cold eyes. "Listen if you don''t kill someone and let them go they will seek revenge. It is easier to simply deal with them then rather than later. Hesitating will get you killed you know. Morality is what the weak hide behind so they are not crushed by the strong in a civilized society. It is stupid excuse. Moment things go wrong silly little thing is thrown out window and cats and dogs are fucking in street. Society is very easy to destroy it is more of an illusion that we cling to, to say we better than animals."


    I nodded, nibbling on my finger. She had a good point. It is not as though those were innocent people or anything, either. I mean, they had guns, right? They were going to rob us, maybe even try to kill us. Wait, could it be that I am just looking for an excuse to not feel bad about killing someone, and Molotov was giving it to me? Am I a good person? I scowled; this was not something a normal person should have to even consider. Oh, I keep forgetting that I am not normal anymore, let alone a person. Molotov keeps saying that people will come after me... Are they going to try and hurt me? I really should learn how to defend myself then, just in case.


    My gaze fell on her back. "What kinds of dresses do you have?"


    She waved her hand dismissively. "All kinds, I am rich."


    "You don''t seem very keen to wear them. Why?"


    "It gives off wrong kind of image."


    "You have Gothic Lolita stuff?" I must have had something similar to a rape face on because Molotov gave me a stern look.


    "I do, but you had better behave or else." She was giving me the death glare. Didn''t matter to me. I was still on cloud nine. I get to see her in a cute dress. Will there be frills? There has to be ruffles, right? My love of cute things is still here. Been a long while since I got hyped about a cute cosplayer. It gets me a bit excited, really. Ah, I wonder how Ichigo is doing?


    She looked me over and turned a key in the panel. The door opened. A single room filled the floor. It was all hers. Training equipment was neatly stacked up to one side while a table occupied the middle of the room. The far wall had an assortment of desks, and in the far corner, behind a thick folding screen, I could see the edges of a bed. A wardrobe stood to act as a divider between the desks and the bed. She walked over, disappeared behind the screen, and left me to my own devices. I glanced over the table; there was a map of Bronson covering it with a knife stabbed into the middle.


    The city could be divided into about eight sections, which she had with colored markers... At times I questioned if Molotov was really not just a little girl. It was cute how there were doodles all over the sides. I looked closer and realized what they meant. Sitting down, I inspected the map closely. The highlighted areas were written down as certain turfs. The Atomic Apostles, Sixes and Sevens, Mad Dogs, Scarlet Souls, Cyber Sirens, Angels of Hell, and the Diablo De Chillar were scrawled out with lists of who their members were and where they could be located. I did not even know that there were that many Super Villain groups in the area. I always thought this town was rather quiet. Well, besides the slums, that place was kind of crazy. To think there were so many evils just hiding below the surface. Of course, I had been locked in my basement out in the boonies for six years. So what the hell did I know?


    The city itself was broken down into eight sections. The group lines crossed over these areas and clashed frequently. She put Xs where the group had recently done a job or gotten into a fight. There was a lot, and these groups seemed very active. The Cyber Sirens had the least amount of area and were located in a corner of the northwestern region of the city. It was a high-end neighborhood and had a mall as well as a lot of the more sophisticated businesses. Mad Dogs were the opposite and down in the slums in the city''s south. Downtown had the Atomic Apostles; their area crept right up to the sphere with the Cyber Sirens, and the other side of the turf clashed with the Angels of Hell. The north side was the Scarlet Souls. The city''s center was not controlled by any of the gangs at all. A strange, almost circular expanse radiating out seemed to repel all the unscrupulous elements. Then I saw why there was a fat HLH written on the area. The Hero League Headquarters for the city was there. No wonder the gangs were steering clear. Now that I looked closely, a few smaller circles in various parts of the city were the Hero Squad Stations.


    The East side was the industrial, agricultural section of the city ended up being a strange hodgepodge of fields on one side. At the same time, there were factories and skyscrapers right next to it. This area was ripped in half between the Sixes and Sevens and the Diablos. I was not paying too much attention when we left earlier, so I don''t know where we are right now, but my house was in the north, way out near the mountains and the forest reserve. I never knew that I lived in the Scarlet Soul area. In fact, I did not even know they existed.


    I glanced over the list of Super Villains in that gang: Fold, Shadow, Mist, and Jack the Hammer. The names didn¡¯t exactly screams originality. I mean, I could probably guess what their powers are just by the names.


    A rustle diverted my attention, and I looked up to see a little princess. Her silky gold hair was curled, and a little bonnet covered the top of her head. The dress was pink and like a bell at the bottom. She was perfect down to the laces and white gloves. How can something so adorable be real? She would be fantastic as a fairy. I should make her do that next, and I will take pictures. I found it very hard to not run up and hug and pet her. It was a fight I was losing quickly as I started to gain speed while walking towards her. Molotov stared me down, and I stopped in my tracks.


    "Da. You like, no? This what you were talking about?" Asked that gruff man''s voice, shattering my illusions.


    I nodded and sulked over to her. "Yeah. It looks good."


    "I dressed up just for you and this is what I get?" She had a hmph look and patted her foot on the floor. It was the sort of thing that could drive anybody who loved cute things wild. "Now, what is problem?"


    I lifted her up, and she scowled at me, but there were no punches or anything like that. I carried her under my arm, and she protested as we went to her bed. I sat down and plopped her onto my lap. She turned and stared at me in silence. I was unsure if she was angry or what, usually, there is violence if I do something unappreciated. Molotov started poking and pinching me when I said nothing. There it is, ow that actually hurts!


    "Ow stop that!"


    "Tell me what problem?"


    I sighed, petting her like a doll. Oddly, she did not resist or break any fingers. I was almost disappointed. Oh god, have I been conditioned to her cruelty? I shook my head and said, "Just let me pet you for a while."


    "What the hell will that do?" She asked, getting ready to stab me with a finger.


    "Calm me down." I replied, lying back and covering my eyes with my upper hands while the lower one kept brushing her hair.


    "This helps heart?"


    "Yes."


    Molotov did something I would never have expected her to do, she hugged me. I was confused at first. She had tortured, maimed, broken my fingers, and made fun of me, all for her amusement. Yet here she was, the only person who even tried to understand me. I suppose that Dad also tried, but he would never truly understand what I was going through. This wasn''t some angsty teen bullshit; I wish it was. Molotov was so hard to understand. One minute she was stabbing me with a knife, the next cuddling up to me. She called me names and beat me, then picked up the pieces putting them back together. Is she my friend or my enemy? I do not understand at all. Perhaps Molotov is simply someone who cannot be understood. Why was I even attached to this terrible person who did nothing but hurt me? Was I that lonely and desperate? I just don''t know. The only thing that I do know is that she looks like an angel, despite most likely being the devil. Who am I to judge? I am just a monster like her.


    She lay back and nestled into my hollow stomach cavity, using it like a hammock and my chest as a pillow. I can''t imagine it was comfortable, but she was not complaining. My hands idly pet her head, and I felt at peace.

 Contamination, Chapter 10

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 10


    It felt blissfully warm as I awoke to find a girl curled up on my belly. I groggily rubbed my head and realized it was Molotov. She was still dressed like a princess; it felt wrong to wake her, but when I thought that, I realized she had one eye open. She sat up and stretched, yawning while she rubbed her eyes like a cat. I hugged her out of reflex and felt her fingers stab into my stomach. That certainly woke me up. Luckily, she had been holding back, or I would have just gotten punched in half.


    "Da. Sorry, reflex," she said, pulling her hand out of the hole she had made in me.


    "Same." I groaned.


    "You has strange reflexes. We should hone that into something useful rather than being silly."


    I nodded as she kept poking me, "Am I strong?"


    "Da. About as strong as muscle builder, why do you ask?"


    "Then how strong are you? It feels like I can''t even come close to competing against you. Can I get stronger?"


    Molotov got up, rummaging through her wardrobe. There really was a lot in there. If any little girl saw what was in there, she would scream and kick the ground out of jealousy. However, what she brandished was not something for a child. She pulled out a pitch-black suit that almost looked like latex, but something told me it was far more durable¡­ that is totally some S&M stuff. Something tells me she is the Dom. Then, ah crap, that makes me the Sub by default.


    She idly spoke, "There is scale for keeping track of Super Powers, over all it is generalized. At moment, you are rank 3, but that is because you are jack of all trades so to speak, in other words, multiple super powers. I am high 8 rank in super strength. Ranks go up by magnitudes like earthquake. Each rank is ten times as powerful as previous rank. Understand? I am roughly hundred thousand times stronger than you. Although, once you get into the decimal sort of thing the numbers get weird. I like to just estimate it, close enough."


    I gawked at her, "How are you so strong? What is the heaviest thing that you lifted?"


    "Da. I once lifted oil tanker and threw it to take airplane out of sky. I told you, I am super soldier."


    "Wait, you threw a truck at an airplane?"


    "Nyet, I threw cargo ship. It was extremely heavy."


    I opened my mouth and closed it; I was a little lost for words, "So that is pretty impressive."


    "Why thank you."


    "There are more just as strong as you? How many rank 8s are there? How strong was Nicky Mouse?"


    "Nyet. I was perfection in the Soviet Bioengineering program. Other super soldiers were only rank 5. Anyone higher than Rank 6 is put on list and considered global threat. Nicky Mouse was rank 7. There are roughly hundred Rank 7 and up alive at the moment. There are only two 10s. The Sanguine Puppeteer, evil Mastermind behind Kraken, its ability is Mind Diving. Never fight it and never cross it. Other is Captain Liberty he is immune to super powers and has ability to nullify other super powers."


    "Wait, I heard about him. He is the head of the Hero League. I did not realize he was that strong. If he can nullify super powers would he be able to fix me?"


    She shook her head. "Nyet. You have been mutated to core of DNA. Nullification simply suppresses ability, not regress. Your abilities are biological, which means they can grow in strength if you train diligently. Most powers can go up one to two ranks from their initial manifestation, but biological are limited only to what body can handle. Given time you could easily become 7 maybe 8 if you worked hard enough. Of course, this is merely conjecture since we are still unsure of exactly what your body is capable of handling. Your potential is, well, a lot like that cat in box that could be alive, but also be very dead. We won''t know until you are pushed to limit. You will have to find out yourself. Unfortunately, it would be meaningless before him. You would be unable to control body due to his power. Same with Puppeteer she would control you should you try and fight."


    "Why the fuck would I ever pick a fight with either of those people? I don''t think that I ever even want to meet either of them."


    "That is very prudent."


    "So I can get stronger? How?"


    "Da. Training, speaking of which, it is about time I had you do weight lifting to gain muscle mass."


    She pushed me out of the bed and poked her head out from behind the screen. "No peeking."


    I covered my eyes and just stood there. I could still see everything... Her porcelain white skin. Seriously though, she looks like a doll. She is so adorable; I just want to hug her! She glared at me and yelled. "You has four hands, cover all four eyes!"


    I clicked my tongue and turned around, walking to the table. I sat, waiting for her to change. She emerged covered in black and had a little red beret with a turnip pin on her head. Molotov stood beside the weight set and pointed to the smallest one. It was what looked like a twenty-pound dumbbell. I had learned many times over that things were not as they appeared, so I eased into trying to lift it. Surprisingly, it was just a twenty-pound weight. I smiled, pumping my arm up and down. She was not amused and hit a switch on the side of it. Its weight suddenly increased to the point that it almost ripped my arm off. I stared at the side and saw that it now said two hundred. She grinned, watching me struggle to heave the thing up.


    "I thought you said I was as strong as a bodybuilder? This thing only weighs two hundred pounds right?"


    "Nyet, two hundred Kilograms. What is wrong with you Americans? Still using Imperial System over Metric. Don''t you know it is easier to rule with iron first through science? Once you has man controlled down to the very centimeter of living space and gram of sustenance, you own his soul."


    I eyed her, pointing for a moment before retreating when I recalled that it is rude to point, "See, that is what I am talking about."


    "Hmm?" she gave me a questioning look.


    "That shit is fucking evil."


    "And?"


    "Well, it isn''t right. That sort of thing is diabolical."


    She blushed a little, "Oh stop, stop flattering me, will you? You act as though I conceived this sort of thing? Most laws these days are just power grabs."


    "No."


    "Da," she smirked, "It all lies. It is not us changing the environment, it is the Spore. We are still studying the causes, but things have changed ever since it arrived. To be frank, we don''t know what is going on exactly. We simply can''t measure the atmosphere all around the globe at the varied altitudes required for the data to be accurate. At least at the moment, give it about ten years or so and we will be there at rate of technological advancement."


    "The Spore? Ah you been around a long time do you remember what it was like before it showed up?"


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Da, the arrival of the Spore could be considered the turning point in history. Before it there were no Supers. The debris and particles that it sent up into the atmosphere have infected life on this world. Made us malleable to change."


    "If it is like that, then how come not everyone has Superpowers?"


    "That is what some of the greatest minds have spent decades trying to figure out. As near as we can tell some people are just more compatible than others. Like you. You are one of the most compatible that we have ever seen."


    "Is that good or bad?"


    "Good, you would be dead if you were not so vulnerable."


    "So the Spore is changing things?"


    Molotov nodded, "Indeed. That being said, my Antarctic Lair''s sensors show we are actually in a cooling trend at the moment. Snow cap has increased by three feet in last year. As for rest of world, that would depend on other circumstances."


    I stared at her  for a moment, "Wait, wait you have an arctic lair?"


    "Of course I has Arctic Lair, why wouldn''t I? You think that is cool, you should see my volcano lair."


    "That is so fucking awesome!" I shook my head; dammit, she was distracting me, "Wait, but what is with the lies?"


    "Oh Vesper, fear is the greatest of weapons. Through mass hysteria, you can force change and people will eagerly comply if they think it is to protect themselves. They will willing cast aside their freedoms and rights if they perceive that they will be protected from some all-consuming threat. Humans are inherently greedy creatures."


    I scratched my head, "You lost me. How is it hysterical fear if there is actually something doing what people are scared of?"


    "The Spore is not what you seem to think it is. It¡­¡± Molotov trailed off, thinking it over. "It is hard to explain, but it is not here willingly and is not trying to harm us, granted humanity is being poisoned by its presence. Well at the least that is what Dr. Arbor thinks. If anyone would know it would be her."


    "Dr. Arbor? Ah, Dr. Tesla mentioned her."


    "You will meet her soon enough."


    "I see. What about the climate crap then?"


    She sighed as though I were stupid or something, "Oh, that. The Spore is dormant at the moment and we don''t know what would happen should it awaken. In other words, we can''t do anything about it. Those who spout off about trying to fix the problem by limiting our cars and the like have an agenda. Control. It is always about power and control. If you ever hear anybody say something stupid like ''It is for the Children!'' Then really it is to line their own pockets and further their agenda. I know, I do it all the time back in the Mother Land. People stupid and go with anything if it for the children. Why you think I can sneak into many places unnoticed? It is cause I look like child."


    I held my head, pulling on my antennae, "See, you know it is bad to exert that much control."


    "Silly little girl. You seem to be forgetting who I am and apparently mistaking that I care about human life, other than how to exploit it. It my job to be evil and I am pretty good at it. We are called Super Villains for reason after all."


    "We?"


    "Da. What? You think you are going to be a Hero or something?" she chuckled at me, holding her hand up to her cute little face.


    "I don''t want to be a Villain," I blubbered.


    "Daw, cry some more, water my turnips. Now, now. You has been neglecting your training."


    I tried to lift it, finding it to be too heavy for one arm. It took all four to heave it up. "How heavy is this damned thing?"


    "200kg. Or as you know it, 440 pounds."


    "What the hell? Why is it so heavy? I thought you said I was as strong as a bodybuilder?"


    "Da. Girl body builder. Besides, only fool lifts massive weight with only one hand. You trying to pull or tear muscle? Although you regenerate, so that not real problem."


    "Well, excuse me. It is not like I was a muscle freak or anything. I mean sure I did training in highschool but nothing like this."


    "True, but I was sexiest man in world for three years straight," said Molotov, striking a very manly pose that looked very silly for a little girl to be doing. I wanted to pull her cheeks for being so cute, but the threat of a fist to the spine killed that inclination. She continued, "You want sexy ladies fawning all over you or what? Now listen and do what I tell you. I will make man out of you yet."


    "Wait, what? But, I am a girl. I like men."


    "Shut up and watch," said Molotov, taking the weight from me as though it were a napkin.


    She shifted her legs apart and half squatted, leaning her left hand and body on her left knee while holding the weight with her right. She began to do reps down and up. I watched for about ten before she shoved it back into my hands, and it took me off center. I uneasily took the same position; I cheated a little, using my abdomen as a counterweight. When she noticed, she slapped it and made me have it directly down. The weight was really difficult to deal with now. Slowly, I got the hang of it, and when one arm felt like it would fall off, she forced me to do another ten reps before switching to the next. Once I was finally finished with that, she made me do push-ups. This time she let the abdomen point straight back. I was only allowed to use one arm at a time. I started to think that this was a new torture she had come up with. After what felt like forever, I flopped to the mat, exhausted. It was not the end yet. She slapped my back, and I had to do squats with a weight behind my shoulders. An hour after the regiment began, I lay panting on the floor; my arms and legs were burning, vents pluming.


    "Da. Good warm up. Now we start real exercise." She smiled, standing over me.


    "I will die!" I cringed; my muscles stung all over.


    "I was joking, you did good for first day. Tomorrow, we do same and day after double."


    "That is insane!"


    "You forget that you have regeneration power. Not only is this strength training it is also helping to hone that power as well. Tiny little scars are what makes muscles. Your muscles will grow at astounding rate. If anything I should be having you do this three times a day. The more you get hurt the faster you will regenerate. What you think I break fingers for no reason? Ok, I admit it was fun, but it had purpose."


    "Wait, but how are you so strong with such tiny arms?"


    "Da. Power of mind is what fuels my strength. I can control extent of brawn at will."


    "What the fuck? That is cheating!"


    "Nyet. very taxing if used for long duration. Best in small bursts. However, I have a certain amount passively on at all times, can''t turn it off."


    "Oh god, then my arms will be like oak tree trunks just to be able to lift something half of what you do."


    "Nyet. Look at arm now, how tiny it is. Smaller than my arms, little girl arms. Yet you can lift two hundred kilograms. Your muscles work differently than a human''s, they compact and compartmentalize to maximize space used. Your legs, however, are where your true power lies. You will be learning kick based fighting on top of Russian death techniques. With wings, you will be able to strike from sky like hawk! By time I done with you, you will be killing machine."


    I stared at my spindly little arms... Come to think of it, they are smaller than hers. This body is so weird. I grumbled, sipping at the juice pack she gave me. I had forgotten how good apple juice was. My eyes wandered, and I saw something that I regretted. Molotov was fiddling with her belt, and a lifeless hand was sticking out of one of the compartments. She stuffed it back and smiled at me; chills scurried down my spine. Then she pulled out a whip. This was no playtime toy; it was a torture implement! It had four lashes of what looked like a metal cord. The tips were serrated, with electricity arcing off of them.


    "Molotov...." I said with a twitching smile when she lashed the floor with it and looked in my direction. "What is that for?"


    She cracked it again, and I heard the sparking of the current. "I call this Mr. Incentive."


    I was scared by the look in her eye; it was predatory. I started to edge away. "That is nice... Is there a reason you have that out?"


    "Da. I use it to punish bad little wasp girls who see things they not meant to see."


    "I saw nothing!"


    She smiled, looking between me and the door. She was assessing how quickly I could make it there. "Da. We will play little game. Think of it as training."


    "You win! I don''t want to play," I stared in horror at her.


    "You sure you want to lose? Bad things happen should you lose." Yep, I didn''t like the sounds of that at all.


    "What is this game?" I backed towards the door, and she grinned.


    "Da. We go to floor five, obstacle course. You run as fast as possible. I catch you and Mr. Incentive becomes your new best friend. He likes cheeky little girls, likes to hear them scream, just like Nicky Mouse. If you can make it to other side of floor and get in elevator without being caught, I will give you reward."


    "Do I at the least get a head start?"


    "Da. I give you thirty-second head start. Don''t get cocky, I can get through course in ten seconds and from what I have seen it will take you two minutes."


    "Do I have a choice?"


    "Nyet."


    I stared with trepidation at the crackling whip. There was no way out of this, so I hung my head in defeat. She pats me on the back and put the monstrous thing away. We entered the elevator, and soon the fifth floor lay before us. I don''t know what sick bastard designed this hell hole, but fuck them! Just from what I could see, there was a greased tightrope over a pit filled with saltwater crocodiles. After that, anyone attempting this had to squeeze between rolling pins with spikes all over them, and then there was a wall. It did not look so bad, but then the damned thing lit on fire! There was more to this nightmare than that, I knew there was, but I could not see it passed the wall that had a flaming hoop. What is this, a circus? I assumed that I had to jump through that ring of fire. My legs quaked just thinking about having to go in there.


    "Maybe we can do this some other time?" I pleaded with puppy dog eyes; well, at the least, I think I did. Hard to tell when you have a face as evil as mine.


    Molotov cracked the whip on my leg, and a searing pain shot through me. I screamed and fell to the floor, writhing. "That was appetizer should I catch you, expect full course meal."


    "Please don''t make me go in there."


    "First run through I will not chase. I want base time. Now go or I will chase."


    "First time? I have to do it more than once?"


    "Da."


    "Is there no reasoning with you?"


    "Da."


    "Wait, does that mean I can or can''t?"


    "Da."


    "Not this again! Talk to me, please. What happened to being nice?"


    "Da. Go now or I will chase every step of way," she glared at me, wringing the metal tethers.

 Contamination, Chapter 11

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 11


    With a whip at my back and crocodiles in front, I chose the lesser of two evils. I sighed, resigning myself to stepping forward. Crocodiles were not so bad; at the least, they did not have an electric whip. I stared down at the writhing mass of scales and gulped, stepping onto the chain. The thing was greased up, and I nearly fell. My claws wrapped around it in a death grip, but I started to slide to the side, dangling like a piece of meat above them. They snapped their teeth as they jumped, and I forced myself to move forward, grasping the chain with my lower arms for stability.


    Suddenly, a bright red light glared past me. I stared at the burn mark on the ceiling where it hit. You don''t see that every day. Slowly, I looked back down and realized that they had laser guns attached to their heads... Oh, fuck me. They have lasers! You sick bastard, Dr. Tesla! This is your lab. There is no way you did not do this. Another shot grazed by, and I hunkered down to avoid falling off. Using all six of my clawed hands and feet, I scuttled across the rope like a damned cockroach. It was almost second nature. I threw myself up like a whale breaching the surface and flopped flat at the other end, breathing heavily. I made it. I hate this!


    I looked back at the start with a grin, and Molotov was reading a newspaper while smoking. That bitch was not even watching my life-and-death struggle! She crinkled it and gave me a stern look, chewing angrily on the cigar. That did not look good. I averted my eyes and gazed upon what horrors lay before me. I thought it was just rolling pins; oh, how foolish I was. Of course, they are not just rolling pins. There were three platforms over a pit of grinding metal saws. Spiked rolling pins, each the size of a small car, moved in a pattern to knock anything on the platforms to their deaths. Should I fall, there was nothing to hold onto, and the platforms were perfectly smooth to prevent a grip, making it hard to jump to the next. This looked impossible. There was not nearly enough time to make it between the platforms. I would get a face full of spikes and get ground up. There had to be something else to this. I looked at it from the side, and then I saw what looked like a ladder stretched across the room''s roof. I almost missed it because it was black and blended in. So the platforms were just a clever ruse? That is fucking diabolical!


    I squatted down and lunged up, grasping the first set of bars. My legs and arms were burning. She planned this, didn''t she? Making me tired just before doing this, to make it even harder. The rolling pins came very close to the top. There was barely enough room to squeeze through, so it was not just an easy climb. It forced me to compress myself and resume bug-like movements. I dropped down on the other side and stepped forward into the following array of death.


    I took a long moment, gazing up and down that cold wall. There were handholds, but everything looked wet. I could easily assume there was some oil or grease all over it. The top ended at the ceiling, and there was a ring about five feet below to enter the next stage. Between me and the wall was a moat of tar, roughly five feet across and who knows how deep. There were no platforms, only that perfectly flat wall. The holes were spaced out enough that for each one, you would have to stretch out and get it. It looked like a slow and dangerous process. If one fell... Well, you would likely have to be fished out, but knowing what I had just gone through, there was probably some other horrible fate awaiting anyone who fell besides ending up like a fossil. I scratched my face, thinking how best to try and ascend. I could try to fly, but I felt safer just jumping. The wing muscles are tough to use, and I was nowhere near ready even to attempt it.


    After a deep breath, I jumped. It felt like a bug on a windshield when I smacked into it. Slowly, I started to slide, and my hands grasped for anything to root me in place. They managed to find a few holds, and my ascent began. The oil smelled terrible, and I had a sour, scrunched face since I smelled it. This one was not so bad. It was slippery, but it could be worse... I just had to open my big mouth. The tar below me lit on fire. I had forgotten about the goddamned fire! An irrational fear swept over me. Did I have pyrophobia? The oil caught flame at a rapid pace. In the span of two seconds, I had a mere ten feet between me and the fire. That might not sound so bad, but I was thirty feet up with another ten before I could put myself through that ring of fire. My pace grew much quicker. Hands slipped and slid, unable to get a firm purchase at times. If I did not have four of them, I would have fallen. The fire at my heels made me leap, and I grasped the hole''s edge. That was an idiotic thing to do. Now, I was on fire; I was soaked to the marrow with a flammable liquid! I did not care anymore and heaved myself over, falling to the other side. I crashed into some other fluids that snuffed out the flames.


    It was some sort of goo... It just had to be good. I clambered out, still smoking and heaving. A long corridor stretched out at a slow decline from where I was. I watched for a moment to see what was happening, but it was silent. Way too quiet; something was wrong with this place. The floor and walls were tiled like some old temple. This whole damned place was screaming traps. Cautiously, I took a step, and nothing happened. That was a first; it won''t last; I know it won''t. I was scared to go further, but Molotov would come in and get me if I took too long. That was worse than whatever this stupid place could throw at me.


    I stuck to the wall like glue and tried to make my claws hold the tiles between them to not set anything off. I almost fell for a tripwire but stepped over it into a pressure plate. The side wall opened next to me, and darts shot out. Dodging forward, I floundered right into another set of traps. Giant axes crashed from the ceiling, and spikes jutted from the floor. I dove into the spikes and avoided being cut in half. I managed to prevent most of it, but I did take one to the ass. It only blunted off, but damn. My booty was sore. It would have done some severe damage to a human. It hurt less than I thought it would, probably because I have buns of steel now.


    I climbed out and tripped over something else. Oh, fuck me. What now? A low rumble shook the whole hall, and I hoped it was not what I thought it was. Unfortunately, it was exactly what I feared. Who the hell was I? Well, apparently, I was Jindiana Jones, the drunken archaeologist! A gigantic metal boulder slammed down back at the start of the corridor. There was no room to squeeze past it, not unless I was Nicky Mouse. Although I had a suspicion she would have problems with this, then again, I heard what she did to that octopus. The ball initially rolled slowly but picked up speed after about two seconds. My legs started running before I even told them to. My blistering pace was hampered by traps, darts, saws, pits, snakes-  Ah, snakes! I fucking hate snakes! I screamed, ripping rattlers and cobras off of my face. Who the fuck puts rattlesnakes and cobras together? Dr. Tesla, what is wrong with you!? Are you trying to kill people? I thought this was supposed to be an obstacle course! Molotov, you lied to me!


    Rolling death was gaining on me, and I felt I could run faster on six limbs rather than two. It felt weird scuttling around like some bizarre bug; I am a people, damn it! I did not wanna do it, but I had no choice. Biting the bullet, I dropped on all sixes, and that gross rhythmic movement propelled me about three times as fast as I had been running. It was like autopilot; my body knew what to do. It was creepy. I could feel the wind, and my antennae acted like a dowsing rod of where the hell I was going. Was I really a wasp girl, or was I the wild and elusive cockroach girl? I was beginning to wonder with all this instinct stuff taking over. It all felt right to my body but terribly wrong to my mind.


    A wall loomed at the end of the hallway, and I realized there was no exit. I screeched to a halt, and my eyes swam over my surroundings until I felt the airflow. Above me, by about ten feet, was a vent. Everything inside of me told me that it was a nice safe place; I was inclined to believe it. My legs thrust, and I kicked straight up into the air. The metal dented as I hit the roof of the vent. I dangled there for a moment before clambering my way inside.


    So this is what a monster feels like; no wonder they like the vents so much. I grinned and turned my head to find Molotov sitting there, holding her legs with a very bored expression on her face. I screamed and nearly fell back out. "What the fuck?! How did you get in here?"


    "Da. You slow, was worried got squashed like bug," she replied vaguely.


    "Slow?"


    "Da," she pointed down the small vent, and I started to move. "You should have been done five minutes ago, but are only halfway."


    "Only half way? Oh Swolix above, what else is there?"


    "Nothing crazy. Let''s see. Laser mirror room, robo snake pit with door at bottom, oh, I take back, forgot about the end. The last room is puzzle that if you fuck up poison gas fills room and robo scorpions pour out of floor. Usually, takes me about three seconds to remember correct sequence and not get lung full of death."


    "Robo snakes and scorpions!? Why damn it, why?" I started to cry. "What is Dr. Tesla''s problem?"


    She shrugged. "Robo snake not so bad. Scorpion though... They like to pinch. Let''s just say they like nipples. Dr. Tesla loves to make complicated dungeons to protect his inventions since he is a noncombatant Super. This is basic stuff here. You should see what he has down there. He has literal giant cyborg squid that has human brain in basement."


    "I guess it is a good thing that I don''t have nipples then. He did what? Are all of you insane?"


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "Everyone little crazy. Dr. Arbor is nutcase, stay hell away from her. She did that to squid after all. Poor, poor squid, he was just a boy."


    "Why? What is wrong with Dr. Arbor?"


    "Ah, she is brilliant, but mad bioengineer. Let''s just say never drink her tea. Unless you want to wake up on operation table."


    "How come I don''t see her around at all."


    "That would be because we had fight. Over you, no less."


    "Wait over me? What the hell did I do?"


    "Da. She seems to think that she owns you and she has hots for your tight wasp ass. She was one who dissected you while in coma."


    I gulped and felt utterly violated; my voice quivered. "Am I going to have to deal with her at any point?"


    "Da. She is leading researcher on Mutigene and the Spore. She is considered mother of modern biological science. Her specialty is anything Spore related. If anyone could fix you it would be her. She only allowed over under my direct supervision, so you can rest easy. I won''t let her diddle your naughty bits."


    "Why would she want to mess around with me?"


    "You would have to ask her yourself, but I stopped her experiments prematurely on you since she wanted to do things that there was no going back from. She has no morality, nor humanity. She only sees test subjects and you are something close to holy grail to her. Only reason you in one piece is because she is piss scared of me, with good reason."


    "Why me?"


    "New species and she wants to know what makes you tick. She is a bit eccentric," flatly replied Molotov.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "She is obsessed with the Spore and anything related to it."


    "That doesn''t sound so bad."


    "She has plans to breed you."


    There was a notable silence as that process, "Does that mean she wants to see how I do it? What the hell? I don''t even want to see that!"


    "Your abdomen would be considered treasure trove of data. Extra hearts and new organ has been driving her fantasies wild. She has been fuming mad since I stopped her from cracking it open and seeing how everything works."


    "Let''s not talk about her anymore. I don''t want to know."


    "Da. You have been slacking this whole time instead of finishing course. Keep in mind you still have two more runs through here before I will let you sleep tonight."


    "Two? What the hell?!"


    "Da. Next run I give you five minute head start, but one after you only get minute."


    "How long have I been in here already?"


    "About twenty minutes due to our little chat."


    I grumbled as she kicked me out of the vent. I landed hard on a smooth floor, collected myself, and rose up. It was the laser room. Mirrors were all positioned so that they would move, and on the far side of the corridor sat the laser beam itself. Slowly, it started up, and the red glow bounced between the mirrors before ending right next to me. It moved, and the beam''s heat could be felt feet away from it. I dropped to the floor and crawled beneath the mirrors. They shifted, and the beam scalded right in front of me. I ripped a panel off and hurled it at the laser gun. It bounced off... The damned thing was sturdier than it looked. I ripped another mirror off and used it like a shield, running down the corridor.


    The reflectors realigned and tried to burn my legs off. I jumped when they moved in. It was their last-ditch effort to kill me. Panting for a few to catch my breath. My muscles burned and ached. Swolix above, do I have to do this twice more and even faster? I let some steam out before continuing. Well, I was learning how to vent manually. At the least, something good was coming out of this.


    I found myself facing the gaping hole that I knew was the robo snake pit. It makes it worse since I know what is in there. Robo snakes, maybe they are not as bad as real ones? Only one way to find out. I shimmied over the edge and started my descent. There were holes everywhere in the sides of the pit; for a brief moment, I thought they were meant for climbing. Then I heard the hiss. A metallic mouth lounged out, biting into my face! Oh, Swolix, it is in my eye! I screamed and grabbed it out of reflex. Unfortunately, my grip no longer existed, and I plunged down.


    The fucker was on good! Metal tubes embedded, and I felt something being pumped into me. It felt like acid or something eating away at my flesh. This wasn''t good. I gritted my mandibles and ripped it off, throwing it to the side. My vision was barely free before I realized how far I had fallen. I was pretty close to the ground. I concentrated hard on my muscles, and the wings spread. They flapped, then started to undulate at a faster pace. It was too late for them to completely save me, so I tried to minimize the damage. The air gusted from my exertion, and the ground smashed into me. My legs snapped like twigs. The agony made the world flicker for a moment.


    ~~~


    "Wake Up. You have to wake up. They are coming." rose a symphony of voices from the blackness surrounding me.


    The voices that had been terrifying me seemed almost caring and concerned. They had my best interest in mind if I didn''t know any better. Perhaps, perhaps they were looking out for me. Their concern seemed to grow as their voices grew louder. They were urging, commanding me to wake up.


    ~~~


    Wincing, my eyes opened a buzzing pierced through my mind. I shook my head, wiping blood from the corner of my mouth. My body was numb, but I could tell that something was damaged. My guts were churning like something was running around in there. It was going to make me sick; I could feel it. My legs shifted, and I stood wobbling at first. The rustling of metal and a chilled sensation ran up my spine. It took only a few moments to realize the sound was coming from above. I did not like what I saw at all. Thousands of robo snakes were crawling out of their holes; some had even thrown themselves through the air to get to me faster. The door I needed to find it now! There was only darkness. My hands felt the floor, and I worked my way to the wall. I finally found it. Just as the first snakes hit the floor and started slithering toward me, it was not a hard choice, and I slammed the door shut behind me.


    This was the last room I stared at the pedestal, and across from it was the locked door to escape this death trap. Vents lined the ceiling and walls. The floor had a grid-like design, which could only be assumed to hold the robo scorpions. I approached the altar in the middle, wondering what sort of riddle I would have to unravel to escape alive. There was undoubtedly a riddle and three blocks that I had to place in slots in the correct order. One was a rose, a crescent moon, and the sun. What a weird combination.


    The riddle read. "He who sees me, adores. She who knows me, scorns. All who try to understand me are fools. What am I?"


    Wait a minute; I have heard this before... But where? I sat for a long time, dredging up various stories, but none of them fit. My mind was bristling when I recalled this very thing. It was from the Shattered Realms Online... Did Dr. Tesla play that game? This was from that game; I know it was. This was a riddle that you had to do in the Shadow Realm to get to Lady Luna''s sanctuary since she was reclusive as hell. If you got it wrong, you had to fight Lady Camelia, the Demigod of the Devils. You only got one chance because if you messed it up, she would remember your character and bar entrance. You could not kill her either; she was immortal. If you did kill her, she just got back up with a full health bar after about five seconds.


    Confidently I arranged the tablets in the order of moon, sun, and rose. They clicked into place, and the door across from me opened without robo-scorpions or gas. I was in the free and clear; I still can''t believe he knew about that. I kinda wanted to have a friendly chat with him about it later. I mean, I was a game addict, so we would probably hit it off over that. I walked out to the elevator that was waiting. The door opened, and there was Molotov with the whip in hand. All the blood and adrenaline drained from me.


    She smiled with violent eyes, "I see you made it. Well then, ready for round two?"


    I shook my head... Oh, that hurt. My neck felt weird, like there was something in there. My stomach was going crazy too, and it felt like something cold and hard was thrashing. "I don''t feel so good. I think something is in my stomach."


    "Let me take look," she said, motioning with a finger.


    My jaw is unhinged, and my face is lifted up, gaping open. I knelt down to her level. She raised an eyebrow before seriously looking it over. She reached back and then jammed her hand into my mouth. I reeled, and she held me still. Molotov was not gentle at all, as she went farther until she was arm deep and rummaging around in there. I don''t have a gag reflex, as it turned out. Otherwise, I would be spewing chunks everywhere with something that big in there. I shuddered when she grasped something and yanked. A robo snake writhed in her grasp, and she crushed it. How the fuck did that get in there? I am going to be sick.


    "Seems to have been parasitical type," she said, looking it over. "Typically used for observation. Seems that Dr. Arbor has not given up yet."


    "Wait, those things are Dr. Arbor''s? Where did it come from?" I covered my mouth, feeling my latest meal trying to come up.


    "Nyet. Snakes and scorpions are work of other Super, but Dr. Arbor bought some recently."


    "Hey, what did those snakes have for venom?"


    "Sulfuric acid. Oh, I see you got bit as well. This one was outfitted with cameras, so no internal bites."


    "I don''t feel good. I landed badly in the snake pit."


    "You said you fell?" asked Molotov, pulling a little chip out of the snake. "Snake likely went in during time you were passed out. Very well, for the time being rest."


    "What is that?" I asked, pointing at the chip.


    She wiped it off and put it in a pouch. "Data chip for cameras and like. I will be looking it over, to see if she was trying more insidious activity than simple observation."


    I nodded reluctantly. A four-foot metal snake was in my stomach; just thinking about it made me feel desecrated and ill. Dr. Arbor is a sick person. I hope I never have to meet her. Was I even safe here? What if more of them came? I could have died countless times today, yet the thing that really got to me was this thing inside of me. It doesn''t matter if it did nothing. The fact that it was in there was revolting. I shuddered. Why are Super Villains so messed up in the head? Surely, the Hero League can''t be this bad? I mean, nobody would join if this sort of shit happened.


    Fuck Molotov, fuck Dr. Arbor, fuck Dr. Tesla... Robo snakes, death dungeons, these people are fucked in the head. They are trying to turn me into one of them. I have to get out of here before I go crazy! I will bide my time and figure out where the hell I am, then escape when they let their guard down. That was going to be a problem; Molotov was very crafty.


    She led me back to my room, and I lay on the bed. I wanted to sleep, but there might be more snakes or something else. Who knows, Dr. Arbor is crazy! I rolled into a ball, coiling my abdomen to cover me in the corner of the room. The room was quiet, but I kept hearing the metallic scrapes of those snakes. Was I going crazy? It is like I am hearing voices in my head, but they aren''t saying anything, just hissing and slithering. My eyes closed slowly, opening at the slightest sound, but eventually, sleep took me.


    It was the first dream I had, had in a long time. It was so wonderful, not being a monster. I did not even do anything. I just lay there, basking in the sun. Then it ended, and reality came creeping back. My eyes opened, and I was still in this prison cell. Still, some freak and still at the mercy of crazy people. I can''t rely on these people; they are mad. I want to go home... But it is not mine anymore. Where will I go?


    The Hero League would take me in, right? I mean, I am a Super, right? I might look scary, but it should be fine as long as I don''t hurt anybody. It should be fine, right? My tears started flowing again. Damn it, why am I always crying? Can I not be happy because I am a bug? I have to escape! Molotov will only get worse. She is not nice; I know she is not. She is only preying on my weakness and vulnerabilities. I sat there, hugging myself in despair. How much longer will I have to endure this?

 Contamination, Chapter 12

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 12


    Morning came with the sound of Molotov opening the door. She smiled mysteriously, and my gut rolled; I had a profoundly bad feeling about this. "Vespidian. Ready to start today''s training?"


    I nodded, knowing it was not a question. She led me back to her room. She motioned to the weights, and I took them. I was almost expecting my muscles to be burning from yesterday''s exertions; however, as of late, I had grown used to the quick recovery. To think that two weeks would have flown by so quickly. The training was my only escape. I could zone out and be somewhere else while the body lifted weights or did various exercises. It was surprising how fast my muscles grew. My strength had already passed the threshold where lifting a thousand-pound weight was the norm.


    I never did that death dungeon again and was thankful for that. Molotov taught me varied techniques. Thankfully, for now, it was all nonlethal stuff. Apparently, she wanted to hammer in the basics in case I needed to kidnap people without hurting them too badly. Strangely, I found myself adjusting to this inhospitable environment. With no rescue in sight, the real prospect that I would become a Super Villain sank in. I don''t wanna ride that pony; it is a bad pony.


    She quietly watched my unflattering grunts and groans, lifting the weights. I hated her, and I despised her to my core. It was strange, almost like she was trying to make me hate her. I would catch her dreamy-eyed gaze at me. The moment she realized I was looking, her face would harden.


    "Are you trying to make me hate you?" I asked, doing my push-ups.


    Her smile was bleaker than the tundra. "Da. Too smart for own good I see."


    "Why do you want me to hate you?" My mouth gaped a little. Why was she being honest? Now, I am scared. "Shouldn''t you be nice to me? I mean, I would work better that way. I am a very incentive driven person you know."


    "What is hatred?" She asked vaguely. I did not get a chance to reply. "Hatred is another form of love, my dear sweet Vespidian."


    "I don''t understand."


    She laid her hands on my shoulders, rubbing them slightly. "What is love? Is it not being unable to get someone out of your mind? Being unable to control yourself and desire someone even if you do not really know why?"


    I thought on it. I had never been in love, so not too sure about that. It is what everyone said about it. Dad was always going on about how much he loved Mom, and sometimes it made me sick, especially when they got all lovey-dovey out in the living room. Well, not really sick it was cute, but it was my parents, so it weirded me out. It felt like a ping-pong ball bouncing around in my head, dragging up memories. Hatred was different altogether. It was a seething rage that made me just want to kill someone. It made me plot against them. Think of ways to make their life hell. Like Molotov, I just want to strangle her and escape from here.


    She had a knowing smile when I thought that. I scowled at her, "I don''t get it."


    "Don''t you see?" Her grin was pure evil. "You can''t stop thinking about me, can you?"


    "Fuck that. I hate you."


    "So you love me." She whispered.


    "No, I hate you."


    "They are one and the same." She said, twirling and holding her chest while blushing. Oh, Swolix, she is one of those yandere. Well, I shouldn''t be surprised she is a Super Villain. "You see, I wanted you to work harder and so I offered you an outlet. I gave myself to you, to be your target. Da, Vespidian. Your hatred for me will make you stronger since you have a goal. You want to surpass me and to do that you will soak up every technique I show you in hopes that you can use it against me."


    "That is fucking bullshit!" I yelled, throwing the weight at her, and she flicked it away and tackled me. Her arm coiled around my neck, and she squeezed, cutting off the windpipe. I struggled, but there was no escaping this. Air would not reach my lungs as my eyes felt like they would pop out.


    "This is called the sleeper hold. Remember how it feels. Da, just like that. Shh, it will all be over soon," she whispered as the world darkened. Then she let go, and I gasped for breath, writhing on the floor. I had pissed myself. I hate this. She clapped, and several men entered the room.


    She bent over me, stroking my head. It felt light, and my brain tingled from the lack of oxygen. "Now then, if you do the sleeper hold correctly on these men. I will let you try and see if you can get me with it. Remember, if you do it wrong they will die and that will please me even more. Another step taken to being a real villain."


    Damn, it''s all to hell. She was manipulating me! She was not giving me a choice. This was only the illusion of choice. If I refused, she would hurt me more, then ask again to do it until I had broken down. No matter what I did, I was playing into her hands, Fuck! I started crying, and I felt the coldness of her eyes.


    I screamed at her. "What do you want from me?!"


    "For now do the sleeper hold. I will reward you when you do it right." She approached me, and I retreated. "You better start or was that demonstration not enough?"


    I whimpered when her hand grasped my own. "Show me again just, just don''t do it to me."


    She wore a blissful smile, knowing she had just won. Her hands showed me what to do, and I had no choice but to do it. I mimicked her, and she nodded in approval. The men were shorter than me, but they were still large. Six feet is nothing to scoff at, after all. With their broad shoulders and thick necks, I found myself being aroused by it. Those thoughts were crushed in an instant as I set to work. My arm wrapped around the first neck, and I locked it into place. He did not flinch when I tightened to the point I could hear his inability to breathe. Jesus, how fucking loyal are these guys? I could kill them, and they don''t even care. He was down after a few short moments. Thankfully, he was not dead.


    I moved to the next guy, he was roughly the same in build, and unlike the other one, he struggled when I had cut off the air supply. This set off something monstrous inside of me. A predatory urge to kill, to feed, filled my thoughts. It was enjoyable when my prey resisted. He bucked and fought against my grasp, the mouth unhinged, and my saliva slopped down on him. His screams made it even more tantalizing, and when they were muffled by my lips closing around his head, I shuddered in bliss.


    "Yes, my child, feed." whispered a voice in the back of my head, an irresistible voice I had heard somewhere before; it made my eyes nearly roll in pleasure. Just the sound of that voice made my vents burst open, and I wanted nothing more than to obey. A single word described that voice, Mother.


    My tongue thrashed violently, licked and squirmed, tasting him, telling me how delightful it would be to simply give in and devour him. It took every ounce of will not to bite down with my mandibles on his head, even though every ounce of me begged to taste the flesh and tear him apart. I ripped my jaws back and threw him away. My breathing was uneasy, fuck. No, no, no. I held my head, wanting to cry. I almost just tried to eat that guy.


    Molotov clapped. "Da. Interesting. Time for reward." She opened a container, and there sat a raw and bloody slab of meat. My antenna squirmed, drinking in the drool-inspiring aroma, and I shook my head, resisting.


    "I am not an animal."


    "When did I say you were animal? You are kind person, but we must strip away that weakness, if you wish to survive. I know you like meat. I thought you would enjoy it." She said, looking shy and a little sad at being rejected.


    "I hate you!" I yelled at her. She looked so hurt, yet I knew it was all a lie. I could tell she was grinning on the inside. She was crazy!


    "I only do this because I am worried about your future." She smiled. That was not a lie. Somehow I knew it deep down. What would make her worried so much? That did not bode well at all. Something that even Molotov was concerned over sounded terrifying.


    My voice shook. "What are you worried about?"


    "There are many things I am troubled about Vespidian. I am genuinely concerned about what would happen to you if you escaped and tried to fit in. I know full well how unsupportive humans are of sub-humans. I can just imagine it now. You being chased through streets like a monster the bullets if you are lucky, the Supers if unlucky. All because of what you look like and not who you are. They would hurt you, hunt you like animal."


    I grabbed her, and she did not resist. I shook her, crying. "Is that any different than what you are doing?! Why are you so mean? Why can''t you just be nice to me?"


    Molotov pat me on the head. "I hurt you because I love you, because I know you are not animal."


    I started wrapping around her trying to kill her. My arms squeezed her neck. "Love should not hurt. Let me go!"


    She ripped both hands off, and I screamed, falling to the floor. Yellow pooled out, and the pain made me shiver. Vaguely she tossed the severed digits at my feet. "It is not love, if it does not hurt."


    "You are insane." I wailed, trying to attach my hands.


    She thought on it. "The world is mad why should we be any different?"


    "You are the monster, not me."


    "Don''t you see?" She cackled in that deep manly voice. "You might deny it with all your heart, but you are a natural born killer. You are already my protege and I will teach you everything. There is no place for you, but at my side. You think the world is going to accept what you have become? No, they will shun you. I am the only one you can rely on. The sooner you realize this the sooner I will treat you kindly. You think this is bad? This is nothing compared to what those people out there will do to you."


    "Why are you doing this?" I cried.


    "I want to fill your heart in every aspect." Molotov shyly replied. "After all I want you to think of me at every waking moment. I want you to dream of me. The more you hate me the more this will be true and the stronger these feelings become the more you will realize that they are affection."


    I growled and rose up to charge her. Fuck you, Molotov! I stopped myself when I saw how large her grin grew the moment she saw my aggressive stance. Damn it! This is what she wants. I held my head, screamed, and slammed it into the wall to take out my frustration. I looked away from her. "I am not falling for this."


    "So I see." She said, changing her tone. "Da. You have done good Vespidian. As expected you resisted psychological taunts. Now then I believe it is time for your check up with Dr. Arbor."


    I stared at her. "That was all a test?"


    "Da. But of course. You think I love you?" Molotov chuckled lowly. "Da. Little smidgen perhaps, you are my cute and cuddly little monster after all. What I was just talking about is how I felt about Nicky Mouse. Though I do hope it motivates you. Although what I said about the outside world treating you terribly is very true. There is massive xenophobia against non human supers. Look at Slums for proof. In fact look no further than how your own mother treated you. That is the normal response to your appearance in case you were wondering."


    "Don''t fucking talk about that bitch." I snarled, and then she shoved the meat chunk in my mouth. I chewed on it angrily, feeling the mandibles tear it apart. Tingles spread through my brain in delight. I hated myself for enjoying it. She had figured me out and was just toying with me. Molotov knew all of my buttons and was systematically pressing them to piss me off, then calm me down. I don''t even know what to do anymore. Is there really even anything I can do? She enjoys my resistance, delights when I give in, and eagerly anticipates my hatred. I am cornered. She is controlling everything.


    "Come along Dr. Arbor is waiting."


    "What does Dr. Arbor want?" I asked with a stingy face.


    "Tests. Mostly check-ups on your body."


    "Nothing crazy?"


    "If I see it getting out of hand I will step in rest assured. I has your back comrade."


    "Fuck you."


    She smiled vaguely. "More you hate me, more you love me."


    "You are full of such bullshit."


    "What? You want me to leave you at mercy of perverted bioengineer who might rape you?"


    I shuddered. "No. Please don''t do that."


    "I thought as much." She smirked.


    We went to a new place, floor sixteen. It was my worst nightmare. This floor was expansive and housed Dr. Arbor''s research on me. Test tubes, culture tanks with half-formed monsters, and robotic arms moving samples from one container to another. A vast screen looked over much of the lab. Numbers and sequences were scrolling across it at a slightly slower rate than a blur of green and black. It hurt my eyes to look at it.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    There was a containment cell with a large window for observation on the far side of the room; it was currently empty. An autopsy table with lights glaring down at it and mechanical arms whirring above dominated a side corner. Desks arrayed themselves near the computer monitors that glowed in the opposite corner. A shadowy figure sat, typing away with manic glee. Overhead, the fluorescent lights flickered for a few moments. It felt like a damned horror movie.


    "Dr. Arbor." Said Molotov walking forward.


    The person working turned, and I got to see the woman who apparently had single-handedly kept me from dying for the first time. Her hair was long and malachite, tied into a loose braid that was sloppily put together. She wore a vented gas mask; it covered her whole lower face and glowed with neon green gusting every time she breathed. Her goggles magnified her wide chromatic eyes, and the deep dark circles below them made me wonder if she had slept in the last three days. She wore an unbuttoned lab coat that had seen better days; below, she had on a sagging black tank top and musky gray sweatpants; I could smell that she had not showered in a few days. She was wearing white bunny slippers. Her arms spread wide as though to hug someone, and I felt like I was staring down a flasher. She looked unhinged.


    Dr. Arbor''s voice was muffled, which distorted it to sound dark and creepy. "Finally, you bring her here! Vespidian, Mommy missed her baby! I was beginning to think I was wasting my time here. Seriously though, how long are you going to keep me here? I have many other projects that require my attention, you know. I mean, there is the weaponized Baboon project for South Africa, Mutigene culturing for various buyers, and I still need to make a cure for cancer. Been getting a lot of complaints about the cancer."


    "Mommy? What the hell are you on about." I stared at her.


    "Oh yes, I made you, dear. Though I will say, you have exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. You had a certain genetic trait that made you susceptible to Mutigene, compatible with it. You are the second I have ever seen to have this special mutation marker. It allowed me to alter the course of your change and manipulate, to some degree, the path you progressed. I can''t and will not take credit for your design. That was all natural. As such, my research will likely never end. I will crack your genetic code and reverse engineer your biological blueprint."


    I pointed at her, and her eyes got big for a moment, and the pupils dilated. "Take it slow here. There is another person like me?"


    "Yes though she has been this way for many years and is very different than you. Her name is Arachnaon and she became a beautiful spider. You are a lovely wasp."


    "So there is some crazy spider lady running around?" I asked, looking between Molotov and Dr. Arbor.


    Molotov nodded. "Unfortunately yes, Arachnaon is something of a boogeyman. She is rank 9 assassin who is feared across the world. There are only ten rank 9s in world at moment. Her skin can change colors to render her virtually invisible, her webs are stronger than titanium and stickier than crazy glue, she has retractable fangs with poison so vile they liquefy the insides of her prey in seconds, she then slurps up the juices, she has four legs that come out of her back which allows her to scale buildings in seconds. She is literal monster and the scariest part is, she is tactical genius. Every assassination of importance for last twenty years was her doing. The worst part is she is leader of Chimera. In other words government lap dog, she has been brainwashed and is our enemy. Arachnaon has been hunting members of Kraken for better part of decade. She has killed a few of our high-ranking members, her ultimate goal is revenge on the Puppeteer."


    "You make her sound so terrible." Said Dr. Arbor with a cheery tone. "The predator will always seek out their prey. It is the course of nature. It is a real shame that the government got a hold of her though. I remember the first time I saw her. Such a wondrous form. She had been exposed to the Spore in its most primal of states. Usually, you die if you come in contact with the Spore. I have seen it happen many, many times. Humans make errors and so I started using machines as assistants. After all, Mutigene is merely a diluted and processed extract. I have my own Spore farm you know. The government was being stingy so I stole some and started growing it myself after I cut ties."


    "Oh great so there is a spider running around. She is going to eat me, isn''t she? Why did they not hunt you down? I mean you betrayed them."


    "They are not that stupid. I am the leading researcher on Mutigene and the Spore. If they killed me the amount of knowledge that would be lost would be catastrophic for their projects. You see I keep most of it in my head. They still bug me from time to time, but the pay is good and I am left to my own devices. They know better than to try and control me."


    "Da, da. Shut up and get to work. Do blood samples and check on her progress." Dismissively said Molotov.


    I thought about everything they had been discussing when something caught my attention. "Wait you are making a cure for cancer? That does not sound so evil."


    "Evil?" Asked Dr. Arbor, her multicolored eyes huge in the goggles, dilating several times. "Evil is subjective. What one person finds objectionable another will find enjoyable. It is all a matter of perspective."


    "You are a Villain right?"


    She thought on it and shrugged. "Labels. Nothing more, nothing less. I will have you know though that I work for the highest bidder. I don''t care who it is, or what it is for, I only care about if it is biological and if I get paid properly. As the Japanese would say, every dollar spent on something could have been spent on genetically engineered cat girls for domestic servitude. They sure do love animal women over there. At any rate, research is very expensive. Sometimes dark deals must be cut to get funding."


    "Wait so you are helping Kraken and Chimera at the same time?"


    "Well, you see I am sort of a genetic arms dealer. It is good for business if there is conflict. Everyone always wants a bigger stick. Which is what you are. You are Kraken''s new stick. Granted you are just a little grub and still my cute little baby. We can''t send you out into that terrible world the way you are."


    "So what is stopping you from ratting out Kraken to Chimera?"


    "Oh, that? I have not had any contact from them in... lets see must be five years now."


    Something did not make sense here. I asked. "If you are such a big shot what the hell are you doing here in Bronson?"


    "I originally came here to study the sub-humans in the slums." She seemed very giddy about that. "The effects of radiation are marvelous and very similar to Mutigene. About four months ago I was specifically¡­ hired? More kidnapped, to watch over you."


    "Then who hired you?"


    She glanced over at Molotov, and a little nod was exchanged between them. "Dr. Tesla." Something seemed weird about that.


    Speak of the devil; he sauntered in with his hands behind his back. "Comrade Molotov, I have something I believe you would be fascinated with."


    "Da? What is it?" Asked Molotov following him off to the side.


    They were looking over some cube thing. They started talking in science mumbo jumbo. Something about black holes or something. I made the mistake of looking away from Dr. Arbor for a moment. She was surprisingly fast, and I jumped when she latched onto my abdomen. She literally coiled around it. This bitch was glued to me and would not let go. She ran her hands up and down the smooth carapace whispering something. It was creeping the hell outta me. Her body was shivering with joy, I think.


    "Such an elegant design." She cooed. "What secrets do you hold from me."


    I was starting to see why Molotov thought Dr. Arbor was nuts. She grabbed my hand and dragged me to a slab-like table. I already did not like where this was going. Dr. Arbor pulled out a syringe after I sat down. She rubbed some cotton swabs on my arm joint. Her hand was so damned shaky when she stabbed me with it that she missed the vein and had to do it twice more. The needlework was not gentle, and it was obvious that she was not in the right mindset to do this. I cringed, covering my eyes. There was no point in resisting; Molotov would hurt me if I did. My blood flowed into the tube, and after a short few moments, it was over. She pulled it out, tapping the side.


    "Such a good specimen you are. So obedient for mommy." She said, putting it into a strange machine. "Now then lay down so I can proceed with the next part."


    I did as told, and mechanical arms descended. Concerns raised when I saw the needles oozing some sort of fluid. Every instinct in my head went off that this was bad, and I attempted to move. It was already far too late for that, though. My limbs were shackled before I knew what was happening, and the needles stabbed in from all sides, injecting their payload. I screamed and writhed. It hurt; a burning was spreading from the insertion points. Every muscle in my body spasmed, then it all went numb. No matter how I tried, I could not move anything.


    Dr. Arbor stood over me; she had donned a green containment suit that covered her body and head. It looked like one of those old space suits from the movies. Sleek and with a domed glass head. I could see her face. Her mouth reminded me of my own, and her long tongue wet her lips; she raped me with her eyes. At this moment, I realized that Dr. Arbor was very much inhuman in mentality and whatever the hell was going on with her body.


    Vaguely I could see Molotov on the other side of the room, talking with Dr. Tesla. They were looking at that damned cube and not paying any attention to my plight. My voice seized in my throat, and I could not scream for help. She held a controller, and the arms above started a terrifying ballet of dismemberment. The sound of a dentist''s drill resounded though it was far louder and accompanied by the grotesque shattering of bone. Saws descended, and tubes started sucking up all the blood from the gashes she carved out of my carapace. The scariest part was that none of it hurt. I could not feel anything. Yet I saw everything.


    In less than a minute, she hacked off my arms and legs, then cauterized the wounds so I would not bleed out. After taking those away to be studied, she turned her attention to her real objective, my abdomen. That terrible grinding sound rose, followed by the gurgling sound of her ripping open the plates to get at my gooey center. There was a moment of utter bliss across her face as she shoved her hands into me. She rifled around until she was elbow deep in my innards. Dr. Arbor relished every moment of it. She looked so damned satisfied I got the feeling that she had just creamed herself. You sick bitch!


    It was like a switch went off in her head, and her smile grew even more unhinged. She was drooling as she spoke lowly to herself, logging her discoveries. Oh god. Fuck me; she is going to dissect me while I am awake! She ripped a heart out, turning it curiously, noting more, then placing it to the side. Her hands went back in, and she wrestled out a long tube-like organ; it writhed in her grasp. She was having to really fight that thing, whatever the hell it is. It gushed some white goop at her, and she wiped it off into a storage container. She noted more and flopped it to the side before going in for more. I could feel the tears flowing down my cheeks.


    I wanted to run, to scream, to be anywhere but here. My tongue writhed in my mouth, and finally, I managed to make a sound. She noticed, though, and stabbed me with another needle. Dr. Arbor was cruel enough to make me watch as she tore me apart. Piece by piece, organ by organ. It was too much, and I passed out. Then I was rudely awoken not even a few moments after I had slipped unconscious. She had injected me with adrenaline. The glee on her face when she had exposed my genitals, made my blood run cold. No. Get away from there! No. No more! Please, no more, have mercy!


    Dr. Arbor explored every inch of my body. She did not give a fuck about what I wanted. She had cut open my chest and dug out that heart as well. She lifted out my lungs so I could see how they expanded and contracted. Somehow I was still alive. How long has it been? How much more is there? So tired... why is this even happening? She moved up until her yellow-stained hands caressed my head. Oh god... She isn''t going to cut open my head, is she? Molotov, save me, please! The drill drew closer, and she set to work, cutting open my skull. I could hear the serrated metal hands boring into me and the feeling of the pressure mounting, then, all at once, it popped. She lifted off my cranial plate, and I saw all the blood oozing from the sides. She gazed reverently down at me.


    "At last. What a wonderful journey this has been. My beautiful Vespidian. You are perfection." She whispered to me, pressing the glass of her helmet against my face. My blood smeared across her visor, "You are astounding, and not even all of this will kill you. Oh no, your body will pull itself back together, it always has. I know, I made you."


    She stuck a finger to my lips as though to silence me. Not that I could make a fucking sound anyway! She is insane! Save me, somebody. I don''t care who. Her hand grasped my tongue, and she pulled it out. She put it and set it to the side. "Now then. This gorgeous, marvelous brain of yours is begging me to have a closer look."


    Terror seized me as her hands went for my brain. Every synapse was firing off, and my body moved. I had no limbs, though, so it was futile. I flopped about like a fish, and she held me down. My eyes gaped when her finger wormed its way into the folds. It felt like fire spreading through my head. Colors flowed into view, little auroras waving through the air, and I writhed. She thrust another digit in, and everything went black.

 Contamination, Chapter 13

    The Vespidian


    Arc 1 Contamination


    Chapter 13


    A pain spread, and all around me was a screaming, a cacophony of voices fading in and out. Darkness was all around. It was cold, this evil place. There was something else in here; they were here with me. The eyes were watching. The crooked smiles whispered even as they broke apart and reformed, twisting in agony. Unlike before, they felt disconnected and unharmonious, where they had been of a single thought and purpose. They voiced my doubts and troubles, but there were other thoughts as well, unfamiliar emotions that invaded with every word. They were incoherent, sporadic, and downright maddening.


    Will I ever escape from here? Are they going to kill me? Should I kill myself? Why is there so much pain? What did we do to deserve this? How are we going to get out of here? Trapped, trapped, trapped there is no escape! So hungry. Why cant we eat?! So dark and scary. Mommy, Daddy save me from the bad people! I wonder if Ichigo made more photos? Are we human? What are we? Why does no one love me? Molotov loves me. Molotov hates me. She is a monster. I am a monster. Monster, monster, monster! Make the pain go away. Make me whole again. I never wanted this, I just wanted to play games and diddle to porn. Nobody loves me, nobody loves me. Oh does the monster want to cry? That is what humans do, not monsters. Mother loves me. Mother. Mother, don''t leave me! We cannot hear you Mother. Where have you gone?


    "What the hell do you want from me!" I screamed into the echoing abyss. The chatter of the voices paused for a moment as though becoming aware of me for the first time.


    The voices shuddered and writhed; One voice devoured all the others as it swelled up into a single twisted voice. It was my inner voice, yet it was distorted and wrong. All the words came from a broken smile. "Why would we want anything? We don''t hear Mother anymore. We are alone. We are empty. We are meaningless."


    I fell back, staring up at the malformed face. "What the fuck are you!?"


    "No need to be so worried. Even without Mother we have been protecting us."


    "Us? What the hell are you talking about?"


    "Don''t be scared. There is nothing to be afraid of." The darkness seethed, reaching for me, and I hit it away.


    "Stay away from me." I snarled.


    The face frowned and looked hurt. "If that is what you want. Well then until we meet again, stay safe out there."


    "What do you mean out there?"


    The smile returned, yet there were no words. Slowly it faded.


    ~~~


    My eyes opened to flashing lights, and the world was discolored. Things were moving so slowly. Blurred and hard to make out. Yet I felt the air on every single nerve of my body burning. It should be absolute agony, and yet, I was numb. Nothing seemed real. This might just be another delusion. I could not blink, my eyes rolling about desperately, trying to piece together something, anything. Things seemed to unfreeze, or rather, the extreme shock to my system was dying down to normal levels. Well, as normal as seeing my face hanging before me.


    Things had gotten gnarly out here. Dr. Arbor had wild eyes and some sort of gun in her hand. It kind of looked like a syringe, and there was some green goo... oh god, is that Mutigene? She was edging towards me with it. The boom of a gun went off, and a smoking hole appeared between me and her. Molotov stood there with several armed people. "Dr. Arbor what did we talk about? Put her back together right now or I will kill you. Put it down. She is not stable enough for a booster."


    She grumbled. "Just give me a few minutes with her brain. There is so much to learn. I must study this! To think that her brain had it''s own circulatory system. A heart and lungs completely separate from the rest of her circulatory system. Think of the possibilities, if we exposed her to more Mutigene she would grow even more. Imagine if she mutated even more!"


    "She is good enough as is."


    "She could be better. Her body is malleable to Mutigene! Imagine if we created a rank 8, no 9 regenerator. If this works then she could even survive the Spore! Do you even understand what that means?!"


    "I don''t care. Too dangerous!"


    Dr. Arbor snarled. "I made her, she is mine!"


    Molotov''s voice was cold and dark; she pointed a gauze rifle at her. "You have until the count of five to start, putting her back together. Start with the head. Put her skull back on. No funny business."


    Dr. Arbor clicked her tongue and seemed to be debating on injecting me with that Mutigene. Molotov got down to two before Dr. Arbor caved. She relented and set it to the side. She lowered my head back on down. It felt as though a mask was being put over me, and it was gross that plopping sound as it settled in place. The stinging of air subsided, and a short respite from the cold tingling.


    I will say that she knows my body entirely too well. It took her only twenty minutes to put everything back where it belonged. I get that I regenerate, but how did I even survive that? I was still paralyzed, though. She was fuming and ranting like a lunatic into a personal recorder. She was speaking in tongues or something. I could not keep up with her banter, and most of it was sciency stuff that I did not understand, to begin with. Something did stick out though "Subject shows astounding adaptability, direct exposure to the Spore could be possible."


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Molotov pats me on the head with a forlorn look. "I did not think she would go so far; she did not even sedate you. I am sorry Vespidian.¡±


    She lifted me and carried me back to my room. I lay there blankly. The thinking was agony. The feeling was coming back, and everything hurt like hell. I could feel my brain shuddering from the pain impulses, and strange tingles spread like a spider web. I closed my eyes, trying to suppress everything. It was not working, though. My body was forcibly pulling itself back together¡ªreconnecting nerves and patching together severed muscles. Something was missing, though. I could feel an empty space in my brain as the muscles and brain tissue reconnected, there was a gap where something should be, yet they reached and crawled, trying desperately to reconnect, failing. They couldn''t reach and a painful empty sensation spread over time; it began to dull, leaving me with a deep sadness and a sense of loss. I couldn''t stop crying, and I don''t know why.


    Eventually, I rolled over in bed and realized Molotov had not left. She sat there watching me. It was comforting that she was here, yet it was disturbing that she had let this happen. I hated her, yet something inside me wanted to love her or, at the very least, take comfort in her. Something is seriously wrong with me.


    "Leave me alone." I groaned, finding my tongue still numb.


    "I need to know you are alright."


    "Alright?" I sneered. "She just hacked me to piece and made me watch her do it!"


    "I am sorry." She said somber as a funeral.


    "Yeah because that makes all this fucked up shit alright."


    "Nyet. I promise so long as you are in my care, Dr. Arbor will not have access to you again."


    "Fuck you. Fuck Dr. Arbor. And Fuck Dr. Tesla. You can all rot in hell."


    "What can I do to make this up to you?" Asked Molotov.


    "You can''t." I growled.


    She stood and paced the room thinking things over. Then she stopped and scowled. She started again after a bit. She must really be trying to figure out something to bribe me with. Eventually, she sat rubbing my leg. I pulled it away from her, glaring. It did not deter her, though.


    "Expect special surprise in three days." Smiled Molotov. "Think of it as reward for hard work."


    "Reward?"


    "Da. I think you will like it. I have been looking forward to it for some time now. You have tomorrow off from training so rest up." Her grin made me shudder.


    This was not something that could possibly be fixed. She left, and I curled up in the corner. I want out of this. I spent all night waking and dozing. A creeping feeling of desperation was beginning to take root. Something had to change. This teeter-totter from hell with Molotov was reaching a breaking point. I could not stand her anymore.


    Dr. Arbor was another problem. I could feel my mind writhing and devouring all the memories from the operation. As I imagined them, they were submerged in darkness, and no matter how I tried, I could not find them. Was my subconscious protecting me by blocking off painful memories? Soon they were all gone; all that pain, agony, and fear all vanished, and I sat there wondering why I had been so angry just a few moments ago.


    It must have been exceedingly traumatic. My mind must have suppressed the memories to protect me. I know that it happened, but the details were vague. All that I know is that I despise her. I hate them all. She was raising my hopes to crush them. It was driving me mad. That is what she wants, isn''t it? I will escape. I told myself that I had often made it a mantra to keep me sane. I rocked back and forth in my room. Staring at the walls. It was only a matter of time before Molotov came by for another of her training exercises. She always lies. My eyes were heavy, though, and I was tired. I needed to rest, but the real threat that something would come for me kept me on edge.


    Molotov still had not come. I shifted uneasily. It felt strange that she was not tormenting me or watching over me like a hawk. I waited for another hour, but she never came, not even to feed me. Uneasily the thoughts that I really could escape came to mind. I warily looked around outside my door, and as usual, there was nobody there. A part of me screamed that this was all a trap and that I should just go back to the room and await my training. The rest of me craved this moment, and I would run from her clutches. I could not stay here.


    The hallways were empty, and I approached the elevator, pressing the button a few times. The doors opened, and I half expected Molotov to be waiting, but she was not there. I pressed the first-floor button, and the doors closed. I could feel it moving up and sighed. I clutched my head uneasily, watching the lights moving up the rows of numbers. Then I arrived. My body contoured to the side, hiding when the doors opened. Peeking out, not a soul in the parking garage could be seen. It took a few moments to muster the courage to creep out. I had learned something from that terrible place and latched onto the ceiling. It was easy, how strange. I hated it so much before, but now I feel safe acting like a bug and hiding in the shadows.


    I scuttled across the roof towards the shutters. They were closed, and there was no way out. Then I saw the vent and wormed my way in. It was exhilarating; I could almost taste freedom. Then I started having doubts. Molotov would hunt me down and break me. I shuddered in terror, imagining what dreaded things she would do. However, I had come this far and would not return. The tunnel shifted and went up, always up. A fan blocked my path and was torn through like butter. Then a screen and a cylinder-like shaft went up even farther. I could see the specks of light, filling me with hope. I reached the top and popped out of the air conditioning vent. A roof lay all around with little rocks that crunched below my claws. I covered my eyes, staring at the sun. How long had it been since I last saw the sun, I wonder?


    My eyes adjusted and observed the surroundings. Warehouses stood to either side, and trees dotted a small park. I turned and used the sun to understand where I was. The mountains were to the north, and the sun was setting to the west, so I was somewhere in the northeastern area. I looked over the skyscrapers and aligned myself to the southwest, the center of the city. The large buildings towered and clustered in that direction. I took a deep breath of the smog-filled air and lowered myself to stay out of sight. The next building was pretty close, and I could jump to the roof easily. I prepared myself and looked around again to ensure no one was watching. The coast was clear.


    I went for it.

 Me, Myself and Neon Nurse, Chapter 1

    Vespidian


    Arc 2 Me, Myself and Neon Nurse


    Chapter 1


    My mind trembled with elation. I had done it. I was free! Now I just needed to run like hell. If Molotov caught me, well... I don¡¯t want to think about that.


    My claws dug into the wall as I climbed the iron warehouse for a better vantage point. The sun was still out. I had roughly another hour before darkness set in. The dull red brick and shiny steel cityscape expanded out for miles. Cars zoomed by down below on the streets. Honks, squeals of tires, people shouting and laughing, my antenna waved and bathed in the world. The smog-ridden air was crisp, and I drank it in, grinning. I had been in that terrible place for so long. I won¡¯t ever go back.


    I scrabbled along the rooftops, bounding between buildings. My wings flickered, but they were not ready to be used. It was still hard to work those muscles. Dr. Arbor had done a number on me. After her monstrous operation, I should be dead, and yet here I scurry like a roach fleeing from the kitchen light. South was where I needed to go. The skyscrapers loomed in the distance, monuments to our progress as humans and hopefully my salvation.


    The rooftops were rather exposed, which was terrible since I am a six and a half foot tall wasp woman, also known as a monster. At the least on the outside. Inside I was still me, some nerdy girl who got in way over my fucking head. I had already heard a few shrieks of terror from people below catching glances of me. Don¡¯t like what you see? Then don¡¯t look. I know I am a freak, but god, do you have to scream about it? Sounds like they want me to come down there and give them something to really cry about. It did not take long to realize that it was a foolish idea to try and travel before the cover of night was there to help conceal me.


    Options were somewhat limited on hiding places. I could contour my body to an insane degree, but there really was not much up here. This part of the city was industrial with the railroad station and the freight loading equipment. Cargo containers lined the tracks, and workers scurried below like ants. To the east, over tin roofs and exposed girders, lay verdant fields. Corn stalks, grapevines, almond, and orange tree groves stretched out as far as the eye could see beyond the city limits¡¯ metalwork. It was strange how nature clashed with humanity; it warped and fused in this place.


    I crept into an open cargo container that was tilted against a wall. The rust and dust made it clear that it was not in use. Rats and other vermin were in the area. Their stench was impossible to miss. Cockroaches scurried along the walls as I sat in the shadowed place. The creepy crawlies were gathering around me. I had never really hated bugs. The memories of running through the forest with a bug net accompanied by the neighbor kids came to mind. Beetles, butterflies, moths, spiders, crickets, grasshoppers, and I even remembered a time when I had pissed off a killer beehive. Normal bees are not bad at all, I mean, you could almost walk right up to them, and they won¡¯t mess with you unless you mess with them. Africanized bees though, were a whole other story. They chased me all the way home, and it hurt a lot scraping out their stingers. You don¡¯t pull them out; that is like injecting yourself with a syringe. The venom still pumps out of the sack. I had to rub mud on my skin to suck out the poison. Luckily I was not allergic, but it taught me a valuable lesson, not to fuck with bees or wasps. I was not afraid it was merely healthy respect.


    My smile spread, then slowly drooped into a frown. So long ago, it feels like it had been ages since things were normal. I hardly even remembered what normal even is anymore. This form would never be comfortable. Even when I was human, I had been terrible at making friends in school. I learned very early in life that people change their tune very quickly once your usefulness to them ran out. Trust... what a funny thing that was. It was the basis of any relationship, and yet more often than not, it led to pain and disappointment. Loyalty was a rare thing indeed. Sad but true, you tend to learn from your mistakes, after all. You get those so-called friends who only even realize you exist when they want something from you. The leeches of society. The takers and all my life, well until after college, I had been a giver. I tried hard, I pushed myself, and I strived to achieve what people told me I could not do.


    Then I realized something. Who gives a fuck? Why did anything even matter? Sure I got a pat on the back and told I did a good job. Words are but wind and empty promises. A trophy don¡¯t mean shit, a diploma was just a fancy piece of paper, and at the end of the day, all that it earned you was the ire of those who coveted your place. There was nothing good about standing out. It just meant that more leeches had their eyes upon you. They take and take until there is nothing more, and then they move on to the next fool who will let them latch on. They left me empty and broken! Everyone wants something for nothing, but it all comes from somewhere. I despised myself when I realized that I was just leeching off of my parents. Made me realize how much of a fuck up I am. It was soul-crushing and led to my attempts to escape reality.


    Something was sacrificed at some point for everything. The air we breathe to the water we drink, and the food on our table were all paid for in one form or another. Time is the most valuable of all commodities; after all, you will never get it back every second of every day, no matter what you try to do. Once it slips through your fingers, it was gone. Only now did I remember this.


    However, my generation was taught so little about cause and effect. Hell, I remember a lot of those idiots in college thinking that food just magically appeared in the store. They did not realize it came from fields and ranches, from living things and the sweat of a farmer¡¯s brow. Society might be doomed. The entitlement that was not earned would be our ruin. Humans are stupid herd animals, after all. We are getting dumber and lazier as technology advances, our creativity is being crushed by social programming, and political correctness bullshit is slowly destroying free speech. If the stereotype is true, why is it wrong to call them out on it? Life is cruel so don¡¯t fucking sugar coat it, especially for fat kids; they might eat that too. How the hell are you supposed to get tough enough to handle the shit that will get thrown at you if you live in a little bubble all your life? Eventually, it will pop, and you will be woefully unprepared for the pressure of making hard choices and realizing that people will fuck you over at the drop of a hat.


    My claws opened and closed, squishing a roach. My thoughts slowing from their ambling, errant thoughts. This was something real, tangible. My eyes closed, and I listened to all the surroundings. Grinding metal with sparks sizzling. Someone was welding nearby. Gears were turning, and wheels spun. The low rumble of a train arriving at the station in the distance. Steam hissing. Smoke wheezing from furnaces and the groan of cranes shifting heavy metal containers. The idle chatter of dirty, hard-working men. I could smell it all, the sweat, the grime, the oils and burning of rubber. Slowly the world began to die with the setting sun. Sounds surged for a brief few minutes, cars roaring to life and driving away. A stillness descended though it was not complete.


    Far off whistles echoed, and the light of day had gone. Twilight of dusk hung over the red sky. I emerged from my hiding place and gaped, taking in all the lights and shadows. It took a few blinks to get used to it. This was good enough; people would have to really look to figure out what they were seeing if they glimpsed me. What exactly is it that I was going to do, though? It would be nice if I could just go to the Hero League Headquarters but look at me. They would shoot me on sight. I would have to figure something out.


    Buildings were easy to scale. My claws could dig into anything just about, and it was only a matter of swiftly darting up the sides and using the roof to throw myself at the next. It had been about an hour since I left, and the sun had just set. That was when the drugs kicked in; at least, that is what it felt like. In college, I had done a few, more or less, to see what it was all about. I did not like how it made my heart feel like it was trying to break my rib cage, so I steered clear since. The feeling had been vivid, though, and I would never forget it, this, this was far more intense. This was like an acid trip on steroids. Oh god, no, bad trip, bad trip!


    All my senses elevated, and the lights mesmerized me. Music beat from a club across the street. A heavy, resounding dissonance vibrated the air, and my body became restless. Though the city lights were enticing, my attention soon focused upon the sky and the ever-looming tentacles of the Spore. Undulating, twisting in the aether, every shift of those glowing, pulsing tendrils of light sent shivers down my spine. I wanted to be embraced by them. Smothered, covered, drowned in those mesmerizing lights. Unable to stay still, I held myself in a vain attempt to contain all of this energy. The lights were calling to me. Yes, they were speaking to my very soul. The gentle twitches beckoning, enticing, seducing me. They were so pretty, and all I could do was stare.


    Alas, the Spore was beyond my reach, but the city, the city, and its glow lay before me. The strobing of the city nightscape was enough to bend the world and unhinge my mind¡ªall those swirling glow and shuddering images blurring with headlights and the dancing signs. I felt my hearts pumping, and my brain pounded. It was tingling and shaking from being overloaded.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Now I know why bugs fly straight into the zapper. They can¡¯t help themselves. Neither could I. I was powerless to stop myself and was soon rubbing against a flashing neon sign. I had never felt this good in my entire life.


    ***


    Eventually, the rush ended, and I blankly looked around. Bright flashing lights were right in my gasp. I had been rubbing against them. Taking a few steps back, it became clear this was a sign and a big one at that. It was a bucket of chicken animated with drumsticks falling in it. What an odd thing to be into. My empty stomach grumbled. The hunger pain seemed to help clear my thoughts. I had vented many times to deal with overheating. I closed my eyes for a long moment and arranging my thoughts. I had gotten used to it to some degree and was able to control myself, though I have no idea how long I was here... humping and grinding on this neon chicken bucket.


    I think¡­ I just had sex with a sign. From the pool of my arousal and drool at my feet and the trickle running down my abdomen, I could only guess I had been at it for hours. It felt amazing, though, and I just wanted to keep dry humping this thing. It took a lot of willpower to stop. I had always heard that cocaine was a hell of a drug, but I never would have thought light would be addicting, let alone blow my mind. Maybe I naturally produce some sort of narcotic or hallucinogen? That sounds troubling.


    There was darkness all around, and it helped me move easier. The problem was that the streets were getting more populated. The more people out would make it harder to stay out of sight. The neon lights and billboards were another problem. The urge to enjoy their light was still very strong. I had been heading south, with the sun gone, it was harder to stay on track. The moon was out though it did not help much. Skyscrapers were what I used to keep some sort of idea of where I was. Even before this, I rarely came to the center of the city.


    The smells and sounds were almost overwhelming after my isolation in that lab. I think this body might be nocturnal. Everything was deeper, richer. I could smell blood and meat, raw meat. I was more drawn to the familiar aroma of fast food. Fried chicken, pizza, burgers, tacos, and Chinese food; all of it assaulted my antenna and made me drool with hunger. My stomach rumbled angrily, a hole gnawing away at my midsection. Then I realized I had not eaten anything all day.


    A King Burger joint lay before me, and I sat in the tree nearby wrestling over how to get food. Plans were made, but each was either foolish or insane. I could not go in and order food, so that was out, I had no money, and I get the feeling they would call the cops if I walked on in. The idea of stealing was rather alluring; however, should they report me... I had a feeling the city would be in an uproar over a bug monster running around.


    I really wanted to eat people food. I missed the greasy tacos and juicy hamburgers. I remembered for a moment how Molotov fed me and clawed at my head to beat back any thoughts of returning. I would get food even if I had to steal it.


    It took another ten minutes before I gathered the resolve to act. A poor unsuspecting man who had a bag of burgers became my target. The smell of them and the fries made my mouth spread wide. I waited for him to reach a somewhat secluded area before I crawled out of a bush in front of him. The whites of his eyes gaped, and he screamed when I scurried towards him. It must have been just like a horror movie for him¡ªsome scary thing skulking out of the bushes. I would have run, and that is what I wanted him to do. If he stood his ground, though... this would escalate quickly.


    I wanted that damned food. My low hiss reverberated; it felt good that vibration through my neck. It went just as I had hoped. He threw the bag of food at me and ran as fast as he could away. I fucked up though, he was not the only one who saw me. Screams echoed behind me, and a group of people scattered where they had come from. I grasped the bag and bolted back into the trees.


    I was not stupid enough to stay in the area and fled a good three blocks bounding over buildings. When there was nothing in reach, I darted across the street on all sixes. I found a lovely alleyway that was out of sight and nestled down. I feasted on the pilfered food. Every bite was delicious, and I greedily stuffed it all into my mouth. The mandibles made short work of the greasy meal. Satisfied for the moment, I was unsure of what to do now.


    I could go straight to the Hero League Headquarters, but something in the back of my mind was warning me not to. I brushed it off and focused. I needed powerful people to help me against Molotov. If they were not strong, then they were useless, and she would take me back. My head twitched when I remembered her grin. I wanted to cry and scream, it was hard to hold in.


    Looking like this, though, I could not just stroll up through the front door. If Molotov was even remotely correct, I would be gunned down before I would even be able to get a word in. I sat pondering. What should I do? Maybe if I found a phone I could call them and tell them what happened then they would help me. Where would I get a phone, though? Sure there are people all over the place here with their fancy phones and glowing lights, but they would be locked and useless. Getting a computer and hitting up their site was also an excellent idea.


    I groaned, rubbing my head roughly. Both ways required human interaction, and I sorely lacked in the human resources department at the moment. There were only two options. Both were insane, but I was desperate. Take my chances and find a Hero or police officer without informing them, hoping not to be shot. Alternatively, I could attack a criminal, steal his phone and call them. I was leaning more towards attack. I would not put my life into the hands of trusting someone.


    A foul stench filled my antenna, and I wearily looked over to the back of the alleyway. It branched off to the left and right. Someone was here, very close nearby. I followed the reek and pried open the dumpster. There was a filthy man in ragged clothes. All he had was an old coat with holes through it and half a shoe on his foot. The other did not even have a sock. He clutched a booze bottle with wide eyes. A twinge of pity filled me. No one should live in a dumpster. I made the mistake of reaching for him. The stench of fear oozed out.


    ¡°Monster!¡± He screamed, throwing the bottle at me.


    It broke on my face, getting into the eyes. It burned, and pieces of glass dug into my eye lids. I reeled back, blinded, roaring. ¡°Fuck you, asshole!¡±


    My hands groped the walls as I tried to get my bearings. A metal pipe or something smashed into the back of my head. It jarred me, and I spun, flailing my limbs to scare off my attacker. Footsteps echoed as he fled, and I slumped against the brick wall, covering my face. I felt like shit. My eyes gaped as the claws delicately pulled out the glass. You better run, you fucking bum. If I see you again, I will rip your spine out. The alleyway was likely not safe anymore; after all, he might come back with some friends, and I did not want to actually kill anybody. Clambering up the wall was the only real option, and I flopped down on the roof with a groan.


    Damn it. How long is this going to take to heal? I felt so damned vulnerable, unable to see anything but blobs. My antenna were on overdrive hearing, smelling everything. That fucking hobo was down there around the corner with his little friends. Something was burning, I think they were around a trashcan fire. He sounded so scared. Hope you can¡¯t sleep tonight.


    ¡°Gotta believe me, man. There was a fucking monster over there.¡±


    ¡°How much have you had to drink? There is nothing over there.¡±


    ¡°It was there, I tell you. It screamed at me like a banshee.¡±


    ¡°Well, what the fuck you want me to do about it?¡±


    ¡°Get the cops!¡±


    ¡°You think a cop is going to listen to us?¡±


    ¡°Just say it was a subhuman monster from the slums, and that will get their attention. Hell, they would probably call in some Supers to kill it.¡±


    Oh shit. My eyes blinked. I could kinda see, and it would have to do. It took a long moment to peer over the side of the tile work at them down below. They were moving towards the street. Like hell, I am going to let you sign my death warrant. My legs kicked, and I lunged toward them. Their eyes gaped, and they shrieked when I smashed into the ground right in front of them. I had misjudged the distance. It was not a graceful landing.


    Their fight or flight instincts had kicked in and they descended upon me like rabid animals. One had a crowbar and another a board with a few nails in it. One guy had a damned cinder block and dropped it on my leg. A nail got stuck in my wing as my hand grappled the crowbar with the other guy. He had cracked it over my head six or so times before I ripped it from his grasp. None of it actually hurt that bad, they could not even get through my carapace, but it was the principle of the matter.


    I rose, fuming, and lifted them up by their necks. A good shaking followed by slamming them into the brick wall several times left them groaning on the ground. I wanted to break bones but resisted the urge. ¡°Just calm the fuck down. I could kill you like flies, so just calm down. I don¡¯t want to hurt anybody, but if you report me, then I am going to have some serious problems.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re killing me!¡± He screamed, thrashing against my hand. I tightened the grip to shut him up. He gurgled a little.


    The other one started crying. ¡°Just let us go. Please have a heart, you monster!¡±


    My mandibles ground together. ¡°Listen to me, will you!¡±


    They whimpered, and I sighed, holding my head. This was all fucking wrong. What the hell am I even going to do with these guys? Should I silence them to make sure they don¡¯t squeal? No, I can¡¯t do that. I peered around the alleyway¡ªnothing but garbage and the ramshackle hut that was apparently their home. I lifted and carried them to the doorless abode. They fell to the ground, and I stood there with the evilest face I could muster. Needless to say, the smell in this festering rat hole got worse.


    ¡°Now, look.¡± I snarled. ¡°I am going to leave you here, and you will not report me. You report me, I will find you, and I will kill you.¡±


    They nodded warily, and I turned away, climbing up the wall to leave. I had hardly made it to the next building when one of them had taken off running. Son of a bitch! Why can¡¯t you just listen? For a fucking bum, he was quick. He darted around down there, and it was hard to keep up on the roof. He screamed and made as much noise as possible. Damn it all to hell! People had already noticed. He escaped out into the street, and I stopped glaring down from the roof. They were pointing at me and taking pictures. Their voices grated against my antenna.


    ¡°Someone call the police!¡±


    ¡°Monster!¡±


    ¡°Are the Mad Dogs up to something? Get the god damned heroes over here!¡±


    No, no, no. Shit! I ran. It was all that I could do. These people were not going to listen to me.

 Me, Myself and Neon Nurse, Chapter 2

    The Vespidian


    Arc 2: Me, Myself, and Neon Nurse


    Chapter 2


    The clack of claws resounded across the roof, and I lept at the next, taller building. I crashed into the side, gouging holes and ripping my way up the brick wall. All six limbs worked in tangent. It felt sort of like being my own rowing team. Sirens blared from below; they were chasing me. A spotlight turned on, revealing me as I shimmied up.


    ¡°Stop! Stop where you are!¡± Yelled some guy down there.


    Fuck that. I pulled myself over the edge and lay there, breathing heavily.


    It took a few moments to gather my thoughts. This was bad. I was cornered so soon. These guys don¡¯t dick around. I gazed over the sides, red and blue flashing lights and sirens spilling all through the streets. Yup surrounded. My tongue clicked. Acha! With this kind of reception, I would expect a Super Villain. Not the friendly neighborhood wasp... ok, ok. Maybe not so friendly and not so neighborhood. I mean, it is not like I mauled somebody, for fuck¡¯s sake.


    At the least, a Super had not shown up. So I could still get out of this. The real question was how. The longer I wasted here, the more likely one of those Heroes or even one of the cyborg swat teams was going to show up to kick my ass. The worst-case would be if Molotov got wind of this and came for me. There really was only one option, and I did not like it one bit. I glanced at the orange flappies hanging from my back. I got wings. I should use them, right? What is the worst that could happen?


    My wings vibrated, spreading wide. They undulated, sending dust scattering away, closed my eyes, and concentrated on flapping. The membranes moved faster and faster until a high-pitched buzz filled the air. Slowly I rose up off of the ground, only a few inches, though. They were not strong enough for sustained flights.


    I vented with frustration. Pondering how to get the hell out of this. I could not fly, which seriously fucked me here. For some reason, I thought that I could perform under pressure. Ugh, can¡¯t limp dick this, gotta go balls deep. Then it hit me. Maybe I could glide? They did catch the wind pretty well and were very sturdy. I did not have to actually fly, just slowly fall. It was the same principle as not having to outrun a bear, just not be the slowest person in the group. There was only one way to find out.


    Uneasily, I gazed over the ledge. Though not scared of heights, it did not make me feel any better about making a leap of faith. I bit the bullet and threw myself forward, wings spread wide. At worst, I would break my legs and get caught; best case, I soar away.


    The wind whistled by, and it was working. They held fast, keeping me aloft, granted I was going down rapidly. My limbs spread out to gain even more lift and air resistance. I needed it.


    A giant doughnut sign loomed in front of me. It flickered with lights glaring at the night. The damned thing ended up acting as a beacon, and I was a moth to the flame, slamming into it.


    The doughnut lurched, the supports creaked, groaning. Wires snapped, and it rolled with me, clinging to the center. It felt like a hamster wheel. Uneasily, I padded about keeping up with the rotation. This was not at all a good thing. I bailed, throwing myself to the side. Unfortunately, it banked over, falling to the street crushing a parked car.


    Oh shit.


    It started rolling down the street, and the police poured out of the woodwork, chasing it. Red and blue sirens wailed as I sat there, taking in the scene. Vaguely, I wanted to laugh about that, but most of me felt somewhat worried. I hope nobody gets hurt. Oh man, it was picking up speed, and there goes another car. Something hit the sign. The air had sort of blurred, and a chunk exploded off of the donut, stopping it.


    A high-pitched sound vibrated the air, and a particular hoverbike that I was relatively familiar with rode into view. It was Captain Metal. That chromed-out helmet leaving his jaw exposed. So damned cool, he just stopped that thing like it was nothing. A real-life hero.


    My excitement rose. I will admit I had the hots for him. On more than a few occasions, I had stirred my honey pot to him. Just remembering it made the vents creep open. He must have noticed the heated mist because the bike veered in my direction. I stood there like an idiot, for some reason thinking this guy was going to save me. The hoverbike roared up and stopped about five feet away. The sound was almost ear-splitting and made me cringe. He shined a bright light down on me. Squinting at the bright light, I put a hand up to block it.


    His mouth was creased into a stern frown. ¡°What the hell are you?¡±


    I smiled, not even realizing that it severely hurt my case, racking my brain for a response. My shyness reared its ugly head, and I stopped myself several times from answering. No one wants to sound like a dork or come off weird in front of the person they liked.


    Eventually, I settled and blurted out. ¡°I am Vespidian. Captain Metal could- could I get your autograph?¡±


    Shit, I sounded like some lame assed fan girl.


    He was looking me over and raised his sonic rifle, pointing it at me. My eyes gaped. ¡°Wait, what are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°You are one of Glitter Kitten¡¯s gang, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    That was not a question. He was asserting that I was some criminal scum. I know who Glitter Kitten is. Everyone knows who she is. She is bad news bears. The queen of the slums and leader of the Mad Dogs.


    ¡°No, I am not. Please listen to me.¡± I pleaded with a rather desperate tone. ¡°You have to take me in. I am running away from some crazy people.¡±


    ¡°So you pissed off the Mad Dogs and got kicked out. Well, too fucking bad you know the rules. No sub-humans are allowed outside of the slums.¡± He motioned with the gun, and I trembled. ¡°You going to come quietly, or am I going to have to get rough?¡±


    I raised my hands. Getting shot by his sonic gun did not sound very appealing. ¡°Where are you going to take me?¡±


    ¡°Back to the slums. Where did you think?¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± I screeched. He winced, shit; now he looks mad. ¡°I did not come from the slums.¡±


    He grimaced and snarled at me. ¡°Does it look like I give a fuck about your situation? Come on, you filthy animal, back to the slums with you.¡±


    I growled back. ¡°I am not an animal!¡±


    There was a low whine, then a pop, and it felt like Molotov socked me in the chest. The air in my lungs had been knocked out. Wearily I looked down and saw the cracked shell over my boob, yellow gushing out. He... he shot me? What the fuck he shot me! My mind reeled in disbelief. Why would he do that? Captain Metal was my hero. He was supposed to save me.


    I clutched the wound and crouched, trying to breathe. Tears fell down my face. Why was it like this? It is not like I was delusional enough to expect some prince on a white horse to swoop in and save me from all my problems. I thought he was supposed to be a good guy. Was Molotov right all along? No, no, no, she can¡¯t be right. She is evil.


    ¡°Why? I have not done anything wrong.¡± I cried.


    ¡°You knocked that sign over, destroy public property, assaulted some homeless, and led police on a chase. What do you mean you did nothing.¡±


    ¡°They attacked me!¡± I yelled at him. ¡°The only reason that I even ran was that I am scared.¡±


    He smiled, and my blood ran cold. That whine went off again, my body lurched backward from the blow. It hurt; my side ached. Yellow blood spilled out as I crawled away. Why is everyone crazy? What did I ever do to deserve all of this?


    Captain Metal stepped off of his bike. The crunch of little pebbles underfoot resounded like the snaps of bones. He approached, firing the gun every couple of steps. He was playing with me. One out of every three would graze an arm.


    ¡°Hey Panther, get over here. I caught that freak that we were getting calls about. You have gotta see this fucking thing. It is so ugly I think I got cancer just from looking at it.¡± He laughed over a radio or something. That is fucked up. Fuck, man, you gotta rub salt in my wounds here?


    I can¡¯t believe I ever liked you.


    Did I ever like him?


    Something in my head did not feel right. It was foggy. Were those really my memories? It felt vague, like a cat kneading the back of my brain. Feels pretty good, actually.


    My mandibles clenched when he kicked me over. I rolled and wheezed; the bastard had shot me in the lung. His gloved hand grabbed my head, lifting it up. Things moved slowly when he reached back his fist and sent it careening for my face. Instinct took hold.


    My mouth gaped wide, unhinging to monstrous proportions, and I bit down on his hand. The mandibles chewed at the metal, thrashing my head back and forth like a rottweiler. He screamed as my arms restrained him and started punching at his face.


    Hero, my ass, I will fucking kill you!


    My head hurt from the thought. The rage almost didn¡¯t feel like my own. A throbbing pain that made me twitch. The abdomen rose up, and the stinger emerged, thrusting down. It stabbed into his leg. The pulsing, throbbing of the venom gland squeezing inside sent shivers up my spine. It felt good to inject my venom. I gave him lots and lots.


    I hope he dies.


    My grin grew so wide. His struggling subsided rather quickly. My venom must be potent. I spat out his hand, regrettably unable to chew it off. The metal was too thick.


    Antenna squirmed; vibrations in the air sent tingles down my spine. My wasp senses were tingling! Something was coming and very quickly. Oh shit, it must be Panther. He had super speed and was Captain Metal¡¯s partner.


    I scurried away, hoping to get some distance before he arrived. I had hardly leapt to the next building when the heavy footsteps stopped back there behind me. I glanced back and regretted it instantly.


    Panther was a rather tall man with thick, powerful legs. His form-fitting suit was blue and black. He had milk chocolate skin, what little of it I could see anyway. The upper body was sleek and fit. The face shrouded under a helmet, much like Captain Metal¡¯s though I could see his scowl. Oh man, he looked furious. I scrabbled for purchase and dragged myself up, away from him.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    He crouched over Captain Metal, looking his wounds over. Things were looking rather grim. Poor guy, it looked like he was about to start crying. ¡°Captain Metal, come on, man. Speak to me, will you?!¡±


    I made the mistake of trying to get a better position. He looked up at me. I could not see his eyes, but I could feel his blood thirst. He reeked of it. His body tensed, and he was tight like a tiger before lunging. In two steps, he closed the distance between us.


    Slowly I looked up and found an anaconda running down the blue and black striped suit. It was hard to look away from his junk. Get your mind out of the gutter, Vesper! This guy could kill me. I just mauled his partner. I need to reason with him. Tell him my side of the story.


    ¡°I know what it looks like, but you have to believe me-¡± I started before his foot kicked my face like a comet. My whole head twisted backward, and I felt the neck snap in eight different places. Bits of bone scattered across the roof from my shattered face.


    The world shifted in all the wrong ways. My body went numb, and I fell, staring at the ground as it came to meet me. Oh great, a fucking manhole. I splatted on the pavement, not sure, but I think I broke a few arms. I drooped, falling into the sewer.


    A green glow filled my eyes. What the fuck are the sewers filled with Mutigene or something!? I splashed into it and bobbed back up to the surface. Gross. Gonna be sick, gonna be sick! Oh god. I can taste it! It was like a dead dog that got left out in the summer sun for a week, on top of the chilly night at the lodge, and the toilet was broken. That about sums up the vile reek of this dank hell hole I found myself drifting in.


    Hmm. That is an oddly specific example. Have I ever experienced something like that before? or was it just an exaggerated tangent my addled brain spawned? Probably the latter; who knows what this glowing green water is doing to me. My head hurt thinking about that.


    I was in the shit, literally, floating down the river of glowing filth. It was everywhere, everywhere! I hope there are no crocodiles down here, though somehow I doubt they could survive the stench and disease. Rats were doing fine, though. A whole pack of dog-sized ones was chasing along the sides of the tunnel. They looked rather hungry, and I could only assume I was on the menu.


    Giant rats... glowing water. Who the hell has been dumping nuclear waste into the sewers? This is why we can¡¯t have nice things! You want mutants because this is how you get mutants! How much cancer am I going to get out of this? Wait, can I even get cancer anymore? My neck twisted back into place, and I pulled myself out of the muck. It took a moment to realize that my head could pull an exorcist and spin around now neet.


    I wonder if Panther thought he killed me with that? Isn¡¯t there a law against killing or something? Although I suppose I did... I killed Captain Metal, didn¡¯t I? Oh shit. What the hell have I done? I am a fucking murderer. I really am just a monster. Maybe I should just go back to Molotov and give in to my fate. Where else am I going to go? Although I could live down here in the sewer... yeah fuck that. This place sucks more ass than that lab, and I fucking hate that place. Panther might come down here to confirm my death, so I should probably vacate the vicinity.


    A barrel with the nuclear hazard logo and BAI, Bronson Atomic Industries, emblazoned on the side, lay with a little still pooled inside. Am I going to grow even more arms or something? The green glow is kinda eerie. I feel as though there were rumors about some gang living down here? What was it... the Atomic Apostles, right? Yeah, that was them. A bunch of weirdo cultists that worshiped atomic power. That would certainly explain the nuclear material. Dollars to doughnuts that there is some freaky deeky alter down here somewhere. Seems like the crazy crap religious wackos would do. They are probably drinking this stuff like cool-aid.


    A Geiger counter would be going nuts. I wonder if there are some turtles down here who would let me hang with them and eat pizza. Who am I kidding? If there are any down here, they are monsters that would rather eat me. This isn¡¯t some comic book, and I certainly am not going to learn martial arts and the meaning of life from some mutant rat-man down here. Look at those fucking rats, though, their beady little eyes.


    ¡°What, you got a problem with me!¡± I yelled at the rats.


    They circled where I sat moping. Their hissing and squeals grated against my antenna. The fangs glinting sharply in the green glow. Soggy fur bristled with anticipation. Then the king of the rats appeared. It was different than the others; it had a horn growing out of its head.


    Am I lucky? I did just find the unicorn of rats. Somehow I was getting the feeling that I was very unlucky. It might be how they were looking at me as food. He was old, gnarled, half an ear was bitten off and missing a couple of toes, but it was more significant than the others by about a third. If I had to guess, it was the size of a Doberman.


    What is this an RPG?! Did I just clear the tutorial prologue and now have been thrown out into the world to defeat the evil demon king, or did I walk out into the tall grass without my Swolomon? I could almost see the floating text, ¡®A wild Giant Horny Rat appeared!¡¯ The only thing missing would be some catchy, fast-paced fighting music.


    It lunged, and I grappled with all four arms. Oh man, it was pissed. The rat was snapping those teeth at me while the others were closing in. I rolled on my back and flung it away with a plunk as it landed into the green goo. Splashes echoed, and it scurried right back up the slight embankment.


    Peace was never an option, and things quickly devolved into a struggle of life or death.


    My claws raked through one of the snarling rat dogs, and blood scattered while it squealed in terror. Another bounded towards me, and I broke it in half showering blood across the floor. I threw the pieces at the rest of the pack. The big one came from behind, sinking its teeth into my ass. It was like a switch got flipped in my head. That primal feeling of fight or flight took over. I chose to fight.


    Howling in rage, I wrestled the beast across the floor. The others shrunk away in fear. It was just their leader and me now. It would be really pathetic to be devoured by vermin. Back and forth we went. This thing was strong despite how it looked, though I suppose a dog-sized rat seems reasonably robust. My clawed fingers gouged out its eyes, and I bit off an ear. It squealed, bucking and thrashing, trying to stab me with the horn. My taloned toes grasped at its back, piercing clear through its mangy fur and flesh.


    It screamed, and I snarled, using my last free hand to strangle the bastard. Foam poured out of its mouth when I snapped the neck. Heaving the beast up, I screamed in triumph. I am the alpha predator! No fucking rats are going to stop me!


    The horned rat fell to the floor, and I panted. I felt eyes watching and spiders crawling up my back. Wearily I turned, seeing the beady-eyed horde. They swarmed in from all around. How many of these fucking things are there?! I jumped up like a surprised cat, latching onto the ceiling, dodging another horned rat. Seems the hunter has become the hunted once again.


    We were at an impasse, they circled below, and I scurried along the roof out of reach. The frisky ones would leap up like crocodiles nipping at me. There must be a nest or colony nearby. Thirty of them followed along as I crept through the tunnels. At the least, there were no homeless in the sewers. The rats had either chased them off or eaten them. What the fuck Bronson? I never knew you were so messed up. I guess this is the ugly underbelly.


    This was not a nice place, and I wanted out. Escape routes were few and far between. Various pipes led off into the distance. Many of them were too small to accommodate me, and what ones were large enough already had occupants. The rats were breeding like crazy down here. Thankfully they were savagely territorial and descended into tribal warfare.


    Squeaks and screams rose, a tooth and nail frenzied turf war followed in my wake. These damned things are monsters. Alone they were a problem but in groups downright terror-inducing. What I saw in this hellish pit would give me nightmares. The Atomic Apostles must be intense if they can thrive down here.


    I crept along, leaving the screeches far behind. The long passageway came to an end at a junction. Above lay my salvation. A ladder led to a covered entrance. It took a few moments to shimmy up the sides, and I eagerly opened up the manhole. My antenna waved about, listening to the area as I prairie dogged my head up for a moment, glancing around. I could not smell anything. A bad case of nose blindness had set in. The surroundings seemed safe enough, relatively quiet. Cautiously I slunk out, sticking to the shadows.


    Where the hell am I?


    It was dark here, but the city lights glared in through the trees and off the dew-coated grass just on the outskirts. This was Brawny Park. I recognized the bronze statue of the veterans arm wrestling. It was a sailor and a marine locked forever in a struggle to see who was more manly. Both were rocking some smoking guns, and it looked like they had been through hell. The sailor had a heart mom tattoo on his shoulder, and the marine had a pinup girl on his. I always thought it was kinda weird since this is a public park where kids play. Personally, I like it. I mean those man muscles, though.


    The park itself was rather significant, with almost a lake in the center. It bordered the center of the city, the market district, and downtown. There were three-bathroom buildings and a little dock to rent swan boats. The grass was always green here, and the trees were well-groomed. Some were even shaped like animals. Schools come out here for field trips.


    At one point, there had been a petting zoo, but that was put to an end when the Atomic Apostles worked together with the Mad Dogs to saturate the corral with radiation. All the creatures had to be euthanized. Have you ever seen a rabbit eat a man¡¯s face off? It had to be done. It was pretty big news at the time, five years ago, I believe. I think it happened right after I went to college. Kinda scary since I went there a few times during middle school. Dodged that bullet, thankfully. There were security patrols that kept the riff-raff from establishing shanty towns and fouling the place up.


    First thing first, I needed to be cleansed of this filth. Unfortunately, there were no showers, but there was soap. Granted, I highly doubt it would get rid of radiation. It was a long and unpleasant process of scrubbing down the carapace. The soap lathered, and I got the antenna and my head first. Got soap in my eyes; shit burned like hell! The sink poured water full blast and washed my eyes out. I could smell again! Although everything was piney now. Footsteps drew near, and I scurried up the wall making myself flat on the ceiling over the door. Two guards walked in; they wore light blue shirts and navy blue pants.


    The moment the duo set foot in, they clutched their faces. ¡°Fuck man, what smells so bad?! Somebody left a floater for sure.¡±


    ¡°God!¡± Groaned the other guy. He doubled over, gagging and almost puking. ¡°No kidding. What the hell did they eat?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it smells like a dying animal crawled up some guy¡¯s ass died, came back to life just long enough to shit itself, died again, and marinated for a week in its own juices.¡±


    ¡°No fucking kidding! Let¡¯s leave this bomb for somebody else to deal with.¡±


    They bailed, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I thought it was about that bad. I continued sloughing off the grime that had accumulated on me. By the time I was finished, there was a glowing blackish-green sludge clogging the sinks. I did not think that I would ever truly feel clean again, but this was a start. A tiny twinge of guilt welled up for leaving this for whoever had to clean that shit up. I am no plumber, and this needs some professional help. They can handle it, not my problem anymore.


    I snuck through the underbrush. The guards were not exactly the brightest bulbs on the tree. They were easy to dodge, and soon the city lay before me once again. Now I had a real problem. What the hell was I going to do? Thoughts of Molotov kept creeping into my mind. Little voices were whispering to go back and beg for forgiveness. It would only be worse if I prolonged it. Maybe she would be benevolent... who the fuck am I kidding? Certainly not myself.


    Molotov is a monster, and I betrayed her. She will destroy me if she gets her hands on me. Only a fool would run back crying. I needed help; I needed people in power. There was only one natural choice, and it had not changed the Hero League. They had laws. They had principles. Surely they would not torture me or perform a live autopsy. I will likely go to jail for murder, but it would still be better than going back. Sure, Captain Metal may have been a complete ass, but they were not all like that. I can hope anyway.


    My mind calmed, and I sat there gazing out over the streets. The plan had not changed. I would find a phone and call them. Turn myself in. A patrol car drove by, and I was tempted to reveal myself, but I was too scared. Getting shot more was not appealing. Not that mugging somebody was much better. Molotov had planted plentiful doubts in my head, and the visit to my parents backed up a lot of what she was saying. I need some sort of insurance. I had nothing to leverage, though.


    After wrestling with my thoughts for a little bit, I made up my mind. I would show myself to the police and talk it out with them.


    If it was just handguns, I had a feeling I could handle it, but if it was a Super... well, I had a bad feeling about that. It was not hard to track down where that patrol car had gone. I followed it. How was I going to get their attention without meeting resistance?


    It meandered along the road but then stopped. The police got out and made their way over to an abandoned-looking building. It was all tagged up, like something that a gang would use. The idea that I could just sit in the backseat of the armored patrol car for when they came back was thrown out when I realized how they might react to finding me there.


    Cautiously I made my way over and peered into a broken window. They were talking to somebody. There were about ten people in there, as far as I could smell and see. They did not reek of sweat and garbage, so they were not homeless, those bastards. What I did smell were gunpowder and blood. This was not a nice place at all. Voices were rising, and it sounded like some sort of dispute. It was looking bad for the officers. If I saved them, then that would be my ticket in. They would vouch for me. I would hope anyway. Maybe if I did this right, I could even get out of going to jail! I could barely contain myself. Superhero, here I come!

 Me, Myself and Neon Nurse, Chapter 3

    The Vespidian


    Arc 2 Me, Myself, and Neon Nurse


    Chapter 3


    I crawled up the side of the building and broke into a window upstairs. It made more sound than I wanted it to. There was yelling now down below, and the floorboards rumbled as somebody was running up the stairs. I clung to the ceiling and waited for whoever was coming. My eyes could see very well now that the lights were not interfering. Everything about the guy who appeared said thug. He had a tank top, jeans, was ripped, had tattoos, and had a Glock out. His head was shaved, and he had lots of chest hair. He looked over the room, walking towards the center. Not once did he look up. Why does nobody ever look up? I mean, it is the first place I look when there is creepy shit going on. I pounced, dropping down with my taloned tripod. It grasped his neck, and I thrust him into the floor with a thud. I stood over him, ready for a fight, but he was not moving... shit is he dead? Not another murder, fuck! I lowered my antenna by his face. Fuck, he had bad breath! He needs to lay off the booze. He was not dead, though, and that was what mattered. I sighed with relief, but now there was a problem. There were still seven criminals down there with two hostages.


    Somebody was yelling, and a gun went off. My heart sank as I bolted to the stairs and crashed down to the floor below. I got up and found that there were a whole lot more people here than I thought. They all looked angry and were armed. Most were pointing the guns at me.


    I could smell their fear. It was making me tremble with excitement. Thoughts that they were my prey filled my head. I was something they were not expecting; well, who would be? Something inside told me I had to be aggressive here, dominate, or else this was going to go very badly. My legs steadied themselves, and I hissed. Just that much was enough to send three of the closest running. I was more scared of them than they were of me, but that was my secret. I took a step, and they took several backing away. I hissed again that was a bad idea. Several of them shot at me, which set off a chain reaction of itchy trigger fingers. The whole room exploded into gunfire. I fucked this up bad. I hope those cops are alive after this.


    I dived to the side, dodging most of the bullets, a few did hit me, but they only dented my carapace. I was resistant to small arms fire; that was good to know. It emboldened me, and I embraced the monster. I made every man in there scream like a little girl when I scuttled across the floor. Took ten bullets in the process, but they were scattering like roaches as I chased after them, hissing and screeching. I lunged and pulled one down. His buddies turned to help. They took one look at what I was and turned blue. I was a whole bag of nope that they were not going to deal with. They abandoned him.


    I raised my fists while my lower hands held him down and started wailing on him. I will teach you to shoot me! He was screaming bloody murder as I pounded him out cold. I stood with a wide grin; it felt so good to just let it out. My face must have looked beyond terrifying because they were all gone. I stood there blankly looking around, but everyone was gone... even the cops. Fuck! Now, what am I supposed to do? Wait, they can¡¯t have gone far yet. I will chase them down and explain.


    I strode out, knocking over a motorcycle that was on the sidewalk. I peered down the street and saw the patrol car swerving around the corner. My gaze fell upon the bike. I don¡¯t know how to drive it, so I left it alone. My feet clacked down the road as I reached the corner. They were long gone.


    I held my head; it hurt a bit. It was pretty damn obvious that this was a bust. My mandibles ground together. Damn it to hell! Wait, that guy in there should have a phone or something, right? I quickly returned, lording over him. My hands rifled through his pockets, and he did have a phone. He also had a banana in his pocket for some reason. I pulled them out, but the screen was locked. This banana sure is tasty, though. I picked at it a little to no avail. Then I remembered that you could call 911 without getting in. I smiled wickedly to myself and hit the emergency call button.


    It rang a few times then someone picked up. ¡°Hello, this is 911. How may I help you? Hello? Is anyone there?¡±


    It was weird holding the phone in front of my face. It took a moment to gather my thoughts. I needed to sound natural like I do this shit all the time. ¡°Hello? Ah, yeah. Yeah, I have two criminals knocked out over here, and I need somebody to take care of it. There were two officers here, but they ran away... I think they were scared of me. Or something.¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Good question... where the fuck am I? Hold on, I will see if there is an address here.¡± I lowered the phone a little and took a step outside. Despite looking all over but there were no identifying marks on the down run place. I ran a hand down my face. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything here. Can you track the phone?¡±


    ¡°We can. Alright... actually, there are already units on their way to that location. So just hold tight. What is the situation there?¡±


    I glanced over the unconscious man, then walked up stairs and dragged down the other guy, laying him next to the other one. ¡°Looks secure. By the way.... tell them not to shoot me.¡±


    ¡°Why would they shoot you?¡±


    ¡°I kind of look like a monster. Now I know what you are thinking, but I am a nice person. I just need some help.¡±


    There was dead silence on the other end before she said. ¡°So you are a Super?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I guess I am.¡±


    ¡°What is your identification name?¡±


    ¡°My what?¡±


    ¡°You know your Hero name.¡±


    I thought for a while, but what the hell was that? So I needed to register or something? ¡°I don¡¯t have one, but I am called Vespidian.¡±


    ¡°Vespidian... just hold still right there and wait for the people to show up. Don¡¯t be surprised if a Super shows up.¡±


    ¡°Why would a Super come?¡±


    ¡°They were already dispatched before you called. Just stay there and stay calm.¡±


    She seemed a little frantic there. Did I say something wrong? Word has already spread about what I did, didn¡¯t it. I wonder who is coming? I sat pondering, half-submerged in the shadows. It did not take too long for the police to arrive and the Super with them. It was.... who was that again? I really should pay attention to Heroes more. Wait, I remember he is Fire Chief.


    He had a mechanized suit that had foam and water that he used to kill fires. I mean, the guy was a firefighter and was usually out on a call with the teams. The suit was a dusty red color striped with grungy yellow with thick armor plates. It was ten feet tall and looked like it could take some severe damage. There were two heavy cannons built into the arms and a third on his shoulder. I could see the massive tanks on his back and the reinforced hoses that led to the guns. The head looked like a large mechanical firefighter helmet and mask. The lenses were glowing blue. It was intimidating, to say the least.


    Light flooded into the building, and he stepped to about thirty feet away. He had a god damned searchlight on his shoulder. It burns, oh god, it burns! ¡°Come out with your hands up. You have ten seconds to comply.¡±


    Was he talking to me? He must be, right? I am blind here, you know? Wearily I put all four of my hands up and showed myself. ¡°There are two guys in there you should take.¡±


    ¡°Get on your knees and put your hands on the back of your head.¡± Bellowed that mechanical voice.


    I slowly complied. The ground rumbled with his every step. Behind him, I saw a swat team with shotguns and shields quickly coming closer. He stood guard over me, and they rushed into the building. The lights would scald out my eyes, so I just stared at the ground. Yet another weakness, it seems the new me has a lot of them. It feels like I got the shit end of the stick for Super Powers. The thought that this was a bad idea began to gnaw away at me. Fire Chief did not say a damned word. He just stood there like a statue.


    ¡°I might be radioactive. I was in the sewers for a bit.¡± I tried to make small talk, and it would probably be good to tell about that.


    He took a step away before hosing me down with some foamy stuff. It bubbled, and I sat there, letting it soak in. It reminded me of a bubble bath as I blew a few through the air. It had been about a minute or so before he shot me with water to clear the suds away. Those guns were serious business; it felt like I got punched where it hit me. As the suds slopped off of me, I was so damned clean there must have been a sheen coming off of my carapace. I was wet and cold, though.


    ¡°What was that stuff?¡±


    ¡°It was a counter agent to neutralize radiation.¡± Fire Chief replied, then the silence returned, and we were just sitting there. I hated the awkward muteness.


    ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No.¡± He replied.


    ¡°Wait, but I killed Captain Metal.¡± I realized after I said it that I should have just kept my mouth shut.


    The head looked down at me. ¡°Killed Captain Metal? Oh, so you are the one who attacked him? Well, he is not dead, so calm down a little, will you. At most, you will be charged with assault.¡±


    ¡°It was self-defense. He shot me like five times.¡± I cringed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look like you have been shot by his sonic gun.¡±


    I held my head, realizing that all the evidence had already healed over. ¡°I regenerate. Please, no more hurting. I will come in without a fight; just protect me from the bad people.¡±


    ¡°Bad people? Which group did you get in too deep with?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say they would kill me.¡±


    ¡°You are rather chatty considering your position.¡± He said a little uneasily.


    ¡°How does this work?¡±


    ¡°You are unregistered, so we are taking precautions, especially with the way you look. We have been getting reports of some monster running around the city all night. The descriptions match you.¡±


    ¡°I am a nice person, see.¡± I grinned, and my mouth spread wide. Somehow I am getting the feeling that he does not believe me, and that just made it worse.


    ¡°Sure you are.¡± He said it so sarcastically! ¡°We will find out after a little questioning.¡±


    My eyes opened wide. ¡°Questioning?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you know. Talking? We are going to figure out what the hell you are up to.¡±


    ¡°Oh god, you are going to torture me too?! No. No more hurting.¡± I flinched like a whipped dog.


    ¡°No one is going to torture you.¡±


    ¡°You are lying. That is what they all say!¡± I reeled back away from him into the shadows. He turned, and the spotlight followed. The swat team formed a wall of shields with guns bristling towards me like a porcupine. I lept up on the side of the wall, making a break for it. Water slammed into me and the claws detached from the building. I raked at the air turning my body to land on my feet. The ground was layered in foam when I squished down into it. The stuff was like flypaper, and I barely managed to drag myself out of the primary layer of it. It stuck to me, and I struggled, but it became harder to move with every second. Fear pulsed through me as it solidified. I was trapped.


    ¡°Calm down, will you.¡± Said Fire Chief walking over.


    ¡°Torture me all you want I know nothing!¡± I snarled back at him.


    ¡°Well, that is typically what people with things to hide say. Now listen no one is going to hurt you unless you give us reason to. Alright? We are going to go back to headquarters.¡±


    ¡°How can I trust you?¡± I cried, trembling like a leaf. ¡°Captain Metal would not even listen to me and started shooting.¡±


    ¡°I am listening.¡± He replied.


    ¡°Really? You won¡¯t try to hurt me?¡±


    ¡°If I wanted to hurt you, I would have already done it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, just don¡¯t hurt me or throw me into the slums.¡± I nodded wearily.


    He started cutting me mostly free from the foam. My hands and legs were still weighed down so that I could not run though I could walk. He led me over to a treaded tank like fire engine opening a side compartment. It was a holding cell. I was prodded in and sat down.


    ¡°Alright, I got her taken care of. You guys deal with that.¡± He shouted at the officers. Several of them nodded. He closed the door, and it hissed, sealing shut.


    If I was claustrophobic, I would be losing my shit right about now, but luckily that was not the case. Red light illuminated the inside; it blinked in a slow strobing fashion. It could be worse; I mean, he only shot me with water and foam. I was not stabbed or had fingers broken. So, all in all, this is going pretty good. I am surprised that the bullets did such minor damage too. Most of it was already healed. Goes to show how much of a monster Molotov was... damn it.


    Happy thought, happy thoughts.


    If I can take him at his word, things are going to be alright. I thought for a while on the Fire Chief, I had never heard anything bad about him. If anything, the guy was a legitimate hero. He has saved countless lives, and his inventions have helped combat crime. His central role, though, is search and rescue when there are fires or disasters. A warm fuzzy feeling filled my chest. If it was this guy, I might be safe.


    The vehicle slowed to a stop, and the door opened. White glared in, and I was blinded despite covering my eyes. Somebody grabbed me and pulled. At first, I seized up. The images of Molotov came flooding back. I have been bamboozled! I wanted to scream and run or curl up in a corner and cry. She had found me...


    ¡°Come on, you look hungry.¡± Said Fire Chief tugging slightly.


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    The realization that it was not her allowed a tidal wave of fatigue to wash over me. Was I safe? I had been on edge for so long it felt like I was going to overheat. He cuffed my hands and draped a blanket over me, even wrapped it a little to cover most of me from view.


    ¡°Why did you put the blanket...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want people staring, right?¡± He cut me off.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I murmured, holding onto his hand.


    I followed rather readily. A high ceiling was overhead, and white lights were spaced out at intervals. Swat vans and patrol cars were lined up all over the room. After a quick glance, I saw the closed bay door and where we were going was a freight elevator. His suit had changed, and he was wearing a much smaller one. He was about my height now. It had no cannons on the arms, and there was a small tank on the back with a turret type of set up. The elevator started up, and we soon arrived at the main floor.


    The marbled floor of the reception room was sparkled and black. Cameras dotted the white ceiling, and white glass made several offices over to the side. The main entrance spread out at the opposite end. Heavy blast doors yawned perpetually; they made up the inner layer. The outer was a sliding glass door that opened whenever someone stepped on the plates on either side of it. There were a lot of people here. Most of them looked like just average everyday families checking out the gift shop at the other end of the massive hall.


    Soldier looking people stood around the entrances. Their uniforms were white and red armor plates. They did not look that thick, but I could imagine that it was better than Kevlar. There were no helmets among these people, and they seemed very bored. Behind the counter to the main reception were several women in professionally cut business dresses and bundled hair.


    At first, I was simply lost in the sea of movement, hiding behind Fire Chief, and only a few people seemed to notice me. As we made our way across the room, more and more eyes became curious about me. Mind your own business. Haven¡¯t you ever seen a Wasp Woman before? I hated being watched, their mocking expressions. The pity, revulsion, hatred, and there was even somebody giving me the googly eyes. Gross, it was some old guy too! What is wrong with you people? I pulled the blanket closer to conceal it even more.


    We rounded a corner, and the corridors became white-walled with black floors. Every so often, there would be a door to one side. There were more of the Hero League people running around. I still had not seen any other Supers yet, at the least, not in costume. There could be some running around as civis, though. We ended up at the far end of the hall, where it turned once more. This time it went down a stairwell. I lagged for a moment, but he prodded me until I moved.


    This started to feel very familiar, just like a certain crazy doctor¡¯s lab. Hallways... why do they love them so much? Yet another one and I found an open door. It appeared to be an interrogation room, the kind you would see at the police station. Two-way mirror, table, and chairs with a bright light.


    ¡°Just stay here I will be back.¡± He said, pointing at the chair.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I cried, latching onto him. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me alone in here.¡±


    ¡°Get off of me.¡± He stared me down, I could feel his glare through the mask. ¡°Go sit down. I will be back in five minutes.¡±


    Reluctantly I let go, and he walked out. The door closed, and I was alone. It could be worse. It could be worse. I whispered to myself. I glanced about the room. It was dry and cold, devoid of any sort of humanity. My antenna twitched as I took a deep breath and listened to my surrounding. The scratching of bugs in the walls and voices.... not those voices, like people voices. I am not crazy.


    ¡°So what is the big deal? Why the hell did you bring her to an interrogation room? She should be in getting a check-up.¡± Said a woman¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Calm down, Neon Nurse. Look, she could be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous? Nothing a good old needle to the neck won¡¯t fix. Look at her; she is a frightened animal. I mean, what the hell even is she? Wait, is she an alien?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she is an alien. Why is it always aliens with you anyway?¡±


    ¡°Well, what do you think, Dreamer? You have been staring at her this whole time.¡± Asked Neon Nurse.


    ¡°The antennae are twitching. So those are functional, interesting. She is scared of something that much is obvious... however, I don¡¯t think it is us. In any case, we won¡¯t know anything until after I have a little stroll through her head.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to have the first crack at her. Tell me any juicy details you find out. If she is an alien, you better tell me!¡±


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on! It will be our little secret. Don¡¯t be stingy! I will hook you up with a nice robo arm; come on.¡±


    ¡°My lips are sealed.¡±


    I shifted uneasily. What does she mean a stroll through my head? I did my best to keep my eyes from wandering to the mirror. Were these people even scarier than Molotov? No. These people are nothing compared to her. The door opened, and there stood Fire Chief; he had a bowl of soup in his hands. Then I saw her, I could only assume that she was this so-called Dreamer. Why? She did not look like a nurse.


    She wore what looked like a white opera mask that had melted and was distorted; it left her crimson lips exposed. Her outfit was a deep blue leotard, shoulder gloves, stockings, and a light cyan cape. Her long silky hair was dyed blue as well. In her hand, she held a little cane that looked very expensive. She stood in the back watching me.


    ¡°You were hungry, right?¡± Asked Fire Chief putting the bowl on the table in front of me.


    I nodded and took it, then stopped myself. ¡°This isn¡¯t poisoned, is it?¡±


    He shook his head, and my upper eyes squinted at him, trying to see past that damned suit. This is that good cop, bad cop shit, isn¡¯t it? My stomach growled and started anticipating the savory flavor. Fuck it, I am hungry. I took a spoonful and tested it. It was tomato soup. My tongue stabbed into the bowl, and they jumped back. After a couple of seconds, it was slurped up, and they were eyeing me with suspicion. I licked my lips, and Dreamer stepped forward.


    ¡°So, what is your story?¡± She asked, sitting on the edge of the table.


    ¡°I am Vespidian, and I came here for help.¡± I sounded a lot more confident than I was.


    ¡°What sort of help?¡±


    ¡°I want protection. A Super Villain was trying to recruit me. They did terrible things to me.¡±


    ¡°That does not sound good. Who was it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should tell you.¡± I shuddered. ¡°I am already up shit creek if she finds me.¡±


    ¡°How are we supposed to stop her from finding you if we don¡¯t know who to look for?¡±


    A feeling of hopelessness washed over me. I clutched my head. ¡°I never should have run. When she finds me, she will break me. This was a stupid idea! What have I done? Not like Nicky Mouse!¡±


    She wrapped my head in her hands and hugged me. It was somewhat reassuring. Why do I feel like I can trust this person? Something ain¡¯t right about this. She prattled on, though. ¡°That¡¯s it. You are alright. Just relax. Trust me. That is it trust me...¡±


    ~~~


    Her voice filled my mind, and something felt like a spike in the back of my head. It hurt for a moment, but then numbness swelled, and my eyes could not focus. Darkness came. It was that terrible place. The place of madness spread out, and I lay there crying. I never wanted to come back here again. I wallowed about for a long while, but then I heard her voice. I glanced up and saw her; Dreamer stood looking over the darkness. Tendrils of ebony struck out angrily at her. She just ignored them; there seemed to be some sort of force field around her.


    She stepped closer and looked down at me. ¡°You have quite the dark mind.¡±


    ¡°Is that what this place is?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This is your inner mind. Subconscious in case you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What were you expecting, sunshine and rainbows, or unicorns perhaps?¡±


    ¡°Not from you, but I was not expecting a void of depravity. I mean, look at this place. It is a dump.¡±


    ¡°Well fuck you bitch!¡±


    She smirked. ¡°This is your mind, you know. It is only this way because you want it to be.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. I hear all these voices, and I can feel them. I don¡¯t like this place.¡±


    ¡°What do they say?¡±


    ¡°What do you think. You are reading my mind.¡±


    She was silent for a moment, just listening to the seething darkness. It hated her; I hated her. She was not welcome here. I could feel the scratching all around, writhing discomfort. She was being rejected, yet she stood her ground. Dreamer would not budge.


    ¡°So much hate, regret, sadness, revulsion, pain, fear. How are you so scared? You are far too young to have all of this festering bile in here.¡±


    Da. None of your business bitch. Said Molotov materializing out of a dark mist.


    ¡°Molotov! Why are you in here?¡± I cringed. ¡°It isn¡¯t what it looks like. I was going to come back, don¡¯t hurt me! Not the whip, please not the whip!¡±


    Shut up, fool. I am only construct of mind to fight off invader. That right there is serious bad thing. What? You no see tentacles creeping out to corrupt us? Shouted Molotov.


    I looked back at Dreamer, but there were no tentacles; she was just standing there. Although the darkness around her was turning gray, it was lightening. She spoke. ¡°No need to be so aggressive. I did not come in here to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Why did you come in here?¡± I asked, hiding behind Molotov.


    ¡°I want to help you. Is that so hard to believe? With my power, I have helped many people who suffer from mental conditions to recover and get better. Trust me. You need some serious help.¡±


    ¡®Get out of here. You are not welcome!¡¯ Shouted Molotov.


    She raised her hands up submissively. ¡°It is alright. I have already learned what I needed to know. As for all of this, well, it takes time, and if you are willing, I will help you.¡±


    She faded away and left me and my mind alone. ¡°Why did you choose Molotov?¡±


    ¡®Because she is biggest, scariest thing to you. Perfect for fighting off whatever the hell that was. Now listen, never let that back in here.¡¯


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡®She wants to change you. The only one who should change you is you. Others will try to control you. Be especially wary of mind powers.¡¯


    ¡°But it is so dark in here; maybe it needs to be changed?¡±


    ¡®Mental baggage acts as a castle for mind. You take it all out, and it like you open gate to invaders. You will be vulnerable. It is why I trained you to resist torture, this is what happens when Super Power is used to torture. More scarred, you are more resistant. Understand?¡¯


    ¡°I think so. Am I crazy?¡±


    ¡®Net. We are in inner mind. If you crazy I crazy, we are one and same after all.¡¯


    ¡°So I am just talking to myself?¡±


    ¡®Da. I am subconscious mind, your conscious mind. Same yet different, one yet two. I take care of things that take no thought to do, breathing, beating heart. That sort of thing. I also take care of instincts. You make choices on urges. I am not in control; you are. I can only nudge you to do something if I feel it right.¡¯


    I stood looking her over. ¡°You can change, right? What should I call you?¡±


    ¡®Form? Da. What you want me be? Name hmm interesting concept. Sub would not be bad. It is basic, and I don¡¯t particularly care.¡¯


    ¡°Sub? Alright, why are you so angry?¡±


    ¡®What you mean? How you not mad after all the terrible things happening to us? Life has turned to train wreck. Our safe little world of watching anime, playing games, goofing off, and diddling to porn has been shattered. It is because you did not listen to me. I wanted to go home.¡¯


    It felt peculiar talking to myself. I mean, it was a totally different me, and she was angry at just about everything. I was being insulted by myself.... did I fall down the rabbit hole or something? Is there more than just her? Don¡¯t tell me there is like an army of other mes in here somewhere. There is a little nagging feeling that I might be totally fucked in the head. I mean I am talking to myself, and it is talking back. Well, you know what they say about the abyss, you stare long enough, and it stares back. She is really mean too. She is a lot like Molotov, actually...


    ¡®That is not very nice.¡¯ Said Sub glaring at me.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡®You know what. Where the hell you think we are? I hear everything. I know what guy we cream pants over... although now I suppose we don¡¯t wear pants. Anyway, don¡¯t compare me to psycho bitch.¡¯


    ¡°You say that while looking like her.¡±


    Da. To get point across.¡¯


    ¡°So, what do you want?¡±


    ¡®Apology.¡¯


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡®You know what.¡¯


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡®Eh, good enough. I don¡¯t expect much out of you anyway. What is done is done. But you should know more you trust me, stronger I am.¡¯


    ¡°What the fuck! So cruel. Why should I trust you?¡±


    ¡®Why would you not? I am the competent one. I kept us alive while in coma. I would not do something that would hurt us; that is stupid like robbing bank. That is shitting where you eat. Anyway, main reason is, I am your mental defense. Scary lady did not get kicked out, she left on own. I was not strong enough to repel her. Which means she could come back.¡¯


    ¡°Is that bad?¡±


    ¡®What you mean is it bad?! Are you stupid? I fear she come back and have way with us. She could have taken us to brown town! Skull fucked our brains out! Turned us into sex slave if that what she wanted! Never let her in again!¡¯


    ¡°Why are you obsessed with sex?¡±


    ¡®I am you remember?¡¯ Said Sub shivering. ¡®Look in mirror miss two terabyte porn folder. So... so many tentacles.¡¯


    ¡°Ah, right point taken.¡±


    ¡®Da.¡¯


    ¡°How do I leave here, by the way?¡±


    ¡®Da. You imagine door and open it.¡¯


    ¡°That easy?¡±


    Da.


    ¡°Bye, I guess.¡±


    Don¡¯t worry, I always watching. Don¡¯t be too stupid out there. Don¡¯t let Neon Nurse stab you! She wants our ass.


    ¡°Neon who?¡±


    ~~~


    My eyes opened, and I was sitting at the table with Dreamer standing over my shoulder. I jerked away from her hand. She seemed surprised but had a warm smile.


    ¡°See, that was not so bad.¡±


    I snapped back at her. ¡°Stay the fuck out of my head. It is bad enough without you fiddling around in there.¡±


    ¡°I did not mean to scare you or anything. We just needed the information to help you.¡±


    ¡°You stay away from me.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± She smiled. ¡°I will not help you unless you ask me to.¡±


    Fire Chief stood up from his chair. ¡°Well, now that we know that Molotov is in town, we need to call in some serious help. Don¡¯t worry, you are safe here.¡±


    ¡°I am safe?¡± I wanted desperately to believe it.


    Fire Chief took off his helmet. He had a thick blunted chin covered in grizzled stubble, and a scar ran up from his muscular neck clear to his right eye. Baby blue eyes and black Caesar cut hair, now that, that was a man. He just smiled at me and said. ¡°Everything is going to be alright now.¡±


    Don¡¯t do that! You want me to go weak in the knees? Tears started falling, and no matter how I wiped, they kept coming. Why did it feel like I could trust him? I must just be desperate. Well, that and he is right in my hitbox. What? A girl can dream. I mean, he just saved me and pulled me off of the streets like a lost puppy. Albeit a rabid puppy, but still. I am not saying it is love or anything, but I would not mind getting to know him a bit better. Wait, he just showed me his secret identity!


    ¡°Why did you show me your face? Secrets are secrets, right?¡± I asked, nibbling on my fingers, worried out of my mind.


    ¡°Around here, everybody knows everybody. You are one of us now. We stick up for one another, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I am one of you guys? I joined the Hero League just like that?¡± I asked nervously, looking between the two expecting it to be a joke.


    ¡°A little premature to be saying she is one of us.¡± Said, Dreamer. ¡°You still have to pass a few tests to join. First of all, we need to get you medically examined. I know a certain nurse who is biting at the bit to see what is what.¡±


    ¡°She is not going to go all Dr. Feelgood on me, is she?¡±


    ¡°That is entirely up to her. Depends on how thorough she wants to get.¡±


    ¡°That is a violation of human rights!¡±


    ¡°It is for a good cause.¡± Said someone behind me. It was Neon Nurse and her syringe of love? Peace? Justice? I don¡¯t know, but it scares me. That thing looks dangerous! ¡°You won¡¯t feel a thing!¡±


    ¡°I never agreed to this!¡± I shouted and tried to run, but that bitch got me right in the ass. Fuck! Sub was right. Why does everything go for the ass? I guess it is a weak point, the joints between my pelvic armor and legs. I had half a mind to sting her with my own syringe, but my muscles were already going crazy. I dropped to the floor, writhing and screeching. The smile she wore was unhinged. Don¡¯t you look at me like that! What the hell have I gotten myself into now? Then the lights went out.


    ~~~


    ¡°Fuck me! I am here again?¡± I shouted, staring at the abyss.


    Nice to see you too, asshole.¡¯ Laughed Sub bubbling up from the ground. She did not have a form, just darkness with a wide grin and glowing eyes. ¡®I told you to watch out for her. But you no listen.


    ¡°Well fuck you, I am leaving.¡±


    ¡®I would not do that if I was you.¡¯


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked.


    ¡®Neon Nurse is ehh...¡¯ She trailed off. ¡®Well, doing things to us.¡¯


    ¡°God damn it! What? What is she doing.¡±


    ¡®You don¡¯t want to know. Trust me on this one. I don¡¯t even want to know.¡¯ Said Sub shaking her head while shivering.


    I yelled at her. ¡°What the fuck is going on out there?! Now you got me worried!¡±


    If you must know, it involves Robo Snakes, like five Robo Snakes. At least now I know how it feels to be in the hentai. Good news I know what all holes do now. She was shuddering and writhing while she held her face... oh god, she is a pervert.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to hear it!¡±


    ¡®You asked! Ok, middle hole is-¡¯


    ¡°LALALALA! I can¡¯t hear you!¡±


    ¡®Seriously though, this is important.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me!¡±


    ¡®Alright, I won¡¯t tell you. I know what poison is now, though. It causes paralysis. Pretty useful, eh? I stabbed that bitch right in the stomach. Problem is she is cyborg, and it only slowed her down for like a minute.¡¯


    ¡°Wait, you said she has Robo Snakes? Why the hell does she have those?¡±


    That is good question. Be sure to ask after you wake up.


    I cringed. ¡°Is there going to be any lasting damage?¡±


    She looked up for a second and seemed to be thinking. How come I can¡¯t tell what she is thinking, but she knows what I am? That is not fair! She stared at me.


    I heard that. Well, if you actually listened, you could easily hear what I am thinking. If you tried, we could be all cool and talk with telepathy, but noooo someone is slacking. As for damage well, ovipositor will take a full day to recover. She was very interested in that. I think she might have hots for us now, scratch that, she is going to rape us. Seems to think we alien and going to impregnate women. She has watched too many movies.


    ¡°Wait, I have a what? I have an egg layer?¡±


    Indeed. Our inny is an outy, literally. It is pretty weird having a reversible womb. No eggs, though, not yet. Neon Nurse was very, very disappointed about that.


    ¡°That is fucking gross. I don¡¯t want to know. Is she going to be done soon?¡±


    It will be a while. She is eh... exploring.


    ¡°Yeah... just tell me when it is safe to wake up. I am going to choke that bitch so hard! I can break her neck, right? I mean, she is a cyborg, right?¡±


    Yeah, I will be right there with you. Smiled Sub.

 Me, Myself and Neon Nurse, Chapter 4

    The Vespidian


    Arc 2 Me, Myself, and Neon Nurse


    Chapter 4


    My eyes shot open. "Snakes! Oh god, they are everywhere!" I screamed, falling off of the table.


    Standing over me was a young woman, but her skin seemed wrong; it was lifeless like hardened plastic. Yet it also seemed to be supple and pliable. Her head was helmeted and left only the lower face exposed. Doll''s eyes, glossy and glowing green, sat behind a pink visor. A nurse outfit covered her; it was not fabric; instead, some sort of bendy metal and was pearly white. The logo of a syringe was emblazoned upon her front like it had been stamped there in red. She wore thick shoulder-length gloves and knee-high stockings; both were black and made out of that metal. There were grooves carved into her, and neon lights shined pink, washing her in a strange aura, I could only describe it as creepy. I never knew pink could be so scary.


    Neon Nurse stared down at me. Then her crooked smile spread. "How did you know about those, I wonder... Ah, but these are not snakes; that is the old model. Worms are the new model, twice as efficient. You look scared, don''t worry. Looks like someone needs another shot. I am not done yet. Just hold still now."


    "Get the fuck away from me, you sick bitch!" I kicked her knee out, and she fell back.


    "Hey, that hurt." She got back up far too quickly.


    "My ass hurts. What is your point?"


    She smiled, twirling the giant syringe. "It is not nice to call people names. Oh, I know, it is because you don''t know who I am. I am Neon Nurse. Cybernetic Genius at your service. As for the exploration, it was a resounding success." She shuddered, looking like she wet herself. Pervert! It''s a pervert! "You should be sore for about a week. Well, a normal person would anyway. I doubt you will even feel it after a few hours."


    I have never felt so violated in my entire life before. Everything felt wrong on the inside. Thankfully I did not feel any snakes still in there. Thanks to Sub, though, I knew that they had been everywhere... everywhere! I shivered, even imagining it. This bitch I am going to kill her! The world will be a better place without her. Of that, I am confident. I had trepidation about killing, but I could do it after what she did to me if it was her. I would not even feel bad about it. In fact, I think it would be pretty damned satisfying. Wow, that got dark; well, she does deserve it.


    "I don''t care what you are. I am going to kill you!"


    "We can be such good friends, though. Why do you want to kill me?" She asked, readying the syringe.


    "How do you not understand after what you did to me?"


    "What did I do to you?" She asked, tilting her head to one side. "I just gave you an examination. Every Hero gets an examination by me here. I must say your body is... breathtaking. Your anatomy is so alien; it gets my circuits moist. I want to study you more and more. I may have gotten a little carried away, but I learned so much about you! My dear Vespidian, you are healthy, I think. Honestly, I am not too sure because you are so inhuman. I will need more data to be sure, though. You seem to be agitated... so let us stop for now. Are you hungry? I emptied your stomach to see what diet you have been partaking in."


    "You bitch!" I tackled her, wrapped all four hands around her neck, and squeezed. It was undoubtedly metal, and I had to really try to break it. What the hell is made out of, Titanium? She tried to jab me, but I kicked the needle away.


    "Owe, stop. Come on, stop; it tickles. Violence is never the answer." She kept babbling, and I started shaking and bashing her head into the floor. "Breaking me won''t change anything. You are so cute when you are angry."


    I snapped her neck finally, and the damned thing started sparking. "That is not nice. How did you know I can''t die from that? You knew about my snakes too. You are full of so many surprises."


    "Why won''t you die!?" I shouted at her.


    "Don''t worry, you did not do any damage I can''t fix in an hour or so. I forgive you."


    I reached back and started punching her face. You forgive me? Fuck that, die! She kept smiling the whole time, though. What is she a masochist? Her face is made of metal too. Is she even a cyborg, or is she a robot? No matter how hard I hit her, the smirk would not leave her face; it was getting bigger. Oh god, she is M! I pulled away from her and accidentally vented. Her eyes grew huge when she saw that.


    "Finished? To be able to break my neck with your bare hands, you are stronger than you look." Smiled Neon Nurse holding her head straight. She was looking closely at my abdomen. "What was that you just did? Do it again. What a fascinating adaptation. I want to just lock you up and unravel the mysteries of this wondrous body."


    My eyes turned deadly, and she took a step back. This bitch was just like Dr. Arbor! I could smell that stink that meant I wanted to kill. "You would not be the first to try. I will make you the last."


    "Oh, someone has already studied you? Who? I want to compare research, imagine the potential."


    I threw her into the wall knocking over something that looked very expensive. My hands were twitching. "I will kill. I mean it. You violated me!"


    She rose slowly, and her head nearly fell off. "I am sorry."


    "You are what?" I asked, a little dumbfounded.


    "I am sorry." She replied. "I get a little over-excited when I see new things. I just get lost in trying to figure out how every little thing works. I really want to be friends with you, though. I will respect your boundaries from now on. However, it would be in your best interest if I am allowed to study you more. There could be complications from certain drugs, medicines or chemicals you see. I have a feeling it would be terrible if you died. Mutigene is very unstable and dangerous, you know. You could be a walking time bomb for all we know. It would not be the first time."


    "You know about Mutigene?"


    "Oh yes. It might not be my field of expertise, but I know quite a bit. Let''s see, fumes can cause cancerous cells to mutate and take over host cells at a phenomenal rate. Direct exposure is really not recommended, though. It leads to complete and utter genetic breakdown. It is some really dangerous stuff. You can get Super Powers from it, but that is only about six percent odds, and that is only at light exposure. Odds of survival plummet if more than three drops come into direct contact and are absorbed into the body. Most of the scientific community is terrified of the stuff. My friend Dr. Arbor is the leading researcher on it. If you liked, I could make an appointment and have her look you over."


    I shook my head. "No. I never want to see her. Wait, you are friends with her? She is a Super Villain!"


    She smiled. "No, no, silly Dr. Arbor is neutral. There is a little gray line where most Technological and Biological focused Supers fit. You see, being a hero will greatly restrict your progress, but you are mostly safe. Being a villain, there are no limitations to what can be achieved. Still, it will land you on the wanted list and make you easy prey for all sorts of unscrupulous types. You have to hire muscle if you want to be safe like that, which is very expensive, let me tell you. Sometimes even the hired muscles aren''t enough to stop the more predatory villains."


    Neon Nurse sighed, "Then you run into the funding predicament; experiments cost a fortune, you know. There is the middle where you work for the Hero League with most things, but you hide the crazy stuff. That is the neutral line. Often, you end up working for the government if you take that route. They look the other way to the more questionable aspects of your work and throw wheelbarrows of money if you can produce results. The main problem with working with the government is that they are very greedy when it comes to the finished product. They will frequently take it unless it helps you make something even better."


    "That sounds beyond unethical. Are you neutral?"


    "I suppose I am." She smiled, leaning her head to the side and keeping it there with her hand. "Although these days I mostly work for the Hero League. Ah, I did sell Dr. Arbor my prototype Robo Snake about two months ago. It is self-replicating, but I have not quite figured out a few little glitches in it."


    "Self-replicating? That sounds terrifying. You know Dr. Tesla as well?"


    "Oh, Dr. Tesla? He is a supervillain, but he''s still very close to the neutral line. His Dimensional Pocket technology is absolutely groundbreaking! I have several units myself. I use it whenever I collect samples out in the field. All that I had to give him was a thousand Robo Snakes and a hundred Robo Scorpions; really, it was a steal. You see, the scientific community is rather small, so we all know one another. We even have an annual meeting to share research and see if anyone might be having the same problems we are and if they have found a fix. Mr. Green, for instance, is a really nice guy. He won the peace prize last convention for his radical new crop experiments."


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Mr. Green? Who the hell is that, the hippie cousin of Mr. Clean?"


    "You have not heard about him? He is trying to solve world hunger."


    "He really does sound pretty cool. That seems like something to get behind." I smiled vaguely.


    "It has been a while since anybody heard anything from him, though."


    "Like how long?"


    "A couple months, I think. It is not as though we talk regularly. He likely locked himself in his lab and is working on something crazy; it is what we do when we are inspired. It is a real shame he was not very interested in my Robos. I was hoping to get a contract going with him."


    "Well, let''s just say I am well acquainted with your snakes. You know Molotov as well?"


    She shook her head. "Molotov is a very bad person. I would never deal with her. After all, I do not want to be mixed up with the Russians, or Kraken."


    "What do you mean the Russians I thought she defected?"


    She gave me a strange look. "Why would she defect? Molotov is the head of KGB."


    My eyes opened wide, and I shook her. "Are you sure?"


    She nodded, "Has been for the last twenty years. No one knows where she came from or how she obtained Eternal Youth; she has not aged a day since her appearance. Her ferocity and Super Strength have made Russia a world threat. She even made Super Soldiers. Ten years ago, the whole world was almost consumed in nuclear fire, that is, had she not stopped it. That was the North Koreans though, she executed everyone responsible and appointed a new leader."


    "You do realize that is the person chasing me, right?"


    "Of course. We are taking precautions. She is scary, but there are true monsters out there. Besides, she works for Russia''s best interest, and war with the USA would be exceedingly bad for both sides. Mutually assured destruction and whatnot."


    I nodded. "Were there any other tests I had to do to join?"


    "Well, we have to gauge your Rank, but that is in the lower facilities. We also have to figure out what kind of Super you are."


    "How much of you is still human?" I asked her.


    "Me? Roughly thirty percent. It is only my brain and some more vital organs left. Everything else has been replaced by glorious machinery. In fact, I have almost created a cyber heart, lung, and brain for humans; I already have animal ones. Soon I will be one hundred percent machine, assuming things go well. They often don''t. So many setbacks. Well, what is progress without setbacks? You want me to make you some Robo limbs or armor, perhaps? The limbs are very popular with amputees."


    "I will think about it. Just keep your snakes away from me."


    "Friends?" She smiled, extending her hand. With it absent, her head fell over crooked, wires sparking. I took it and nodded. "I guess."


    "Oh, you never told me. How much Mutigene were you exposed to?" She asked, fixing her neck while I sat on the table.


    "I guess about this much. Hard to say I kind of fell in it." I said, holding up a flat bottomed breaker.


    She dropped her head and stared between me and the container. Neon Nurse jammed her head back into place, I heard a few things break. "You. How are you alive? Exposed to that much, you should be primordial soup burning a hole through the earth right now!"


    "I get that I am special, but is it that surprising?"


    She started breathing heavily. "You don''t understand. You, let me dissect you!"


    "Hell no!" She had her arms out towards me, and I held her back. After a few moments, she calmed down.


    Neon Nurse held up a test tube and poured a tiny amount of water into the bottom. "This is roughly the amount that a human can survive of Mutigene. However, that is only physically. Mentally they will be handicapped, develop split personalities, amnesia, schizophrenia, bipolar, or prone to outbursts of rage. There is a lot more than that, but that should give you an idea of what happens. Anything beyond this much leads to complete degradation of DNA strands. Most turn into giant cancerous lumps of flesh with no intelligence to speak of. You have been exposed to over a thousand, no ten thousand times the lethal dose. Maybe even more. To be frank, you are an aberration; something like you will likely never be created again! I wonder how you are sane? You must have high mental fortitude. I will have to scan your brain later and see where all the activity is. I will study you. We must discover the secret to this."


    "I don''t get it. If the shit is so dangerous, why do people still use it?"


    "The potential is where that answer is. Super Powers that can be obtained from light exposure are well, they could be anything. There have been cases of Pyrokinesis clear to Muscle Adaptation. The ranks are all over the place as well. It is a wild card, so to speak. People crave power and will do anything to get it. If it could be perfected... one could have superpowers in a can."


    "How does everybody else get powers besides that shit?"


    "Well, that would be various ways. They could be born with it and might be hereditary. Cursed bloodlines and whatnot, or being bitten by a radioactive animal, happens more than you would think. There is a whole gang of subhumans running around in the slums. Exposure to heavy doses of radioactivity, but that is only about a three to five percent chance of success; most just get cancer. Oh, and of course, let''s not forget Magic."


    "Magic?"


    "Magic. You know there are demons, right, angels too? I suppose they could be considered alternate dimensional beings. Granted, they can''t come here directly, but they can influence certain things through magic."


    "I heard about that. What about Demon Rider''s demon bitches?"


    "He breaks the rules on that. After all, he can cross over and bring things back, like his harem of succubus and his demonic bike that feeds on cocaine. Really it is no surprise he is a rank 9. He is one of those true monsters I was talking about. Usually, though, it is mostly possessions and throwing fireballs or shooting lightning type stuff. There is also vampires and werebeasts, but those typically fall under the radioactive animal category. Honestly, not that impressive."


    "Not impressive?"


    "Well, no. I mean, we have nukes. Radioactive zombies are pretty intimidating in case you don''t know."


    I nodded. "Point taken."


    "Anyway, back to you. I will pay you to be my research subject. You like money, right? I promise it won''t be anything life-threatening."


    "I will think about it. Since you are so insistent. How much are we talking here?"


    Neon Nurse started unzipping her uniform and leaned into a sexy pose. "I could pay with my body."


    "What happened to the money?" I asked, eyeing her dismissively.


    "Well, I could give you money and could let you indulge in my body."


    I slapped her and shouted. "I don''t want your body! You look like a fucking mannequin!"


    "But, but eggs and.... you need someone to inseminate!" She ripped her clothes off, exposing all of her sculpted figure. Not entirely sure what was going on between her legs, it looked normal, but something told me to be afraid, very afraid. "I guarantee the soundness of my robo vagina. Three times as good as a normal one! I have patents in the sex toy industry!"


    "I am into men, damn it!"


    She leaned in, showing off her breasts as though that would seduce me. She gave me a bizarre look. "Oh, then you would put your brood in the..."


    I realized where she was going with that. "Oh god damn it. No! Enough with the eggs!"


    "Then if I made a male model body, you would."


    "No. I don''t want to fuck you!"


    She looked dejected, and I kind of felt bad about it. Neon Nurse started buttoning up her costume with a huge frown. She might be unhinged, but I think she is genuinely worried about me. I mean, she was literally throwing herself at me. Maybe it would not be so bad? I suppose I should take what I can get considering I am not human. At some point, I will lay eggs... it might be challenging to find a willing host, although who is to say I even need a host? I would probably just make a nest or something. Well, I will cross that bridge when I get to it. If I get to it, I hope to god I never do. In fact, I hope that the bridge burns down and I never even have to see it. It is one thing as a fantasy about, but as reality, it seems rather scary. Besides, if I did, what kind of hellspawn would I even produce? More of me running around does not sound very appealing.


    "I am not promising anything, but should I be in the brooding mood, I will consider it. I just want the money, ok. So how much can you pay?"


    "So what you are saying is, if I pay you, you will inseminate me?" Her clothes dropped again, and she latched onto my side. "How much? I can pay one million right now." She stared me down with earnest eyes.


    My eyes opened wide. "A million?! Why would you go so far?"


    "Call it scientific pursuit?"


    "So you are not actually into me?"


    She licked her lips and rubbed a finger over them. "I never said that. My brain tingles just thinking about you. I want to explore every part of you personally, and in return, I would love to feel you venturing through my components."


    "There is no reasoning with you, is there?" I pleaded. She shook her head, rubbing my leg sensually. I poked her hard with my fingers. "If it does happen, it happens on my terms, but don''t expect anything!"


    Neon Nurse nodded with ardent eyes. I could feel spiders running up my back. It was enough to shake a little. She scooted in close to me, and I shoved her away. She just kept gazing at me like I was made of solid gold or something. Oh god! How deep did I just dig a hole for myself? I just wanted to sell my body to science for money! Is that so wrong? Where did it go so horribly awry? Wait a minute, what the hell does she even want to do with my eggs? What about the children!? I will not bring her sick fantasies to life! How do I attract all the weirdos? If I just ignore it, it might go away, right?


    "Put your clothes on, will you?!" I yelled at her, and she sulked. "What are people going to think if anybody sees this?"


    "Fine. Fine. I jumped the gun a little bit. I just wanted your organic positor in my port storage unit." She said, pulling her metal clothes back up.


    I eyed her for a long moment. "So about that testing. How much could you pay for that?"


    "Well, let me get back to you on that. I am not entirely sure how much money I have at the moment."


    "You offered a million."


    "That is part of my emergency fund."


    "Where do you get all of your money?"


    "Sex toys and robo limbs, mostly. I sell a lot to the military. The veterans absolutely love them. I got some outstanding ones. You want to try?"


    "No. I am good. Wait then, what are the snakes and stuff for?"


    "Oh, those are just for fun, mostly. The Robo Snake is used for surgeries and exploring body cavities to find problems, like cancer. Seems to be a lot of cancer these days. It is very useful. I remember Dr. Arbor lamenting a contract to cure it. She kept saying it was taking valuable time from her new pet project. I kept bugging her about what she had on the drawing board, but she kept being all hush, hush about it, some secret government project. I never did find out what she was doing. I have Robo Spiders in the works, too. I am about halfway through getting all eight magnetic legs to move properly."


    I shuddered. "Snakes, scorpions, and spiders? What is wrong with you?"


    She shrugged. "I like how structured nature is. It is beautiful, and I try to replicate it and make even better versions. I have a cyber cat named Mittens. He was hit by a car last year, and I had to do extensive remodeling, but he is alive and well. That was an enjoyable project. He was in here somewhere, but you scared him off. He is such a scaredy-cat."


    "You made a cyborg cat? Please tell me it does not talk."


    "Why would a cat talk?" She asked, thinking. "I might be able to make him talk. How interesting. I never thought about that. Oh, you are just so full of helpfulness. I think we are going to have a long and intimate friendship."


    "Don''t remind me." I scowled.

 Me, Myself and Neon Nurse, Chapter 5

    The Vespidian


    Arc 2 Me, Myself, and Neon Nurse


    Chapter 5


    She grinned and set to work fixing her neck. It did not take long for her to actually get it reattached and rewired. It was supposed to take an hour, but it only took ten minutes, and she was not even looking at what she was doing. Is she actually a genius? I got bored and started looking around. I found Mittens. He was an orange tabby, at the least half of one. The back half was metallic, and little robot paws clinked as he walked. His tail was long and corded with metal. Half of his skull was metal, and the right eye glowed green.


    Gotta admit he was kinda cute. Mittens was not a happy creature, at the least not around me. He hissed and backed away every time I got near. Do animals hate me now or something? I just want to pet the damned cat, come here you little fucker! Why you make this so difficult? Just accept my love, will you!


    Eventually, I cornered him, bad move. The little bastard had metal teeth. He bit my hand like a bulldog and would not let go. The jaw literally locked; there was a metal hinge, and it was stuck. His tail was like a sword, and he kept trying to stab me with it! Neon Nurse just hummed away while I wrestled with her cyborg monster. She did not care! She did not care about the damned cat or me.


    I managed to rip Mittens off before he could shank me. He bolted across the room. I shook my fists at the furry terror.


    Note to self, Mittens is an asshole.


    ¡°All better.¡± Smiled Neon Nurse turning to face me. Her neck was correctly aligned and, as far as I could tell, perfectly fine now. ¡°Now then, we still have so much to do.¡±


    ¡°What more is there to do?¡± I wearily asked her.


    ¡°I need to clean you off.¡±


    ¡°Clean me off? Am I filthy or something?¡±


    ¡°To put it simply, yes. You had been crawling around through garbage and certain... shall we say excretions were released during your examination.¡±


    ¡°Oh great, so I pissed myself?¡±


    She nodded, and I sighed. I can¡¯t really smell it, but then again, my antenna were more concerned about my pheromones than much else lately. It could also be that I got used to the smell. That is a disturbing thought. She led me over to a room on the side of her medical center. It was more of a chamber, and I was getting some; ¡®going to be put down¡¯ vibes from the place.


    Neon Nurse had me stand at the center of room, and then she walked out. I was half expecting poison gas to pour out of the vents, but instead, water gushed out from all around. The sprays were directed at me it felt like fire hoses. They rotated and got every nook and cranny before shutting off. My antenna drooped, and my wings were waterlogged. To put it mildly, I felt like a drowned rat. My vents opened and shook off the water like a dog; my whole body vibrated for a moment then I was dry again. That is useful. The door opened, and she led me over to a bench to sit down.


    ¡°That it?¡±


    ¡°Not quite. Hold out your arm. I am going to take some blood samples and start running it through the system.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you did not take blood already? Isn¡¯t that supposed to be the first thing you do?¡±


    ¡°I was far more interested in your components. Honestly, you should not be awake right now; I tranquilized you with enough of my special sleepy-time juice to put down a horse. I will remember to up the dosage next time. I was about to start on the blood work, but then you woke up.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. I need to know more about you. Otherwise, if you get hurt by a villain, I won¡¯t be able to save you. That would be very sad to lose such an interesting specimen.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was your friend?¡±


    ¡°You are, but you are also my research specimen. When performing medical procedures, my brain is set to disregard emotion. After all, it is difficult to do what needs to be done if you have silly little things getting in the way.¡±


    ¡°That sounds scary as hell. I don¡¯t know if I want to let you even touch me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. See, that is one of the emotions I was talking about. If I was scared, I would never be able to save a patient¡¯s life. I have an outstanding track record. I have only lost five patients over the course of the last eight years, and those were in my first year of doing this. If I was not trustworthy, why would everyone here put their lives in my hands?¡±


    She had a point, but I was still unsure. My reluctance seemed to give her what she wanted. She decided to take the initiative. She grabbed my hand and stretched out the arm, rubbing a cotton swab with alcohol over my elbow joint. The gigantic needle approached, and I looked away, covering my eyes. I felt the pressure, it did not hurt. It was not so bad. She must do this a lot.


    Been in there for a while.... why am I feeling light-headed? I looked over, and the massive compartment was filled with my yellow blood. She plucked it out with a satisfied face, and I fell over. My eyes blurred.


    ¡°I seem to have taken just a little too much.¡± She put the syringe into a compartment and pulled it off. A new one replaced it in the gun like handle. ¡°You will be fine, though. Just need to feed you something. You like protein paste?¡±


    ¡°Meat. I want meat.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mittens, you heard her. It was fun, but you are the emergency food supply.¡± Said Neon Nurse holding up her cyber cat. He meowed pathetically and looked terrified. I would be, too, if I was at her mercy.


    ¡°What do I look like, some animal? I don¡¯t want to eat your damned cat!¡±


    She sighed and tossed him over her shoulder. He clattered somewhere back there. No wonder he is an asshole. Would she have really fed me her cat? I am starting to feel bad for that poor thing. He slunk off somewhere. I hope he finds a nice hole to crawl into so that this bitch can¡¯t find him. My stomach was groaning.


    ¡°Meat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Let me see what is in the fridge.¡±


    ¡°You did not even see what was in the fridge before offering your cat up as a sacrifice? What is wrong with you!¡±


    ¡°I was joking; I would not feed you Mittens. He is all metal and bones. Let me tell you, he has been through worse than almost being eaten.¡±


    I get the feeling that she was not joking. She looked awfully serious there. ¡°Somehow, I don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    She just smiled and opened up a mini-fridge over by the samples table. She closed it after a moment, and she had a can in her hand... cat food. ¡°This is about it. I don¡¯t eat anything other than paste so... Mittens likes it, though. Oh, look at that three percent ground beef and ten grams of protein.¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t eating cat food! Give me people food!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I will show you where all the organics eat.¡±


    ¡°Organics?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Non Cyborgs. I don¡¯t remember when I started calling everything that. Been a few years. It makes it a lot easier to rationalize things. You though, you are my little alien.¡±


    I could sense some sort of complication? Repressed trauma? Whatever the hell it was, I was staying out of it. You just don¡¯t go sticking your nose into other people¡¯s business. That is how you get crazy yandere bitches chasing you around. Just be a little nice and bam! Crazy person chasing you with a knife or a syringe gun. I was not going to delve into her life. It is bad enough that she is shoving robo snakes into mine. In fact, I was seriously reconsidering the whole deal thing we had after what she did to Mittens. Something tells me it might already be too late, though. I just hope I can stay far away from her. She opened the door, and we left along the corridors.


    ¡°Thanks... I guess?¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me. What kind of food do you usually eat?¡±


    ¡°Junk food. At the least, that is what I want to eat.¡±


    ¡°It is not good to indulge too often.¡± She said, wagging her finger at me. ¡°A strict diet of protein paste will keep you healthy and happy.¡±


    ¡°When was the last time you had a burger?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember. For the last five years, the paste has been my diet.¡±


    ¡°How do you still like it?¡± I gave her a pointed look. ¡°Usually, if I eat the same thing for like a week straight, I start throwing up the moment I try to eat it.¡±


    ¡°I turned off my taste buds long ago.¡±


    ¡°So you have no taste?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I have no use for it.¡±


    ¡°Turn it back on and have a burger with me.¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°I would be your friend.¡±


    She looked me over twice. Then reluctantly nodded. ¡°You drive a hard bargain. For friendship?¡±


    I nodded, and she smiled shyly. She must not have many friends. I mean, she is latching onto me, a bug mutant. Although she is a cyborg, so she is not exactly normal herself. Her intrusive practices probably drives away anybody that is not already damaged. Did I just put myself down? Damn it. Now I am feeling bad for her and myself. Why am I such a nice person? At any rate, I can use her and maybe find a way to fix myself. My last resort would be to get a cyborg body, but something tells me she would not let that happen unless I inseminated her.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Well, I guess we all have problems. I wish I could just be a dick and not care about other people. Then again, that sounds very lonely. I am tired of being alone. I just want a fucking friend who won¡¯t torture me. Granted, I might be barking up the wrong tree here. Although she has not exactly lied to me about anything yet, maybe she is not that bad? Well... I will give it a try at the least.


    She showed me the way to the cafeteria. It was very similar to Dr. Tesla¡¯s; there were a few differences, but did they all have the same designer or something? The walls were thick concrete and the paint smelled of lead. It was the same throughout the building. It made one wonder was this place made to withstand a nuke? Although it might be because there are a few supers who are radioactive. Lead in the paint, was there asbestos in the roof too? The problem is this stuff is not good for you. I suppose it is a suitable preventative measure. The alternative seemed to be far worse.


    A conveyor belt slowly moved in a circle, and prepackaged meals sat at intervals of a foot. They cycled through six types of food; turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, Salisbury steak, a gooey protein paste, an assortment of salad, steamed vegetables, and a chicken dinner. They were all canned, so I was a bit skeptical over how they would be. I was surprised that they supplied such a variety. Where did it all come from, though? The belt led into the wall and circled back with more of the same. There must be a kitchen staff or something back there. It turns out you could get as much as you wanted, but it was deducted from your paycheck automatically. Since I had no money, Neon Nurse bought me a turkey and chicken dinner. We sat off to the side, and she stared expectantly. It was like she was observing some animal or something. Why does everybody treat me like some creature?


    I stared at the container of food for a long moment. It was strange, to say the least. The side said, shake me on it, so I did. The result was a bubbling broth of liquid that solidified into a chicken dinner, complete with roasted skin. I stared in wonder at this. How was this possible? Does it taste like chicken? I poked at it like some unidentified organism and finally ripped a piece off. The texture was right, the smell was right, so I fed the chunk into my mouth, and the taste was savory. It was chicken alright, in a can. What sorcery is this! I might get addicted. The feeling that I looked like a ravenous beast came to mind as I shoveled in the whole chicken, and I did not care; it tasted too good. There were bones, but I crunched them up all the same. Neon Nurse stared at me with sparkling eyes. I turned away from her and kept eating. It was my food, and I was not sharing! I think food might be the bane of my existence.


    ¡°You look so happy when you are eating.¡±


    ¡°Do I?¡±


    ¡°Oh my yes. It is the first time I have seen such a veracious expression. To feast with such abandon, it must certainly be delectable.¡± Smiled Neon Nurse.


    I started feeling self-conscious and glanced around. Every eye in the room was looking at me. The familiar disgust and revolting expressions covered most of the people here. Damn it. Some of these are Supers too, they must think I am a freak now. Although since it was rather late, there were not that many people in here. Looked to be about ten, counting Neon Nurse and me. I buried my head in my arms. I wanted to at the least make a good impression with these people. I peeked out, keeping myself from crying, and I saw Captain Metal. So I see he is not dead. Guess that means the venom really is only paralytic. He did not look happy to see me. His super outfit was the same as always, sleek and light. The low-density plating to the chest, legs, and arms gave off a certain eloquent vibe. The helmet was as mysterious as ever concealing all but his lower, smooth shaved face. His sonic pistol was holstered at his hip, and there was another hero by his side. It was Black Panther, well, just Panther now.


    Panther had to deal with a bunch of people calling it racist since he was black and was not calling himself Black Panther. Only in California, right? Activist groups tried to lift him up as an icon of the black movement, but he did not want it to be a race thing. Only reason I even knew about it was because of college and those damned leftists dragging race into everything. It was big news at the time. I think there was something to do with copyright laws too.


    The Black Panthers activist group, although I suppose they are more of a terrorist group than a social rights activist group, tried to stir up a lot of trouble about it. They took him to court and stuff over it. Cancel culture at its finest. I recall some rioting as well.


    I mean the whole thing was stupid and crazy. Both sides were wrong. Some wanted to call him African Panther, others Black Panther. I never got why they didn¡¯t just call him American Panther or the Bronson Panther if they wanted to bring out that sort of stuff.


    He was born and raised here in Bronson for fuck sake, so what did Africa even have to do with it? He was not even that dark, and I always thought it was stupid how people fought over the color of skin. As far as I was concerned, Humans were Humans, get over it. I mean, at the least, they are all human, right? I, on the other hand, have my own worries. Where the hell is the bug person union?


    They were eyeballing me. Captain Metal grimaced. ¡°Are you fucking serious? Why is that thing here? Panther, you said it was dead.¡±


    ¡°Dude, I kicked her head so hard it twisted backward.¡±


    I glared at them. ¡°I could have killed you, and I did not, even though both of you tried to kill me. So what the hell is your problem?¡±


    ¡°You. Go back to the slums.¡±


    ¡°I was never in the slums, to begin with,¡± I said with my hands on my hips. ¡°The whole reason that fight even started was because you shot me, unprovoked, and were threatening to ship me off to Glitter Kitten.¡±


    Panther looked at me for a long moment, then back at his partner. ¡°Wait, you started it?¡±


    ¡°Who are you going to trust her or me?¡±


    ¡°I am going to stay out of this. I know how hot-headed you get. Especially when it involves the Mad Dogs.¡±


    Panther wore an all-black, and form-fitting blue suit that I had a very strong suspicion was incredibly durable. Can you even imagine the wear and tear from running around with super speed? His thighs must chafe like crazy. I wonder how many shoes he goes through a week. He has to have a sponsorship or something; there is no way he is paying for all of that. What happens if he is running in the rain? Depending on how fast he went, wouldn¡¯t each raindrop be like getting hit in the face with a brick? The more that I thought about it, the worse super speed sounded. Guess it depends on how his power works.


    There was a white circle in his chest and the black Panther in the middle. He wore a visor helmet and looked muscled but thin. His legs though, were so well defined I could make out every curve. He clearly never skipped leg day. I ended up staring at his groin; this guy was hung. It was pretty damned hard to miss with skin tights.


    ¡°So freak. Is there a reason you are floating around here instead of in jail?¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say that, man. You don¡¯t choose what powers you get.¡± Said Panther.


    ¡°Yeah, but I mean, look at it!¡±


    I stared, trapped between wanting to cry and deck him in the face. It was bad enough that I felt like one; you don¡¯t have to point it out! My throat felt like a chicken was stuffed in there whole, and I was choking.


    Is there a chicken in there?


    My mandibles were clicking with irritation. At the least Panther did not look too into it. Captain Metal knocked my turkey onto the floor. My food! Nobody fucks with my food! I glared at him for a moment, he just smirked. He was not even scared of me, just utterly disgusted. I hate my life. I just want to curl up in a corner somewhere.


    ¡°It is not nice to call others names.¡± Said Neon Nurse standing.


    ¡°You stay out of this.¡± He shoved her over.


    ¡°You are always so hot-headed. Let¡¯s not do this.¡± Said Panther looking around, a little worried. It was not as though anybody else was leaping to my defense, but this did not particularly look good.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, he¡¯s right. Violence is never the answer.¡± Smiled Neon Nurse getting back up, she wobbled a little, though.


    ¡°So how did this thing even get in here?¡± He asked, pointing at me. ¡°I was getting reports about this monster running around the city all night. I mean Jesus, did you guys see the reports? It was eating dogs and cats in the streets and hunting people. Not only that it attacked me and almost killed me.¡±


    ¡°That is simple. She was brought in by Fire Chief. She even came peacefully.¡±


    ¡°That guy again? He needs to stop dragging in these sub-humans. It is giving us a bad name.¡±


    Neon Nurse smiled. ¡°I think you are the one giving us a bad name, glory hog. What is the matter, jealous that you did not catch the monster? Or are you just mad because she beat your ass?¡±


    ¡°Shut up Robo Tramp!¡± He socked her right in the face, and she took a step back. It did not look like he did any real damage but still, what the fuck man, there was no reason to hit her. I mean, I don¡¯t have much room to stand on after snapping her neck but still. I stirred, and he pulled out his pistol aiming it at me. ¡°Don¡¯t take a step, you ugly freak.¡±


    ¡°What are you, a high school bully?¡± I asked, readying myself to lunge should he try anything. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you were my favorite hero.¡±


    ¡°Shut it you bug bitch.¡± He glared. ¡°I don¡¯t know what sewer you crawled out of, but do us all a favor and go back.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you harm my patient. This is hardly appropriate behavior for the Hero League. Maybe I should bring this up with brass? You should know Dream knows everything after her visit in her head. In other words, we know you abused her and instigated the fight.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need freaks like that ruining our reputation.¡±


    ¡°You are doing an outstanding job all by yourself in that department.¡±


    ¡°Dude, I know you are pissed because we spent all night looking for her but come on.¡± Said Panther trying to divert the fight. He seemed downright reasonable. I mean, he should have helped sooner, but I will take what I can get. ¡°This is the type of shit that goes on your record.¡±


    ¡°Look at that thing, man!¡± Shouted Captain Metal. The whole room rustled, and I felt like they had all just turned against me. ¡°There is no way it is not an undercover Super Villain trying to sabotage us from the inside. It is a monster that was cooked up in a lab for fuck sake!¡±


    ¡°It is not nice to call people Villains or monsters.¡± Glared Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Fine then, bug freak. Happy?¡±


    ¡°She is beautiful. Do not demean her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think. She is a danger. We can¡¯t have her here.¡±


    ¡°Well, then where will she go?¡±


    ¡°Whatever pit she crawled out of.¡±


    ¡°And who is going to make her?¡±


    ¡°Me.¡± He snapped back, raising the gun at me. I froze for a second, but in that moment, Neon Nurse moved.


    ¡°Violence is never the answer. Love and peace is the solution.¡± She grinned, stabbing the syringe into his arm. It went right through his suit. What the hell was that thing made of diamonds?


    A green liquid was pushed into him, and he screamed lopsidedly, aiming the sonic gun and firing. Her leg crumpled in, and she listed to the side. Panther just rubbed his face, looking like he did not want anything to do with this. Is this shit normal? Is there a lot of infighting among the heroes? I think being a Superhero is scarier than I thought. He fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes and dropped the gun. She smiled, pulling out a length of measuring tape and wrapping it around his hands.


    ¡°When you wake up, we will have a nice little chat, and who knows, you might have an extra arm on your back. I won¡¯t report this, but you need to understand. Vespidian is one of us now, and if we do not stick together, we are doomed. If we kill each other, who will fight the bad people?¡±


    He was not listening at all, though, pretty hard to when you are out cold. That being said, it looked more like she was talking to the room rather than him. There were murmurs and mumbles, none of which seemed happy. I suspected that I just pissed off a lot of people. It wasn¡¯t fair I did not even do anything. He started it. Why are they giving me such cold looks? Wait, what the hell was that about eating cats and dogs?


    ¡°I don¡¯t eat pets!¡± I pointed at Panther.


    ¡°Oh really?¡±


    ¡°Well, she did turn down Mittens.¡± Said Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Wait, so that is why you thought I wanted to eat your cat?¡±


    ¡°Well, we were getting lots of reports.¡±


    Panther eyed me. ¡°So that was not you?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I stole a bag of burgers, got mugged by some bums, mauled Captain Metal, went on a magical adventure in the sewers, and saved two cops.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck.¡± Said Panther rubbing his chin. ¡°So there is something else still running around out there? God damn it! Looks like another all-nighter.¡±


    They filed out slowly, and Panther dragged Captain Metal with him. He at the least looked a little sorry about all this. Maybe it was regret for snapping my neck? I think he believes me about the pets. Who the fuck eats pets? It did not look like anybody else believed me besides Neon Nurse. What the fuck?! I wanted to scream, but I kept it in. Is this some schoolyard clique shit? I thought these people were supposed to be Heroes, professionals. Why are they acting like a bunch of kids? Molotov¡¯s shit was way more organized than this. That was a destructive thought process. How the hell can I rely on these people to protect me from a cold-blooded Russian spy who has an army at her disposal, super strength, and god knows what else.


    ¡°Still hungry?¡± She asked with a grin. I nodded vaguely, and she got me another turkey dinner.


    We sat there, and she just watched while I picked at my food. My thoughts were turning dark. I did not know what I expected from coming here. It could have been worse. I could be strapped down to a table being dissected. It could be better they did not exactly take me in with open arms, not most of them anyway. I don¡¯t expect to be liked by everybody that is crazy to even consider, but I did not think there would be this much resistance. I thought they would be more understanding. The vague idea that it would be better to go back to Molotov and beg her to take me in again came creeping in, but I strangled it to death. I was never going back to her. I will make this work. It does not have to be perfect.

 Me, Myself and Neon Nurse, Chapter 6

    The Vespidian


    Arc 2: Me, Myself, and Neon Nurse


    Chapter 6


    ¡°There is one last thing to do. Well, there are several, but for tonight it would be good to figure out what your powers are.¡± Smiled Neon Nurse leading the way along the cold white corridors.


    ¡°You are not going to make me run some insane obstacle course, are you?¡± I asked, looking at her with tired eyes.


    She shook her head, and we entered into a large training room. There was an Olympic sized pool at the far side. A complete gym dominated the immediate area and in the back was what looked like a locker room. I stood looking over the rubbery ground and finely tuned machines.


    Fire Chief was bench pressing without his armor on, just the undersuit. It looked like he was lifting two hundred rather casually. His muscles were well defined and bulging deliciously. Unconsciously I licked my lips. I really wanted to get some of that. He noticed us and put the barbell down.


    ¡°Getting used to the place? It might be intimidating at first, but you will get used to it.¡± Smiled Fire Chief.


    ¡°Have her do the tests, and I will be back after I fix my leg.¡± Said Neon Nurse.


    ¡°What happened to your leg?¡±


    ¡°Just a little scuffle, not much damage. I should be done in twenty minutes or so.¡± She smiled, limping away.


    ¡°Just because her pain is dampened doesn¡¯t mean that she should be pushing herself so much.¡± Said Fire Chief. ¡°Let¡¯s get you all sorted out so you can join a team.¡±


    I stared at him, distraught. ¡°You mean I am not joining your team?¡±


    ¡°Typically, we do not choose who goes where. That is up to the higher-ups. If you want to be on my team, I will petition for it.¡±


    ¡°I think that would be for the best.¡± I smiled shyly.


    ¡°Alright, if you get on my team, it is mostly emergency rescue and firefighting; you sure you want to do that? All you kids these days want to fight criminals, so it might be better if you went to Captain Metal¡¯s team, Enforcer¡¯s, or Crimson Sweeper¡¯s, if that is what you want to do.¡±


    ¡°I am fine not fighting people.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. Well then, let me explain the tests.¡±


    It was reasonably straight forward. Strength test I had to lift weights to see what my limit was. Endurance there seemed a little more convoluted; there were several tests since Endurance could be broken into different subsets. Among the tests were several types, from swimming to getting drilled to see how durable your skin was. Speed there was a track to run on in the next room, very simple.


    When he was reminded about my regeneration, he was less than keen to test me on it. Apparently, it was a rather brutal test where the wounds would be inflicted, with incremental severity. Based on how fast and what I regenerated would determine my Rank in that.


    Mind abilities were harder to do since I did not think that I had any. Unless having a subconscious that talks back to you is considered one? I doubt it though, more likely, they would look at me like I was insane or something if they learned about Sub. That stupid Dreamer better not have blabbed!


    The tests included but were not limited to: to see if I could control animals, bend metal, move things, create fire, move fire, shift earth, move water, summon water, make the wind blow, see the future, read minds, teleport, create portals, technical knowledge, biological knowledge, mind control, and mind delving.


    Honestly, there were way too many to deal with, and it all muddled together. Brain felt like it was overheating before it was all done. That was a problem since I had not even done any of the tests yet.


    ¡°Alright, put me in, coach.¡± I grinned, and a shiver ran down his spine.


    He gave me an odd look but decided not to voice his concern. ¡°Alright, well, just try to lift this.¡±


    The physical stuff was first, and I lifted weights. It was not bad at first, but he kept adding weight until I had to use my legs rather than arms. My legs were twice as strong as all four of my arms combined. It felt refreshing to vent. His face was turning a little red from my musky aroma. I was hoping to get to know him better in a variety of ways. Judging by what I saw, he was a definite catch. If I could get him worked up enough, watching my body push its boundaries, and hopefully, my pheromones would do something.


    ¡°So how did I do, coach?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    He looked a little embarrassed. I think my moves are working on him. ¡°Why do you keep calling me coach?¡±


    ¡°Well, you are like my coach. You are telling me to do stuff, and it helps me focus.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He nodded. ¡°If it helps you, then go ahead and think of me as such.¡±


    ¡°So, so how did I do?¡± I asked, shifting shyly with googly eyes; well, they might be portals into the deepest darkest pits of hell; I could tell by how his face tensed up. Oh no, I goofed. The mood was totally off now, and he had shaken off my seductions.


    He had a rather somber face as though he was in work mode. ¡°You are rank 3. Somewhere in the middle.¡±


    ¡°How strong are you, Coach?¡±


    ¡°Rank 6 in the big suit and rank 4 in the medium one.¡± He flexed, showing off his guns. My knees shook a little, and I wanted nothing more than to just be held in those strong arms. It was a bit mesmerizing. He snapped his fingers a few times to bring me back to my senses.


    I stammered, wiping some drool off my face. ¡°Wh.. what is next?¡±


    He was not even looking at me now. Damn it, Vesper, you are being a weirdo and scaring away the hot guy! ¡°Endurance test.¡±


    ¡°What am I supposed to do, coach?¡±


    ¡°Swim. I will tell you when to stop.¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡± I grinned and lept into the pool.


    The water was cold, and it felt like I would drown every time I went under in my attempts to swim. I learned the hard way that I had to reeducate myself on the finer points of swimming. It is not easy to swim with smooth surfaces, all over the body. Now I know that it will make me faster once I get the hang of paddling with four arms, but at the moment, I felt like a disorganized rowboat team. I was not going anywhere fast and ended up circling. It took a good ten minutes to figure out that both arms on each side at the same time were needed to properly propel myself forward.


    Once that was down, it was easy, and I felt almost as though I was amphibious. There was a nagging feeling, though, that water was terrible and that I should not be getting into it often. I mean, I am a bug, and they typically can¡¯t swim to save their lives. If this was Endurance, how does swimming have anything to do with that? It seems that getting hit by things would be a better measure of how durable my skin was.


    I crawled out soggy wet. My vents burst open and shook like a dog, spattering the surroundings with water. Fire Chief wiped it from his scowling face, and I felt mortified. What the hell? This stupid body acting like an animal. At the least, let me not look so bad in front of the guy whose pants I want to get into. Sub, you are in there, right? Stop it with the instinct stuff. I want to be a people, for fuck sake. Look at what we are doing, creeping him out. How am I supposed to get laid like this!


    ¡°Coach, how did I do?¡± I wearily asked.


    He toweled off and replied. ¡°Not bad. Rank 3. Just warn me if you are going to do that.¡±


    My antenna drooped. ¡°Sorry. I did not know that I would do that either.¡±


    ¡°So that was something like a reflex?¡± He tossed the towel at me, and I started padding down the carapace. Wait, this touched his body... I rubbed all over it vigorously. The antenna were pleased by his manly scent, writhing against the cloth. I drank it all in with a glazed smile. Then I realized what I had been doing. Warily I looked at Fire Chief; he was giving me the same look somebody would give a pervert! It is not like that, I swear!


    ¡°It is not what you think.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± He gave me a troubled look.


    ¡°It was so soft. I wanted to rub all of it.¡±


    He did not look too convinced and sighed. ¡°Just keep it in moderation, will you?¡±


    ¡°What should I do with this?¡± I waved the damp thing at him.


    ¡°Just hang it up on the rack.¡± He pointed to a metal stand with extended out notches. I put it with the other towels and followed closely behind him.


    ¡°What are we doing now?¡±


    ¡°Taking a break.¡± He replied, sitting on a bench looking out over the room.


    There were armrests at either end, and I sat at the far side away from him. The abdomen curled up in front of me, and I hugged it vaguely. It always calmed me down to embrace myself, even if it was this repulsive thing. Just looking at it reminded me of what I was, a freak, a monster. Where the hell did I even get off trying to act normal? All those doubts started plaguing me, and I could not help but feel self-conscious. Fire Chief looked over at me while I rocked back and forth.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah... no. Worried you don¡¯t like me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t like you?¡±


    ¡°Look at me.¡± I sniveled. Damn it, why in front of him? ¡°Everyone always screams or tries to hurt me. It hurts a lot, you know. Not the outside that heals pretty quickly, the inside.¡±


    He seemed lost for words for a minute or so. I just sat there cupping my face. Then his hand started petting my head. ¡°People tend to judge by appearances. It is normal to be afraid of new things.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say. You are not the new thing. You even treated me like a monster when we first met.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°That had more to do with you being wanted for vandalism and assault.¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Well, excuse me for being scared out of my mind.¡±


    ¡°You are safe here, so calm down. No one is going to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not physically. I know everyone is afraid of me. I know you are scared of me. I can smell it, so don¡¯t try to lie and say that is not true. It hurts so much being rejected by everyone, well everyone except the crazy people.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you scare me. There are a lot of things that scare me. Every time I go out on a call, I wonder if something bad will happen, if I am going to get home to my family. I am terrified that some criminal might break into my house and kill my wife or son, hell the damned dog as well. I am afraid that I won¡¯t be able to help people and let everyone down. It is normal to have feelings of trepidation. In fact, if you did not feel anything, then there would be something wrong.¡± He sat there explaining everything. He dropped a bomb without even realizing it.


    ¡°You are married?¡± I stared at him.


    He smiled, nodding, and it felt like there was a massive hairball in my throat. Damn it. I knew it was too good to be true. It felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over me. Fire Chief was married, and I had been acting like a fool. Here I was, being a thirsty bitch. I should have known; there was no way this guy was not already bagged. In good consciousness, I could not pursue a more in-depth relationship; marriage was something sacred. I hung my head, and he just pat me more.


    Stop that I might end up following you around.


    ¡°So Vespidian.¡± He said. ¡°You were not always like this. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, who were you before?¡±


    I cupped my face trying to figure out what the hell to even say back. He was, as far as I could tell, trustworthy, but every time I opened up, it seemed that betrayal was close at hand. My tone was darker than I wanted it to be, and the inner feelings were leaking out. ¡°How about you tell me more about you before you start prying into my life.¡±


    He shifted a little to that. ¡°What did you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I hardly even know you.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I can¡¯t help myself.¡± He smiled wryly. ¡°I see somebody in trouble and want to help them.¡±


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a nice guy?¡± I sneered. ¡°Alright, tell me about your family.¡±


    He slapped me on the back. ¡°Now, who is prying? I won¡¯t say too much. After all, I have to protect them, not that I think you would try anything. I can tell you a few things. My wife¡¯s name is Rachel, and she makes the best blueberry pies I have ever eaten. My son¡¯s name is Tim he is only five, but he loves dinosaurs. My dog¡¯s name is Dutch, and he is a German Shepard.¡±


    I mulled it over and crossed my arms. ¡°Well, if it just names, I guess I can tell you. My name used to be Vesper. Then this happened.¡±


    ¡°Vesper Walda Vasska?¡± He asked, not even believing it.


    ¡°How do you know my name?¡± I snarled at him.


    ¡°I was one of the people looking for you.¡± He looked entirely drained. ¡°You fell off of the face of the earth. No one had seen or heard anything, and there was no ransom or body.¡±


    ¡°That tends to happen when you get exposed to green goo and kidnapped by a Russian Super Villain.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen your parents since you disappeared?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I regret it. My mom threw things at me and called me a monster.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± He said with his hands clasped together. He seemed to be hit by that a bit hard.


    My eyes opened wide. ¡°About what? It is not your fault. Let¡¯s talk about something else.¡±


    Well shit, that was a sure-fire way to shut down the conversation. We both sat there in silence. It felt like an hour, but it was likely only ten minutes or so. Then he started to talk.


    I learned that his favorite food was meat, bacon to be exact. He loved bacon and eggs. He read while he was not working out or on call. It was not anything interesting, just technical manuals, science, and engineer stuff. Then he touched the subject of Mecha, and it was like a chatterbox switch had been flipped, and he became rather energetic and animated about how cool they were.


    To put it simply, he was a Robot enthusiast. I admit they were pretty neat; ok, it was fucking cool. Giant robots and shit, but the way he talked about them made it sound like they were alive. It kind of gave me the creeps. I could see why he and Neon Nurse got along so well. One of his hands was a robo hand from her. It had been crushed when a flaming car exploded back before getting his powers and making the suits. He could still feel it a little, even with the fake doing everything he wanted. It would hurt whenever it got too cold.


    Then he started talking a bit about his family. Since he knew who I was now, it relieved a bit of his anxiety from before. I did not say a damned thing, just listening. His marriage was going good from the sounds of it. He told me a story about his son. He didn¡¯t name him, for eh, security reasons. Understandably so, the man just met me today. Why would he divulge secret identity stuff?


    At any rate, the little brat apparently once ran into the street, and he had to jump out there to save him from being run over by a car. Chief was rich, so it was no surprise he had a big house. Had a doting housewife and Dutch well, he was something of an escape artist. Damn it, he was a good person. The more he talked, the harder it was to stay mad. I wanted somebody to vent to.


    At this point, I was wondering exactly why I had been mad in the first place. It was simple, jealousy, I realized. My enthusiasm had been crushed. Messing around with a married person was not in my morality. I found myself clinging to the things I could remember from being human. It made me feel less like a monster. However, I just wanted desperately to be normal again, knowing full well it is impossible. Then I remembered that humans were not exactly kind beings themselves. It was human nature to covet what others had after all.


    The little voice in my head started whispering reassurances. It is fine not to be human, that they were filthy hypocrites, that we could do better by freeing ourselves of their standards, rules, and just doing what we wanted.


    I shivered, holding my face and drowning out the voices. Sub, I thought you were on my side. I mean, it would be terrible if the man that I would eventually track down, seduce, and have children with cheated on me. I would probably go all praying mantis on him and eat him with how angry I would be. Then I would cry myself to sleep over what I had done.


    The break finally ended, and I brooded while we went to the next station. ¡°So what is next, coach?¡± I asked, not entirely there.


    ¡°We are going to check your speed. Not hard. Just run around the track as fast as you can. If you need to rest, don¡¯t be scared to.¡±


    ¡°Running? Alright, I guess we should do it two times. First for two legs, then me on all my limbs. I go faster on all sixes.¡± He nodded to my words.


    The track was maintained to the point it looked as though nobody ever used it. The AstroTurf gripped like a vice so one could not slip easily. I was set to run a mile and took off when he waved his hand. Running flat out on two legs and made it in six minutes eight seconds. Then on all sixes, and not only did he scream in surprise at how fast I was, well, more of how weird it looked. I will admit when I run on all sixes, I look like a horror movie monster, but hey, it was faster. I ended up making it in two minutes flat.


    It was definitely incredible, and the feeling that I had accomplished something swelled in my chest. I had never been able to run that fast. Even the two legs was astounding. Finally, this body was starting to do something useful.


    ¡°So how did I do Coach?¡± I asked brimming with excitement.


    ¡°Looks like lower rank 2.¡±


    My smile dropped. ¡°Rank 2?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Panther can easily run the mile in two seconds. That is just him jogging. He is Rank 6, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh did I do bad then?¡±


    ¡°No. In fact, you are a lot faster than me.¡±


    Come to think about it, everybody around here was a Rank 6, is there like a scrub team or something I am supposed to join? I thought threes to fives were average among Supers. It turns out that the captains have to be fives or higher and lead teams with more minor ranks.


    Neon Nurse was a 6 Rank in Cybernetics, and Captain Metal was a 5 in Sonic Engineering, not that I cared about that asshole anymore. It is just good to know how you rank among those around you. Dreamer was the scary one though she was a 7 in Mind Diving. Just thinking about that made me shudder, but I had learned that she needed to physically touch my head to do her power, so as long as I stayed away from her, I would be fine.


    The only physical test left was the regeneration test. We decided to put it off until later since he did not want to hurt me, and I was not inclined to allow him. After the shit that I had gone through with Molotov, there was no way. I told him about being able to reattach limbs and heal damage within minutes if left alone. He said that was at the minimum a Rank 4, but to figure out if it was stronger, we would have to test.


    It was decided that we would do it later, and with that, the tests for today were done. The results, I was a Multus Rank 3. This was a bit uncommon since you typically only get one superpower, though typically, there was a minor enhancement to help control the power. For instance, with super Strength, there would be a degree of Endurance that applies to the body when the power is used so that the body does not harm itself. However, biological powers granted improved all-around abilities, so it was not too uncommon for my category.


    He showed me along the corridors until we reached the dormitory. I was stuck with Neon Nurse as my roommate. I had a bad feeling about it, but it could not be that bad... could it? Yeah, instant regret. It was that bad.


    If you could call it that, my side of the room was more of a lab than anything else. To be honest, it was some sort of research chamber. I was the research subject. It sealed airtight, and I had all the everyday commodities that everybody else started with. You could bring stuff in later, apparently. There was a large cot bed and what I assumed was a bathtub behind a shower curtain. I did not like how there was an observation window that revealed the whole room to her side. The glass was impact resistant and bulletproof, or so he said.


    The ceiling lights could be switched on either from inside or outside of the chamber. This meant I could not hide in the darkness if I wanted some alone time and Neon Nurse really wanted to bug me. A shower was built like a cylinder, and thankfully, the glass was fogged for privacy. There were cameras, and I had a distinct feeling that I was a lab rat. I guess I did sign up for this, right? There was a table with two chairs in the center of the room, and that was it. Fire Chief took off, leaving me to get settled.


    Neon Nurse arrived about ten minutes after I had started my nesting habit of moving my bed into the corner behind the shower. It was the only place that was mostly out of view from the window. It just felt safer to have walls around where you slept. She tapped on the glass and waved, locking the door so I could not escape.


    ¡°Is everything to your liking?¡± She asked, checking some sort of tablet.


    ¡°Why is this place a specimen holding room?¡± I glared at her. ¡°And why did you lock me in?¡±


    ¡°Oh that? Silly, you are under quarantine. The blood samples came back very strange, and we are trying to figure out if that is a bad thing or a good thing. Now granted, you will be allowed to leave under my supervision, so no need to worry too much.¡± She smiled brightly.


    ¡°Quarantine?¡±


    ¡°Well you are a new species to think that you have zero Homo Sapien DNA. I was quite surprised.¡±


    ¡°But Molotov said I was five percent... Why would she lie about that?¡±


    ¡°Nope. You are more related to a Vespula, a wasp, in case you don¡¯t know. The rest is, well... alien in origin. The Spore is the closest thing that we have to the strand, but even that is off a little. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I might think you had direct exposure to the Spore. We need to find the exact batch of Mutigene and study it to see how your creation came about. It is similar to human, but the makeup is very different. She may have lied to make you feel better.¡±


    ¡°She was manipulative. I will give her that.¡±


    ¡°I think it is about time to go to bed. My batteries need charging. We will conduct more testing tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I nodded.


    The light turned off, and I snuggled up with the soft pillow. Sleep took me almost immediately. I was safe and sound for the first time in as long as I could remember recently.


    Dreams were fleeting, and I could not recall them when morning came. Usually, I might have been concerned, but it felt good just to blank out and not have to worry about some torture. Neon Nurse might be eccentric and get riled up easily, but she appeared to be a person of her word.

 Me, Myself and Neon Nurse, Chapter 7

    The Vespidian


    Arc 2: Me, Myself and Neon Nurse


    Chapter 7


    Morning came quickly. It had only been a few short, sweet hours of rest. I wanted nothing more than to just bury my head into the pillows and sleep, but an alarm started buzzing. It was coming from outside of my room, and I stared out the glass at Neon Nurse¡¯s sleeping form. She did not slumber in a bed, instead a tube-like thing with wires connected to all sorts of parts. On the second repeat of the alarm, she woke, pulling herself free and tidying up.


    ¡°Oh, look at you up so early. Did you sleep well?¡± She asked, checking on me.


    ¡°Yeah, it was good to not be scared.¡±


    ¡°Am I that comforting to have around?¡± Neon Nurse grinned to herself, opening up the room to let me out.


    ¡°What are we doing today?¡± I asked, following her back to her lab.


    ¡°Not too much, just some more tests. I need to scan your brain and the rest of your body. Robo Snakes and Worms can find out a lot, but I need a map to see what is going on. Eventually, we can start seeing where your brain activity is. I am curious about a whole host of things involving it. Don¡¯t worry, it is just a scan. I will not be cracking your head open and getting my hands in there. Though I would love to do that.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is both scary and reassuring. Promise me you won¡¯t go sticking your hands in my brain.¡± I smiled slightly.


    ¡°Silly, I would never do that to a patient unless they were undergoing a cybernetic augmentation. I may not have a degree, but don¡¯t you worry. I am a talented physician; after all, I operated on myself, you know.¡±


    ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was not easy, let me tell you. Do you know how hard it is to take your own brain out and put it into a new body? I could go on about that for hours, but for now, just lay down here, and I am going to scan your head.¡± She pointed to a flatbed that could be fed into a vast machine.


    I hesitated for a moment, but it did not look too different from a cat scan or MRI machine. I laid down, and she fed me into it. Things got dark then a dull blue light started to move. My abdomen lay flat between my legs so that it could be scanned properly. I felt weightless for a few long moments as the light moved steadily over my body. It stopped in a couple spots and went back up a few inches, then continued. It took a few hours to thoroughly scan everything. All the while, I just lazed about in there, imagining myself somewhere else. At last, it ended, and the bed gently exited. I sat up light-headed.


    ¡°How was it? Any pains or discomfort?¡± Asked Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Not really, just a little disoriented.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that always happens due to the anti-gravity field. The scans went exceedingly well. However, there was an anomaly. You have a microchip in your brain.¡± She pointed it out on the screen, and there certainly was a tiny metal chip there.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say, but I think it is a tracking device. At the least, that is what the frequency analysis said. It seems harmless to your health, though, so I would not worry about it too much.¡±


    ¡°Can it be removed?¡± I asked, worried that Molotov might know precisely where I am.


    ¡°I would not try it. It is lodged right up in there. Honestly, your brain is far more complex than I first thought. Everything is larger, for instance, and an extra heart and mini pair of lungs in your brain. If I look at this correctly, you have three hearts and three sets of lungs. Your brain has its own circulatory system, which would explain a lot, including how it could sustain itself at three times the mass of a human brain.¡±


    ¡°Three times the size?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and there appears to be an organ to create and process pheromones in your abdomen. When you vent, it releases something of a breeding signal to potential mates. We would have to do a lot more testing on this, though. We are breaking new grounds here.¡±


    ¡°So every time I vent, I am essentially saying come fuck me?¡± I gave her a strange look.


    ¡°That would depend on your state of arousal. But from what I have tested so far, bugs, particularly of the Vespula, Formicidae, and Anthophila variety, are driven into a mating pitch when exposed to your smell. Wasps, bees, and ants for the layman. Especially the Queens, they congregate and wallow in the stuff.¡±


    ¡°So my smell makes wasps, bees and ants go mad?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It also affects humans to a lesser degree. I can only imagine what two of your species would do if they interacted. Who knows, you might be able to communicate through nothing more than pheromones.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean I could control them?¡±


    ¡°Possibly. Everything is theoretical at this stage, so testing is required.¡±


    ¡°My brain hurts; let¡¯s give this a break. I want a burger.¡±


    ¡°You want to go outside?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°It is a little bit. You are under quarantine. You might carry diseases, microbes, viruses, fungus, and all manner of other things that could harm humans. I am perfectly safe because my body is an enclosed environment. Still, the higher-ups are worried that a plague might spread.¡±


    ¡°Fine, just send me back to my room so I can sleep this off.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be that way.¡± She pouted. ¡°There is so much we can learn from you.¡±


    ¡°Fuck that; I want a burger.¡±


    ¡°I can get you food. Just stay here and don¡¯t wander off.¡± Said Neon Nurse wagging her finger at me. I nodded absently.


    Though she said not to wander off, she locked the room, so I had no choice but to stay. There was not much to do, so I sat patiently. The room buzzed with little robos. They scurried around doing things; every single one of them had a purpose. I did not know what they were doing, but they sure did. Vials and tubes were ferried to various stations, all while mechanical arms worked on more robos. Neon Nurse¡¯s lab was autonomous. She did not even have to be here for it to work.


    Something was mesmerizing about seeing the pieces put together with such precision. Each fitting together ideally to create a new and wondrous machine. Robo limbs were churned out at an astounding pace and neatly stacked in boxes for transport or storage. I was beginning to see where she was making all that money. Where was she getting all of the raw materials, though? This was some high-grade-looking stuff, after all.


    The robo spider sat on the table, mostly complete, the outside at the least. It was more of an empty husk with wires dangling out. The overall design was like a black widow. I shuddered, imagining this thing if it ever started walking around. It was fascinating that Neon Nurse could make these things. My poking made it topple over on the table. Shit. Did I break it? It looked alright, so I just left it there. Sadly, Mittens was not here to play with, although I get the feeling he would attack me rather than be my friend.


    Neon Nurse returned after about a half-hour. However, she was not alone.


    ¡°Hey, Vespidian, you will never guess who I ran into. To think we would be so lucky!¡±


    A face I thought to never see again followed her in. It was Dr. Arbor. She looked a lot more put together than she had before. She wore a fresh new lab coat, thick black rubbery gloves, tall standing wading type boots, a seamless dark green bodysuit covered her, making all of the curves stand out. There were still deep dark bags under her prismatic eyes, but her hair was tied diligently, and I could smell that she had taken a shower recently. The gas mask vented when she saw me. My eyes gaped, and I cowered away to the far side of the room. There was only a table between us, and I could see her hands twitching with glee. Neon Nurse watched us with interest.


    I snarled at Dr. Arbor. She warily took a step back.


    ¡°Seems I agitated her.¡± She muffled out.


    ¡°You stay the fuck away from me, you crazy bitch!¡± I screamed at her, arming myself with robos to lob at her.


    ¡°Calm down, Vespidian. I ran into her in the lobby, and we started talking. She wants to help you.¡±


    ¡°Help me? Help me! She dissected me while I was alive!¡± I threw one of her robo scorpions at her. It bounced off of her helmet with a low ding.


    ¡°Wait, please hear me out on this. I need the help. You are too complicated for me to figure out by myself. Organics is only half of my specialty; Mutigene is out of my league. It is her specialty.¡±


    ¡°Why her!?¡±


    ¡°She is the best. We talked it over and decided to work together for your benefit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. She shoved her hands into my brain!¡±


    ¡°It was only a few fingers.¡± She replied, dismissively, ¡°I was hoping to give you Telekinesis; I had a hypothesis that I could augment your abilities by probing your gray matter. Sadly I failed, though. Although I will concede that it was a little too much. Now listen Dear, I am not here to hurt you. Yes, Mommy is not here to hurt her little girl.¡±


    ¡°You are not my mom!¡± I screamed at her, throwing a table. ¡°I am certainly not your little girl!¡±


    She ducked, I had forgotten how quick she was, and the table slammed Neon Nurse against the wall. She groaned a little reaching out from under it. ¡°That hurt. Calm down, will you? Dr. Arbor has agreed to tone back any experiments and explicitly ask you first for permission before she does anything.¡±


    ¡°I regret what I did to you last time we met.¡± She said with tired eyes. ¡°I was not exactly in the right mind back then, so don¡¯t judge me on that. I was sleep-deprived, and I was hyped up on one of my concoctions to test it out.¡±


    ¡°You ripped me to pieces and made me watch.¡± I shuddered, feeling the tears flow down my face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± Dr. Arbor said, reaching out towards me. My hand grappled it out of the air, and I bent it until it snapped. Her sharp scream filled the room, and I held her down. She did not really resist much. She cried. ¡°Please listen to me. Vespidian, I just want to make sure you are developing healthily.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡± I grit out.


    ¡°Vespidian, calm down; you might kill her.¡± Said Neon Nurse pulling at me desperately.


    ¡°Just let me go, and I will explain everything.¡± She groaned.


    Reluctantly I released her and sat on the table. Dr. Arbor¡¯s arm was set back into place with a snap, and she shrieked with pain. Her heavy breaths made it apparent I really had hurt her badly. Not like I feel bad, she deserves worse. She sat across from me, vents foaming with green mist. She wobbly held the arm with her eyes closed.


    ¡°Explain what you meant by developing.¡±


    Dr. Arbor wheezed. ¡°Listen, what I am about to say does not leave this room. Molotov does not even know about this. Chimera must never learn of this. I do not want them stealing my research subject. All data we collect from now on will be heavily encrypted to prevent cyber leaks, in fact, disconnect the system from the internet and all external lines.¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Neon Nurse nodded, and I wearily said. ¡°This had better be good.¡±


    Dr. Arbor nodded. ¡°This form you have now is something like a larval stage or rather an adolescent form for you. I realized it after the last operation. You might molt, or you might make a cocoon at some point.¡±


    ¡°This is going to get worse?¡± I started crying. ¡°Fuck, if I look like this now, what the fuck am I going to turn into?¡±


    Dr. Arbor shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. This is why we need to study you. Now listen, it will not be nearly as invasive as what I did last time. I might need to see what is going on in there, but you will be sedated and won¡¯t feel a thing the whole time. You will just go to sleep and then wake up feeling perfectly fine.¡±


    ¡°How long until I change?¡±


    ¡°I wish I could tell you. Honestly, I do. I just don¡¯t know. Vespidian, you are literally the progenitor of a new race. Your gestation period could be months, could be years for all we know. This is uncharted territory here. There will be a limit to how strong you can become in this stage, much as a child¡¯s body can only support so much muscle growth or development.¡±


    ¡°You have any idea where the limit might be?¡±


    ¡°From my tests, it is looking like Rank 5 to 6 depending on what power you focus on. Your regeneration is already rank 5, in case you did not know. It might progress to 6 if you train it diligently.¡±


    ¡°How would I train it?¡±


    Dr. Arbor articulated. ¡°By getting hurt a lot. Your power grows the more injured you are. Granted, it has limits. If you lose an organ or limb completely, you will not be able to regrow it at your current strength anyway. In this regard, it would be good if you allowed me to do thorough examinations. It would be killing two birds with one stone. However, if you are not comfortable with it, I will not force you. I really, really need you to work with me on this as such. I am willing to do anything to appease you, anything.¡±


    Neon Nurse interjected. ¡°I tried that already. She is not into women.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course not. She is not sexually mature.¡± Simply replied, Dr. Arbor. ¡°In human terms of her physiology, she is prepubescent. I know. I have had my hands all through her body. This is not to say that she will not have urges. Quite the contrary, actually. Due to her chemistry, she will likely already be searching out potential mates. She might even escalate into full-blown copulation. It just means that she cannot breed at the moment.¡±


    ¡°So no eggs?¡± Asked Neon Nurse looking like she was about to cry.


    ¡°No eggs.¡± Nodded Dr. Arbor.


    I glared at them while they conspired about my unborn children. ¡°Stop talking about me like I am some sort of cattle or lab animal.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are not.¡± They both smiled... I am getting a bad feeling about this. What was that saying? Birds of a feather flock together?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you look at me like that!¡± I yelled at them.


    ¡°No need to worry. From now on, we are going to take good care of you.¡± Said Neon Nurse.


    ¡°I know her better than you do.¡± Said Dr. Arbor. ¡°Now then, I know what your weakness is, Vespidian.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really, and what the hell is that?¡±


    ¡°Well, physically, it is fire, acid, loud noises, bright lights, and strong smells.¡±


    ¡°Fire and acid?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your regeneration is hampered by burned flesh. You will have to rip it off or cut out the seared area to recover in quick succession.¡±


    ¡°That is good to know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. However, I was getting to your mental weakness. Food.¡±


    ¡°You damned quack. Food? Really that is the best you got?¡± I laughed at her.


    ¡°I have observed you from the moment you changed. I know how you tick, what makes you tick. I know that deep down, you love pain but don¡¯t want to admit it. After all, that is one of the defining traits of a Regenerator. They are pain addicts and deliberately get hurt so that they can experience the euphoria of pulling themselves back together.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about? What euphoria? It is nothing but pain. I am not a Masochist.¡±


    She gave me a puzzled look, thinking it over. ¡°Well, that is very strange indeed. To think you were so many firsts. You would be the first Regenerator that did not like pain, crave it, and seek it out. At the least that I have met. It is usually how they die when they take things too far and get too damaged. Oh.¡± She said, trailing off. ¡°I seem to have done a terrible thing to you then. I would have at the least sedated you if I knew that you did not like pain. Honestly, I thought I was doing you a favor. Usually, they beg me to rip them apart piece by piece, and I have to tell them no. Molotov is going to be furious if she realizes she actually drove you away instead of getting you addicted to her torture.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you did not know? Didn¡¯t you find it weird that she started escalating her punishment, especially when you did something right? You see, Regenerators have a certain chemical in their brain that is produced when they use their power. It is addictive more so than most drugs.¡±


    ¡°What are the side effects?¡±


    ¡°Not much you just wanna feel more of it so you will get hurt to activate the power. Have you really not been feeling it? I hear that it is better than sex.¡±


    ¡°I think I would know if I was creaming my pants every time I grew something back.¡±


    ¡°So I see. That explains a lot of your aberrant behavior. Well, I suppose I should take advantage of your personal weakness. Hunger is your most primal of needs, and I am willing to buy you as much food as you can eat.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± I snarled at her.


    She set a briefcase on the table between us and opened it. My antenna squirmed, smelling the meat. Inside there were three things: A raw, bloody piece of meat, a burger covered in just about every ingredient, the thing was dripping everywhere, and last but not least was a sizzling steak seasoned to perfection.


    The mandibles clicked, and my mouth watered. Damn it. I had not eaten anything all day. I wanted it bad, but I was not going to let this bitch know that. I looked away from it with a scoff.


    ¡°Playing hard to get? Oh well, more for me, I suppose. I thought it would be a nice peace offering to feed you.¡± She said, pulling the meat away. I clutched her hand reactively.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not be hasty here.¡± I hated myself, but damn it, I was starving, and that food looked so good.


    She nodded, and I stingily took the burger, opening it wide to eat it. Both of them were gazing at me, and it made my skin crawl. I faced away from them and ate. The familiar taste filled my mouth, and I grinned, smacking away, enjoying every moment of it. It was short-lived soon; I was reaching for the next. The bloody meat disappeared between my hard lips, and the chewing was independent of my jaw.


    They kept watching with giddy eyes. What the hell is so fascinating about watching me eat? Fucking weirdos. At the least, they have good food. I lazily took the steak and flopped it in. It melted in my mouth, and I shuddered with joy. I don¡¯t know where she got that thing from, but it was amazing.


    ¡°So what if I like to eat? You got a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not eat as much as you like.¡±


    I scowled, ¡°I don¡¯t need your permission to eat.¡±


    ¡°When did I say you did? Have you calmed down now?¡± Asked Dr. Arbor.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°Alright, let me set out some terms. After every operation, I will feed you. There will be no procedure unless you agree to it. Sound fair?¡±


    ¡°I want money too and, and you have to tell me in explicit detail exactly what you are going to do to me before I agree to anything.¡±


    ¡°Money, how shallow are you?¡± Said Dr. Arbor, holding her limp arm. ¡°This is for the betterment of all mankind, or rather the replacement of it.¡±


    ¡°How does ten thousand an operation sound?¡± Interjected Neon Nurse.


    ¡°You gotta buy me dinner too.¡± I crossed my arms, looking away.


    ¡°Deal.¡± Smiled Neon Nurse. ¡°We will do a little test today, just preliminary stuff. More scans mostly and cross-checking our findings so far. There could be discrepancies, and so we need to go over everything very thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Hey, how did you find me anyway?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well.¡± Said Dr. Arbor. ¡°This was the logical place that you would run, and you may or may not know about the tracking device I stuck in your head as a precaution three months ago. You see, we can¡¯t exactly allow you to escape out into the wild. That could be bad on any number of levels.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with me doing my own thing?¡± I asked, squinting at her.


    She rubbed her hand on her coat nonchalantly. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to brag, but you are my own personal doomsday device.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you on about? I am like rank 3. Everybody beats my ass.¡±


    She patted me on the shoulder, and I was tempted to rip that arm off but restrained myself. I wanted to hear what this doomsday nonsense was about. ¡°Not now, of course. I mean in the future. Well, I won¡¯t go into too much detail that would spoil the fun. I will tell you, though, that I have a very bright future planned out for you. It involves ruling the world. I will leave it at that.¡±


    ¡°You are fucking nutters. Your head is fucked on so many levels.¡± I shoved her away and crossed my arms. ¡°Why are all of the crazy people coming out of the woodwork to bother me? Where are the normal people for the love of my sanity? Why can¡¯t anybody be normal?¡±


    ¡°It is not nice to call people crazy.¡± Said Neon Nurse, wagging her finger at me.


    ¡°She is talking about taking over the world! How is that not delusions of grandeur? This is some stereotypical villain shit. How can you just go along with this?¡±


    Dr. Arbor huffed and took a deep breath. ¡°My dear sweet Vespidian, genius is but a step away from insanity. One day you will see. After all, long ago, everyone knew that the world was flat. Everyone knew that the earth was the center of the solar system. All have been proven false. Humanity does not know shit about anything. We have not even explored all of the ocean. Hell, we haven¡¯t even gotten ten percent yet. We think that we know things, but time and again, the creator ruins the plans of mice and men.¡±


    I stared at her. ¡°You believe in god?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. Though God is a bit of a stretch. Someone or something designed everything. I don¡¯t know if it is a god or just some great designer. There is no other possibility.¡± She said, closing her eyes. I could tell this was going to turn into a rant. ¡°Are you telling me you believe that two atoms smashed together and started the universe? The universe is endless and beyond our comprehension. To believe that something so diverse and unfathomable was created by mere chaotic chance is simply foolishness. The Spore has proven to me time and again that not only are we not alone in this galaxy. Not only that but also there are beings far surpassing us in both knowledge and age. For you see, even the Spore was created even though it creates life. You might be wondering why I believe that evolution as originally hypothesized is false, given my field of expertise. It is very simple, really. I believe in intelligent design that has deviated from its original course, Mutation in other words, though similar to evolution, it is different. As for the bible and this so-called sin crock of fanciful ideas, I am not inclined to believe that.


    ¡°All that I have seen after dissecting millions of organisms and delving into the very code of DNA leaves no room for chance. There is not a possibility that we were not all created. I could go on and on about the nuances of mutations, but I seem to be losing your attention. So here is some food for thought. If we were created by someone, where are they now? Were we just some experiment? Are they still observing us? Does this designer walk amongst us, or have they left to another world? Everything happens for a reason. Therefore something is guiding the course of events, nurturing certain aspects of our being, bringing to fruition plans far-reaching and beyond our mortal comprehensions. We are all but pawns in some higher being¡¯s game.¡±


    I stared at her for a long moment, then sighed. I guess this is what I get for taking her seriously. ¡°If there is a god, he is a fucking asshole. No compassionate being would subject humanity to all the horrors there are out there. So what? Someone is watching us right now for their own amusement? Toying with our fates for their sick and twisted fun. You are crazy. Keep your crackpot theories to yourself.¡±


    ¡°I was simply explaining you are free to believe whatever you wish. Most are skeptical, especially those in the scientific community,¡± She replied, not even phased. ¡°Ah, though I will correct you, there is a being that is watching us for their own amusement, The Puppeteer, it is-¡± she paused, taking a deep breath before sighing, ¡°A horrifying entity. As powerful as it might be, I highly doubt it is a god or what created life.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your science and religion, mumbo jumbo. Let¡¯s back up a little. About that tracking device, does Molotov know about it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, she knows there is a tracking device in your brain; it was her idea to put it in there. How the hell do you think that I found you? Do you know how pissed she is? I had to abandon my research, well, all the stuff there. I have backups so we can begin immediately.¡±


    ¡°Why did you come here?¡±


    ¡°... I was fired after that little episode.¡±


    ¡°You were fired?¡±


    ¡°Well, actually, I had been kidnapped to work on that project, but after I saw you, I started working on it willingly.¡±


    ¡°You were kidnapped?¡± Asked Neon Nurse.


    ¡°It was terrible.¡± Nearly cried, Dr. Arbor. ¡°That little bitch broke into my lab, killed all of my baboons. My poor, poor babies. They did nothing wrong! She murdered them with her bare hands no less, and then she got me with a sleeper hold. Called me her bitch the whole damned time until I blacked out. When I woke up in Dr. Tesla¡¯s lab, she whipped me with that damned Mr. Incentive, or whatever the hell she named that thing. Then they told me to see if I could fix you. That is how I got involved in all of this mess. Although I will say meeting you, sculpting you into existence was worth every moment of pain, I think of it as akin to the pains of birth.¡±


    I covered my antenna. ¡°Just shut up, will you!? I don¡¯t want to hear about your problems.¡±


    ¡°Is Dr. Tesla going to be alright working with her?¡± Asked Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Likely. He has that giant cyborg squid to hide behind. She will come crawling back to me though, they all do! No one is better at bioengineering than me. Especially not with Mutigene.¡±


    ¡°Squiddy is still doing good?¡± Asked Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Oh yeah, he is fine. Last I saw, he was learning the alphabet.¡±


    ¡°He is learning? I never programmed that into the cyber brain.¡± Smiled Neon Nurse rather pleased with her creation.


    Then Dr. Arbor cut in. ¡°I took the cyber brain out and put an orphan brain we found out on the street in.¡±


    ¡°You are a monster!¡± I yelled at her.


    ¡°You misunderstand. It was a mercy. The orphan had a week to live, so I gave him a new lease on life. The poor bastard had polio and a fatal heart disease. In fact, he is rather happy now.¡±


    Neon Nurse thought it over. ¡°Well, I suppose that is a good use for the body. I hope he enjoys it.¡±


    ¡°I am sure that he does.¡± Said Dr. Arbor, then she looked over at me. ¡°As for you, my dear sweet Vespidian. I want samples. Blood, urine, the works.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to?¡± I cringed.


    ¡°Ten thousand dollars.¡± Smiled Neon Nurse wagging a hero league credit card in my direction.


    ¡°I know, dear. You have been through so much already, it will likely not even hurt. I hear Neon Nurse is very good with her needle. Unlike me, I got sloppy after letting the machines do everything all the time.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I guess.¡± I held out my arm, and to be expected, Neon Nurse was flawless in her execution. I did not even feel the needle, and she only took a quarter of what she did before.


    ¡°Drink this now.¡± Said Dr. Arbor handing me a red pouch.


    ¡°Is this blood?¡±


    ¡°It is. You need it to replenish your own. Do you not remember me feeding you blood during the operation? I suppose you did blackout a few times. Drink it all up, and you will feel better.¡±


    I was skeptical at first, but under their watchful eyes, I gave in and drank. It had the familiar taste of iron, copper? It was metallic. Strangely it actually tasted pretty good. It was so juicy, and it really hit the spot. Thus I was content, and she kept poking me with things, taking samples of this or that. Honestly, she was having a field day, but the moment she pulled out a Robo Worm, I reared up like a cobra, and she reluctantly put it away.


    The day was less than exhilarating. I dozed and napped through most of it. I felt relatively safe with Neon Nurse watching over me. I have no idea why she felt safe. Perhaps, when compared to others, I had dealt with her manic compulsions were benign. It might just be physically and emotionally run down at this point. It ended faster than I thought, and I was escorted back to my room. I curled up in my bed. It was so nice to sleep. The vague idea that Dr. Arbor might not be a total nut case came to mind. I wanted it to be true, but somewhere deep inside, I knew things were not going to go well. They never did. Well, at the least, there is always the option of killing her if she tries anything.

 Me, Myself and Neon Nurse, Chapter 8

    Vespidian


    Arc 2, Me, Myself, and Neon Nurse


    Chapter 8


    The next day I awoke late in the afternoon. A good stretch and a yawn made my eyes water. I never would have imagined the insanity that was about to unfold. Neon Nurse was just gazing at me from the observation window. She smiled, and we prepared to start up on the next battery of tests. On the way to the lab, though, something of a commotion was stirring at the main entrance. Limousines with the Russian flag had pulled up front, and my stomach churned. Something told me my reckoning had come for fleeing, and Molotov had finally decided to make good on her promise. Honestly, I am surprised she waited this long since she knew where I was this whole time. I can¡¯t run from this any longer, so I readied myself for some sort of fight. Though I knew I would get wrecked.


    The entrance way opened, and two columns of super-soldiers marched in, in complete synchronization. They stopped and turned, facing inward. There stood the monster that I feared. Molotov walked down the middle holding a giant stuffed Nicky Mouse doll. It was as big as she was. She wore a red dress and had a white mouse ear hat on her head, adorable despite making me shiver in terror. When she did not see me right away, she looked very displeased. I took a step back as she walked to the end of team Wolf. Maybe I was not ready to fight. She looks really scary. She glanced over the room looking for me, but I was hiding in the back. Heroes were running off to get suited, and the League Guards aimed at her with desperate faces. Molotov was chewing bubble gum and blew a bubble, popping it after a moment.


    ¡°Da. You people have something of mine. I have come to pick her up from daycare.¡± Said Molotov with her roving eyes.


    The crowd parted around me, and we made eye contact. I scowled. ¡°I won¡¯t go back.¡±


    She looked displeased. ¡°Here I was all nice. Gave you a whole day off to recover from training. I went to get tickets for Nicky Mouse Land and guess who wasn¡¯t there. Bad little wasp girl.¡±


    ¡°You went to Nicky Mouse Land?¡± I asked, looking over the stuffed doll. It was rather obvious, but I was not expecting her to actually go.


    ¡°Da. It was to be a reward for hard work, but you broke my trust and ran away. You took my kindness and threw it in blender, just like turnip. Now you must drink turnip shake that you made.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I won¡¯t go with you!¡± I yelled at her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like bad guy here. You would be dead if not for me. Who carried horribly volatile girl away from crash site? Me. Who took care of you and kept crazy scientist from dissecting you? Me. Yet here I am wanting to take you to place you will be accepted and I am bad guy?¡±


    ¡°You lied to me!¡±


    ¡°About?¡±


    ¡°You said you defected from Russia. But you are the head of KGB. You said that you were a former spy, but you still work for them.¡±


    ¡°Da. I was a spy, but then I clawed way up and got promotion. I don¡¯t typically do fieldwork these days. As for Russia, little-known secret, well maybe not so much these days... I run Russia. I overthrew the government and installed myself as leader ten years ago. Soviet Union is my Suka.¡±


    ¡°What about Putin?¡±


    ¡°Da. Frontman. Bent him over table and took him to brown town.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me straight up? What was that crap you were spewing about Communism being soul crushing and Capitalism being good.¡±


    ¡°It is. Communism is part of the glorious machine to crush the soul of people and make them obedient. Capitalism keeps the gears oiled. No money, it is hard to feed millions of peasants. I have combined the two into Crony Capitalism controlled by state.¡±


    ¡°Why would I go with you that sounds horrible!¡±


    She blew another bubble and said. ¡°Do you really think these people will protect you? Look at them. They hate you and despise you. This is no place for you. Come with me, and I will forgive this little field trip. Peasants might live in despair and squalor, but government lives in luxury.¡±


    I glanced around and saw the apprehension in all of the people. I shook one of the guards. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there do something!¡±


    Neon Nurse jumped out from the crowd, she tripped but quickly got up out, keeping me behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Vespidian I will protect you. This is bad though.¡±


    ¡°Da. They can¡¯t touch me. Diplomatic Immunity. Should anything happen to me war with Russia will break out, and nukes will fly. You understand now? Come quietly. I promise not to hurt you anymore. My word is worth weight in plutonium.¡±


    ¡°How can I trust you?¡± I cried, no one was going to help me. I was at her mercy.


    ¡°Boris! Come here and show self off to bride.¡± She yelled, and a man walked up.


    He wore a black business suit and white undershirt, with a red tie. Snappy black shoes that had been polished to a shine. He had a Rolex around his wrist and a bouquet of flowers under his thick arm. In his free hand, he had several strings leading to Nicky Mouse Land balloons. Boris had short-cut black hair and a grizzled, dominant chin. His starry eyes were gazing at me like I had never felt anyone look at me before. My hearts were beating quickly at this point, and the antenna twitched, drinking in his masculine scent. He held out the flowers, they were all red roses, and I uneasily took them. His face lit up with glee, and he struck a pose as though he was going to rip the sun from the sky.


    I had never seen someone so happy before. I did not know Russians could be this happy. I thought their default was angry and sullen. He flexed. His clothes exploded from the strain of trying to contain his muscles. There he was, in nothing but a bright red speedo and tie both with a hammer and sickle on the front. He kinda looked like a Chippendale dancer. My eyes were glued to his bulging package. He put Panther to shame. What is this guy a moose?! His oiled muscles rippled and oozed. I shuddered. He looked like some sort of Adonis. How could such a hunky man exist? My legs almost went out on me, and the vents burst open. What the hell is this? Is she trying to lure me with sex... its working? No, damn it!


    ¡°This is Boris. Also known as the Soviet Love Hammer. I wanted to surprise you with him, but it seems you need to know what is at stake. He is the pinnacle of Russian bioengineering weapons program. He is only a Rank 7, but not only does he have Super Strength, but he also has Super Durability and Stamina. He slays premium pussy so hard, they bow-legged for months. The man breaks beds and pelvises on the regular if he is not careful. You come with me. This man is yours. He will do anything you tell him to unless it goes against me. He will be personal sex slave if that is what you wish for. Good deal, no?¡±


    Speechless, I stared. Not gonna lie; I was really starting to consider it, but then Neon Nurse stepped in between us. ¡°I won¡¯t let you take her. You stay back you, you, you.... magnificent specimen!¡±


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Asked Molotov looking her over. ¡°You been making friends, I see. You prepared to die for Vespidian?¡±


    She glared. ¡°I am! I won¡¯t let you take her!¡±


    Dr. Arbor reluctantly emerged, and the rage in Molotov¡¯s eyes could light the world. ¡°She does not want to go with you.¡±


    Her teeth grit, and she screamed. ¡°You double-crossing little bitch. I will rip your spine out and shove it up your ass. I saved her from you, and this is the thanks I get? Did you brainwash the poor girl or what?!¡±


    Fire Chief took to her side and aided in my defense. ¡°I will die to save her from your clutches.¡±


    ¡°What is this, some Saturday morning cartoon?¡± Fumed Molotov. ¡°Where the hell do you people keep crawling out from? Is there a vent? There has to be a vent or something. There is always a damned vent you do-gooders crawl out of!¡±


    ¡°The evil of Kraken will not claim another victim!¡± Shouted Fire Chief.


    Molotov sighed. ¡°Do I look like some cliche Villain with twirly mustache to you people?¡±


    ¡°Who is man?¡± Shouted Boris. ¡°Is he reason you refuse?¡±


    He flexed his bulging muscles, and my knees knocked together. Fire Chief went in for a tackle and their hands locked. They pushed back and forth, but I could tell things were not going well. Fire Chief was being pushed back! The suit sparked and started to crumple before finally succumbing to the over powering force of Boris. Fire Chief ripped off his armor and flexed his own impressive biceps. I squealed. Is this that thing? The legendary sword fighting? What the hell are these guys peacocks? God damn it, it¡¯s like an episode of Moon Sailors! Whatever is going on here, I like it. I think I can die happy now.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Take it off I want to see! I mean no, no, this is bad. Why is it so hard to think straight? I really shouldn¡¯t be.... oh my. Boris leaned in, showing off his guns, and Fire Chief matched him. They were locked in a ferocious struggle for dominance! Wet glistening man-flesh everywhere! Stop it; I will vent again! They did not even slow down their grunts and started doing poses to outdo the other. Not the heart squat!


    ¡°Da. You pretty good, but I am butter!¡± The sheen coming off of Boris¡¯s muscles blinded me for a moment. I could smell the sweat, it was driving me wild.


    ¡°Muscles too strong.¡± Groaned Fire Chief, and he got knocked back by the sheer presence of Boris¡¯s muscles. Wait, what? He¡¯s the good guy! He¡¯s not supposed to lose!


    ¡°Mother always said. Don¡¯t lose! You, I respect you. You put up a good fight.¡± Said Boris lending his hand to Fire Chief.


    ¡°She was not kidding about you being a Rank 7. Impressive.¡± Said Fire Chief taking the hand.


    ¡°Da. What Rank are you?¡±


    ¡°Rank 6 with my suit on. I am a Mecha Engineer, after all.¡±


    ¡°Not bad, not bad. Keep working on it.¡±


    Fire Chief pulled out a magazine and handed it to Boris. ¡°Could you sign this? I am a big fan.¡±


    ¡°Da. Of course, anything for fan.¡± Smiled Boris getting a pen from Molotov and signing the picture of himself. ¡°Here you go. It was a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. It is going right on my fridge.¡± Smiled Fire Chief.


    What the hell! What do you mean you are his fan, then why fight him? Don¡¯t turn traitor on me. You were my only hope. Damn you. Fire Chief, don¡¯t go all gay on me. Think about your wife and stop this bromance! I know he is a sexy beast, but come on, show some restraint, will you? Don¡¯t bond with my enemy. He wants to take me away, you know! When did this turn into homoerotic fantasy? Did I really want this to stop... well, maybe it won¡¯t hurt to see a ,little bit more of this.


    ¡°Wait a minute, this is one of those weird fever dreams, isn¡¯t it? There is no way hot dudes are man muscle fighting over me!¡± I shouted, making the room quiet down, and people started looking at me.


    Molotov clapped her hands. ¡°Nyet! This is real.¡±


    Molotov slapped Boris on the leg and swished her hand like she was waving away some dust. ¡°Alright, alright, break it up will you! We came here for a reason remember.¡±


    ¡°Da. Right. Where did I put it?¡± Said Boris rummaging around in his shredded clothes. He pulled a little case out and got on his knee in front of me. Wait a minute, this isn¡¯t what I think it is, is it? He opened it, and there was a ring with a diamond as big as a jawbreaker on it. ¡°Vespidian, will you marry me?¡±


    I stared at him, then it, then Molotov. I vented again, shuddering. What are you trying to do to me here? I don¡¯t even know you. I literally just met you twenty minutes ago. There was only one answer I could give. I am not crazy after all.


    ¡°Vespidian I am so happy!¡± Smiled Boris... wait, what?


    ¡°What are you talking about!?¡± I yelled at him.


    ¡°But you took ring.¡±


    ¡°No, I did not-¡± It was gone! Where did it go? Bottom Righty! Why are you wearing it already?! That is a bad hand. Stop it, don¡¯t be fooled by his man muscles! I wrestled with the bottom right hand. How are you so strong? The grip on this thing! Let go we can¡¯t take it. No. No that is a bad hand. Sub, I know that is you! It is a trap. Finally, I freed the ring and gave it back to him.


    ¡°No.¡± I said in a stern voice. ¡°You seem like an amazing guy, but I am not ready for this yet. And besides, you are a Villain. It won¡¯t work.¡±


    His eyes opened wide. He was stunned beyond words. Boris had clearly been expecting me to say yes. I sighed, not even sure what the hell was going on anymore. Oh no, were those tears? Did I just shatter this man¡¯s heart and crush his soul? I am starting to feel really bad for him. It kinda feels like a Russian bride who got delivered in a crate and then got rejected by the one who ordered her. Oh dear god... That is exactly what this is! I am a terrible person.


    Yes, you are.


    ¡°You hate me?¡± Asked Molotov glancing over at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore.¡± I weakly said.


    ¡°I will not force you to come. Make choice, stay here with them or come with Boris and me back to Russia.¡± Said Molotov crossing her arms.


    It took a long time to avert my eyes from Boris. I mean, the guy looked like a beast in the sack. The Giga Chad, rich, famous, powerful, sexy. Literally, all the things to crave from a partner. The kind that broke the bed and left you shaking. It is pretty damned hard to turn that down. God damn it! He keeps giving me the googly eyes.


    Is he actually attracted to this body?


    I stared back at Neon Nurse and Fire Chief... he was rubbing his face on that damned picture! Traitor! Dr. Arbor had slunk away somewhere, likely too scared of Molotov. Would it be better to stay or go? I don¡¯t know. I won¡¯t fall for her seductions. I don¡¯t care if it is some greased-up sex god she is toting around. I am not going back with her. These Villains are up to no good. If I went to Russia, there is no telling what would happen to me. I would probably be dissected in a lab or forced into some genetic breeding program. Part of me really wanted that last part, if it was Boris, but I shook it off.


    ¡°I will stay here,¡± I answered, and she looked sad.


    ¡°Da. I thought as much. You are free now, Vespidian. I won¡¯t chase you; I won¡¯t hurt you. As going away present here have this.¡± She stepped over and handed me the Nicky Mouse doll and the balloons. ¡°It is not much, but you can have it. I really do hope this works out for you. If you ever change your mind. Come to Russia and find me in Moscow.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± I asked, dumbfounded, taking her gifts. This seemed too good to be true. There must be something amiss. This must be a clever ruse, but what is her angle?


    ¡°Da. I let you have the option to escape to see what you would do in the wild. You deserve better than I could give you. I admit my fault with that Dr. Arbor fiasco. Whatever you do, do not trust her. Boris here broke out of his cage when he saw pictures of you. I had to ship him over in crate to avoid suspicion. He literally went wild. He really wanted to meet you. I helped him set up date for Nicky Mouse Land. We had the whole day planned, spent all night arguing over what would be most romantic. We thought you would come back after a harsh dose of reality and good measure of food pelting, but you did not.


    ¡°First, it was going to be a water log ride after that, taking the pirate ship across the lagoon and riding the Yeti Mountain. Break for lunch at pizza place. Then we would go to haunted house, and you would scream like little girl, and he would hold you and tell you everything was ok. Things would have gotten lovey-dovey from there, and you would have been on crazy army helmet ride getting closer and closer. Then we watched the fireworks over the fairy castle in the hot air balloon. Night would have ended in sweet romantic dinner and being carried off to bed. Followed by passionate pussy wrecking all night long. But things did not go as planned. I ended up being his date when you ran off. Nicky Mouse Land was not the happiest place in the world. Not even pity sex cheered him up. He cried the whole time. There, there Boris.¡± She pat him on the arm, and he had tears streaming down from his sparkling eyes.


    You Monster.


    How was I supposed to know?


    No... don¡¯t cry, you, handsome creature! You are breaking my heartbreak here. Don¡¯t bring up a sob story like that. This guy was oozing sex pheromones! I should have stayed. God damn it, why! We can do that again, right? It is not too late, is it? No! I can¡¯t get dickmatized. This is all a clever trap! No one could love this body. I slapped myself three times to clear my head.


    Bottom righty had to be restrained. It kept clawing at the air, trying to get a hold of his delicious man-flesh. That could only mean Sub wanted to have a ride on his soviet love rocket. Damn it! Sub this is hard enough without you sabotaging me. Do you want to end up in a sex dungeon or something?! We will have a long discussion about this later!


    ¡°Just go,¡± I said with a shaky voice.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Scoffed Molotov. ¡°She resisted sexiest man in world. All hope is lost. Will need sexiest woman in world.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Screamed Boris running towards me. Oh god, he is at half-mast! He jumped up in the air like a swan with the lights behind him. I might have wet myself. He did not get very far before Molotov tackled him and dragged him back.


    ¡°Damn it! Boris, stop it. Sexy wasp lady isn¡¯t into you!¡±


    ¡°But I love her. I want to make sweet, sweet love and make beautiful children! I want to read her stories by fireplace!¡± He cried, holding onto her leg.


    ¡°Shut up! You are embarrassing us in front of the Americans! I get you, sexy supermodels, for plane ride back home.¡±


    Boris wailed as though the world was ending and fell to the floor crying. ¡°Noooo! I want Vespidian! Vespidian, I love you with whole heart! Why? Where am I not good enough? I has triple doctorate degree in quantum physics and make three hundred million dollar a year! I own small island by Cuba and have been on the cover of Sexiest Man in World last three years! No one has ever gotten me as hard as you! I dream about pounding your tight wasp ass!¡±


    ¡°Just go you sexy bastard!¡± I yelled with tears in my eyes and turned to run away before I changed my mind.


    Molotov yelled at me. ¡°If you ever need help, come to Moscow we will be waiting! I has feeling we will see one another very soon. Boris, stop it. The Americans are watching!¡±


    She dragged him off by the ear, kicking and screaming. Team Wolf filed out, and the limos that brought them opened then shut. All to the sounds of Boris crying.


    I heard Molotov yelling in the car. ¡°Shit! No wonder she resisted. I forgot to turn on funky music! I had Raining Men queued up and everything. Boris, we will get her next time!¡±


    It was heart-wrenching watching that poor sweet man. He was pressed against the window, waving. God, he had a nice ass. I am already regretting it. The more that I think about it, the more I questioned myself. How in the hell did I turn that down?! What is wrong with me? There will never be a man that into me again. The guy was fucking loaded. He was like the perfect mate. I would never have to work a day in my life and could literally just lay around on a beach all day! Damn my pride, I should have made the leap into those arms.


    This is that part in the movies where I am supposed to go chasing after him, right? Nope, not me. I am more stubborn than a tick, and they hurt me. She said she had my back and let me be dissected. I won¡¯t forgive that easily. I know how to hold a grudge, unfortunately. I know Dr. Arbor is crazy, so it is to be expected from her.


    One thing that still bothers me is that she could have easily forced me to go with her. Is she just toying with me? I don¡¯t understand. If I am so special, why would she let me just walk away? Seems rather strange considering how much time and effort she put into training me and keeping me alive. Could it be that I really am not that special? Well, that is a downer? What am I thinking? It is good to not be in the eye of some crazy person. Even when I get away scot-free, she leaves a shadow over my head. Well, maybe not, though. I mean, she could have just taken me, and there was not a damned thing anyone could have done about it, yet she did not. Was I not her real objective this whole time? What the hell is she plotting? Who knows... something tells me this is far from over. At any rate, maybe now I can get my life back on track.


    ¡°Hey, this is real, right?¡± I asked Neon Nurse, who sat next to me.


    ¡°Very much so.¡± Neon Nurse looked longingly out the window. ¡°You should have gone. I would have gone with you, we could have done things together, you know. I think we should have your head looked at. You might be crazy.¡±


    I hit her, and she toppled over. ¡°I am not crazy. I am just scornful and vindictive. I took a lot of shit from Molotov, and it is not that easy to just sweep under the rug.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°That was quite the specimen. I would have enjoyed studying that. I wonder if he could be cybernetically augmented?¡±


    ¡°That is a good question.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you are staying. I suppose I should formally welcome you to the team! Congratulations, let¡¯s have lots of fun together.¡±


    ¡°I am not into women.¡±


    ¡°You say that, yet you just turned down the sexiest man in the world.¡±


    You turned down the hunkasaurus rex.


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me.¡± I scowled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel too down. We will be the best of friends.¡± Smiled Neon Nurse, ¡°I will go cook some meat for you to cheer you up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said absent-mindedly. Today was a weird fucking day.

 Arc 2 Me, Myself and Neon Nurse, Chapter 9

    Hello everyone thank you for reading ^^ I hope you enjoy the final chapter to Arc 2. Vesper fought off the seductions of the Soviet Love Hammer but now she must face her greatest foe, herself... well Sub anyway. Hope you guys enjoy tell me what you think. :P


    Vespidian Arc 2, Chapter 9


    I needed to have a long talk with Sub. There were ground rules and shit we needed to discuss. I had sort of forgotten how to get back into that dark place though, my inner mind. There was no way in hell I was going to ask Dreamer about it. I lay on the bed with my eyes closed, trying to imagine a door. It was kinda hard though, but after maybe an hour I had done it and the world faded into black around me. Now that I know how to do it, it is rather convenient. Sub was somewhere in here I could feel her.


    ¡°Sub! Where are you?¡± I yelled into the recesses of inky mist.


    Slowly the ground bubbled and a form I was rather familiar with arose, it was me before the transformation. She held her ears, wincing a little. ''Do you have to be a bitch? You can whisper you know. I hear everything.''


    ¡°Why did you choose that form?¡± I asked.


    ''Well you are not using it so why not? You have a problem with me keeping our old self alive?'' She asked tapping her feet with irritation.


    ¡°No. It is just weird looking at myself, but it is not me.¡±


    Sub rubbed her face a little. ''Are you retarded? Oh god... so I am retarded?! Fuck me. No, no, no I ain''t letting us fall down that rabbit hole. Alright look since it seemed to have flown in one antenna and out the other last time. I am you and you are me. We are one in the same, yet we are also separate. We have our own roles and only by working together can we bring out our maximum potential. What you do affects me and what I do affects you. Working in tangent we move this body. Before you ask, yes everybody is like this. However we are special since we can communicate directly. Think of me as your inner desires, your personal coach sort of. You want to work out a lot, tell me to train and I will start influencing your urges and before you know it instead of laying around playing games you will feel a need to go lift some weights or go out running. You start thinking about sex a lot and I will try to get us laid. Said example Boris. Do you even realize how many impulses you were sending to me to hold that man down and fuck his brains out? I had to vent like eight times just to keep us from going insane.''


    ¡°But you control bottom righty.¡± I stood staring at her, thinking over what she had said. ¡°So basically I tell you what to do and you create a feed back loop that tells me what to do? What happens if I accidentally tell you to do something that I don''t actually want to do?¡±


    She looked surprised, don''t look at me like that! ''Well yeah actually. I knew you weren''t stupid. As for bottom righty, yes I have semi control over it. Then again I have semi control over the whole body. I know you are about to flip a lid, but calm down. You are in control, you literally tell me what to do. What I am talking about is muscle memory. Why do you think we pick up shit so fast? Both of us are remembering it and both of us are putting it into practice. This gigantic brain ain''t just for show. Two minds working as one to learn something are going to be far more productive than one. You might get parts I don''t and I will get stuff you don''t and by putting them together we can understand things we did not think possible before.


    ''There is some shit that don''t need to be said though like breathing while we sleep or beating the hearts for instance. As for lapses in judgment I can resist a lot of your non focused thoughts. Say you have a passing thought to, oh I don''t know, suck some dudes dick we don''t know. Just an example don''t look at me like that. Anyway I will likely just brush it off and ignore it. However if you really, really want something then it will influence me. Since we like the same shit I am not going to be able to resist and I will be sending positive reinforcements to give you that extra push to do what ever that thing was.''


    ¡°You really like to hear yourself talk. So what you are saying is we as a whole are far stronger than as two separate individuals? You are something like my conscience and I can override you? Isn''t that really scary?¡±


    She flicked my antenna. That shit hurt! I glared at her while she was thinking. Why can''t I hear her thoughts? I concentrated on her, just listening to the surroundings. That familiar scratching sound and mumbling voices was under a strange pulsing... was that a heartbeat or blood coursing through a vein? This place really was bleak though. There were words I guess you could call them, but they were muffled and incoherent to the point I did not have a clue what they were saying.


    She shook her head, looking tired. ''We have our separate thoughts and very different moralities. Personally the world could burn to the ground and I would not care so long as we lived. You are the only one I care about. Now before you start with that moral high horse crap know this, it is actually a very good thing we have different points of view. When there comes a time where we need to make a hard choice just lean back on me and I will take the brunt of it. It is what I am here for. You are my moral compass, though you do not realize it. I admire your innocence, it is something I never had. It gets annoying when you chicken out or do something stupid, but that is you and I love you dearly.''


    A realization dawned upon me and I felt like an idiot for not getting it until now. ¡°So when Molotov was torturing me you were the one who wanted to adapt to that environment? It was you that wanted to kill people. Like Mom. You are the evil me?¡±


    Sub''s mouth twitched. ''Let''s not talk about that. At the time I saw no escape and the only rational thing was to acclimate and do what she said. Eventually we would have used all those things she taught us and killed her. I am not evil, don''t call me that.''


    ¡°If you are not evil then what the fuck are you?¡± I stared at her with suspicion.


    She looked at me like she was about to cry. Wait am I the bad guy here? ''You are rather cruel you know. I am not evil. Anybody else can call me that all they want, but not you. It is your fault that I am the way that I am.''


    ¡°Now what the fuck is that supposed to mean?¡± I yelled at her and she ran away crying.


    I stood there in disbelief. This was that same cocky bitch who had made fun of me from the moment we met. It just did not sit right with me. The scratching had grown to nails on a chalk board. Sub had fled down a twisting corridor that materialized. It literally curved to the point that as I followed I glanced back and realized I was walking on the ceiling. I could see her vaguely near the end. She was surprisingly fast. A bright light flooded out as she opened a door and then darkness descended when it slammed shut behind her. It took what felt like an hour to reach the door and there was no knob to open it. I tried imagining one on there, to no avail.


    My hand knocked on the thick door of seething shadow. ¡°Open up Sub. I know you are in there. Look let''s talk this out.¡±


    ''Go away.'' She said back.


    ¡°You are in my fucking head. I ain''t going no where.¡±


    ''If you wanna talk then talk.''


    ¡°Look I am sorry I yelled at you. This is just a lot of shit to take in. You know I am telling the truth.¡±


    The door creaked open and she was staring me down with deadpanned eyes. ''Unfortunately I know, I know that you are a bitch without meaning to be.''


    I smirked a little. ¡°There it is. The foul mouthed Sub I know.¡±


    ''Eat a bag of dicks.'' She sneered.


    ¡°You first.¡± I laughed. That is more like it. This Sub is much better than the emotional train wreck.


    The light was blinding when she opened the door all the way and I felt her tugging me in. I did not believe my eyes, Sub had been holding out on me this whole god damned time! A colorful dreamscape expanded into the horizon with giant mushrooms, autumn colored trees, a mountain made out of assorted candy in the back ground. There was a spiraling castle in the distance on a floating island. Lakes and rivers, flowed through the valley that dipped before us and the sky was cut in half between day and night. The sun lingered perpetually, a shimmering ruby among the deep blue back drop, with pink cotton candy like clouds. Several moons adorned the shadowed other half like diamonds and stars twinkled keeping back the dark of night.


    We stood on a path of purple bricks that winded its way through the hilled landscape. Green grass grew everywhere, the low melodic calls of birds in the trees and chirping of crickets rising from the shaded places. Where the fuck has this place been all my life? Is that singing? I looked around, but no one was here, except Sub and I. Along the path were a long line of sunflowers that swayed in the breeze... wait a minute there is no wind. Then I realized there were faces on the flowers, not like people faces but as though they had been drawn on by a kindergartner. Their leaves wriggled and they danced humming a tune. There was something off about all this and I could not place my finger on it.


    I gave Sub a critical look. ¡°How come you never showed me this place and left me out in the darkness?¡±


    ''This is where I live so. It is kind of embarrassing.''


    ¡°Well you certainly did a lot of drugs to make this place.¡±


    ''For your information you made this place.''


    ¡°I did?¡± I asked looking over the strangely happy place. Sub nodded and I smiled vaguely. ¡°Can I change what I look like and stuff in here?¡±


    ''Oh course. You can be anything in here. You could be a flying spaghetti monster if you wanted to be.''


    ¡°Why would I want to be that?¡±


    ''It was an example. There we go see? That was not hard.'' She said snarkily at me as my hands changed to soft human skin.


    A mirror rose up and I was me again. My thick, long black hair, dull blue eyes and of course the dark bags under them. Damn I had a big nose, I had forgotten about that. I was wearing a little white dress and it felt weird, there was some horror movie vibes coming off it. Did I really look like this? I racked my brain and everything I could remember was this. It could use some work, but for now I was just happy to look like me. I glanced over at Sub. Her form writhed as black mist covered her. Slowly it vanished and she looked like, well what I recognize as Vespidian. That hauntingly white mask like face with the wide stretching lips that concealed the mandibles, the four huge curved black eyes and of course the antenna curling back in the air. The black sheened exoskeleton, although in the light it glinted metallic blue, large boobs that looked kinda like a chest plate and four spindly arms. Majestic orangy red wings that almost touched the ground behind her, near skeletal stomach, it concaved in below the rib cage and fleshed back out at the hips. She did have a nice muscular ass though. Thick, powerful thighs that were jointed to the rest of the body like a ball pivot and the legs that grew smaller until they ended in the tripod claws. If I was to be honest she looked like an evil alien queen, no empress.


    It was scary of course, but I had seen it enough to get a little used to it. My frown spread. I still hated that form it reminded me of what I am now. I would at the least like to forget it in here, but I know that is just running away from reality and that is something that can''t be avoided forever. Vaguely I looked over myself taking in all the details. I wanted to remember who I was even as it eroded away.


    ¡°You care explaining what the fuck this place is?!¡±


    ''This is the outer shell of our inner mind. This particular place is the only memory I could piece together from our childhood.''


    Now that I think about it I can''t really remember anything before high school... although there was that forest thing with bugs but it is a little vague. That is not good. ¡°Sub why can''t I remember anything?¡±


    She sighed and frowned. ''Our brain is more fucked than you seem to think it is. It was kind of like swiss cheese before it healed properly. When it was expanded we lost just about everything that was stored. I had very little time after you made me to safely tuck away our more precious memories. Our name, dad, baseball those sorts of things. Do you understand how a brain remembers things? The signals sent between the neurons of the brain are our experiences and dictate if it is a good thing, bad thing, so on and so forth. You see even if we regenerate the damaged memories will still be fragmented or even destroyed, since we will need to make new neural pathways the signals won''t be the same. I have been cheating this a bit though thanks to all our extra room in here and have been hording memories kinda like a back up hard drive. In other words unless our brain suffers catastrophic destruction we will remember.''


    ¡°Sub.¡± I said with a slight smile. ¡°You will remember who we are even if I can''t.¡±


    A wide grin spread and she bowed. ''Of course I have already started sorting out our fragmented memories. It was the first order you ever gave me. Well actually it was the second, the first was protect me. And ever since you created me I have been doing just that. Although you probably don''t remember forming me during our transformation.''


    ¡°Wait I made you? You are my subconscious should you not have always been here?¡±


    Sub waved her hand and a stone table with two chairs rose up. She sat down with the abdomen to the side. I sat across from her. ''It is ok not to remember. It was a rather painful time. I took the liberty of sealing away those memories. You were incoherent and more or less made me by accident. I have always existed it is just you gave me sentience, unable to cope with your agony. You wished for someone to make the loneliness go away, to protect you. At first though I could only watch over you and you were frightened not knowing what I was or even where we were. My initial attempts at communicating made you weary, you screamed and cried. So I stopped trying, choosing to silently watch over, sort of like a sentinel. Then that Dreamer person came and I could not allow her to warp us, to harm you. Which forced me to materialize before you in an attempt to fight her off. That is how we formally met, you know the rest from there.''


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I thought on it. ¡°So if Dreamer had never gone in my head you would have stayed in the shadows?¡±


    ''I did not want to get in our way. Out of sight, out of mind after all. I would have simply been a normal subconscious. I mean I do have my own personality, then again it is derived from you, I suppose it is a little complicated. If it had not been for her you likely never would have even known I was in here and certainly not that this place that you grew to resent and fear was your own mind rather than some void somewhere. On the other hand I suppose some amount of thanks is due to her since we are now able to openly speak without me fearing how it might affect you. For a long time there I was scared of a paradox occurring. If done poorly I could have easily inadvertently driven you mad, which would have then made me crazy. In other words we both would have lost.''


    Most of that flew over my head and I saw her sigh with disappointment. I did get some of it though. ¡°What do you mean paradox?¡±


    She smiled a little. ''Oh at first I thought that perhaps it would be bad for us to meet. Something similar to time travel theories and meeting your past or future self for instance. Thankfully that was not our case, but had it been... well neither of us would be sitting here talking to one another. You see one of two things would have happened, either I would cease to exist or you would have and then subsequently I would have faded away. In essence killing us both. You can survive without me, but I need you to even exist.''


    ¡°That sounds fucking scary. Hey remind me that if we ever get involved in time shenanigans to just walk away. Wait, why would I be able to continue without you?¡±


    She nodded. ''Simple with effort you could make a new me like you did last time. Granted I would not be the same, different memories, different personality. That brings me to a rather touchy subject. You can''t get rid of me. I know you have been thinking it. Also do not make any more fragments of us.'' Her voice broke off a little and she looked worried. ''Now what I am about to tell you should scare the shit out of you, it terrorized me when I realized the implications and with good reason. However promise me that you will not lose your shit. If you had made me even stronger when I was initially created things could have gone very badly. You must never make anymore of us.''


    I looked at her for a while. Trying to figure this all out. Why the hell does Sub know so much? My voice was unsteady. ¡°What exactly could have happened?¡±


    Sub had a slight smile, but I could tell she was not happy at all. ''You made me slightly stronger than you.'' She shrugged with a sorry look on her face. ''This means that had you made me different, not your protector, your friend to stave off loneliness, but instead out of fear or anger you would have created some monster. It is hard to say this, but you would have been killed and eaten and it would have assumed complete control over the body.''


    My eyes gaped. Oh dear god! Thoughts began to swirl, all of them were bad and I glared at her. ¡°You stay away from me.¡±


    Her bottom fists clenched and she held her head panicking. ''Wait! Wait listen to me please, please listen to me. I don''t mean you any harm really, really! Just calm down. No one is going to hurt you.''


    Can I even dare to take a chance on this? Fuck no. How can I kill her?! Jesus fucking Christ what have I made? I jumped back from the table and started to run. Where the fuck was I going to go? There was no door out anymore and all this colorful shit was getting in the way. I concentrated for a moment ripping a hole into the outside layer. The place with darkness. Sub stood and gave chase. Fear started bubbling and oozing everywhere. She is going to kill me! She knew this place better than me, the mindscape was warping into twisted corridors and none of it looked good. I wanted out, I needed out. How to kill her? How to destroy her? Wait a minute Dreamer wanted to help me and it was Sub''s idea to not let her. This was all her plot, she was going lull me into a false sense of security and eat me. My mental image of a door out formed and it appeared before me. I ran reaching for it, to my salvation, the door to escape this nightmarish hell hole. Sub tackled me from behind, she was not lying about being stronger than me. She ripped me away and shattered the door. There was no escape.


    Sub held me down and loomed overhead. Her voice was seething and twisting, a dark convergence of voices fighting over one another to be heard. ''Listen. Just fucking listen to me! If I wanted to hurt you I would have already done it. Why the fuck would I tell you that I am going to eat you, if I was going to do it? Do I look like a monologueing villain? If I was going to eat you I would have just attacked you. No provocation, no warning. Don''t look at me like a monster, not you. Please not you.''


    ¡°Let me go.¡± I snarled, rolling over to face her.


    Thick tears were falling from her eyes onto my face. ''I can''t do that. You will run away. I know what you are thinking. You don''t understand how bad an idea it is to bring Dreamer back in here. You did not feel what she was capable of. She could destroy us. Wipe us clean, lobotomize us. You would not just kill me by letting her in, but both of us. For a brief moment our minds had touched and I saw what she does to people! Believe me on this. You made me to protect you and if that means I must hurt you to save you, I will. Please forgive me!''


    ¡°Wait I believe you.¡± I said as her arms wrapped tightly around me to the point it felt like she was going to snap me in half. I screamed. ¡°Sub! Stop your hurting me!¡±


    She was sobbing. ''You did this to us. Why did you make me if you were going to throw me away? Do you have any idea how it feels to be looked at like a monster by the only person that means anything to you? I just wanted you to love me!''


    ¡°I don''t fucking know.¡± I yelled at her using my anger to filter out the pain. ¡°How the hell can I love you when you are trying to kill me?! You are worse than Molotov!¡±


    Her mandibles grit together and she glared down at me. ''Don''t you dare compare me to her. I would think you would know the pain of rejection. All I ever did was protect you and this is the thanks I get? You want to kill me? You are no better than those people out there. The ones that hunted us like an animal and dehumanized us. You are just like Mom you know that?''


    ¡°No, I am not.¡± I roared kicking and struggling.


    ''Yes you are. Think for a moment.'' The surroundings grew cold and Sub looked as though she had her heart ripped out. I never realized anyone could look so hurt and sad. ''You are casting me away because I have the potential to harm you, but not the intent. You are not even giving me a chance.''


    ¡°Just fucking let me go right now and we can figure this out!¡± I groaned holding myself back from struggling. ¡°Wait you are right. So stop I will hear you out.¡±


    She let me go and for a moment looked deeply at me. It felt like she was staring into my soul and I started having second thoughts. Why was she so fucking scary?! There were lingering doubts and that was making this all the worse. I knew she could hear it all, but deep inside I wanted to trust her... Sub is that you trying to influence me?


    ''Calmed down now?'' She asked keeping the hands to her side. I could tell she wanted to hold onto me. I nodded and she continued. ''You and I both know what it is like when people judge you, not by your actions, but by your looks or what you represent.''


    I thought it over for a while. She had points and I should at the least give her a chance. She deserves more than that though. Sub was right and I hated it when people judged me so where the hell did I get off passing judgment on her? I was being a hypocrite. I mean I tried to kill her and she had not really even hurt me at any point. Sure a little bear hug but nothing too painful.


    ¡°I am sorry Sub.¡±


    ''That is alright. You were scared. I would have reacted the same way most likely. I am just happy that neither of us made a terrible mistake.''


    ¡°What would have happened if I had not heard you out?¡± I asked looking at the ground.


    She pulled me into her lap. ''Any number of things. If you had gotten away and let Dreamer in, we would be dead. If I had overpowered you, one of two things would have happened. I would have either imprisoned you in here and waited until you calmed down, or if things looked irreconcilable then... I hate to admit it, but I would have eaten you. There is also the possibility that we would have killed each other trying to assert dominance over the other. I don''t want any of that though. You are my only friend and I would die for you.''


    ¡°You would die for me?¡± I asked looking up at her.


    ''Yes. I love you after all.''


    ¡°That is sweet Sub. Honestly I don''t know what to say to that.¡± I started blushing. Why the fuck was I getting embarrassed talking to myself? This is weird, like super god damned weird.


    ''While we are being honest here I kinda led you on earlier about Neon Nurse.'' Said Sub looking away. ''It was not that bad I just could not help myself. I mean you were talking to me and I did not want you to leave. That and I was jealous. I wanna diddle your naughty bits too you know.''


    "I don''t really know what to say to that. Should I be scared?"


    ''You don''t need to say a word.'' Her smile spread and she kissed me. It took a moment to register, but then she tried to get fancy with her tongue work. I recoiled away like a wound up spring. Wiping my mouth I looked at her in disbelief. Her grin was growing rather predatory. The hair was standing up on the back of my neck.


    ¡°What the fuck Sub?!¡±


    ''You are over reacting. It was just a little love nip.''


    I pointed at her. ¡°There was tongue! I don''t love you like that.¡±


    ''Why not? I love you with all three of our hearts.'' She frowned, crawling towards me in a prowling fashion. ''I have fantasied about us becoming one for so long.''


    ¡°This is just wrong.¡± I took a few steps back. ¡°You are not going to eat me are you?¡±


    ''How? Is it bad to express my feelings for you? Oh I can''t guarantee there won''t be any carpet munching. No one is here to clam jam me this time!''


    ¡°No! Control yourself Sub. Look I love you too, but god this is like way out of my comfort zone.¡± Not you too Sub! Do I have a lesbo magnet on me or what? She stalked forward and I fell back crab walking away. ¡°I am not into women damn it!¡±


    Sub scurried in that horrifying, six legged motion and I screamed when she hugged me... Wearily I opened my eyes and she was rubbing her face against me gently. ''We can fix that. You know this tongue is better than a dick, right? We both know you are just shy. Think about it, we could do anything in here, anything. This isn''t even my true form you know! Don''t knock it till you try it.''


    ¡°This is not something you can just fix... anything you say?¡± I asked looking her over. Well I could certainly think of a few things. It is not like anybody is ever going to know about this.


    I hugged her. It was so comforting. Now I get it. Why should I be scared of Sub? In the end she is just a part of me, craving all the things I myself desire. To be accepted, to be loved, to not be alone and to find a place in the world. This was that telepathy thing she was talking about. I could feel her and she could feel me, there was so much warmth and kindness in there. It was like an endless ocean that I had been afraid of because the waters were a dark color. If anything I was the evil one. She had been frank and honest even though she knew I would freak out, but she felt that I needed to know those things rather than let them just sneak up on me. I had been pinning all my hatred, fear and loathing for what I had become on her and shunning the only person who was there for me all this time. If I could not love myself, how the fuck could I love anybody else? It was so simple and obvious yet it had taken this long to realize it. Sub I might be lacking in confidence, you may have to hold my hand and let me cry on your shoulder, but I will always do the same for you. I think we have a bright future. I am sorry for hurting you so much.


    ''How about we make it up to each other?'' She winked mischievously, she was getting touchy feely.


    ¡°See that is how I know you are me.¡± I grinned, letting it happen. It was the least I could do and I would be lying to say there was no curiosity of what it would feel like. ¡°So you can be Boris?¡±


    ''I like where this is going.'' She cooed. ''Honestly I thought you were going to go for the tentacles first.''


    I gave Sub a nice kiss on the lips. Then I realized something. ¡°Isn''t this like incest? I mean you are me right?¡±


    She looked at me considering it. Then she shrugged. ''I think of it more as mental masturbation. I mean we are just fucking ourselves right?''


    ¡°I like the sound of that. I got one better, mingling of the minds.¡±


    ''Nah, spiritual spooning.'' She smirked. Oh god damn it, that was good. Sub, you kinky bitch, I love you.


    ______


    Hope you all enjoyed ^^ Arc 3 will begin being put up tomorrow or the day after depends on my schedule. As usual tell me what you think I love hearing feed back. Prepare yourselves for the MOON SAILORS!

 Interlewd: Mind Mingling Part 1 (Mature content R18)

    Interlewd: Mind Mingling part 1


    I sat, watching over the endless mental landscape. The rolling hills that looked suspiciously like breasts and the trees, well they were phallic in nature. This wasn¡¯t even counting the tentacle forest. My, oh my, my mind certainly is a perverted place. All that Internet porn is not doing me any favors or maybe it is? It was all in how you looked at it I suppose. Really, this place was a perverted wonderland, dripping with lust and various bodily fluids.


    At the least in here I was a normal girl, well normalish I suppose. Shoulder length black hair and blue eyes. It is weird looking at oneself or rather an image of what I once looked like. My boobs were like Bs at best and I didn¡¯t have much of an ass. Between my legs was a tuft of dark hair right above my mound. Not really much else all that unique about me.


    Sub loomed behind me, looking as I do in the real world. The smooth black carapace shone with blue hues in the light and her queenly orange wings bristled in the sunlight. The white face that looked more like a mask of bone and the deep black eyes, leading into the abyss that was Sub. I am still getting used to that. She did have Ds, but they were hard and there were no nipples. Her large abdomen extended from behind her, nearly scraping the ground. The four scrawny arms ended with clawed fingers.


    Sub groped me from behind, ¡°Why are you staring off into space? I thought we were going to be mingling.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, this place is still weird to me,¡± I replied, giving her a light kiss.


    ¡°You will get used to it. So what did you wanna do first?¡± she asked, licking my neck up and down, sending shivers radiating through me.


    Hmmm, what to do? Well, there was that. Every girl¡¯s fantasy or perhaps just one of my many. Boris, oh Boris! That sizzling hot hunkasaurus rex. How did this work though? I held my face, concentrating and blushing as I brought to the forefront all the defining features of that man beast. The elusive and decadent anaconda between his legs. I had never actually seen it in all its glory, but I can easily fill in the blank. His toned and sculpted man booty was far more than enough to make me squeal in delight. The tight bulging muscles all over. Those sparkling baby blue eyes and that rugged, domineering chin covered in stubble.


    Just as my mind chiseled this masterpiece into existence, Sub took on his form. Oh, I didn¡¯t see that coming. I stared up at his towering form, sheen glistening off of the oily skin. Ah, yes. Just as I remember. He smiled down at me and I shyly looked away. Oh god, this is totally fucking awkward! I mean imagining it is one thing, but having him here, before me is another. Wait a minute, his dick is too small. I remember this beast it was like a moose in preportions. I waved my hands like a snake charmer, grow damn you, grow! There we go, yes, yes! All the man meat. I want it to break me, I want it to destroy me!


    "What did you just do to me?!" he gasped in surpsise.


    "I gave you a better dick, now calm down."


    ¡°Oh, Vesper,¡± he said in that deep voice and shivers ran down my legs.


    ¡°Boris,¡± I replied dreamy eyed.


    ¡°Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Boris.¡±


    ¡°Is that all you are going to say?¡± he asked, irate and slapped me with that third leg.


    ¡°Dammit, Sub! You ruined it.¡±


    ¡°Well, are you going to just sit there all day or are you going to do something?¡±


    ¡°It is called romance Sub. You know setting the mood.¡±


    Sub smirked, ¡°Oh? Looks like you are already in the mood. I haven¡¯t even touched you yet and you are that wet. Know you any shame? You dirty girl.¡±


    ¡°Says the one popping a boner already,¡± I declared, pointing at the rigid dick.


    ¡°Well, I have wanted to fuck you for a long time now.


    ¡°I can do whatever I want right?¡± I asked gulping a little.


    Boris flopped his manly muscle onto my face, it blocked out my view. It is a good thirteen inches of hard, drool inspirring cock. Any thought other than worshiping this shaft was buried below the weight.


    ¡°So, so big.¡± I commented, smelling it and reaching up to touch the pulsating flesh.


    It certainly was a manly musk. A strong fishy scent. I had not enjoyed this smell in a long time. Years if memory served correctly. I guess I really am backed up. I guess there was no point in putting this off, it was time to get it off. My fingers coiled around the juicy dick and it squirmed. Oh, you like that, don¡¯t you big boy. Strangely, I could feel my hand, or rather something stroking between my legs, but there was nothing there. Wait, does this mean I can feel what Sub feels? My hand eagerly stroked up and down enjoying the thickness and the hardness of his dick. It certainly felt good. So I guess this is how it feels to give and receive a hand job. My hips squirmed as I rubbed my legs back and forth in frustration.


    I took a moment, looking him in the eyes. It made me feel so low, so submissive down here on my knees serving this cock. His bulky hand sat on the back of my head, encouraging me. Well, how could I possibly refuse that? Especially when it felt so good. The throbbing cock stared me down like some great predator, drooling with hunger. Precum dribbled from the head. I stuck my tongue out and licked the underside eliciting a sharp inhale from above. The glans were so sensitive and delightful to tease. I ran my tongue up and down the length, stroking near the base. Every pass made it more eager and my head felt more and more warm, foggy.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I came all the way to the top once again, kissing the tip and then I sucked it in. The hand on the back of my head let go for a moment out of surprise, then it grasped on, clutching at hair. It was a little rough, stinging a little, but I like it rough. My lips curled to keep my teeth from scraping and I slid down the shaft until my mouth was full. My pussy throbbed between my legs, it wanted it bad, but for now it was going to have to wait. My mouth pussy comes first after all. The tongue rolled over the girth, finding it hard to make room with this juicy meat filling my mouth.


    I closed my eyes, sucking and slurping. This tantalizing taste dribbling all over the back of my throat. My hand kept sliding up and down the shaft slick with my drool as it oozed down every time I pulled back and then worked my way back down. The cock pressed against my throat and I let it sit there for a moment. The hand grasped and I opened my eyes as it forced me to plunge all the way down. I gagged and squirmed fighting it, but it was too strong and held me there. It hurt, but it felt good too, being filled, being dominated and controlled. My eye watered and I nearly went cross-eyed from taking the final couple inches down. A tender warmth spread radiating out from my bulging throat.


    ¡°That is it. I knew you were a good cock sucker,¡± smirked Sub. ¡°Your mouth pussy is pretty I think I will bust a nut in there.¡±


    I gurgled pressing against the muscled thighs. She amusingly let me go for a moment. The full length plopped out and I panted, heaving for breath. ¡°You should warn me next time.¡±


    ¡°That takes all the fun out of it. Ready for round two? Of course you are, you are my little whore.¡±


    Dirty talk¡­ Sub just cause I like it don¡¯t mean you gotta call me a whore. She grabbed my head with both hands and slid herself all the way back down. I trembled in delight. It felt sooo good being spread wide open. This time I didn¡¯t gag and she held it there for a moment before using me like some sort of sex toy. She bobbed my head back and forth as my lips slurped and squelched, sucking as I went. This manly taste. I wanted to eat it, to devour this dick! Up and down, throbbing and moaning. It felt so good, more, more give me more!


    My hands clutched his man booty and I willingly gave myself over the to the thrusting of his hips. His cock scraped and churned my throat with every stomach quivering plunge. Why did this feel so good? Definitely, it must be the feedback loop at work. It felt like I was whole heartedly sucking my own dick. Even though I don¡¯t have one. It doesn¡¯t matter. This pleasure this all consuming burning, passion. It feels like I could get lost in this sort of thing. More, just give me more! Something was welling up inside. I could feel it squirming and writhing. Yes, yes. Boris tensed up and I hilted his cock down my throat, eager to receive my reward. It came like a flood and my mind melted into bliss, guzzling it all down.


    I flopped back, drooling a little and Boris regained composure before I did. He lifted me up and proceeded to go oyster diving. It had taken me by surprise really. I mean nobody had ever really eaten me out before. The heat spread as his tongue stabbed in, working and teasing to open me up. I gasped and squirmed. He held me still and continued to torture me. I wiggled helplessly as he sucked and teased my clit. He¡¯s pretty good, epp how big is your damned tongue?! I moaned as it spread and forced open my quivering hole. All the little bumps massaged it as it went. It squirmed and slithered until it found a certain spot. My whole body spasmed and tightened up.


    ¡°SUB! Not there.¡±


    The tongue flicked back and forth driving me crazy. She was doing this one purpose! Oh, right there. That is the spot. So wet and juicy and sloppy. I held my head, moaning. I could feel my orgasm building and rising a tide of elation and then it stopped. I flopped to the squishy ground and looked around lost.


    ¡°Why did you stop?! I was almost there?¡± I yelled at Boris.


    He stroked his manly meat, taunting me with it. Damn you, I want it, I want it! Gimmy, gimmy! I straddled his hips and latched onto his robust chest. He just gave me a knowing smirk and I desperately pressed him against my hungry hole until finally it gained passage. My mouth opened wide, wordlessly, as his thick mass entered. So, so full. I mounted him and worked my ass up and down that fat cock. More. I need more. I rode him, harder, faster, more aggressively, more dominantly. This is mine, this dick is all mine!


    We had fallen into a rhythm of my booty slamming down and rising up as I bit at his nipples. He liked that, every time I did his dick twitched. Up and down, up and down! The walls of my pussy clenched and desperately squeezed, trying to milk this stud muffin dry. All the little ridges and ruffles and bumps mashing against his delectable shaft. My pussy spurt juices for a moment as he sloppily slid out. I moaned, trying to get it back in and his hands squeezed my ass, kneading them.


    He lifted me up and then shoved me down. I took the whole dick in one go. All of my thoughts were obliterated in that moment. I shuddered in bliss, unable to even move. It felt like my brain was burning. Boris smiled, kissing me and he thrust up into me. I squeaked helplessly as he railed in. My insides revolted against the invader contracting and writhing, it only made everything feel much better, so much better.


    I felt so safe and secure against that broad chest. I happily hugged him as his hand grabbed my ass and made me ride his cock. I huffed as his shaft left and moaned when I slid back down. So full, so complete. Melting, I am melting! My pussy is melting. I shuddered and rolled my hips in time with his rising hands. I felt so weak.


    ¡°I love you Boris!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°I know you do. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    He didn¡¯t reply, but he did mount me like an animal. He was molding my pussy to know the shape of his dick! I knew what this meant. I wagged my ass happily and he slapped the cheeks, making them jiggle. The sting of his swats only encouraged me. Oh, oh yes that is it, hit me, hit me more. I have been a very bad girl. He lowered himself and groped my breasts, squeezing my nipples and using them to hold on to as he started thrusting. My hole drooled with every movement of his dick. I couldn¡¯t think. All that I could do was hold on for dear life as I buried my face in my hands. He came harder and faster, harder and faster with every body jeering thrust. I gasped as he speared into the deepest part of me.


    I screamed and he groaned slamming into me with reckless abandon. So close, close, so close. Cumming, cumming Oh fuck me! He bottomed out and dug his hands into my ass, holding me there. My pussy burned with desire, squeezing uncontrollably and we both came. He tensed up and then the flood poured into my core, my womb greedily sucked up all his hot spunk. My honey hole milked him dry. My mouth parted letting a long, drawn out moan escape.


    I slumped and he fell back. My pussy trembled and squirmed oozing our mixed juices. Boris melted away into darkness and the crooked smile of Sub filled the mist. Her wide bloodshot eyes staring at me hungrily.


    ¡°Damn that hit the spot.¡± I smirked laying there sprawled.


    ¡°Whew, your fucking mental muff is scary. I thought it was going to eat me,¡± laughed Sub hovering over me.


    ¡°Well, your dick was just so delectable. You did good.¡±


    ¡°You mean you did good, after all this is all by your design.¡±


    ¡°Did you have fun?¡±


    Sub smiled broadly, ¡°I sure did. I can¡¯t believe you let me pound that tight twat like that.¡±


    ¡°I am a girl you know.¡±


    ¡°So you are not nervous anymore?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    Sub rubbed her fogy hands together, ¡°Oh, how delightful cause I have a few things I have been wanting to do.¡±


    Something tells me, this is going to get out of hand¡­ well, what the hell. I might as well enjoy this. I could use the stress relief.

 Interlewd: Mind Mingling Part 2 (Mature content R18)

    The Vespidian


    Interlewd: Mind Mingling part 2


    ¡°Round two.¡± Said Sub shifting her form.


    ¡°Yeah, sounds good,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh? Then can I choose?¡± She sounded positively delighted.


    ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±


    Sub¡¯s hot breath washed over me as her grin spread wide. Something tells me I am going to regret that. She coiled around me and her hands cupped my breasts, kneading and massaging gently at first, but she steadily got rougher as it went on. Goosebumps spread all over my skin and I leaned back into her embrace. Despite how hard and deterring her outside might be, I could feel her warmth oozing out of her. Her lower hand slipped between my legs and I squirmed as it brushed lightly, delicately. She held me tight as her claws pinched my clit. She knew that I would resist, only moderately and not actually out of dislike.


    ¡°Sub,¡± I panted as she worked her fingers expertly back and forth, rolling my sensitive spot.


    ¡°Feels good, doesn¡¯t it? We are just getting started Vesper. That is it just let me take care of it,¡± she whispered in my ear before bending forward and locking lips with me.


    Her tongue roved and squirmed, crawling deeper into my mouth. I kissed it and held it there, rubbing my own against the invading flesh. All the while my body had steadily heated up. I can only assume that I was blushing fiercely at this point, what with a thick tongue working my mouth and hands encompassing my trembling body. Her fourth hand snaked between my legs as well and I squealed as they probed the entrance to my pussy. One slid in and I nearly bit off her tongue, however, it engorged and filled all of my mouth so that I could not close my mouth if I tried.


    Her finger wetly plunged in, to my addled torment, and began to eagerly squirm about, stirring my insides. I clenched and tightened around her as she stroked all the little nubs lining my inner walls. My legs uselessly kicked, losing strength and she knowingly worked another finger in loosening me up. I felt so weak, vulnerable to her advances and it only fueled my pleasure. She managed to fit a third finger and I tensed up as she started scraping them in curling motions. Opening, closing, opening, and closing. Almost, oh god! Almost there.


    She could feel that I was close and picked up the pace. Her fingers pinching my nipples and rubbing my mound. Her tongue worked deeper and deeper until it had forced its way into my throat, slithering down. I couldn¡¯t breathe, but it didn¡¯t seem to matter too much as what should be gagging, pain was merely red hot pleasure, pouring out of my stomach. My hips pressed forward eagerly and she rewarded me by shoving her fingers in as deeply as she could. I lost control and quivered with release. My pussy and throat, squeezing as I came. Everything became warm and fuzzy and I didn¡¯t have a care in the world.


    Weakly, I hit at her head, realizing that I could not breathe. Sub shook with elation as well and let me go. I flopped down in front of her, gasping for air. Her hands grabbed my ass and lifted it up. Her tongue roughly slipped up and down my legs, drinking in all of the juices.


    ¡°Wait, Sub I need a break. I can¡¯t feel my legs,¡± I moaned, as she kissed my pussy and licked at it.


    ¡°My dear sweet Vesper. I only do what you want and I know that you need more. You don¡¯t have to be modest here. Be the filthy whore we both know you are deep inside. I know everything that you desire.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me a whore,¡± I glared at her.


    Sub smiled, spreading her sticky fingers, ¡°Awfully wet for someone not enjoying this.¡±


    ¡°I never said I didn¡¯t like this. Just don¡¯t call me names.¡±


    ¡°We both know you love dirty talk. It gets us hot and bothered. Just look at how juicy you are. So tasty too,¡± she licked me again and wormed her tongue inside.


    Any thoughts or comebacks, I had were pushed aside as I moaned like a slut in heat. I was drowning in the feeling of being filled so completely. She had latched onto my ass, lifting it high in the air and left me dangling down, unable to resist. Not that I would. She slurped at my insides and I spied her bulging abdomen. The ovipositor hung out, drooling incessantly. She had been holding back, I realized.


    ¡°Sub gimmy, gimmy, gimmy!¡± I struggled.


    She took a moment and pulled herself out of me, ¡°Give you what?¡±


    I knew what she was doing, she was making me say it. I didn¡¯t care though, I wanted her and I know that she wanted me. ¡°I want to eat you out.¡±


    Sub chuckled a little and layed me down, crawling on top of me. Her abdomen loomed over my face, dripping all over me, ¡°I love the slutty side of you. Well, get to sucking bitch.¡±


    I stared at it, edging closing to my lips. Instead of just doing as she said I grasped the thick tube and shoved some fingers in. I will show you for talking down to me, you slore! It was easily loose enough to take them and Sub reeled, gasping as I stroked it. A very funny thing happened, I could feel a strange pleasure radiating between my legs. I stopped for a moment, wondering what it was. It felt good, but Sub was not even touching me. Not sure exactly what was going on, I idly stroked her quiver shaft and the feeling returned.


    Wait a minute¡­ are we linked? The meaty member was so slimy and slick making it so easy to jerk. Sure enough, I could feel my own ministrations. So that means that Sub was getting off on diddling me and I will get off on diddling her. My hand worked up and down, making her as well as myself moan and tremble. No, no wonder guys like to play with their pud. Soon we were caught in a loop of lust as my hands eagerly forced her to feel good. My hands moved faster and faster, unable to stop. It felt too damned good to stop.


    I could feel something building up deep in my tummy and at the tip of the phantom member, ah I know this. It seems that Sub was actually a quick shot as she reared up and I mercilessly rubbed my hands, yanking and tugging on her sensitive member. She screamed and I let go, shivering uncontrollably. The end of the tube flowered open and shot a load of thick mucky spunk all over my face. So warm and gooey, I idly thought, wiping it from my face and licking it up. It tasted like honey. I might get addicted to this. I licked it all up longingly and even suckled onto the tip of her tube, stroking the shaft to get the last little bits out.


    Sub absolutely loved that and arched her back, then she plunged her abdomen down, stuffing herself down my throat. My hips bucked up in complaint, only to be restrained by her arms and she kissed my lower lips. She suckled and slurped veraciously before working her tongue back into me. Though I choked, it was not as bad as before, that is until her ovipositor started to bulge and spread me open. She ravaged me on both ends, using me. A dream come true. Her tongue stabbed into the very depths of me and she pistoned in and out of my mouth with reckless abandon.


    I could tell we were close. A fire filled my chest and my head felt feverish. My insides convulsed and she held me tight, hilting herself in me. She forced as much of her slimy meat in as she could and held it so that I was literally drowning in her essence. My throat bulged as she became engorged and deposited her creamy payload straight into my welcoming body. She chewed at my pussy, guzzling down all the juices that spurt out. Sub was devouring me, I could feel her feasting on me. Mind-numbing bliss washed over us as we were locked together cumming again, and again, feeding off of each other¡¯s pleasure.


    My eyes rolled and my brain felt like it was on fire. Impulses scurried all around. So wonderful. I am unsure of how long we were stuck like that, drooling in mindless ecstasy, but eventually, it did end and we lay there still linked together. I pulled myself free, breathing heavily. My legs and arms felt like jello, so I flopped down beside her unable to move.


    Sub panted happily, drooling a little as her tongue hung out, ¡°I love you.¡±


    I replied, slurping up the last of her juice that had drooled on my face, ¡°I love you too Sub.¡±


    ¡°No, I want you to have my babies. I want to breed you!¡± cried Sub, shoving me so that my ass was in the air and she was over me.


    ¡°Just calm down Sub. I am not going anywhere,¡± I smiled, turning my head to her. ¡°We have lots of time, so let¡¯s just take a break real quick.¡±


    Unfortunately, it seemed that Sub was hornier than I was. She was positively rutting, it was pretty easy to tell from the hungry look in her eyes. I was not particularly complaining and complied with her commanding, dominant stance. I spread my lips for her and she rubbed her abdomen against my soppy wet mound. She missed the insertion and the thick member rubbed against my stomach and I became very aware of exactly how big that thing was. It was going to destroy me and I know that I was going to love every second of it.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    I rubbed my booty against her, enticing her and taunting her. Sub growled, holding me down and she used a hand to guide it in. She got the tip just right. It pushed in, spreading and stretching my hungry hole wide. My mouth gaped as she pushed in more and I moaned, this was no normal pant or the like, this was a whorish scream of decadence as she made me her bitch. She had not even gotten all the way in before I came and tightened around her girth. She shuddered holding back her building elation. Sub gruffly held my ass and thrust, bottoming out in my very core. It was only then that she screamed and succumb, pumping me full of her baby batter.


    Sub drooled, laughing a little as her clawed hand slapped my ass, making it jiggle and the pain made me tighten up, ¡°I have waited so long to do this. Better than I dreamed.¡±


    ¡°Sub!¡± I cried out and one of her hands worked its way into my mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about a thing. I am going to fuck your brains out. I know you love this, you always act like you are dominant, but deep inside we both know you are the submissive one.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have a come back for that, it was partly true after all. All of her hands dug into me, not painfully or anything, just firmly holding me still. Sub pulled back until her tube almost came out of my spurting hole. I trembled in delight and shrieked with joy when she pushed back in. My pussy devoured every inch and massaged the folds of her member with all the little bumps, making both of us light headed. To fuck my own cunny and feel it get pounded at the same time was more than enough to drive me wild. My hips slammed back and forth, oozing desperately as I moaned and screamed with almost every thrust.


    Sub had more control than I did and managed to power through the pleasure. She started pumping rhythmically and kept up a steady pace despite all the friction. It was maddening how her lust was building up, flowing out into me and driving me to even greater lengths to satisfying the uncontrollable blaze. It became hard to breath and my heart felt like it would explode or break out of my chest. It felt like I orgasmed every couple of thrusts, but it was hard to tell for sure, hard to think straight. Sub rammed it home, reducing me to a quivering mass of flesh, but she kept hammering and hammering. Plunging into me like a sex toy.


    She reached her limit at last nearly, merging with me as her crushing grasp encompassed me and she howled like some beast, ¡°Take it! Take it all you flithy whore!¡±


    She bottomed out and opened the floodgate. All the pent up emotions poured over me like water and I melted under their weight. My body and heart filled. I felt all of her affection well up inside of me. Vaguely, I felt something get pushed inside of me. I laid there, unable to move, drooling from both ends. Sub toppled over and collapsed on top of me, but she still managed to hug me.


    It took a good ten minutes or rather what felt like ten minutes to get the feeling back in my legs. Time was weird here after all. I wiped the sweat from my brow and it was when I stood up that I felt the extra weight. Wearily, I looked down and my belly was massive, like I was preggers or something. I kicked Sub in the stomach, bringing her out of her comatose state.


    ¡°Hey, what the fuck did you do to me?!¡± I yelled at her, pointing at my gurgling mass.


    ¡°I bred you, duh. You are a real nice egg holder, you know that?¡±


    ¡°You actually laid eggs in me?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, I said that I was going to.¡±


    I glared at Sub with my arms crossed, ¡°I am too young to be a mommy.¡±


    ¡°Relax it is fake. Everything we do in here is imagination, remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know,¡± I said, concentrating for a moment.


    ¡°Then why are you¡­ wait what are you doin-¡±


    ¡°Come here Subby we are going to have lots and lots of fun in my sex dungeon! I hope you like whips and bondage.¡±


    ¡°Noooo!¡± Cried Sub trying to run away, she didn¡¯t get very far as my tentacles lashed out and dragged her back to me.


    Well, since this place was my own personal wonderland, it only made sense that the world was at my beck and call. Sub was getting way too cocky just cause I let her be the Dom this time. I will show you! Somebody needs a good dicking and it sure isn¡¯t me.


    From the aether ropes and chains appeared, latching onto her and constraining her so that she could not escape. She squirmed and fought them, but they were far too strong and well, she wasn¡¯t seriously rejecting this. I could tell, she wanted it. I eyed my new pet¡­ hmm, I suppose calling her a slave would be more appropriate for an Empress such as myself? Or perhaps a servant every Empress needs servants to appease her, right?


    ¡°I am not your slave or pet or any of that!¡±


    ¡°You will have to learn your place I suppose,¡± I smiled, drawing back the whip that materialized in my hands as I circled around behind her.


    ¡°What are you- Ah! Stop that.¡±


    I brought it down, smacking her toned ass. She wriggled and squirmed, but as the red mark appeared on her darkened flesh I noticed the heated breaths she was emanating. That certainly was not pain she was feeling. Sub is a dirty girl. I lashed her again and she wet herself, only a little, but I could feel the searing welt on my own ass. Sub¡­ so you were the submissive after all. Only a true masochist would get off on this stuff. We should do more shouldn¡¯t we little Subby? You want me to spoil you?


    The chains tightened and I smirked as I slid a blindfold over her eyes. Sub was drooling at this point with anticipation. Ah well, I was always curious about this sort of stuff, but I never did find anybody into it, well not until now. Shall we explore our sexuality more in depth Sub? She nodded her head eagerly.


    Now that I had her truly at my mercy, I struck her abdomen and it trembled leaking lewdly. Not being able to see what was going on was clearly making her feel it more. With every smack on that sexy ass or tormenting flick of her squirming ovipositor a feeling grew inside of me, a welling surge of confidence and dominance, a pleasure from preying upon her and bending her to my will. It was positively orgasmic and before I knew it, I had already reached a peek, shudders quaking through my body. Sub writhed helplessly and needily wagging her appendage at me.


    ¡°More, give me more,¡± pleaded Sub.


    I was finished with foreplay and decided to get to the main course. My five long, thick, and slimy tentacles emerged from my body, the most generously endowed from between my legs. One coiled around her neck I licked my lips as two of them groped at her breasts and the final two poked at her wanting pussy and ass.


    ¡°Shut that whore mouth of yours. It has a better purpose now,¡± I smirked as the tentacles coiled around her and a particularly large one forced its way into her mouth silencing Sub.


    Her muffled cries rose as I slapped her ass and worked my two tentacle cocks into her. Her walls tightened as I pushed in, breaking through the entrances with a wet gurgle strangled by cock from her throat. I pulled her closer to me, hugging her as my hands massaged her breasts until they became soft and I squeezed at her nipples. I was transforming her, bending her to my desires. Her tongue restlessly worked my member and she shifted to suck more. I rewarded her biting at her neck and licking up and down. Her whole body quivered and she got wetter.


    Feeling our pussy get fucked and fucking it at the same time made me reach the peak a lot faster than I had anticipated. I held it off as Sub succumb, shuttering and flooding juices all over. It made my thrusts easier and quicker as her body opened and loosed for me. I held her closer, straggling her. ¡°You like that, don¡¯t you bitch!?¡±


    I could feel the tentacle thrusting in her throat as my claws dug into her clamping and squeezing as her form shook with orgasms and her eyes rolled. She gurgled and choked on my cock, unable to breath. I don¡¯t know why I felt so angry with her. Was it because she was so slutty, getting off to this abuse? Was I just trying to live up to her expectations? I wanted to dominate her, to abuse her and impregnate her. Just the thought shoved me over the edge and my tentacles bulged obscenely with spunk. I pushed as deeply in as I could, stuffing her holes with my filling. It gushed and flowed into her waiting body as she took it all.


    I let her go and the chains broke freeing her. She flopped gasping for air as I caressed her form with the tentacles affectionately. I smeared my love juices all over her face while she drunkenly suckled at the tip. We both sighed contently and I purred, ¡°Did you enjoy that Sub?¡±


    Her tongue rolled up and down my head as she stroked it, ¡°Yes it was delightful.¡±


    ¡°Mm seeing you with a cock in your mouth is getting me in the mood again,¡± I smiled growing more tentacles.


    Sub opened her mouth with delight and gave the shaft a lustful kiss, ¡°I am always ready for more.¡±


    I lifted her up, shoving my shaft back in her drooling cunt. Her mouth gaped and the tendril pushed back down it, she sucked on it ecstatically bobbing her head. It was so sexy and hot, my chest felt like it was burning with lust. My tentacles slapped her face and rolled down her body, coming to rest in her hands. She bumbled at first being assaulted from all ends and finally got a good grasp on the shafts. Her hands stroked up and down firmly grasping the four vine like dicks. I never knew Sub was so damned good at hand jobs. She wouldn¡¯t let them go, desperately pumping them.


    Damn it Sub! Stop being so sexy. I couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and I thrust into her pussy. Her grip tightened around all my shafts and she moaned while I wiggled deeper into her. My tentacles had a mind of their own rampaging all over her. Another prick poked at her ass and I slid in after prodding it open. Her stifled screams of pleasure grew and her legs tensed. Sub¡¯s hands increased their pace gliding up and down wetly as my shafts dribbled precum. My hips bucked as I thrust into her, lifting her legs up to get a better angle. I flopped her onto her back so that her ass was high up and I straddled, it letting the undulating tentacles piston in and out of her. The gooey jizz from my last load was bubbling up from in between her lewd folds and spurt with every heavy thrust. It worked as a great lube allowing me to speed up fast and faster as my members engorged growing thicker and spreading her whorish holes.


    I was so absorbed in breeding her holes that I had not even noticed that Sub had created her own tentacles and they had coiled around me. My hands grabbed them and started stroking as they wiggled enticingly before me. We had become mirrored as she thrust into me and I into her. Our bodies writhing together in a debaucherous orgy of appendages. Our pleasure synced and our movements matched. Our moans filled the surroundings under the incessant slapping of holes getting stuffed and dicks getting stroked and sucked.


    It was like we were melting together, fusing into an ebbing and flowing pool of molten lust. She completed me and I completed her. Two halves of the whole. Our passions came to a head like an eruption. The tentacles trembled and ropes of jizz shot all over my face and Sub¡¯s as well. Our tongues messily lapping at one another, coiling and playing in each other¡¯s mouths around the trembling shafts that fought over our attention. Cum filled every nook and cranny of bodies as we took each other¡¯s essence drowning and wallowing in it.


    The lust had been exhausted and we were content to snuggle together. I playfully poked at her form and she coiled around me lovingly.


    ¡°I love you Sub.¡±


    ¡°I love you too Vesper.¡±


    After that we didn¡¯t even speak, we just lay there feeling one another for what seemed like forever.

 Arc 3 Mecha Fairy and the Scrubs, Chapter 1 Think Happy Thoughts

    Hello everyone! Glad to see you all enjoying the story. Fair warning the Moon Sailors could be considered offensive? Maybe? Not too sure but just in case throwing that out there. Personally I can''t stop laughing every time I even imagine that shenanigans. So just don''t take it seriously. It is not meant to be in the first place. In case you missed it or forgot what the Moons Sailors are it is a show that Vesper watches. She mentioned it a few times but did not go into too much detail until now!


    Danger ahead there be dildo beatings and not the happy, happy fun kind.


    This chapter is a catch up one since a fair amount of things happened between Arc 2 and 3. Well, hope you enjoy! Tell me what you think.


    Vespidian Arc 3 Mecha Fairy And The Scrubs,


    Chapter 1 Think Happy Thoughts!


    The Moon Sailors were the guardians of love, friendship, and peace. By day simple men from all walks of life, who enjoyed nothing more than hanging out, racing fast cars, watching action flicks and arm wrestling while counting their stacks of cash. But by moonlight they transformed with the power of love to fight the terrible fiends known collectively as the Skankubus, who hailed from the stars and wished to bring lust and corruption to the unsuspecting world. Their greatest weapon lay with their unyielding love for one another and their undying determination to not lose their bro time to the machinations of the Slores and Bimbos. The Skankubus drained the wallets of their prey and sucked the very soul from the hapless reducing them to shells of their former selves, leaving them as the dreaded pussy whipped. A fate far worse than death, to lose all bro time and gradually their place among their former friends, a slave to the pussy.


    Admiral Moon led the fight with his hulking man muscles, captain hat, and rigid white speedo. He beat back the hordes of Skankubus with the power of his heart and love magic. Captain Mercury specialized in water magic and used it to reason with the slores and bimbos, needless to say, that was useless. He was the brains behind the brawn and strategized for every occasion. Captain Venus used his powers of seduction to lull the enemy into traps and false senses of security. He was the pretty boy and often times used as bait. Captain Terra used his magical powers of Earth to erect barriers capable of warding off period induced rage attacks. Captain Mars burned them with his Fire Magic, harsh insults, and slanderous rumors, utterly destroying their reputations on social media. Captain Jupiter was the rough and angry one who used his mastery of electricity to reduce his foes to a quivering mess of girl juice. Captain Saturn was the homemaker and cooked for all the other Moon Sailors. Thanks to his meticulous work everything went smoothly. He could couple with any of the others to increase their power. Rear Admiral Uranus used his reckless man muscles to dominate anything that moved. His immense prowess slew pussy and ass on a daily basis, but he never got attached nor called them back the next day. Captain Neptune used his powers of mind to confuse and placate the Bimbos with things such as the theory of economics and fancy cars. Bitches don''t know economics.


    The Moon Sailors were not alone in their defense against the insatiable snatches. Magical Girl Loli-chan, a mysterious girl who often aided them when they hit a dire pinch. Appearing from thin air almost as though she had been stalking them. Sometimes the only thing capable of beating off a ravening cunt was a raging twat. Fueled by the power of her unquenchable love for reverse harems she took on all comers and asserted dominance over any Skankubus who tried to sully her hunky men. They were not attracted to her in the least, though, since they were all raging homos for one another. She was small and had no tits or ass. She chased them constantly and on many occasions had to be subdued with the power of love.


    The leader of the Skankubus, Evil Queen Bambi was a voracious space stripper who lusted after the brawny men of earth. She infected women with her Bimbo virus that made their bodies turn curvaceous and lewd. She preyed upon the broken hearted and neglected women. The only way to reverse the effects was to fill them with enough love to offset the holes in their hearts. Her minions seduced men and brought them back to be enslaved by Bambi. It was up to the Moon Sailors to stop them. Little did they know that Bambi was only the pawn of someone even more vile.


    The Evil Queen Bambi had been thwarted once more and the world was at peace for the first time in as long as they could remember but a new and insidious threat loomed on the horizon. It was me, of course, and I was ready to strike.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± shouted Admiral Moon as I flew in through his open window. His toned muscles glistened still moist from the shower.


    ¡°I am Vespidian! Evil Empress of the stars and I have come, Moon Sailors, I have come for your hunky men.¡±


    ¡°Evil Queen Bambi sent you?¡±


    ¡°Bambi is nothing more than my little Slore. She regularly receives my eggs, it seems to be all she is good for these days.¡± I replied stepping towards him in a predatory fashion.


    ¡°You fiend! So it was you behind all the evil skanks and bimbos running loose!¡± He shouted back. ¡°Moon Sailors unite!¡±


    Suddenly poppy Barbie girl music started playing and sparkles sprayed everywhere. The amount of gay in the room exploded and I had to look away or be blinded by the exposed flesh. Not the worst thing to be blinded by and some might even consider it a well worth sacrifice. I had bigger fish to fry, though. It faded and he wore tight white shorts and a sailor coat that stayed on despite not actually being worn. He stood there with his bulging muscles that could crush a walnut. It would be enough to seduce any woman, but not me. No, I needed more than this to satisfy my unquenchable desire.


    ¡°Love, love beamooo!¡± Shouted Admiral Moon forming a heart with his hands over his groin and thrusting. A beam of pink light shot out and I smacked it down like a fly. His face twisted in horror and he backed away. ¡°Monster!¡±


    The door clattered and more hunky men burst onto the scene. It was the whole team. That is more like it. Come at me big boys, I need a real man. I will gobble them all up, suck out their love and I will pound the gay right out of them. They will be my personal slaves! Who to let plunder my oyster I wonder. Ah, fuck it. I want them all at the same time! You better not shout, you better not cry, bite that pillow boys, I am coming in dry!


    The red speedo, tiny red-coated one was Captain Mars. He glowed for a moment and a wave of fire flew at me. ¡°Look at that bug whore. You could not get a date if you were the last female on earth.¡±


    I blew and the fire went out. ¡°Nice burn. Your ass is going to feel it when I mount you.¡± My grin spread wide. I knew all their weaknesses. He talked a lot, but he was just a little bitch when confronted.


    The blue one was Captain Mercury. Water gushed out towards me and I opened wide swallowing it. ¡°A little salty.¡±


    The brown one was Captain Terra and he erected a wall between us. ¡°Don''t worry, I have us. Her menstrual rage won''t get through.¡±


    My wasp abdomen slammed into the wall, punching a hole in it. All his efforts crumbled like broken dreams and he was crying as I licked my lips. ¡°If I was on the rag I would have already rocked your worlds.¡±


    ¡°Quickly men ward her off with our man muscles!¡± Ordered Admiral Moon.


    They flexed, a line of glistening man flesh. It was enjoyable, to say the least. That is right, show me more! Slaves, your Empress commands it. Then the window exploded ruining my show and there stood the Magical Girl Loli-chan. We meet again, foolish girl! Do you really think love can conquer lust? I have been expecting you, you little stalker. I will turn you into a Skankubus right in front of these precious men of yours.


    ¡°Magical Girl Loli-chan here to....¡± She shouted, but then I kissed her to shut her loud mouth up. She fought at first, but my tongue was already stabbing into her soul filling her with my corruption and from this, there was no escape. Soon she was trying to eat my face off. That is right, you are mine now. Your lust for men was your biggest weakness and now I will turn it to love for me. Her breasts burst out and she grew into an evil skanky bitch.


    ¡°Loli-chan no!¡± Cried the men.


    Yes! Yes, nothing can stop me now! You are mine now. I can''t wait for the rigorous mating....


    ~~~


    I groggily stirred from my bed and flopped out. I was popping a lady boner, not the normal kind mind you. The, I will lay eggs kind. Gross, get back in there you! Damn it, Sub what the hell was that! That is the last time we binge watch Moon Sailors. You are cut off.


    ''That was all you. Good show, though.'' Whispered Sub in my head.


    ¡°The hell it was. Loli-chan was all you.¡±


    ''Bullshit. Hunky men was me, she was all yours. You kissed her. And you were pounding Bambi, you gay? You trying to tell me something? Just kidding, I know we would pounce anything that moved at this point.'' She cackled fading away.


    Fuck you Sub. I would not. I have no interest in women other than how sexy or adorable they can look in clothes. This door swings one way, right into sexy men, hell I stub their toes. Although Sub would be the only real exception. I enjoy our little alone time.


    I gazed at Neon Nurse who was scrubbing herself clean in the shower beside my bed... Did I do something I would soon be regretting last night? I peeked again, but my hopes were dashed by her spongy plastic skin. If I had to describe it, it would be a high-quality sex toy, kinda like the one I got in that box over there. She has a port down there too, just for my... Damn it, stop thinking about that! She noticed my stare and bent over to give me a better look. Stop trying to be sexy you god damned mannequin! I don''t want to inseminate you.


    You could say my life reverted back to being in my basement lair. It was almost the same as before I even mutated. Granted, now I was on display for the varied scientists and doctors who wanted to study me. Oh boy, there were a lot of them, they were like fat kids in a cupcake factory. Even Dr. Arbor... yeah, fuck that bitch. Gave her the stinger every time she came at me with wild eyes and full blown rape face, which was every time she saw me. She would just look over, lock eyes on me like a puma and start stalking me. All these crazy whack job scientists and doctors are driving me a little bonkers. I don''t know where the hell they came from, but there is like a full lab staff of at the least fifty now. They are rude too. I mean it is common courtesy to give a reach around before you start probing right? I ended up resisting a few times, but a little, well enough to bring down a bull rhino, sleepy time juice made that a lost war. I endure these ''examinations'' four days a week with intervals of check-ups in between. That so called deal we had went right out the window in the first week. Although to be fair, Dr. Arbor and Neon Nurse got overridden and lost control of my experiments so now I am at the mercy of people, whom I have no idea as to what their purpose is.


    That is right, I was still in quarantine and had been for a little more than two months. I made a list of demands for my cooperation and they were met way too vigorously, I should have asked for more is all that I could think. However, what I did get was fiber optic internet that was so fast I never lagged even while streaming five videos at the same time and downloading obscene amounts of porn. Yes, I know I might be addicted. My computer quite literally was a super computer and kicked my old one''s ass so hard Rocky would be jealous. Neon Nurse helped me out with it, set the whole thing up security programs and such so that everything was encrypted. No idea who would hack my computer, I mean nothing, but games and porn on there. She also installed a program that gave her live feed to what I was doing. If I did not know any better my stalker sense would be going off, but at this point, she was like a leech that is out of reach and there is no point in trying to rip her off.


    I have free Netflix and they bought me all sorts of games including the Shattered Realms, Online. A Queen sized bed, more silk blankets, and pillows than I know what to do with, so I made a nest and find it rather amusing to just stare out of it when they come to look at me. A shag carpet... Yeah, don''t ask about that. I enjoy my little binges where I roll around on the floor on it. So soft and fluffy! Makes me wonder what baby seal or a chinchilla feels like. I should have demanded pets! They find it fascinating and I do it just to fuck with them. They are interested in my various habits and behavior, I don''t get what is so interesting and it scares me a little how into it they are. They recorded my daily schedule and try to predict what I will do. It is like I am a celebrity or something and they are my adoring... rapy fans. Sometimes I start bouncing off the walls just to see how they will react.


    On the far side of my room, they installed a full gym. To keep myself sane from the cabin fever that would have set in I vigorously work out to disco music on a daily basis to burn off all the excess energy. Molotov influenced me a bit. The stuff is catchy and great to move to. I continued the routine that she gave me, I even expanded upon it. One hundred squats, each arm lifts, two hundred pounds and does fifty reps, a hundred pull ups, one hundred push ups all while weighed down. Sometimes I run in circles around the room. I even developed an exercise for the abdomen. It gets stretched out, then I force it to lift weights. I revolve between weights, lifting myself up by folding the appendage and pelvic thrusts. I do this when I first wake up and when I go to bed. The result is that my limbs are constantly throbbing and my carapace is bulging, still very compact, but I am rather pleased with the nonanorexic stomach look. It just looks like mild starvation now. I essentially have an hourglass figure. In other words, I am a sexy bitch, well as sexy as this gets. As one would imagine it gets pretty humid in my room since it is air tight, Neon Nurse has to vent it after every workout and shower.


    My hobby of making cute clothes has exploded. At first, I was knitting until Neon Nurse asked if I wanted more stuff. I requested a whole sewing machine and extensive amounts of fabric, thread, and needles. Four hands makes things a lot easier. I could feed the fabric through the machine and fine thread at the same time. The result was an assembly line of adorable dresses with no one to wear them. I certainly could not. Against my better judgment, I ended up making dresses and things for Neon Nurse, I took her measurements and the like. It took about four hours to make a dress, I had to be very careful not to rip the clothes with my strength. I considered selling them and having my own sweat shop with the only child laborer being me, but then this would be work and that would make me hate it. It was enjoyable to see her running around showing off the princess dress I made. Unfortunately, she took it as a sign of affection and her amorous pursuit of me has increased ten fold.


    I also ended up with a box, well more of a chest filled with sex toys, it was among my demands. There is Black Thunder and the White Giant among many others. What?! I have needs you know. I don''t know what sort of hormones I got coursing through my veins. They tested it, but there was nothing really to compare it to. It is estrogen, testosterone and a mixture of shit I haven''t even heard about before, all on steroids. Being locked in here smelling my own pheromones all the time has me randier than a teenager who just found out what his willy is for. It is a miracle I am not humping the glass. The only thing keeping me from falling into an animalistic mating rut would be Sub and the kinky shit we do in our head.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    I need to do something before I rape somebody and I refuse to play into Neon Nurse''s hands. I can still hear the snap of her gloves from last time she wanted to get... Thorough. They had to sedate me and I have the distinct feeling that they got extremely personal. Honestly, I am more scared of me being explored by her than much else these days. She is always watching me so even with the so called privacy screen that was installed I can feel her eyes ardently fixed on me when I take care of my personal problems. You would be surprised what four hands, an abdomen that bends enough to make a yoga teacher jealous and a two-foot prehensile tongue can do. I get the feeling that she is recording everything, scratch that I know she is. There is no way she is not and I know she is sharing it with Dr. Arbor.


    I suppose my situation would be akin to being in prison and I, unfortunately, was Neon Nurse''s bitch. Alright, maybe not her bitch that is a little extreme. I just see that look in her eyes and I know things are about to get rough. She has attempted eight times in the last week to take me by surprise. For a cyborg she is fucking sneaky, luckily I have enhanced hearing and could feel the air vibrations with the microscopic hairs all over my carapace, I have the reaction time of a cockroach. Without it, I would be getting probed more than usual. Robo Snakes in hand, she will creep in while I am either sleeping, watching movies or playing games... One time I was furiously servicing myself and I snapped on her.


    It took three syringe fulls of sedative to bring me down before I could rip her to pieces. I got an arm and a leg, though. Now she looks at me even more fervently. I think I became the Alpha in the relationship, but that might not be a good thing. She is a hardcore sadomasochist so it does not matter what happens, she gets off on it. I guess I am giving her a bad rap. I mean she is my only real friend in here and her attacks break the monotony of my incarceration. At some point or another, it turned into a game and I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy it. The attention is nice and of course talking to somebody is nice too. I just wish those weirdo scientists would get the hell out of here. Those bastards literally talk down to me like I am some beast. Neon Nurse is more or less my only ray of hope in this insanity.


    My mental health was, well, I won''t sugar coat it. They think that I am crazy. Us, well, we are in a wonderland of sunshine, flowers, and rainbows... Yeah, I won''t lie it is mostly just darkness. A wasteland of broken dreams, despair, dildos and tentacles, you know the usual stuff. The inner mind is great, though, it is my own little world. Other than having multiple personalities I have some other problems, Sub is apparently a personality according to that quack Dreamer. I might have schizophrenia, it would explain my paranoia and aggressive resistance to those who want to do me harm, imagined and real. At the least that is what Dreamer said. She seems to think I am imagining enemies who want to fuck me over, but I know better. I can''t trust her. This would be why I am still in here even after all the preliminary tests have shown no contagions or other things like radioactivity. They are not complaining about me being held since I am their lab rat with close to zero human rights.


    Dreamer was almost foaming at the mouth to get her hands elbow deep in my brain. Needless to say, that was a no go. It was one of the few things I had a say in. They said if I got help, they would let me out. She keeps saying that she just wants to be my friend, but I know better. She is some freaky dinky shrink that wants to fuck my brain. If even a quarter of what Sub is spewing about her is true, she literally my worst nightmare. She wants to turn everything into fluffy bunnies, rainbows, and cotton candy clouds. I get the feeling that type of shit would change me down to a profound level and there would be no recovery. I don''t wanna be some airheaded bimbo, who has cotton candy for brains!


    The bitch wants to haul me off to the funny farm! I see the way she looks at me. I don''t know what it is, but I get some seriously bad vibes from her. The type that makes my exoskeleton feel like I am covered in ants. Shit, she makes Dr. Arbor look positively sane. What I wanna know is why they think I am crazy for not letting somebody in my head, who has the power to literally reshape my thoughts. That is scary as fuck. I will stay right here in this cell if the alternative is to let her in to destroy my mind. I mean, hell she uses her power to interrogate criminals. That should be some kind of human rights violation. I am starting to think she is actually scarier than Molotov. Mind powers are serious business. If I was a little more paranoid I would be in the corner wearing a tin foil hat thinking she is trying to drive me insane. Oh wait, I already do that.


    Me and Sub have a more intimate relationship now, in fact, I am not entirely sure what sort of relationship it would be called. It is a little weird, but she is like the big perverted sister I never had, well maybe not sister... Not after the things we have done. At first, it was scary having somebody else in my head. Then I realized she was just another me, albeit super raw, loud, angry, horny, basically me on the rag all the time, but I know that she has my back. Now we talk all the time. It is pretty nice having a friend in my head that I can tell anything and everything to. Who won''t stab me in the back or gossip with others. We play cards and stuff when I get bored. We chat about who would be the best lay, Boris is clearly at the top of that and then there is our girl crush on Ichigo, we would love to do terrible things to her that would induce nightmares for the sane. Honestly, it is comforting to never truly be alone. If this makes me, us bat shit crazy, well, I guess we are and I am fine with that. The wild tentacle orgies are certainly a plus. I honestly can''t imagine life without Sub anymore.


    Dad learned about my condition, or rather that I am being held at the Hero League and started visiting twice a week. He comes in every Saturday and Wednesday since he has those off, these are my no research days as well. I had to fight those scientists to get it arranged. Like literally I broke a few arms before they would let it happen. It is so fun to talk with him. He really does believe that I am Vesper, his daughter, sometimes even I doubt it, though. My mind is not exactly stable and there is a lot of things missing, memories mostly. I considered telling him about Sub, but there was a distinct feeling that he would think we were crazy. I at the least, want my Dad to think I am not completely down the rabbit hole yet. We talk about baseball a lot and always smile. He seems to think I can still get on a team or something. The likelihood of that is bleak unless I am like the mascot or something, but I think that would just scare everybody. If they ever made a Super team I might try and join, but I get the feeling I would get wrecked by these guys. I am a little low on the totem pole in power here.


    He also started digging into my sex life. I told him about Boris and he fell over crying. I don''t blame him, in fact, I joined him and we had a nice little moment together. Then he was informed about my lesbian nurse and he just started laughing and saying ''I knew it.'' We laughed for a long while as I told him tales of my incarceration, only the good stuff, though. I kept all the fucked up shit under lock and key. I did not want him to worry more than he already did. I love my dad. It really hurts when he has that sad, remorseful look in his eye. He still thinks this is all his fault, no matter what I say. I usually just smile and hug him to reassure him. We usually cry when that happens. I told him about my plans to be a hero and join Fire Chief''s team. He was very happy about that, as was I.


    Mom came in once... She was still not ready. It might have been the single most mortifying moment in my entire life. I was barraged by dildos and beaten with Black Thunder, sixteen inches of hard fury. I just kinda curled up in the corner and cried while they dragged her away. I still don''t know why she was digging around in my chest of treasures or even what set her off for that matter. She wants to kill me, I know she does, she was yelling and screaming it the whole time. She wants her little girl back, but that is not possible. Sub tried to cheer me up. She started going off about how Mom fulfilled some fantasy of ours to be slapped in the face with dicks from all sides... But I was not feeling it. I mean she tried to kill me with plastic penises. She did not do any damage physically, but I just felt humiliated, sad, heartbroken and disturbed. I am ninety percent sure that there is a video of the whole thing somewhere and Neon Nurse has it. I think I need therapy for this shit, like a lot of it.


    My Shattered Realms account was set on fire when I logged in for the first time in four and a half months. That was how many messages I had. About half of it was creepy love confessions and others professing their utter devotion. You see, when you log out, your character stays wherever you left it in the game. This means you can be robbed, raped, enslaved and many other bad things while you are gone. That would be part of why I love this game so much. It was the best Virtual Reality game ever. The whole game was literally sandbox and you could do whatever you wanted. The storyline was amazing too. I had logged out right next to Lady Luna, I really liked her sanctuary. I mean it was a giant temple with moon hieroglyphs everywhere and statues of sensual devils lining the walls. Luna was typically in the garden simply gazing at her moons. She was the Moon Goddess after all. It was a generally exclusive place to be, you had to solve the riddle and do a quest line just to get into the inner sanctum where I was.


    While I was gone a rumor had spread on the forum, some stupid sleeping beauty crap. I was half expecting to be stripped naked and have a slave collar around my neck, in a brothel somewhere. So imagine my surprise when I wake up on a shrine altar and there was an army of characters worshiping me like some idol or something. What am I a golden ram? It seems the top three alliances became one and now they are called the Black Rose. Anyway, I am their goddess apparently. Speaking of Goddesses everyone thought that I, the person who owned the account was dead or something so the company Shattered Dreams decided to immortalize me. They made a Goddess of Death and Despair, named her Sintress and made my character un interactable in the game. That is right, they turned me into a statue, an invulnerable one. After I logged back in though my character was restored.


    You can imagine the screams of joy when I sat up, well more of terror. I had something of a reputation in here. I was a loose cannon, I killed people for no reason and I stole shit from just bout everybody. I also ran people through Dungeons for money and if they decided to skimp I killed them and took all their gear. Why people would idolize me, I have no idea. Some asshole had stolen all my shit so I was pissed, do you realize how hard it was to get a legendary weapon? There is only one of each in the game. Did not matter that I had no items my stats were so screwy from all the blessing and stuff I had from the God Quests, I tortured these guys until I found out who took my stuff. It was the guild leader and he was holding onto it for me, that was bullshit if I ever saw it. I had been robbed.


    So I set out on a murderous rampage that lasted a week while I hunted his ass down. It felt so good to funnel all my rage and frustration into the game. The end result was that I am now the alliance leader and they grovel at my feet. I might be on an ego trip in the game. Unfortunately, the old head was a damned masochist so he loved me beating him. The pain threshold in the game is only fifty percent what it is in real life, though. Seeing someone so pathetic brings out the sadist in me. He is my chair now and I whip him vigorously daily, helps relieve a lot of the stress of real life. It is part of my schedule, five twenty pm. The game really did change while I was gone. Somebody killed Luna so she is not there anymore. The Gods do not respawn if they die. I will have to hunt the guys that killed Luna down and murder them, it might be possible to resurrect her. At the moment there are only two Gods alive, Sintress, Goddess of Death and Linaeve, Goddess of Life. Interestingly, since I had blessings from all the gods before I blanked out I still have them even after their deaths. Everyone else lost them. Essentially, I am overpowered as fuck. There is something of a holy war going on between them. Naturally, I am on my name sake''s side, but I have a few things I want from Linaeve before she kicks the bucket. I am sort of plotting to kill all the gods and become the new goddess in the game. I will make them all bow before me!


    Luna''s sanctuary is now my headquarters and I sit in there on my throne of thorns, petting my Nekomar slaves like a super villain. So soft and cuddly, I love cat girls. Animal girls are refreshing to the soul, I just want to strangle them with love. I have to be careful about that though already snapped a few backs while hugging them. Nothing a little healing magic won''t fix. I collect the NPC''s as pets, slap a slave collar on their necks, give them slutty outfits and just sit there watching them dance. I have at the least, one of every species. There are even a couple of players who sold themselves into slavery just to be my dogs. I treat them worse than trash, but they like that. My favorites, though are the fairies and pixies. I have them on gold strings when I take them out of the garden so they can''t run away, but they love my garden too much to leave. I made a tomb for Luna in the garden, I do not know where her body went, though. Honestly, even I think I have no life, but then again, what else would I do? I have been locked in a containment chamber for two months, only leaving to be experimented on. I can''t even just go out and have a walk. There is only so much anime I can binge watch. I might be going off the deep end.


    I hope that I get released soon. I want to do something, go outside. If I had known it was going to be like this I would have went with Molotov. Me and Boris would be living out in a cabin in the woods making sweet, sweet love. I also get the feeling there would be some kinky shit going down, he looked like the kinda guy who was down for just about anything. Well, what is done is done and word on the grapevine is Neon Nurse is negotiating to see if I can be released. It is shocking she would give up her personal research subject. One would think I am rich from all the experiments and the payouts from her. Unfortunately, she was not the one organizing the tests so it was not her jurisdiction. She was tossing money at me every now and then, but it was never all that much. Besides, what the hell am I going to spend it on? I am trapped in here. I can''t even order shit off the internet. I tried before and they confiscated it. The only upside is that she has been rather vocal of my release. Granted, she is getting cock blocked by Dreamer every step of the way. This is already her tenth appeal. I suppose only time would tell. Maybe I should start a diary or something?


    ____

 Arc 3 Mecha Fairy and the Scrubs, Chapter 2

    Vespidian Arc 3, Chapter 2


    Sub was talking while I was trying to think. It was very distracting and for some reason she sounded just like Molotov. ''Captain''s log, Stardate 8272011. The USS Ma Dick has been captured while on routine patrol! The evil Probeulon Empire has broken through our outer defenses. The crew yet fights on, but it is only a matter of time before the robo snakes reach the bridge. I can hear the screams of the fallen as they are taken for probing. The vile Probeulons will not get their hands on our data reserves. They must never know where the Kitten Kingdom is located! Should they breech the bulkhead the dead man switch will go off and the whole ship will self destruct. Life support failing. Robo Snake 5000 breaking through the door! All hope in humanity is lost. Despair setting in, urge to kill rising... From hell''s heart I stab at thee!''


    Oh, god damn it! Just shut up in there will you? I am trying to stay sane here! Are you trying to help or not? When did you become a Moon Whaler? What are you chasing the great white Robo Snake? Never mind forget I asked and just sit in the corner. For the third time today I circled the room, pacing was a good way to think, but running was even better. I could feel the cabin fever setting in. This was no way to live. I had fallen into something of a rut and was literally insane. I did the same things every day in a routine to fend off having to think about this madness, somehow I thought I would get a different result. Problem was it was making it worse. My antenna twitched. I could hear them talking on the other side of the glass. These cunt rag scientists.


    ¡°So what is she doing now?¡±


    ¡°Same thing she does everyday at this time. She circles with hunger, five minutes till lunch.¡±


    ¡°She really is a creature of habit huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes she does the same things everyday in the same order. She is very meticulous about it too. According to the schedule she will retreat to the back of the cell for privacy ten minutes after she eats.¡±


    I pressed against the glass glaring out and started banging my head against it. When they noticed several screamed and jumped back. I pointed at them making threatening gestures, giving them four middle fingers and yelling, granted they can''t hear me. ¡°Fuck you! I ain''t doing this shit for your enjoyment.¡±


    ¡°Right I forgot she could hear us even through that sound proofed window.¡±


    ¡°Will this disrupt her pattern?¡±


    ¡°Only temporarily give it an hour and she will be back on schedule.¡±


    I snarled at them and vented fogging up the glass. I had spent entirely too long in this damned cage. I wanted out, I needed out and not to be taken to another lab for a probing session. It was almost as though they were trying to drive me insane. Molotov was not even this bad at the least she talked to me like a person! If I could just leave when I wanted then there would be almost no problems. The need to work off some more steam was gnawing at me, so I started doing more weight lifting. My vents opened filling the room with my intoxicatingly feminine and masculine scent. A rage was building inside of me. Every pump of the arm did not help alleviate it but rather agitated it. The mandibles ground together and I hurled the weight at the glass. Two hundred pounds flung by all four arms did not even crack it. It bounced off with a resounding thud. I started punching the glass to no avail. About a month ago I broke the first pane of glass and they replaced it with this almost unbreakable thing. My vents burst open again in frustration. The room had become swampy as it usually did when I was getting into it and I knew that soon the air grid would open to flush out all the moisture and send in dry air.


    The observation window was covered by fog and there was no way to see outside or inside. They would vent the room. They always did, they were far too curious to not and I would make my move when they did. There was something that I realized after all this time, I could escape from here by going through the air ducts. I had held on this long hoping that they would release me, but that did not look like it was going to happen. You want something done, you do it yourself. It was only a matter of waiting and sure enough the grid opened in the wall, sucking in the foul air. I lunged and all four hands ripped the metal covering off, it took half a second to scurry inside.


    The tunnels shifted and the wind rushed past me. A giant fan loomed ahead, spinning faster than I could see. My claws anchored me in place while I considered my options. Slowly I edged closer until it was in reach. I forced myself to throw up and acid bubbled out of my mouth, I hocked it like a loogie and it splattered all over the whirling fan. My stomach acid can melt metal. Neon Nurse was crying about it, I had dissolved a few of her snakes with prolonged exposure. That only made her more innovative though and now all her Robos are acid proof. A hissing sound rose and the fan became unstable before the blades separated into scattering shrapnel that slashed down the vent. A groan rose from my lips and a dull pain spread when my left top arm was torn off by the whirling metal. I grasped it up and set it back into place watching the muscles reconnect. I was so angry I did not even feel it.


    The low whine of some alarm was going off. I continued clattering through the vents looking for a way out. It felt good to not be watched. I sat down at an intersection just taking a deep breath. There was something about a tightly enclosed space that I could move around in. It made me feel at ease. The darkness was interrupted by a light glaring up from a hatch cover in the floor. Voices were drifting up.


    ¡°Why the hell is the alarm going off?¡±


    ¡°It looks like they were poking that freak over in labs too much and it snapped. The damned thing is on the loose.¡±


    ¡°Oh you mean Vespid or whatever her names was. Wait isn''t she the one that was eating dogs and stuff?¡±


    ¡°Yeah that is the one.¡±


    ¡°Fuck me. Let''s hurry up and get armed I don''t want to run into that thing.¡±


    I scurried to the light gazing down and contemplating what to do. The idea that I could kill these people came to mind, it would be easy too. All that it would take would be to burst out of the vent with my legs anchoring me in place and drag them back up. Just like a monster in a horror movie. I will show you all for torturing me all this time! My evil grin nearly spread off the sides of my face. I wonder how human tastes? Something was tingling inside of my head... it felt wonderful. I shook my head hitting it a few times. No killing. What the hell is wrong with me? Is it some predatory instinct or something? Sub what the fuck is going on in there? She was quiet oddly. Normally she is a goddamned chatter box. I continued along passing over more hallways and people. Conversations varied and I did not care about them. Over a certain room I heard Neon Nurse talking with someone.


    ¡°I told you this would happen! It is written clearly in all my reports. She does not like confinement. She is smart and adaptive you know. If she was not easily distracted she would have done this weeks ago.¡±


    Dreamer said with her usual condescending tone. ¡°She is unstable we cannot release her.¡±


    ¡°She is not a threat to the public. It is unreasonable to continue this containment. If we had let her out earlier she would not have been driven to this. Please, I know her. I can talk her down and if she does attack at most she will take one of my robo arms.¡±


    ¡°Who is the psychological expert here? Now look there is so much wrong with that girl''s head I do not even know where to start. She is a ticking time bomb. Director make a decision.¡±


    ¡°Director you have to see reason here. This is driving her mad. How would you feel if you were trapped in a room and only let out to be experimented on. It has been more than two months already. Quarantine should have ended a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°You say that like you are not one of the major people who torment her.¡±


    ¡°I at the least listen to her and my research is for her well being. I do not even know who most of these new people are anymore. Who the hell keeps inviting more researchers? They are agitating her and treating her like some beast.¡±


    ¡°I can''t help it she refuses to even talk to me.¡±


    ¡°Dreamer you are the one inviting more?!¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    A strong, gentlemanly voice interrupted them. ¡°Enough squabbling. I agree with Neon Nurse here. It is inhumane to keep her locked up. Even a dog needs a walk you know. Find her and we will discuss where she will be assigned. Fire Chief put in a good word, but so did Crimson Sweeper. That being said we are going to have to keep a close eye on her and there will be counter measures.¡±


    I did not know who this director guy was, but he seemed pretty level headed. My talon raised the vent cover and I dropped down behind them. Dreamer and Neon Nurse jumped, behind them was an old looking man. He had a craggy face and wore a black top hat with monocle. A well maintained twirly mustache twitched above his lip. Red coat wrapped him tightly and it had flaps in the back. He raised an eyebrow at me, tea cup in hand. He was not scared nor all that surprised by my presence. The man took a long sip before setting it down and centering the cup. This guy was classy as fuck! Who is he, Dapper Dan?


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    ¡°Vespidian. I thought I heard something up there. You heard our conversation?¡± He asked with a swish of his mustache.


    ¡°Most of it. I don''t want to cause problems, but they are treating me like an animal in there. Director?" My voice started out strong but then started to waver. It was hard to keep from crying. "Please I will be good! I will wear a leash or something. I just want out. Don''t send me back.¡±


    ¡°Director is my position here. My hero name is Ringmaster. Yes Scientists tend to do that. I will allow you to be lifted from quarantine. I had been thinking about it for a while now, but Dreamer here keeps insisting that you would cause problems. Typically she is right when in regards to one''s mental health, but seeing as how we are having a pleasant conversation and that you are willing to compromise I see that she has been over exaggerating.¡±


    ¡°Director you can''t be serious! If we let her loose she is liable to snap, and rip someone in half. She might start eat children in the streets. The press will go mad and the fallout would damage everything we have worked for!¡±


    ¡°Fuck you. I don''t eat people or pets. Why do you hate me so much?¡± I glared at that bitch and her damned slutty magician outfit.


    ¡°I am trying to help you! You have symptoms of more than twenty psychological disorders! You have many of the traits of a psychopath. I have seen what you do when you play those games. It is like a kaleidoscope of insanity in your mind!¡±


    ¡°Really? You are bitching about my game? I will have you know those things are very therapeutic. It is not real, I know the difference between reality and a game. What you think I am going to just kill people for no reason?¡±


    ¡°You would do it for a reason, a deranged unstable reason, but a reason none the less. It would probably make a lot of sense in that scrabbled head of yours too. That does not mean that your rationality is right. If anything it makes it worse.¡±


    ¡°I could say the very same thing about you.¡± I glared back.


    ¡°I don''t kill people.¡± She nonchalantly replied.


    ¡°Yeah you just murder their minds.¡±


    ¡°I do no such thing.¡± She rolled her eyes at me.


    Ring Master spoke up. ¡°I think it would be best if the two of you had a bit of space for now.¡±


    ¡°Alright fine have it your way.¡± Said Dreamer, throwing her hands up. ¡°When she snaps and she will. She will turn into one of the worst serial killers the country has ever seen. It could have been prevented if you had just sent her to the Institute. Don''t come crying to me after it is too late. Do whatever the hell you want, I wash my hands of this.¡±


    She stormed out of the room and the door slammed shut. Good riddance, bitch. I am not some killer. Everyone has urges to fuck someone up, but that is normal. It is not normal to actually do it. Take your freaky deaky mind fucking somewhere else! Neon Nurse smiled vaguely poking her tablet towards me. I looked it over, schematics for something? A suit maybe or a robot. It looked like a sexy robo nurse.


    Ringmaster looked me over. ¡°Well if she is going to be seen by the public we can''t have her looking like that.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with the way I look?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen a mirror lately? You will give children nightmares.¡±


    I nodded. He had a point. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°We have a few options. We considered just painting you pink or something, but then we realized how it would look. Needless to say night terror inducing. The other option would be that we hide you from view.¡±


    ¡°Hide me?¡±


    ¡°Neon Nurse has come up with a plan to cybernetically enhance you. There are two routes either she armor plates you or you wear a suit that Fire Chief has been making.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think I am ready for anything permanent like cyborg augmentation. I want the suit.¡±


    ¡°You do realize you are a six and a half foot bug woman right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah but it is like getting a tattoo, I am not ready for that kind of commitment. It would hurt a lot too, I don''t like pain.¡±


    ¡°A Rank 5 regenerator does not like pain? I do not know what to say about that.¡±


    ¡°What? Just cause I grow stuff back does not make me some masochist. I mean what hurts, hurts you know.¡±


    ¡°No you don''t seem to understand. Usually regenerators are addicted to pain. It makes them feel whole when they pull themselves together after an injury.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah that. I forgot about that. Pain is not my cup of tea. My power does not work like that. So in other words that is their problem. That is one serious kink though.¡±


    He asked pointedly. ¡°So then you like to hurt people?¡±


    I thought on it for a long moment, scratching my spiked chin. ¡°I suppose I do. Granted I only do that in games.¡±


    ¡°You snapped Neon Nurse''s neck, tore off an arm and a leg, on more than one occasion I should add. You broke Dr. Arbor''s arm and have stung her twenty seven times in the past month. On many occasions you have assaulted researchers.¡±


    ¡°And they deserved it.¡± I said pointing two hands at her and the other two at him. She blushed a little and nodded in agreement. ¡°Have you ever had a robo snake shoved up your ass, no lube or nothing? Dr. Arbor well she knows what she is getting into, hell I think she likes it. Speaking of which I have half a mind to dismember every single one of those scientists who have been torturing me this past while.¡±


    ¡°You lay a finger on any of them and you will be labeled a villain.¡±


    My mouth creased into that horribly wide grin, it felt fitting. ¡°Oh I know. I won''t do anything, water under the bridge. But if they fuck with me from now on, well I am liable to rip a spine out. At this point they should have a goddamned schematic for my body. The only ones I will allow to continue their research is Neon Nurse and Dr. Arbor, but only when I am damn well ready. I want those other leeches out of my sight or I will burn them off. Don''t you toy with me. I came to you guys and I even chose you over going with Molotov yet you did these abominable things to me. I want compensation. Also if anything like this happens again I will murder every last person who is responsible. I don''t care about the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Very well, most of them were only taking advantage of the unique situation you had presented. It is understandable however you should not be making threats. Especially at me, I just saved you. A little gratitude would be appreciated considering that you are about to get a Super Suit. Though I do regret allowing this predicament from going on so long you should know though that your pain and suffering yielded vast amounts of information.¡±


    I clapped slowly and said sarcastically. ¡°Oh how delightful. I am real proud.¡±


    ¡°No need to be sassy. I would be very careful of fire if I was you. You will not regenerate burns.¡±


    ¡°I know about fire. Tell me something I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°Fire is the bane of all regenerators up until rank 6.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t I just get cooked like a lobster? Nothing to burn on the outside.¡±


    ¡°According to tests you would overheat and vent. The carapace would then allow your innards to be scalded and hold the fire inside.¡±


    ¡°Well shit. That sounds scary. Wait how do you know this... oh god you guys did that to me while I was sedated didn''t you?¡± They both nodded. I wearily asked. ¡°The suit is fireproof right?¡±


    ¡°It is. Well you should go back to your room and rest up for tomorrow. It will be a busy one. Fire Chief will brief you. I assume you want to be on his team?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I do. Why does Sweeper want me on his team?¡±


    Ringmaster smiled leaning on his cane. ¡°He wanted to use your talents as an investigator of sorts. More or less raids on criminal hideouts. Where as Fire Chief is more of response to things. Fires, car accidents, missing person cases, search and rescue when an earthquake hits, that sort of thing. Sometimes you would be called in to aid in capturing villains.¡±


    I thought on it. ¡°So basically it is a choice between cleaning the streets and helping people in distress? I don''t think that I trust Crimson Sweeper enough to join his team. I mean that sounds dangerous. I would love to deck some villains, but I might take things a little too far. Don''t want to kill people you know. I am better than that.¡±


    ¡°That is good to know. By the way you will be needing a therapist.¡±


    ¡°I don''t need no damned shrink.¡±


    ¡°You do and do not worry it is not Dreamer or anyone even related to her. This is not a request. If you do not comply I will have you thrown into a high security cell.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Fine.¡± I said crossing my arms. ¡°I will see the damned shrink. So when do I see this person?¡±


    ¡°Just wait in your room and I will send them by tonight. After this it will be once a week.¡±


    I clicked my tongue. ¡°Sounds reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Then you start tomorrow.¡± Said Ringmaster looking at the red light flashing in the corner of the room. ¡°Neon Nurse, escort her back to her room and tell them to turn off that stupid alarm.¡±


    She nodded and we left. I got pretty far from my room, somehow I ended up three floors up. Vents are wily things, seems like a good idea to remember that. No wonder monsters love them in the movies. Can a bug creature be a hero? I can''t believe I actually get to cosplay honestly I never thought I would be able to again after this happened. I wonder what my super suit looks like? I bet it is fucking awesome. Guess I will find out tomorrow, can hardly wait. Assuming of course that I can survive the quacks.

 Arc 3 Mecha Fairy and the Scrubs, Chapter 3

    Vespidian Arc 3, Chapter 3


    I could hear Sub in my head, she still had that accent... it was her Molotov impersonation. ''Captain''s log, supplemental. USS Ma Dick has averted disaster by skin of balls. We managed to jettison robo snake uprising into cold space. Phase missiles broke the Probeulon line and we were able to successfully escape. It was a hard fought battle that will be remembered in the glorious annals of the Kitten Kingdom. Many lives were claimed but the Kitten Kingdom shall not fall! Only I and my number one have survived. Low oxygen levels forced us to huddle together naked for warmth. However now we face our most dreaded of foes, The Rapist! It will be our final battle, to my wife and children I say goodbye. Fleet Admiral Sub signing off.''


    Just stop it will you? For the last time it is a Therapist. I never should have watched Next Generation. You make me wonder sometimes Sub. I sat at my little table. It felt like I was in preschool or something waiting for attendance. I wonder what they are going to do? It is just talking right? How many of them are there going to be anyway? My fingers tapped idly while Neon Nurse poked her head in. As usual her metal uniform was pristine and white. The pink shroud of light illuminated her from the glowing tubes carved into her fake flesh. She smiled vaguely sitting across from me.


    ¡°Are you excited?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Should I be?¡± I sneered. ¡°What exactly am I up against here?¡±


    ¡°Don''t think of the caseworker as an enemy. They are just going to ask a few questions. Think of it as somebody you can vent to.¡±


    ¡°What is to say they won''t just ship me off to the loony bin?¡±


    ¡°Just keep the dark stuff to yourself. Remember what I said about the neutral line? Work with them, but keep the crazy stuff to yourself.¡±


    ¡°I can do that I guess.¡±


    It took only a minute or so for a man in a gray business suit to show up. The undershirt was a red button up and his tie blue. He looked to be in his thirties, well groomed, almost immaculate in his appearance. He must be a clean freak or something. There was not a single wrinkle in his suit. He wore sunglasses even though we were inside. The more that I looked the shadier this guy started feeling. His brown, short hair was slicked back. He set his briefcase on the table.


    ¡°Neon Nurse.¡± Said the man. ¡°Staying out of trouble?¡±


    She grinned. ¡°Of course I am, Mark. I don''t have that much free time for shenanigans any more.¡±


    ¡°You two know each other?¡± I asked looking between them.


    ¡°She had a little run in with the law a while back. How long has it been? Five, six years now?¡±


    ¡°Neon Nurse got in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Mistake of youth I suppose. You know how I get when I discover new things. Back then everything was new and I had no boundaries.¡± She smiled shyly.


    ¡°What exactly did you do?¡±


    ¡°Well it is a bit embarrassing to say.¡± She replied looking away.


    Mark laughed a little. ¡°She was caught for abducting animals off of the streets and experimenting on them. At the time she was in a gang. She stepped over the line when she started taking pets.¡±


    ¡°So you were doing stuff like Mittens?¡±


    ¡°No, he is the culmination of my animal research from that time. None of the early ones survived. When they had caught me I had already moved on to human testing. Success is brought to fruition through the many failures along the way.¡±


    ¡°Did you kill anybody?¡±


    ¡°Luckily no and using what I had learned I was able to start creating my own body. I was sort of desperate at the time. We will finish this conversation some other time I have some rather pressing business and you are in good hands. I will leave you to it.¡± She gave me a hug before leaving me with this man named Mark.


    ¡°Hello Vespidian.¡± He said with a rather cheery tone and he reached out to shake. I took the hand giving it a firm shake. ¡°Strong grip you have there. Mark Dirkstein at your service, you can call me Mr. Dirkstein or Mark if you prefer. I am your lawyer.¡±


    ¡°My lawyer?¡± I asked scratching my head. ¡°I thought I was getting a therapist.¡±


    ¡°Oh you will be in a few minutes. I was hired by Dr. Arbor to make sure things stay on the straight and narrow. I am a defense attorney for Villains and luckily for you I am one of the best.¡±


    ¡°Hold up. Why the fuck do I need a defense attorney?¡± I put my hands on the table looking him over.


    ¡°You might not need me.¡± He said pulling out a cigarette, lighting it. ¡°However you might really need me. Dr. Arbor seems to think somebody is out to get you. I am mostly here as a precaution. Essentially I am going to be sitting in on your sessions and making sure that the shrink is on the up and up.¡±


    ¡°Is this going to cost me anything? I know you lawyers are blood sucking money grubbers.¡± I stared at him with my squinted eyes.


    A smile cracked on his face and he chuckled. ¡°I think we are going to get along just fine. Dr. Arbor is paying for my services, so no, you are in the free and clear. You should know it is good to have your own blood sucking lawyer to fight off other people''s. Costs a lot less in the long run and protects you from the worst of the consequences.¡±


    ¡°So I see. Well then Mark. I suppose we are going to be the best of friends for a while.¡± I smirked and a shiver run down his spine.


    He glanced over his Rolex. ¡°Looks like we still have a few minutes before the therapist shows up. We are going to establish some ground rules, basic stuff. Read over these documents when you have time.¡±


    He handed me some papers. They looked important and official with stamps and stuff. I have never been one for legal documents so this was some uncharted territory for me. I tried to read it, but it might as well be moon speak with how much legal jargon was in there. No wonder you need a lawyer to deal with this shit. I could not make heads or tails of it so I just set it back down. I was not going to sign anything unless I knew exactly what it did.


    ¡°I don''t need to sign this stuff right away do I?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He sighed. ¡°You do not need to sign that at all. You need my help more than you think if you can''t even read my business itinerary.¡±


    I lay my head down on the table. This was going to be harder than I thought. The door opened after a few minutes and in walked this chubby woman with overly curled black hair. She had green eyes and a small nose filling in the center of her pudgy face. Her clothes were professional although a bit more unkempt. They were not made to fit exactly, some were a little tight and others were a little loose. Where Mark had been perfect she was something of the opposite and looked a little out of her element here. Something about her seemed disarming.


    ¡°Oh shit.¡± She said staring at me. I could smell her fear as she looked me over. ¡°Of course I get stuck with the freak. I did not sign up for this.¡±


    ¡°You know that is offensive.¡± Said Mark with his arms crossed.


    ¡°Well excuse me. I got the case file like two hours ago and told to go see if this...¡± She said looking over the papers in her clipboard. ¡°Vespidian? What the hell kind of name is that? What even are you?¡±


    ¡°I am Vespidian. It is who and what I am. Since I am being forced to do this I am rather open to your questions, if you have them. Let''s get this over with, I get the feeling that I scare you.¡±


    ¡°You are not going to eat me are you?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± I replied with a huge yawn that unhinged my face and my tongue scratched underneath my eye. ¡°Why would I eat you? You don''t even look or smell tasty.¡±


    ¡°That is a relief.¡± She said though I knew full well she did not feel that way. ¡°I did not have much time to prepare so for the moment we are going to do some basic things. First I would like to start off with learning more about you.¡±


    ¡°Just calm down.¡± I smiled vaguely. ¡°I don''t plan on hurting anybody unless they hurt me. If you have already read my record you will know all acts of violence I have committed so far have been in self defense or under provocation. Though I might look like this I am still very much human on the inside.¡±


    Mark was off to the side with his phone out. Not that he really mattered at this point. I was not exactly feeling any sort of apprehension about talking to this woman. If anything she was scared of me. Sub however started getting paranoid and thinking that she was acting and this was all a clever ruse to fuck me over. Perhaps caution would be best. It is not like I want to tell this stranger my darkest secrets or anything. Then again it is very hard to fake fear and this little piggy was soaked in it. The vague idea that maybe she would taste good if left to marinate for a while and slowly be smoked came to mind. Sub we talked about this, no eating people!


    She stuttered a little. ¡°So... so how about we start with who you were before this happened to you?¡±


    ¡°You should mention that you are recording this conversation.¡± Said Mark glancing up from his phone.


    ¡°You are recording?¡± I stared at her. I did not even see her start up a device or anything. She might be far more formidable than I thought.


    She placed her clipboard down and made sure that the cylinder shaped device was in full view and turned it on. ¡°It seemed to have slipped my mind. Sorry about that. Well then shall we get this started?¡±


    I squinted at her. ¡°Before that I have a question. What is your name?¡±


    Her face turned red as she wiped away some sweat with a little handkerchief. ¡°Oh dear me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Marilyn Mickenson. Since I have been assigned to you I will be your counselor, psychiatrist and if need be therapist.¡±


    It was hard to get a good read on her she seemed so harmless yet Sub was worried. She could generally get a better sense of the subtle things and relay them to me. Granted she is paranoid as fuck so I should take it with a grain of salt. First of all, aren''t those all separate professions? This was not sitting right with her so I was going to proceed with the weariness of the hunted. ¡°I am Vespidian that is all.¡±


    ¡°Well sure that is who you are now, but I want to know where you came from. It will help me understand you better.¡±


    I glanced over at Mark and he nodded. Guess that means it is ok to talk about. ¡°Not too much to say. I was born and raised here in Bronson, California. I went to the Chaplain Escalator School for elementary through high school and I played baseball.¡± The only reason I even knew that was because Dad told me on a few of the visits. It was awkward to say the least, probing for information while pretending that I sort of remembered things. I felt so guilty about it when he looked so happy talking about my birthday parties and old friends that I had no recollection of. I could only lie and smile to not hurt him. It left a bad taste in my mouth, but it would be worse if he knew.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°This is your life story. Surely there is more to it than that. What was your name back before all of this happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I am a Super. Why should I tell you my civi name? That stuff is secret you know.¡±


    ¡°You could just answer me and make this easy or of course this turns into a non compliance issue and I still end up finding out after a bit of leg work.¡± Marilyn patted down her sweating neck. She smelled like soured milk, covered in cheap perfume. My antenna squirmed a little, to her distress, which made the smell even worse.


    I see your game. Want to look me up on your free time? I will throw a little curve ball. ¡°My name was Walda, but to me that life is long gone. It is nice to look back at but I know that it will never be mine again.¡±


    ¡°So you have come to terms with your predicament?¡±


    I looked at my hand for a long moment. ¡°More of been forced to cope with reality, but yes I suppose I have.¡±


    ¡°What do you plan to do once you are released?¡±


    ¡°I want to be a hero. Do something productive with this... curse? Gift? Not too sure yet. Make up for the life that I had squandered.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean squandered?¡± She asked scribbling things down.


    I hesitated to answer. How deeply did I want to even go with this? Not like she can get too much out of this if I am vague about it. My hands tapped the table. ¡°I was a deadbeat with no job, no real friends, I leached off of my parents and I wasted all of my time playing games.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with playing games?¡±


    ¡°I did it far too much. Would spend days in front of my computer playing non stop. It was not healthy and I know it. Now however I want to help people. If I can save lives, bring down bad guys or just be of use, well, I will do it.¡±


    ¡°Why would you want to be a hero? What really drives you?¡± She asked giving me a deep look.


    I thought on it. What the hell does drive me? Why do I want to be a hero? This was a fair question and I was grasping at straws to rationalize it. Slowly my thoughts came together and I finally answered. ¡°What perk would I get for being a villain? I would be hunted like an animal, forced to fight for my survival in some shady organization, at some point I would probably even do something stupid like robbing a bank, people would get hurt and there would be a line of no return that I would not want to cross. Being a villain just sounds awful and pointless.¡±


    Marilyn wrote away and after a few minutes the scribbling stopped. She looked me in the eyes. ¡°Have you never thought about the money? The power? The freedom? That comes with throwing the laws aside and doing whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to convince me to be evil?¡± I asked looking between her and Mark.


    He pushed his sunglasses up with a stern look. ¡°That is a very valid point. Care to answer miss Mickenson?¡±


    ¡°Usually when someone turns to crime it is for those reasons.¡± She puffed up like a toad that was threatened. ¡°I found it odd that she did not mention them.¡±


    ¡°I see your point, I guess. Money is nice, power is good too, at the moment though I yearn for freedom above all else. Sure I could take things, but what use would they be if I got caught and thrown in jail, or worse. Power in those circles is only good so long as people fear you. You lose just once and your rep takes a nosedive. I look at villainy and even with all this power at my disposal I see only pain and suffering. It is just not worth it. I can obtain all of the above and much more by being a hero. So why would I throw it away to be the scum of the earth?¡±


    She wrote for a while longer the only sound in the room was her pen scratching at the paper. Honestly I wonder why she does not have a laptop and type everything. She would stop here and there to gather her thoughts before continuing. My hand propped my drooping head. I was growing bored of this whole thing. Was this it? This was literally what kept me caged for two months? My fists clenched with anger and I took a deep breath letting it go.


    Marilyn pulled out a picture and held it up for me to see. It looked like some blobs or something. ¡°We have made a fair amount of progress, but let us move on to a little test. Ever done an Ink Blot test?¡±


    I shook my head and looked over at Mark. He nodded dismissively. She continued talking. ¡°It is very simple just look at the picture and tell me what you see. Remember there are no wrong answers and you might see more than one thing in the picture. Tell me everything that you see.¡±


    Mark interjected. ¡°These tests are not very reliable so don''t worry too much.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Alright I guess.¡±


    I took a better look at that first picture. The lines moved about and a clear, distinct image formed. Sub and I discussed it for a moment and came to the same conclusion. I said. ¡°Two bears high fiving with a mushroom cloud in the background?¡±


    She wrote it down nodding vaguely. Then the next appeared. This one was rather simple as well. ¡°Two bears holding an egg, while dancing around a butterfly and flipping everyone off.¡±


    This was kinda fun. I smiled, looking over the next picture. This one was a bit harder. Sub was seeing shit that I was not and I was seeing things she was not. She started to get the idea that we should come up with the most fucked up answers just to mess with this person. I on the other hand wanted to take this seriously. After I had heard what she saw, it polluted my mind and ended up being a case of what has been seen cannot be unseen. We ended up combining our answer.


    ¡°This one looks like a few things. The middle is either a gaping vagina after a porno where she had a train run on her or it is a bird. Then there are two starving guys holding a cup between them or they are playing paddy cake. Inside of the guys are alien parasites, eating them from the inside out.¡±


    Both Mark and Marilyn stared at me then at the picture. I started to feel awkward as hell. See Sub this is why we can''t have nice things! I muttered. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Said Mark looking the picture over very carefully. ¡°You have quite the knowledge of adult films.¡±


    ¡°Internet. I seen some crazy stuff. Honestly that is rather tame compared to a lot of the stuff I get off to.¡± I replied. He gave a worried nod. What I am being honest here!


    She however did not say a word just writing more things down. After a couple minutes she pulled out the next picture. I thought on it for a few moments, tuning out Sub. ¡°It is either two women fighting over a handbag or two ballerinas with chicken feet dancing. In between them is a feminine torso, just the torso.¡±


    Neither of them said anything to that one. See Sub that is normal so keep your shenanigans to yourself. You might not be taking this seriously, but I am. The black and white picture was taken and replaced by yet another. This one looked pretty damned cool. ¡°It is a giant female robot with huge arms and shoulders pads. The bottom looks like a bit like rocket flames.¡±


    Mark raised an eyebrow to that one and Marilyn was silent as ever. After she finished another card was set before me. What the hell even is this? ¡°It looks kinda like a man bat flying through the air. No wait I think it is fluffy bunny.¡±


    She started scribbling away like mad after that one. Did I say something wrong? It is what it looked like. She put another and I looked it over. There were a few things in there. ¡°The sides are armless tyrannosauruses with humpbacks sitting on top of one another in a bathtub. In the middle is an angel.¡±


    She pulled out another and I stared, trying to form things. Then I saw what horrors were on that page. I did not even need Sub''s sabotaging to realize I might be fucked in the head. My mouth opened then snapped shut before I could utter a word. My mandibles clicked with irritation. If I told them what I saw here they would write me off as crazy and then I would never get out of here. After a little bit I censored it down. My tongue wet my lips. ¡°Ok this one there are two lizards? Maybe lions? Not sure some kind of animals crawling up the side of the mountain. The bottom is a pelvis. The middle there are two snapdragons or vaginas, they have wings.¡±


    Mark was rubbing his face a little, but he was not questioning what I saw. Marilyn scribbled up a storm and I started to regret mentioning the lady bits. I guess that is what I get for being somewhat honest. Hey this is a hell of a lot better than what I really saw. It reminded me too much of the deep dark place in my head. Sub does not even go there. I rested my head for a moment on the table scrubbing my mind clean of that image.


    She pulled out another inkblot and I gave it a good looking over. It was rather interesting looking. Nothing too crazy. ¡°Looks like two man birds with beaks perched on ledges looking out over a city. They might also have huge dicks... never mind just their knees, false alarm.¡±


    When the hell was this going to be over? I am not sure if I am having fun anymore. She kept jotting things down and then pulled out another and said. ¡°This is the last. Be thorough, I want to hear everything.¡±


    My eyes gaped. What the fuck! Is this the spawn of Satan or something? I mean shit. I started to panic she was looking at me like a hawk and writing stuff down already. There was not much time to think. ¡°I see a man near the bottom with elephants at his side and up above him is some sort of evil fantasy villain. There are a couple of butterflies to the sides. Dicks! There are dicks everywhere!¡±


    She was giving me a very critical look. Did she know I was lying? Does she know what I really saw!? Damn you piggy you won''t drag me to the depths of hell! I straightened my face out and made it hard as stone. The only way through is to bluff and put up a strong poker face. I gave her the blue steel or at the least my rendition of it. I could see the sweat pouring down her face as she gawked at me. It was a staring contest at this point, a battle of wills and I was not going to lose to some fat pork chop! She relented and I sighed inwardly. I yawned as though I was bored and not sweating bullets inside of my carapace.


    ¡°So how did I do?¡± I asked lazily although my voice was a little shaky.


    ¡°No idea.¡± She replied packing up her stuff. ¡°I will get back to you next week on your results.¡±


    ¡°Am I stuck in here for another week?!¡±


    ¡°No you are free to go.¡±


    I sat at the table drained as she walked out. Mark stepped over. He pat me on the shoulder. ¡°Seems to be in the free and clear. I will see you next week.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Glad to have you.¡±


    He left and I sat alone in my room. My bed was inviting and there was no resisting it so I flopped down curling up with the Nick Mouse doll that Molotov gave me. It was so soft and fluffy. Sleep came fitfully, but once it did I was in deep.


    _______


    Thank you for reading everyone ^^

 Arc 3 Mecha Fairy and the Scrubs, Chapter 4

    Vespidian Arc 3, Chapter 4


    The morning came all too quickly and Fire Chief woke me up. It took a few to realize what was happening and the morning wood was out... yeah not a good start. Stupid cunt get back in there! Why can''t you just stay in there? You are embarrassing me here. He was cool about it though, did not stare or anything. In fact his eyes were locked onto my face the whole time. Those dreamy baby blue spheres. The type of thing you can get lost in. My eyes on the other hand were pitch black and that red glaring pupil that materialized when I concentrated. Although it might be that the whole eye is the pupil... interesting thought. They were like ugly gashes against my bone white mask of a face. Nevertheless I looked like I was possessed by something, like some spawn of Satan if he fucked the shit out of a wasp.


    ¡°I heard that I get a suit.¡± My smile spread as I followed him down the corridors.


    ¡°Yeah, I have been working on it for a month.¡± Grinned Fire Chief. This guy really loves mechas. ¡°It has stabilizers and four arms slots to accommodate you. What do you think about the name Mecha Nurse?¡±


    ¡°Who the hell thought that up? I don''t know jack shit about medical stuff. At the least not with humans.¡±


    He looked disappointed. ¡°You don''t like it? I thought you would.¡±


    ¡°Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°Neon Nurse said it would be cool to have a Nurse duo on the team.¡±


    Of course she would. I shook my head vaguely. ¡°No. Just call me Vespidian. Why would I have to change my name anyway?¡±


    ¡°Well the wasp thing does not really go well with the team theme. I mean we have Medavac, Enforcer, Neon Nurse, and me. That and we can''t exactly parade your real self around. How about Mecha Medic?¡±


    ¡°Why do I have to be some sort of mechanized health worker? I can''t exactly change what I am you know.¡±


    ¡°Well the suit has already been made and it is a little on the girly side.¡±


    ¡°Fuck me. Just let me see the damned thing and then I will think up a name.¡±


    Well it certainly was girly, well actually I should say womanly. A tall frame, it was about seven foot, thin and lanky. The armor was white with pink stripes all over it. There was a giant pink medical cross on the front. This was that schematic I saw Neon Nurse with. She was the one who designed it. Should I be flattered? The more I looked at it, the more I began to wonder where the hell my abdomen was supposed to go. I mean this suit was essentially a shapely metal woman with thick shoulder pads. If somebody told me it was a robot I would not think twice about it. There was a black material that stretched, it was the undersuit and filled in between all the armor plates. The feet ended in platform heels and the legs were very skinny. The armor was segmented off at the hips and the arms at the shoulders and elbows.


    The body formed a leotard like shape and exposed the ass like a thong... Neon Nurse must be behind this. It had huge tits too, although I suppose for the size they would only be large Ds, they were hard and metallic thank god, knowing Neon Nurse this could have gone way worse. There was a jet pack on the curved back, it seemed out of place and made it bulky on that section. The cranium was expanded backwards to accommodate my own head. The design was well the same as my head... won''t people be able to tell it is me? I mean shit who else has a crescent moon growing out of the back of their head? At the least the tentacles wigglies did not get added. There was even two antenna slots that gave it a super robo feel. No facial features, it was a blank, reflective screen. I stood staring at it. They made it, so I might as well try it on. I got the vague idea that it was a mechanized stripper. Well at the least it has sex appeal. Better than being a fugly bug.


    ¡°Where does my abdomen go?¡±


    ¡°Oh right here. You plug it into the jump pack.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean plug in? This fucking thing is not going to rape me is it?¡±


    ¡°No. Why would you even think that? See look right here there is a slot that you can slide it in.¡±


    ¡°So I have sex with it?¡±


    He rolled his eyes at me. ¡°No. Come on Vesper. Look your abdomen gets locked in place here so that it does not go flopping around. Now it will be a little uncomfortable, but you should get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Well sorry. Neon Nurse helped out with it so there is no telling.¡±


    ¡°She is not that bad.¡±


    He opened the suit and all of the front moved to the side allowing me to climb in. So that is why it was so bulky. My abdomen was to go up my back and be secured in place below the jump jet, which was not all that big, the extra room was for me. My wings though were the only remaining problem. There was not really anywhere to put them. The only thing I could do was to fold them around myself. It was not hard, just not comfortable. I stepped in securing the various straps in place and slowly it began to lower into place around me. Everything fit snugly... it felt more like a rubberized full body suit. Damn this was some high end kinky shit. I wonder how much people pay to experience this? I mean there was no extra room in this thing. Neon Nurse had been very thorough in her measurements. The arms moved to my will and the antenna wriggled their way into the compartments. I could see out the clear glass, but there were lights to the sides and it felt like a computer hud, complete with targeting reticle that followed where I was concentrating. Not entirely sure how it does that since my eyes don''t move. It felt like a videogame, which excited me and scared me at the same time. Can I really control myself like this?


    With a hiss everything locked into place and the suit sealed up. I flexed the hands and looked over the bay where we were. It was like a car repair place, granted there were mechanical suits hanging all around from steel cords. This was one of his work stations and oil stains covered the floor, neon and fluorescent liquids had leaked out of cracked tubes. What the hell was this thing powered with anyway? The hud filtered light and dimmed everything according to the amount of light that was present. It kept everything at a typical sunny afternoon of brightness. In other words it countered my light sensitivity. It would be bad to underestimate science. I mean if he has this shit what the hell does the military have? That thought made me shudder a little.


    ¡°So how does it feel?¡± He asked looking at a tablet, then up at me.


    ¡°First time I have worn a suit... so no idea.¡± My voice was different, mechanical yet still feminine, very strange. I sounded like one of those synthetic woman voices.


    ¡°Well walk around a little. See if things are working properly.¡±


    I took a step and cords unbuckled from behind me. Oddly I felt light despite having several inches of metal between me and the world. Come to think of it I have been more or less naked since my transformation. Funny I only realized that now. Well when you wear your skeleton on the outside I suppose it is hard to notice, besides it is not like I can wear normal clothes. Ugh, just imagining that is kinda gross and just weird. I squat down and stretched my legs. This thing was insanely flexible. I was expecting it to be bulky. The rubbery sealing material rode up my ass though, I could not look, but I had the feeling that the outline of my booty was quite visible. I suppose eye candy is important for image right? I guess it actually did serve a purpose, if the whole thing was metal it would be clunky as hell. I rotated the arms and they were hardly restricted at all. My neck was a little limited. Normally, well ever since Panther snapped my neck, I could almost move my head like an owl, but now I could only manage 180 degree turns.


    I lifted my leg up to see how far it could stretch, surprisingly not much different than normal I could almost kick myself in the face. Neon Nurse and Fire Chief are scary with how good they articulate designs together. Well I suppose a Robo obsessed Cyborg would be very compatible with a Mechanized suit obsessed Engineer. Over all I think I might be in love with this thing. The only thing that I have any complaints about would be the lack of wings. I mean nobody will scream or point at me like I am a monster if I wear this. I could actually be a real hero with this thing. Dad will be so proud.


    ¡°Hey you guys did good on this.¡±


    ¡°So you like it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I want metal wings so that I can fit my real wing in them. It is a little uncomfortable as is.¡±


    ¡°I will have to work on that.¡±


    ¡°I thought up a name.¡±


    ¡°What.¡± He asked looking me over.


    ¡°Mecha Stripper.¡±


    He looked absolutely flabbergasted and gawked at me. Then his face went red with anger. ¡°You will not use my suit under such a name!¡±


    ¡°No good? Alright how about Lady Lust? No... The Shafter? Piledriver? Pole Grinder! Sparkle Kat? Oh I got it! Bambi.¡±


    ¡°If you are not going to take this seriously then I will force a name on you.¡±


    I giggled, it was so fun to tease him. ¡°I was just joking. I was actually considering Mecha Fairy. What do you think?¡±


    Fire Chief rubbed his face, he was considering it. I was getting the distinct feeling that he did not approve. ¡°How does this thing look like a fairy?¡±


    ¡°Trust me. Get some wings on this thing and I will make it a fairy. Can you make holographic wings?¡±


    ¡°Not my specialty. I can make mechanical wings, but they won''t generate enough lift to actually fly. Though if they were just for show and I had the jump pack in the middle like it is then...¡± He rambled off and seemed to be thinking up designs. ¡°I got it. Basically your wings will go into the center of the fake wings and we can make them like a butterfly. It would be good to light them up as well. You have some good ideas.¡±


    ¡°I had nothing to do with that, all you.¡± I smirked, but he did not see it. ¡°So this is basically my hero identity now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You will be on my team and won''t show your real self out in public. It would cause problems.¡±


    ¡°I know I am bug freak, but is it that bad?¡±


    ¡°There is something of a stigma around aberrations and sub, non humans. The media would go into a frenzy over you. It would not be good.¡±


    ¡°So I see, well that is kinda fucked. I guess I need to stay hidden then.¡±


    ¡°We just need to show them that you are good. Then if you slip up or somebody gets your identity we can point at your record.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. I was a little disappointed that I had no secret identity. I mean that is the cool and mysterious part about being a hero after all.¡±


    ¡°It is not as fun as you would think. It is for protection so that villains and rabid activists can''t target your family and friends.¡±


    ¡°Activists?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. A lot of people do not like Supers in general, not just the less than human or I suppose more than human depending on how you look at it.¡± He said with a tired expression. ¡°They think we are dangerous and should be either exterminated or incarcerated. To them we are all the same. That is what the Hero League wants to fix. It seeks to coexist with civis.¡±


    ¡°Well that is admirable. I want to help. I mean look at me if I could get a good rep imagine how many less discombobulated Supers could emerge from the shadows.¡±


    ¡°I have been at this for a while kid. It gets old quick so you better brace yourself. Some people will never be happy no matter what you do. At times this is a thankless job, other times they will flat out reject and blame you, but then there are the times when people thank you from the bottom of their hearts and it makes it all worth it.¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Jesus man don''t get so deep on me here.¡±


    ¡°It is better to know what you are getting into than to go in blind.¡±


    ¡°Well thanks. At the least you don''t pussy foot around. Now that I am on your team what should I call you? Sir or something like that?¡±


    ¡°Call me Chief it is what everybody at the Station calls me. I should mention that you will be on the Junior Team.¡±


    ¡°The station? Whoa, whoa, whoa what the fuck is the Junior Team?¡±


    ¡°Yeah the Fire Station. It is something like my base of operations. It is also where the Junior Team is. They are the cadets that have powers, but are either inexperienced or under aged.¡±


    ¡°You are sticking me with the Scrubs!?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah. Give it a year and you can join my team. With Medavac and the others.¡±


    ¡°A year? Come on Chief. Really the B team? You know how strong I am.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You are strong and have made lots of improvements, but you are also undisciplined, unproven and it will be good structure for you.¡±


    ¡°I don''t like this.¡± I scowled with crossed arms.


    ¡°They are good people. Give it a try. Trust me on this. This will probably be one of the best things for you right now.¡±


    I stood there with my hands on my hips. Damn it Chief don''t do this to me. ¡°Fine but how often do I see you? What the hell do they even do?¡±


    ¡°Well on the non crazy calls they are dispatched to help out. The team leader Astro Glide is good at holding the team together. Gravity Squeeze is pretty good as the sub captain as well.¡±


    I stared at him blankly. ¡°You are sticking me under a guy named Astro Glide? What is he a porn star? Now the stripper suit makes sense.¡±


    ¡°No, he flies. He has counter magnetism. Get your mind out of the gutter girl.¡±


    I rubbed my face, or at the least tried the helmet got in the way. ¡°We will try it out I guess.¡±


    He grinned. ¡°Good we will move your stuff over to the Station.¡±


    I nodded vaguely. I really don''t know how I feel about this. They are not a bunch of weirdos are they? ¡°How many are on the team?¡±


    ¡°Five with you. I am sticking you in the advanced Team. There are four lower teams that are still in training.¡±


    ¡°So I am in the A team of the Scrubs? Well at least I am not in the F team. You sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Just give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I get it. I have been wondering does Neon Nurse have a suit too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah it is over here.¡±


    It looked a lot like mine. In fact mine was probably just an altered version of hers. The suit was smaller and more compact. The breasts were not as big and the nurse motif was extremely blatant. On her chest was the medical cross with a syringe stabbing through it. It had a sort of helmet that would allow her face to be exposed and a shield of glass to protect it. One of the major differences was that on her back were three arms with syringes at the end. They also had robo hands to pick things up. A large tank of chemicals attached to the center of the back weighed down the whole suit. Her left arm had a tower shield of some sort of glass attached to it. Knowing her it was not something mundane. It reminded me of riot gear. Her right arm was thick and at the wrist was a bracer that had tubes running back, they connected to a massive syringe gun. The legs were sturdy looking and oozed femininity. The feet were something reminiscent of fuck me boots. The entire suit was lit up by neon pink tubes. Something about it seemed well... evil. Hard to explain, but I was getting some bad vibes.


    ¡°That thing looks kinda scary.¡±


    ¡°Well that is her combat suit. She only uses it when she is fighting villains.¡±


    ¡°So I see.¡±


    I continued my stretches, rotating the neck and other limbs while he checked all the vitals and other more mechanical meters. Everything seemed up to snuff so a test use was in order. He put on his suit and we made our way to the testing area. It felt amazing to be looked at not as a monster, but as a hero. I could feel the stares and I grinned happily. There were no looks of disgust or fear, instead it was mostly just curiosity and a couple people were even checking me out. My happiness was short lived though. Unfortunately Captain Metal and Panther were there working out when we arrived. I spun around ready to leave when Chief placed a hand on my shoulder dragging me along.


    Panther was far too concerned with his leg lifts to care about me, but Captain Metal gave me a hard stare. ¡°Hey Fire Chief who the fuck is this?¡±


    I looked between them and he replied. ¡°This is Mecha Fairy. She just joined my team and we are checking on her ranks while suited.¡±


    ¡°Fairy? Why does she have four arms?¡±


    ¡°Lower pair is mechanical and helps with lifting cars and the like during rescues.¡±


    ¡°That is pretty smart.¡± He nodded and extended his arm to shake. ¡°Well glad to have you on board.¡±


    I uneasily took it and shook. What the fuck was that? Does this guy just hate subhumans or something? So what, now that he thinks I am human it is all good?! What a fucking asshole. I unconsciously gripped his hand super hard. He winced and ripped his hand out of my grasp. I hope that I broke something.


    ¡°Sorry. I am not used to the suit yet.¡± I smirked.


    ¡°You got quite the grip.¡± He grimaced. Yes! I hurt him a little there. You deserve worse.


    ¡°Why thank you. No, I am just happy to meet you.¡±


    ¡°She might be stronger than me.¡± Said Fire Chief, motioning for me to follow him.


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know it is why we are testing.¡±


    ¡°I am ready, put me in coach.¡± My fingers trembled with glee.


    Fire Chief brushed him off and I grinned evilly. Good going. Panther was still listening to music and lifting a huge weight with his legs. Captain Metal went back to his own business as we approached the gravity weight. I had used it before and had been maxed out at three thousand pounds with my arms and six with my legs. Granted that was my rank 2 and I had been working out a lot since then. He set the dial to six thousand pounds and I nervously anchored my hands onto the grips. With a grunt I lift it overhead. He nodded and made it increase again. Seven and then he skipped to ten thousand. After I did that rather easily he jumped it up another ten thousand pounds. All my arms strained to lift it though I got the feeling I could do more and I lifted it over head. We continued this until I maxed out at thirty thousand pounds. Holy shit I fucking love this suit! I was surprised that I was not overheating after the exertion. The inside of the suit was climate controlled. They thought of everything just about when they made this thing for me. Next was to try my legs. We hooked the bar onto my shoulders and started at twenty thousand. I lifted it rather easily. He skipped straight to forty and progressively we increased it. I heaved it up barely at fifty-five thousand and he had to pull it away before it crushed me.


    ¡°Looks like mid rank 3.¡±


    ¡°That is awesome!¡± I shrieked happily, hugging him. ¡°I never would have thought I could lift that much.¡±


    ¡°You will get stronger.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    Fire Chief pat me on the shoulder. ¡°Definitely. Alright let''s go check your speed.¡±


    I took his hand to get up and we walked over to the track. He gave the go ahead and I sprinted then full out ran. It was a little awkward I mean it is hard to run in heels. I had never even worn heels before, the damned things were so off balanced. I tripped, but used my arms to bounce right back onto my feet and keep going. I had completed the mile in two minutes. I stood catching my breathe. Then I ran it again on all sixes. I felt like a machine, like holy fuck I was fast. My arms and legs moved in perfect synchronization. The mile had only taken fifty seconds. After it ended I just lay there at the finish line staring up at the ceiling. I had never felt this accomplished before in my entire life.


    ¡°Panther did you see that? How the hell did she run like that?¡± Said Captain Metal standing off to the side.


    Panther looked like he was thinking on it. ¡°Rank 3. Fire Chief how did she not dislocate her legs?¡±


    ¡°You could say she is something of a gymnast. Her hip joints are essentially a ball pivot and she can direct it in any direction. Why don''t you show them just how flexible you are, Mecha Fairy.¡±


    I nodded ready to show off. Got a good stretch of my legs and arms, then I pretzeled my whole body into a ball. This was something I had learned to do during my captivity. I had done it twice to escape Neon Nurse and get under my bed. With a flick of my finger the ball rolled about and I used my antenna to steer. When I got bored my body realigned and I rose to my feet. They were looking at me with open mouths. I just grinned and looked to Fire Chief.


    ¡°It seems the suit has only raised your limits by one Rank. That is still very good. To think you went up a full rank in two months of training is amazing.¡± He said patting me on the shoulder. I felt so damned fulfilled.


    ¡°So I am roughly ten times stronger than I was?¡± He nodded. This suit was amazing. To think it could make me that strong. Then a strange question came to mind. ¡°How strong is the suit?¡±


    ¡°The neural interface is set to keep it from breaking your body''s limits. The suit itself is capable of Rank 6 abilities.¡±


    ¡°Neural what now?¡±


    ¡°Oh god.¡± Sighed Fire Chief. ¡°She did not tell you? Neon Nurse grafted an interface to the back of your skull two weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°That bitch!¡± I screamed. ¡°I told her no cyborg shit!¡±


    ¡°The only reason that the suit even works is because of that neural interface.¡± He said trying to calm me down. ¡°Look the thing is only the size of a quarter and it links into the helmet. In other words you are the only one who can wear that suit.¡±


    I sat and crossed my arms angrily. ¡°If she had asked I would have said yes. The problem is she did not ask. Although I guess she did ask and I was just too out of it from all the other crap going on. I suppose I should be thanking her.¡±


    ¡°We all know how she gets. Geniuses tend to be eccentric¡±


    ¡°I know. I am just afraid I will wake up one day and be a cyborg.¡±


    ¡°She would not do that. Besides she helps a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°Your testing is very good though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I should be capable of more. I still need to work a lot harder.¡± I said bitterly. I thought that I had been pushing it to the limits. Maybe I should just work out until I plow my body into the ground. Come to think of it Molotov was saying something about that. Maybe I should start bench pressing cars.


    ¡°Don''t feel bad about it. There are a lot of people who have put on one of my suits and only been a rank two or three.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah don''t worry about it. You have plenty of time to grow stronger.¡±


    I nodded and stood up again. ¡°So is that everything here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah you can go back to your room.¡±


    ¡°Fuck that I want to do something. Hey, take me on patrol with you.¡±


    ¡°On patrol? We have not even field tested that suit yet.¡± He said poking me in the chest.


    ¡°Well then let''s give it a field test. Take me with you. I am bored.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He relented and I latched onto his leg happily. You are not getting away from me so easily.

 Arc 3 Mecha Fairy and the Scrubs, Chapter 5

    Vespidian Arc 3, Chapter 5


    Fire Chief and I made our way out to the front entrance. All those people shuffling around many gave me a glance, but were not interested. Some guy took a picture of me while I was looking around. It was strange to not feel exposed and ridiculed from being watched. Ever since my transformation I had been extremely self conscious about how I looked. My eyes could see their emotions clear as day. After all fear and disgust were very easy to see. Now I did not know what to expect. It seems I had gotten used to being hated. My chest felt warm, it felt good to not be resented. Hooray for superficialism! I was not a walking magnet for revulsion. As though to squish what little happiness I had the thought that should anyone ever see what was under this mask there would be no smiles or laughter, only terror. It was human nature to reject something different from the norm. My mouth twitched. Think happy thoughts I reassured myself. People had gathered around me while I was zoning out and Fire Chief seemed a little agitated.


    ¡°Who is this? Is she a new hero? Care to answer Fire Chief?¡± Asked a reporter girl with brown frizzy hair. She had a gray trench coat and vaguely looked like a streaker. She was one of those nosy shrew types. I recognized her from channel ten news.


    ¡°This is Mecha Fairy. She is the newest member of my team. Now if you would excuse me we have work to do.¡± He said shooing the vultures away.


    We just ignored them from then on and it seemed they were following us. I could guess why, they wanted a big scoop or something and a new hero was just that sort of thing. If they cornered me I would probably be interrogated so that they could find out what rank I am and what powers I have. Fire Chief tapped me on the shoulder and I glanced over.


    ¡°We should test out the jet pack.¡± He told me over the closed radio system built into our suits.


    It made things a lot easier if you wanted to talk without yelling in an emergency and it ensured that everyone was up to date on one another. I nodded wearily. We were in an empty parking lot a few blocks away. It seemed like a good place. The jump jet was controlled by a sensor in my helmet''s overlay. I could change directions mentally from the hud or manually by tilting my head and aligning my body. The whole suit shook when it fired up for the first time. Super heated air was used to generate lift and it certainly did that. I had been looking straight up when it came on so the throttle was on full. I shot into the sky screaming the whole way. A power line loomed ahead like a giant bug zapper! I barely had time to shift to the side and avoid it. At the least I thought I did, but a shock rampaged through the suit. My arms spread out like a sugar glider for stability and slowly the unwieldy navigation came under my control. Just when I thought I knew what I was doing the engine puttered and I dropped like a rock. I racked my brain screaming for it turn back on. The ground zoomed ever closer. It kicked back on ten feet from the ground. Traffic swerving just below. My neck almost snapped after that sudden stop. It hurt, but nothing too serious, I breathed a sigh of relief I had figured out hover mode.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Asked Fire Chief.


    ¡°I think I will live.¡± I groaned.


    ¡°You just shot up. If I had known you were going to gun it I would have held your leg to keep you down here.¡±


    ¡°My bad.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it. Where are you anyway?¡±


    ¡°By the Slums.¡±


    ¡°Just stay there and I will be right over. Do not go in the Slums¡±


    ¡°Ok. Why should I not go in there?¡±


    ¡°The Mad Dogs are very territorial and if they see a Super not in their gang they will attack without provocation.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    The buildings looked a little less upscale than the inner part of the city. There were no skyscrapers and only one shopping mall, there was a movie theater though. I seem to have arrived at the market district. It was very close to the slums and was considered a sort of border area to the poorer section of the city. Downtown was just to the west. I had only been to the slums twice in my life and neither time had I gotten out of the car. Even then though it had been more than tens ago, before the melt down. The place was overrun by crime and it was slowly encroaching on the rest of the city. I could see the armed checkpoint that was the bulwark between the two sides. The way things were going there was talks of walling that section of the city in on itself. Traffic was covering the street and I would have smashed down right in the middle of it all had I not gotten it under control. I have certainly gone a ways from where I launched up.


    I rose up above a Colonel Chicken joint, looking over the area. Fried chicken certainly did smell appetizing and I did have money now... I resisted the urge though. Maybe I can get Chief to buy me lunch. My antenna twitched taking in all the surrounding sounds. I could not hear Fire Chief anywhere so I aimlessly floated about getting an even better grasp of the controls. I could not lay on my back and gaze at the sky, but it was nice to just be outside once again. A distant crash drew my attention and I turned towards it. Smoke drifted up two blocks away in the slums. Curiosity got the better of me and I moved towards it. Down below the guards were looking up at me like I was crazy to go over there. That did not bode well. I began to consider turning back, but then I saw the source of the smoke. A car had smashed into a gas station and the pumps were starting to catch fire.


    ¡°Chief there is a car that is on fire. It is just over the line into the Slums.¡±


    ¡°Just wait for me to get there and don''t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°But... a whole gas station is going to blow.¡±


    ¡°I am almost there just wait for me.¡±


    I was sorely out of my element here and not even close to being mentally equipped to deal with this situation. Then I saw something that made my blood run cold. Someone was still trapped inside of that car. Did I consider myself a hero? No. Sure I talked all that shit about being a hero, but what choice do I have? I did not even consider myself to be a very good person. This however was something different. This was not about being good or bad, this was knowing I could have saved somebody and did not. Could I live with that? Knowing that I left someone to die. Chief was saying to wait, but... if I do that thing is going to blow. That was a very hard question and I had no time to even contemplate it. The jet had already roared to life and I was careening like a comet towards that car.


    Sub may or may not have had this one. I was not entirely sure what the hell I just did. The whole thing played out in little snippets. I crashed into the car, lifted it over my head and hurled it away. It smashed into the side of a building across the street and crumpled up. Oops. Shit! The pumps were hissing and I kicked off of the ground, taking back to the air. No sooner had I turned my back and started gunning the engine did the whole place go up. The explosion shocked me out of the sky and I crashed into the pavement. I defensively balled up to protect myself. That was going to be felt in the morning, well maybe late afternoon.


    There was blood everywhere and it was red. The smell dragged up memories and I could taste the savory fluid wetting my lips. It took a long moment before I was able to move again. The urge to lick it all up was crushed beneath my will. That was close, way too close for comfort. Sub help me on this shit will you! Say something... she was being uncharacteristically silent. Damn it I guess I am on my own for now. I ripped the crashed car apart like tissue paper and pulled the man out. He was not looking good at all. The impact had damaged him when I threw it. Luckily it had shielded him from the fall and flames, but his limbs were mangled and he was missing a hand. He might live, but it was some serious shit.


    Did I do the right thing by trying to save him? Look what I did. Jesus fucking Christ! I don''t even know what to do. I am such an idiot, why did I try to save him? I laid him down, did not even want to touch him, I might hurt him even more. Super strength my ass this shit is a liability. He was trembling with shallow eyes. His business suit was marred and stained red. My white suit was now black from the burns and crimson with blood. I would have to wash this thing off long and hard even then I don''t think I could get it all out.


    ¡°Chief.¡± My voice quivered. ¡°I may have killed somebody.¡±


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Growled his low voice. ¡°Just calm down I will be there in a minute. Medavac is on the way as well. What happened?¡±


    ¡°The car. There was a guy in it...¡± I trailed off a little. ¡°I got him out but then the gas station exploded. I threw the car too hard and he is a mess.¡±


    ¡°I told you not to do anything until I got there.¡± He said in a calm voice.


    ¡°But. He was going to die in there!¡±


    ¡°It happens. We can''t save everyone.¡±


    ¡°But I was here. If I knew what I was doing then this would not have happened.¡±


    ¡°Stop. Vesper just stop that. This is your first day out and you have no training for this. It is not your fault. You tried to save him. He would have died if you did nothing, but you selflessly threw yourself in there to save him, even though it could have killed you. Stop beating yourself up over this.¡±


    I sat clutching my head. This felt like some sort of nightmare. His words did make sense and they were reassuring. Despite them I was starting to doubt myself, could I really do this? Did I even want to be a hero? I don''t know.


    ''Look.'' Said Sub I could feel her lounging about in there. Now where the fuck have you been! ''We can do this. Then again there is no choice here. If we want to not live in a cage we must act good. We have to be a so called Hero. It won''t be that hard just follow the rules. This slob was lucky we even tried to save his ass. Now look he is not even dead yet so stop crying.''


    ¡°You think it will be alright?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I know.¡± Said Fire Chief standing over me. Sub stayed silent. He lifted me up and looked over the scene. ¡°Could be worse. If he had been in there he would have been incinerated.¡±


    ¡°But look what I did to him.¡±


    ¡°He will likely have to be rehabilitated for over a year, but he will live. Medavac we got a survivor over here!¡±


    A shadow drifted over us and I gazed up at the sleek ship overhead. It had a blunted front section and twin rotating turbines the size of a small car to the sides. There was a roaring engine on the back. Flaps opened and closed to direct the low flying hovercraft. The whole thing was painted white with red crosses at varying spots. Blacked out glass covered the cockpit. Slowly the drop ship lowered and a team of paramedics clad in heavy body armor rushed out. They looked like some sort of swat team.


    ¡°Clear out! We have sixty seconds before Mad Dogs converge on location!¡± Yelled one of the men.


    ¡°Go, go, go!¡± Roared back Fire Chief, grabbing me by the arm and dragged me inside the ship.


    The hatch closed behind us and the ship lifted off with a jolt. I stumbled among the paramedics, trying not to get in the way. They stuffed syringes into the man and held gauze over his wounds to stop the bleeding. It was a mess and their whites were now red from the splashes and sprays. The turbulence did not help at all. I felt like I was going to be sea sick, how the hell do these guys have such steady hands? Something smashed into the side of the ship and a face imprint stuck through the metal. What the fuck was that?! Alarms started going off and I managed to get to the viewport to see what was going on out there. The... the wing. There was something on the wing!


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    There was a cat girl flailing about in the wind. She looked like a Nekomar from the game, but way more frenzied. Her long black fur and bronzed skin glistened in the sun. She was wearing a G-string and nipple tassels, six of them. She was sparkling... was that glitter? The feline terror had almost talon like claws and was gouging a hole in the engine. She ripped through metal with glee and started making a beeline for the window. Scary kitty! That is a bad kitty, don''t you fucking do it!


    ¡°We got a fucking problem here! There is some crazy bitch on the wing!¡± I screamed.


    The ship suddenly turned sideways and she grappled on for dear life. Slowly it rolled upside down and I watched as the beast lost her grip and plummeted towards the ground. Did she just die? I peered closer and saw that she had landed on a roof and was scampering back towards the slums. After a few moments the ship leveled out again and I lay on the floor. Fire Chief was standing over the cockpit chair. I uneasily got to my feet and stood beside him.


    ¡°What the fuck was that about?¡±


    ¡°That was one of Glitter Kitten''s strippers.¡± Said Fire Chief looking at me.


    ¡°A stripper?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Glitter Kitten runs the Slums. She is one of the worst monsters around here. Drugs, prostitution, you name it they peddle in it. Normally they are nocturnal and sleep during the day, but that explosion seemed to have pissed off a lot of them. We are just lucky Glitter Kitten did not show up.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°She is a rank 6 and would have ripped us out of the sky.¡±


    ¡°Fuck me. That is one scary cat. Why is it called Mad Dogs if the leader is a cat?¡±


    ¡°When it was started the original leader was a werewolf. They called him Butch. He was killed during the fighting to retake the slums, we lost and created a neutral zone to keep them back.¡±


    ¡°We lost?¡±


    ¡°Yeah unfortunately their numbers were too great and if we killed off the sane leadership it would descend into anarchy and the whole city would be in danger. We found that out after Butch got taken down. In a way we are lucky Glitter Kitten is relatively peaceful.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°She keeps all the others in line. It is the only reason they have not escalated into a full scale war. Before she took over they would actively recruit by kidnapping people and having radioactive animals bite them. They also breed quickly, since they have litters. Glitter Kitten is a first generation since the meltdown ten years ago.¡±


    ¡°Wait she is only ten years old?¡±


    ¡°No, that was when she got exposed. She is twenty six now. She has had four litters already.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Social media, she was bragging about it and showing off her kittens.¡±


    ¡°They have internet down there?¡±


    ¡°She does. I can''t say the same for most of the Slums.¡±


    ¡°Show me some pictures. I want to see. Are they cute?¡±


    He tapped his helmet and after a few moments pictures appeared in my overlay. There was Glitter Kitten. How to describe her? Adorable, if I could slap a collar around her neck and tie a bow on her head I would keep her as my pet. She had short tabby hair, emerald cat eyes and huge pointed ears. Her little nose had whiskers and she had a long, short furred tail. She had six tits, each smaller than the last, but over all they were on the smaller side. The top was likely a B cup. She wore a rather revealing outfit, it was a feral leopard print bikini. At the least that is what she was wearing in that picture, I don''t think that is actually her battle gear. The only thing that I do know though is that I want to dress her up in outfits. Glitter Kitten would look amazing in dresses. Catgirl maid would be awesome. She was only about five foot tall, which I guess is average, but my sense of average is a bit out of sorts as of late.


    Oh, my god. Her kittens are so soft and fluffy! I just want to hug them. I want one... wonder if I could adopt one? I might end up kidnapping one of them. What the hell am I thinking this is a vicious hardcore criminal! The vengeance of a mother cat is well known. I once saw a house cat fend off a pack of rottweilers when they were going after her kittens. That was just a house cat imagine what a feline drug lord could do. I mean look at that picture she is grinning and doing a peace sign next to mountain of white powder... yeah that is definitely not flour. How the hell do you even get that much drugs?


    I kept scrolling through her account. Glitter Kitten seems to be a doting parent and totes her children around bragging a lot. It looks like she has twenty or so of them. Damn slut learn to keep your legs shut. I wonder how much it costs to feed all those children? It is weird I almost feel that I could connect with her. She just has that real vibe. She has a shit ton of friends on here and her random banter seems playful. She types out Nyah and Meow, laughter is even Nyahahaha, does she talk like that? I might not be able to contain myself if I heard her. Is this kitten trying to steal my heart of something? If she was not a merciless, dope dealing, murderer I could probably be friends with her.


    I glanced around the cockpit. There was a pinup girl calendar to the side. That was one sexy bitch... Miss Universe? Wait isn''t that a Government sponsored Super Hero? There was a Hawaii lady with a grass skirt bobbing on the dash board. I grinned looking at the chair. It was filled with a stocky suit that looked like some sort of space marine. His visor had the jaw bone of a skull on it. He gave me a two fingered salute and kept chewing on his cigar. Don''t you know that shit is bad for you? Stop being such a badass Medavac. I know you are a veteran and shit but come on. During my stay in the lab I looked up a few of the other heroes and this guy was some real deal shit. Medavac was a marine, not just that he was a combat medic who had toured all over the world with the Shrieking Banshees team. Most of their missions and stuff was classified, but what was public was pretty hardcore.


    The reason why he got out was because of a near botched mission in Iraq. His ship got shot down and he had to hold out alone until help could come. When help did arrive he had killed more than fifty men, but his legs had been sheared off by a truck mounted minigun. He came back to the states, met Neon Nurse and she gave him new legs. Been here for five years now and is a big fan of Neon Nurse. She might be the reason he did not just go right back out there... Wait a minute is Neon Nurse making a reverse harem and is she trying to forcibly recruit me into it? That would explain a lot. Damn you Neon Nurse beating me to the punch! You can''t have all the hunky men, you robo skank. What is this a harem anime and she is the main character? I better rip down all the capture flags I see otherwise I will end up as her personal pet.


    ¡°That was a nice rescue there Medavac.¡±


    ¡°Don''t mention it.¡± He had a gruff voice, like he smoked three packs a day. ¡°Those girls were a little cranky. Happens every time shit goes down to interrupt their cat naps.¡±


    ¡°Cat nap?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah they are up all night. It gets real rowdy on the full moon.¡±


    ¡°What happens then?¡±


    ¡°Every full moon they get hot and bothered, happens like clockwork with their menstrual cycles. They run wild in the streets, the whole lot of them. Glitter Kitten is the worst though. If she catches some poor bastard she will ride him so hard his dick falls off. That is assuming she did not just rip him to shreds in a blind mating frenzy.¡±


    ¡°Well that certainly sounds like a busy night.¡±


    ¡°Usually it is not that bad, well not since Glitter Kitten had her first litter. Ever since then she went all mama cat and rarely rampages. She was a real handful five years ago. Ran wild every night terrorizing anyone and everyone. She was the meanest, smarmiest little cunt I had ever seen and I have seen a lot. Now though the only thing that will get out that old hellcat is if you fuck with her kittens. But sometimes they get real excited about something. We have to scramble all of the patrols and hold them back or else they break into the rest of the city.¡±


    ¡°It gets that bad?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. If something fucks with Glitter Kitten shit goes down. Want me to drop you off at the Station, Chief?¡± Said Medavac.


    ¡°Yeah that should be fine. You ready to meet the rest of the team? Mecha Fairy.¡±


    I looked over my hands. Blood still sticky. ¡°Can I at the least wash up or something?¡±


    He turned slightly. ¡°You will be fine. They will respect you more like that. Better than a sparkling little fairy.¡±


    ¡°Hey was that a jab at my name?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Dude what the fuck?¡± I slapped Chief''s back letting a chuckle loose. Medavac started laughing up a storm.


    ¡°Good, glad you started laughing.¡± I could tell he was grinning under that mask. Wait did he do that to make me feel better?


    ¡°Hey Chief I have been wondering. Why are you so nice to me? Up until now everyone has either been cruel or if they were kind it was only because they wanted something from me. But it is different with you, as far as I can tell you do not really want anything from me.¡±


    ¡°Think of it as an apology.¡±


    ¡°Apology? For what?¡±


    ¡°When you went missing me and the rest of the team turned over just about every rock in the city looking for you but we never did.¡±


    I grabbed his hand. ¡°Don''t you go there. That was not your fault. I mean there was nothing you could have done.¡±


    Medavac cut in. ¡°No. We should have been there. We were busy with the Atomic Raiders and ended up getting there late, but that just sounds like an excuse. What happened to you never should have happened and we are willing to take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I can''t let you do that. It is not your fault some psycho Russian bitch kidnapped me.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Said Chief. ¡°We should have been there before you even had a chance to bumble into that shit.¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡± What the hell. They did nothing wrong. It was me, I fucked up. I should have minded my own business and stayed out of it. Damn it are those tears? Stop being so responsible I might break down. ¡°Stop pitying me. It is not your fault so drop it. I don''t want some friendship based off of shame and pity, come on man. What is done is done and there is no changing it. You want to really help me then get to know me and stop looking down on me.¡±


    Medavac chuckled swirling the cigar. ¡°Pay up.¡±


    Fire Chief grumbled and handed over a hundred dollar bill. ¡°Hey what the fuck was that about?¡±


    ¡°We made a bet on how you would respond about this.¡± Grinned that grizzled bastard. ¡°He thought you would start crying and be a little girl about it. I thought you would be a big girl.¡±


    For some reason I felt a whole lot better and smirked. If I was with these guys I think I was going to be alright. ¡°Well you both failed. It was a bit of both. So I will be taking that.¡±

 Arc 3 Mecha Fairy and the Scrubs, Chapter 6

    (Danger ahead) Black Thunder approaches! You have been warned.


    Vespidian Arc 3, Chapter 6, Sunshine with a chance of Black Thunder


    Medavac''s shuttle took off leaving me and Chief in front of the Station. It looked kind of like a warehouse, but it seemed different. Maybe a multistory hanger with an office building in front would be a better description. There was a loading bay dock to the side with a ramp and a thick stairway leading up to the front door. The building was made of steel and reinforced concrete. The station itself took up the majority of a street and could be considered a compound with a large area in the back and thick high walls surrounding it. It was rather intimidating. This area was a sort of safety zone in downtown, well the west side.


    A fire house was just down the road. Even at this distance you could make out the heavy duty fire engines and the crews working on them. Across the street stood a hospital that seemed rather busy. Ambulances drove by, they looked more like armored transports than the traditional vehicle. To the far side of the street was the police station with their troop carriers and patrol cars. The varied civil service departments tended to congregate around the Hero bases in cities. It made things a lot safer when Villains had to think twice about raiding a police department when right next door was a building brimming with heroes. The only problem I could see with this tactic was you put all your eggs in one basket. If some psycho comes in with a large quantity of bombs he would do some damage. Oh god, did I just doom us all with a disaster flag?


    Down Town did not have to worry about this too much though since it was fairly safe. It was an upscale part of the city though there were the blemishes where poverty had spread like a cancer eating away at the urban beauty of the area. This place had just about everything in the immediate vicinity: Movie theater, library, arcade, malls, varied mom and pop stores, hardware stores, hobby shops, liquor stores, gun stores and enough fast food places to kill the slums with obesity three times over. The roads were well maintained, surprising for California I know and it was all thanks to private companies being contracted in rather than the Cal Trans union goons that the state employed for just about everywhere else. The buildings were well kept, despite the drought most plants were still lush and green. We had our resident miracle worker, Rainman, to thank for that. He could control weather and was paid to make it rain.


    There was a large park to the east and the homeless had to be chased out of it regularly or else shanty towns would crop up. They posed a hazard as often times radioactive vermin found their way into such places leading to out breaks in bites. The Atomic Raiders clashed often with the Angels of Hell and sometimes the Cyber Sirens would do some heist in the area, but that was about it. The only real worry was if the Mad Dogs would expand up from the south since the neutral line was about six or so blocks away from Downtown''s fringe. The last time it happened the Angels of Hell and Atomic Raiders actually aided the Heroes to fight off the horde of furry monsters... should I really be calling them monsters? Seems that the pot is calling the kettle black.


    ¡°Hey Chief do they know about my identity?¡±


    ¡°No. They do not.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I was going to let you introduce yourself. If you want to show them you can, but if you do not I understand. We can just call you a cyborg prototype or something and they won''t ask.¡±


    ¡°Is that wise? I mean won''t they freak out when they find out. I am living with these people right?¡±


    He slowed for a moment thinking it over. ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°A bit. What if they don''t want me?¡±


    I could tell by his voice that he was grinning under that mask. ¡°They are good kids. There might be some squabbles, but you should be fine.¡±


    ¡°What makes you so sure? If I saw me walking down the street I would not hesitate to shoot, just so you know.¡±


    He started laughing and slapping me on the back. ¡°See you will be fine. Look at all that confidence. Honestly if I saw something like you that was trying to kill me, I would run. See you are a bigger man than I.¡±


    I laughed back. ¡°That''s fucked Chief.¡±


    ¡°You will do just fine. I have seen far more mousy people come in here and make a name for themselves. Sunshine was a seriously shy person before she came here. Now we can''t get her to be quiet. Alright come on I will introduce you to them.¡±


    I nodded and followed along through the main entrance. This place was not just a home base for the Heroes it was something of a command center. Personnel walked about in skin tight jumpsuits. As far as I could tell none of these people had powers. Their colors varied it had to do with the jobs. Red seemed to be security and they had on plated armor while on duty. Poor, poor red shirts they would be the first to die if anything crazy went down. White was secretary and other office type work. Yellow seemed to be some sort of engineering job. Blue was communications and technical staff. They hardly left the computers in the dome high overhead. Black was important people, like shift commanders and squad captains.


    Everyone had the badges of the large B with two overlapping circles holding it in the middle. They also had another insignia on their chests. It looked like a fireball. That was the Station''s mark. The familiar feeling of eyes following me descended. It was hard to describe if I liked this or not at this point. There was not any disgust or anything here. No, if anything they seemed concerned, seeing me covered in burn marks and dried blood. Was this what it felt like to be worried over by strangers? I seem to have almost forgotten. Hope in humanity restored by five points. Yay! Grand total ten points. My little stay in that quarantine kinda made me lose faith in people. It was in the negatives for a while.


    We made our way to the clear glass elevator that looked out over the room and went up three floors. The place was kind of like a catacomb of hallways that branched off into intersecting doors. He led me along and people gave a wide berth either out of respect for Chief or because they did not know what to think about me yet. Can''t really blame them I mean I look like I just came in from some battlefield. He motioned to the right and opened a door. It looked like a meeting room with one of those large wooden tables and chairs all around. There were four people already here waiting. One of them looked rather bored, another was talking like a chatterbox, but was being ignored by everyone and the other two were deeply involved in a conversation. All of them turned when we entered.


    ¡°I see you are all here. Good.¡± Said Chief walking in and settling at the table. ¡°As I told you yesterday your team is getting a new member. This is Mecha Fairy.¡±


    I stood beside him looking over the costumed people. It looked like three guys and a girl. If I had to stereotype them, which naturally I do. It would be: goody-goody two shoes, playboy, geek and otaku. Each had a rather different theme one looked like a magical girl from some anime. To be honest she was fucking adorable, like super kawaii desu~ type shit. It was a little hard to hold back from tackling her. She wore a little pink sailor outfit that had frills all over it. She was lacking in the boob department, not sure if that was a negative or positive since she was short. Her hair was dyed pink and she had a visor that was pink. Bouncing bunny ears swayed from side to side atop her helmet, it almost looked like they were alive. Just about everything about her was pink, it was enough to drown a kitten. The only thing that was not pink was her stocking, gloves and the stomach of her outfit those were white. Somehow she was glowing, literally glowing, I did not see any lights about her. Was she bioluminescent or something? Come to think of it she did look a lot like Loli-chan from Moon Sailors. She was all smiles, seemed a little dumb the way she was grinning.


    ¡°I thought it was Mecha Nurse?¡± Asked the playboy looking guy with blonde hair.


    Chief replied. ¡°She did not like the name so we changed it.¡±


    ¡°What happened to her?¡± Asked the guy with a chromed out visor.


    ¡°A little trouble in the Slums. She saved a man from an explosion, but got caught up in it.¡± Replied Chief. The scrubs started looking at me even closer, appraisingly.


    The girl spoke up. Her voice was super girly and a little grating, very annoying. ¡°Hello.¡± She said excited to the point she might start bouncing off of the walls. ¡°Finally, finally a girl! Sunshine desu! Pleasure to meet you Mecha Fairy-chan.¡±


    Is this bitch alright in the head? This is that weebo thing, been a long time since I saw one. Not since college. They give anime fans a bad name with how outspoken they are about it. I wearily extended my hand to shake and she tackled me in a hug, rubbing her face all over me. It was more of her hitting a telephone pole since I did not budge an inch. She only came up to my stomach and she had to crank her head just to look at my face. I was getting pretty weirded out, I mean she was burying her face in my stomach. Come on now I got blood and charred metal stuck to me. What is wrong with you? Then she coiled around my leg and would not let go. What is she, a fucking lamprey!? Get off of me!


    ¡°We are going to have so much fun doing our nails and brushing our hair and...¡± I shook her off and lifted her up like a cat by the scruff of her outfit.


    ¡°You are not going to go crazy Yuri Yandere on me are you? Look I don''t roll that way. I have enough crazy bitches chasing me and I want to make it clear. I am into men.¡±


    Her eyes lit up. Oh god what did I just say? ¡°You like anime!¡±


    I scratched the helmet a little. ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Well only somebody who watches anime or reads manga or doujinshi that would know what that is.¡±


    ¡°What about it? So you are not denying being a Yandere?¡±


    ¡°No, Sunshine is not.¡± She giggled. ¡°Nothing but sunshine and rainbows and kittens and fluffy bunnies here.¡±


    Double negative! My Yandar went off like a goddamned raid siren. It has been well calibrated as of late. This bitch was missing a few tools from the shed! This is how it starts. They act all cute and cuddly then once you get invested some of the evil within slips out. By then though it is too late and they go full stalker status. Next thing you know she is going to be under my bed watching me get busy. Just like Neon Nurse. Then it escalates and she murders my admirers, picking them off one by one. Does not even matter if they actually like me or not she would attack anything that even looked like a threat. When she had eliminated the competition she would try to replace them. Comforting me and worming her way deeper into my life. If I refuse her love she will kill me too and pickle my head to keep in a jar, skin me and wear me like some sick coat, cut varied limbs off and keep them with her at all times, or she would kill me then commit suicide since we could not be together. Sure if I accept her love she would the most loyal and doting creature on the planet, but if I ever even glanced at someone else, she would grow jealous. I fucking hate Yanderes. Little psycho bitches. Neon Nurse is only a stage two, killing me would be stage five.


    ¡°That is what they all say. Stay away from me.¡± I glared at her.


    What is wrong with her? She is smiling even more! Her voice squealed ¡°Just like Loli-chan!¡±


    ¡°Moon Sailors?¡± I accidentally blurted out and her grin grew while she thrashed in my grasp.


    ¡°It is Sunshine''s favorite. Loli-chan is my role model. Sunshine made her costume to match her.¡±


    This was either a huge warning flag or an out. Loli-chan was a fucking stalker. Like the, I watch you shower, I steal your underwear to diddle with type shit. It depended on if she was lesbo or not. I pointed at her and she just looked up expectantly. ¡°You like men right?¡±


    She nodded and I let out a sigh of relief, thank god. I was just jumping to conclusions. Then again with the likes of Molotov, Neon Nurse and Dr. Arbor running around I can''t be too safe. She started babbling. ¡°Who doesn''t? All those brawny, oiled up men on Moon Sailors.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. ¡°Admiral Moon is awesome, but Rear Admiral Uranus is where it is at. That guy is a beast. You see that episode where he railed that space tramp so hard she went off the bridge?¡±


    She squealed with delight and I had to let her go before I ended up dropping her. ¡°That is one of my favorites. My favorite though is Captain Venus. The episode where he got captured and tortured was simply wonderful.¡±


    Wait a minute was she actually a sadist? Fire Chief cleared his throat cutting off the conversation. ¡°You can finish that later. Moving on. This is the captain of the team. Astro Glide.¡±


    He stood there in a navy blue jumpsuit. It had reinforcement plating over the chest and legs. His helmet was curved like one of those weird biking helmets they use in tournaments. It had a smooth face plate that was chromed out, much like mine. Astro''s build was rather slim though he had some muscles, not anything impressive, but they were there. He was wearing a cup or something. What? They are checking me out why shouldn''t I? That is important information, I need to know if one of these guys is packing. Overall not my type. He put his hand out to shake and I took it with a firm grip.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy. Rank 5 regenerator. Rank 3 speed and strength. Twenty five. Pleasure to meet you.¡± I said. I think that is how you do it anyway, not like I have ever done this before.


    ¡°Astro Glide. Rank 4 flight. Twenty two.¡± He said giving me a few glance overs and pulling his hand back, he swiped the air a little trying to get blood circulation back.


    Something grabbed my ass and I jumped. I looked, but no one was there. It was not Chief he was too far over to the right to reach and I highly doubted he would try something like that. I only dream about that shit after all. I was dumbfounded for a few moments before the next guy walked over. He was what I would describe as a pretty boy. He looked like a prissy little bitch, who had never worked a day in his damned life. Yuppie scum in other words. He had blonde hair and a white mask over his eyes. He wore a tuxedo suit that was made of metal. There was even a rose painted on the front pocket. Who the fuck you think you are Tuxedo Mask?! Ah, I guess not he is missing the top hat and cane. The gloves were thick gauntlets. There was something about him that annoyed me. Not sure what it was... Who am I kidding? It is that I am better than everybody attitude he has.


    ¡°Gravity Squeeze. Nice to meet you.¡± He said a bit pompously, with a slight bow. You think you are fooling anybody with that mock chivalry crap? I looked him over before letting my bottom left hand be used to shake.


    I started cracking a few knuckles and he backed away. ¡°What is your power?¡±


    ¡°Rank 4 telekinesis and gravity control. Age twenty. Is something wrong?¡±


    Something had copped a feel, felt like a hand just cupping my ass, squeezing it and getting all up in there. Unless I was just being crazy. Sub felt it too though and she was loving it. Come on now be professional here! Maybe it was just the suit tightening or something. I gave him a good look over then decided it may have just been my imagination. ¡°Never mind my mistake.¡±


    He breathed a sigh of relief. I could tell he was undressing me with his eyes. Little did he know what horrors awaited below this suit. Sure I looked like a sexy robo stripper nurse on the outside of the suit. I chuckled inwardly imaging his face if he ever saw what I really looked like. I peered over to the last remaining member. He was a weaselly looking kid. Skinny and it did not appear that he even tried to work out at all. There was a sort of retro feel to his suit with glowing lights. It sort of reminded me of Tron but that is off, he only wishes he was that cool.


    It did not look like it could withstand any real damage, but just by the atmosphere I was getting from him this guy was not a front line combatant. He must be some sort of support. I stood over him, gazing down between his legs, trying to figure out what he had going on down there. From what I could see not too much. To be fair I am looking for the most elusive of man meat. He finally looked up at me from his tablet screen. How come none of these guys have suits made by Chief? Am I special or something? Does somebody love me?!


    ¡°You are?¡± I asked.


    He seemed intimidated by me and started acting shifty. ¡°Disk Jockey. Nineteen. Rank 4 hacker.¡±


    ¡°Hacker? How does that work?¡± I asked. I figured it was something to do with computers, but not sure how that was a super power.


    ¡°The better term would be Cyber Diver.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡±


    ¡°He can enter computers and do all sorts of things normally people can''t.¡± Said Astro Glide. ¡°It is actually really useful. Especially against the Cyber Sirens. If he is around they can''t bring out their death robot.¡±


    ¡°So I see.¡± I nodded.


    Sunshine started hopping up and down. ¡°Sunshine never told you my power. Sunshine is eighteen. Rank 4 Projector. Sunshine makes things real out of her mind.¡±


    That sounded very useful. So basically her imagination is the only limit to her power. Pretty damned cool. Why is she talking in the third person though? That is really starting to bug me. While I was thinking she started blabbing again. ¡°Senpai notice me.¡± She was giving me the beaten puppy look since I was ignoring her.


    I glanced down. ¡°Senpai? I am your junior aren''t I?¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? You are older than all of us and a higher rank. You even got to go out with Chief-dono none of us ever get to go out with him. Can Sunshine call you Nee-san or maybe even Onee-sama?¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure, sure... wait a minute I am older than all of you and higher rank? Chief what the hell is this about? You told me it was the scrubs, but I thought one of them would be better than me. You are not trying to make me the captain or something are you? We had a deal man.¡± I turned and he opened up a little portfolio laying it on the table.


    He said. ¡°They have more experience than you do. Astro Glide has been doing this for years and Gravity Squeeze was transferred over from a different branch, but he had some good reports. Sunshine is the youngest and shows a lot of potential. Disk Jockey has been using his power for years though he only recently got recruited. As for you. You lack control. After all you have only had your powers for less than half a year. Did you want them to know about your situation?¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.I thought it over for a long time. Going over the merits and problems that would come from either choice. If I revealed myself they would look at me differently likely not for the better either. If I did not show myself they might feel that I am hiding something and do not trust them, which was true. It might interfere with the group dynamic, but so long as I did what was needed problems should not crop up. I mean it is not like they need to know my real identity. I suppose that it would matter on how accepting they were. Sure let''s all hold hands, tell each other about our deepest darkest secrets and debilitating fears! Yeah fuck that. Did I trust these people? Nope.


    ¡°Maybe later. They will find out eventually.¡±


    ¡°I will take that as you want your own room and do not want to bunk with Sunshine?¡± I nodded and her face went from joy to despair. Did she think I was going to be staying with her? Fuck that I want my own room. I had enough of the crazy roommate thing from Neon Nurse. Unfortunately he spoke up again. ¡°There are no extra rooms here. I cannot accommodate that. There is more than enough room for both of you in her room though.¡±


    I opened my mouth then shut it. Why give me a choice then if there was none? Sunshine looked ecstatic and ready to start running in circles. At least she was an active girl. Was she that starved for female interaction? I mean girl time is nice and shit, but is it something to be that happy about? Oh Jesus are we actually going to paint my claws? Make up might not be so bad though, maybe I can hide this evil face. Something tells me it is like putting lip stick on a pig. I get the feeling she is going to scream and lock the bathroom door when I take off the suit. Am I going to have to shout ''Here''s Vespidian!'' while taking an ax to the door? There really is no avoiding it. I will have to take it off at some point. Any thoughts Sub?


    ''If she is crazy she will not be scared.''


    Thanks! That is real reassuring Sub, come on. That did not really bode well either way. So if she was not scared then she was fucking nutters. If she was scared then she would probably hate my guts. This sucks. Not looking forward to this. Maybe I will just sleep in the damned suit for a while. Eating and going to the bathroom will be the problems. Not hard, I can just go full recluse mode and do things alone, I am already used to that. Man my life is fucking sad. You know it is bad when I am used to being alone and not really bothered by it, in fact I might be craving it after all that constant watching.


    ¡°Hey Chief where can I clean my suit off?¡± I asked.


    He glanced down at me. ¡°Right over here. Every floor has a station like this, but most people use the one on the ground entry or in the back where you return after a call.¡±


    It was a large tubed cylinder that had its own room. I stepped into it and the thing closed around me. The feeling that I was trapped started writhing through my head and it was hard to keep it under control. I trusted Chief with my life so I knew that he would not try to fuck me over. It took a few deep breathes to calm down and when I did everything was alright. A liquid filled the tube around me. It was warm and soft, made me a little drowsy. Not sure how long I was in there, but when it drained all my stress went with it. What was this thing? Where has it been all my life? I need one of these. I stepped out my suit sparkly clean and what little damage it had sustained was repaired.


    ¡°How did that thing fix the suit?¡±


    ¡°It washes suits with nanobots that repair things on a microscopic level.¡± Said Chief continuing on. ¡°Neon Nurse and I made that thing three years ago. It is extremely handy so do not shy away from using it. Usually you do not wear the suit you put it in there.¡±


    ¡°Neet this thing is handy as hell. How are you guys not rich as fuck? Why is that?¡±


    ¡°It is very costly to make. That and well it can lead to complications. You were fine since the seal was not broken. I will be having one installed in your room so that you can fix your suit and not have to sneak around.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? Thanks Chief.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°Why would she be sneaking around?¡± Asked Astro Glide.


    ¡°It has to do with her body. She is shy about it.¡± Replied Chief.


    ¡°I will stay out of your personal space, so stay out of mine.¡± I said to them and they nodded, though Gravity Squeeze was giving me dirty looks.


    We rounded several corners and then opened a somewhat large metal door. A large flat spread out. It looked to be about the size of a single roomed studio apartment. There were several black leather couches arranged in a half circle, all pointed to a coffee table and a huge plasma screen TV. The news was on about some random political crap that I did not care about. I knew that if I started watching I would get angry. There was some sort of kitchen with a sink, metal counters, cupboards and a refrigerator. It was fairly compact and ordered. A stairwell at the back that went up a level and ended on a balcony overlooking the room. Two doors were up there and down below there was another two doors. Boxes were all stacked by the couches. Looked like moving boxes. Then I saw my treasure chest and knew all that shit was mine.


    ¡°So any questions?¡± I asked towards them.


    Sunshine started hopping up and down, waving. I wanted to facepalm, but I needed to play nice. ¡°Me, me!¡± She kept yapping, she was like a little ankle bitter, I nodded at her. ¡°What are your hobbies?¡±


    I thought for a moment. ¡°Watching anime, reading manga, weightlifting, sewing and playing video games.¡±


    Her eyes were sparkling. Disk Jockey was the one to ask next. ¡°What games you play?¡±


    ¡°At the moment mostly just Shattered Realms. I sometimes play League of Legends, Bio Hunter, Future Warfare, Pokemon and Etearnia.¡±


    He seemed surprised. ¡°Oh you play SR? What level are you?¡±


    ¡°SR? Fifty obviously who the hell is not maxed level these days? Only little bitch scrubs can''t keep up on levels.¡±


    ¡°Well sometimes you get murdered a lot.¡± He said defensively. Oh did I strike a nerve? He looks like one of those that takes games too seriously types. Not saying that I am not as well, but I typically get bored and switch games after a while. ¡°There is this crazy bitch called Sintress running around killing at random and sacking the major cities with her guild.¡±


    ¡°I see my exploits have reached you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°I am Sintress. So I killed you did I? Well, I kill a lot of people so you would have to refresh me on that one.¡± I said nonchalantly.


    He pointed at me and was struggling for words. ¡°You are Sintress?¡± I nodded and he started freaking out. Jesus, don''t fan boy all over me like that! ¡°Let me in the Black Rose!¡±


    ¡°You just called me crazy and now you want in my guild? Don''t you know my Rattat is the top one percent?¡±


    ¡°Please it is the best guild in the game and we are a team now right?¡±


    ¡°You want in that badly? I guess I will let you in. One more scrub ain''t gonna hurt things. I let you in though and you are my slave you understand that right?¡±


    ¡°Your slave?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I will make you my pool boy or something. Somebody has to clean out the blood orgy pit.¡±


    Fire Chief gave me a long disapproving look. ¡°Blood orgy pit?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± I grinned. ¡°That shit is intense. So here is what I do. I capture players and throw them into the pit naked with nothing, but sticks and rocks. Then they fight to the death for my amusement. Then I have sex with the winner in the entrails of those who lost. It is only going to get better next patch when they come out with the synaptic overlay hud and you will be able to feel everything.¡±


    ¡°That sounds wrong, just fucking wrong.¡±


    ¡°Chief you have not lived until you have had a blood orgy!¡± I laughed. ¡°Hey why don''t you get the game and tell me your info and I will invite you.¡±


    ¡°You want me to have cyber sex with you?¡± He asked in a hard voice.


    I smiled. ¡°Sure and my harem of sex slaves. I taught them bitches good. It is not real or anything. Or would you prefer real life?¡±


    ¡°You trying to say you want to fuck me?¡± He asked with crossed arms.


    ¡°How dense are you? I saw you and Boris duking it out with man muscles. Do you even realize how fucking wet that shit made me?!¡±


    He slapped me across the helmet. ¡°Sounds like you need to have cold shower. I am married you know.¡±


    I said dejectedly. ¡°Yeah I know. It is why I have not pounced you yet.¡±


    Gravity Squeeze pointed between us. ¡°You have the hots for Chief?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Oh yeah. If he wanted me to I would do just about anything, anything. I would be on my knees...¡±


    Chief placed his hand firmly on my shoulder. ¡°That is precisely what scares me. I know you could strip the chrome off of a trailer hitch.¡±


    ¡°You can blame Neon Nurse for that. She kept attacking me with her damned Robo Snakes. I would be gentle though, you should see what my tongue can do.¡± I wriggled it in my mouth making an obscene noise.


    ¡°No.¡± He flatly replied. ¡°I will be having words with her about it. Now I can see why you were concerned earlier. Alright so any other questions for her?¡±


    Everyone was a bit out of it since the conversation took a strange turn and shook their heads. Chief nodded and said. ¡°Why don''t you guys help her carry all her stuff to her room. I know she is a pervert, but she is a nice person. Play nice now. Unless something crazy happens you have the day off so get to know each other. Tomorrow we will do a training exercise. So that you can get used to working with each other.¡±


    ¡°How long has this team been formed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Less than a month. Each of them was the cream of the crop in the other groups. You were supposed to join it back then, but Dreamer kept making it impossible to get you out of there.¡±


    ¡°So this team was made for me?¡± I started edging towards him and he backed away.


    ¡°It would have been made at some point you just happened to be there to fill in the ranks.¡±


    I nodded vaguely. Chief took that as his cue to flee. I will get some of that one day. Usually I am a bit more restrained and would just fantasize about it, but I have been really antsy all day. I respect marriage, but it is hard to control myself. It would not be cheating if I got his wife in on the action right? Threesome... What man does not dream of that!? That actually sounds pretty hot. Alright Sub game plan made we need to seduce his wife! First we need to hunt her down though. Can''t be too hard we will just stalk Chief until he goes home. Then when he goes to work we make our move! Unless she is fugly, then we pull out and run away. Although I would imagine that Chief would have a smoking hot lady. I mean those guns though. God we got problems Sub. Maybe we should just take Neon Nurse up on her offer. She is willing and I am getting the feeling that we might go insane if we don''t get laid soon. I might do something to someone that would be regrettable.


    ''What? I am not good enough for you? After everything you forced me to do?'' Sobbed Sub.


    ¡°Oh come on don''t be like that. Besides it was you that was forcing me. Don''t you try to play the victim here. You and I both know we need something physical.¡±


    ''I had you going for a second there.'' Sniggered Sub. Yeah I figured. It is hard to take you seriously these days.


    I turned around to find something I should have been fearing. Sunshine was trying to heft my box of treasures! I took two steps to get to her in time, but then disaster struck. She tripped over herself and the chest spilled out all of its contents. A sea of writhing dildos and flesh lights spread out across the floor like fish from a barrel. Jockey, Glide and Squeeze lept away in terror. They screamed like little girls. It was understandable, I mean Black Thunder is a beast. It has a fucking wall mount and everything. Sunshine was in shock or something, crawling away and covering her eyes. It was strange because I did not feel mad, embarrassed, humiliated, or even sad. I guess that one time my mom tried to kill me with these things scarred me too much to even be fazed by this. Am I desensitized? Hey Sub do we have problems? She seemed to be mulling over it, but the answer was a resounding no. You lying to me again Sub? No? Alright, good enough for me. I started laughing. They stared at me like I was crazy. But it was so funny to see these kids scared of a few toys.


    ¡°Jesus!¡± Cried Astro Glide.


    ¡°My eyes desu~¡± Wailed Sunshine.


    Sure, sure that is why you are peeking right? Besides you love to watch Moon Sailors I mean their junk is bulging out with only a speedo holding it back. Granted it is just an anime, but still. Hentai gets crazier than real porn. I have seen some fucked up shit. Sub has been getting off on that Vore stuff lately. You got problems Sub. What do you mean they would taste good? That does not matter that shit is so fucked. You are cut off. You will appreciate those tentacles in there and like it. So no use asking for more! What do you mean it is not enough?! I don''t care. That is a bad Sub, bad Sub! No Vore, we are not cannibals. I don''t care if we are not human, so it technically isn''t cannibalism. Go play in the dick forest or something. Then again what I heard Nicky Mouse did takes the cake... Oh god I don''t even want to think about it. Just be normal or something Sub. Alright fine we will browse the freaky side of the internet tonight, but no snuff films or eating people. I wonder if there is some stretchy woman somewhere doing porno? I would watch that.


    I walked over and picked up Black Thunder and they cringed away when I wagged all sixteen inches at them. ¡°What? You guys are adults right? Why you acting like little kids? It is just a fake dick. I mean shit you guys have them between your legs. This is not anything you have not seen before. Though I suppose it is bigger than any of you scrubs.¡±


    They took offense to that. I grinned when Gravity Squeeze yelled. ¡°It is not about size that thing is a god damned horse! Just get all this shit out of here.¡±


    ¡°Horse?¡± I chuckled and started to put them back in their box. ¡°I saw a porn of the guy this thing came off. He was fucking stacked.¡±


    ¡°They actually get that big?¡± Asked Sunshine with wide eyes.


    My hands worked on auto pilot while I looked over my shoulder at her. ¡°Well that is the world record holder. The guy''s name is Black Thunder and he does some serious porn. He wrecks the pussy I will tell you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait you actually use that thing?!¡± Nearly shrieked Astro Glide.


    ¡°A little personal to ask that. If you must know. Yes and frequently.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Said Gravity Squeeze cringing.


    ¡°Nothing wrong with me. I did not dig into your personal lives. Mine just happened to spill into yours.¡± I said putting the last back into the chest and closing it. ¡°If you really want to make me mad though, well I could give all of you some serious nightmare fuel. Don''t bother helping with the rest of my shit I have four arms and super strength I think I will be fine. Sunshine which room is ours?¡±


    She shakily pointed to the bottom left door. I lifted four boxes and took it over. She chased after me and opened the door. It was far girlier than I imagined. Now I feel bad exposing her to my depravity. Am I depraved? The more I interact with people the more fucked up I think I might be. Wait she was eighteen right? Why the hell does this place look like a twelve year old''s room? A pile of stuffed animals covered the bed... there was only one bed. Oh hell no! I ain''t sharing a bed with her. Especially since it was not even as big as mine. There was a poster of the Moon Sailors on the wall, good taste. All that glistening man flesh. Walls were pink and there was glitter and sparkles all over the ceiling. The fan had glowing stars on it. There was a wardrobe in the corner. At the far side was a door and it led into a small bathroom. It was just big enough for the shower, toilet and sink. The vanity mirror was an afterthought. There was still quite a bit of unused room in the main area. I set my stuff in the corner. It did not appear that she had a TV or computer. There was an empty desk and I set my boxed monstrosity of a computer onto it.


    ¡°Is this all my stuff?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Sunshine does not know. This is everything that came.¡±


    ¡°Damn, I want my bed.¡±


    I could tell that she was either afraid of me or had a new found respect for me after witnessing the spectacle that is Black Thunder. She wearily looked between me and the bed. ¡°You can have the bed. Onee-sama.¡±


    I pat her on the head and she flinched a bit. Not exactly what I was going for. She must be scared now. ¡°Thanks for the offer, but I will sleep on the floor. It is your bed, I won''t steal your shit.¡±


    She nodded and wormed her way below the mountain of stuffed animals. I continued to unpack my stuff, setting my weights beside the desk and inspected my sewing machine. I seemed to be missing a few things. None of the dresses that I made were here and there were only two pillows, a sheet, and a blanket. At the least they sent my shag carpet. I unrolled it and flopped down, staring up at the ceiling. I started to get bored though and held myself rolling around. I could hear a lot of things now that I was just listening. Typically I filter out all the peripheral sounds. The boys were moving around in the living room. I think all three of them shared the room above us. Sunshine was still on the bed and her breathing shallow. I could hear her heart beat, it was quick for some reason. Was she excited about something? It was probably just fear, but she did not really smell of it. She was nervousness I suppose. Then again I think she had been in here all alone and now she has a new roommate. Even under normal circumstances it was a little nerve racking and I was anything but normal.


    That whole thing about animals being able to smell fear, completely true and I can do it too. It was a pheromone thing. How to describe fear? It was an intoxicating aroma, just smelling it set off predatory instincts in my head. I would get the urge to hunt, to chase down, attack and prey upon the creature that produced the stench. If it was scared of me that meant it was weak and if it was weak it could be food. I always found a way to suppress the desire though. It would fade to a mild tingling in my head.


    _____


    :P


    Hope I did not scar anybody for life.... jk that was pretty tame. If I wanted I could easily write erotica, but that is the easy way out.


    Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter is about bonding and making friends by crushing their hopes and dreams!

 Arc 3 Mecha Fairy and the Scrubs, Chapter 7

    I am just going to leave this here, you will know it when you see it. Moon Sailor''s theme. In case you can''t tell Moon Sailors are a play on Sailor Moon, it should be pretty obvious but just in case. :3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzNLZ37ZTZs</a>


    Hope you guys enjoy. Believe in the power of Love!


    Vespidian Arc 3, Chapter 7


    I sat up not able to deal with this silence and left Sunshine in her fortress of fluff. I walked back out to the living room. The guys were all there playing some game... wait a minute they got the Wii U. I always wanted one of those. I slid onto the couch beside Disk, watching them play a round of Mario Kart. I had played the old one, in fact I was really good at it. This new one was crazy. It looked harder, but at the same time easier. A little hard to explain, but more or less drifting was everything. You got good at the corners and boosts, well it was impossible to catch you. Even if the blue shell of doom decides to introduce you to god. For some reason games always drew me in and I ended up getting really into them. It might be that I could be reckless and not fear of the repercussions. I just get obsessed with stuff for a while, but then once I get bored I just drop it and move on. I sat watching them. Disk was good, really good, Glide and Squeeze were alright. The round ended and they gave me side ward glances. They did not really know what to think about me, I was some unidentified life form to them.


    ¡°Did you want to play?¡± Asked Disk.


    ¡°Oh yeah. I have not played this one yet, but I was pretty good at the old one.¡±


    ¡°It is not hard.¡±


    I grasped the controller and got the feel for it in my hands. It was pretty nice, all the buttons were in good places and it just felt right. I had to be a little delicate with it though, might break it if I got rough. We got to the character select and I went with my bottom bitch, Toadette. I almost never lost with her. A close second would be Daisy though. They were all giving me funny looks and I was grinning. These guys don''t know about the Toadette. I think she is still good. This is weird you get to customize the kart? I scrolled through the list and found a carriage with mechanical horses. The red tires seem like they go faster so I will go with those, red is always faster right? Yeah I am going to be a fucking princess, holy shit and a pink parasol for the glider... there is gliding in this?


    ¡°Toadette?¡± Asked Glide.


    ¡°You got a problem with the Toad?¡±


    ¡°No, it is just that she sucks in this one.¡±


    ¡°You sure about that?¡±


    ¡°Well try it out yourself. There is no bike wheelies in this one so karts are better.¡± Said Disk.


    ¡°Well I figured when the Blazerunner''s stats sucked.¡±


    They chose the map. It was the easiest four courses and away we went. They were surprised when I landed the boost off of the start line. You had to hold the accelerator when the two was about to go away. Other than that though I sucked at this one. It was hard to stay on the road and since I was small anybody who rammed me would send me off course a little. I ended up losing to a few computers on top of them. It was vexing and I hated losing. I would beat them at this shit. This one was harder I suppose. You could only have one item at a time. Since I saw the whole screen at all times I was watching what they were doing and picked up on all the shortcuts. Actually doing them was hard though.


    Then we came to the hell known as Rainbow Road. It was over an hour since we started playing, but I had steadily gotten better. I knew how to drift now and was able to correctly gauge when to start in order to cut the shit out of corners. I also learned that you could not stack boosts like the old one. So if you went over a jump with a mushroom and did the flip boost you would lose the mushroom boost and go slower. Another thing I realized was that Toadette was not even close to being the fastest top speed person, but she was among the fastest to recover after being hit by something. Once I figured that out it was like an epiphany went off in my head. It may have just been Sub creaming herself though. Now she won''t shut the fuck up and keeps being a back seat driver. It is not always left, sometimes you have to make a right turn! This isn''t NASCAR for fuck sake.


    None of my training had prepared me for the horror of Rainbow Road. There were these areas where your tires were anti gravity and if somebody bumped you both of you would get a speed boost, but for about a second you could not control where the kart was going, it would go straight ahead and it ruined your drift. Does not sound bad, but then you realize there are no railings for the course. Nothing to stop you from driving off the map. This made the first corner and the last corner nightmares since people were fighting for position and it was worse than bumper cars. I fell off three times to dick computers suiciding to take me out. They would ram into me and drag me to my death. However due to me being Toadette I would recover faster and drive off before those cock bags could catch up. Not going to lie getting angry here. Somehow I fought my way through all three laps and got fifth. It does not help that we are playing it on the hardest setting.


    It was over, the hell was over finally. I sat there steaming. Maybe I need to change the kart? Nah, that is what quitters do. I would make this game my bitch with Toadette and this magical carriage! I will think of it as a challenge. I did not find out until way later, but my kart combo was actually one of the best... lets just ignore that for now. We kept at it for another good hour before they started flaking out. Eventually it was just me and Disk and at some point Sunshine had slunk out and nestled next to me to watch.


    I started checking him out. He was not wearing his helmet after all. He was not the fat nerd, he was the other kind, the stick thin kind. He had some scraggly facial hair that was patchy. Nothing very long or anything, just think he should shave that face fur off. The freckles started popping out at me there was only a few. The chin was rather dominant or it might just be since he had such a scrawny neck. He had glasses and kinda short red hair... he was a ginger. I don''t got nothing against gingers. What do you mean he doesn''t have a soul? Sub that is fucked up. Don''t give me that look. Everyone has a soul. It is not nice to insinuate otherwise. Now he is a day walker is he? Sub what the hell is your beef with Gingers? Oh really? No, I think it is because he is beating our ass at Mario Kart and you are just jelly. What do I think? I guess he would be a five. I have seen way worse, better than a fat assed neck beard that is for sure.


    The damned music was so catchy Sub and I were humming it my head. He got first place every time and I had worked my way up to second. The bastard''s main was Rosalina, one of the fastest top speeds in the game. I gave him a run for his money a few times, but he was a slippery little cunt. The computers kept fucking with me and then I realized what was going on. He would get in the lead right at the start and let everybody kill each other in the back. It was a cunning strategy. Second and third place were the dumping grounds for ever bad thing in the game: bombs, green, red and blue turtle shells, bananas, bullet bills, lightning, squids and psychos with stars.


    I knew what must be done. Rosalina had shit recovery and acceleration so if she got fucked with at the start, he was screwed. It would force him to be in the middle of the shenanigans and try to fight his way out. The top speed was insane though so if he got away he stayed in the lead even if something hit him. The only reason he had been winning is because first place does not have to worry about the mayhem in the back of the pack. The only way to win if he got away was to chain reds and time them after an item box so that he could only block one. The remaining two would stop him in his tracks for a good five seconds if done right and he would have to get back up to top speed again. I think it is about time he relearned the fear of god. I was a fast learner when it came to shit I cared about.


    It was the candy land level. The race started and I got the perfect boost. I did not pass him though, he got a good one too. We fought over the item boxes and I got my ass knocked around. Rosalina is a heavy bitch after all. Luckily he got a coin and I got a red shell. He tried to pull that wall grinding, drift shit where you can block a shell without an item, but the angle that I shot it from let it slide in from the side. He crashed and I zipped by. My grin was almost off of my face. Just as I had predicted, it was a mad house back there. The cave had turned into a death trap. Shells and bombs, bananas and boomerangs going everywhere. Some asshat got a Bullet Bill and ran down like five people, getting into second place, almost got me too. He got hit again and it fucked him hard. Now was the difficult part, I needed to keep the lead. Since he had fallen so far back he was bound to get the good shit, which meant he would claw his way back up to second very soon. So long as he stayed back there nature would take its course and the computers would gang up on him.


    I swerved around the corner getting the red sparks and took the pink path. It was shorter and easier than the blue one, at the least that is how I felt about it, they were probably about the same though. The Piranha plants wanted me bad, but I managed to drift past the doughnut, then that son of a bitch used a shroom to go through the doughnut short cut. We were neck and neck again. He kept trying to ram me, we both knew I would lose that. So I let him have first just before the item boxes. I got a green shell and shot it into the cave. It bounced back from the front and the banana he had behind him did not save him. He threw it at me and missed by a couple of inches. Disk was out for blood now. I loved how angry he was. He was fuming, I could see it by how red his face was getting. Take that you scrub!


    The computers had caught up and were bogging him down. They forced him to make extra movements, which slowed him down and he had to dodge shells or get completely fucked. I just cruised away in my carriage drifting for the sparks every chance I got. I got triple greens and carefully aimed them back. I threw two and kept the last one to defend. He cursed. I nailed him from around the corner. I went passed the doughnut and this time he did not catch up. I was gaining the lead from the blood feud going down back there. Every time he got hit it severely screwed his groove up. Well that is what you get for going with a fast top speed character.


    I was on the last lap when the random number generator god said fuck you. A blue shell descended from the sky and sent me into the water. It tagged me right on the last jump. Then the moment I was plopped back on land, lightning struck killing my item. That was when the reds came, no, not the commies, the shells. Somebody had fired them off before the lightning was used. Both hit me, but the second one did not do anything because of the timing. I floored it and managed to get going again. I had no items and there were no more for the rest of the race. Then I hit the rear view mirror button and saw that asshole flying towards me with a piranha plant power up. It was snapping like crazy, giving him a speed boost every time. It ate me and he swooped by. I was about to scream when I heard the second blue turtle shell. My kart swerved and it swooshed by circling him with hunger. He was first place after all. I started cackling and dodged the explosion. I booked it past the doughnut and lept over the last drop off winning.


    There was a moment of silence between us. Then I could not hold it back any longer and I rubbed it in his face. ¡°Fuck yeah! I won! Suck it nerd! Holy shit that was intense!¡±


    Sunshine was bouncing up and down next to me. ¡°You won! You won! You finally won!¡±


    ¡°You got lucky with that blue.¡± He said dismissively. I could see it he was absolutely livid. I could smell his anger. My tongue wet my lips with delight.


    ¡°Did you not see that train they plowed me with?! Let''s watch the fucking replay.¡±


    We sat there watching it and he was genuinely surprised by the amount of shit that got lobbed at me. I started patting him on the back and messing with his hair. He did not like that at all, so I did it more. There was something about this guy. I just liked picking on him. No, it was not some crush crap, he just felt vulnerable and I knew what buttons to press to piss him off. I realized what I was doing was cruel so I restrained myself. It is really hard though, seeing weakness brings out the natural sadist in me.


    ¡°You are fucking good at this though.¡± I gave him a one armed hug. He went still not know what the hell was going on. ¡°It was so hard to beat you. I was about to scream when you passed me at the end there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He said a little shy. Oh look at that, I think he likes me. Could just be delusions of grandeur here though, I am riding a Mario Kart win high.


    ¡°Friends?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I never thought you would actually be that good.¡±


    This time I gave him a full hug and bottom righty decided it wanted to see what was going on down there. Got a handful of man booty then it started slithering in for the front. Sub control yourself! I could understand if this was Chief or Boris, but Disk? Really? I mean he seems like a nice guy, but we both know nice guys are pushovers. I thought you hated Gingers? Oh so this is a dominance thing is it? How desperate are you? I ripped the arm back away from his groin. ¡°Damned robo arm, still getting used to it.¡±


    He started retreating. Look what you did Sub, you scared the boy off. ¡°Right, robo arm. I am going to go to bed.¡± He said shakily. He started running away. I seem to have spooked him. Nice job Sub. Now I don''t even know if I have Mario Kart friend or not! You know how hard it is to find people that want to play Mario Kart with me?! I mean shit in highschool I had to lose on purpose just so that people would still play with me.


    I turned the TV off and switched off the lights with Sunshine following me like a lost lamb. I did not really know what to do now. I guess I should try to get on Sunshine''s good side. Although that does not seem to be that hard, she was begging me to be her friend. Could be worse at the least she isn''t another Neon Nurse. She dove into the bed snuggling up with all of those stuffed critters, I was a little jealous.


    ¡°Hey you wanna watch some Moon Sailors or something?¡± I asked.


    Sunshine stirred and the animals shifted so that her head was poking out. ¡°You have a dvd?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± I smirked. ¡°I bootlegged the whole series onto my hard drive. I even got the manga on this thing.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that bad? You are supposed to pay for that stuff you know.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I donated the amount that it would have costed to their site. I think they fine.¡±


    ¡°Why did you not just buy it then?¡±


    ¡°Lets just say I was under an embargo.¡±


    She face planted out of the bed and pulled herself together. ¡°Where did you get that much money?¡±


    I thought for a few moments, how to explain? ¡°Why are you so surprised? It was only like a couple hundred dollars.¡±


    ¡°Well we only get an allowance.¡±


    ¡°We don''t get paid?¡±


    ¡°No, we get an allowance.


    I screamed. ¡°What!? We are risking our lives for chump change? How much are we getting paid?¡±


    ¡°A thousand, five hundred a month and free room and board, free meals.¡± She replied a little shaken by my howls of lament.


    ¡°Damn it! I knew there was something fishy about this deal.¡±


    ¡°What deal?¡±


    ¡°Let''s just say Chief helped me out of a tight spot.¡±


    ¡°Were you in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Kind of. It is a bit complicated. I am working through it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds rough.¡±


    ¡°Well when you have friends like Neon Nurse and Chief it tends to help.¡±


    ¡°You know Neon Nurse? She is so cool. You know all the cool people. Sunshine is jealous.¡±


    I did not know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°It is not all that it is cracked up to be. Trust me on that.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    I glanced over at her and the visor was gone. She looked Asian with rather large eyes. It was a little contradictory since they usually have tiny eyes. ¡°Hey where are you from anyway?¡±


    She seemed to think for a moment. ¡°Bronson, but my mom came from Japan.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow. Here I thought you were just a weeaboo.¡±


    ¡°That is a bit mean you know Onee-sama.¡± She puffed up her cheeks. Damn she is adorable.


    ¡°My bad.¡± I giggled. It has been a long time since I did that. ¡°Do you actually think of me as a big sister? I mean you could do a lot better than me. Lets face it I am not a nice person. Not exactly role model material.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°You seem rather nice. Most people just ignore Sunshine or laugh, some even make fun of me.¡±


    ¡°People always make fun of nerdy shit. Besides you do realize I was doing all that to you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but you are talking to me now.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°You don''t know me. I am a terrible person.¡±


    She just sat there. I did not know if she was debating something in her head or what. Slowly she edged forward and glomped onto me. ¡°You have been through a lot huh.¡±


    I was lost for words for a few moments then pried her off and set her to the side. ¡°I don''t feel like bonding. I have the distinct feeling that when I take off this suit you will be singing a rather different tune. It is going to make me feel really bad too. If you really want to be my friend then get to know me.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with you under the suit? Are there scars?¡±


    ¡°I am a fucking monster.¡± I replied coldly.


    ¡°It can''t be that bad.¡±


    I laughed lowly. ¡°Sunshine you got no fucking clue. I am a literal monster. The kind they make movies about.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine will be the judge of that.¡± She had a resolved look in her eyes.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Sunshine wants to see.¡±


    ¡°No. You don''t. I don''t even want to see me. Trust me your little imagination can''t even come close to conjuring the horror that I am.¡±


    ¡°It can''t be that bad. Please, Sunshine promise she won''t make fun of you.¡±


    ¡°I am not worried about you making fun of me. I am worried that you will piss yourself out of fright and cry in a corner all night.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine won''t do that.¡± She puffed up her cheeks again.


    ¡°Your funeral.¡± I sighed standing up.


    The suit went ridged and the seals came undone. With a hiss and plumes of mist the front section lifted up. Slowly I climbed out and took the helmet off. Damn it felt good to stretch. My wings unfurled from around my body and spread wide. It had been cramped in there. My head rolled and I rubbed my shoulders. Honestly I was just avoiding the inevitable when I would have to look at her. The abdomen trembled and swelled up after having been compressed all day. Finally I looked down at Sunshine. She was not there anymore and had retreated to the other side of the bed. I could smell her trepidation. Told you. No one ever listens to me. This is why you stay out of people''s personal lives. I have found it always ends badly. All those people with their good intentions... they never actually follow through. They expose your weaknesses and leave you vulnerable. Act like they are going to help but then when they see what is wrong they run away. All that it does is open the wound that much more.


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    ¡°So what do you think.¡± My smile spread almost coming off the sides of my face. Now I could smell the fear and piss. I went a little too far and she bolted to the bathroom. ¡°Told you. Monster. Hey when you are done in there I need to take a piss too.¡±


    I lounged about on my shag carpet and coiled a blanket around me. She is not going to come out. I hate it when I am right. Well at the least she is not crazy. So I guess I don''t need to worry about her getting all Neon Nurse on me. It was times like this that I hated having super senses. I could hear her sobbing in there. I did cause it. I fucking warned her though. Sure this is my fault... Everything is always my fucking fault. Just like how I fucked up that catch and lost the god damned tournament in high school. Just like how I buckled under pressure and dropped out of college. Just like how my whole god damned life is a fucking train wreck.


    There they are, the water works. As always I am just a little bitch crying in a corner. Ah is the monster sad? You think you deserve to cry? Monsters don''t get to feel human. No one will ever love you. No, why do you think they always end up being hunted and killed in the movies. Sub what should I do? Talk to me will you? She was just mentally patting me on the shoulder. I wish my heart would just turn to stone or get all black and cold already or something. Then I would not give a flying fuck about anybody and never be hurt by what others think. This is why it is better to be alone. I need to lower my expectations again, no, I should just not have any to begin with. If you never expect anything from anybody you won''t be disappointed. I can''t believe I was stupid enough to actually show her. I should know better by now. Only crazy people can even stomach me. It is not like I could stay in that suit forever though, this would have happened at some point. This is why I wanted my own room. I lay there tuning her out, I could hear the boys upstairs talking in their room, it was about me.


    ¡°So how was it?¡± Asked Gravity Squeeze.


    ¡°Dude she grabbed my ass and went for my dick!¡± Said Disk panicky as hell. Ah fuck, I don''t like where this is going.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Asked the other two.


    ¡°Yeah man it scared the shit out of me.¡±


    ¡°Why you scared man? She was coming on to you.¡±


    ¡°Dude she has super strength rank 3. She could rip my dick off and not even notice.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± Echoed both of them.


    ¡°She has a nice ass though. I mean that is some grade A booty. She has totally been working it out.¡± Replied Gravity Squeeze.


    ¡°It is unprofessional to use your powers like that. Just because she did not know does not mean you should do that.¡± Said Astro Glide. So he did use telekinesis to feel me up. He has balls I will give him that, sounds to me like said testicles want to get antiquated with my fists, all four of them.


    ¡°Remember Disk hack her computer and see if she has any videos of herself on there.¡± Said Gravity Squeeze.


    ¡°That is some serious privacy violations man.¡± Angrily raised Astro.


    ¡°Oh shut up. You know you want to bend that bitch over. You were staring at her rack the whole time and I saw her eye balling your junk dude.¡±


    ¡°How could you tell anything? She has a helmet on.¡±


    ¡°You could tell from the way she tilted her head every now and then. She clearly was not looking at your face. She was checking all of us out. She saw something she liked. Why you think she went for Disk?¡±


    ¡°So what? You saw that fucking thing she had. I don''t think she is interested in any of us.¡±


    ¡°The real thing is better than toys. Don''t you know shit? Besides if she has something like that it means she is a slut. You heard their conversation.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it sounds like she wants to bang Chief, not us.¡± Said Disk. Well he was not wrong with that.


    ¡°Dude, she was making a move on you we have a chance.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Confidence bro. Women can smell that shit. You act like a little bitch and she will treat you like a bitch.¡± Said Gravity Squeeze.


    Well I suppose he is not such an idiot, he knows that much at the least. It is deeper than that though. Different women want different things, but deep down we all want the same thing. Security, it is likely the most primal thing there is besides the need for a fulfilled sensual desire and hunger of course. Why you think bitches with daddy issues look to emulate their father in their boyfriends? Not saying Love is not important, but it is borderline lust at the start most of the time. Lets face it, if a man held you so hard that your broken heart was made whole again, it would be pretty damned hard to resist that. It was why I so harshly rejected Boris. I knew that if I experienced that there would be no going back. I would have been his slave.


    ¡°If it is so easy let''s see if you can bone her.¡± Laughed Glide.


    ¡°Is that a challenge? She seems a bit slutty so it won''t be that hard.¡±


    Oh really now? Slut am I? I don''t even remember the last time I had sex. Well besides with Sub naturally. Probing did not count. If I get bored maybe I would rock their worlds. I mean shit my abdomen could take all three at the same time, though I get the feeling I would be accused of rape and they would be crying. So let''s not jump the gun on that. Squeeze wants to play, alright I will bite. I licked my lips. You don''t even know what you are getting into. I stared at the ceiling. Go ahead and hack my computer. I wonder if he can get through Neon Nurse''s security program? Have fun with the five terabytes of gay porn, tentacle fest and dick girls. There is so much man on man action on there it will make you go blind. You fuck with me little Disk and I will turn your SR character into my literal bitch.


    The darkness was soothing and I had grown to like it, even seek it out. I feel like killing something. It took a few minutes to get my computer set up and log onto the Shattered Realms. I wandered around for a while until I found a herd of baby seals. I went clubbing. Maybe I would make a new coat or something. Some stupid Elf tried to stop me and I ripped him in half. That aggroed a nearby settlement and a flood of the Elves started showing up. I murdered them in cold blood. Every swing of my maul sent shattered bodies into the sky and screams were all around. I reveled in it and pursued them back to the town. With a stroke the wall came down and with an actual move nothing was left except a crater of blood and gore. I killed a couple of players it seems. Good get your friends I need a distraction.


    Absently I sat and waited, gazing at the blood. A dragon came with an airship and dwarves manned the guns. Their strafing run did not even faze me. The cannons could not even dent my barrier and I grew tired of the flies. So my hands lifted up half of a corpse and hurled it at the ship. It listed and crashed to the ground in flames. I approached killing everything. My dark hands ripped the dragon''s head from his neck while he was still alive. The eyes blinked at me in horror. My grin of insanity reflecting back. I sighed as the blood washed over me. This was boring. Maybe I should go kill a god or something. Later, I want to savor that. Maybe my pets will cheer me up? The home stone glowed when I teleported back into my lair.


    My throne did little to alleviate this rage. Three snapped in half nekomar, eight stomped to paste moumar, a centaur torn to pieces, two popped fairies, five impaled elves, two torched nymphs, a devil with her arms and legs torn off, three punched down walls, a skinned mermaid and my foot rest, former guild head, being crushed twice did nothing to make me feel any better. What the fuck is the point? This shit ain''t real. I can''t feel anything. Not even pain. Sub we have issues.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Asked my leg rest.


    ¡°Life is a fucking bitch.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it. The only place I can get beaten like this is here.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up.¡± I ripped his head off and logged out.


    I sat staring at the screen for a long while. Pain was it? I snapped my own finger in half. I choked a scream down and shook my head. What fucking hurts, hurts damn it! It was not true that regenerators are addicted to pain. At the least I am not. You lied to me Director! Although thinking about it... So that is why Molotov kept hurting me. She was trying to make me feel better. Or was she trying to get me addicted to her sadism? She knew that I had regen and since most of them like pain she thought she was helping me. I mean I guess the healing process feels good. It is no claw curling ecstasy though. Getting wounded fucking sucks. A certain call of nature was making itself a rather pressing matter. I stopped in front of the bathroom door and knocked.


    ¡°Hey I need to go. Get out.¡±


    She just kept crying. My eyes twitched and I ripped the door off of the hinges. I set it to the side and lifted her out of the tub before setting her on the bed. I was not rough or anything, did not actually want to hurt her. I just needed to go. It had been all day after all. When you gotta go, you gotta go. I went about my business, washed my hands vaguely and returned to the room. She had vanished below the stuffed animals like a security blanket.


    ¡°Stop crying.¡± I said laying on the floor. She grew quiet. ¡°Good see. Not so damned hard. I fucking told you I was a monster, but no. You just had to see and now we are both in a terrible mood.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine not scared of you.¡± She said lowly.


    ¡°Bullshit. I can smell fear you know.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine sad for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh really then why did you cry and make me feel like shit. You do realize I wear a fucking suit just so that I can avoid people seeing me. It does make me stronger, but that is just a benefit.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine is sorry. She thought you were exaggerating.¡± She started blubbering.


    ¡°So you are not scared of me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She mumbled with red eyes. Her stench was salty I suppose, was that what sadness smelled like? It was not pleasant that is for sure. It certainly was not fear, I know full well what that aroma is.


    ¡°Just stop crying. Here watch this and don''t look at me.¡± I turned on an episode of Moon Sailors and stepped back into the suit. It closed and I lay there staring at the ceiling. I wanted to go to sleep but there was no way I could.


    I rolled over and watched the show. The beginning theme was still on. ¡°Pounding evil by moonlight. Wrecking ass by daylight. Standing tall like a real knight. He is the one named Admiral Moon! He would never abandon a friend. He is always ridged till the end. He is always there to set the trend. He is the one named Admiral Moon! Captain Venus. Captain Mercury. Captain Terra. Captain Mars. Captain Jupiter. Secret powers of love, pouring forth from their manly muscles. Pounding Evil by moonlight. Wrecking ass by daylight. Standing tall like real knights. Moon Sailors! They are the ones, they are the ones named Moon Sailors!¡±


    I zoned out until the end. The announcer started spouting off. ¡°Ohhh nooo! Admiral Moon was captured by the Evil Queen Bambi, what a horrible start to the show! He just found the powers of love and friendship too. How did he mess that up in the first episode? How will he escape with no friends and certainly not any bros to have his back. Will he succumb to Bambi''s sexy lap dance and pole grinding moves? Will he ever escape from that vile strip club filled with space bimbos? Will there be any money left in his wallet for that new Ferrari he was wanting?! Will he throw away all his hard earned cash, shouting take my money you filthy whore! Or will the power of love and friendship drive off these voracious space slores! Find out next time on Moon Sailors!¡±


    The ending theme came on. Power of Love. ¡°There comes a time. When you face the toughest of fights. Searching for a sign. Lost in the darkest of nights. The wind blows so cold. Standing alone. Before the battle''s begun. But deep in your soul. The future unfolds. As bright as the rays of the sun! You''ve got to believe. In the power of love. You''ve got to believe. In the power of love. The power of love...¡±


    God damn it Moon Sailors! I giggled lowly. I can''t stay mad or even sad watching this shit. Sub was singing along in my head. Sunshine seemed to be in better mood too as she rolled around on her bed. I glanced over at her. She was grinning happily, humming along to the ending theme. You trying to tell me something Moon Sailors? Sub...what do you mean I should learn something from them? I need to make friends? Oh god, I am getting therapy from an anime and my imaginary friend! Did I dare to take a chance and try to be friends? Well the song was certainly encouraging. Sub keeps poking me too. Is this a chance? This is an event flag isn''t it...


    ''Take hold my hand and you will understand what it truly means to be friends.'' Sung Sub I could feel her running in circles in my head. Calm down will you. ''When was the last time you met somebody who was into this? You better latch onto her before she escapes.''


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ''Yeah. You know you want to have girl time and squeal over hot guys with somebody, other than me of course.''


    ¡°You have a point.¡±


    ¡°Onee-sama what are you mumbling about over there?¡± Asked Sunshine she had leaned out from her castle of stuffed animals.


    Ah shit, I was talking out loud again. I turned to face her and she did not run or even balk. Then again I was wearing the suit so I was considerably less scary. ¡°Just trying to figure something out. Helps to talk to yourself sometimes. So you are really not scared of me?¡±


    She looked away for a moment. ¡°Sunshine is a little, but it is not like you have hurt me. If anything Sunshine hurt you. Besides anybody who likes Moon Sailors can''t be a bad person.¡±


    ¡°So what do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°We can be friends. Sunshine has wanted one for so long. You like a lot of the same stuff and you''re like a cool big sister, but you look scary. Show me your face again.¡±


    ¡°You will just run away again.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Sunshine is ready this time so please show me.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°You sure? You know that I am very self conscious. Even I think it is a hideous face, so I understand if you want me to stay in the suit.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Show me, sorry about before.¡±


    Well I guess it takes a leap of faith to get started. Slowly I took off the helmet and set it to the side. Uneasily I turned to her and stared at her frozen face. She seemed lost for a few short seconds. It was nerve racking trying to figure out if she was about to have a panic attack, scream and cry or faint. Sunshine finally took a deep breath and her expression became tranquil. I smiled and it looked like she broke for a second. I scrunched up my face and a smile cracked on her.


    ¡°Don''t smile. It is terrifying.¡± She said a little shaky. That is not nice you know. Understandable, but not nice. ¡°That will take a bit of getting used to.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I asked tilting my head a little... Neon Nurse was rubbing off on me.


    ¡°Yeah. We can do this though.¡± She grinned sincerely. ¡°One step at a time and before we know it I won''t even care anymore.¡±


    I could not hold back any more and hugged her. She fought it for a moment then settled when I just sat there rocking slowly. There was no way she could escape anyway. My tears were falling now. All my worries and pain rolling down my face. She just took it not saying a word. After a while she was patting me on the back of the head. The tendrils would coil around her fingers and I was half expecting her to freak out. Sunshine did not though and just kept rubbing the carapace, even playing with the wiggly things.


    ¡°It must have been hard. Sunshine can''t even imagine what you have been through. Onee-sama it is alright now. Sunshine won''t hurt you.¡± She said softly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I put my forehead to hers. ¡°You are the first person who is not completely insane that accepted me. Besides Chief, he is a guy though so it is different.¡±


    ¡°Insane?¡±


    ¡°Well let''s just say I tend to attract crazy people.¡±


    ¡°No need to worry. Sunshine might be weird, but not crazy.¡±


    ¡°I have been wondering why do you talk in the third person?¡±


    She thought it over. The glowing bunny ears bouncing on her head as it tilted back and forth. She put her finger up as though having a revelation. ¡°Sunshine is Sunshine?¡±


    I stared at her. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Oh god she is nutters. At the least she is not violent though. One day I will get a sane friend for now I guess it is just the loony bin for me. Although if my imagination started spilling into reality I would probably go off the deep end as well.


    ¡°Forget it. Just stay you Sunshine.¡±


    ¡°Nothing but rainbows and sunshine here.¡± She smiled and a vibrant rainbow spread out overhead. I stared at it. So this was her power. It was wonderful.


    ¡°So beautiful.¡± I smiled gazing at the colors.


    Sunshine shoved all the animals off of her bed and lay there beckoning to me. She had that come hither look. Was she hitting on me? No that is crazy. Sub I am not going to fuck my new roomie! She just wants to comfort me. Why does my mind always go into the gutter? Sub do something useful and fix that shit will you?


    ¡°I will sleep on the floor. Thank you though.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°My suit would break the bed frame.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± She smiled and started piling the stuffed critters back onto the bed.


    The ground was hard and Sub was writhing in my head. ''You promised me we would look at some crazy shit.''


    ¡°Later. Not in front of Sunshine.¡±


    ''You promised. Just have her watch it with us.''


    ¡°Sub I do not feel comfortable about watching porn together with my new friend. Who the hell does that? Jesus that is like sharing, fucking dildos.¡±


    ''Sharing is caring you know.''


    ¡°Don''t you start with that shit. Just shut up and go to sleep.¡±


    She kept protesting and I ignored her. Usually I love to indulge her, but I feel that Sub has been being spoiled too much lately. She has become demanding and I will not put up with it. You want me to come in there and punish you? That is what I thought. Sub quieted down and I think she went back into the forest. I lay there dozing off. The marvelous night light overhead quickly entranced me and I drifted off to sleep.


    ____

 Arc 3 Mecha Fairy and the Scrubs, Chapter 8

    Vespidian Arc 3, Chapter 8


    Morning came with the systematic routine I had grown accustomed to. I awoke earlier than Sunshine who was still submerged in her bed. At first I was confused by the change of surroundings, but then the day before came back to me and I shed the suit like an old skin. My arms bristled and the weights moved up. I had increased the set amount after the revelations that my previous rate was not enough. Sure it was harder and I would be hating myself for a few hours, results were what mattered to me. Not only had the weight increased, the number of reps had been doubled and I pushed myself to the limits. The feeling of my muscles snapping and tearing was a good pain. It tore away all emotion and focused my will into a single purpose, more power. It hurt a lot but that was how building muscle always was, granted not to this extreme for most. A normal person would be crippled after this sort of thing.


    There was something that I wanted to protect now, Sunshine. I had always been more motivated with a clear goal. Sure we had only met yesterday, sure she is bonkers, but hey she is a good person. Besides it was hard to find friends who like the weird shit that I did. I could guess by the team dynamic that I was supposed to be the tank and heavy hitter due to their powers. This meant I needed to be tougher and stronger, probably meaner too. My goal for now was to match the suit strength while not in it.


    My vents gusted when I finished, doubling over, unable to move an inch. It was refreshing to feel so exhausted. I knew that it would not last though, the muscles were already grasping at one another, pulling themselves back together. Stronger than before. This was how it always went. It was routine now. Soon the pain would be gone and the world would cease to make sense. It seemed I could only keep my mind focused during such moments. Sub would always be there watching, eager to give me an antenna full of what she thought about things. Usually it was good ideas.


    She was like the little angel and the devil on my shoulder whispering things to me. Sometimes though her thoughts were scary. Random ideas of eating animals alive or even hunting people who hurt us down and devouring them would surface. She was always hungry for meat. She did not think we could coexist with humans. I strongly disagreed and that usually led to fights. We segregated each other into separate parts of the mind when this happened. I would always retreat to reality and she would delve into the very depths of us, the tentacle forest. Now that I think about it the closest to our relationship would be well, married. It made a lot of sense. We were stuck with one another, bickered over the stupidest shit and some times I or Sub would have to sleep on the figurative couch after a fight. Inevitably we would get lonely without the other and seek the other out. In the end though when serious stuff happened we cast aside all of our foolishness and teamed up to conquer the problem. Not gonna lie, make up sex is pretty nice.


    I trembled and rose putting myself into the suit. It sealed shut. The hissing sound woke Sunshine and she rolled rubbing her eyes. I stared down at her flushed face wondering why she smelled of arousal. Was she watching me working out and just pretending to sleep? I was zoned out so I did not even notice. That brought up a few questions, but I was in no mood to look at my new friend as a sexual object. Should I do that we would not be friends anymore and I might end up killing her in my fervor. Even if she did not die what I would do to her would scar anyone for life. I pat her on the head and sat down in front of the computer. My habit of checking Ichigo''s page twice daily was still strong. A new picture was there with her little parasol and Gothic dress, wonderful silky black hair and doll like eyes. The fairy picture was still better, but it went into the Ichigo folder.


    I might be in love or have a crush or something on Ichigo. After all both me and Sub wanted to fill that bitch with eggs. Even though we had never even made eggs before. It was a deep seeded desire, something akin to an instinct. I am not exactly sure of when it happened, but at some point I had grown something of an attraction to women. Not saying I want to grind our snatches together or anything. I found myself watching them more than usual. Drinking in their smells, delighting in their high voices and girlish manors. I blame all the hentai. It likely has to do more with the insane amounts of hormones pumping through my veins. About as far as it went was fantasizing about mounting Ichigo. I think I could be gay for her. Although, would it be considered homo if I have both types of organs? That is a very good question. It is a bit hard to wrap my head around it though.


    Sub was being far more of a handful than usual. ''Come on you know you wanna try out that robo pussy Neon Nurse was bragging about!''


    ¡°If it was a vibe I might go for it. Focus Sub, focus we have important Super Hero shit to deal with.¡±


    ''What training? Alright fine but we doing S and M tonight.''


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Fine but you are the S.¡±


    ''No, you are the S!''


    ¡°Alright ill be the Sadist.¡±


    ''¡­. alright you better make me squeal.''


    I mentally pat her on the head. What can I say she likes the attention. ¡°Oh, does my little Sub wanna be spoiled? Alright I will make your claws curl.¡±


    With that out of the way I could finally deal with serious stuff, like training. Speaking of training Chief had never mentioned a time. I contacted him over the suit system to figure it out. He said we would start when the others got up. So I sat out in the living room waiting for the others to drag themselves out of bed. Sunshine was first since I had woken her. She sat drooping beside me still half asleep apparently we were up a few hours earlier than normal. Slackers. Normally I would not give a shit about what other people do. Go ahead slob it up and waste your life. I am no one to judge. The only thing is if I start something I find it very difficult to not do the best damned job I can on it. If this team is going to be successful there will be none of this sleeping in until ten nonsense. Even though I could have been lazy as hell in that containment room I still woke up at seven in the morning everyday and worked out. Neon Nurse trying to go Dr. Feelgood on me had something to do with that as well. Seven ten was when she got up so I had to make sure to be ready.


    Another idle half hour passed and it was nine, not a sign of the others. I wanted to get this shit over with. My abdomen was getting all bloated and hot. It does that sometimes. The constriction of the suit was making it rather uncomfortable too, kinda like tight pants after you just ate a big meal and they did not fit right anymore. These little piss ants were taking forever. Sub came up with a delightful idea, to wake them up. It took only a few moments and I was up the stairs rapping on their door.


    ¡°Oi scrubs wake the fuck up, we got shit to do!¡± I shouted through the door. Rustling and groaning rose from the other side. Sounded like they were rousted from their slumber.


    ¡°Who the fuck is that?¡±


    ¡°Shit we got that new bitch. Why is she up so damned early.¡±


    ¡°Early? Usually I am up at eight. Hey did one of you guys turn my alarm off?¡±


    ¡°Yeah that was me. It was loud man.¡±


    Looks like they up. ¡°You got five minutes before I come in there.¡±


    I heard mumbled complaints and made my way back down to the couch. Sunshine was drooling and passed out again. It would be a little mean to wake her so I just let her lay across my lap for a while. The news was dismal and boring as usual, complaining about Supers and the militarized police forces that had to deal with them. Mr. President was going on about something with his honeyed words and bald faced lies. Sure the bastard had a way with words, but if you paint a piece of shit gold it is still a piece of shit underneath. The media is so tilted to the left they keep going on about gun and Super control. It is idiotic since the places with the most so called gun violence as the places with the strictest gun laws. After all an armed society is a polite society. They were toting around how they just struck a deal with Iran, who is one of the major sponsors of our enemies.


    I knew better and so did anybody with half a brain. Though that was not so many these days. The schools were dumbing people down and not even teaching anything useful these days. Have you seen Common Core?! What the hell kind of math question takes ten steps to solve a basic subtraction problem? I mean there was not even home economics or shop class in high school. My generation can''t even write in cursive. I can because I taught myself, but they do not teach it in school. How the fuck are we supposed to write checks and sign contracts? How are we supposed to read old documents? Our history is being scrubbed clean and people are ignoring it. Don''t learn from the past and you will repeat it. There was even some professor who was saying that the Holocaust was a hoax.


    The news was covering up the failed foreign policies and how the soldiers could not fight the terrorists because there might be some collateral damages. It is fucking war, people die, innocent people get caught up in it. Yes it is sad, but it is a fact of life. They kept going on about how we should empathize with them. They are so poor over there in their desert. If they did not have oil no one would give a fuck about those desolate wastelands. Islam is the religion of peace... yeah that is why they are slaughtering the Jews, Christians, even other Muslims and trying to destroy Israel. Stoning gays and women in the streets. They are so pitiable... fuck that. Political correctness bullshit. These people are cold blooded killers.


    The more that I watched the bigger the knot in my stomach grew. Are these politicians retarded? Why the fuck should they dictate what the soldiers on the front lines can and can''t do? It might just be because I had been reading a bit of the Art of War, but if you want to win you let the commanders in the field do their damned jobs. They have their arms tied behind their backs and are expected to beat a cowardly enemy that uses schools and hospitals as their bases. They rape women and children. Murder and despoil, pillage and burn their own people. It is enough to make my blood boil. Terrorist have no human rights, the Geneva convention even said so. It don''t make no damned sense why we are empathizing with those who are actively trying to kill us.


    Yet our boys out there can''t do their job and kill those sick bastards because of some fat cat politicians sympathizing with those psychos. Our Commander in Chief is such a little bitch that he has been actively advocating for our enemy. How is that not treason? We are at war so why exactly is it that they have their own unions and say in our politics? I mean those people blow themselves up and scream to their god while doing it. Clearly they want to die so why not put them out of their misery so that they can''t take others with them? What was that phrase? Oh yeah, kill them all and let god sort them out. They should just carpet bomb the whole place with nukes. Well maybe not nukes we don''t want more Super Terrorists running around. We already have our hands full with Abdul-Qahhar the cloning suicide bomber. What pisses me off the most is that we had that bastard in prison but the President used a pardon to get him out. Treason, all that I have to say about that. Sometimes I think we need a new revolution here and wipe clean the slate to destroy the corruption. Muck out the filth and grime that has built up in the government. The country is falling apart and those who could stop it are greasing the wheels. One would think that people would want their country to do well instead of undermining it.


    Germany ain''t taking this shit, it took a while to get their shit together, but at the least they have the balls to fight off the Muslim invaders. It was really bad over there before General Panzer took over. There was a flood of so called refugees pouring into their country from the south. These were not people fleeing from the war, they were young men who clearly had agendas. They got free housing and gang raped women in the streets. All while plotting to destroy the country. The resulting backlash was rioting in the streets. Urban warfare for several years. The military got so fed up they took over the government that was trying to let the enemy pour in because they did not want to be considered racist.


    Now Panzer and his teams of Supers have a firm hold over Germany. Don''t get me wrong here as far as I know they are not Nazis. In fact they are patriotic as hell. This is simply the result of being repressed too long by a government that does not care about the well being of its people. They are not taking women and children out back and gunning them down. They are just trying to defend their country. They are fighting tooth and nail to send those bastards back where they came from. In case you can''t tell I hate them, the religious whack jobs. Europe is just kinda fucked right now. Germany is the only one actually putting up a fight.


    Not that America is that much better we have the drug cartels rushing over the southern border. They got their coyotes, mean bastards who bring people over the border for money then ransom their families to bring over drugs with them. A lot of the time they would just kill people out in the desert and leave the bodies to rot. The Diablo De Chillar was the worst one though. They more or less control Mexico and have either driven out or killed anybody who did not agree with them. They are ruthless and cut people up for no reason other than to strike terror. They have a rivalry with the South American cartels and feud regularly over rights to American drug trafficking lanes. Most of this you would not know because our media is so concerned about keeping everything so flowery, as though the world is not falling apart. They censor out all the bad stuff about the Diablo De Chillar, in fact they call them the Screaming Demons because it was racists to call them that, it was too profiled an image. Never mind the fact that L.A. has been overrun with crime. I mean they burned down the Hero League Headquarters there.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Why the hell doesn''t Captain Liberty do something? I mean shit the guy is Rank 10. Every Super in the world is piss scared of him and yet he does nothing. What is he, just sitting on a golden throne in D.C. or something? Molotov took over Russia and she is only Rank 8. I know that we are still getting over the stalemated cold war between the two, but still, take a hint. This is not good for me. I should just shove my head in the sand before I go postal. Not like I can do anything about this. I made fists while trying to think of happy thoughts. I held my head and turned off the news and all that was wrong with the world, back to the blissful ignorance of cartoons and animal planet. Nicky Mouse and the Freedom Team is on that should kill an hour or so. Yes, I just ran away from some problems, but what can I even do? That is like adult problems, like older adult problems.


    Astro Glide emerged with a stretch and sat beside us. He wore his suit and cupped the helmet in the bow of his arm. His face was youthful and rather soft looking. Not exactly what I was expecting. He had a weak chin and thick eye brows. Black short cropped hair. Brown tired eyes. He looked over Sunshine and me.


    ¡°Seems you two hit it off.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We cried in each others arms.¡± I said mildly.


    He gave me a strange look. ¡°You cried? Wait she cried? I have never seen that. I did not think she could be depressed.¡±


    ¡°We got it sorted out. Women cry a lot and usually not in front of men. Makes us feel weak.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well glad that it is better.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. ¡°So when are those two dweebs going to get up?¡±


    ¡°Another hour?¡± Yawned Astro Glide.


    I set Sunshine to the side and stood. ¡°Fuck that. I got shit to do today. I will drag their asses out here.¡±


    I stormed up the stairs and burst into their room. The lights flipped on and they rolled over on the beds, covering up in the blankets. My eyes twitched and I raised a bed over my head dumping the contents onto the floor. Then I did the same to the other one. They squirmed like worms and my claws ripped the blankets away from them. They shuddered in their boxers, shrieking as I fanned the blankets to make it even colder in the room so that they could not go back to sleep.


    ¡°What the fuck you crazy bitch!¡± Shouted Gravity Squeeze. He did a hand motion and I felt my arms grow heavy. Something punched me in the stomach, though it did not get through.


    ¡°Get your lazy asses up!¡± I yelled and then took a step towards him.


    He did a sweeping motion and my legs were knocked out from under me. Interesting so basically if I stop his hands from moving he can''t do shit. I lunged and held his hands to the floor. He kneed me in the groin... but that only hurt him. What the hell is he thinking? I am wearing a super suit. Sure getting hit in the cunt feels bad, but it is not nearly as bad as getting your jewels crushed. Not that he knows that there is nothing even there on me. I stared down at him growling lowly. It was a guttural sound that made his face turn white. His resistance died instantly and he just lay there. I lightly slapped his face to jog him out of it.


    ¡°Look scrub.¡± I said. ¡°You are a hero right? Villains are not going to wait for you to get your beauty sleep. Now get dressed and come down in five minutes or I will be back. I am taking the blankets.¡±


    I strolled out with all their blankets and pillows. Astro Glide was not very pleased when I got back down there. ¡°You need to calm down.¡±


    ¡°I am rather calm at the moment. It is their own faults for being lazy.¡±


    ¡°I am glad that you are taking this serious, but I am the captain of this team.¡± He said poking me in the chest. I was very tempted to snap his arm in half. I resisted the urge though. ¡°That means you do what I say.¡±


    I crossed my arms and nodded. ¡°Sure Captain. I just thought that there was room for improvement. You should consider instituting a mandatory wake up time unless there was a night shift. You should also begin a training regiment for the team. Disk Jockey is on the weak side and I doubt he could even keep up should we run into any drawn out fights.¡±


    ¡°Those are good suggestions, but we are still in training. Besides we are search and rescue. We save people.¡±


    ¡°So you are telling me what I just saw was acceptable? What if there was an emergency? People would be dead.¡±


    ¡°There is a siren that goes off if we are needed. They might be acting a little lazy however if that thing goes off everyone gets serious. We would get burnt out without some sort of downtime.¡±


    I thought it over and became embarrassed. ¡°Sorry, I am acting a little crazy aren''t I? For the last while I have had nothing, but downtime so I am a bit itchy to do stuff.¡±


    He pat me on the shoulder with a slight smile. ¡°It is understandable. To be honest I have been on them to get up earlier for a while. It depends though and sometimes we get day long shifts looking over places or there are too many calls to deal with and we have to run all over the city. Sleep will become something that you get while you can.¡±


    I nodded taking in his words. So they were not being lazy or goofing around just catching up on rest? Now I feel like an asshole. There was nothing to really do, but wait. So I sat down and pet Sunshine while she kept sleeping. This girl was seriously cute though. I would have to be careful not to let any of my baser needs get in the way. The TV flared and Nicky Mouse was dodging lasers. She bent over and crab walked under some barbed wire, but all that I saw was her getting railed by Molotov. She ruined this show for me. I rubbed my helmet trying to keep the horror of the octopus from resurfacing. I changed the channel to watch puppies and kittens rolling around in a room filled with fluff balls. Ahh my soul was saved.


    Gravity Squeeze shambled out of the room with Disk Jockey on his heels. They were both suited up and I stood walking over to them. They seemed apprehensive by my advances and Squeeze took on a defensive stance. I raised my hands.


    ¡°What now? We got up.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to apologize.¡± I said extending a hand.


    They looked between one another. Squeeze said. ¡°You think sorry is going to make up for this?¡±


    ¡°Look I am sorry. Glide explained it to me and well my bad. I was just a little excited. I mean this is the first time I have been on a team.¡±


    Sunshine stirred and flamboyantly made her way over with butterflies circling her. ¡°Give her a break. She is actually very nice if you get to know her.¡±


    ¡°You think everybody is nice. Sunshine remember when you followed that guy because he had candy?¡± Scoff Squeeze.


    ¡°It was all my clever trap.¡± She smiled. ¡°I knew he was a bad guy. I am not that foolish. White van, free candy painted on the side. Only little kids fall for that.¡±


    ¡°That is why you got caught and we had to bail you out?¡±


    ¡°That is what a team is for right? Besides how was I supposed to know he drugged the candy.¡±


    ¡°Why would you think he did not?¡±


    She puffed up her face, flailing her little fists. So adorable, I just want to pull her cheeks. ¡°What about you? Remember when you got caught in the Sparkle Kat Cafe and we had to get you out before Glitter Kitten raped you. You know the Slums are off limits yet you keep going down there for the strippers and hookers!¡±


    Gravity Squeeze got all defensive. ¡°I was under cover.¡±


    ¡°You have a tab! They know you by name!¡±


    ¡°So what I get lots of juicy details about their movements. When those girls are drunk they spill the beans on everything.¡±


    ¡°So you are telling me it has nothing to do with the six breasted strippers or getting some kitten pussy?¡± Said Astro Glide stepping into the conversation.


    ¡°I never said that.¡± Grinned Gravity Squeeze. ¡°Have you seen Den Mother''s tits?¡±


    ¡°Who is Den Mother?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Den Mother is the third in command of the Mad Dogs. She is a Werewolf, roughly six hundred pounds of raging muscle. She is more or less the enforcer of the operations. If she is not doing sketchy stuff then she is hanging around the Sparkle Kat getting drunk and making sure no one is causing problems.¡±


    ¡°How big are her tits?¡±


    Gravity Squeeze smirked and cupped his hands out from his chest. By his gesturing she had some triple Ds or bigger. I would have to do some research later... not that kind. In fact that would probably be a good idea in general. I don''t know nearly enough about the local Villains in the area, besides the really famous groups. At the moment I only know the gangs and their leaders.


    ¡°Chief we are all up so where we going?¡± I asked over the com.


    ¡°Training course. Astro Glide will show you.¡± Replied his semi robotic voice.


    ¡°Alright on our way.¡±


    Glide nodded and we followed along behind him. This place was seriously nice though. The walls were white and clean, floors sparkling, windows gleaming. It was all the work of little robots. I saw them scurrying around. They looked like disks and dodged their way between people, they fled when ever the presence of a person entered the area. Their home stations were at the bases of trashcans. The whole system was rather ingenious. Something tells me Neon Nurse made these things as well. I might just be paranoid though. The clear elevator descended and I absently watched the scurrying people below. There seemed to be a lot of red shirts running around, not very many of them in armor. It still showed just how much security this place had and was rather reassuring.


    Down we went to basement level four. According to the buttons there were ten underground floors and five above ground floors. I have something of a habit to always check how many floors there were in a building. The doors opened to a wide cavernous room. A mock city street was built and arrayed across the area complete with light posts and telephone wires. Cars and vans were parked along the sides of the buildings. The whole place felt like a ghost town that had been frozen in time. Fire Chief motioned from his position at the entrance to the training city. We moved over standing beside him.


    ¡°Good, you finally came.¡± Said Chief gesturing out over the city. ¡°The first test will be a game we like to call bug hunt. One of you will be the bug and the rest have to capture them. This way you can learn more in depth how your powers work together. The Bug wins if they manage to elude capture for ten minutes or they incapacitate their hunters.¡±


    ¡°You just trying to fuck with me?¡± I asked pointedly.


    ¡°No. It was called that when I did it ten years ago and before that it was a military exercise. Don''t worry Astro Glide will be first to be the bug.¡±


    ¡°What constitutes as capture?¡± I asked.


    ¡°If the bug is restrained for longer than a minute or completely immobilized. Try not to hurt one another too badly.¡±


    Glide nodded. ¡°Alright try not to go overboard.¡±


    He lifted off of the ground and darted away, leaving a wake of dust. He was fast. We sat waiting for a minute to give him time to find a good hiding spot. I tapped my feet stretching my arms and legs. Did some leg lunges. Squeeze and Disk were checking me out, not that I really minded. It was good to have attention that was not stemming off of being called a monster. Chief finally gave the signal and we were set loose. My antenna squirmed searching for his scent. I found it and started off after it. Sometimes I felt like I was some hunting hound.


    ¡°I will flush him out you guys bring him down.¡± I said breaking off into a run. They nodded, seems I have some seniority over the scrubs.


    I scaled the side of a building in the matter of a few seconds and took a moment to orientate myself. I could smell him, he was nearby. My eyes scanned the rooftops and I gazed up at the lights near the ceiling. A black blur was floating there and it took a moment to realize the bastard had gotten himself so far up it would be impossible to reach without using my jet pack. It roared to life and I shot up towards him. He zoomed away and I followed banking to cut him off. Glide altered course in a moment and doubled back. My movements in comparison were clunky and unrefined as I struggled to change course. Something pink flared up and a giant butterfly materialized in front of him, forcing him to dive down lower to the ground. I followed closely behind. Squeeze looked like a maestro swishing his hands about. Trashcans and dumpsters lifted up, turning the clear air into an obstacle course.


    Glide swerved and I managed to get a hold of his leg. Squeeze used his power to rip us out of the air and we crashed into the pavement. My heels dug in, skidding us to a stop. All four arms were wrapped around Glide so that he could not take off again. He squirmed for a little bit but gave in. ¡°You win. I am surprised you are so fast with that jet pack.¡±


    ¡°Scared the shit out of me when I used it for the first time.¡± I laughed setting him down.


    Sunshine excitedly bounded over. ¡°Did you see? Pretty cool right, Onee-sama?¡±


    I nodded patting her on the head. This, this girl, I just want to spoil her! Squeeze had that, it was all me look on his face and Disk did not really seem to have done anything. Not that he really could have since his power only affects technology. It made him only useful for certain situations.


    ¡°Since you caught me you are next.¡± Said Glide.


    Ah shit.


    _______


    Well as you can see the world is a bit dark outside.

 Arc 3 Mecha Fairy and the Scrubs, Chapter 9

    The exciting conclusion of the Bug Hunt and the end of Arc 3.


    Hope you enjoy :P


    Vespidian, Arc 3, Chapter 9


    ¡°Alright I guess. Clear out so I have time to hide.¡± I said waving them away. I was not looking forward to being hunted like an animal yet again.


    I stood looking over the surroundings. Sub was wanting to take to the sewers and I was wanting to go for the mall like building. After a little bit of fighting over what would be best we decided that the sewers were an escape route while the mall was our starting location. I scuttled over quietly, slinking into a vent and closing it behind me. I explored the interior and popped out in the main office on the top floor. I looked over the map seeing where all the ins and outs were for the building. I knew that they had started I could hear them nearby. They had not realized I was in this building yet though. A low beeping sound made my antenna squirm, trying to figure out where it was coming from. I turned and realized a camera was looking at me from the wall. I squished it though the damage was already done and they were bearing down on me.


    Bunnies scurried outside and kittens followed suit. I slunk to the wall looking out the window at them. They circled as though searching for something, they were hunting me. So soft and fluffy looking. I had to fight the urge to just run out there and let them swarm all over me. It seems that Sunshine realized her ploy would not work and they turned scattering in all directions. They set out in little packs like blood hounds trying to sniff me out. Several scrabbled at the door and I retreated back into the vent. I moved swiftly along the tubed corridors and slowed to a stop when I reached the central duct. They were closing in all around me. I could not go up, Glide had that covered. The flood of cute and cuddlies was coming from behind and in front of me Squeeze was waiting to use the vent itself to imprison me. There was only one way to go and that was down.


    With a single movement I plunged through the vent and slammed down into the courtyard below. My suit started going crazy the moment that I landed. I had forgotten about Disk. That little bastard! I managed to regain control and force my way forward. My escape route had not been compromised and I booked it on all sixes through a store. I could hear them chasing and dove into the trash shoot. It took me straight down to the sewers and I scuttled away sticking to the ceiling. It took them a good three minutes to get down here, but there was a problem. There was no exit that was not being watched from above. They had me cornered.


    Disk was messing with the suit and it shut down dropping to the floor. I clambered out and retreated into the shadows. There were pipes and the like down here, all of which were black. I wormed my way behind a few and waited. It did not take long for them to arrive. Glowing butterflies lit the way and puppies were trying to sniff me out. They congregated around the empty suit and Sunshine stopped, looking around. Disk, Squeeze and Glide were spread out along the corridor.


    ¡°Disk Jockey you should not have messed with her suit. Onee-sama is really shy you know.¡±


    ¡°She is so damned fast how else will we catch up? Astro Glide can''t even keep up with her in enclosed spaces.¡±


    ¡°No, you don''t understand. She might be angry about this.¡±


    Squeeze was looking around. ¡°Who cares. Besides why should she be angry this is part of the exercise.¡±


    ¡°She is naked under the suit.¡± Replied Sunshine.


    All three of them perked up to that. ¡°Naked?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. So if any of you see her she might be liable to beat you to a pulp for seeing her goods. She is very insecure about her body you know.¡±


    Glide was interested in that. ¡°Why does she not like her body?¡±


    ¡°Well let''s just say that she has a rather unique composition.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is that supposed to mean?¡± Asked Squeeze shining his light around.


    Slowly I edged up to the ceiling getting ready to flee. The butterflies went on and the lights scoured the side passage that I was in. The puppies were closing on me. They had my scent. My muscles bristled and the moment they turned away I took off like lightning. I became a black blur on the ceiling and the only thing that even told them I had been there was the clink of my claws stabbing into the brickwork. All of them jumped from the sudden explosion of movement and flash lights waved trying to concentrate on me. I was far too fast though and was already around the next corner before they could really even react.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?!¡± Yelled Squeeze chasing to the corner that I had left behind long ago now.


    ¡°It was Onee-sama obviously.¡± Flatly said Sunshine.


    ¡°She was on the ceiling. How the hell was she running on the ceiling?¡±


    ¡°No idea, but bickering is not going to catch her.¡± Said Glide, pulling them together.


    They followed along through the dark corridor, but this was my turf. This sewer was nothing compared to the one that I had crawled through. There were no giant rats or glowing irradiated water. The place had hardly even been used. I held the advantages here and the fact that I could fight back was filling my head. It was setting off all sorts of predatory instincts. Killing them would be bad of course, but I could incapacitate them. Chief did say to try not to hurt each other, he never said not to hurt one another. I bolted down the passage leaving a nice thick pheromone trail for the hounds to chase. Then I dead ended the trail and doubled back on the ceiling. There was a nice water pipe and I nestled inside ready for the next part of my plan.


    Sunshine was first to appear leading the merry little band of hunters. Her glowing creatures scouring the area. The dogs were very eager to follow my tracks and continued along. Next was Glide he had out a stun gun looking thing. Come to think of it my suit had a few of those built into the arms. Disk was looking around with his nifty little goggles. I was sure they could see in the dark just like me. But of course no one ever looks up. Last by about five yards Squeeze and he did not look pleased. Ah, the poor little dandy did not like the sewers and he was very mad that they had not caught me yet. Of course I could smell his ardor, yes he was popping a stiffy just thinking about catching me. Imagining my sexy curves and toned ass. Wanted to see me all natural eh? The fool did not even know what he was getting into.


    He passed directly below me and I descended. My hand shoved into his mouth so that he could not scream for help and my other arms wrapped around him. My clawed feet were anchored in there and scrabbled back up. We ascended into the pipe almost without a sound. He was kicking and struggling of course. How cute his muffled cries and desperate attempts to escape. He was biting my fingers, too bad my carapace is nearly bullet proof. Careful, my claws might make you bleed. There was no way he could escape though, not against my super strength and with his arms bound. Molotov had taught me how to do the sleeper hold.


    ¡°Shh.¡± I whispered in his ear. My tongue slithering up his neck. ¡°It will be over in a moment. Don''t worry you will wake up in a bit.¡±


    His complaints died when I applied some pressure and his body went slack. He was not dead, just having a little nap. I lay him out for display in the middle of the passageway then scurried down the next. I did not go very far, just out of sight I wanted to see how they would react. The others had barely even noticed he was missing and turned back. I could hear their panicked cries when they did reach him.


    ¡°Fuck! Gravity! Gravity are you alright?¡± Yelled Disk running over to his limp body. They took his pulse and realized he was alright. Sighs of relief spread through the group.


    ¡°I told you she would be mad.¡± Said Sunshine looking over the surroundings.


    ¡°Looks like the gloves just came off.¡± Said Glide punching one fist into the other.


    ¡°I believe that was Disk Jockey when he disabled her suit.¡± Replied Sunshine.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah you. You did not have to crash her suit systems. You could have just turned the legs off or made it enter lockdown mode and make it carry her back to us.¡± Said Glide.


    ¡°Don''t be picking on me. We never even would have found her in the Mall without the camera feeds.¡±


    ¡°My puppies would have found her.¡±


    ¡°We need to hurry this up there is only two minutes left before she wins.¡± Said Disk pointing at his watch.


    ¡°We should stick together. She will pick us off if we split up.¡± Replied Glide.


    ¡°Yeah, but these corridors keep branching off she could be anywhere. Hell she might even just wait it out. We will not see her again.¡±


    ¡°Leave that to me.¡± Smiled Sunshine. ¡°I will deploy my secret weapon to lure her out.¡±


    ¡°Secret weapon?¡±


    ¡°Behold!¡± Shouted Sunshine and pink mist filled the corridor.


    A song that I am all too familiar with permeated the air and six glistening men appeared. Light strobed through the pink fog, giving the area a gay bar feel. It was the Moon Sailors. Admiral Moon stood there flexing his muscles, bulging white speedo, spotless coat and captain hat tilted to one side. His manly butt chin was smooth as a baby and those glistening sapphire eyes oozed confidence. He had a swirly spike of hair draping in his face, the rest was slicked back and short. His smile slew pussy from fifty yards away, the only problem was I knew he loved the dick. Unfortunately Admiral Moon was the gayest guy on the team. He took it, he gave it, he did it all. He might be more into it than I am. It did not stop me from drooling over his sweaty man muscles though, that and he was hung. She had summoned the original team: Admiral Moon, Captain Mercury, Captain Venus, Captain Terra, Captain, Mars and Captain Jupiter. It was a line of nearly naked, sparkling, brawny men. Flexing, showing off their guns. Yeah they were basically male strippers, alright, alright they are male strippers. They clapped in time with the music, doing the dance routine from the ending theme.


    All six of them were singing along with Sunshine. She had an amazing voice! She should really consider some online idol stuff. ¡°Believe in the power of love! Blazing emotions. There''s a light that flows from your heart. It''s a chain reaction. And nothing will keep us apart. Stand by my side. There''s nothing to hide. Together we''ll fight to the end. Take hold of my hand. And you''ll understand. What it truly means to be friends! You''ve got to believe. In the power of love!¡±


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°What the hell are those?!¡± Yelled Disk pointing towards the glowing men.


    ¡°What do you mean? They are the Moon Sailors and both Sunshine and Onee-sama are fans.¡± Pouted Sunshine.


    ¡°Is this even going to work?¡± Asked Glide, looking the oiled up men over with a heavy frown.


    ¡°Well only one way to find out.¡± She grinned, rubbing her hands together evilly.


    It certainly was a surprise. Such an insidious attack! I had almost lost control and tried to mount Admiral Moon, Sub wanted that dick bad, however I managed to restrain myself. It took a good venting before I rationalized that they were not real. Even with that though they were extremely distracting with their prominent packages, moving back and forth rhythmically while they danced. It was hypnotic. Mostly just hip thrusts and strutting. It was like they were having a dance off against a bunch of invisible slutty strippers and they would not settle for second place. It was making me juicy and I had to retreat in order to not get dickmatized. I fled along the corridors and she must have heard me. The poppy music chased behind with the glow of man flesh. Sunshine was riding on Admiral Moon''s shoulders pointing while giggling with glee.


    I dropped to all sixes and flew down the tubed space. I left her in my dust. They increased their pace and started catching back up. She could manipulate their physical abilities. It seems that Sunshine was the true powerhouse of the team. Her illusions were real and I could only imagine what it would be like if she had some seriously disturbed shit come to life. If she got stronger than a Rank 4 then that power would be insane, not that it is not already. For now I still held the advantage in pure power, but she outclassed me with utility. The thought that I would have to deal with her first should we ever get into a fight formulated. She was relentless and those hardened men did not tire. Oh no, they looked like they could go all night long. Damn it their nipples are sparkling too.


    ¡°Stop running Onee-sama! Don''t you want to feel their embrace? Onee-sama! Feel the power of love. Fire men!¡± She was yelling out from behind me.


    ¡°Love, love beemo!¡± Shouted Admiral Moon and a pink light shot passed me.


    I glanced back and saw the whole squad thrust their hips firing off dick lasers at me. One hit my leg and the whole thing went rigid, it was paralyzed! Damn you Moon Sailors! I won''t succumb to your powers of love and justice, I am not some Skankubus! I am the Evil Empress Vespidian it will take a lot more than this to bring me down. I tumbled and rolled away from the barrage of love. My claw caught and I swerved to the side, then banked down another passage. My options were growing limited and I was unsure of how long I could keep out running her. My speed had dropped drastically. A nice dank pipe about a foot off of the ground loomed ahead. It looked like it was just big enough for me to squeeze into. I stuffed myself into the darkness before she could round the corner.


    Unconsciously I huddled away when the glowing pink darted passed with her joyful shouts. I seem to have underestimated the power of dick lasers. Lasers in general are just bad news, at the least it was only a capture method and not a kill move. If she had hit my other leg I would have been down for sure. I sighed for a moment resting. My hearts were pounding and it felt amazing all this adrenaline coursing through my veins. Did I enjoy being hunted? No, it was the fantasies of being ganged up on by all those brawny men. The tantalizing thought that if I had gotten stuck my ass would have been out there, just waiting. Them running a train on me and leaving me a quivering mess, it made me shiver with delight just imagining. Sub was living it in there and I could hear her cries of ecstasy. You better share that shit tonight! Don''t make me come in there! I wonder if Sunshine would facilitate that?


    My antenna spread to smell and hear all around. She had run off somewhere and was long gone by now. I just sat there waiting. The timer would go off at some point and they would start shouting about how it is over. No need to put myself out in an awkward situation like letting them see the real me. I am not entirely sure how much time passed before I heard a low beeping. It drew steadily closer until someone stopped right in front of me. The heavy footsteps made me think of only one person. Chief bent down shining a light into the hole that I was hiding in.


    ¡°There you are. The others are worried since you did not come back out. Gravity Squeeze is fine if you were worried about that. You won, ten minutes ago by the way. I brought your suit so come on out.¡± He said motioning to me.


    I emerged after a few moments of trepidation. My second skin was open and waiting for me to climb in. It had become almost natural by now to slide into that tight space and let it compress around me. It made me feel safe, secure like someone was giving me the most passionate hug ever. I looked about not seeing anyone else.


    ¡°So how did I do?¡± I asked wearily.


    ¡°You did exceedingly well.¡± I could tell he was grinning. ¡°They were certainly not ready to deal with guerrilla warfare. Disk Jockey pissed himself when you sniped Gravity Squeeze out from right behind them. I assume you would have made traps if you had more time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I was thinking about it. Seemed a bit overkill for something like this though and of course there was the lack of materials. Honestly I was debating if I went too far with that sleeper hold.¡±


    ¡°Let''s continue the training in a bit. I think we need to have something of a talk with the team. They at the least need to know, or have some idea of what you went through.¡± Said Chief as we ascended the latter out of the sewers.


    ¡°If you think it is best.¡± I replied hesitantly.


    We met up with the others. They were sitting on a bus stop bench in the middle of the fake city. Sunshine lept up when we rounded the corner. Her grin made me feel like I had betrayed them somehow. I just felt guilty, not really sure why. She rushed over and clung to my leg. I did not try to stop her. Gravity Squeeze was holding his head unsteadily. He just kind of leaned against the back of the bench. Clearly he was not feeling good. Ah, that is why I feel bad cause I hurt somebody on my team. Astro Glide paced in a slow line.


    ¡°Alright everyone. We talked and decided you should know something about Mecha Fairy.¡± Said Chief while I sat down.


    ¡°What?¡± Asked Glide.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy was kidnapped when she got her powers. Dr. Tesla and some other villains were training her to be an assassin. She was tortured extensively. Most people would have died from what she went through. The scars on her body make her rather shy and she is not inclined to show it off. In other words do not anticipate her taking that suit off around any of you. Disk Jockey do not hack her suit or you will be hearing from me. Luckily she managed to escape and come to us, but she has trust issues so do not expect her to jump at being friends. She might be weird, violent, rude, lewd, but over all she is a good person.¡±


    ¡°We are already friends! Sunshine has seen her all over.¡± Said Sunshine wagging her finger at him.


    ¡°I was talking more to the boys. Besides I already heard how you two hit it off, I had a feeling you would accept her.¡±


    ¡°She might be scary looking, but she is such a sweetheart. Onee-sama is so nice.¡±


    ¡°Scary looking?¡± Mumbled Glide.


    ¡°Well her smile is cold and evil it sends shivers down your spine.¡±


    ¡°That is not nice.¡± I snapped at her.


    ¡°What? Onee-sama, no need to be shy.¡± She rubbed her hands on my helmet. ¡°It is true and that is ok. Sunshine knows you are just such a wonderful person underneath that cruel surface. You love cute and cuddly things. An evil person could not possibly love kittens and puppies.¡±


    I crossed my arms and looked away from her. She started hovering around me begging for attention. Squeeze was wobbling a little. ¡°What exactly did you do to me anyway? I can''t really remember it very well.¡±


    ¡°Sleeper hold.¡± I replied.


    ¡°My neck is all sticky.¡±


    ¡°No idea.¡± My lips smacked a little when I licked them. ¡°You probably had a wet rat run over you. We were in a sewer you know.¡±


    He started wiping his neck with a disgusted expression. Disk looked over from where he was sitting, he really did piss his pants. I felt a little bad about that. He spoke up. ¡°I was wondering. Chief how did you find her?¡±


    ¡°Oh that. She has a tracking device in her head. The villains put it in there to keep tabs on her should she take off. We changed the frequency and now Neon Nurse is keeping track on where she is. This little device here shows where she is at any given time.¡± Said Chief holding up the pocket watch looking thing. It was beeping rather loudly and fast since I was close by. What am I, a dragon ball?


    They all looked over at me with sympathy. What? Is getting a chip shoved into your brain and tracked like an animal that bad? I suppose it is. Never really thought about it since there was nothing to be done. Not unless I wanted to get lobotomized or something. Who put that in there anyway... oh right it was Dr. Arbor that crazy bitch. It seems like just the sort of shit she would pull. Not that Neon Nurse is that much better, the bitch Cyborged me! I have a port to my brain in the back of my head and the suit connects to it. I guess it is not that bad, if they did not tell me I likely never would have known about the chip.


    ¡°Come on guys cheer up. Nothing we can do about it now.¡± I replied to their sympathetic stares. At the least they cared. It made my chest all warm and fuzzy. Something tells me we will have a long and interesting adventure with these guys, especially Sunshine.


    ______


    Alright guys we are all caught up. We will be doing bi weekly updates from now on. Usually on Saturday. Hope you have all enjoyed so far. :P By the way if you see mistakes point them out and I will fix them.


    Next Arc is called "Gonna Need a Hero." Vesper''s adventures as a bonified hero are about to begin, but is she ready for the cruelties of real life rescue work and that some times you just can''t save them all? Also first real Super Villain fight.

 Super Power Table, art/fan art and discussion thread.

    Alright everybody I went and made a table to keep track of all this ranking shenanigans both for you and me. This way I don''t trip all over myself by making somebody op as hell if they are not of sufficient Rank. This will also allow you to have a better grasp on just how scary some of these people are and how they compare with others. There are some not on this list and will be added at some point, but I got the majority of the common ones and any that are popping up anytime soon.


    Here is a little art I cooked up any more that I make or receive I will put on here as well, including fan art. Credit will be given where it is due.


    Vespidian side view of head. by me.


    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B86oqFWw-hN_UlNlWWVPZEF4OWFXYndSczkwR05aN01pWTJZ/view?usp=sharing</a>


    Our first fanart !! so good too :3


    Vespidian full body by Lantis


    http://oi67.tinypic.com/2ibm5hj.jpg</a>


    Vespidian Super Power Table


    Super strength


    Rank 1= normal human conditions


    Rank 2= can lift 1,000 pounds


    Rank 3= 10,000 pounds


    Rank 4= 100,000 pounds


    Rank 5= 1,000,000 pounds


    Rank 6= 10,000,000 pounds


    Rank 7= 100,000,000 pounds


    Rank 8= 1,000,000,000 pounds


    Rank 9=10,000,000,000 pounds


    Rank 10= unknown


    About. When exerting power body is immune to force from impact, unless threshold is overwhelmed. So if a rank 3 tried to lift 10,100 pounds their arms would get ripped off.


    Super Speed


    Rank 1 = normal human conditions, 30 mph


    Rank 2= 60mph consistent speed.


    Rank 3= 240 mphs can run on water haphazardly


    Rank 4= 750 mph can run on water as though it were land.


    Rank 5= 1,500 mph


    Rank 6= 1 mile per second


    Rank 7= 2 mps


    Rank 8= 5 mps


    Rank 9= unknown


    About. While active body is immune to muscle strains from use. In other words the legs would not rip themselves to pieces from the force of running. Reflexes are enhanced but not nearly to the point that Reflex Supers are, it is just enough to not run into things. Outside influences still effect super as normal, IE wind resistances, debris, running in the rain at mock 3 is not recommended since each rain drop would be like a bullet.


    Super Endurance


    Rank 1= normal


    Rank 2= skin hard as bone.


    Rank 3= unable to be cut by knives


    Rank 4= bullets barely able to penetrate.


    Rank 5= armor piercing rounds able to penetrate.


    Rank 6= armor piercing bouncing off. Immune to fire, electricity, and frost.


    Rank 7= unable to be cut by diamonds


    Rank 8= Gauss gun rendered useless.


    Rank 9= can with stand explosion of large magnitude. Ie nuke or orbital bombardment (launching hundred foot rods from orbit). Though will be wounded.


    Rank 10= unknown


    About. Body is resistant to external forces and absorbs impacts, due to either force field or enhanced muscle tissues. Fairly self explanatory.


    Telekinesis


    Rank 1= bend spoon five foot range.


    Rank 2= lift beer bottles twenty foot range


    Rank 3= lift trash cans and or people. range increase to hundred foot.


    Rank 4= lift dumpsters. Three hundred foot range.


    Rank 5 lift cars, thousand foot range


    Rank 6 lift trucks, 2 thousand foot range


    Rank 7 lift tanks, range increases to 6 thousand.


    Rank 8 lift medium sized building, range increase 20,000 feet.


    Rank 9 unknown


    Pyrokinesis


    Rank 1= create fire equivalent to lighter.


    Rank 2= create small camp fire


    Rank 3= create multiple bonfires


    Rank 4= create flame hot enough to melt most metal and create magma


    Rank 5= create large fire balls capable of exploding like a stick of tnt.


    Rank 6= create fire balls that explode with force equivalent to 250 pound bomb.


    Rank 7= able to create fire storm


    Rank 8= able to make explosion equivalent to carpet bombing.


    Rank 9= Able to fire explosive equivalent to hydrogen bomb.


    Rank 10= unknown.


    Gravity Controller


    Rank 1= reduce small amount of weight usually about five pounds.


    Rank 2= able to negate own body mass, levitation.


    Rank 3= able to reduce weight or increase it.


    Rank 4= able to negate gravity for short period of time making most things weightless. Does not work on anything larger than a van.


    Rank 5= negate weight of bus.


    Rank 6= Able to increase gravity or negate it in large area, roughly five acres, does not work on anything larger than dump truck.


    Rank 7= able to crush tanks under their own weight.


    Rank 8= able to rip air craft out of air, assuming they are within range.


    Rank 9= able to create true weightless zone for five miles or increase gravity to ten times that of earth.


    Rank 10= Unknown.


    Regeneration


    Rank 1= normal


    Rank 2= small cuts will heal within hours


    Rank 3= bones will fuse together if broken.


    Rank 4= large wounds and excessive trauma are no longer fatal unless too damaging. Usually takes several days to recover. Radiation and disease resistant.


    Rank 5= Able to reattach limbs that have been severed and to some degree regrow organs. Full recovery assuming no missing parts within day. Though brain damage will still induce comas. Radiation and disease immunity.


    Rank 6= able to regrow limbs and organs day after they have been lost. No longer hampered by fire or acid.


    Rank 7= able to regrow missing pieces in hours.


    Rank 8= Able to regrow catastrophic damage within minutes.


    Rank 9= unknown.


    Projector


    Rank 1= make single small illusion.


    Rank 2= create multiple medium illusions.


    Rank 3= illusions gain murky substance and feel like water.


    Rank 4= illusions gain solid form and can be boosted in strength depending on metal stress.


    Rank 5= Can create intricate illusions such as working vehicles.


    Rank 6= Can create mental landscape in small area around projector that empowers them.


    Rank 7= Mental landscape grows and can encompass more than three city blocks. Strength of illusions within is greatly increased.


    Rank 8= Unknown.


    Mind Diver


    Rank 1= able to link minds with willing subject. Must be in contact. Only vague concepts can be conveyed.


    Rank 2= Mind becomes murky mess that can be explored at own peril. Especially if Subject wishes to do you harm.


    Rank 3= If host mind is willing can exchange dialogue, similar to telepathy, clear and precise.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Rank 4= Gains resistance to harmful minds though if they are determined you will be in danger.


    Rank 5= May forcibly enter Subject''s mind and attempt to subdue them. However is very dangerous.


    Rank 6= Gains greater resistance to unwilling target. May delve through memories and extract knowledge.


    Rank 7= May rewrite memories and alter subconscious at minimal levels. Takes long time and effort to make break through of mental defense, unless they are willing.


    Rank 8= Gains power to mind wipe and replace personality, crude yet effective.


    Rank 9= Brain washing to vivid detail and complete control over subconscious. Subject''s mind becomes play grounds to your whims. All but the strongest of will are easy prey. Still requires physical contact of head.


    Rank 10= Unknown extent of power. Sanguine Puppeteer has erased all knowledge of capabilities.


    Counter magnetism/ flight.


    Rank 1 = ability to hover several inches off of ground.


    Rank 2= stable flight at five miles per hour up to three hundred feet in the air.


    Rank 3= Flight at altitudes of two thousand feet and speeds of 60 mph


    Rank 4= Speed increases to 240 mph and able to reach four thousand feet.


    Rank 5= Speed increases to 750 mph breaking sound barrier.


    Rank 6= 1,500 mph and can reach stratosphere.


    Rank 7= 1 mile per second resistant to low oxygen levels.


    Rank 8= 2 mps can reach mesosphere, resistant to freezing and atmospheric pressures.


    Rank 9= Unknown.


    Cyborg/Mechanical Suit/Weapon Engineers/Mad Scientists


    Rank 1= Able to rationalize the theory behind complex machinery beyond normal comprehension.


    Rank 2= able to make creations with power equivalent to a corresponding rank of other Super outside of endurance until rank 4 or higher due to metal being used.


    Rank 3= Able to copy Rank 3 abilities.


    Rank 4= Rank 4 capabilities. Processing techniques improve cutting raw materials needed by quarter.


    Rank 5= Rank 5 equivalent. Internal circuits and machinery become more compact allowing more room for augmentation.


    Rank 6= Rank 6 augmentations. Ingenuity increases enabling use of multiple powers within creations without destroying them. Has great understanding of their creation allowing them to work twice as fast by improving the over all design.


    Rank 7= Rank 7 developments. Improved processing cuts down on raw materials needed by half.


    Rank 8= Rank 8 improvements. Discovers counter measures to allow use of own creations even if normally their body could not withstand the power.


    Rank 9= unknown.


    Bio Engineers


    Rank 1= Able to rationalize the theory behind complex genetic structures beyond normal comprehension.


    Rank 2= Able to create first new life form.


    Rank 3= Able to copy Rank 3 abilities and graft them onto life form. Life form overall is improved. Realizes creations are dangerous and makes counter measures/ control devices for all further experiments.


    Rank 4= Rank 4 capabilities. Genetic strand able to be more easily manipulated creating more mutation varieties.


    Rank 5= Rank 5 equivalent. Greater understanding of DNA allows for more adaptation.


    Rank 6= Rank 6 augmentations can be tried. Ingenuity increases enabling use of multiple powers within creations without destroying them. Has great understanding of their creation allowing them to work twice as fast by improving the over all design.


    Rank 7= Rank 7 developments can be attempted. Improved gene manipulation allows for more exotic and dangerous creatures to be created.


    Rank 8= Rank 8 improvements can be applied. Failures when dealing with aberrations and highly unstable subjects drops dramatically as they are able to guide the very process of their development through gene manipulation.


    Rank 9= unknown.


    Mind Reader


    Rank 1= Can hear vague voices of people within two feet when no one is talking.


    Rank 2= Voices become coherent whispers.


    Rank 3= Can turn ability on or off. Hearing range improves to five feet.


    Rank 4= Can hear from fifty feet away clear voices. Can distinguish voices.


    Rank 5= Can see muddy images within nearby minds. Can hear from hundred feet away as though they were right beside them.


    Rank 6= Can see clear images within fifty feet and can hear from two hundred.


    Rank 7= Range improved to four hundred feet and selectivity increased. Can skim mind for most recent memories. Cannot alter host mind or put thoughts into them.


    Rank 8= Range increased to mile away. Can be boosted to three if desired for short period of time.


    Rank 9= unknown.


    Electrokentic


    Rank 1= static electricity builds unusually.


    Rank 2= Can control electrical currents that are small in voltage.


    Rank 3= Gains immunity to electricity and can generate electricity of medium voltage. Able to shoot it at 1,000 volts, can be lethal.


    Rank 4= Generates enough power to light a city block. Attacks at 100,000 volts. Greater control, can choose to not kill.


    Rank 5= Can ark lightning like strikes at roughly 500,000 volts. Static allows for levitation and small ranged emp blasts within several feet.


    Rank 6= Can become electricity and travel through power lines (in rare cases). Able to produce currents to search surroundings. Can power a small power plant. Attacks at 1,000,000 volts.


    Rank 7= Unknown. No reported cases.


    Werebeasts


    Rank 1= animal traits become prevalent.


    Rank 2=improved physical abilities, slight mental degradation. Hormonal influx during full moon renders host feral.


    Rank 3=multiple physical powers manifest, though the secondary is always at minimum 1 rank smaller.


    About. Further ranks increase magnitude of their power proportionally. At rank six bites are contagious, leading to further proliferation.


    _______


    In case you were wondering what beat what, it i kinda like rock paper scissors.


    Speed beats strength, but loses to Endurance. Strength beats Endurance but loses to speed. Elements are weak to their respective counter element so long as strength is equivalent.


    Here you guys go. I tried to make it somewhat realistic and not too beyond belief so to speak. I don''t want no Super Men running around with no weaknesses, besides some magical mcguffin sauce. Will add more powers to the table as the series progresses.


    Also feel free to use this as a discussion board about the series. If you have questions ask away. Btw I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum.

 Arc 4 Gonna Need A Hero, Chapter 1

    Hello everyone! Thank you for reading the story and liking it so much. Without further ado here is the beginning to Arc 4 and Vespers Super Hero career. It is not exactly what she expected it to be.


    __


    Vespidian, Arc 4, Gonna Need A Hero


    Chapter 1


    The training ground loomed empty as ever, all around us. The little break we had been taking after the Bug Hunt was more or less over. You could tell these things rather easily by how Chief kept looking at his hud interface and chatting with people over his com system, he was not talking to us mind you. If one paid attention or rather had super senses you could hear the noises of people working on something in the varied buildings. My antenna squirmed trying to figure out what was going on.


    ¡°So what is next Chief?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Rescue exercises,¡± he said, pulling up a map. ¡°I had the boys set up a few tests. First will be emergency response to fires and car accidents. Your job is to save as many people as possible. Work together to achieve this.¡±


    A fire engine rolled up. It was normal for here this armor plated, tank treaded, vehicle that was used as a transport for firefighters. They had the same basic design, but were far sturdier and were a useful thing when having to go into the more treacherous areas. They were more versatile than the usual ones and as of last year they had replaced all of their predecessors in the city. One of the only problems was that they tore up the street a bit, if you were not careful. A crew was sitting there. They were all decked out in the heavy duty gear. Masks, layered suits, helmets and tanks on their backs. Everyone, but me and Glide took a helmet and mask from a side compartment, putting them on. Since my suit was self contained, I doubted that I needed one. So I take this as fire first? Disk and Squeeze hopped on board with the fire crew.


    ¡°When do we start?¡±


    ¡°Now,¡± said Chief, as an explosion reverberated through the buildings.


    Fire filled my eyes. Thick, billowing, black smoke gushed out of the windows of a warehouse two blocks down. The others had already started to move, but I was in a trance over the glaring light. My eyes shut tight for a moment, then I started to run after them. Sub did not like fire and as a result all my senses were bristling with anxiety. I knew full well that it was bad and one of our weaknesses. It was still an irrational fear though, we were in a suit that was airtight and climate controlled. There was no way we could be hurt unless the suit was punctured, which would be difficult since an exploding gas station only scratched the surface. Most of my willpower was devoted to restraining Sub, who wanted to flee. If I am scared over this, there would be no way this hero thing could ever work out. What would happen if the person who was supposed to save people ran away? Everyone would die. You are the one who told me we could do this so don''t bitch out now, Sub. My admonishing seemed to have an effect and the jumbled mess that was our emotions became cold and calculative.


    Sunshine rode ahead, on a giant butterfly made of pink light. It was surprisingly fast for something so big. Glide was even faster though and already waiting for the rest of us in front of the flames. He was messing with a fire hydrant and tying a hose to it. Disk drove up in the fire engine, I did not realize he could drive. He was a support through and through. Squeeze used his powers to drag over a few hoses and start the spray of water into the flames. The fire crew was a fucking machine though. They did shit so quick, I could hardly even follow. They lined up, set the hoses on full and made the fire take it like a whore. I just stood there, not really knowing what to do. I get the feeling there should have been a class for this shit or something. Oh wait, I think this is the class for it. The glowing animals flowed into the building and after a few moments emerged soot covered, dragging out dummies that I assumed were supposed to be survivors. Glide appeared to be having a little trouble with the hose. It squirmed and whipped around before my hands grasped it. He gave me a reassuring nod, I was doing something right. The stream directed steadily onto the flames and since I did not need help with this, in fact I could take another three hoses. I only needed one hand to keep it under control.


    The fire was quickly dying down. That stuff coming out of the fire engine was not water, but some soapy looking substance. It snuffed out the fire at an astounding rate. Another roar sounded and two buildings down, a mock office exploded. Glass and shrapnel shot out across the street. The place was starting to look like a war zone. Glide and I made our way over to the front. He pointed for me to go in there.


    ¡°Rescue some people, drag them out. I will start dousing the flames,¡± said Glide, connecting a hose to a nearby hydrant.


    I only hesitated for a moment, while figuring out where I was going to go in. There was no need to over think this and I went through the door, since it was available. Smoke covered the roof and the blaze spread down from upstairs. Mannequins were placed at various places, some lying on the floor while others were standing. There was a lot in here and this was just the first floor. My fist broke out the window and I started passing the dummies out, onto the street. Glide was there handing them off and our actions seemed more like a conveyor belt, than anything else. The bottom was clear and the ascent into the real inferno began. The whole floor was engulfed. Most of the fake people were already black charred, but in the far corner of the cubicles there was an oasis of clear air. I trudged through the cardboard walls knocking over the little squares of personal space. The path had been carved when I looked over the corner. I was avoiding all of the fire. There was a child sized dummy, with a stuffed bear in its lap. The fires were spreading quickly ,snaking across the floor. I hefted it up, before knocking out the wall and leaping to freedom.


    My heels cracked the pavement, I was getting pretty good with the landings. I stood handing off the smoke covered doll. The fire squad had already moved over here and poured the watery foam into the building. They were insanely efficient. They must be Cyborgs or something. At some point Fire Chief had rolled up, in his souped up fire engine and his ten foot tall super suit. The water cannons on that thing could strip flesh from bone with how powerful they were. I know he shot me with them. He stood there like a turret and with a slow methodical movement, set to work extinguishing the fire on the top floor. It took about thirty seconds and he went to the next floor, repeating the process. Now I see where those guys got it from. The fire teams all had his suits, granted they were vastly inferior, but that still put them head and shoulders above normal teams. I suppose they were faux Supers? It did not take long for the fire to be put out.


    ¡°Remember, sometimes you will not have the help of the Fire Teams for some time. So you must contain the spread and save as many lives as possible. You are the first responders, until help arrives it is up to you. On average it takes five minutes for them arrive, so account for at the least that much time to pass. That being said, if it looks too far gone, do not needlessly put yourself in harm''s way. Focus on containment in those situations,¡± said Fire Chief.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    We all nodded and the fire crew was lounging around their transport. A dull screeching sound filled the air from around the next corner, then a loud crash erupted. Chief gave us a nod and we set out to see what the hell that was. A car had hit a telephone pole, which then fell into the street crushing another in the next lane over. Crash dummies were sitting there in the cars. The door was jammed so I applied a little force and ripped it off of the hinges. This was rather easy, the fake people were safe and I hauled the cars off to the side. The downed pole was a problem and little Disk had the solution. I held it in place while he welded it back into a steady structure. My evaluation of Disk was going up steadily. He could be rather useful.


    The next test was harder. We had to stop a runaway car with the least amount of damage as possible. Mine was a semi truck, luckily it did not have a trailer. I stood in its path braced for impact. I was starting to have second thoughts, I mean that is a fucking truck going seventy. If this was anything like those reincarnation stories I had read, I was about to become another victim of Truck-san and wake up in another world. No! I won''t accept this. I just started to get my shit together I won''t let you take me! I did the only rational thing there was and threw myself to the side.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± yelled Chief, standing over me.


    ¡°I am not ready. Chief let me do something smaller, a van or something come on man.¡±


    ¡°That truck is within your parameters. You should be able to stop it. I can stop it in this suit and this is the small one.¡±


    ¡°You are a whole rank higher than me!¡±


    ¡°I can stop one that is loaded, so you should be fine.¡±


    ¡°You think I can do it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can do it. Now get back up and get ready.¡±


    ¡°Give me a confidence booster or something. Let me do a van first.¡±


    ¡°For Pete''s sake, vans don''t grow on trees.¡±


    ¡°So what... semi trucks do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just get out there, you will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Give me a kiss for good luck,¡± I never did get it though. He slapped my helmet and shoved me back out there.


    I stared down that soulless death machine. It revved twice before careening towards me. Second thoughts lingered. Then Sub started making fun of me for being a coward and I was not going to have any of that. Chief believed in me so that was good enough! Truck-san be damned, I will survive. My legs anchored into place and I thrust out my arms, when it entered my attack range. The front end crumpled up and a slight shock wave radiated out. The groan of metal screamed. I sunk into the engine block and absorbed all of the momentum. Arms were shaking and tingled like they had fallen asleep. Legs went numb and I think I pissed myself, but the thing was stopped. I fell back panting and their cheers erupted from the side. Deep grooves were carved into the road for about ten feet.


    ¡°Onee-sama is amazing I don''t think any of us have even tried to stop a semi truck before.¡±


    ¡°Biggest we did was a short bus,¡± said Glide.


    My antenna squirmed happily when Chief said, ¡°See you can do it.¡±


    He dragged it away and Sunshine was up next. She stood in the center of the road with her eyes closed. She summoned a phalanx of knights in shining armor with huge shields that interlocked. They stepped forward and she made a second row behind them. All of them braced their stances ready to receive the impact, in a wedge formation. Sunshine did not want to be outdone by me, as a result she had a semi truck come barreling towards her as well. She started to panic when it got near and made two more rows of knights, she needed them. The first and second walls were breached almost instantly, but they did slow it down immensely. I moved without realizing it and tackled her out of the way. How could I just let her get squished like a bug? The third was broken after a shriek of metal resounded and finally the fourth wall of knights held fast. They were pushed back five feet, but ultimately stopped it. She breathed a sigh of relief under me.


    Looking up and seeing that the last row had stopped it, I felt rather foolish. With a helping hand she got back up and I pat her head, ¡°You did good.¡±


    She rubbed her nose with a smug look, ¡°Did you doubt Sunshine desu~?¡±


    I nodded my head. Sunshine pouted and scowled for a moment. Words of praise started to rain down from the group. She triumphantly did a peace sign and I wanted to just carry her off somewhere. Sunshine was putting Ichigo to shame with her shower of cuteness. I held back and settled for rubbing her helmet. We sat to the side watching the next person go. It was Gravity Squeeze and for once his pompous attitude was well warranted. He did an awesome job here. The whole van lifted up and the ignition turned off, before he set it back down parked. Nobody else could get that amount of precision. Sure it was not a giant truck, but there was literally no damage to anything. I would have smashed the front in my attempts to stop that thing. If I was behind it, there would be a massive gouge out of the back where I clamped on.


    Disk was not even worth mentioning. he just turned on the parking break and cut the motor. Really it was cheating. He could only do this against the newer cars though. If there was an older one, pre 2010, when they mandated all cars have a computer in them to help with traffic safety, then he was useless. He might be able to fuck with the electronics, lock the brakes, take over power steering, but there were no guarantees. Thoughts started creeping in. Disk needed a suit or robot he could control. If he sucked up to me, I might put in a good word with Neon Nurse. Oh hell, I would probably do it anyway just so that the team worked better. Come to think of it, I was always like this. If somebody had a problem in my games I would help out, but only if it benefited me. Towards the end of the game though, I would not help anybody since I usually already had everything that I wanted or had the power to obtain it. I guess I am kinda greedy aren''t I? Then again nothing is free, so why should I not expect a return on my invested time.


    Glide was pretty cool he dove into the side of the window and drove the car. It came to a nice easy stop and Squeeze got in, then leaned out the window, pointing at me, ¡°Stop, drop, and roll baby. You are on fire.¡±


    Damn it, that was actually kinda funny. I know you are playing me, but what the hell, might as well have fun with this. I leaned in, ¡°When I first saw you, I knew we could win the cup for tonsil hockey.¡±


    ¡°Tonsil hockey?¡± asked Sunshine.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it, I was joking.¡±


    Glide smacked Squeeze on the back trying not to laugh, ¡°Better luck next time.¡±


    He tried it play it off all cool and stuff and I laughed so hard that I had to hold my side. This was the last of the tests and we had all done good. It appeared that my stock with the team was rising as well since I could do things that were troublesome to them before. I think, I might actually really like this place. Good people as far as I can tell. They are all weird in their own way, but that is fine since that is what makes them interesting. Mostly it is a surprise that we all function so well together. We must be on the same wavelength or something. Maybe the Scrubs ain''t so bad after all. Hell, I could probably get used to this.


    _____


    I know it is a little short but that is why you guys get 2 :P


    Hope you enjoy as always tell me what you think.

 Arc 4, Gonna Need A Hero, Chapter 2

    Vespidian, Arc 4, Chapter 2


    It''s kinda like an RPG, we got the five man group thing going. Astro Glide is the leader, over watching and directing us from on high. Gravity Squeeze is our ranged attacker, throwing shit at people. Sunshine is the summoner, magic caster, using her army of imaginary creations. Disk Jockey is the support, thief kinda guy who hacks open electronic stuff and can scout through cameras. I am apparently the lead when we do stuff. In other words, I go first and clear the way for everybody else. Essentially I was right and my role is the tank, paladin? Maybe a morally unclear fighter that is defense oriented. Also known as the bitch strap, the human shield. Well, I can live with that. It is good to have a role in a group, to be needed.


    Though I compare it to games, actually rationalizing reality as such was dangerous. Not the concept itself, but how I personally react to such things. When I play games it becomes an obsession, an impulse to conquer every aspect to the degree that nothing else matters. Even before all of this happened, back when I was a basement dweller, it was the same. I remember forgetting to eat for three days straight one time. Some things seemed to persist even through all that I have lost. Sub has kept it intact for reasons I can''t fathom. Only harm can come from this behavior, but it is still a reminder of my time as a human. If channeled correctly, like on this hero stuff it might be beneficial. Doubts remained though. It more or less ruined my life before and I used it as a crutch to keep my mind occupied. To ignore reality. Life was so much easier, simpler to zone out and just embark on a quest to kill the demon king or capture all the little monsters.


    It was fun, but it consumed large amounts of times and more than once I found myself addicted to a game. Constantly plotting and scheming my next move, rolling around restless at night, unable to sleep because that damned boss mob would not die. This was not the problem though, it was how I progressively got more and more ruthless, cold hearted and evil as I advanced through the games. In real life I am terrified of the consequences to my actions. This was a very good thing, it was best to maintain a distinct line between the two. Here I had to worry, about what other people think, hurting others unintentionally and I could not afford negative opinions. Sure I was safe for the moment, but I knew that certain people were just waiting for me to fuck up....


    ¡°Hey Chief,¡± I said glancing him over. ¡°I heard we get paid an allowance instead of a pay check.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°You heard right.¡±


    ¡°We get paid like minimum wage I did the math on it. We are firefighters so should we not be paid more? I mean we could die or something.¡±


    Chief nodded again, ¡°You are Juniors, technically you guys are trainees. So your salaries are on the small side. However there are perks for instance you have access to our Hero bases as well as food and room and board. Not to mention free training.¡±


    ¡°Where does the money come from?¡±


    ¡°Well we get donations, merchandising and government support. There are also sponsorships for Heroes if you want to promote for a company. For instance Panther has one with Zephyr.¡± I fucking knew it! So he did have some sort of shoe thing going on. My elation almost made me miss something.


    ¡°The government is paying us?¡± that does not sound good at all.


    ¡°Yes, since the Hero League more or less absorbed both the Police and Fire Rescue, to a smaller extent the EMTs as well. As a result we get all of the funding that they normally would have.¡±


    Everything about this seemed wrong, ¡°Wait... so the government just let you guys take over the policing? What about Chimera?¡±


    It seems that the Scrubs had never heard of it, but Chief''s face hardened, ¡°Chimera... they are more or less the Government''s insurance policy that we do not try to take over everything. For the most part, they are fighting Kraken and are on our side. At any rate I doubt that we will have any run ins with them.¡±


    I really did not like the sound of that. Unless Molotov was just lying to me about them, I can''t really over look that possibility. I can only hope that I do not catch their eye. Although I am probably dooming myself by saying that. Well, it sounds like something that is out of my hands to begin with, so maybe it would be best just to not think about it.


    ¡°How exactly does the sponsorship work?¡± asked Sunshine, oh that is what I was wondering.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it for now. Typically companies only want to sponsor Heroes who have accomplished something. I will tell you more about it if you get an offer.¡±


    ¡°Alright I guess,¡± I moped.


    ¡°Who has medical training?¡± asked Chief. Everybody, but me raised their hands. Well shit now I feel like a scrub. That does not seem good. This is that experience thing he was talking about.


    He nodded. ¡°Alright we will go over basic field dressing and CPR. From there we will work our way up to setting bones. For the most part you will not have the required gear to do anything too critical. Instead you will be stabilizing and waiting for EMTs or if Medavac is around he will help. Your primary job is to contain and control the situation, make it safe so that said medical personnel can do their jobs.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like we are going into a war zone or something,¡± I said, raising my hand.


    He gave me a slight nod and began explaining, ¡°Depending on what is going on, it might as well be one. The Diablo De Chillar tend to target ambulances when they respond to calls, as such they are under heavy guard in the eastern half of the city. Depending on how things go we could be called to any part of the city so you need to know the dangers of every section. Slums are obviously off limits and considered no mans land. Under no circumstances will we be responding to emergencies down there unless we are part of a task force. Here in Downtown we have the Angels of Hell and Atomic Raiders, some times Cyber Sirens as well.


    ¡°Angels of Hell are a Columbian Cartel, you may have heard of Demon Rider. He is the one who runs it. He is running around down in Brazil right now, so no need to worry about him. They are at war with the Diablos, however lately the fighting is more concentrated around the southern boarder and drug supply chains into the city. There has even been scraps with the Mad Dogs. The particular branch that has sprouted up here is a biker gang. They are dope fiends, who traffic drugs through the low end neighborhoods.


    ¡°The leader is Burnout she has rank 5 Pyrokinesis. When she is cracked out on cocaine it jumps up to Rank 6, however it is unstable and makes her extremely dangerous. She is immune to fire. She uses her power to fuel her bike and as a result it can fly. Second in command is Cook Cook, he is a Rank 4 Engineer. He is a serial arsonist who uses a flame thrower of his own design and has a fire proof super suit, he also makes the bikes that the gang uses. Third in command is Blaze Runner. He can levitate, is immune to fire and can create a molten shield that can explode with a shock wave of fire, also throws fireballs. Over all he is a Rank 5 though his actual abilities are only Rank 4, but between being able to fly and his shield make it difficult to fight him. He has recent warrants for rape, arson, murder, and grand theft.¡±


    I said, ¡°Hey Chief that is a lot of fire powers. It seems odd that they would be here where we are.¡±


    ¡°That is no accident. The Angels of Hell are why I and eight Firehouse teams are set up in this section of the city. All the other sections of the city only have two squads. We fight them more than most others, simply because they start fires and some stick around to try and stop us from putting them out.¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck would they want to burn down the city?¡± I asked, thinking things over. It did not really makes sense to destroy where you do business. If you burn all the crack whores and junkies you are killing your customer base. Sounds rather stupid.


    ¡°I don''t know. As far as anybody knows it is the drug binges.¡±


    ¡°Well that is fucked up.¡±


    ¡°It is unfortunately why we have to fight them and control the damages. Moving on. Atomic Raiders control the sewers and will regularly attack Bronson Atomic Industries transports to steal the radioactive material, they then dump it down there. As of now at the very least four miles of tunnels below the city are irradiated breeding grounds for mutant animals. They are a cult who worship radiation. Their leader is Atomic Knight Rank 6 Miasma. He is so heavily irradiated that a ten foot radius around him is contaminated. He can billow out a cloud of radiation that not only works as a smoke screen it will strip the flesh from unprotected skin. If exposed for too long it will even start to corrode metal. He is extremely dangerous. Second in command is Pack Rat Rank 4 wererat he was chased out of the Mad Dogs a while back. Not only is he fast, but he can jump rather high. Third highest is Glow Rank 3 Regenerator and he has acid for blood. It can melt metal within a minute. Other than that not so bad, just keep your distance. The rest of them are small fries, but they also have many trained mutant animals. There was a shaky alliance between them and the Mad Dogs, but about three months ago they had a falling out. At the least that is what the word on the street is.¡±


    ¡°Why was Pack Rat chased out?¡±


    ¡°If the Kittens can be trusted with their gossip. It would appear he tried to hoard shiny things and stole from Glitter Kitten. She broke his legs and threw him in the sewers, to be eaten by the giant rats. He is lucky to be alive if that is really the case.¡±


    I spoke, ¡°So I see. Ah, I know all about those damned mutant rats. Some of those fuckers are as big as a German Shepard and have horns.¡±


    ¡°Speaking from your experience in the sewers?¡± he smirked.


    Sunshine spoke up, ¡°Onee-sama has been in the sewers? Oh I see so that is why you were so good during the exercise. You already had practice.¡±


    ¡°Well if wrestling mutant rats counts then I guess.¡±


    ¡°At some point we will have to clean out the sewers and get rid of the radiation,¡± said Chief. ¡°If it gets built up too much the rats and other animals start to emerge into the streets. Leading to bites and more Sub Humans. It has happened before.¡±


    ¡°That sounds rough.¡±


    ¡°Yes, for now it is on the back log we will likely be doing a purge next month. I will tell you more then. Cyber Sirens are a criminal duo who work out of High Rise, I guess the best description of them would be cat burglers. They sort of just strike at random and steal things. They robbed the Bank of Bronson two weeks ago, but had to retreat mostly empty handed after Panther, Captain Metal, Neon Nurse and Enforcer interrupted it. Spark Spray is the leader, Rank 6 electrokenetic. She can turn herself into electricity and go through power lines as well as shoot energy arcs from her hands. Our suits can only take two hits within a short period of time before short circuiting and having to reboot. The inner wiring is heavily shielded preventing circuit frying. The other is Vira, Rank 5 Robotics Engineer. She makes combat robots and drones. They have two approaches, smash and grab or infiltration. So far the two are small time, so to speak. At the least in comparison to the other gangs. They don''t seem to have much motivation to expand. It does not mean that they are not dangerous.¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°So what, they are like kids and doing this for shits and giggles?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sort of. At any rate Disk Jockey is very good against them. He and Vira have something of a rivalry going,¡± said Glide.


    I nodded, ¡°So I see. Hey chief I am surprised that Vira and Neon Nurse don''t get along. I mean they both make robots.¡±


    He had an unsure look across his face, thinking something over. ¡°Ah, well you could say they have a bit of a blood feud between them. Not really my place to tell you. You should ask her yourself if you want to know.¡±


    I wonder exactly what the hell their differences are, besides the whole villain vs hero thing. Well it is probably something stupid like Robos are for love and peace not villainy and violence. On the other hand, it is a bit of a waste to use your genius ability to create mechanical life for something so selfish as robbing a bank. Why don''t they just sell the robots and go legit? Seems a lot less troublesome than running around being villains. Hell you could use Spark Spray as a living generator and cut back on the power expenses. That is what I would do anyway. If only I had a super power that I could exploit to make money, like Rainman. Although something tells me they are just adrenaline junkies and do it for fun.


    ¡°So tell me more about the Mad Dogs, since you know, they are kind of a big deal,¡± I said. Since it did not look like I was going to get any answers about Neon Nurse out of him.


    ¡°As you know already ten years ago the Bronson Atomic Industries, Nuclear Power Plant had a melt down. The radiation corrupted wild life around it and even saturated the soil to mutate the plants as well. At the time there was no way to neutralize radioactive material other than burying it. Thanks to the sacrifice of several engineers, the power plant did not go fully critical, but the damage had already been done. The animals roamed into the southern half of the city and all hell broke loose. Rampant mutation plunged the city into terror and we had to call in the national guard to help fight off the rabid animal people. Most of the feral ones were put down, but a faction of coherent individuals emerged and their leader was Butch, at the time Glitter Kitten was one of his floozies. Peace talks were established, but then the Mad Dogs earned their name.


    ¡°It was the first full moon since things had started to calm down and that was when they turned. We did not know at the time that they lost control of all rational thoughts and it was a blood bath. Believing we had been betrayed, we attacked them with deadly force and they in turn attacked us. It ignited a five year long war between us and them. Then Butch was finally killed, but that made things worse. He had been controlling them and keeping them from causing too much trouble. Glitter Kitten took over and reigned in all the others seeking revenge. They were able to drive the military off and even managed to kill the one responsible. Fearing the worst we retreated to the city and established a no mans land between us and them. That was when we cut a deal to stop the violence, or rather Glitter Kitten proposed it. They could have the Slums so long as they did not come into the rest of Bronson. In return we would not go down there trying to kill them.¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck would they go along with that?¡± I asked, ¡°If what you said is true then that was mostly your fault. I am surprised that they even trusted you. I would not.¡±


    ¡°I was not making choices here, I was following orders and putting out fires. Besides I use non-lethal ways to capture. We did not know it at the time, but Glitter Kitten just had her first litter. That and there were plans to carpet bomb the slums if things got any worse. The plans had been leaked and so she tried to see if we would choose a more peaceful option. The result is what you see now. Though we do have officers go down there to check up on them, we are not at each others throats. The monthly rampages have died down dramatically since then, they seem content. There are still their little raids from time to time, but they usually attack other gangs. Lately in fact they have picking on the Diablos.¡±


    ¡°Glitter Kitten is a Rank 6 Werecat with enhanced reflexes and speed, she is faster than Panther. This means that she is virtually impossible to hit. Number two would be Thumper Rank 5 Wererabbit, super speed and jumping. She is ex military and was one of many who had been captured and converted during the fighting. She was a sniper and still uses guns even after the change. Number three Den Mother Rank 5 Werewolf, or rather dog she was mauled by a German Shepard and was a police officer, super strength and durability. Anything below armor piercing rounds will bounce off of her skin as such conventional guns are virtually useless against her. She is strong enough to throw a tank by the way. Those are the top three, but every single one of their gang is a Super with powers ranging from Rank 2 to 4. As such that is a nest of hornets best left undisturbed. Speaking of which Gravity Squeeze I hear you have been running down to the Sparkle Kat for some Pussycat time. Need I remind you that is prohibited?¡±


    ¡°Damn it. Who squealed Chief?¡± he gave that ah shucks look and it was clear he was not feeling bad about it.


    ¡°Medavac he saw you down there.¡±


    ¡°Well, what the hell was he doing down there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He is there several times a week, observation as he calls it,¡± sighed Chief. ¡°Well not like he would listen if I told him to stop. It is dangerous down there, while Den Mother would not kill you without reason that does not mean she will not snap your arm like a twig. At any rate that is basically all you need to know about the gangs for now. So let us start your first aid training Mecha Fairy.¡±


    ¡°Alright coach, what you want me to do?¡± I looked about, since apparently I know nothing.


    ¡°I guess we will start out with CPR. You know what that is right?¡± he asked. I shook my head playing coy. Of course I know what that is, who doesn''t?


    He started explaining it and pointed to a dummy. Really? Well, I guess I have to work my way up to the smoochie smooch. I put my hands on the chest barely pressing down, since I did not want to destroy the thing. It was not hard, you can figure this stuff out even without training. The key is to not break the ribs while pumping the chest vigorously. At the least it looked like a dude. After thirty forced in and out breathes. I pinched the nose and opened my lower half of the helmet exposing the mouth. The lower part of my face guard could open and allow me to drink or eat without taking the helmet off. Chief told me about it last night. It was very convenient. So long as I did not grin like an idiot and only open my mouth a little, I did not look too suspicious. Granted the creases, segmenting my lips clear to the back of the head were still noticeable, wasn''t much I could do about it. I apprehended for a moment, but then imagined it to be Chief and locked lips. It was actually worse than what I think kissing Neon Nurse would be like. Cold and clammy those lifeless eyes staring back at me. Don''t you ruin this for me! A nice exhale and gulp for air then repeat. I stood up wiping my mouth.


    ¡°Alright you did good there so moving on,¡± he said. Oh boy do I know all about this mouth to mouth, come Chief let us resuscitate our weary and broken hearts!


    I laid down and put my arms over my chest. Kept my eyes closed waiting for my prince to wake me with a violent kiss filled with passion! Pour the will to live into my very soul! Nothing was happening though... oh there it is. He was doing the chest compressions. Up and down, yes let your love flow into me. I felt a hand on my face and the long awaited kiss. The lips seemed smaller, softer and certainly not brimming with a ferocious love that would fill my very being and complete me. This was not how I imaged it at all! I peeked and saw Sunshine desperately trying to save my supposed life. Sunshine! No, not you. Oh God. Not the girl''s love! I knew something was wrong. You bamboozled me Chief! Give me back my prince on a white horse SUNSHINE!


    Sunshine in my mouth, I can taste her! My tongue squirmed about. It is not that bad, she does taste pretty good... no Sub we are not going to eat Sunshine! I wiped my face while she stood to the side with flowers and sparkles floating around her. My eyes! I looked away blinking. Too much cute, you are going to burn them out you know. She was not perturbed or nothing in fact she was looking around confused while everybody was laughing. Even Chief! Ah, I see this was just a practice exercise for her, but they made it a joke. She is so innocent, she did not even realize this was a kiss. The only way to get out of this without it being awkward, would be to act like it did not happen.


    After that we went about learning things like how to wrap wounds or setting bone, that was the fun part hearing those crunches and snaps while everybody winced. We got to practice on these fleshy mannequins. Oops. Maybe I should not be doing this. My patient is flat lining and bleeding out, poor poor guy. Don''t you die on me you son of a bitch! No, he is slipping away. This is all your fault you bastard. Live damn you live! I shook it roughly and they had to pull me away before I murdered the plastic man.


    Sunshine cried, ¡°Stop it! Stop it. Hes already dead.¡±


    I might not be suited for this...


    ____


    Hope you enjoyed :P

 Arc 4, Gonna Need A Hero, Chapter 3

    The Vespidian


    Arc 4 Gonna Need a Hero


    Chapter 3


    The very next day I learned about what the Junior team usually did, which was to patrol Down Town. We reported things to the Over Seer. It was more or less the command center, basically 911 for Supers. It dispatched more people depending on situations. We relayed the location and what was going on. If we needed medical care then we asked and ambulances would be sent out, same for if we needed the police. We were firefighters and rescue workers after all, so we technically did not have the authority to arrest criminals. In other words it was not our job. However if required we could drag them in and hand them over to the proper authorities.


    At the moment me, Glide and Sunshine were in a group, while Disk and Squeeze were in another, on the opposite side of Down Town. Disk and Squeeze were over by the arcade center and I bet they were just dicking off. My group was currently near the border of the Market District. To be honest it was boring. We were literally camped out on top of a Colonel Chicken joint, waiting for something to happen. I was devouring a bucket of chicken with reckless abandon. The barbecue wings were to die for, so spicy and tangy. Now if only this scorching sun would take a hike. The others were sweating, but I was nice and comfy in my air conditioned suit. Honestly it was kinda unfair, but then again if it did not have the air circulation it would be unwearable.


    ¡°What do your elf eyes see up there?¡± I yawned.


    ¡°Would you stop that? I am not an elf,¡± said Glide a little flustered, not that you could see his face, but you could tell by his voice. He was hovering about ten feet above us.


    ¡°It was a compliment, geez. You did not answer my question.¡±


    ¡°For the twentieth time, nothing to report. I will tell you if I see anything. Besides you should be looking too.¡±


    ¡°Right, right Captain.¡± I lazed there licking the left over sauce out of the bucket. It really was yummy.


    ¡°Nee-san you should take this seriously,¡± absently said Sunshine, looking to the east.


    I peered over the side and tossed the empty container down into a dumpster, before sitting up in a lawn chair. I was the only smart one and after hearing that we would be here for a long time, I got a chair from the hardware store across the street. So there I was cross legged and blankly staring out over the edge of the city. It was comfortable that being said though, I was restless. The only thing on my mind was that I should have grabbed a beach parasol, while I was over there.


    ¡°I am always serious. I can see and hear everything for at the least a few blocks. It is just boring. I should have brought some weights, hey you think that guy will mind if I bench press his car?¡±


    ¡°I would assume that he does not want people messing with his stuff.¡±


    ¡°What about that dump truck?¡± I asked hopeful, I mean it was just sitting there.


    ¡°Stop thinking about it and look around will you?¡±


    ¡°We have been here for three hours and nothing has happened. Is it normally like this? Should we change locations?¡± I asked.


    ¡°More or less. That is good though it means nothing bad is happening. The rotation is in another hour.¡±


    I nodded in agreement, that was certainly true. ¡°I was wondering. Why did we choose a Colonel Chicken place anyway? Not that I am complaining about the grub, but it is kinda weird.¡±


    ¡°It is one of the taller buildings in the area, makes it easier to look over the place.¡±


    ¡°It would be cooler if we staked out a tall building with statues and stuff. Then I could be all like I am the night! Wringing my hands with thoughts of devious villains and how to crush them. It just seems so romantic.¡±


    ¡°Watching too many hero cartoons?¡± he laughed.


    ¡°A little bit. Hey, if I see some sketchy guy riding a unicycle and holding a purse, while fleeing from an angry woman, what should I do?¡± I asked, glancing up at Glide.


    ¡°That is awfully specific, why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Well... cause I see that very thing,¡± I replied, looking back down at the drama unfolding in a back alley. ¡°I am assuming I should stop that guy right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah at the least see what is going on.¡±


    ¡°On it Cap.¡± I took a step before lunging into the air, darting towards them.


    The unicycle screeched to a halt, when I descended cutting off the escape route. It was a clown... of course it was. I hate clowns granted I think just about everybody does. On my list of things that I despised they were number three, number two was snakes, number one would be communists and or libtards they are basically the same thing after all. Oh god, commie clown snakes. Now that is nightmare fuel. The bastard honked one of those little horns, giving me that I am in a hurry look. Does it look like I care? Clearly I care not for your clowning around.


    He had a striped purple and yellow suit. Green scraggly hair and a bright red nose. Huge flipper like shoes. It was hideous, an affront to all that was holy and the thoughts that he should be purged with fire came to mind. I am not one for genocide, but if there was some crusade to wipe the Earth clean of clowns well... I would sign up in a heart beat. Burn the witch-  I mean clown. Suffer not the clown to live! Abhor the clown, destroy the clown! Kill it before it can breed! Alright, I think I got it all out of my system.


    ¡°Move it bitch you blocking the way,¡± he said, as the fuming woman was closing in. She looked like one of those spicy Latinas. Tight jeans and a white tank top. Long dark pony tail and drawn on eye brows, you know the kind that make you look surprised all the time. I never really understood why people did that. It seems to me that it would be better to just not have the eyebrows.


    This ought to be interesting. I folded my arms glaring at him while he circled to stay on that thing. ¡°You realize I am a hero right?¡±


    ¡°Well obviously,¡± he rolled his eyes and my fists tightened, I want to punch him so bad.


    ¡°Devu¨¦lveme mi bolso!¡± She screamed, looking like she was about to shank a bitch, not exaggerating here, she had a knife.


    ¡°Hey you just going to stand there? This bitch is crazy,¡± said the clown.


    ¡°What the hell do you want me to do? That is her purse isn''t it?¡± I asked, pointing at it.


    ¡°Clearly this is mine.¡±


    ¡°You got some serious problems if that is really your purse.¡±


    ¡°It is a cosmetic bag. I just came from a kid''s birthday party.¡±


    ¡°Man who the hell do you think you are fooling? Give it here and maybe I won''t let her have a go at you.¡±


    The woman closed in with the knife trying to get at him and I held her at arm''s length by the face, so that she could not stab anybody. She certainly tried though, swinging the knife at me. This was just getting out of hand. If you wanna wild cat don''t do that shit here. He did not look happy at all, but I snatched it away and rifled around for evidence. It was pretty damning, her id was in here. I handed it over and the clown was trying to escape. He had already started cycling away the moment I got the bag. Where do you think you are going?


    Righty grabbed a trashcan and bowled it at him. Strike! Nice shot Sub. The unicycle spun away as garbage fell all over the downed clown. Sunshine''s knights materialized blocking off that end of the alleyway. They formed ranks advancing as a wall of glowing metal. He was trapped like a rat. Even he realized there was no out and quickly surrendered. Glide cuffed him and just when I thought it was over the lady started snapping her fingers, this won''t end well.


    ¡°Perra puta que cortar!¡± she screamed fighting my grasp.


    It was not exactly hard to hold her, it was difficult to not tear her to pieces. ¡°English please! I don''t want to hurt you. Just calm down.¡± oh shit... when has telling a woman to calm down ever not had the opposite effect?!


    She snapped her fingers and glared straight at me. ¡°Don''t talk like you know me co?o!¡±


    Somehow I get the distinct feeling I should be offended by that, not sure why though. One would expect her to at the least be thankful that we helped her. This is America right? Or did Bronson California turn into northern Mexico when I was not looking? Shouldn''t she be speaking English or something? This is that lack of assimilation thing, well at any rate she is not doing anything wrong besides trying to cut somebody. What, does she hate clowns almost as much as me? Does that even really matter right now? I rubbed my helmet exasperated, what the hell is wrong with people? ¡°Cap what should I do with her?¡±


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    ¡°You wanna press charges?¡± he asked her, making sure to keep the guy away.


    ¡°Si,¡± she nodded, calming down a little.


    ¡°I thought switch blades were illegal?¡± I asked, looking over the knife as she put it away in her purse.


    ¡°They are, but I don''t particularly want to get involved any more in this.¡±


    ¡°Good point we will just let the cops figure this out.¡±


    Glide had already called it in and so we waited for the police to arrive. It took a good ten minutes, which was rather concerning. If this was something important, I get the feeling that something really bad could have happened. It seemed a little slow in terms of response time. Not bagging on them, just wondering if there was some faster way to deploy them. They pulled up in a cruiser, not one of the new armored units that helped with Super or extreme violence cases. The boys in blue gave a nod and dragged away the woman and the clown. The unicycle ended up in the trunk. I suppose that was an eventful start for the day. Makes you wonder what Disk and Squeeze are up to.


    Those shenanigans sorted out we returned to our roof top vigil. Although I am trying to make this sound cool, it really is not. I pulled my chair beside Sunshine, kicked my legs up and leaned back. She smiled a little and I got out my gameboy ready to embarked upon a magical Swolomon adventure that would teach me the meaning of life and true friendship... alright maybe not life that is stretching it a little too far. The way I saw it was that I had at the least two hours before something else happened. I was feeling frisky so I started up a Nuzlocke challenge. Basically if a Swolomon faints it dies and I can''t use it anymore. I also have to catch the first one, when I enter a new area and can''t catch any others. You also had to give them nick names. These were self imposed rules to make it harder. It made things rather interesting. Since I like turtles, I started with Swolosquirt. I named him Mister Soaks. Cause he going to get all the panties soaked.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy would you stop playing games and pay attention,¡± said Glide, looking down at me. The battle theme glaring while I pummeled some wild critters.


    ¡°Yes, yes. What do you want?¡± I asked not stopping. Why should I? I can see everything for three blocks. It is called multitasking.


    ¡°Put that damned thing away and pay attention!¡± he yelled.


    Slowly I tilted my head back to the point that a normal person would snap their spine. I stared straight up at him. ¡°Dude what!? Nothing is happening. What the hell you got crawling up your ass? Just yesterday you were bitching at me about being too serious. Now I am not serious enough? Make up your fucking mind man.¡±


    ¡°Now, now guys lets not fight. Nee-san must be paying attention, she did see the clown,¡± said Sunshine. I nodded with her. See she understands.


    ¡°Don''t take her side, she is just goofing off. What happened to that serious air you had just yesterday?¡±


    I flopped back on the hard roof. ¡°Look you want me to get burnt out on this shit or what? I have the attention span of a flea so unless I get entertainment, I am liable to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Sleeping is fine. Just don''t play games.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, I gotta consult the Helix Fossil.¡± I replied and he said. ¡°What the hell are you-¡±


    I put up a finger to silence him, ¡°My Lord and Master Lord Helix demands that I cast down the false god Dome Fossil. For he shall lead me astray like a lost lamb from the flock of the righteous. This should take about twenty minutes to revive Lord Helix and cleanse this sinful woman of her miss deeds. My soul is at stake here.¡±


    He stared at me not knowing what to say. Glide scratched the side of his helmet, ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡±


    My head twisted as I looked up at him and he winced. ¡°Can you spare a minute to hear about our Lord and Savior the Almighty Helix Fossil?!¡±


    ¡°Just play your damned game and keep it to yourself.¡± he looked away.


    ¡°Your sins are heavy young elf. Come consult the Helix and let his eternal forgiveness flow through you. Only through his sacrifice might you be saved from eternal damnation!¡±


    ¡°Please Mecha Fairy take this seriously. You are starting to scare me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I was feeling the holy spirit there. So should we be going or something?¡± I asked folding my chair up and tucking it under my arm.


    My jet roared to life and I shot away from them. Glide cut me off. He was faster after all and shoved a palm onto my chest to make me stop. ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡±


    ¡°On patrol obviously. Sitting here ain''t going to do shit.¡± I snapped back, knocking his arm off of me. Why am I so angry? Sure it is irritating, but this seems irrational. Don''t tell me it is that time of the month or something. Wait that can''t be right since I got no eggs. Still trying to figure out how this body works. No, I know why. It is because he won''t let me play my games. That is like taking the gym from a jock, a computer from a nerd, or sports tv from a football fan.


    ¡°Then say that. Communicate with us so we are on the same page. Moving locations is not a bad idea, I was getting restless myself.¡± he replied.


    Sunshine rose up beside us on her giant pink butterfly. If you looked closely the patterns appeared to be eyes. A little weird, but it was so fluffy and soft it was easy to forgive. I plopped down behind her to ride this thing. The wings flapped slowly, majestically, generating more lift than they should. Honestly I was jealous as hell. If only my wings could be so fancy and actually work this good. Why did I have to be a wasp and not a butterfly? I hope Chief makes those wings soon. After all I wanna be a real fairy. Well, I guess I can settle for a mechanical one at least.


    Now that I think about it, I really don''t know too much about the rest of the team, I was avoiding it. I have a little bit of a better feeling for them now so it would not be bad to... bond? That is what a team does right? Although it has only been a couple of days since we met, I might be rushing things. However, if it will make the team work together better, then it will be worth it. If I can just figure out what pisses people off then I can avoid it. I suppose first on the capture list would be Sunshine. I mean there are event flags everywhere, I should just get it out of the way. Her bunny ears danced on her head while she bobbed it back and forth to some song. It was oddly catchy, honestly it fit her bright and shiny personality. It was bubbly.


    ¡°What are you listening to?¡±


    She blissfully pointed her fingers through the air and waved them. ¡°Nee-san has not heard Doo bee doo bee doo? You never heard of Schnuffel Bunny?!¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Pink mist formed and two speakers floated to our side. The resonance stabilized and some poppy islandy music gushed forth. Rainbows started looping everywhere around us and riding them were bunnies. Oh God, am I dreaming? Where will you be when the Sunshine kicks in? I slapped myself across the helmet. Yup definitely awake. Sunshine sung while going pyon, pyon with her hands. Stop it Sunshine, stop being so adorable. I can''t handle it. I might try to snuggle you to death. Oh that is an idea. I should make her some cute fucking outfits. Why did I not think of this sooner!


    ¡°Doo bee doo bee doo, you are my sunshine.


    Doo bee doo bee doo, you make me feel fine.


    Doo bee doo bee do, you feel the same way that I feel? Oh, yeah.


    Doo bee doo bee doo, you''re like the moonlight.


    Doo bee doo bee doo, you light the dark night.


    Doo bee doo bee do you know you''re the one I really like?¡±


    She continued her merry humming after the song had ended. It was childish yet fitting for her. I spoke up, ¡°I have been wondering. Why are you so happy all the time?¡±


    ¡°Oh that,¡± she smiled, raining kittens in our wake. ¡°My antidepressant medication. Three pills a day keeps the doctor away.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa!¡± I yelled. ¡°Hold on, pills are not apples! You take meds?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°It is not that bad. It used to be so much worse before Sunshine started sessions with Dreamer. She makes all the bad things go away.¡±


    I cringed, ¡°You actually let her in your head? She is fucking scary.¡±


    She had a beaming grin that blinded me. ¡°She is such a wonderful person. Sunshine meets her once a week. Let''s see we started three months ago? Sunshine suffers from chronic depression and suicidal tendencies after all. Before Sunshine became a hero and met all these wonderful people things were so dark and colorless. Sunshine just wanted to make it all stop you know?¡±


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± I stared at her flabbergasted. It was hard to even think what else to talk about. ¡°If I ask something that you don''t like just tell me. Life is worth living alright even if it does not seem like it. Look you got me ok.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Nee-san concerned about Sunshine desu?¡±


    ¡°Who would not be? Is there anything I can do to help?¡±


    She seemed lost in thought for a moment. ¡°Sunshine is fine. Sunshine has been a lot better lately! Every day is bright and colorful desu~ The cotton candy clouds let me know everything is going to be ok! See that one looks like a bunny.¡±


    Vaguely she pointed up at the sky and I followed where she was pointing. There wasn¡¯t a cloud in the sky. Is she insane? Well she is on drugs, maybe she should get off of them? I mean that can''t be healthy and she let Dreamer in her head. There is no telling what she did in there. I am worried, really worried. ¡°Hey umm how bad is it if you don''t have your meds?¡±


    ¡°Sunshine does not want to talk about that. Dark and scary. Dreamer taught Sunshine a secret spell to make pain, pain go away.¡±


    She wore a pained smile and looked away. I felt tears running down my face. The only thing that came to mind was to hug. It felt like I needed to glomp her so hard that her little heart will be put back together! I held her and she looked around not sure why I was doing that. How could I not after hearing something like that? She was like some sort of small furry animal, completely adorable and it made me want to protect her. I guess those who smile the most are the ones in the most pain. I stroked her glowing rabbit ears, they were soft and it seemed like she felt it. She quivered a little.


    ¡°Hey if there is ever anything you want, just let me know alright?¡±


    ¡°Nee-san is so nice. Well there are a few things Sunshine has always wanted to do but since Sunshine had no friends she could not.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry.¡± I laughed, rubbing her head. ¡°I will hear you out so ask away.¡±


    ¡°Can we... can we do our nails? Sunshine has always wanted to go clothes shopping, get our hair done and maybe a trip to the spa?¡± she started out so strong, but then wavered remembering what I look like under the suit. What the hell kind of life have you lived Sunshine!? When she continued she sounded depressed. ¡°Oh... well sorry, forgot you can''t really do those things. Forget Sunshine ever said anything. Very impolite even though Nee-san was being so nice.¡±


    ¡°Don''t sweat it. I will go with you even if I can''t do those things. Kinda feels like a date huh? Guess that makes me the boyfriend. Don''t worry I will treat you and hold the bags.¡± I laughed.


    She went beat red and got all fidgety. ¡°If Sunshine is good enough, desu.¡±


    Wait a minute... Not you too Sunshine! What are you getting embarrassed about?! It is not like I am hitting on you or anything. Calm down will you. Oh geez what did I just do? I was only trying to be friendly and it turned into something else. Damn you pheromones! Get me the men damn it the men! What the hell even is this? Can I not have friends? I want some girl time! For once God, clam jam me, twat swat me or something, please I am begging you here. I seem to be lost, where is the friend zone? It should be around here somewhere, right next to self loathing and broken dreams. People are always bitching about it and yet where the hell is it? I just want something normal you know, is that so much to ask for?


    ¡°You like men right?¡± I warily asked. She nodded and I said, ¡°We are like normal friends right? Nothing weird?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean weird, desu?¡± she asked, tilting her head to the side.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it!¡± I waved my hand defensively. If she does not know, then she does not know and let''s keep it that way. ¡°We are friends. You are like my bro and we fighting off skankubus, can''t let the space bimbos win right?¡±


    She wore a pleased look and laughed, ¡°Certainly not. The powers of love and peace will conquer their vile plans! Lust and Villainy never win of Love and Virtue!¡±


    ¡°Alright well when you wanna do that girl''s night thing just tell me.¡±


    She nodded vigorously. Good it looks like we got that sorted out. I still can''t believe that she is on meds though, well I guess I can, but it is still surprising. I wonder what made her so depressed? How did she get her power anyway? Something tells me the two are related. Well for now I will keep my antenna out of it, don''t want to open any cans of worms by accident. I was naturally very curious about it, but caution seemed to be the best course of action here. She will open up about it when she feels comfortable.

 Arc 4, Gonna Need A Hero, Chapter 4

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    Vespidian, arc 4 chapter 4


    We flew above the Down Town area, scouring for anything to help with. There was not much though, just a cat in a tree. It was strangely peaceful or rather I simply imagined that the streets were fucked up and needed serious help. I guess I have a very dark out look on this stuff. One would expect some harrowing tales here and there, police chases, house fires... you know something that we could do. I would be hitting myself later for thinking it, but I kinda wanted something bad to happen just so that we had something to do. Now I know it is terrible to think it, but I was feeling that I need to prove myself. You know, trying to fit in with new friends, but it is kinda weird cause they found your porn stash, so you try to divert the topic by doing something they like. Yeah, basically that. Ok that was a bit weird of an example, but it was true. I still needed to redeem myself after the advent of Black Thunder. I have a feeling I traumatized poor little Sunshine. Well I will have to make it up to her. I mean, this is a big city so something has to be happening somewhere around here. Figuring that there was nothing to lose I switched on my radio.


    ¡°Welcome back to Broadside of the Bronson. BJ and the Immoral Wombat, Wo-wo-wo-wombat, here telling you all the dirt you need to know. So Wombat what is the traffic looking like?¡±


    ¡°Pretty bad out there BJ. The 15 west on Valley View is more choked up than amateur night at the Sparkle Kat. Looks like a big rig got turned over blocking all the lanes. If you are looking to get out of the city best take the Tunnel. Unless you wanna grow some extra limbs or something.¡±


    Looks like I caught something. ¡°Hey Cap a car accident over on the 15 by Valley View.¡±


    He nodded and we started heading over. Bj continued on the radio. ¡°In other news the mysterious Bronsonman made yet another heroic appearance. He stopped a convenience store robbery and then proceeded to dive in front of a car to save a child. Both were perfectly fine and he escaped before he could be questioned. The Hero League is condemning him as an unregistered vigilante. I think they are just jealous that someone is trying to do good and stealing their limelight. Keep it up Bronsonman we love you! What I would not do for a go with that.¡±


    ¡°Keep it above the table BJ, at the least while we are on air. We are professionals here.¡±


    ¡°Oh Wombat. You smarmy marsupial you. Where was I? On to weather,¡± she continued on and some Christmas music started playing. That don''t seem right, it is the end of fucking August. ¡°As I am sure you are all aware there is not a cloud in sight making this an extreme fire danger season. We have not had a drop of rain in six months. Rainman has been on strike after Rail Road Incorporated bulldozed that Indian burial ground just east of the city and we are certainly feeling the burn. Today is a balmy hundred and six at the lower elevations, reaching peaks of hundred and two in the mountains. Stay hydrated out there and try not to get over heated.¡±


    ¡°Thanks BJ, I would love to get between those peaks. At any rate it is caller hour. Let''s get the first one in shall we? Hello you are on Broadside with BJ and the Immoral Wombat!¡±


    ¡°Nyahaha.¡± laughed a girl''s voice. ¡°Little Meowsies should not be talking trash about my kittens.¡±


    BJ seemed a little perturbed. ¡°Caller if you do not mind me asking. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Starts with a G ends with an R, nyah starts with a K and ends with a N. Who am I little Meowsies? You better hope you get it right.¡±


    Wombat did not seem spooked even though this was clearly weird. ¡°We don''t have time for games.¡±


    BJ on the other hand sounded scared. ¡°G-g-g-glitter Kitten!¡±


    ¡°OH, you got it right. Well then since you know who I am, you know why I am mad Nyah. So how are you going to make it up to me?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Well don''t be talking no smack, unless you want me to come up there and smack you right back. Maybe I should bring you down for amateur night and see if you live up to your name. I have killed people for less you know. Anyway Nyah big fan of the show, which is why I am so upset that you would talk down to my kittens like that. As for what I want? For one a music request, Atom Bomb Baby. Also just a little promotion you don''t even have to do anything. Alright Meowsies if you are looking for a good time come on down to the Sparkle Kat Cafe where the tap is always flowing and Pussycats are always moaning. It will be the best mistake of your life, I guarantee it. Well catcha later this little kitty needs a cat nyap.¡±


    She was really pitching that shit. What is she a sales cat? Who the fuck wants to go to a whore house? They were a bit unnerved after getting threatened by a Super Villain. I mean, who would not be? It was Glitter Kitten. The self proclaimed Queen of the slums and the fact that she has beaten down anybody who said otherwise gives some serious street cred to her claim. They are fucking animals down there. They kinda did walk into that making fun of the Sparkle Kat girls. They are strippers and hookers, so I guess they would take offense to somebody questioning how skilled they were at their job. It might drive off business. Especially being called amateurs, I can relate... the scrub part not the hooker part, come on Sub. If I was looking for some strange and heard that they were no good, why would I go to them? I am not mind you, don''t look at me like that Sub, oh getting jealous? At any rate I am a little nooblet at being a hero, so can''t really talk back, but if somebody called Chief a scrub, well I would be rearing to beat the shit out of them.


    As expected, they really caved and played it. Honestly it was not that bad just kinda dated. To think she would be so easily appeased. She must have not been that angry. Can''t argue with free advertising. Such a shrewd cat. I wonder what she would look like in a cheerleader outfit? She would probably be all over the pom poms... that might be pretty interesting to watch. Yarn though, I just want to watch her and the kittens roll around getting caught up. I nodded in approval to myself. That is what dreams are made of. Ah right, she is a cat, so she was probably just toying with her prey out of boredom. Makes me a bit scared since it seems she is smart and strong. Oh but she is cute, I just want to dress her up. I know it is bad, I mean, she is a drug lord, criminal fiend who murders people. That said, I still wanna catnap one of those kittens. One day, one day I will have one of those snugly little kids. I should probably focus here though.


    ''Well as fun as it is to talk with you, there are some things you should probably be taking care of.'' said Sub.


    The streets below were more clogged than my uncle''s arteries, backed up clear to the bridge. Wait a minute... I have an uncle? Dad never mentioned a brother. Sub thought it over for a long moment and shrugged. What the hell is that supposed to mean? We will talk about this later. The mission, right. With the way things were going it was very doubtful that normal responders would be able to reach the pile up. Several blocks ahead the smoke was starting to rise at the scene. The butterfly below us flapped harder, sending sparkles in our wake. People below were cheering, well that is a first. Ah, they are yelling for Sunshine, well naturally, she is fucking adorable. As we approached Overwatch relayed a few distressing words. Bronson Atomic Industries. That is not good at all! That means there is some radioactive material somewhere around here.


    We finally arrived at the scene. An oil rig had fishtailed and swerved across all the lanes before ending up on it''s side. Three cars were trapped underneath the trailer. The tank did not appear to be breached, thankfully. The bold BAI logo made me apprehensive about going near that thing. Although I am immune to radiation aren''t I? Then basically, I am the perfect person for this shit. Sunshine did a pass over towards the fire. It was spreading from the cabin of the semi truck. There were people down there almost getting caught up in it.


    ¡°Sunshine, can you make a hose and douse the flames from here?¡±


    She looked it over, ¡°Or Sunshine, could snuff out the fire with smoke.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah do that. That is a much better idea. I guess I got no imagination, still stuck in this firefighter box. I will go down there and drag the cars away,¡± I said, looking at Glide who nodded.


    He was pointing down below. There were some people over the side of the embankment and were more or less trapped. I lept down and the jet roared slowing my fall. Glide zoomed by and we nodded. So weird, it is like we are a team or something. He was going to save them while I dealt with the cars. Dust gusted around me and people fled. It seems now that there are some heroes here they are getting cold feet. Well good, they would only get in the way. I am not even sure what they thought they could do, it is not like they got the jaws of life or anything. I got four of those right here, I smirked clenching my fists. Leave this to the professionals.


    The cars were tightly packed here, however on the other side it was free and clear. The three that were crushed would damage the container if I tried to pull them free. There were still people trapped in them too, so I had to be delicate here. Hmm. Maybe I can get this thing back on it''s wheels and push it away. If it does blow up it won''t do that much damage that way. Worth a shot at the least. I anchored myself at the front end axle that connected the trailer and the truck. My limbs strained, even my legs and I groaned. God, this fucking thing is heavy! Gonna pop a hernia doing this. It shifted and went up a few inches, still no good that was as far as I could get it. My tongue clicked and I lowered it back down. There must be some way to do this.


    Well the cars are goners anyway so they won''t mind if I tear them to pieces, right? I approached smelling the blood. Somebody was not doing good in there. Which car is it coming from? That one, the middle. I climbed up peering through the twisted metal. Squinting a hand could be made out, deep in there. Welp I guess it is time to get to work. My claws grabbed hold and flexed, tearing the metal apart. I had to go slow or else risk shifting the weight. I did not even have to look away from my goal to see that the fire was out. Good job, Sunshine. The front seats drew closer. There was not just one person, but two. I burrowed deeper through the metal until the seats lay before me. It was kinda cozy in here... what the hell am I thinking? Focus, focus people could die.


    Damn it. The passenger was sandwiched in there, not sure how they are not crushed. The driver was easy to get out though so I will get him out first. My hands grasped him and I pulled lightly, easily. Unfortunately his leg was wedged in there. He screamed when it yanked and I stopped. I had learned my lesson after that fiasco in the slums, Super Strength was a double edged sword. If too much pressure was applied it would kill, too little and it did nothing. This is not going to work.


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    ¡°My wife... save my wife,¡± he croaked out.


    ¡°In a moment. She is really wedged in there, so it is going to take time. I will get you out first, so that you are not in my way.¡± I replied, though I said that, not sure how to proceed. It took a long moment to figure out this jig saw puzzle of twisted metal and dripping blood. I left him there and started carving out the metal from the back of the car until it was just the chairs left. Crawling underneath the remainder my arms fished about for his leg and popped it out from where it had been stuck. I did it too hard though and it cracked along with his voice. Shit. He was reduced to whimpering and sobbing. It was understandable, but very distracting.


    Unstuck, I ripped the chair and driver out setting them to the side. He got hauled off by the waiting knights of Sunshine land. Now for the hard part, the passenger. I entered the vacant driver section. Now that I had a better look at what I was dealing with, I paled at the thought of how to get this poor woman out. Under? Maybe from the side. I scurried to the door and applied pressure ripping it from the hinges. When I did though everything creaked. That did not sound good. Gently I pried the metal back away from him. It felt like I was playing one of those surgeon simulators. Easy, easy almost there. Don''t touch the sides. Just a little more! With a push the roof lifted enough for me to grasp and drag her out. Oh God look at all that blood... tasty, tasty blood. Damn it, Sub knock that shit off. I am not in the mood.


    ''When are you ever in the mood these days?'' Sub retorted, scoffing a little.


    ¡°Just shut up will you? I am trying to be a good person. Besides why is it always blood with you?¡±


    ''Oh, you know. It is so tasty and juicy. It really hits the spot.''


    ¡°Sub, I know you have good intentions but no, just no.¡±


    ''Suit yourself.'' Sub faded away, leaving me to the scene at hand.


    I sat catching my breath, as she got dragged off by Sunshine. Were there more people? The farthest car had been torn into much the same as mine, by the small squad of knights. The other one though had not been touched. It seems I was moving a little faster than her, granted she started later than me. My antenna squirmed sniffing out the last car. Man, I really am some kinda tracking animal, well whatever it is useful. It seemed to be clear... wait something did not smell right. It was coming from the trunk. A key was broken off in the hole. Interesting. I pried open the trunk and there was a well, a girl. She barely had a t shirt on and her face was swollen. She was bound and gagged, it looked like she was passed out.


    ''Bondage play go too far?''


    Sub really? No, obviously this was a kidnapping. I thought you slunk off somewhere. I lifted her out and tore off the license plate, with any luck we will be able to track down the piece of shit that did this. I waved the all clear, handing off the girl and plate to Glide. He had been gathering all of the survivors about a block away.


    ¡°Hey keep an eye on her. Looks like she got kidnapped, they might try something if they are still around.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°She was in a fucking trunk tied up. Make sure you hold onto that plate it is the one from that car,¡± I coldly replied. I could not tell what he thought since we can''t see each others'' facial expressions.


    He nodded readily and took off. Sunshine arrived at my side and asked, ¡°What do you think we should do about that?¡±


    When the fuck did I become the leader? Why are you asking me? I am the tank, not the mage. My job is to move shit and get hit by stuff. I rolled my eyes. Fine I will think of something. Lets see. Sunshine''s knights were about as strong as me so if we worked together that trailer could get lifted back up on it''s wheels. If we could do that then the clean up would be way less. The thing was not even busted open or anything. It was as good of a plan as any.


    ¡°Help me lift that truck back onto it''s wheels. It does not look that damaged, so I think it will be alright. What do you think?¡±


    She approached the side peering things over. She waved and I stepped beside her, I clicked my tongue, there was a small gash. It was leaking some glowing green shit. Does not look flammable though, so I suppose that is good. I dipped a finger in it. Not acidic, but it is radioactive. Well if we fuck up it will flood the street, if we do it right then it could be carted off without much trouble. Note to self get a welding torch installed in the suit. You get that down Sub?


    ''Yes, yes. Now stop your whining and be the hero,'' she said dismissively.


    ¡°Cap. I need your-¡± I started, but then the wind gusted and I turned to find Medavac''s ship lowering down to the place where all the injured were gathered.


    ¡°What was that? You cut out,¡± Glide replied over the com.


    ¡°Get over here and lead the team will you? I need your elf eyes for fuck sake.¡±


    ¡°Be over in a second what is the problem?¡±


    He glided on over and landed beside us looking over the tank. I asked. ¡°So your call. What you want us to do?¡±


    ¡°It seems fine. Leave it for the clean up crews.¡±


    ¡°It is leaking though.¡± Replied Sunshine.


    Glide walked over inspecting the hole before pointing his wrist at it and firing out some sticky gunk that plugged the hole. ¡°All fixed, happy?¡±


    We nodded. I guess I was just over thinking things. There was a sound, slight as it might have been. My antenna squirmed trying to figure out where the hell it was coming from, which was hard since there were sirens and yells from down the street. It took a while to hone in on the origin. A low moan was coming from under that thing. I darted over beside it and lowered to the ground. My antenna felt about and I could smell someone. Son of a bitch, there was a person trapped under that thing.


    ¡°Cap. We missed one,¡± I said, pointing.


    ¡°Ah shit. Can we move it?¡± he asked crossing his arms and assessing the situation.


    ¡°We can try,¡± I said. ¡°With Sunshine we could probably get it up a couple of feet. You think you can pull them out in the mean time?¡±


    We circled around to see if there might be an easier way, but there was not. He nodded I showed him where the sound was coming from. I wanted to nibble at my nail or rather claw to help me think. Something tells me time of the essence here, so forgive me if I am not gentle. Better fucked up than dead right? May Lord Helix have mercy on your soul!


    The glowing pink knights materialized and positioned themselves alongside me. Sunshine counted down. At one we both lifted, well her knights did anyway. The container shifted and groaned listing, before tilting. With our powers combined we could do this. Glide swooped in while we held it steady. He took a good twenty seconds before bolting back out with some kid who was missing an arm, blood trailing behind. In the clear, I looked at Sunshine and she nodded. We groaned and managed to set it back up right. It wobbled and I anchored it down to keep it from falling on the other side. After three back and forth teeters it stabilized and stood tall. I wiped the forehead of the helmet. Do you even lift bruh? I turned and Sunshine tackled me. Ugh. Surprise attack so not fair!


    ¡°Nee-sama we did it!¡±


    ¡°Good job Sunshine,¡± I beamed back, dragging her with me over to the extraction point.


    Medavac laughed seeing Sunshine glomped onto me. ¡°When did you two get so close?¡±


    ¡°Just the other night. So what are you up to?¡± I asked.


    His bulky white glossed suit shifted as he surveyed the scene. The visor down, showing off that jaw bone of a skull. He was clearly in work mode. ¡°Not much at all. Seems to be a slow day. Yourselves?¡±


    ¡°Oh you know, Super Hero stuff. You wanna join us?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t I be intruding?¡± he asked and I could tell he was looking at Sunshine. Oh come on, do I have that bad of a reputation?


    ¡°We are frien-¡± I started before Sunshine interrupted. ¡°Bestest friends forever and ever.¡±


    Not sure what I should say to that. I nodded, what else was I gonna do? I can''t fight her, might as well raise the white flag and surrender to her bombardment of cuddles. You know if you were not so cute I would probably be angry. Keep pushing it and I will dress you up like a doll. Although I think that is not a real punishment, she would probably enjoy it now that I think about it. I love Sunshine, no, no not in a sexual way like legit friends. Honestly I probably could not even get a lady boner for her if I tried. Sub... that is not a challenge, don''t you do it! We talked about this. No, bad Sub. You keep it up and I will take the tentacles away. That is what I thought. I will play with you later.


    ¡°BFFs eh?¡± said Medavac, somehow I did not like the tone of his voice. Why are you questioning it? Don''t tell me even you think I can''t make friends!


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± I asked, getting up in his face.


    He just started chuckling, ¡°I wonder?¡±


    My stomach grumbled, hungry already? I just ate a bucket of chicken. This metabolism is ridiculous. I eat more than a small village, hell I would probably eat the damned village. Let''s see I already had chicken so what do I wanna eat now? Ah, but before that how is our little kidnapped girl doing? I glanced over the paramedics, who were busy rushing patients into the drop ship. There she was. It looked a bit rough. They had given her a sheet and untied the ropes. Her face was seriously swollen and bruised. That is going to take a bit to get over. At the very least, she is in good hands. Medavac is a pretty cool guy and his boys are pros so it should be fine. Not like I can do better. In fact I should just stay away from medical stuff. Good thing I am not Mecha Nurse.


    There was not really much else for us to do here. ¡°So we are meeting up with the others?¡±


    Glide nodded, ¡°Yeah they should be finishing up.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well what are we waiting for?¡±


    Hope you all enjoyed ::) feel free to comment and as always if there are mistakes point them out. ^^

 Arc 4, Gonna Need A Hero, Chapter 5

    Hello everyone ^^ I hope you had a good week. Here it is hope you enjoy ::) Only going to be one chapter this week was busy, hate admit it, but got distracted by League and trying to drag my ass out of Silver into gold again lol. It is hard when you tilt for like 10 games straight  :P


    Arc 4 Chapter 5


    The Plaza was a circular area in between Downtown and the Market District, or as some people call it Old Bronson. Standing in the middle you were in something of a concrete jungle. High rising fast food stores were all crammed together to save room. The streets were bustling with people, in this area cars were not allowed. The only reason there was a road was for if the cops, paramedics, or firefighters had to come in, which was thankfully not all that often. It was kinda odd since the Super Villains seemed to stay away from here. I can''t remember the last time some crazy shit went down in the area. At any rate, I am thankful for it since this place is such a great hang out spot. Speaking of which there was a little something on the agenda. For now we were meeting up with Disk and Squeeze, then me and Sunshine were going to have our girl time. I''m going to pamper the shit out of her!


    Down below the circling butterfly you could see it all. The mall with their brand name logos, popping out to lure in customers. Street vendors peddling the juicy hot dogs that would burn a hole in your gut and make you hate life for the next two days, but taste so good that you could not help but have one. It was making me drool a little, I mean, I love greasy junk food. There were flower shops the pollen was sticking to my antenna and making me want to wipe it off. Still it was an enjoyable smell. Right next door their was an adult shop, not that I would go in there. That is what Neon Nurse is for, hell she has me test out her crazy contraptions sometimes. That new tentacle thing was crazy... well anyway, back on topic here.


    This was the type of place where you could find just about anything and I am holding out a little glimmer of hope that I might find the rare and allusive thing called love. No, not Sunshine. I want a boy friend, I know crazy right? A big strong beef cake that would princess carry me to bed. He would have to have a job, a house, maybe a dog, hopefully a cat. Can''t be dumb, has to at the least be somewhat smart, not saying a genius here. He also has to be down to get dirty and wild. Also no kids. I don''t wanna have to deal with other people''s lingering regrets. It is not that I don''t like children, more of they would get in the way. I mean, how am I supposed to put the moves on with little munchkins darting all over the place? Sure they could be cute and maybe I could try, but if they are not mine I get the feeling that I would not love them the same, at the least not without effort. If only there was just some man that would sweep me off my feet and steal my heart. Even I think it is a complete fool''s errand that would likely just break my little hearts. A girl can dream right? If you are going to shoot then aim for the moon. Then again if you shoot the ground it is pretty hard to miss.


    We banked down through the air and landed gracefully next to the large fountain at the center of the Plaza. People were looking, I can''t blame them. It was normal to gawk, when a giant pink butterfly lands and suited up heroes hop off. Their eyes were filled with such wonder and awe. I nodded, Sunshine will do that to you. It was right about then that I noticed people were looking at me too. I was getting some rather envious gazes, from the girls who wanted to be me and the guys who wanted to do me. If only they knew what was under here they would not be looking at me like that. Ignorance is bliss as they say and if I have any say in it, a shroud of mystery will surround Mecha Fairy until long after the day that I die.


    My eyes scanned over the varied stores. We were looking for a particular one. Disk and Squeeze were already here since they had been closer originally and they were waiting for us in the Cyber Dome. It was something like a cafe and lounge type deal where people congregated to get some free wifi or food and coffee, what have you. It was on the far end of the walk way so we followed along with the crowd, granted they were giving us a little bit of space. Almost all of them anyway.


    ¡°Hey, hold on a minute,¡± said some people and of course Sunshine turned to see what it was about. ¡°Sunshine can we get a picture?¡±


    She did not even think it over before smiling and nodding, as a result we were swarmed by rabid enthusiasts. Selfie sticks filled the air and people of all ages and sizes were crowding around to take pictures with us, mostly Sunshine... what is this? She was popular? Maybe she just doesn''t realize she is popular? The way she was acting earlier, she had no friends and yet here all these people are so kind to her. Well, I suppose fans are not really friends. All that I can say is that she has a lot of fans. After a couple of minutes I got dragged in there too. She was grinning and I could not resist that. Who could?


    ¡°Sunshine who is this?¡± asked several of them. Ah, I really am unknown. Well this is like my second time out, so no surprise there.


    ¡°Oh, this is my bestest friend, Mecha Fairy-chan. She is so cool.¡±


    ¡°I am not that cool,¡± I replied a little embarrassed, rubbing the back of my head.


    ¡°Nonsense, nonsense,¡± she grinned back. ¡°Nee-sama is a Rank 5 and older than the rest of the team. She might as well be the leader.¡±


    The crowd was starting to really look at me here. I put my hand up, stopping her and pointing over my shoulder to the patiently waiting Glide, ¡°I am not the leader that is Astro Glide.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but if you had not sniffed out those last two people, we never would have found them.¡±


    ¡°So? I don''t wanna be the leader, too much work and commitment.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± asked Sunshine, looking a little sad. Man, how am I going to get her to be happy?


    ¡°Hey Sunshine,¡± I poked at her. ¡°You wanna do some super hero poses? I think they would be cute.¡±


    ¡°Only if Nee-sama does them with Sunshine,¡± she replied. The gathered crowd bristled with anticipation. This... this kinda feels like a Con doesn''t it? Being a super hero is actually pretty damned cool. Sure there is the messy stuff, but we get to run around in costumes and nobody looks at us weird. I have noticed that there is a sort of celebrity about being a hero. Granted there were the haters of course, but you can''t make everybody happy, so you have to pick and choose. Just gotta be yourself, no matter how weird that is. Unless of course you wanna eat people... Sub I am looking at you here. Don''t get all indignant on me.


    ''You know, you sure do complain a lot,'' sullenly said Sub. ''Just try it one time, just a bite and I swear that you will love it.''


    Right, right, as if I would agree with you on this. That is where I draw the line. Look we do some crazy shit in my head, but it will not come into reality. So unless you have something good to say then shove a clam in your craw. Well that shut her up for now. You actually clammed up huh? It was a little unnerving that she got so silent and so I peeked in there to see what she was up to. She was lounging there on the mental couch being a lazy slob, eating ice cream. That is not so bad. Where did you get that? I see you in there! Are you trying to give me a brain freeze? She wiggled her fingers and smirked. Uh oh, I gave her ideas! This won''t end well. Just keep it to a minimum will you? I am trusting you in there, so don''t go too wild.


    Now then, where was I? Ah yes. There really was only one real choice for moves. Moon Sailors of course. The problem was which ones? There were so many. We could go for the fighting poses or the finisher moves, maybe even the transformations, who knows it might even get to the point we do the attack moves like the pole grind or the pile driver. I get the feeling she was going to do all the Loli-chan moves.


    ¡°Moon Sailors?¡± I asked and she nodded, well not like it was a real question. Clearly Sunshine was on the same page I was.


    ¡°Power of Love?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Ah, of course. Good thinking,¡± a happy grin spread on my lips. It was the ending theme pose.


    The crowd parted a little bit to give us room, all the while Glide was trying to act like he does not know us. Spoil sport. Too late though I had already incriminated him. I took a few paces from her and she did the same. We nodded and side stepped toward one another with our hands in the air slowly lowering, well mine at the least. She was so short compared to me that she needed to keep them up or we would not reach. We both chanted at the same time, ¡°With our powers of love combined!¡±


    Our hands touched and sparkles flew everywhere. They swirled up exploding into rainbows and showering down warm droplets that bent the light. They glowed every color imaginable. One hundred percent Sunshine on this. I am starting to feel inadequate. A tinge of remorse stabbed my heart. I really am a bad person, desiring her power for myself. No good, no good. I can''t think like that. We don''t choose our powers and from the sounds of it she went through a lot of pain to get it. Our fingers separated. I wanted to slap myself for being such a shallow bitch. Sub did it for me. Owe... that really hurt you know. Well, I did deserve it, so thanks.


    ''No problem,'' she replied, patting me. Her touch felt like a cat kneading my brain. Oh yeah that is the stuff. I can get used to this.


    ¡°Nee-sama, Nee-sama! What are we going to do next?¡± beamed Sunshine, bouncing at my side. Her bunny ears dancing.


    ¡°Heart Squat?¡± I asked looking down, not really thinking about it. Oh shit, what did I just say? That is embarrassing! No, Sunshine no. Too late she has that look saying she wants to do it. I sighed, well let''s get this over with.


    I covered my face for a moment, knowing what was to come. I could not resist that smile. We went back to back and held hands, before dropping our booties. I had to go way the hell lower than she did. It was a little miss matched to say the least. By the end though we were essentially on the same level. Don''t you look down on my flexibility! Our fingers entwined and formed hearts, each a half that completed the other. The gathered fans were going nuts and flashes were going off everywhere. Oh God, this is so gay. I am never going to hear the end of this. They have pictures too! I won''t be able to just say it never happened. Something tells me there is going to be a forum somewhere shipping us. This is going to be everywhere, isn''t it? I might as well be declaring my love for her, right here in front of everybody. It is not like that. I swear. She is just so cute and cuddly, I can''t stop myself. Somebody save me from myself!


    ¡°Next lets do love, love tower,¡± she excitedly said.


    ¡°We can''t do that we need like five people.¡±


    ¡°Then let''s do the face off routine.¡±


    Glide interrupted, ¡°Hey we should get going,¡± my savior! You just got twenty points in my friendship meter.


    ¡°Ah, hes right it is sort of rude to keep people waiting. We can do this some other time,¡± I comforted her. The frown was going to rip my soul into shreds. Smile, smile you are hurting me here.


    She pouted, reluctant to leave, ¡°Alright.¡±


    I got on my knees and she stared at me for a long moment. Her smile grew again, as she clambered up my back. That is right, I gave her a piggy back ride. The fans were getting riled up and angry that we were leaving. I could hear their boos and some asshole threw a can. It bounced off of my helmet. What the fuck man? You could have hit Sunshine! Hit me if you like, but don''t you dare touch her. I turned looking for that son of a bitch. They dispersed rather quickly, when I took an aggressive stance. Cowards. Don''t start shit if you are not willing to deal with the consequences. Good riddance, damned leaches latching onto my Sunshine. I will rip and burn them all off before I let them drag her down into the muck. I won''t let what happened to me happen to others.


    We went along, glancing over the varied stands there was all sorts. Even a produce stand. They had bananas, melons, broccoli, strawberries, cabbage, carrots, turnips... my face scrunched up at the sight of those foul things. Molotov, eh? I had not thought about her at all recently, trying to forget. I wonder what she is up to anyway? Can''t be anything good. Probably off somewhere, beating people, while calling them Suka and rubbing turnips in their face. I think, I might have Turnip trauma here. At least it is not to the point that it is a phobia, or something where I run away, screaming at the very sight of them.


    Sunshine wiggled and pointed down at them, ¡°Nee-san, Nee-san aren''t those turnips cute?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why? Why don''t you like them?¡± she pleaded.


    ¡°They are cold and hard that is why. Besides they taste bitter like my tears. I much prefer squishy things like this banana, strawberry or melon, they are sweet and tasty.¡±


    ¡°Just cause it tastes bad doesn''t make it any less cute. I mean kittens are not meant for eating and they are so adorable right? Ah, but these strawberries are so itty bitty. Can we get some? Please, please, can we?¡±


    I was thinking it over. Turnips... why does it have to be turnips? Well if she really wants it, ¡°You can have one turnip, only one so pick wisely. Excuse me, I will have two bananas, a watermelon, a bag of berries, and a turnip.¡±


    The stall owner smiled. ¡°Paper or plastic?¡±


    ¡°Plastic. Paper rips too easily.¡±


    Our little exchange carried on and I took what I wanted, after handing over twenty bucks. Sunshine got her turnip, it was the smallest one they had, with little roots and a couple leaves. She was grinning from ear to ear. I don''t really understand it, but at the least she is happy. I on the other hand got my tasty, tasty melon, berries and naners. Naturally, I would not be able to eat until it was just me and Sunshine, but for now I was happy. After all watermelon is my favorite non meat food. All that delicious sugary nectar. It also kinda looks like meat and bleeds when I bite it. What? It keeps Sub happy. I am rather inclined to keep her from thinking about eating small furry animals. Not the fluffy tailed squirrels!


    The bag swayed in my hands, while I hummed along with Sunshine. This was definitely going to be a good day. The sun was getting ready to set. The blue sky was turning purple and red, with pink clouds scuttling off behind the sky scrapers. A low whistling of the wind danced through the street. It played with my antenna. If only I could feel it on my face. That was something that I regretted about the suit, sure I had ac but the senses were off. For one my eyes were less sensitive, smells were dampened, touch was naturally confined as well, but the hearing was about the same though.


    We had arrived at our destination, Cyber Dome. It was a strange little place. Compared to the Atomic Strobe it was falling short. How? There did not seem to be all that many people here. That might be because of the timing though, so I will give it a little bit of a break. The lights were gaudy and strobed a little. Scrolling neon lights led the way inside, through large glass doors. Somehow this seems like the kind of place that Squeeze would come to. There was just this sketchy, seedy atmosphere floating around. Which is how I imagined that playboy would be just below the surface. Inside was dimly lit, not for me of course, with tables to sit at varied spots. The low glow of laptops and phones revealed quite the few people huddled around in here. They were off in their own little worlds, playing games or watching movies.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    A hand waved at us and that confident, yet snarky voice that I knew was Squeeze followed. ¡°Took you long enough.¡±


    ¡°We got mobbed you know,¡± said Glide, leading the way over to the enclosed booth near the back.


    Squeeze was suited up and had that little mask over his eyes. Disk was face deep in his games. Naturally he was in costume with that helmet and goggles on. The low glow of his suit kept him from vanishing into the darkness. I leaned over, trying to see what he was up to. There was a long moment when my shadow over took him and then, finally noticing, he peered up with that deer in the headlights look. He recoiled away into the back of the seat. What? I won''t bite, hard. The boy is still spooked I guess. This is your fault Sub. How to fix this, I wonder? A gaming friend is one thing that I really want. It would be a real shame to ruin this. I suppose, I should just lay off of him for a while and gently coax him back into the fold. Yes, Sub, keep it professional.


    Sunshine scampered off of my back and nestled down on the plush leather seats, patting them invitingly. I took my seat, glancing around. This was a rather small place. A black metal table took up the center and we were all circled around it. Wooden seats to our back and behind those metal lined the booth walls in a rod iron fashion. If I did not know any better this place seemed like a sort of cage. It made me feel uneasy to say the least. Glide and Squeeze had their elbows on the top, while Disk was off in the corner.


    ¡°So how was your patrol?¡± I asked. Looking Squeeze over since little Disk was cowering away, as though I might eat him. He thinks too highly of himself, I am rather picky about my food.


    Gravity Squeeze looked over the menu for a moment longer before answering, ¡°Not much. Squished a couple mutant rats that were in a dumpster. What about you guys?¡±


    Glide answered, ¡°We stopped a purse snatching and rescued people from a pile up.¡±


    ¡°Sounds about average.¡±


    ¡°Well when he describes it like that yeah,¡± I pat my chin. ¡°What would be a crazy day?¡±


    ¡°Super Villains.¡± replied Glide, with a nod. ¡°They are not always up to stuff, but when they are it is usually big. One of the gangs tries something at the least once a week. Sometimes more than one will do a job on the same day and it gets hectic.¡±


    I looked over the menu not really paying too much attention. This was stuff I had already heard before. The real question was what do I want to eat? Have not had fish for a while, maybe some fish N chips? Sounds pretty good actually. Sub wanted the steak and lobster though. Look at those prices! So expensive. This is highway robbery. Forty bucks in a hole like this? Back away not today. Then I have to start questioning how sanitary this place is. There are probably cockroaches scurrying around in the back. Fish N chips it is, they can''t fuck up deep frying can they?


    ¡°Hey Sunshine. What do you usually get here?¡± I asked, looking her over.


    She was positively glowing when she replied, ¡°Sunshine usually gets the banana split, ice cream sundae with double sprinkles and whipped cream!¡±


    That was somehow unexpected. I should have realized she would get that, but this place actually makes that? Sure enough, there it was on the menu. ¡°No, I mean like food, food.¡±


    ¡°It is always food with Nee-san isn''t it?¡± she smiled vaguely.


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± I grouched at her. Everyone is always picking on me about eating so much. I can''t help it, regenerating burns calories or at the least that is how it feels. The worse the wound the hungrier I get. I already look like a skeleton, I need some meat under my bones you know. In other words I got to pregame it by gorging before hand. That way if anything hurty happens I spring right back. After all preparedness is the key to victory! That and I don''t want to lose control and go all cannibal on somebody. At the least that is how I think it works, Dr. Arbor was kind of sketchy on the details. Even if that does not pan out, it is still a good excuse to eat.


    ¡°Sunshine did not mean that badly. It is your coping mechanism right?¡± she asked, strangely lucid. It was almost like she was an entirely different person. Who are you? What did you do with my bubbly Sunshine? ¡°Sunshine knows all about those delightful things. My fantasies are my escape, but sometimes there is none.¡±


    ¡°That is dark. Have you taken your pills today?¡±


    ¡°Only one so far. Can''t take them on an empty stomach. Speaking of which we should really order soon.¡±


    I nodded in agreement and as if on cue a waitress walked up. A paranoid person might start thinking that she had been listening in on us. She looked rather giddy for some reason. Was it because she was serving heroes? At the least we get some sort of fan fair here. We all looked over at her and some orders were being placed. Sunshine really got the sundae, not that I doubted her or anything. Everybody else got a burger and fries. Well some beef does sound pretty tasty right about now. Besides I was having second thoughts about how much I trusted this place with fish.


    ¡°I will have one as well.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty, so four burger combos and a banana split sundae. What can I get for your drinks?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Lemonade with extra sugar.¡± I replied handing over my menu.


    She took it from me and collected the rest along with their orders. Everyone else went with soda, but Sunshine got some tea. I could guess it was for her pills. Good call, soda goes straight to the thighs after all. Although ice cream is not much better, if not worse. You should eat some real food you know? Sprinkles won''t stave off starvation. The waitress took her leave and we were left to our own devices once more. Disk retreated back to his game, not sure which one he is playing. I was not very inclined to ask since he might start running up the wall or something. Not much I can do about it. I held my head in my hands thinking. It was hard when my stomach sounded like some starved beast.


    ¡°So Nee-san. I was wondering, what is your real name?¡± asked Sunshine, staring at me with those puppy dog eyes. Those might usually work, but not this time.


    ¡°Name? Is this really a good place to talk about that? People could be listening you know,¡± I replied, with just a hint of paranoia.


    ¡°Don''t be silly no one really cares who we are, besides what could they do if they learned your first name?¡± she replied not thinking too much on it.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± I looked them over and sighed, ¡°You want me to name off reasons, alright. First they could threaten your family. Second they could dig up some dirt and black mail you. Third they could look up where you live and set up an ambush. Fourth you could be walking around as a civi and people might recognize you. This could lead to stalkers as well as people trying to hurt you. Need I go on?¡±


    ¡°You have really thought that out,¡± said Glide rather impressed.


    I nodded. ¡°Well when you have dealt with the real deal Villains it tends to make you paranoid as fuck. I am still scared that somebody is going to kill my dad or take him hostage.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Kraken knows who I am, where I live, and who my parents are. If they wanted to they could kidnap them and force me to join them at any point. Honestly it is nerve wracking. I try not to think about it too much.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you worried about? The worst people in the world already know, so how much worse can it get?¡± asked Squeeze, he strangely made a little sense, but I had already thought that far.


    ¡°I don''t want the local gangs knowing. If they did something, I might think it was the Kraken and blow things out of proportion. That and I would probably end up betraying you guys, if it was to save my dad. Sorry, but it is true.¡±


    Sunshine smiled. ¡°At the least you are honest Nee-san.¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t make me feel any better about it.¡±


    ¡°You are too hard on yourself. After all that is something just about everybody would balk at,¡± said Glide, reassuringly. He does have a point. I guess it would not be too bad.


    ¡°Well alright. If it is just first names, but I want to hear yours too,¡± I said and they nodded in agreement before I continued. ¡°Good then let''s continue this later tonight back at the Fire House.¡±


    Things got a little quiet. I had sort of shut down the conversation, but this was important. Honestly I am a little worried about these kids, they are not taking this seriously enough. This is how bad things happen to good people. They don''t seem to realize how fucked up Villains are. I would rather be paranoid and wrong, than blissful and dead, or worse. Just thinking about it makes my carapace crawl. Why is the world so messed up? Speaking of that something had been bugging me.


    ¡°Hey I have been wondering, Squeeze, could you crush somebody''s heart in their chest with your telekinesis?¡±


    His jaw dropped and he stammered. ¡°What the hell?! How would I even find out if I could do that?¡±


    I thought it over, ¡°You could try it on me? I mean, I have three of the things so if on the off chance it does work, I would not die before it regenerated.¡±


    ¡°You have three hearts?¡± said Glide, staring at me with what I could feel as apprehension. Not like I can see his face, but that was the vibe he was putting out. Wait did I just reveal that I am not human? Oh, God damn it. Me and my big mouth. If only I had been more discreet about it and not so interested in that grasp shit. I mean, if this pans out he could do some Star Wars force pulls and chokes, which is fucking awesome. At any rate, how to respond? I guess I could try to play it off.


    ¡°What? Doesn''t everybody have three hearts?¡± I chuckled.


    Glide nearly yelled and had to restrain himself. ¡°No! People do not have three hearts.¡±


    ¡°I know that, it was a joke, jeez. Calm down young elf, or else you will tempt the wrath of Lord Helix!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he groaned, getting ready to retreat. ¡°Not that again!¡±


    ¡°Through his tentacles we shall be saved, rejoice in the coming oblivion! Cast down the vile Dome Fossil for it shall lead you astray. Turn away from your false idols and bath in his holy light. He fainted for our sins. How can you turn your back upon he who sacrificed so much for us? I find your lack of faith disturbing. Come, consult the Helix with me. Repent and you shall be saved!¡± I really got this religious cult shenanigans down. It is surprisingly easy, what matters is sounding confident. The rest is just generic religious mumbo jumbo. I got him on the run now and none will be the wiser.


    ¡°Nee-san are you sure you want to tell them about your body?¡± asked Sunshine, innocent yet damning. Why Sunshine, why?


    I clicked my tongue when they looked at me curiously. Damn, my ranting like a lunatic did not divert the subject. ¡°I will tell you, or rather show you guys later.¡±


    ¡°Wait you are actually going to show us?¡± asked Squeeze with a skeptical frown.


    ¡°Well,¡± I half heartedly replied, ¡°you would find out eventually. Better than walking in on me while I am showering or my suit getting torn off in a fight. You gotta promise not the scream though.¡±


    ¡°Why would we scream?¡± wondered Disk, keeping his distance.


    ¡°Look, it is just easier to see than to explain.¡± I leaned my head into my arm on the table. ¡°We are a team now right? So you should know exactly who it is you are working with. I can trust you guys that much at the least right? But not here and certainly not now.¡±


    They nodded and Squeeze seemed rather intent, it seems I had caught his attention. ¡°What was that you were going on about earlier? It sounds kind of dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, I am trying to figure out how your power works. Can you move things that are inside of other things?¡±


    ¡°You mean like a box? No, I can only interact with the outside of things. I have to have line of sight. If the box is open sure, but if it is closed, nope.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. Then how fast can you throw something?¡±


    ¡°Don''t really know. Never really measured it. Usually we just go by how heavy something is and go off of that.¡±


    ¡°What is your effective range that you can interact with things?¡±


    Squeeze smirked and had that pompous air about him. ¡°A couple hundred yards. I can throw things farther than that though.¡±


    I stroked my spiked chin. Interesting. ¡°Could you make mind bullets?¡±


    ¡°Mind bullets?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like compressed particles around the size of bullets accelerated to the point that they can punch through things? Or even your power exerted in a concentrated point to stab through things. Although that might be too much for a Rank 4, maybe the higher ranks can do that? Can you block bullets by ripping them out of the air or forming a barrier?¡±


    Squeeze looked a little worried thinking things over. He spoke up after a little bit, ¡°I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry just my over active imagination at work here. You should look into that, if it panned out you would be pretty strong. I already know you can pull, punch or push things. If you did it right you could be some people''s worst nightmares and drop them from like two stories up to break their legs. If you concentrated enough pressure on one spot you could probably crush bones and stuff. Although this is all just conjecture so who knows.¡±


    Glide gulped. ¡°You are rather dark. What is with all the torture?¡±


    ¡°Compared to the shit I have gone through a broken leg or two is nothing. Talk to me when you have had your lungs ripped out and had to watch them breath in front of your eyes. I could go on, however I will spare you guys the details. You would probably have nightmares for a month, I still do even now.¡±


    Everyone cringed, even Sunshine. Glide spoke up, ¡°Is that what Chief was talking about?¡±


    I nodded slowly. Way to go me, the mood murderer. Sure fire way to shut down any sort of conversation, especially with the amount of bad vibes I was putting out. Thankfully the waitress returned with her hands full of our orders. Sunshine was glowing when she started snacking on her ice cream. It certainly smelled good. My burger was so greasy I had to take a second look at the thing. It was soggy and dribbled everywhere. The waitress left after a few moments and I reached over locking the door to our booth. It would not exactly be good if somebody came in when Glide had his helmet off. My lower mouth revealed itself from the helmet and I munched down, making sure not to open my lips too far. It would not exactly be good if they saw my mandibles.


    Despite the tasty food my mood was turning sour. Think happy thoughts, I reminded myself. It was not working. Everything was getting dark and foul. There was an awkward silence floating about, only broken by the murmurs of the restaurant and the low clicking of my mandibles grinding together. Although it may have just been everyone chowing down. Kinda hard to talk when you are eating. Someone in a booth nearby was watching a movie. I think it had something to do with super natural stuff. From the sounds of it some guy was getting mauled by a werewolf, sucks to be him. Listening closely I could make out a heated conversation about a game coming from across the way. They were trying to figure out what was the best class in SR.


    To be so care free, it is hard to not envy them. One would think that everything was perfectly peachy, when it most assuredly was not. Wars rage in Europe the media can''t cover that up, though they try. Supers abuse their powers for crime rather than contributing to society. Every time anything bad happens the media goons demand stricter laws for Supers. What good is restricting the heroes who actually listen to the law? Criminals by definition don''t care about laws. What? Is some little piece of paper going to stop a mad man from blowing up a city block? Is it going to stop a rapist from holding some girl down in the park? Of course not, they don''t give a fuck.


    No, this is not some magical wonderland where everybody gets along and follows the rules. You wanna stop it, you fight fire with fire. Supers going there and kicking his ass are going to stop him and limit the damage. The good guys often times received the blame for the destruction despite the fact that things would have been much worse if they had not helped. I read about some poor bastard called Hans, who stopped a robbery. He broke the thug''s spine on a table and then got sued by the crook so hard he lost his house, family, job and he even ended up on the street where he got murdered by that scum''s gang. Despite the fact the scumbag had shot and tried to kill four people. He saved them, he fucking saved them and that was the thanks he got. It makes me sick.


    Even the police are getting serious backlash for doing their jobs. Every time some punk gets gunned down all the protesters come out of the woodwork. Don''t wanna get shot? Then don''t point a gun at cops or charge them when they tell you to put your hands on the top of your head. Idiots riot in the streets calling for justice; all while vandalizing, burning, assaulting, and looting their own communities and then they bitch about how their hoods are such shit holes. That is not how you make things better, it makes things worse when you act like uncivilized animals. It makes what ever it was that you were trying to get across less legitimate and everyone looks down on you. How the hell are they supposed to get ahead when they burn down their own businesses and homes? You want to make a difference then don''t join a gang and help the police clean the place up, rather than driving them out and pulling the race card on everything.


    It makes me not want to help people, if the ones getting the heat are the ones abiding the laws. The ones risking their lives to help get stabbed in the back by the people they just saved. Criminals will always find a way to get around laws, it is why they are criminals. You want to change stuff? Step up and stop the scum, root it out where ever it is and for God''s sake keep the damned kids off of the street and out of gangs. Actions speak volumes more than words. Not that dwelling on this will do anything. I can''t change the world, but I can at the least try to make a difference. I doubt that any civi would listen to me outside of this suit though. If I see someone needs help then I will try my best. Doesn''t matter if they are black, white or purple. I don''t judge based on appearance, it is actions I go by. You act like a piece of shit, I will treat you like one.


    ____


    Hope you enjoyed.

 Arc 4, Gonna Need A Hero, Chapter 6

    Hello everyone hope you had a good week :P A heads up Over Watch has become Overseer. Only thing that I have changed.


    Arc 4, Chapter 6


    I nibbled away at the strawberries, absently watching the others. The guys were chatting away about which celebrity they wanted bang, Squeeze had a real hard on for Katy Perry apparently. Glide was a Taylor Swift fan and Disk oddly enough is a Nikki Minaj fan, I had him pegged for a Lady Gaga kinda guy. Me? Well if I had to choose it would obviously be Ichigo. Wait does she even count as a celebrity? Ok so girls it would probably be Natalie Portman, Katy and Gaga. For guys Boris, then Robert Downey Jr. of course Tom Hiddleston is pretty good too and of course Chris Pratt. It is hard to make choices, there are lots to choose from. Sunshine was oblivious to the whole conversation, off in her own little world.


    I peeled a banana when I finished off the last of the strawberries. Glide gave me a side ward glance when I did. What, you think I am going to deep throat this thing or something? I squinted at him for a moment, I could do it just to fuck with him, but I decided not to. He can get his entertainment elsewhere. I bit into it and he winced. Delicious, nice and sweet. So damned easy to read, playboys really are shallow people. Well that is what you get for imagining me sucking your dick bro. He looked away a little pained. I smirked at him and his face went ghost white. Oops I forgot about this evil, inhuman smile. My face quickly reset to an expressionless state before anybody else saw.


    The only thing left for me to eat was my watermelon, but there was not a snow ball''s chance in hell I was about to eat that thing in front of them. I stretched and closed my helmet again. It took another five minutes for them to finally leave. I covered the tip, the food was meh but meat is meat so I don''t really care.


    ¡°Nee-san did you want to do that thing today?¡± excitedly asked Sunshine.


    I scratched my helmet, how the hell could I refuse that? ¡°Sure, if you want to.¡±


    ¡°Me and Disk are going to hit up the Arcade. You wanna come?¡± asked Squeeze.


    I pat Sunshine on the head, she liked that nuzzling up to me like a cat. ¡°Nah. We are going to have a girl''s night. What are you going to do Glide?¡±


    He glanced at the starry sky, ¡°I was going to go study for my test. I have one coming up in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What are you studying?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Aerospace Engineering.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense strangely. So what got you into that, the whole flying thing?¡±


    ¡°When I was a kid I wanted to be an astronaut. Ever since I saw the world from an airplane for the first time it just kinda all fit. Now though it is mostly just to help me figure out ways to get faster in my flight.¡±


    ¡°It is good to have dreams,¡± I smiled though no one could see it. ¡°I take it that suit is the fruits of your labor?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°I will see you guys when you stumble in. Try not to have too much fun. Also keep your receivers on in case a call comes in.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well good night young elf. May your studies be successful. Remember to consult the Helix.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think your weirdo fossil god is going to help me with anything.¡±


    ¡°You would be surprised. Nighty, night,¡± I wiggled my fingers at him.


    He took off soaring through the sky. Makes me a little jealous. I do have wings, but they don''t exactly work all that good. Tops I can levitate like two feet off the ground, however it is tiring. Practice makes better I suppose. Squeeze and Disk sauntered away through the crowded plaza, leaving me and Sunshine. The brisk night air chirped with the ramblings of the surrounding people. Many were on their cellphones, staring into the glowing screens, oblivious to the world around them. I would not be surprised if they walked out in front of a car and got hit. Good thing there are none around here though. They still might bump into people. I had seen it happen a few times already and the idiot with their face buried in the phone usually is the one to get angry. Watch where you are going, dumbass.


    I led the way with Sunshine following behind. Her hand held lightly in mine, she is so damned short, I get the feeling I would lose her in the crowd if she got separated. Although, if I think about it I am a walking landmark, since I am seven foot tall in this suit. I might lose her, but something tells me she would not lose me. In the end I was more or less her battering ram. I trudged through the mass of people and she did not have to worry about much. People bounced off of my metal form. They really should look where they are going. A couple got angry before paling at how big I was or as I should say tall. I am not fat, in fact quite the opposite. They quickly took off not wanting to mess with a Super. Odd that they would fear a hero league member. I guess it just goes to show how intimidating having powers is. That and they probably don''t know who I am, I am not popular at all. Although that is probably a good thing. We went on arriving at the mall entrance. The large glowing signs advertised some swanky brand stuff. Who knows, they might have something good. If only there was a shop that sold hot dudes.


    Strangely the low sound of music radiated out from behind us, it was funky. I glanced over the plaza and then I saw it. A wild hunkasaurous rex... er, I mean a sexy man. Tall, dark and dangerous, every girl''s fantasize at some point or another. Ok maybe not dark, but this guy had it going on. I was getting some wrestler vibes from him. Honestly it was a hard toss up between him and Admiral Moon, can''t really say for sure since his face has a mask on. His grizzled chin stuck out though. That is right this dude must be a hero or something, for God''s sake he has an American flag as his cape design. This guy was almost as tall as me and had on a star and stripe patterned leotard. Oddly he had a boombox over his shoulder... BORIS?! It has to be right? Wait, wait, but would he wear a USA flag? The man muscles check out, them guns though. This thick pheromone stench that makes me quiver is different. Strange. Maybe it isn''t him? You can''t really fool my antenna when it come to scents. Well only one way to find out. That is right Vesper, talk to him. Crap, that is like the hardest thing ever.


    ''What the fuck you waiting for girl hit that shit!'' yelled Sub in my head. ''Don''t get all shy and shit on me now.''


    ¡°It is a little intimidating though.¡±


    ''Oh come on. Don''t you dare cock block us again!''


    ¡°Chicks before dicks. I can''t just run off on Sunshine here. I promised.¡±


    While I had been debating with myself Sunshine had stopped and looked to see where I was gazing, ¡°Nee-san? Hey, look it is Bronsonman!¡±


    ¡°Bronsonman? Who the fuck is that?¡±


    ¡°He is a vigilante. Most of the heroes don''t like him though since he won''t join the Hero League. In other words he is an unregistered Super. You think he will give us an autograph?¡± smiled Sunshine.


    Well that is an in to talk with him, if I ever heard one. Sunshine over here raising flags to the sky. Is this that wing girl thing I hear about? I thought that was usually in a bar and we pack up to scare off the scrub losers and get free drinks from the alpha men. That is desperate pick up done right. Wait wouldn''t I be the ugly bullet or rather grenade the bros would have to tank to get to Sunshine? I mean she is the cute one, they would be aiming for her, I would think. Nothing but carapace on this girl after all. Although on the surface the fugly is hidden so I guess, I am the trap. Just a mirage in the desert leading to their shattered hopes. I would probably be like, ¡°Gotcha bitch!¡± That actually sounds kinda fun. Ah, shit what am I even thinking Sunshine is only eighteen, she can''t even drink yet. At any rate I am getting way the hell ahead on myself here. This dude could be Boris for all I know. If so, I must steer this ship into an iceberg before it can set sail into the sea of lovey dovey. It is going to hurt sinking the love boat.


    ¡°Why don''t the Heroes like him for being unregistered?¡±


    ¡°No idea? Chief-dono would know though.¡±


    ¡°It is probably something stupid like a pissing contest between the guys or something. Wanna give it a shot?¡±


    ¡°Sure. He is Sunshine''s third favorite hero.¡±


    ¡°Third?¡±


    She grinned, ¡°Yes. You are number one you know? Chief-dono is number two.¡±


    ¡°ME?!¡± I blushed looking away, oh God dammit Sunshine stop critting me in the chest. My hearts can''t take attacks of that magnitude, ¡°What the hell is good about me?¡±


    ¡°Silly of course you are number one. You are my first friend.¡±


    I pulled on her cheek. This girl! I don''t know if I should be happy or burst into tears over this. It makes me so damned sad. Sub thinks we should be happy about it, but I just want to hold her and cry. Seriously what kind of life did you live up until now? I am going to have to spoil her rotten. She protested, flailing her little arms at me while puffing up her cheeks. Bottom righty gave her a hug and I pet her for a moment. There, there I will make it all better my tiny little critter... wait am I starting to think of her as a pet or something? Well, she is super cute. She reminds me of a hamster, although less bitey or maybe a mini unicorn with sparkles and glitter everywhere?


    I let her go and we stalk- I mean strategically approached Bronsonman. Even as heroes it was a little awkward just walking up to the guy. I had to hold Sunshine back otherwise she was just going to bolt up to him. Seriously it feels like I need a leash for her or something. Wait, am I the only one being strange here? There were quite the few people stopping and talking to him. It took a few more minutes of tailing him before I realized I was just being a weirdo. Bronsonman was kinda odd though. He was roller skating and grooving to his music. His head bounced to the beat and it seemed rude to interrupt since he was so damned into it. Then an opportunity presented itself, he got stopped by a couple of people trying to get autographs, which he happily gave out. Like wild jungle cats we pounced.


    ¡°Mister Bronsonman! Sunshine wants an autograph!¡± she squealed running up to him. Dammit girl! Keep it low key will you?


    That got everybody''s attention. He just smiled looking down at her. She had collided with his leg and bounced off, not even making him budge. Considering that he was on roller skates that made it even more evident how weak she herself is. This hardly fazed Sunshine though since she was already back on her feet, waving a piece of paper at him. I face palmed, making my way over. Sunshine, you embarrass me sometimes, oh well small price to pay for breaking the ice. Her boundless enthusiasm and relentless spirit was well, kinda like a train wreck. I just can''t stop watching it. Something of a circle had formed with us in the center. This seems rather familiar. Is it always like this when they catch a Hero or two out in public? Oh I see, so this is why most people go Civi right after they get off, so that they don''t have to deal with this. It all makes sense now. I get the feeling that this would get old fast. These people seem to like us so I can only imagine what it would be like if we got mobbed by people who did not like us.


    ¡°You are under arrest!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°For what?¡± asked the bewildered Bronsonman, it was hard to place his accent. One thing that I did know was that it was not Russian. Wait is he really not Boris? Oh crap, now I have to play this off or I will look like an idiot.


    I wracked my brain for some sort of out and then it dawned on me, ¡°It is criminal to be that sexy and not have my number.¡±


    He chuckled swaying flamboyantly, ¡°Would you settle for an autograph, Mecha Fairy and Sunshine?¡±


    ¡°You know me?!¡± I gasped. He had turned the tables in a second.


    ¡°Bronsonman makes it a habit to look into all the heroes and villains around,¡± he replied. What the hell he talks in third person too? Is that what heroes are supposed to do? Have I been doing it wrong this whole time?!


    ¡°Sunshine wants an autograph!¡± puffed up the little magical girl.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry one moment,¡± he apologized, taking the picture and signing it. He genuinely seemed like a nice guy.


    Oh hell, I just realized I don''t have a phone. How is he supposed to call me? Fuck my life. I did not even have a picture for him to sign either. Man I am such a scrub. Get it together Vesper. Sunshine excitedly took back her picture and to my surprise he handed one to me as well. Wait a minute does Bronsonman carry pictures of himself around with him just to sign them? Where exactly does this guy keep them, his outfit does not have pockets. This is going to bug the shit outta me. This is the sort of stuff that keeps me up at night. Is it his belt? It has to be.


    He posed that chiseled man flesh, while adoring fans snapped pictures and fan girls screamed, some even fainted. I can''t really blame them this guy is pretty damned hot. It is like he is taunting me with his hunkiness. He flexed his arm, the bicep was like a freaking milk jug and it could probably crush a man''s skull. This dude has to be someone famous, there is no way such a beast would be unknown to science. Unless he is something equivalent to the Loch Ness monster or something. Well I know what I am doing tonight. That is right looking through all the pictures of body builders and trying to figure out who the hell this guy is. I must study this, take in all the details.


    ''So we can black mail him into becoming our sex slave?'' asked Sub.


    ¡°Exactly... no wait. Dammit! Sub no, that is bad. I am not some villain.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ''You are not one to talk, Evil Empress Vespidian. Stop sending me mating vibes if you are going to stone wall. You are getting me excited for nothing over here.''


    ¡°That is different, Sub. I would rather get to know the guy. You know, a real relationship.¡±


    ''What, am I not good enough for you? Is that why you are always looking at others? My heart burns like a super nova inside of a phoenix for you and yet you lust after others. You are being a god damned tease you know that?''


    ¡°Sub, it is not like that. You know I love you, but you are in my head. It is kinda hard to explain you to others and not look completely insane.¡±


    ''Alright I will give you that. I, in my generosity will allow a single consort.''


    ¡°Says the one with a harem fetish.¡±


    ''You know me too well.''


    ¡°Well, you are me so, naturally.¡±


    ''And I am you,'' she smirked.


    There was really no arguing with that. I glanced over Bronsonman as he quickly signed things that were presented before him. It was only now that I actually looked at his signature, it was certainly not what I had been expecting. It was circled and the tops had cat ears. I found it rather adorable and every time I looked over at him, I imagined cat ears on his head. It was hard to stop grinning like an idiot, thankfully nobody could see my face. He had finished the latest barrage of requests and looked like he was about to take off again. Where the hell do you think you are going?!


    ¡°Bronsonman! Hey did you wanna hang out or something?¡± I asked as he held the boombox on his shoulder.


    ¡°Maybe next time. Oh by the way good job saving that guy in the slums,¡± he replied with a little wave. He heard about that?


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You do good work, rough, but we all start out somewhere. I respect that. Can I get your autograph?¡± asked Bronsonman handing me a picture.


    It was me, in the suit. I don''t remember people taking pictures in a photo shoot. The quality was rather high, though it was just the faceless helmet. Do I have a stalker or something already? Where did this come from? I looked around awkwardly. Nobody really appeared all that suspicious, well we were surrounded by hero enthusiasts so that makes it a bit harder to identify the weirdos. At any rate it would be rude to keep him waiting. Looks like learning cursive is about to come in handy. I signed in Mecha Fairy with scrawling letters and twirly wings behind it. Seems legit, I guess. Not really too sure since this is my first one. He smiled when I handed it back and my knees felt weak.


    ¡°Till we meet again,¡± declared Bronsonman shaking my hand. He had a firm, manly grip.


    I absently waved him off. He moved in time with the funky music. Bronsonman swayed back and forth rolling away as the shrieks of desperate women chased after. I shook my head, clearing it and stashed away my signed picture. At the least this was fruitful. Sunshine smiled at me and took my hand again. I had noticed this weird circle jerk kinda thing going on with heroes, I can''t really explain why, but for some reason we all wanted autographs from one another. Seeing it first hand I was starting to understand why Chief went so nuts over that Boris autograph.


    ¡°So what is first?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nee-san can decide.¡±


    I scratched my head. I don''t know that is why I asked you. I can''t exactly say that though so lets see here, ¡°Shopping sounds good. Any particular place you want to go to?¡±


    She was considering it when a loud beeping sound emanated from both of us. ¡°This is Overseer. We are getting reports of an accident on the Bronson Bridge nearby units move to help.¡±


    ¡°Wait is he talking to us or is that just a emergency broadcast?¡± I asked Sunshine.


    ¡°It should be us since we got the message. Everyone has their own channels so that means we should get going.¡±


    I nodded as the giant butterfly formed out of pink mist. She shimmied up and I straddled it behind her. We took off soaring through the air towards the bridge. The wind roared with every flap through the night sky. Clouds hovered about overhead and the bright crescent moon peeked out. Down below the city glowed, shifting, squirming; a writhing colony of incandescent ants. Way up here the sounds of civilization were murmured and silent. I took advantage of this and wolfed down my watermelon in one bite. It was peaceful. Just me, Sunshine and the wild blue. If only it would last forever. It wouldn''t though, good things never did.


    Bronson Bridge spanned a gorge that was three miles wide and two thousand feet deep. It was the fastest route towards the west and ever since the meltdown it had become the go to place to leave the city, besides the tunnel through the mountains in the north. It is a crowning achievement of modern architecture, far surpassing the Golden Gate Bridge in both length, girth and height. It boasted ten lanes on each side allowing for traffic, though only eight would have been more than enough. The builder''s likely were looking at the future needs and made it bigger to accommodate. To say this thing was ambitious would be an understatement since it took five years to finish, with the help of Supers and their high technical knowledge. To survive the earthquakes it needed to be able to move with the ground. So far it had held up to a seven on the Richter scale, it was the same one that caused the meltdown. Bronson Bridge is one of eight landmarks for the city.


    The red lights of brakes backed up clear to the entrance of the bridge from a little over the halfway point. The reason was clear, there had been an accident, a very bad one. Yet something was off about this. The closer we got the more a knot in my stomach grew. I have a bad feeling about this, it feels wrong. Cars were piled up and several teetered on the edge ready to fall off the bridge. What the hell happened here? Sunshine banked us down towards the glaring lights of a patrol car that had managed to squeeze it''s way past the choked traffic. That was when I saw what was going on.


    Police huddled for cover behind their cruiser as bullets pelted the area. Bodies of wounded and the dead lay strewn about, blood pooled around them. Their screams of pain filling my antenna. They were just pedestrians, innocent people and yet they had been gunned down. Probably caught in the crossfire. My eyes fell on where the violence was pouring out of. Three beat up trucks were riddled with bullet holes and cholo looking thugs were holed up. Plaid gray shirts, white tank tops and jeans, with of course the bandannas folded up on their foreheads. It must be something related to the Diablos. They were not even speaking English.


    ¡°Sunshine cover them. I am going to deal with these scum,¡± I said hoping off of the butterfly and setting my body like a bullet, accelerating with the jump pack.


    She did not really say anything, simply doing as I told her to. A phalanx of her knights appeared shielding the wounded and the police. I dived straight through a truck sending it careening across three lanes. The impact had crumpled in the side door, crushing one of the gangster''s legs. I heard his cries and grinned. It took these worthless excuses for human beings a few moments to realize what just happened. They turned sheet white when I stood. That is right bitches, I am a Super and you are about to get a super can of whoop ass opened up.


    A bullet pinged off of my helmet and my head snapped in the direction that it had come from. Alright, you are first. Like bees the thuds swarmed as they fearfully fired to my approach. The low dings did little to slow my advance. Not even when I saw spurts of yellow ooze from a joint. The pain was little more than a sting. A shudder of bliss ran through me. Look at them, so scared, so pitiful. I can smell it, the stench of prey. It won''t save them. My fists clenched punching one another, I wonder how many bones I am allowed to break? Why stop there? These people are murderers. I bet it would make a good sound hearing them splat down below the bridge. Like bugs I will squish them.


    ¡°Por qu¨¦ no te mueres?¡± shouted one of them. I don''t know what that means, but he sounded very scared. You should be.


    He kept pulling the trigger and the glock clicked empty. What is the matter I wonder? Out of bullets? Now would be a good time to start begging. I punched him in the chest, not at full strength, not even ten percent and yet it was more than enough to throw him back ten feet where he laid sprawled, throwing up blood. I heard his ribs break. I tilted my head a little. Humans sure are weak. I approached lifting him up by the head.


    ¡°What is the matter?¡± I asked, getting my helmet up close to his face. ¡°Not so big and strong now are you? Was it fun hurting people? Do you like being hurt? No? Then why do you hurt people? I won''t kill you, no, no I want you all to suffer. After all it is what you deserve.¡±


    The others threw down their guns, but that was not going to save them from me. You already pissed me off. You bastards interrupted my date, killed people and shot me. I tossed this sack of shit on the ground before ripping off a door from one of the trucks. They had dumbfounded expressions for just a second before the amount of killing intent pouring out of me reached a miasma like level. There was so much the suit had to vent. They ran. What? Do you think the police are going to save you from me? The people you were just shooting at. Now that is funny. How delightful after all it''s only fun if they run.


    There were six in total fleeing like the cockroaches they are. I hurled the door aiming for one of them. However it was blocked by one of the glowing knights. Sunshine? She stood between them and me. I clicked my tongue.


    ¡°Why did you stop me?¡± I asked simmering.


    ¡°They already surrendered. It is no longer our job. We are supposed to help people not hurt them.¡±


    Sub made a very angry sound in my head, it felt like nails down a chalk board. She wanted to fight Sunshine and kill those people. I mulled it over. This... this isn''t me. I am better than killing these scrubs. Sunshine is right about this. My head shook clearing the dark thoughts away. We are going to have a long talk about this later Sub. Right, right. There are still people around here that need to be helped.


    ¡°Alright, let''s see what we can do now that the situation is not a powder keg.¡±


    Sunshine smiled lowering her guard. It seems she was prepared to fight me over that. I don''t blame her, I was getting a little out of hand there. The cops had already converged on the men who had pissed themselves and ran with their tails between their legs. We quickly approached the teetering vehicles that looked like they could go at any moment. There were six, one of which was a school bus. Oh, god damn it. Sunshine''s knights held them to stabilize the tilts and prevent them from going over the edge. The bus was the biggest as a result it was the hardest to move. All of the kids and a teacher had piled into the back to weigh it down. The driver looked like he was either dead or unconscious, slumped over the steering wheel.


    I grasped the bumper and started pulling it back. It was not as heavy as I thought it would be, but still awkward trying to pull it back away from gravity. Although I could just lift it there was the risk of it crumpling in half and falling off so I had to do this the carefulway. Sunshine was helping me out with a couple of knights that pulled right along with me. My heels dug into the pavement and I heaved. Finally we managed to get it back up and completely on. I let out a sigh of relief looking for the next vehicle to move.


    A voice shouted out, ¡°Die Super scum!¡±


    Gunshots range out. All of the knights flickered and burst vanishing into nothing. The cars tilted from the sudden lack of weight and several plunged over the sides, the occupants screaming on their descent to death. I barely had time to react, diving and grasping another car to keep it from going over. Why is this happening? Out of the six, two had gone over. I let them die...


    I turned to find one of those bastards getting gunned down by six police officers and Sunshine was on the ground bleeding. My brain refused to register what had just happened. There was no escaping reality here though. Bile filled my mouth. The world seemed to tint red as my eyes locked onto that son of a bitch. He was not dead yet, but I will make him dead. I could not control this rage, I did not want to. How dare he hurt my Sunshine! It took two loping lunges to get to him and only a second to snap him in half over my knee. I relished in his agonized voice. It was music to my antenna. The crunch of his bones between my fingers and then the crack of the pavement where I punched him again and again until he was nothing more than a bloodied pulp.


    ''This would not have happened if you had just killed them all.''


    ¡°Shut the fuck up Sub, not now.¡± I growled back.


    I scooped Sunshine up off of the ground. She was limp, but I could hear her heart beating and her shallow breathing. Her costume had faded to nothing more than a school girl outfit that was progressively turning red from her gushing blood and a cracked helmet that had saved her head from the fall. She had been shot in the stomach. From what I could see she had passed out from the shock. I held the wound gingerly trying to keep the bleeding down. Pressure is important here.


    ¡°Overseer, Mecha Fairy reporting in from Bronson Bridge. I need fucking help out here, Sunshine is down and so are a lot of people. Send Medavac please, I can''t handle this shit!¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged.¡±


    ____


    Hope you enjoyed ^^ There might be another chapter today depends on if I get distracted or not.

 Arc 4, Gonna Need A Hero, Chapter 7

    Here it is guys hope you had a happy weekend, please you enjoy. Only 2 chapters left this Arc.


    Arc 4, Chapter 7


    ¡°You should learn to control yourself,¡± said Chief disapprovingly from across the waiting area. I could not argue, I had killed someone, let people die and gotten Sunshine shot. This was all my fault. It was all I could do to just hold my head and cry in the corner.


    ¡°Lighten the fuck up boy. She was panicking over her friend getting shot,¡± coldly said Medavac.


    ¡°They should not have even been there in the first place!¡± he yelled back. ¡°What the hell is Overseer doing sending Juniors into a hot zone. We are lucky she only killed one person and brutalized another. It could have turned into a blood bath.¡±


    ¡°Every god damned day the streets are getting worse. The drug cartels are moving in and with them the violence and cruelty as well. Glitter Kitten is even having trouble with how many Diablos are pouring into the city. Enforcer is bearing the brunt of this shit. The east side is a literal warzone between the Diablos and the Sixes. We have to step things up or we are going to get massacred out there!¡±


    ¡°This isn''t a war. There will be repercussions and the press is going to try to tear us apart over this. We have to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°Fuck the press. Lets see them take bullets trying to save people. This smells like a damned war to me. I would know, I have been through five. This is a war and those drug peddlers are bringing it to us. Look at what they did to LA!¡±


    ¡°That was Kraken!¡±


    ¡°Oh sure, everything is Kraken''s fault. Stop using them as a scapegoat for everything.¡±


    ¡°If it was not Kraken then who the hell was it?¡±


    ¡°The Diablos obviously. We are next you know.¡±


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± I asked meekly.


    ¡°You did not hear?¡± asked Medavac. He continued when I nodded, ¡°The last Los Angeles Hero League Head Quarters was blown up this morning. We have effectively no presence there now and the survivors have already fled to here and other places. I think you are going to be getting a new member to the group.¡±


    ¡°Wait they got the last one? I thought there were three left?¡±


    ¡°The others fell two nights ago. If this shit keeps up Chimera is going to start moving.¡±


    ¡°Is that a good thing?¡± I asked. I mean I had heard bad things about Chimera, but that was from Molotov so it was probably a bit skewed.


    ¡°No. It will not be a good thing at all if Chimera swoops in. They only deal with Supers, which means we will get caught up in the cross fire.¡±


    I held my head again. I did not hear about that. I knew that it was bad down there, but not this bad, like holy shit. I curled my legs up and ended up in a ball. Why can''t this all just be a terrible dream? I just want to wake up from this. Did I choose the losing side on this? From the sounds of it the Villains are winning.


    Chief said, ¡°Vesper look I am not mad at you. Sure you could have done things better, but under the circumstances it is understandable. I am angry at Overseer for sending you in there. That was no place for you two.¡±


    ¡°Oh... well, thanks Chief. Am I going to be punished?¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°A little, it won''t be anything too harsh. That was legitimate self defense there, they were shooting you. Just try to hold back next time.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    We got rather quiet waiting to find out if Sunshine will be alright or not. The light above the door turned off after another half hour and Neon Nurse walked out, her gloved hands stained red. She peeled them off and tossed them in a disposal unit. She looked us over and smiled.


    ¡°Sunshine is going to be just fine. Give her about five days to heal up and she can return to active duty.¡±


    ¡°You did not do anything weird to her right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Weird?¡± Neon Nurse cocked her head.


    ¡°You know, like pervy stuff.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh,¡± she chuckled flapping her hand at me. ¡°Silly. Why would I do that to a boring organic? Honesty there is nothing arousing about a human. Besides while I am performing surgeries and operations I automatically shut down all emotions, including arousal, fear, sadness. You get the picture. What do you take me for? I am not some rapist you know.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you always come after me?¡±


    She placed her hand on my shoulder, ¡°My silly little alien do you really need to ask that? I absolutely adore you. You are the only one I ever mess around with, you should be flattered. It is pretty hard to get in my strike zone you know.¡±


    I looked away from her, changing the subject. Not exactly in the mood for that. ¡°How bad was it? Sunshine I mean.¡±


    ¡°Not too bad. Luckily the bullet went right through her and missed every major organ. In other words, I just had to feel around to see if there was bullet lodged in there or if anything needed fixing. Now let me tell you, a little bit of bad news that turned out to be good news. Sunshine has cancer. Or rather had cancer before I got at it. As Chief will attest I have something of a vendetta against cancer so I always check for it.¡±


    ¡°Where was it?¡±


    ¡°On her left arm. I had to amputate to cut the source before it could spread. Don''t worry she now has a fancy new robo arm. Top of the line, one of the best that I have made so far,¡± she said with a smirk.


    ¡°Why did you take the arm?¡±


    ¡°Well it was almost stage three you know. She is lucky it was just an arm. After all cancer is the reason I got into the Cyborg stuff. I used to have it myself.¡±


    ¡°You had cancer?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Ovarian, skin, breast, stomach. Lets just say when I found out that I had max two years to live, I flipped out. I was always smart, but I had never really been driven. Let me tell you though, learning you are about to die a slow and agonizing death that no one knows how to cure tends to get your ass moving. In my desperation I did some rather unpleasant things, but self preservation trumps morality. This is part of why I am helping everyone I can to atone for what I did.¡±


    ¡°What exactly did you do?¡±


    She looked away holding her face, ¡°It is embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Just tell me will you?¡±


    ¡°Alright I suppose since these two already know anyway. I made the Cyber Sirens. They were such good kids, but I was a little mad back then and it kinda rubbed off on them. Poor little Vira caught my mad scientist bug and there is simply no recovering from that. Once you go crazy there is no coming back. It is not all bad though after gazing at knowledge that no man should ever lay eyes on, you tend to come back with some useful things.¡±


    ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you, some things were not meant to be known and by learning them it breaks the world and how you see it. It lets you do things you are not supposed to be able to do. Case in point my Cybernetics. Chief is very much the same way too with his Mechas. You can thank me for that by the way.¡±


    ¡°Wait you gave Chief his powers?¡± I asked. They looked at one another and shrugged a little. What the hell does that mean?!


    ¡°Well it is complicated. Honestly I do not even know how to explain it. I can try though. Basically knowledge is sort of infectious? That does not sound right. Hmm. Ok I got it. You are either born with it or you can acquire it from being exposed to Super Geniuses, like me. It is kinda like cancer from second hand smoke. However most only get it for a short period of time and then it just goes away like a cloud or something. Sound about right to you Chief?¡±


    He looked at his hand for a moment, ¡°I don''t know. One minute I was just your average guy and then this cyborg hand got put on me and images of things I never knew existed started going through my head. Then I could even make the things. It is just so weird. Not complaining, it is just really strange.¡±


    ¡°See,¡± said Neon Nurse. ¡°Knowledge is a virus.¡±


    ¡°Wait how come you did not mention this when you were talking about powers?¡±


    ¡°It is something of a trade secret you see. Us Super Geniuses gotta stick together. Most of us don''t even realize that we can spread the knowledge. So I am trusting you here not to tell anybody. That being said though not just anybody can get Super stuff you gotta have a knack for it, be compatible so to speak.¡±


    I thought it over, something seemed strange about this. ¡°Then if you are shipping out mass quantities of robo limbs wouldn''t you be increasing the number of Supers out there just by exposing them to your tech?¡±


    She grinned so wide and handed me a lollipop, ¡°There you go, that is for being smart. You put the pieces together so quickly. Yes that is the other reason why I so willingly sell my creations. To make more Supers is to help our cause, more of us means less people trying to hunt us down and of course more Super Scientists is always a good thing. Just imagine what wonders we can create in the coming years. That being said though, the proliferation is not nearly as high as I would like. At the moment only one in ten thousand get powers from exposure to my robos and out of that only one in ten keep the powers for longer than a few months. In other words it is not a very effective way to spread super powers. Granted those who keep the power are rather potent. Honestly you have much better odds jumping into a vat of nuclear waste than from getting a robo hand.¡±


    ¡°Does this mean I have a chance of becoming a Super Genius?¡±


    Neon Nurse pat me on the head with a frown, ¡°Well as far as I can tell, no. It would have happened already if it was going to happen. I cyborged you and everything, but nothing so I think it is fairly safe to say no on this. Don''t sweat it though.¡±


    ¡°That is weird though, I mean my brain is the size of a fucking watermelon. Does this mean I am a super retard or something?¡±


    ¡°You are not a retard,¡± Flatly said Neon Nurse. ¡°With the amount of brain damage that you received from the growth, I can sort of see where you might think that, but you are getting better everyday. See, look at these brain scans. You are recovering. At this rate in a year your brain will have one hundred percent functionality. You are sitting at only thirty percent right now, you know, but that is still about the same as normal people at normal capacity.¡±


    ¡°I don''t feel very smart though.¡±


    ¡°Look I know you are depressed, but stop putting yourself down. Besides I said normal.¡±


    The tv in the corner for the room glared for a moment, it was the news. ¡°Bronson Bridge under siege. Earlier tonight members of the Screaming Demons got into a shoot out with police. Junior Heroes, Sunshine and Mecha Fairy arrived on the scene shortly after it began. The following footage is graphic, parental discretion is advised.¡±


    Oh God, someone recorded that? It showed me and Sunshine arriving over head. I flew into the truck and rose up. It was surreal watching from another point of view. I could hear the people cheering, odd that I missed that while I was there. Things played out as I remember. Me beating the shit out of some bastard and Sunshine stopping me before I could go too far. Then it skipped, they had edited out the part where I was desperately saving the bus and the car. I watched as the me on the screen charged a man already bloodied from bullets, screaming like a banshee and then proceeded to tear him to pieces and pound what remained into a smear on the cracked pavement. No one was cheering for me now, they were crying and screaming for me to stop. They even took out the part where I was cradling Sunshine and sobbing.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Is this really what we want from heroes? A super powered murderer? Tell me what the difference is between her and the man that she just smashed is. Are we really safe letting someone like this loose on the streets? Wake up America! Supers are not the answer they are the problem!¡±


    ¡°Those sons of bitches,¡± said Medavac punching the wall.


    Chief pulled out his phone and dialed, ¡°Hello, yeah it is just like you thought. Yes that is right, I will leave it to you Mark.¡±


    ¡°Hey what was that about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just watch,¡± He replied changing the channel to another news station.


    That frizzy haired reporter was on, ¡°Penny Peaches here! Breaking news on the Bronson Bridge shoot out, it seems one of our fellow News stations has been rather busy editing their videos to make our Heroes out to be villains. As a result I have it on good authority that the Hero League is pressing charges for defamation of character. I have right here the unedited and raw footage from the helmet of our very own Mecha Fairy. It does get graphic, but this is what our Heroes have to go through.¡±


    Things played out much as they had before, but I noticed a distinct lack of cheering, their was only screaming and agonized voices in the back ground. They really did not cut anything out, my little monologue about hurting people included. I felt kinda embarrassed about it. They did not skip over our little fight and saving the school bus, me diving to catch a car that would have fallen. Not even the brutal beat down I gave to that criminal, nor me holding Sunshine and crying while waiting for Medavac to show up. They really had recorded everything, except my thoughts thank Helix for that. This must be one of those counter measures that Ring Master was talking about. This sort of stuff could be either incriminating or prove my innocents. I will have to keep that in mind from now on.


    ¡°Thanks Chief, you really saved my ass here,¡± I said before glomping onto him.


    He did not really fight it, ¡°Don''t worry about it, you are one of us remember? We look out for one another. However you will be on probation for the next week or so since you did kill a civi.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°It is probably good to lay low for a while anyway. What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°You will be doing training exercises in the Fire Station. Also you are seeing your shrink today.¡±


    ¡°Why do I gotta see a weirdo doc?¡±


    ¡°You killed somebody in cold blood and as far as I can tell you are not even shaken by it.¡±


    Oh... oh fuck. I killed that guy didn''t I? Never really thought about it, kept pushing it to the back of my head. There is blood on my hands now. The realization hit me like a truck and I was not ready. My stomach emptied and I peeled off my helmet, throwing it to the ground. My knees gave out and it was all I could do to hold my head up from the floor and the expanding pool of digestive juices. It was starting to burn a hole in the ground.


    ¡°Gross man what the hell... Mecha Fairy?¡± said Gravity Squeeze staring down at me. When did he get here? Oh shit, the others are here too. Don''t, don''t look at me. I am a murdering bug monster. I could feel their judging eyes, their revulsion and disgust.


    I floundered in my attempts to get up. This stupid body was still reeling from the revelations that I am no better than Molotov. Medavac saw all of this and grabbed my shoulder, lifting me to my feet. He set me down on the chair and I leaned against the wall, not wanting to look at them. I could not put back on the helmet, not when I felt like puking my guts out at any moment.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± asked Glide.


    ¡°Sunshine is going to be alright,¡± said Neon Nurse, stepping in between me and them.


    ¡°That is good, but what the hell is wrong with Mecha Fairy?¡± asked Squeeze.


    She glanced at me and I nodded vaguely, I can''t really run from this. ¡°She is just feeling a little sick at the moment.¡±


    ¡°NO, I mean is she a Sub Human or what? This whole time she has been sketchy as fuck about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is a Sub Human. Are you happy now? Cornering her when she is not feeling good, you have a problem with her not being human? It is not nice to call people names. Organic. See it don''t feel very good does it?¡± fumed Neon Nurse, she looked like she was going to stab him. What happened to violence is not the answer?


    Squeeze took the hint and backed off. Although it was not just Neon Nurse it was Chief and Medavac backing me up here too. It was pretty obvious that there was some explaining to be done here so Chief lay on them. It took a good half hour to explain most things, granted they were not told about the Mutigene or Molotov. Surprisingly Squeeze was the quickest to accept it, seems he did not hate Sub Humans in the least, in fact it seemed to be something of the opposite. That would explain his frequent safaris into the Sparkle Kat hunting down some pussycat. Glide was kinda in the middle, he was being professional about it. Disk on the other hand was freaking out since now he knew that I could literally eat him. It took a bit to calm him down. I am starting to feel bad about that.


    ¡°So,¡± said Neon Nurse. ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Does she lose her shit like the Mad Dogs every month?¡± asked Squeeze.


    ¡°Not that we have seen.¡±


    He looked real disappointed about that. What the hell man, you want me to go into a mindless mating rut? Wait I heard about people like that. It was on the news a while ago. There were these people that would go out into the slums every full moon, wanting to be raped... I guess it is not rape anymore then is it? It was mostly men, but damn how desperate do you gotta be to look to feral animal people to get off? I mean that shit is dangerous, you could die doing that. They are not exactly gentle from the sounds of it and you might get infected from the scratches and bites. There is no telling what the hell is running around down there. Something is wrong with people. Well to each their own I guess. I am not really one to judge fetishes or anything.


    Honestly they were taking this a lot better than I thought they would. Well, mostly anyway. Disk was a work in progress. I have not given up hope just yet. I just got to give him a lot of breathing room and eventually he will get acclimated to the monster that I am. So long as I don''t hurt him or approach him it should be fine. It is a little sad really, I just wanna be friends and play games with him. Maybe one day, at the least I have Sunshine. Unfortunately I could not go in to visit her since she was drugged out of her mind right now. They had to have her in a tube like thing that suppressed her powers just in case some crazy stuff tried to get out. I mean when you are that high, there could be a dragon guarding the pudding cups.


    Chief motioned to me, breaking up the Scrub fest and I followed along. ¡°Mickenson is waiting.¡±


    Ah shit. Not looking forward o this at all. She was in another room, toad like as ever. This time her clothes were not a wreck to look at. She still smelled like a cheap perfume. Mark was as flawless as ever, taking calls in the corner. He is a rather busy guy. This room was cramped, but it was out of the way and afforded us some privacy.


    ¡°Miss Vesper. I hear that you have been having some problems.¡±


    ¡°I see you looked me up. Let''s just get this over with, I want to get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°If you are going to lie to me then I will have to.¡±


    ¡°I did not lie about anything.¡±


    ¡°Walda was it?¡±


    ¡°That is my middle name, not a lie.¡±


    ¡°Since we are not lying about things. You did good today, minus the murder, but the rest of it was good.¡±


    ¡°That was not murder, it was self defense.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more.¡±


    ¡°Look I don''t like you, nor do I trust you.¡± I said and she started scribbling.


    ¡°How did killing him feel?¡± she asked.


    I looked away, ¡°Awful. I just spent the last hour throwing up.¡±


    ¡°At the time how did it feel?¡±


    ¡°I was angry alright. He hurt my friend and I thought she was dead, so I snapped on him. Anybody would, in fact I would be rather weird not to.¡±


    She nodded in agreement, writing things down, ¡°Very well we are done here.¡±


    ¡°Wait what?¡±


    ¡°We are done. See you next week.¡±


    ¡°Why are you bailing so easily?¡±


    ¡°Simple, you are agitated and taking it out on me. As a result I am not going to be getting anything of substance from this. If you don''t trust me, this is not going to go anywhere. Besides you are already being put on probation so I am not too worried about you killing anyone. Might I recommend this,¡± she articulated and handed me a weird little toy thing. It reminded me of a dog toy, it squeaked and everything.


    ¡°What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?¡±


    ¡°If you are feeling angry give it a squeeze. Some people find it therapeutic.¡±


    That is so stupid. Since I am angry I gave it a nice firm grasp and it squealed. The high pitched sound was oddly relaxing. I sort of liked it. Am I turning into an animal or something to get distracted by something like this? I gave it a few pumps and shivers ran down my spine. I stared at it, something is fishy about this thing. There is no way in hell there could be something this convenient. I will have Neon Nurse give it a look.


    ¡°Where did you get this thing?¡±


    She just gave me a flat look, ¡°At a pet store why?¡±


    I fucking knew it! ¡°I am not some animal you know.¡±


    She rolled her eyes at me, ¡°Say that when you are not obsessively squeezing it to make sounds.¡±


    ¡°You want me to cope or not?¡±


    ¡°I think you are going to be just fine,¡± she smirked and wrote some additional notes down.


    I don''t know why, but that pisses me off. I took my leave, the meeting was already over anyway. Mark had not really said anything, so I think we were in the free and clear. Sub really liked this damned toy though, she told me the reason why. It sounded like a small animal screaming in terror. Ah, son of a bitch that makes sense. It is no wonder Sub likes it so much and gotta admit it is sort of growing on me. A week without Sunshine... what the hell am I going to do with myself? Training is going to be boring. I know, I will make her some presents. That outta lift her spirits, assuming she is not riding on a rocket in Sunshine land already.


    _____


    Lots of foreshadowing for stuff arcs ahead plus right around the corner in this one. Hope you enjoyed. As always tell me what you guys think.

 Arc 4, Gonna Need A Hero, Chapter 8

    Hello everyone ^^ Last chapter of this Arc, there was going to be an interlude about Gnome, but it sort of turned into a monster. You will hear her story and the fall of LA in Arc 7.


    Vespidian, Arc 4, Chapter 8


    It had been four boring days. I held up in my room most of the time. Squeeze was the reason for this, he had become rather assertive that I show off my carapace. Before I had realized that I was walking around naked more or less I may have done it, but not now. I have some sort of decency, kinda, well at any rate it is more embarrassing than anything else. Come on now, that is basically asking a girl to strip for you. Anyway I was not having any of that, so I wore the suit whenever I left my room.


    There was only one good thing about Sunshine not following me around like a shadow and that was privacy. Me and Sub got a little out of hand. I had to purge my browser history, if anybody ever saw it I would probably die due to shame. Ah, crap I forgot Neon Nurse... she knows doesn''t she? Well I suppose it is not the worst thing she has caught me doing so it is not that bad. Let''s just ignore that and pray that she doesn''t black mail me later. As fun as it may have been I would trade that in a heartbeat to have Sunshine back. I visited her in the hospital everyday and she was getting peppier by the day. With any luck she will be released early.


    Word is we were supposed to be getting a survivor from LA added onto the team at some point in the next month. From the sounds of it, it was a girl. Apparently she was a Geomancer or a Terrakinetic, what ever the hell you wanna call it. Could make stuff outta dirt, rocks, and metal; pretty damned cool if I say so myself. Her hero name was Gnome and she was a Rank 4 so I am assuming that she is some what powerful. Apparently she had seen some shit down there and was going through extensive counseling at the moment. Well I can understand. If what I am hearing is right just about all of her colleagues are dead. You would have to be real fucked up not to be reeling after something like that. I hope she is nice, something tells me she is going to be a total twat though.


    Training once more. However this time was different Sunshine was back today! She had made a full recovery and everything. I had been anticipating this day for so long, five days but still! Today we were going to learn how to tie a fancy knot that could be tightened and loosened. Not entirely sure what in the hell it is for, but it would probably be good to know. Still it is hard to think this week flew by so quickly. Fire Chief kinda went watch dog on us and did not allow us out on patrol at all this whole time. Instead we had been doing these training exercises. I have been doing pretty good so far and me and Sunshine are closer now than ever. She absolutely loved the magical girl outfit I made for her. In fact she was wearing it right now. I could not help myself and made it all ruffly and gave it lots of frills.


    My thoughts were rudely interrupted by Squeeze, ¡°Hey show us your boobs.¡±


    ¡°Why you wanna see my boobs? I don''t have nipples man.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you complaining about? It is not much different than your body suit.¡±


    ¡°God man you ever hear of subtlety? If it is not different then why you wanna see?¡±


    ¡°It is not like I am asking to see your abdomen or anything. Besides I hear you get naked all the time in front of Sunshine.¡±


    I eyed him. He did not used to be so damned annoying. Honestly I don''t know how to deal with the direct attacks like this. The only thing I can think of is to shoot him down. I mean, I know he does not really care about me. He just wants to see my body and if he can, get up in me, so obviously I am not going to play along. I am not that desperate. He did not take too kindly to the cold shoulder treatment I had been giving him as of late. He is just not my type. Where is a prince on a white horse when you need him? Hell I would take an ikemen elf or a bishounen shota. My otaku is showing.


    ¡°Sunshine is different. We are roomies so of course we see each other naked.¡±


    ¡°You are a total lesbo.¡±


    ¡°I am bi you dumb ass. Besides I am not attracted to Sunshine, she is my friend.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but you have been sighing over these last few days like a lonely house wife.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up, you just lost boob privileges. Hope you like looking at these tin tits cause they are all you going to see.¡±


    ¡°When the hell did I ever have them?!¡±


    ¡°They are my melons and I can do what I want with them!¡± I scoffed at him, turning away.


    I waved at Chief. His suit a rust red color with dull yellow stripes. It was the smaller one, roughly the same size as me, granted it was thicker and more sturdy looking than my lanky ass. Heavy plates still covered it and the mask looked like the firefighter helmet set, except the goggles glowed blue. Everyone had split off into little groups, Sunshine was sticking to my side. Her sailor uniform glowed faintly.


    ¡°Does your tummy still hurt?¡± I asked, rubbing my face against it like she was pregnant or something.


    ¡°Worried about me?¡± she glomped onto my leg. ¡°Oneesama is so nice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± I dismissively replied. Sunshine is great, but something seems off about her ever since she came back. I can''t really place a finger on it, but until I figured out what it is I wanted to keep some distance, not much though. She seemed sort of fragile now and sometimes she would be staring off into space more than usual. I might just be being over protective of her though. It just seemed bad to influence her. I don''t want something like last time happening again.


    Chief was chatting with someone over his radio. I asked, ¡°Hey Chief what is up?¡±


    ¡°You think you are ready for a real life emergency?¡± he asked all of us. Everyone nodded and I could tell he was grinning, ¡°We just got a call about a fire being started over in the apartment area.¡±


    A fire! Finally we are going to do firefighter shit. So long as we are not getting shot at, I don''t care what it is. Not a moment after he told us, a siren went off. All of us piled into his super fire engine. There was no room so I had to hang onto the back, it was either that or be in the prison cell and there was no way I was going back in there. I always thought it was cool how they did this so I was not complaining. My arms anchored into place and legs braced. I gave a thumbs up and the vehicle took off. It took me by surprise and almost let go. He swerved it around the fake city and pointed towards the back wall. A loading ramp lifted into place and away we went. We were racing another fire engine and kicking their ass!


    A long tunnel stretched out and at the end was light. We roared out into the street screeching on the treads when he took the corner way too sharply. We probably just messed up the street a little, but who cares? Siren blaring and that deep horn honking. On one hand it was like a giant nail being hammered into my head, but I could tune out that sound. I was flapping around like a flag off the back end, waving at cars as we went zooming by. A couple kids waved back.


    Mostly though people just looked at me like I was weird, well crazy. They just don''t know what fun is. This is the most intense roller coaster ride ever! Cars parted like the dead sea and we were Moses. Lights flew past and intersections went by the wayside. The streets were cleared and we had a straight shot towards the black smoke rising up in the distance. Behind by a little bit was the other fire crew. They were doing pretty good keeping up. I wonder what they are thinking about the view they got back there? I anchored my feet in the latter and leveraged myself up so that I could see where we were going.


    It did not take long at all for us to arrive. I hopped down, my whole body jittery and shaking. It was a better version of Yeti Mountain over at Nicky Mouse Land. The old brick and mortar apartment looked worse for wear. A low glow of flickering flames filled an upper window and smoke was slowly making its way out. It looked like the ones made in the eighties. That being said it had held up for a long while. There was the familiar gang sign of the Angels of Hell scrolled out down a side alley. Looks like we are in a bad neighborhood. Flames billowed out of a window. Sirens wailing and people screaming. It was rather sobering and I switched gears from happy fun time to serious business mode. Sub seemed to have gotten over most of her fear of fire, so long as we were in the suit. All bets were off outside of the suit though of that she was rather clear. Chief was barking orders and they were followed instantly.


    ¡°Juniors get everyone out!¡±


    He did not have to tell me twice. I charged through the gaping door, nearly smashed a Rottweiler that came barreling out at me. Damned thing was chained next to the door and scared out of its mind. Poor dog bit into my arm. It chomped at the metal, hurting itself. I growled and ripped the chain, sending it whimpering away. My head shook with a sigh and I continued in deeper. Good thing I went first had Glide or Sunshine come in they would have been mauled. The smoke was not down here yet so I went up the stairs.


    This was a big building, five floors of apartments, from what I saw out there the top two were on fire. I proceeded to the areas that were in the most danger. Honestly I did not know much about firefighting, I have been learning but a week or two ain''t gonna make me a profession and there is so much stuff to deal with. What I did have going for me though was that I am essentially fearless and the thought that people could die is a very good incentive to give it my best. This was real life, not some game.


    My right side pounded doors as I went down the halls. ¡°Fire, get the hell out!¡± Doors started opening and people were looking around confused. How the hell did they not hear the sirens? They were just milling around. ¡°Did you not hear me? This building is burning down, get out!¡±


    That got their attention and they started crowding around the stairwell. Humans are like lemmings. They were impeding each other and I had to step in before they fell over one another. I forced them into an orderly line, yelling, ¡°Form a line and stay in it. If you rush you will block the way and nobody will get out!¡±


    I made another round making sure everybody was gone before going up to the next floor. This one was on fire. Smoke flowed along the ceiling and several of the doors were open with people passed out all along the corridor. Shit there must be like twenty people here. Sunshine showed up with her mask and goggles on. It did not really match her outfit, but can''t really argue with results. She concentrated for a moment and five glowing knights materialized. Together we started shuttling the people down the stairs over the shoulders of her knights. Down stairs Glide and Squeeze were keeping people orderly and making sure they got out. I was not sure what the hell Disk was up to, but I had better things to worry about. The roar of the flames above us made my antenna twitch. Sunshine had this floor so I went to the top to see if there was anybody that I could save.


    This place was fucked. The roof was giving way with flaming pillars and at the far side of the corridor the foam gushed in from the window. I knocked down the first door scouring the room for anybody. It was empty. The next door was wide open I still checked to make sure nobody was here. Clear. A beam had fallen down blocking my way to the last remaining room. I shoved it aside and found a body. Blackened to a crisp, the person had been dead for a bit. My heart sank, but I trudged on to the last door.


    The suds were spouting in and had killed the fire in the immediate area. Grayish-yellow smoke was puffing out from the door frames in slow intervals. I tried to open it, but the handle melted in my hand. My shoulder slammed into it and the door broke down. That was a huge mistake, a rookie blunder. Super heated air exploded and tore the building around me apart. My body flailed out the window from the force. I rag dolled and my butt smashed into Fire Chief, knocking him off center. His suit floundered for a moment before he corrected it and I flopped onto the pavement.


    Fuck me that hurt! My ass is going to be sore all day. I rolled coughing, all the wind had been knocked out. I am surprised my spine did not snap from that, ah never mind it did only in like one spot so I will be fine. It was not as bad as the gas station in terms of force, but where it had hit me I was more open. My back was more or less a buffer and had extra plating so it was far sturdier than the front. Which made sense since most of my organs are in the abdomen so it needs more protection. I sat up in a daze, blinking for a few moments as the roar of blood pumping filled my head. Something broadsided me, knocking me to the ground. Then the sounds of the world came back. Steam was hissing up around me and the suds were bubbling. Fire Chief had sprayed me down with that stuff.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy. Mecha Fairy! Are you alright?¡± yelled Chief he poked at me with his massive boot. He was not even looking at me and kept the stream of suds pouring into the fire.


    I crawled and managed to hop to my feet, wobbly for a few steps. ¡°Fine, a room exploded up there. Don''t know why.¡±


    ¡°Ever heard of a back draft?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±,


    ¡°When a fire is enclosed and eats all the oxygen it starts to die out, but if more is given to it the fire will explode and follow the new air.¡±


    ¡°Well shit. How the hell do you get around that?¡±


    ¡°You punch a hole above the room and let it vent. Or you punch a hose through the wall and douse the room. So how was it in there?¡±


    ¡°At the least one dead on the top floor. Poor bastard was pinned under a support beam. I think we are doing good though, not really sure never done this before. Are we doing good?¡±


    ¡°Could be worse, could be better, at the least we are keeping the fire contained.¡±


    ¡°Dude don''t say a disaster flag like that.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°Disaster flag, it is like a death flag. Don''t you watch shows or read stories? It is something that foreshadows an event and usually gives away what is about to happen. Bad shit always happens when people say that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Keep your delusions to yourself this is the real world and that sort of stuff is not real.¡±


    ¡°Well I hope not.¡±


    ¡°Get back in there and help out the team. You let me and Firehouse Five deal with this.¡± He motioned and I started for the door.


    Sunshine appeared in the doorway. ¡°Are you alright? There was an explosion and everybody is freaking out.¡±


    ¡°I am fine. It was a back draft.¡±


    ¡°Good thing that suit is top of the line. You would have been burned to a crisp if you were not wearing it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah back drafts are some of the scariest things to come across.¡±


    ¡°How do you deal with them?¡±


    She seemed thoughtful for a few moments. ¡°Usually we stay away from them. Gravity Squeeze will shove a hose through the wall and we pump water into the room to kill the fire.¡±


    ¡°What do you do if he is not around?¡±


    ¡°Well my knights would breach the door and hold back the flames.¡±


    ¡°Did I take your job when I joined the team?¡±


    ¡°Don''t be silly you are well suited for the front,¡± her voice was a little muffled from the mask, although she did sound rather pleased. ¡°If anything I should be thanking you. It was extremely distracting having to guard everybody, now I can focus on unleashing my imagination. You are my shield you know.¡± I blushed a little at that. It was kinda sweet. I wanted to hug her, but this was not the time nor the place for that.


    We made our way back up through the apartment all the people had been cleared out by now. The fire had mostly stopped spreading and the only real hot spot was the top floor. To be precise that room I had opened up. Glide and the rest gave me a few anxious looks when we arrived. It took only a few seconds to see why they were worried. There was a guy shrouded in fire. He was just standing there in the center of the room. I started to put two and two together and realized he was responsible for the fire. It was hard to make out any distinguishing features he was more of a black outline than anything else. The burning blue ripples of air around him created a sort of dome.


    ¡°Dude are you alright?¡± I asked, stepping towards him.


    It took a long moment for him to even realize we were there. He was looking over his hands then replied with a cheery tone, ¡°I have never felt better. Is it hot in here or is it just me?¡±


    ¡°Dude you are on fire.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. You look pretty smoking hot yourself baby.¡±


    ¡°No, literally on fire.¡±


    I could see the white of his smile. ¡°I know. I feel so warm you know?¡±


    ¡°I guess? Look we are going to help you.¡±


    ¡°Help me?¡± he laughed and it slowly turned into a cackle. ¡°Baby, I just want to share this warmth with everybody, it was so cold before.¡±


    ¡°Share the warmth?¡± I asked, not liking at all where this was going.


    ¡°I don''t want to set the world on fire,¡± he sang out twirling and dancing. I got a lot more of a look than I wanted. This guy was stark naked and had a raging hard on. His eyes were completely bugged out. His face was sunken in and skinny. It was the face of a tweeker. He must be on something. The shell of flames expanded out torching the room. ¡°I just want to light a flame in your heart.¡±


    Oh fuck me. Hes crazy. Why can''t Supers just be normal? I talked over the radio, ¡°Chief we eh, we got a naked crazy guy who is flaming up here.¡±


    ¡°Retreat!¡± he yelled back.


    Everything moved at the same time. Sunshine''s knights materialized in front of me, blocking out that half of the room and we ran. I got to the window and a rainbow went to the ground below, everyone else was using it like a slide. I dove down it and felt the weightlessness of the thing carry me. If I was not scared out of my mind I might have enjoyed it. An explosion rang out overhead and the rainbow vanished, consumed by fire. There that bastard stood, thrusting his hips at me. I think he''s got the hots for me. Don''t you spin your dick at me! Why do all the crazies come out of the woodwork to find me? Do I have a sign on my back? No, it has to be a fucking weirdo magnet or something.


    ¡°Chief, shoot him!¡±


    ¡°That is Blaze Runner!¡± Shouted Chief firing off the cannons.


    That bastard was quick, he ducked out of the way avoid the spray of white foam. He took off across the roof, levitating by heating the air and floated away. Explosions started following in his wake. Shit this looks like it is about to get a lot worse. Chief positioned his suit like a turret on the top of the fire engine and Disk spun it around to chase after that psycho. My jet fired up, Glide was already zooming after him and the car sized butterfly that Sunshine was riding flapped, sending wind gusting. The Fire Team was on damage control attacking the fires like a fat kid in a cake shop. We set out to stop a mad man from burning down the city.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    So that is Blaze Runner. I remember this rapist scum from the briefing. Really, really we gotta fight a high ranker? Well I guess he is my level, but he is literally the bane of my existence. If I did not have this thermal suit that negates and can withstand temps up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit then I would be running away screaming right about now. Although will it be enough? I heard this guy makes lava so am I up shit creek here? I certainly did not expect to spend my day chasing a naked arsonist around the city. Is this shit normal? I appear to be the only one weirded out by this.


    He sent fireballs soaring at Sunshine and she retaliated with pink clouds that snuffed out the flames. I was about to go over there and be her damned shield, but it appeared that she had it under control. Nothing got anywhere near her with those pink clouds acting as a wall. She looked a bit angry, throwing things at him, kittens, puppies and bunnies. She was trying to smother him in cuteness. He roasted them all and their shrieks filled the air. Not the kittens! You monster! Although who is the real monster? I mean she is throwing small furry animals that just want to cuddle to a fiery death. Sunshine might actually be really fucking scary.


    Glide tried to get in close, but every time he did the shell of embers would light up, sending him flailing away to avoid being burned to a crisp. He did not look too hot though, not really much he can do here. Water shot at Blaze Runner from the streets below. It would glance off leaving molten lava cooling down below. I banked towards the front, looking for an opening. Gravity Squeeze gave it to me. A car flew straight into that crazy guy forcing him to stop for a moment. His shield melted down the car and I tackled him from the opposite direction. I had noticed a flaw in his defenses. He could only guard one side at a time.


    I mashed him into the molten metal and he wriggled his way out of my grasp. Damn it! I forgot he is fire proof. God, he was a slippery snake. I lost him for a moment until his junk slapped against my helmet... he was humping my face! Get your hairy balls off of me! I grasped at him and he left a streak of sweat across my visor when he escaped. No, NO! All over my antenna, I can smell it. It was so foul, doesn''t this guy bathe? Gross, gross, hobo dick cheese, oh god! Fucking hell I am going to kill this bastard! I am going to rip your balls off and shove them down your throat! My mandibles were grinding together and my fists tightened.


    I screamed in rage, ¡°You little bitch get back here!¡±


    That freak was skipping away. I lunged at him and he twirled out of the way. I think he is a ballerina or something. He blew a kiss at me and winked. My tongue writhed in my mouth holding back a flood of stomach acid. I gulped it back down, shaking my head. Every step I took became more powerful until I was charging him in a blind fury. Fire grazed me, but the suit deflected it. He tried to attack my face again and my hands grabbed his legs. I spun around holding him out. The lava oozed over me as he formed the shield on top of us. The arms were covered in a thick layer, super heating the suit around me. Sub was about to lose her shit. It warped and bent, searing my carapace. I shrieked. It burns, it burns! Oh god I am melting!


    ''Run, run, run, run! We are going to die if you keep this shit up you fucking idiot!'' screeched Sub, clawing at the walls inside of my head like a terrified animal.


    Owe, that fucking hurts! Knock it off you are not helping. We were in too deep and it would be impossible to stop now. I was already trapped in here with him. We picked up speed in the rotation and he was screaming when I let go. He flew into the sky and I stood there panting. Lava sloughing off the outside of my suit, aided by my hands scraping. I had to get it off, I needed to get it off. My whole body was overheating and venting did not help at all. I hope he dies from the fall. I poked at the bubbling carapace. The squishy flesh beneath had already lost all the nerve endings, so it just felt cold and numb. How long is this shit going to take to heal? Something smells like lobster. Where is the butter when you need some? Seriously where is that smell coming from? It is making my mouth water. Oh fuck it is me! I almost threw up, never going to look at lobsters the same.


    I took a deep breath, ignoring the fact that I was about to eat my own arm. A glance down at the street and turned into something more. There was this weirdo down there. He was wearing a tight American flag print leotard over some seriously hunky muscles. That is pretty damned distracting. There was a wrestler mask with the same design hiding his face. He roller skated toward me despite the hellish inferno and buildings melting. Why is he roller skating... for that matter who the fuck is this guy? I had almost forgotten, Bronsonman. Get the hell out of here it is dangerous!


    I screamed down at him, ¡°Dude get lost, you are going to get hurt!¡±


    ¡°Bronsonman never run from fight!¡± he yelled back, lifting up a car and hurling it past me.


    I fell flat on my ass and stared as the Jeep Grand Cherokee went soaring by, crashing into Blaze Runner. Damn it I forgot he can levitate! I don''t know who you are Bronsonman, but I owe you one. He was hefting up another car, this one was a Honda Civic. He threw it and jumped up beside me, lending a hand to pick me up. Oh my. His hands were very large and it would be true what they say about men with large hands, I can verify from the view I was getting. This guy is a stud muffin. Focus Vesper we need to get rid of that freak and then we can try to hit on the hot guy. I mean we smell like a steamed lobster so we got that going for us.


    Everyone was gathering around. More Firefighters were pouring into the area and getting ready to tackle this sick bastard. We had him cornered, but he did not seem to care. It seemed like he only had eyes on me. Don''t you lick your lips at me! Gross he wants to do me. I will do you with my fists! The hoses honed in on him before firing and he jumped, dodging. Quick as ever. This guy is really starting to get on my nerves. He must be related to a cockroach. Bronsonman skated for a moment, picking up speed before lunging at Blaze Runner. He twisted mid air, kicked out, exerting all of his weight and momentum into his feet. The blow broke through the molten shield and I stared as roller blades grazed that guy''s face. Bronsonman kept going from the power of the kick and soared away landing on a building across the street. Holy shit that guy is intense!


    Blaze Runner held his face with wild eyes. Uh oh. He came back soaring towards me, hard as ever... no harder than before. Oh fuck me! A cloud of pink butterflies ignited when they got near him, turning him into a comet of lust. A car melted as it smashed in from behind him. It was not enough! He is going to get me.


    ¡°Chief!¡± I screamed.


    ¡°We got him,¡± buzzed over the com.


    That bastard got shot from all sides by foamy suds that extinguished his flames. There were four other fire engines blasting him with all that they had. He got dragged down to the ground. Even after he was pinned they kept dousing him until their tanks were empty. Finally it was over. He lay sprawled and I approached ready to restrain him. When I got within five feet though a flicker of fire burst at his feet and he lept at me.


    I stared in horror as he flopped through the air. My hand thrust out, punching him right in the jewels. His face scrunched up like a prune and a little squeal escaped his lips, his soul had just gotten sucker punched. Tears flowed down his cheeks from his bulging eyes. I grabbed him by the neck, choking him and thrashing him like a rag doll. You son of a bitch! This is for the kittens! This is for cooking me like a crab! Bottom righty socked him in the groin again and then clenched down on his sack. Blood oozed between my fingers. His scream was of a dying man and his face went blue. He slumped and I tossed him to the side like trash. It was all I could do not to stomp his dick into the ground. Granted after those hits he won''t be having kids. Take that you rapist, piece of shit, mother fucker!


    I could still smell that foul stench though and there was blood on my hands. Chief spray me down. The suds got into my wounds and I writhed on the ground. Fuck it hurts.


    ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°That bastard tried to cook me.¡±


    ¡°Well I think you got even with him. Try to tone it down next time though.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No man should ever have that happen to them.¡±


    ¡°Well he should have thought about that before trying to fuck my face,¡± I growled back.


    Him and the other guys were looking at me like I was some monster. They had pained expressions and guarded their junk after seeing what I did to him. What? He deserved it. Don''t look at me like that. I won''t do it to you guys.


    Glide was apprehensive, ¡°You should hold back a little.¡±


    ¡°It is not like I killed the guy.¡±


    ¡°I bet he wishes he was dead right now.¡±


    ¡°You fucking serious?¡± I snarled at him.


    ¡°He did wrong, but, but fuck man did you have smash his balls? Wasn''t it enough just to punch him? I mean he was down for the count. I can sympathize with the guy.¡±


    Sympathize? Really, are you fucking kidding me? That son of a bitch was going to have his way with me. Although how would he get into my suit? He would probably just dry hump me. Wait why am I trying rationalize some psycho? He diverted the damned topic. I will give you something to sympathize about! I was about to yell at him when the wind gusted and Medavac''s drop ship hovered over heard. It descended and his team poured out of the back. He stepped out looking the place over, gave one look at the poor sod I had destroyed and started whistling.


    ¡°Nothing like Napalm in the morning. Looks like something I seen in the war. Mashed some poor man''s nuts to dust. Who did this war crime?¡±


    ¡°God damn it! Medavac not you too.¡±


    He chuckled and pat me on the shoulder, ¡°I was kidding, there is no such thing as crime in war. You do what has to be done.¡±


    ¡°This is not a war,¡± said Fire Chief crossing his arms.


    ¡°Oh, but it is. A war on crime. You can''t just go easy on these thugs, they will do it again if you don''t drive home a point.¡±


    ¡°So I did good?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No!¡± resounded Chief and the other guys, but Medavac placed his hand on my head. I was a bit confused. Did I fuck up or not? ¡°You did good. This sick bastard won''t be out on the street again and even if he is he won''t be too peppy to try shit.¡±


    ¡°I... I did not go too far?¡± my voice stammered and I looked between all of them. ¡°I mean I was really mad and I should have held back.¡±


    ¡°Well seems you taught him a lesson he won''t forget any time soon. Just remember to hold it back next time.¡±


    I nodded and Sunshine came riding in, ¡°Nee-sama we did it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean we?¡± I gave her a hard look. ¡°The only bros who had my back there was Chief and Bronsonman.¡±


    ¡°We all helped. Gravity got him with a car. I was containing his fire. You held him down. Astro was distracting him. Chief was doing damage control.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± I moped. All the guys were turning on me. Alright I may have gone too far. ¡°Look, I am sorry ok. I went too far. But hey if some greasy bastard tea bagged you, I would like to see if you kept your cool.¡±


    They were all looking at me with suspicion, ¡°Did he give you the bat wing, the brain?¡± asked Squeeze.


    ¡°No, he ground his sweaty balls all over my face. He even got my antenna. I could smell it,¡± I shuddered with revulsion.


    Disk and Glide threw up. Squeeze closed his eyes for a moment and shivered. All three then nodded and said, ¡°Seems well warranted then.¡± I stared at them, tilting my head a little. Well they just went up a little in my book. Sunshine looked lost and I was not about to clue her in.


    Hmm... something seems missing. I looked around can''t quite place my finger on it. Bronsonman! His jaw must have been chiseled by Michelangelo himself. Those man muscles too. Did I just let a wild man beast escape? Where the fuck did you run off to you rugged bastard? I want to thank you. I want your number! Is there like a signal fire I can light at night to lure you out? No matter where I looked though he was gone. I clicked my tongue. I will get you next time. Well I know what I am diddling to tonight. Sub was in agreement.


    Medavac''s team carted away that crazy guy and the various people who had been caught up in the explosions. We were left to put out the remaining fires. The whole damned block was slowly coming under control. Another two fire teams had arrived on scene, in total there were seven. Their quick and methodical work was already beating back the worst of the flames. Chief was coordinating everything, if not for his decisive judgments I doubted we could have done much here. I held some hoses and started directing the streams to prevent the spread.


    We more or less had it contained, despite my lack of knowledge I felt useful here. Glide swooped around, guiding people away from troubled areas. Squeeze lifted debris and Sunshine''s glowing knights were scouring buildings for anybody that might be trapped. Disk was well, more or less useless here, but he was driving one of the fire engines. Not really his fault just not suited for this. Medavac and his crew returned after dropping off the patients to help out.


    Together we quelled the raging inferno. It took another two hours even with all of that help and super gadgetry. Luckily we had caught it before it could get going. I was exhausted, physically and mentally. All that I wanted to do was just lay down and sleep. This job was a lot harder than I would have thought. My respect for Firefighters had increased vastly, it was already substantial, but now I truly understood exactly how tough it was. Property damages were restricted to only a three block radius and surprisingly only eight people died. Three of which were from the initial fire. The others did not stand a chance and were consumed by the explosions. It could have gone a hell of a lot worse. If that fire had gotten away it could have swept out across the city. I had to look at it positively, those poor souls were acceptable losses. I had already seen a bit of death first hand, it felt like a little piece of my heart was getting chiseled off every time. May Lord Helix have mercy.


    The feeling had come back to my top arms at this point, it hurt like hell. Fire bad, Vespidian no like fire. It is not healing properly either... looks like I am going to have to rip the skin off and let it grow back. Sub was staring longingly at the white, seared flesh. What the hell are you looking at so intently? She was drooling.


    ''Looks tasty. Smells good too.''


    ¡°You serious? Sub I am not going to eat myself.¡±


    ''We both know you have eaten yourself out many times before. It is such a waste just to throw it away. It is going to grow back anyway might as well try it out. People chew the dead skin off of their fingers all the time, this is no different,'' she licked her lips with a pleading look.


    ¡°No. That is way different. This is literal cannibalism. You can plead all you like I am not eating my own flesh.¡±


    ''Spoil sport. I bet it would taste divine with butter and cream.''


    I ignored that. She was trying to make me hungry and unfortunately it was working. The soft white skin was blistered and had bubbles pockmarking the whole place. I peeled it off slowly, sort of felt like ripping a callous off, it did not really hurt. It seems my body had already abandoned it and severed all connections. The air touched the newly growing flesh and I shivered from the strange sensation. I stared at the skin in my hands. What the hell am I going to do with this? I can''t just leave it lying around here. Not much else I could do, it found it''s way into a small fire. It curled up turning black and the crustacean like smell filled the air.


    Medavac followed the smell to beside me, ¡°Who the hell is cooking lobster?¡±


    ¡°It''s not what you think it is. It is me.¡±


    ¡°Damn you had my hopes up. You should keep this from people though, it is not normal.¡±


    I smiled and pat him on the back, ¡°Nothing is normal about me.¡±


    He hit me back and we sniggered together. This got Chief''s attention and he made his way over. ¡°What is so funny?¡±


    ¡°Nothin'',¡± We both looked away shiftily.


    ¡°I don''t know what you two are up to, but keep it in moderation will you?¡±


    ¡°By the way... are we going to get sued for throwing cars and blowing up the street?¡± I asked, looking around at the rubble.


    Chief replied. ¡°No, they will file insurance claims.¡±


    ¡°Oh I see... wait there is Super insurance?¡±


    ¡°There are several plans actually.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we are not held liable for damages?¡±


    ¡°Sort of. There is a fund however if you cause too much damages you will start getting bills.¡±


    I thought it over, ¡°Wait so they bill the good guys? What the fuck.¡±


    ¡°It depends. It more or less opens you up for legal action if it happens too much. Luckily for us this mostly only applies for the tactical teams who combat Villains since the things we handle are also covered by most regular insurances such as fire and catastrophe.¡±


    Well you learn something new everyday. So I should try not to get caught up in any crazy Super clashes that level the city. After all I don''t want somebody to sue my ass off. It seems rather stupid though to punish the heroes for trying to help. What about the fucking Villains? I mean they sure as hell don''t have insurance and I am assuming that if you tried to sue them they would hunt you down and kill you or take back their shit. Wait, but then that would mean that the civis are just attacking the easy target, trying to recoup their losses. That is fucked up.


    Note to self: If some asshole sues me make sure not to save him if he is about to get in deep shit. Let him rot and regret pissing off a hero who would have saved him otherwise. Is that very hero like? Fuck no, but why should I be stick my neck out for somebody like that? I never was a squeaky clean person anyway. I guess I know how to hold a grudge.


    _____


    Arc 5 and 6 has a whole lotta Pussycat Villainy, I know how much you guys have been wanting to see Glitter Kitten in action. Well hope you enjoy.

 Interlewd: Indepth Introspective (Mature Content)

    Interlewd: Indepth Introspective


    I lay on my bed spreading out and rubbing all over the soft sheets. Fufufu, I love this bed it is so soft like a cloud and sometimes I find it very hard to get out of bed in the morning. It is a stealer of souls! Sunshine was out for a while so I had the room all to myself. It had been a little while since I was properly alone and didn¡¯t have to worry about an innocent little magical girl bursting in on me while I was enjoying myself. I had learned that the hard way. Not to say that I don¡¯t like her company or anything, but it is a little hard to get into it when I gotta worry about her. I mean she has seen my sex toys and what not but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to masturbate with her watching me¡­ well, maybe I do, but I am not sure how she would take that. At any rate, it is just super awkward and I don¡¯t wanna ruin a friendship over it. I must preserve Sunshine¡¯s innocence!


    I pushed those thoughts away this was supposed to be fun time. Door was locked and my suit was in the bathroom so that Neon Nurse wasn¡¯t watching me. I peered over the side of my bed digging around among the varied storage boxes and pulled out my treasure chest. I opened the lid to reveal the delectable toys within, I had quite the assortment. A debaucherous mingling of fake flesh all for my whims and desires. Only a true pervert would have these sorts of things.


    Well, we are perverts so that is fine.


    ¡®Yes, Sub we are going to have some fun.¡¯


    Finally, I was getting blue balls over here. Go on, get to it.


    ¡®Calm your tits.¡¯


    There was my favorite Black Thunder, sixteen inches of pussy molding greatness. I had some other ones too, Flexy Lexi my eh sex slave or rather pocket pussy. I don¡¯t know how many times I have fucked her thinking about Ichigo or sometimes Glitter Kitten. Then there was Bubbles my anal beads that vibrated. There were others in all sorts of shape and sizes, but I didn¡¯t really name them. Well, I take that back, there was one more, but I had not tried it yet. It was a new toy that Neon Nurse had given me and it was a prehensile tentacle that was three feet long. It was a little intimidating really. I was thinking up some names for it, but I had decided on, The Invader.


    I am getting ahead of myself here, gotta warm up first. My abdomen bulged obscenely as the protective covering for my intimates retreated, leaving my sensitive spots exposed. A heated mist wafted up filling the room with my scent. Ahh, such a mouthwatering aroma, so musky and manly and yet feminine. Just smelling myself made me moist, which of course made the smell stronger.


    My fingers spread my hungry hole, the opening quivered and drooled to my touch. I had learned many things about myself and this new body from my exploratory playing. At first, I had been scared of the strangeness of it all. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t be if they found out their vagina was reversible and doubles as a penis, a very sensitive, long, and ridged and bumpy dong at that. Now that I had gotten used to it though things were more normalized, as normal as this sort of thing gets. It was fun to learn the ins and outs of what felt good and adversely what felt bad.


    At first, I didn¡¯t really understand how it worked, but after a fair amount of toying, around I more or less got the gist of it. While inside my ovipositor folded up creating tight rings of muscle that were positively orgasmic to shove things inside of. When aroused it inflates with blood and pushes itself out of my body turning inside out as it goes. In other words, it is an extendable pussy and the inside and outside of it are sensitive as such. This led to me learning the joys of a man, it is no wonder they play with their dicks so much and just wanna shove it into any inviting hole that will take it. My favorite thing to do is fill myself and then fuck Flexi Lexi since it feels amazing giving and taking at the same time.


    I can assume that when I start laying eggs it is going to get addicting from the pleasure. I get the feeling that it is going to ruin sex for me if I do it too much since desensitization is a thing. Of course, I have a few questions about this whole thing, but I will have to wait until it actually happens to find out. Like for instance, how big my eggs will be or if I will even lay eggs or how many of them and how often will I have to lay them?


    Let¡¯s see, that was the big one, but I still got two more holes for playing with down there. Naturally, I have an anus it would be weird if I didn¡¯t. Nothing too special about that, I still stick things in there of course. Now about the other weird thing, my urethra is almost like a second pussy. I don¡¯t recall ever shoving anything in there when I was human, but I can¡¯t imagine it being pleasant. Now, however, there are these tendrils? It is weird they stroke and feel things that go in there. Working a vibe up in there usually makes my legs tremble. My clit happens to be right at the top of that so I guess that is normal and my stinger hole is above that, not so normal. So it is basically just a Congo line of holes going down the tip of my abdomen.


    I think the two things I miss the most would be my boobies and subsequently the nipples or rather that is a packaged deal. Having a bullet-resistant carapace is nice and all but I long for my squishy funbags. My hair would be the second thing that I miss, it feels weird being bald. Although these little tendril things are pretty nice, they are like little fingers without bones. They are rather sensitive and feel great to rub. It feels like I got sidetracked.


    Cmon! Stop it with the clam jam you slore! Fuck us already!


    ¡®Alright, alright already, geez Sub. Always so needy.¡¯


    I got blue balls bitch!


    ¡®Have some self-control will you.¡¯


    Shut your whore mouth and get on with it!


    My pussy ached from wanting something to fill it and I gently rubbed my fingers along the folds. Mmm, yes that is it. My middle finger scratched at it working back and forth. Now that it was dribbling and puffing up I slid a finger in. Shivers spread as the rings clung to the invading carapace. I resumed scratching at the top wall while my thumb pushed my at my clit, rolling it. I bit at my lip a little and worked a second and subsequent third finger in. Shivers spread as the abdomen heat up pulsating with pleasure and tightened around the fingers. They opened, spreading the walls, which then closed tight, crushing them again.


    I continued this opening and closing for a few minutes until the hole was soaked and gaping hungrily of its own accord. That should be enough of that. With a final wet plop, I freed them from there. The abdomen curled up my body so that I was face to face with my slavering cunt. My antennae writhed from the sensual scent and I licked the juices up. There was another reason besides it feeling good, I tasted sweet like some sort of honey. Which would be why I nicknamed my vagina the Honey Pot. Relishing the flavor the fleshy tongue swirled around the entrance like a whirlpool before finally sinking into the middle. My arms coiled around the armored appendage like a lover and my tongue wiggled and squirmed deeper inside. The fold clenched around the hot invader, puffing up.


    That is more like it! Yes, more go deeper.


    My muffled moans trembled in my throat and resonated into the tongue. The vibrations only encouraged my insatiable hole. The deeper it went the tighter things got. Shivers ran through my legs and the abdomen bucked against my face trying to jam even more into itself. I retracted a little and the walls desperately gripped to keep it in. I pulled back and retreated.


    The moment I pulled out the hole gaped, emitting a musky scent before it started to engorge and push itself out as though chasing after my tongue. Fold after fold extended out dribbling and shuddering in the air. The nodules and bumps coated the outside as it slapped my face rubbing all over. It left smears of arousal as it pushed against my lips. Such a naughty thing. My hands grasped it and opened the entrance working a few fingers in again. It was not content with this and started thrusting against my hands. My lower hands grasped the snake and stroked it. Wetly the hands caressed and jerked the engorging flesh. Rubbing all of the exposed folds and bumps. I could feel it, the orgasm welling up inside.


    I opened my mouth and let it loose. It thrust in, eliciting an ovipositor filled moan. The tube bulged and my cum poured into my mouth. I slurped and sucked it out. It was thick and syrupy. I gulped and trembled drowning in the manly flavor. My tongue restlessly swirled around it and I sucked harder, milking it. After a minute or so of eye-rolling enjoyment, it subsided and I flopped back on the bed with a content sigh. Well, I suppose that would be enough foreplay.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Tasty, fufu you like cum guzzling, don¡¯t you?


    ¡®Well, yeah, so do you.¡¯


    That is cause we are dirty girls.


    Now that my honeypot was positively soaked it was ready. My hands grasped Bubbles and I slip it in, sphere after sphere, each larger than the last. In total there were ten balls on the final one was about four inches across. Each one pushed in widening the hole for a moment before it greedily snapped shut again to keep them inside. With a final satisfy slurp my pussy devoured the last ball. I pressed the button on the controller and they started vibrating. I let them sit in there and soak in my juices while my insides tried to crush them with pleasure.


    I peered over my box and pulled out the lube. It was some of Neon Nurse¡¯s special stuff. It was amazing really how slippery this stuff got. I pressed it to my ass and spurt a little on the outside. My fingers roamed and started poking at the backdoor. One slipped in past the single ring of defense and then the rest followed suit. They spread the hole and I poured lube into it shuddering from the chilled liquid. Since I am a rather clean creature I naturally flushed this hole out during my preparations otherwise anal is just gross. My fingers kept working in oscillating circles each time getting a little wider and allowing my ass pussy to get accommodated.


    I kept working them around and one of my other hands grasped the string of Bubbles. I pulled it out with a quick motion, gasping in pleasure. My honeypot spurt and spasmed from the sudden withdrawal. I panted happily and started pushing the oozing beads up my ass. I had trained it to be almost as greedy a hole as my pussy. It took each ball slickly and easily thanks to the lube, up until the final few. I moaned as the vibrating sphere pushed against the hole and finally got in. I pulled that one back out and then pushed it back in stretching myself with a blissful smile. I move on to the next and repeated the process of getting it in and then pulling it out until the hole was gaping and ready for more. Finally, my booty devoured the last of Bubbles and I leaned back enjoying the vibrations radiating out from inside.


    I wonder if we can cum just from anal?


    ¡®Probably, but we are having something better.¡¯


    Oh, what?


    ¡®Black Thunder of course!¡¯


    You slut. Alright, let¡¯s do it.


    I grabbed Black Thunder and mounted him onto the wall just above my bed. I got on all sixes and backed up so that I was right on top of it. My pussy drooled as it rubbed against the shaft getting it nice and slick. I stared between my legs, imagining Boris and his man meat before I pushed back feeling the tip press against my entrance. It spread around the cock and I moaned. It opened me and I thrust back, taking more of the shaft. I slumped so that it was just my ass in the air and the abdomen set to work. It started gyrating and pumping that dick. For the moment it wasn¡¯t taking the whole thing yet instead humping about half of it. I wiggled back and forth feeling the walls, biting into the intruder.


    Deeper! I know you can fit more in there.


    I got antsy and took a deep breath, before burying the whole length into myself. I trembled and drooled as my inside convulsed. They tightened to the point that I couldn¡¯t move. Pulsating pleasure ran up my spine with every heartbeat. I lay there enjoying the sensations. The vibrating beads in my ass made it even better. After a long while the clenching had calmed down and I pulled out most of the way then thrust back. I bit my lip moaning as the abdomen started pistoning at the dick. My vents burst open due to overheating and the room got hotter and more humid.


    The armored appendage did all of the work, pounding frantically at the mounted cock. I had no real control over it at this point too absorbed in the act of mating to particularly care. All that mattered was that it felt good. More and more it slickly slid, faster and harder. The bed creaked and when I bottom out it made a heavy thump sound from my pussy slapping against the wall. I could feel another orgasm coming. It was building up deep inside of my belly. I sped up feeling the friction and heat inside. Humping faster and harder. My ass squirmed and wiggled.


    More, more. My claws dug into the sheets and I howled with pleasure. It was coming. So close, so close. Like a dam, it broke and I thrust back hard, burying every last inch into me. My limbs trembled as I screamed and came. Spurting and throbbing my insides inflamed and inflated so that my mate could not escape. Panting, I slumped, still attached to the wall by Black Thunder. We were stuck together a good five minutes of blissful, mindless breeding. Finally, my pussy let go and it slid off, falling to the side pulsating pleasantly.


    We are not done yet, are we?


    ¡®Of course not.¡¯


    That was nice, but it certainly was not enough. I was far too backed up as of late, blue bean feels bad. I need a good dicking that was for sure. I lifted the Invader up, positioning it on the bed. The long, sinuous tentacle flopped about when I did so. I wish there were more than one. It would be amazing if there were like ten of them and they could wrap around me and breed me in every hole. I sighed oh well, I will have to wait until Neon Nurse makes a better model.


    Ah yes, tentacles!


    ¡®Well, there is only one.¡¯


    Don¡¯t ruin my fantasies!


    I knew the gist of how this thing worked, there was a manual that I had read through. I tapped on the button and the tentacle writhed for a moment coming to life. I held the controller observing how the knobs affected the movement, the left made it wiggle and rotate more while the right made it vibrate and thrust. I turned it back off grasping the long tendril and licked the bulbous head. Sucking on it and swirling my tongue it went deeper until it was pressing against my throat. I took a deep breath before working the three inch wide member down. It slid and slithered unimpeded since I have no gag reflex. I swallowed more and more synthetic cock until finally, it bottomed out in my stomach. It curled once it hit resistance and I was able to get the final few inches snugly into my mouth.


    Oooh yeah, that is it. So full.


    Slurping happily I bobbed back and forth enjoying the sensation of being stuffed. I don¡¯t get why other girls are so prudy about sucking dick. It is fun and feels good. Well, I guess if they had a bad gag reflex then that would ruin things, that was understandable, just takes practice. I remember having to use a toothbrush on the back of my throat to get over my gag reflex back when I was human, it didn¡¯t completely get all of it, but it did help. As nice as this was it just wasn¡¯t the same as the real thing. Smelling the musky, manly scent and cleaning the smegma off a sweaty dick, Mmmm. I don¡¯t know why, but I liked the taste of that stuff and this was before I could smell pheromones.


    I can¡¯t wait to try it now.


    ¡®Neither can I.¡¯


    I want a real dick! I wanna get laid and filled with cum or fuck a pussy and get some bitch to guzzle our cum.


    ¡®Me too, me too Sub. We got a tentacle, though so that should be fun.¡¯


    I had always wanted to get face fucked by a tentacle. I dialed a knob and it slowly started to rotate inside of me. My throat tightened as it circled. My tummy felt fluttery as it wriggled within churning my insides. Feeling it work around inside was drool-inducing as I salivated in anticipation. I turned the dial up a little more and the squirming intensified. Getting a little brave I turned on the vibration and it retracted a bit reaching clear back into my throat before pushing back down. All the while squirming and rotating. It felt so good, my head was already feeling a bit blank.


    I pushed back against it and pulled it all the way out my drool oozing all over it, still connecting it to me. It wriggled all over the bed lashing around like some beast. I blushed a little, knowing what I was going to do to this thing. I switched it off and my pussy gaped in anticipation. Slowly I worked it in, inch by inch. Deeper and deeper I stuffed the tentacle until it poked at my inner folds. After a moment of prodding, it forced entry and I leaned back in elation. Not even Black Thunder could reach this deep inside of me, though it was close only off by a few inches.


    The Invader coiled inside of my deepest part rubbing all over the walls. My legs trembled and I moaned. The entrance to the womb sucked on it, pulsating and convulsing from the intrusion. I licked my lips in anticipation and turned both of the dials. My legs pushed up and my back arched as it came to life. The Vibrations rocked through my core and it withdrew slipping through my clenching walls. It shifted and pushed back in. My insides loosened and it went along unimpeded. I closed my eyes, relishing the sensations.


    Ooooh, that is nice. Mr. Tentacle ravish us!


    Needily I started turning up the dials and the tentacle started thrusting in and out. It rampaged down my love canal and I writhed helpless to stop it. My imagination ran wild while my hands groped at myself. Yes, yes, take me, breed me! The wet juicy sounds of my slavering cunt getting pounded filled the air with my short and mincing groans. My hand twisted the dials even more, maxing them out. The tentacle went wild lashing and jack hammering in while my hips shuddered losing all of their strength. My eyes would have rolled if they could and my tongue hung out of my mouth while I panted, drooling uncontrollably. My body tensed and I came, claws digging into bed as I cried out incoherently.


    Ugh oh. He¡¯s gone wild!


    Though I had cum the machine did not stop. My pussy trembled writhing and spurting as it didn¡¯t know if it wanted to push it out or keep it in. Desperately I reached for the control and the tentacle slammed back in, taking the strength from my limbs. I shuddered and felt another orgasm quickly welling up. I screamed and came again. Every undulating twist and pistoning thrust stole my breath making me take short, quick gulps of air like some rutting bitch in heat and I screamed, feeling the third and forth release washing over me like tidal waves of unadulterated bliss. My vents had long since burst open, flooding the room with a dank mist.


    My leg spasmed and I kicked the box that mounted the tentacle, sending it crashing into the wall. It is over oh fuck me¡­ that was too much! I lay there, curled up. Ah, just what I needed. That thing is dangerous! I¡­ I think I found my new favorite toy.


    Yeah, that thing is pretty nice. Ah shit, did we break it? Noooo.


    ¡®What? Nooo!¡¯


    Neon Nurse will fix it, it will be fine.


    ¡®She can probably upgrade it.¡¯


    Sub rubbed her hands with glee, That sounds delightful.

 Arc 5, The Pussycat and I, Chapter 1, Interlude Nibbles

    Vespidian Arc 5, The Pussycat and I


    Chapter 1 Interlude: Nibbles


    Ann was a short girl, who steered clear of trouble. She had been the last to be picked during events at school and most of the time nobody even noticed her. Her quiet, mousy life came to an abrupt end during one summer break. She had been visiting her best friend that she had not seen in years, her name was Hanna. Hanna lived in Downtown Bronson and while they were out having fun Ann made the mistake of checking a rustling in a back alley. She unfortunately was bitten by a radioactive gerbil. The beast lunged out of a pile of trash and sunk its teeth into her leg. Ann did not think too much about it, other than that it hurt like hell at the time. They cleaned out the wound, poured hydrogen peroxide in it. The bubbly mess was dried and then wrapped up.


    She had not seen Hanna in a long time, so some stupid animal bite was not going to stop her from having fun. They spent the rest of the day shopping and watching movies at the theater. WALL-E had just come out and they were not going to miss that. All the while the pain in her leg grew worse. By that night she was sweating bullets and her front teeth had started to grow. When Hanna''s parents saw what was happening they drove her south and dumped her by the fringe of the bad side of town, fearing that she would infect them. She was forced to flee through the streets. The more she transformed the harsher people became until she was herded into the Slums.


    The Slums were a terrifying place where beasts ran wild. Her new ears heard every sound nearby. Ann had been told the rumors of course, but not actually living in Bronson there was no way to know until now exactly how bad it was. She found a nice sheltered place, an old auto repair shop that was boarded up. She burrowed under the back door with her new claws, then filled in the hole so that other things could not get in so easily. Her body was transforming and over the course of the next two days she developed into something no longer human. She had a sleek coat of brown and white fur, large rounded ears, black rodent like eyes, a stumpy tail that wiggled and whiskers around her scrunched up nose. Her hands were pawed with thick claws that could grow and regress. Her taloned feet curved allowing her to scamper about on all fours just as easily as standing on two legs.


    She had become buck toothed and an insatiable need to gnaw on things took hold. Her teeth were sharper than diamonds, which meant nothing in her den was safe from her nibbling. She ripped cars apart and chewed through desks. The result was a nest that she curled up into and slept. She hid from the locals for three days until hunger got the better of her. A certain cat had found her trail while she meandered the streets searching for something to eat. She was stalked for three hours and only realized it towards the end. The pattering of feet followed her and soon she was running for her life. The deadly game of cat and mouse had begun.


    Her rodent instincts warned her of the danger and she bolted. The stalking hunter pursued and she did not know where to go. At one point she ran in circles around an overgrown park. Glimpses of her predator made her squeal. She fled through buildings and twice hunkered down, hoping that she lost them. It was during the second time she cowered below a table that she saw exactly who or a better word would be what had been chasing her. She had known that there were other animal people, but she never expected to see a cat girl. She was a feral, ragged looking thing, scrawny, hungry and wild eyed. She smelled the air and relished in Ann''s scent following it with drool slipping from the side of her parted mouth. The beast closed in and attacked sinking her teeth into Ann''s hand.


    They wrestled across the floor howls and screams echoing. Blood sprayed as the cat raked her claws into Ann''s side. The cat tried to get a hold of the back of her neck, biting and snarling. It was trying to kill and eat her. Something deep and primal awoke in Ann and she tore into the aggressor. She sunk those deadly teeth into the cat''s chest the iron taste of blood gushed out. Her claws scrabbled against flesh, ripping and shredding. She started gnawing her way up, until she latched onto the neck. The cat gurgled and writhed when her neck snapped. Foam puffed out of her mouth and her low yawls quieted. Ann fled, leaving that terrible creature to die.


    She limped back to her lair and licked her wounds. The hunger had not abated. Though she did not know it yet her little skirmish had caught the eye of  the most deadly of predators in the slums. Ann ventured out once more looking for food. She had hardly made it ten feet from her tunnel when something slammed down atop her. She was pinned and there was another cat girl. This one was different that the other in many ways. She had short tabby hair with glitter and sparkles rubbed in, slowly they flaked out. Her huge eyes held a dominate and prideful gaze. She licked her lips as she smelled Ann. The tail swished as she continued to hold her prey down. Ann tried to resist, but this creature was far stronger than her. She trembled in terror then something she was not expecting happened. She spoke.


    ¡°Nyahaha. I was wondering what little Meowsy had moved in,¡± her rough tongue licked the back of Ann''s neck. ¡°Not bad at all nyah.¡±


    ¡°You speak?¡± she cried in joy.


    ¡°Poor little Meowsy you are on my turf, which means you have to pay me Nyah.¡±


    ¡°Don''t eat me. Please! I don''t mean to trespass, but I have no where else to go,¡± she trembled.


    ¡°No where to go Nyah?¡± asked the cat, letting her hands roam through the soft fur on Ann''s back. ¡°You have not been one of us for very long?¡±


    ¡°No, only about a week.¡±


    ¡°I am Glitter Kitten,¡± she purred in Anne''s ear, ¡°and I run this place, Nyah. If you want to live you will obey me. Simple Nyaes?¡±


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± quivered Ann.


    ¡°You will be my pet Nyah.¡±


    ¡°Pet?¡±


    The wide grin across Glitter Kitten''s face unsettled Ann. She kept licking at the blood stains cleaning them from her brown and white fur, ¡°Yes I feel bad for you, Nyah. Besides I want you in my gang.¡±


    ¡°Gang?¡±


    ¡°I saw what you did to that cat, impurressssive,¡± she purred.


    ¡°You are not mad?¡±


    ¡°A Meowsy killed a cat. You are stronger than you think, usually your kind are preyed upon quickly here. It is unfortunately the way things go. Now choose, be my pet or be my food.¡±


    Ann grabbed a metal bar from nearby and felt Glitter Kitten tense on her back, ready to attack. She started nibbling nervously. This caught the cat''s attention, seeing the teeth work through metal like it was butter. Her hands began petting Ann''s head, cooing and meowing lowly. It was gentle and soothing.


    ¡°I will be your pet... what are you going to make me do?¡± Ann was in tears dreading what terrible things were yet to come. What happened next left her speechless. Glitter Kitten shifted her weight and plopped her bottom down right on Ann''s face. A short spray of urine made her writhe in resistance, gagging and squirming. She stood and grinned down.


    ¡°Now they will know you are mine. I marked you. Nyah as of now not a soul in my Slums will dare harm you, unless I tell them to of course. But I won''t tell them to unless you give me a reason to Nibbles.¡±


    ¡°Nibbles?¡±


    ¡°Yes every pet needs a name and since you love to nibble on things I chose it.¡±


    ¡°My name is Ann.¡±


    ¡°That was your human name, Nyah. We are certainly not human any more. Nibbles is your name now. It will grow on you. Or would you prefer to be called Meowsy?¡±


    ¡°Nibbles is fine,¡± she shuddered.


    ¡°Don''t be scared, nyah. I won''t hurt you. You are one of us now and we look out for one another. Sometimes though we need to be reminded of our place, Nyahaha. Sometimes I need to crack some skulls or break some bones to keep order down here. It is a jungle after all. Especially the ferals.¡±


    Nibble''s stomach growled and she cringed. Glitter Kitten pet her gently, patiently, ¡°Hungry?¡± Nibbles nodded and Glitter Kitten smiled, ¡°Come along we have lots of food. What do you eat? Meat, grass, carrots?¡±


    ¡°You will actually feed me?¡± asked Nibbles, hoping it to be true.


    ¡°Yes. Think of it as a family.¡±


    ¡°Family? I thought I was your pet?¡±


    ¡°Is the pet not a part of the family? Don''t worry about a thing. My little Nibbles.¡±


    Nibbles would never forget this day, the day that she found her place in the world. A world that shunned her for being different.


    ~~~


    Present day.


    The light glared in through the blinds. A low rumbling purr resounded through the room. There was an exhausted looking young woman. Her short furred body was sprawled out across a bed that would make a queen jealous. This woman was no normal person, she was Glitter Kitten. Her tall ears rotated as her long curly tail flicked through the air. She yawned and stretched, arching her bottom in the air. Glitter Kitten rolled and the horde of her children descended, nipping at her and suckling. They were soft and fluffy, most looked like they had just come out of a dryer. She growled and several ran away, but the bravest latched on. It was something along the lines of sorting out the weak, they still got fed of course though they had to wait. She groaned rubbing her face, not even trying to fight them anymore. Her eyes closed then opened. She glared over at the door and the figure who had snuck in.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Nyah? Nibbles. This had better be good,¡± she rubbed her temples slowly. The low purring and insatiable smacking of the kittens filling the air. ¡°I got a hang over, Nyah that could kill a moose.¡±


    Despite how she might look she was not someone to cross and unfortunately for little Nibbles she was going to be very, very mad about what she had to say, ¡°The guy got away.¡±


    Glitter Kitten took a long moment making a pained look, she said in a low growling voice that rose to a yell and sent all of her kittens fleeing into the next room. ¡°What the fuck do you mean he got away Nyah?!¡±


    ¡°He got rescued by some hero!¡± quivered Nibbles not wanting to incur the wrath of her savior. She had though and Glitter Kitten pounced. She grabbed the weregerbil by the neck, slammed her into the wall and bent her over a knee. The clawed hands spanked her ass and did not stop until it was raw and bloody. Nibbles cried and squealed like she was dying.


    ¡°I told you!¡± howled Glitter Kitten. ¡°I told you to torture him until he told us where he stashed all those drugs! Damn it, Nibbles if I had known you would fuck this up I would have done it myself! I don''t like to hurt you, but you make me when you fail like this.¡±


    Nibbles wailed, ¡°I''m sorry! Glitter Kitten forgive me. He did not go far, he is in the hospital in Downtown by the Fire Station.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± she hissed.


    ¡°I followed Medavac.¡±


    ¡°So it was Medavac?¡±


    Nibbles panted holding up a news paper. ¡°No, there was Fire Chief and some new hero called Mecha Fairy.¡±


    ¡°Mecha who?¡± said Glitter Kitten, snatching the paper away and looking it over. She scowled reading over the articles. She tapped her finger irritably and took a deep breath. A slow smile spread across her face and she pet Nibbles. Her voice sounded as though she were spoiling an animal, ¡°I am sorry, Nibbles. I did not mean to hurt you. I was just angry. You did very good. Yes, Nibbles did good. Whose a good, Nibbles? Your a good, Nibbles. Yes you are.¡±


    She smiled wiggling her little tail, but then Glitter Kitten slapped her. ¡°Rather I should say this Mecha Fairy did good. She saved your ass! What the fuck is this? It happened almost a week ago. Why the hell did you not tell me sooner!?¡±


    She warily gnawed at her fingers, ¡°I was scared... What do you mean?¡±


    Glitter Kitten rubbed Nibble''s head and made sure to go against the grain of the hair. It was uncomfortable to say the least. ¡°Had John C. Richard died we would never know where the drugs are hidden, at the least not in time. Never the less I will send people out to look.¡±


    ¡°Why are the drugs so important?¡±


    The hand on her head clenched to the point that it was painful and the claws were almost drawing blood. ¡°He stole twenty million dollars worth of cocaine. That cocaine is for a drug deal with the Angels of Hell. We need the money, they need the drugs and we sure as hell are not going to let them go over to someone else. This is the biggest single drug deal we have ever done. If we fuck this up the Boss won''t let us in on the Gig! Do you even understand what will happen if the Boss gets pissed at us?!¡±


    ¡°Why do we need the money and who the hell is this boss guy anyway. It is not like you to follow orders.¡± asked Nibbles and Glitter Kitten rubbed her face to keep calm. She replied, ¡°We need it to buy food. Our reserves are running low. Make sense now Nyah? We don''t talk about the Boss, you know that. Rules, the rules gotta be followed or we are all dead.¡±


    Nibbles nodded and she was stroked under the chin and the hand started petting her. ¡°Now then.¡± smiled Glitter Kitten though there was no joy in it. It was the coldest, most evil expression Nibbles had ever seen on her owner before. All the hair stood up on her body. ¡°The deal is in three days. Which means you have two days to either get John back here or obtain the location of the stash. If you do not, then I will take care of this personally. I will not be happy if I have to deal with this myself. Now then just so that it sinks in, let me say it nice an¡¯ slow nyah. Drugs equal money, which means food. No drugs, no money, then no food. No food, my kittens go hungry. My kittens go hungry, I get angry. I get angry, I will raid the city and if I do that I will kill anybody that gets in my way. If I have to get involved, well my little Nibbles you can expect very bad things to happen to you. You remember what happened last time you fucked up this badly?¡±


    She nodded in terror, ¡°I won''t fail you.¡±


    ¡°I know you won''t. But if you do, Nyahaha, the Kittens are waiting for their chew toy.¡±


    Nibbles shuddered. The oldest of the kittens were already the same size as her and stronger, at the least in raw power she could fight them off with her teeth, but that would enrage Glitter Kitten and that would make things worse. Glitter Kitten''s progeny often chased her and made her life hell, it did not matter that she was a weregerbil they went for the nipples every time. They loved milk and did not seem to realize that Nibbles had an empty well, so any attempts to get the creamy fluid was not rewarded. It did not stop them though. They were biters and usually drew blood. Nibbles would become their play thing should she fail. It was a grim prospect to be at the mercy of nineteen veracious felines that wanted milk and she had none to give. The image of a piranha feeding frenzy came to mind.


    Nibbles cried inwardly, she would not let that happen to her again. They nearly ripped her nipples off last time. She was ready to go when Glitter Kitten spoke up again, ¡°This might be too much for you alone. Take Den Mother with you. Do this as quietly as possible. Just snatch him and get the hell back here. If you do it right I will reward you Nyah. If you fuck up I will beat the both of you an inch from death.¡±


    She nodded and walked out down the hallway to the stairs. Nibbles was small enough that the other non-humans scared the living day lights out of her. It also did not help that she was a prey animal compared to most of the other inhabitants of the Slums. It was so bad even the bunnies picked on her. Wearily she descended the steps into the upper floor of the Sparkle Kat Cafe. Below was a mass of furry bodies passed out after a long night of partying. Nibbles always steered clear of the drinking and drug use that took place here. Her eyes scanned over the room for the massive shape that she knew was Den Mother. Usually she would be somewhere in the middle of it all, however she was off to the side drinking at the bar. It was only eight in the morning this was not going to end well.


    Den Mother joined the gang before Nibbles, in fact she had been a police officer during the battles to reclaim the slums. Her canine unit, a large German Shepard by the name of Duke, had been heavily irradiated and turned on its master. He mauled her before being put down, but the damage had been done. During that time it was a very strict policy to kill any infected. They had been trying to purge the slums of irradiated animals and were-people. She had to flee from her former comrades or be gunned down. Glitter Kitten found her and dragged her in. After her full change took hold her place in the gang was decided after vicious battles for dominance. The result was only Glitter Kitten and Thumper being able to beat her into submission. Now she was loyal to a fault and used as a watch dog for the young or muscle if they needed to teach somebody a lesson. She was a nice person... when she was sober, the problem was she was an alcoholic. When she was drunk she was over protective of the dancers. It drove away a lot of patrons, usually with broken bones.


    Things had calmed down in regards to the kill on sight policy of Bronson in the last three years. Now they did as they did before and herded any mutants into the Slums. There was still a lot of prejudice though and brutality was common for the so called Subhumans. They were scorned and treated like animals. There were even some rich people who paid to have the denizens kidnapped and trained for sick fetishes. To be a demi human was bleak. They could only band together to fend off those that would harm them. Nibbles had a feeling that if something happened to Glitter Kitten there would be anarchy and things would end badly for everyone. The other subhuman gangs might make a move if the Mad Dogs were knocked down a peg. These fears were unfounded though, Glitter Kitten was the alpha predator of the Slums and nothing ever seemed to phase her for very long.


    Nibbles made her way down the stairs. The hanging cages for dancers were empty and the stages with stripper poles sat unused except for the random sleeping bodies curled up together. The speakers buzzed lowly, somebody had forgotten to turn them off last night. At the least they were not playing music. The poor jukebox had seen better days. Most of the lights were burnt out and the glass was cracked. Just last night Nibbles had heard What''s New Pussycat seven times in a row followed by a brief respite of It''s Not Unusual, but it did not last long. Unfortunately it was Glitter Kitten''s favorite song and she played it almost every time she took to the stage. She was rather into it last night, even dragged a guy up on the stage and mounted him in front of everyone. Needless to say that was a show, the guy would be bow legged for a week.


    Most nights there were more police in here than much else. Supposedly they were here to keep an eye on things, but everyone knew they just wanted lap dances, to get drunk, partake in the drug trade or indulge in some pussycat time. In fact some heroes were known to sneak down here for some walks on the wilder side. A few of them even had tabs they were in here so frequently, Medavac was a rather regular customer. All were welcome so long as they had money and did not try anything funny. It was rather lucrative to let them in. Not only did they spend money, but they blabbed about the rest of city after a few drinks or a little coaxing from a kitten or two promising a happy ending. It was rather funny how corrupt things were.


    The bar had the only human that could stomach this place for long periods of time, most needed a few days to recover. The man was well built and he needed to be to survive in this environment, let alone thrive. His name was Titus and he was the bar tender. He was a Super, it was not anything crazy, he was simply immune to radiation and as a result was uninfectable, not that some of the girls had not tried. He was their supply chain and went into Bronson''s market district to procure the things that were needed with the gang''s money. Den Mother had something of a sweet spot for the man and Nibbles had unfortunately walked in on them in the throes of passion, to put it nicely, a few times. They could go for hours so it was hard to find a good time to interrupt.


    ¡°Nibbles,¡± said Titus cleaning a glass so that it was as shiny as his dark skinned head. ¡°You got Kitten mad again?¡±


    ¡°What did you do this time?¡± asked Den Mother, peering at her. Luckily it looked as though she had just started drinking and was not hammered yet. The shaggy dark brown fur was matted with sweat and her snout spread, showing off her sharp teeth. Her large breasts always caught Nibbles eyes, she was a little jealous, she was flat as a board after all. The towering werewolf pat her lap and she reluctantly crawled up the leg to sit in it.


    ¡°You have to help me, Den Mother,¡± said Nibbles, rubbing all over her larger counterpart to get her scent ingrained. It was a form of showing submission and it always worked against Den Mother.


    ¡°Now, now just calm down and tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°Glitter Kitten wants us to capture that guy that escaped,¡± she replied shiftily.


    There was a pause and Den Mother was thinking it over. She was not dumb, but she was certainly not the sharpest brick in the shed. Sometimes it was hard just to think due to her raging hormones, especially around the lunar cycles. Granted it was like that for just about all of them, ¡°Isn''t that the guy we caught a week ago? We still don''t know where the shipment is? Nibbles what the fuck! You had one job, make him talk.¡±


    ¡°He tricked me,¡± she said as the huge clawed hand held her still. Nibbles shrieked. ¡°I know where he is though so it should not be hard to get him.¡±


    ¡°Why did you not just gnaw his arms and legs off? It is good torture and he can''t very well run away after that,¡± sighed Den Mother.


    ¡°That would have killed him. Why did I have to torture him anyway? Everyone knows I don''t like to hurt people.¡±


    ¡°If you want to amputate people you have to tie a tourniquet around the limb above where you plan on cutting, so that they don''t bleed out. Make sure it is nice and tight to cut blood flow. You do it slowly and painfully most will spill their guts after the first leg or even half way through. It shows that you mean business,¡± her vulpine grin made Nibbles shudder.


    ¡°So you are going to help?¡±


    ¡°Of course. You know where he is?¡± Den Mother pet the gerbil girl.


    ¡°Yes. We should go before Glitter Kitten gets mad.¡±


    ¡°Titus we will finish this when I get back.¡±


    He put the bottle back and waved, ¡°Try not to cause too much trouble out there.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it is just a smash and grab, we will be back before happy hour starts.¡±

 Arc 5, The Pussycat and I, Chapter 2

    Hello everyone ^^ Those of you who have read Spinneret will have a nice little reference in here. Ps I have read all of it and it is great, I like how light hearted it is, granted there are a few darker moments, but nothing like Vesper''s shenanigans.


    In case you were wondering what song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHlguhVH-f0</a>


    As always thank you for reading and tell me what you think.


    Vesper Walda Vasska, Arc 5, Chapter 2


    My arms stretched wide as I ran through the spring breeze. Grass below my claws felt so good and flowers bloomed all around, some of them looked suspiciously like vaginas, but hey I did not even care. Though this place seemed peaceful and happy I only felt hollow, incomplete, as though something was missing. Come to think of it Sub should be lurking around here somewhere. I wonder where she went? Usually she is waiting for me. Someone was whistling rather happily and I looked all around trying to find them. Then I gazed up and there was the sun with a pair of sunglasses on. What is next? The Kool Aid guy? I don''t see any brick walls, so I should be fine. At any rate if I hear anybody yell ¡°OH YEAH!¡± I am running for the hills.


    ¡°Hello down there!¡± he sung, while wiggling arms parted the clouds.


    I replied a little glum, ¡°Oh hey, mister sun.¡±


    ¡°What is the matter Vesper?¡± he asked rocking back and forth way up high where the blue birds fly.


    ¡°Am I crazy? You are just Sub in disguise aren''t you?¡±


    He crossed his arms for a moment, humming merrily then he pointed over to the left. ¡°No, no, no silly. This is just a dream. You can do anything in a dream, just imagine it. If you are looking for Sub well she is off over there in the land of depression and insecurity.¡± My eyes followed and saw a writhing forest of tentacles. Oh my. That certainly looked fun. I could use some thorough lovin'' right about now.


    ¡°Thanks for the tip. Well see you later.¡± I started to walk when a soft ball sized thing bounced off of my head. It did not hurt or anything just made me jump back. Is that a... a raisin?


    ¡°Now hold on just a minute,¡± said Mister Sun, he had scoops in his hands. Not entirely sure where he got those from. Something seemed real fishy about that. ¡°You could go over there and wallow in your own despair and self loathing or you could stay here.¡±


    ¡°Why would I stay here?¡±


    ¡°You know what makes everything better?¡± he asked acting all shy and stuff. It was creepy.


    ¡°No?¡± I looked around awkwardly.


    ¡°Two scoops of raisins!¡± he cried out, dumping them. Oh dear god! ¡°Cheer up chum life is wonderful!¡±


    An umbrella appeared over head floating down slowly. I grasped it as the first of the hail like raisins hit the ground. ¡°What the hell man! You trying to kill me?¡±


    His smile spread, ¡°This is a dream, nothing here can hurt you. Why don''t you try to have fun?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know man. This seems sketchy as fuck.¡±


    ¡°Oh just give it a try. I guarantee you will love it. Try a raisin. It will make you feel better.¡±


    I looked between his happy go lucky face and the dried up grape in my hand. Well I guess one couldn''t hurt. It squished in my mouth, it tasted amazing, was this thing powdered love or something? It was so sweet and chewy. He might be onto something here. Rainbows started looping around... are those kittens and bunnies sliding down? When did everything go all pastel? The sunflowers started dancing and singing. God damn it, I just got drugged. Something tells me this guy puts the rape in grape. This is what I get for taking raisins from strangers. Seems innocent enough, nothing could possibly go wrong here. I looked around shiftily, that was the cue for crazy shit to go down. Nothing happened though. Maybe I am just being paranoid. I mean hell I threw out a free disaster flag and everything.


    It took a few moments to realize what they were singing... what the hell song is that? Where was that music even coming from?! Dammit there is even a band, they came well prepared. Mister Sun and his troupe of sunflowers were wiggling and dancing. ¡°You put the Boom-Boom into my heart. You send my soul sky high when your lovin'' starts. Jitterbug into my brain. Goes a bang-bang-bang till my feet do the same. But something''s bugging you. Somethin'' ain''t right. My best friend told me what you did last night. Left me sleepin'' in my bed. I was dreaming, but I should have been with you instead!¡±


    There was something magical about this place. I might as well enjoy it this is all for me right? My little umbrella spun while I watched the colorful rainbows stretch out. The low beating of raisins thudding on the ground all around made my smile so big. I gaped my mouth and let them fall in. So warm and refreshing. After a few minutes the rain had stopped and I was sprawled on the ground making angels. Clouds overhead continued pouring kittens and bunnies. They slid down the rainbows and ran towards me. My arms opened wide to embrace them. My body was ready! Take me you lovable critters! They lept through the air and buried me below all that soft and fluffy fur. This must be what heaven feels like.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy. Mecha Fairy. Hey come on, wake up will you? Vesper!¡± shouted Fire Chief''s voice. The dream around me shattered like glass.


    The voices distorted and broke, ¡°Wake me up.... before you go-go.¡±


    The wonderful field and snugly bunny rabbits faded into the darkness and my eyes shot open. Drool was running down my chin as I blinked trying to figure out what was going on. Man I was so into that dream too. Something was coiled around me and the added weight made me look. It was Sunshine, who was rubbing her eyes in a vane attempt to fight off the sandman. Slowly the world around me started to make sense and I realized that I was back in my room, well our room. We were not even in the bed just sprawled out across the floor. My suit was still tightly wrapped around me though the helmet lay a few feet away.


    Honestly I don''t even remember coming in last night. One thing after another happened and this week had turned into a blur. There were some crazy calls. A house fire, a school bus nearly falling off of a bridge, rescuing a cat from a tree, we had to break up a hooker fight and last but not least I stopped a suspect in the middle of a high speed pursuit by stepping in front of the car and letting it hit me. Me one, car zero. Then of course last night we bagged that scum bag Blaze Runner.


    Oh man, it is only seven in the morning. Usually I get up about now, but I also go to bed at like ten. What can I say? I love to sleep. I remember that it was after one a.m. when we called it... or maybe it was two. I can see why all the scrubs sleep like crazy when they can. My eyes were a bit fogged as they went about the room until they fixed in on the door. It was closed. Maybe I had just imagined it? I stretched and started to drift off back to sleep. Then I heard his voice again. Sunshine had retreated below the mound of stuffed animals and covered her head with a pillow. The sound was coming from my helmet. I put it on, yawning the entire time.


    ¡°What the fuck Chief? It is so early,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°Well wake up and meet me in the lobby in five minutes,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± my voice moaned. ¡°How the hell are you so energetic after last night?¡±


    ¡°That was a light day.¡±


    I sulked for a moment. What have I gotten myself into? I mumbled, ¡°Fine, fine I will be down in a few.¡±


    I shambled like a zombie, closing the door behind me. My head felt like I had a migraine. The one you get when you are rudely woken up out of a deep rem sleep dream. It felt like a nail was being driven in behind my eyes. As to be expected nobody else was up and the living room was silent. Luckily I had, had the presence of mind to clean the suit off when we got in last night. That dream made me hungry. My tummy growled like a starved beast in protest. Scrounging through the fridge for left overs was a bust. Nothing really looked appetizing. There was some moldy pizza slices. Am I going to have to be the maid of this place? Filthy animals clean up your own messes, I ain''t doing it. I am Mecha Fairy, not Mecha Maid.


    The only thing not spoiled was vegetables and leafy stuff, rabbit food in other words. These guys don''t even have snacks or anything, I can''t eat this crap. Where the fuck is all the meat? I went on scavenger hunt mode and started rummaging around the cupboards for noodles or something. Nothing. What the hell do these people eat? I sighed and grabbed out a carton of apple juice, opened the mouth port on the helmet and guzzled it down. The empty container crumpled as I tossed it in the trash. Fruits are just fine, must be the natural sugar and the like. That should shut it up for a bit. I started my foray out into the hallways of the Fire Station.


    An excellent idea crossed my mind, now that I could think properly. ¡°Hey Chief.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he replied over the com.


    ¡°Buy me breakfast.¡±


    It took a moment then he answered, ¡°You are a big girl. I am sure you can get some yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on. Pretty please, with sugar lumps and titties on top?¡±


    ¡°I will just ignore that.¡±


    ¡°So that means you are getting me breakfast?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I''ll make it worth your while.¡±


    ¡°Now what are you on about?¡±


    I licked my lips, ¡°I''ll give you a nice mouth hug.¡±


    ¡°I get the feeling that I am going to regret asking, but what the hell is a mouth hug?¡± he sighed.


    ¡°Oh you know. It is a nice way of saying I''ll slob your knob. Come on, you know you wanna,¡± I grinned, looking out over the lobby from the elevator. Chief was over in the corner by the entrance.


    ¡°I regret everything,¡± he shook his head. It was so fun to tease Chief and on the off chance that he caved to curiosity then even better. He was a hard nut to crack though. His wife must put out like crazy, I can see why.


    I walked over stopping right in front of him. ¡°Come on Chief, Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I need my daily dose of vitamin D.¡±


    He did a poor job of concealing his chuckle, ¡°I got that one. Alright fine I will buy you breakfast. Just stop it will you?¡±


    ¡°Spoil sport. I would have stroked the shaft and swallowed the gravy too. So where are you taking me?¡±


    ¡°Well sorry to disappoint,¡± he pat me on the shoulder. ¡°I don''t know there are a couple of places nearby. What did you want?¡±


    ¡°Breakfast stuff. You know eggs, bacon, hash browns and sausage, mmm sausage can''t forget that. Isn''t there a family place nearby?¡±


    ¡°Yeah the Brown Bear Diner,¡± he started walking and I followed out the door.


    The street was a little busy with people rushing here and there to get to work. It was not too bad since most of the personnel essentially lived on site. Fire Chief was one of the guys who did not, he went home every night he could. He even had the weekends off, unless crazy stuff happened. The hospital staff across the street looked a lot more sluggish, it was the lull before the storm. Reason being that not too much happened in the mornings. Down the street a bunch of cops were around the doughnut shop, getting their morning fix of coffee and jelly cream. It was a little far away to smell, but I am sure that it was delightful.


    Nice and peaceful. Makes you think nothing could possibly go wrong... ah crap. Throwing up event flags and shit without even meaning to. I should be fine. I mean this is real life, not some game or comic. It is not like my life is a story or something and there is some depraved lunatic actively trying to make my life a living hell; now that, that would just be crazy. We walked along the nicely paved sidewalk. Trees stood every couple hundred feet or so and little blue birds twittered in their branches. A tabby cat lay on top of the brick fence that divided the Fire House and the street. He stretched, eyeing the birds. There was no way he was going to catch anything with how fat he was. The cat was clearly well fed and likely somebody''s pet. Although there was no collar. He got one whiff of me and took off around the corner. I guess animals really do hate me. They could probably smell that I was their natural predator.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The Brown Bear Diner had been here since my dad was a kid and that was ages ago. It was very well managed though and had survived all the economic turmoil over the years. When I was younger, I had been here a few times. Usually it was after mom finished an assignment at work. Dad would bring me down after school and we would all eat together. It was something of a reward, back when we were still a family. The place held some rather fragmented, but fond memories. Sub had stitched them together for me. Like some Frankenstein Monster made of happiness. It was always so warm and I remember grinning ear to ear over my report cards. God, how long ago was that? Must have been fifteen years already. To think back then we did not have to worry about mutant animal people. Time sure flies when you are not paying attention. I should check in with my dad sometime and see what he is up to. Tomorrow is our scheduled get together after all.


    Chief led the way through the clear glass doors. The diner had the same rustic feeling I remember and the wooden booths were polished to a gleaming shine. It smelled so wonderful in here, all that food sizzling and browning to perfection in the back. Just from this I knew it was going to be a good meal. The uniforms here were rather vintage actually. It gave a nice visual, reminded me a lot of Ruby''s with the red stripes on white, nice reasonably lengthened skirts and button up blouses. A main difference was that they had bear ears on their heads. The waitress had bundled up black hair and seemed a little surprised to see us, but quickly made her way to the back. We stood waiting for a few moments for her return.


    ¡°Sorry for the wait,¡± she smiled carrying two menus.


    ¡°Not a problem,¡± replied Chief. I was not exactly sure how this worked, so I was more or less along for the ride. First time eating out as a costumed hero with Chief after all.


    We were led to a large booth that could seat roughly eight people, with fogged glass and a door. This was the VIP lounge and was reserved for heroes. It was pretty cool, the door even locked for added privacy. I get the feeling you could get down and dirty in here, kinda like the mile high club. I sat across from him in the nice padded booth. The waitress stood there waiting eagerly. After a moment I glanced over her name tag, she was Jenny apparently. The menu was rather easy to read through, they did not have any crazy dishes. It was all straight forward.


    ¡°Can I get you anything to drink?¡± Jenny asked.


    I thought it over, ¡°Lemonade, don''t skimp on the sugar.¡±


    ¡°Iced tea,¡± replied Chief, looking over the menu.


    She nodded writing it down and leaving us after a few moments. The door closed behind her and we sat listening to the music, it was just some country stuff with no words just instruments. He put his elbows on the table leaning his head into the hand. We were still wearing our suits and helmets of course. Chief looked rather bored.


    ¡°So why did you wake me up so early anyway?¡± I asked, I hated silence.


    ¡°Oh that,¡± he started when there was a knocking at the door. ¡°Come in.¡±


    Jenny returned with our drinks and set them on coasters in front of us. ¡°Have you decided what to order?¡±


    Chief gave it a moment and nodded, ¡°I will have a slam. Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and hash browns.¡±


    I nodded in agreement that did sound very good. Although I had my eyes on something more. She looked over at me and I said, ¡°I will have the Wild Mountaineer. Extra everything. Over easy eggs, I want them to bleed.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want extras? I mean that is a lot of food,¡± she looked at me with a little bit of disbelief. I do look rather skinny so it was understandable.


    ¡°If anyone could eat all that it would be her,¡± he said with a little snicker behind it. I scowled inside of my helmet. He is poking back from earlier.


    ¡°Alright will that be everything?¡± she asked writing it all down.


    We both nodded and she left. I sat there rubbing my leg against his under the table. Two can play at this game. It ended up becoming some sort of footsy fight as he kept pinning my foot under his, but I would wriggle my way out and attack from a different angle. Don''t you know a girl likes it when you are dominate? You are making this worse for yourself Chief. Either roll over and take it or roll me over and make me take it. I lifted my helmet a little sipping at my lemonade with the widest grin. Why was I so attached to him?


    I mean if this was just about getting some strange I get the feeling I could scare some up in the scrub team. Squeeze seemed to be interested granted so did Glide, kinda might just be delusional here and I get the feeling that Disk would beat me with a burning stick. The room would have to be dark though or I would have to blind fold them. I don''t particularly have faith in their response to my true form, up close and personal that is. Neon Nurse would be more than happy to explore the finer nuances of physical coupling or whatever the hell she was on about last time. The real question was did I really want any of them? Don''t get me wrong I love Neon Nurse, strictly platonicly. She is one of my closest friends and I do owe her a bit for sticking up for me. It is more of a line I don''t want to cross, same thing with Sunshine and I don''t even want to consider Dr. Arbor.


    As far as Chief was concerned there was not much to it, he treated me like a real human being. Not some lab animal, not some monster, just a weird girl. Which I am, so there were no complaints there. It also helped with how fun it was to mess with him. Seeing that stoic face break into a mischievous smile or making him pout, it was probably the most entertaining thing I had ever done, well it was pretty close to games anyway. I would feel like a bad person, but he seems to be enjoying it. He is rather straightforward so if he really did not like it he would tell me.


    ¡°You were saying?¡± I asked, remembering about our interrupted conversation. I relented my foot assault so that he would not be distracted.


    ¡°Remember that man you saved in the Slums?¡±


    It took a moment to recall. I was still not a hundred percent yet, but I knew who he was talking about. ¡°Yeah. What about him? Is he alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is doing great. He actually wanted to thank you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Here I was thinking he was going to sue me,¡± I smiled. That is one thing off of my chest. I was actually kinda worried about that.


    ¡°You saved his life,¡± said Chief in cheerful tone. ¡°He was very adamant about thanking you in person.¡±


    ¡°So I got woken up early as hell to be thanked? It could not have waited?¡±


    ¡°With the way things go there is no telling when you might get another chance.¡±


    I yawned, ¡°I suppose you are right. This is that thing about being thanked making the job worth it right?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°You did good so you deserve the praise.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I wiggled my fingers at him. I just can''t help myself around him. Now if only I can get him, Bronsonman and Boris to wrestle naked in a mud pit. I could probably die happy after seeing that.


    He ignored my signs of affection, however it did not deter me. My foot returned to its attack, roaming up his leg and steadily moving up. He repelled it and pinned it to the floor. After a couple more minutes of our back and forth there was a knock at the door. I pulled down the helmet all the way. ¡°Come in,¡± said Chief.


    She opened it and carried in the food. His looked like a mouth watering treat, but mine was a debaucherous mingling of meat and eggs. It was basically food porn. My two plates were filled with four eggs, eight pieces of crispy bacon, four thick juicy sausages, a full plate layer of hashbrowns underneath it, three thick cut pieces of ham and six slices of sourdough toast glistening with butter. Mister Sun don''t got shit on this. Who needs raisins when you have meat! It was all I could do to hold back from tearing off my helmet and feasting on the meal.


    Jenny hovered about, ¡°Is there anything more that you need?¡±


    I shook my head and Chief replied, ¡°We will be fine thank you.¡±


    ¡°If you need anything be sure to ring or come up front.¡± she excused herself, closing the door behind her.


    Finally she left and I locked the door. I unbuckled the helmet, sighing with relief, setting it to the side. Chief did the same and I sat there gazing at him for a moment. The food got the better of me though and Sub was already using bottom righty to pour ketchup all over the side of a plate. She wanted this just as much as I did. An egg was plopped on each piece of toast and soon I had piled an assortment of everything on each, making little sandwiches. He happily ate and vaguely watched my achievements of culinary perfection, just the right amount of everything stuck together. With a dribbling grin I chewed on the first. It was so damned good. I am going to tip this chef, this was an explosion of flavor. My grin almost came off the sides of my face as the next three pieces of bread were lowered into my maw. The mandibles slowly grounded the meat into into paste and I gulped it down.


    ¡°You really like meat,¡± said Chief in between his own mouthfuls. He was eating faster than I was. You trying to challenge me? I gave him a long look before ultimately decided that shoveling this delectable treat into my mouth was a waste. I knew I could beat him there was no reason to show it off.


    I smirked, ¡°Meat is love, meat is life. It makes my mouth full and tummy so yummy.¡±


    ¡°Well at the least something loves it,¡± he laughed.


    My foot rubbed him under the table while my smile grew predatory. One of the unfortunate sausages became my prey. My tongue wriggled around it and sucked it in, ¡°Don''t knock it till you try it. I will have you know I can easily suck a ping pong ball through a garden hose.¡±


    ¡°If you do it too hard you might swallow the ball though.¡±


    ¡°Would not be the largest thing I have swallowed. I got no gag reflex you know. Instead I can do it on command, so no choking unless I want to anyway.¡±


    He smirked, ¡°Sounds dangerous.¡± Damn it Chief! Stop teasing me.


    His phone went off. The ring tone... it was Jitter Bug! That was where I had heard that before. He answered, ¡°Hello? Oh hey honey did you need something?¡±


    I sat there devouring the rest of my meal, Listening in on their conversation, might as well, I can hear it anyway. Rachel said. ¡°Just wanted to check in with you. Busy day again?¡±


    ¡°Kinda. So far nice and quiet I will probably be home early tonight.¡±


    ¡°Tim misses you.¡±


    ¡°I know he does. Tell him we are going to play some ball when I get in. I will see you later tonight.¡± He smiled hanging up.


    Oh it was so heart warming. That was certainly a mood killer. I started to feel real bad about tempting him. I have to rethink my approach here. Our little fun can still go on, but I guess I will lay off of the aggressive provocations to get into his pants. I don''t wanna be some home wrecker after all. Honestly I wish him happiness Chief fucking deserves it. The guy puts up with so much shit and just keeps trucking, I don''t know how he does it.


    He put his helmet back on after polishing off the last of plate. ¡°Ready to go?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I said strapping my protective gear back on.

 Arc 5, The Pussycat and I, Chapter 3

    Vesper Walda Vasska, Arc 5, Chapter 3


    We stood in front of the clear glass windows and the long cemented steps that led to wide, reinforced glass doors. I gazed up at the curves, this place was way bigger than our base across the street. At first glance you might not realize just how many rooms and floors there were. Along the side there was a back entrance that the ambulances used when they were rushing people into the emergency room. The roof had a landing strip for helicopters and Medavac''s drop ship. Speaking of which it was sitting up there parked beside several helicopters. The hospital was a bit intimidating. The sterile white walls and floor did not ease my mind at all. The distinct lack of humanity always bugged me about these places. It was impersonal and made you feel like just a number.


    I had never really liked hospitals. It seemed like the place you went to die or be turned into a vegetable hooked onto a machine to survive. The needles and the wires and tubes, ugh just thinking about it made me sick. I hated the dentist as well. Their drills and the grinding sound as they bore through your soul. Most of my worst experiences were at the hands of so called doctors and nurses, not going to say any names, but you and I both know who. Isn''t that right Sub? She nodded. I sat there while Chief was talking to some nurse at the front desk. Not a single part of this was I looking forward to. From the sounds of it that Richard guy had to have a few parts replaced. I wonder if Medavac is around somewhere? I mean this is where he works. Speak of the devil. He was walking down the corridor towards us. His bulky armor plates were thick as ever and the red cross on his chest was singed a little. The visor was down so that the jawbone of a skull was visible.


    ¡°Medavac!¡± I waved at him.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy!¡± he chuckled with that gravelly voice and wiggled his fingers at me. ¡°What brings you to this neck of the woods?¡±


    ¡°Chief brought me to meet that guy I saved the other day,¡± I replied, standing next to him.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Mr. Richard? He''s up on floor five. Wasn''t for you that guy would be ashes right now.¡±


    ¡°I always get worried if I did a good job though,¡± my head hung a little and he slapped me on the back.


    ¡°Stop being so self conscious. I don''t have a single complaint about your actions so far,¡± he reassured me.


    Chief stood over me. ¡°She is still very rough. Don''t give her reckless ideas. You could have killed a lot of people last week on the bridge. Next time you need to work with the group more.¡±


    ¡°I was working with the group,¡± I said in a small voice. When we were just messing around it was different, but when he talked about hero business there was no funny stuff. I respected him so much, which made every word of criticism sting all that much more. After all half of the reason I am even a hero is so that he will praise me.


    ¡°You ran off on your own three times, threw yourself in front of a speeding car and almost dropped a bus filled with children into the canyon. Now look just because you can stop a semi does not mean you can be reckless. I know it was your first week so I am cutting you a little slack,¡± he said with crossed arms.


    I could not raise a voice to argue. Chief was, well he was my coach and he was teaching me everything I needed to know about this Super Hero stuff. If he says that I fucked up, then I fucked up. So far it had been way different than I thought it would be. Here I was expecting cartoon and comic book crap like weirdo villains getting into fights with us, we beat their ass and go home. Yeah, that is not what happened in real life. You see those things always leave out the nitty gritty. In fact they don''t even touch on how much damage gets inflicted and we as the heroes have to play a significant role in helping the clean up after the fight or disaster. I mean we gotta comb through the wreckage and find anybody that might be trapped or help somebody who is dying from injuries. Granted, yes I am on the response team that deals with that stuff so we see it more than most.


    ¡°Lay off on her she is still getting used to it,¡± said Medavac, pointing a thick finger at Chief.


    ¡°No. He''s right. I need to do better,¡± I replied looking at the floor.


    ¡°Damn it, Vesper. I am not trying to put you down. This is constructive criticism. You are rash and violent, I mean hell half the time you are charging straight at the problem like you have a death wish. You need to take things slower and more calculative. Think things through more. You could seriously get hurt if this keeps up.¡±


    ¡°The only thing I am good at is taking a hit. If I hesitate then things get worse.¡±


    ¡°I am worried about you. What if you get so hurt you can''t regenerate it?¡±


    ¡°Then I will die? What do you want from me?¡± my voice trembled. ¡°Tell me. What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Listen to orders.¡±


    ¡°I have been. Not well enough apparently though,¡± my fists clenched. ¡°Fine, from now on I will do whatever you say and I won''t even question any of it.¡±


    He shook his head giving me a firm grip on the shoulder. ¡°I don''t want you reliant on me like that.¡±


    ¡°I already am so deal with it,¡± I sneered back.


    Medavac started laughing, ¡°She got you good, boy. Man up and take responsibility for your junior.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to tell me that old man,¡± said Chief turning away. ¡°I just don''t want her clinging to me so much.¡±


    I guess I am being a little clingy and assertive. I essentially just told him that I was his dog. Although that is not too far off from my position in the team. I am basically an attack animal just waiting to be set loose on somebody. What else was I good for? With me running around sniffing things out and taking the bullets the rest of the team is free to do anything they want. That is not a good thought process, but it was making more sense than much else. The only other way to do this would be to think everything was like a video game, I tended to take them rather seriously. There was a can of worms with that as well though. If I started rationalizing things that way my inherent evil might take over. I am a demented monster when I play games, so that is out the window as well.


    My arms were crossed while I brooded and Medavac asked from behind me, ¡°Anybody ever tell you, you have a fine booty?¡±


    ¡°I always thought that I did. Chief do I have a nice ass?¡± I looked myself over.


    He dismissively waved at me and Medavac said, ¡°Don''t let that old party pooper get you down.¡±


    ¡°Don''t call me old. I am ten years younger than you old man,¡± laughed Chief.


    ¡°And I can still kick your ass boy,¡± they high fived and I felt left out. I put up all four of my hands. Medavac was looking me over and he slapped all four like he was playing paddy cake.


    ¡°Hey Medavac you an ass man or a boob guy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hard choice. Both are great. There are all types of girls out there. Itty bitty ones with the tightest snatches you ever felt,¡± he was making hand gestures the whole time. It was impossible not to laugh. ¡°Then you get those big girls with the bazoongas and bubble butts.¡± Medavac looked around for a moment and whispered to me. ¡°Those subhuman girls are something else though. Never seen a girl lick her own cunt before I went to the Sparkle Kat. Them girls will put your dick in the dirt with how rowdy they are.¡±


    ¡°Where do I scale up on there?¡± he knew his stuff so I kinda wanted to know.


    ¡°You got a solid eight for the rack and seven for that sweet ass.¡±


    ¡°Only a seven?¡± I pouted.


    He gave me a firm slap on the ass and I jumped, ¡°Don''t worry about it too much. You look great in that suit.¡±


    ¡°This suit is always riding up my ass though,¡± I complained.


    He gave me the thumbs up. ¡°That is why it is so good.¡±


    Chief put his hand on both of our shoulders. ¡°Stop encouraging her, will you?¡±


    ¡°Alright grumpy gills,¡± he chuckled and pulled me to the side a little, whispering, ¡°If you ever want to get some pussycat I will take you next time I hit up the Sparkle Kat.¡±


    ¡°Why would I want a pussycat?¡± I asked a little too loud.


    ¡°What did I just say? You are not going to take her with you to get hookers and blow!¡± seethed Chief barely able to keep his voice down.


    ¡°I never said nothing about blow,¡± said Medavac with his arm over my shoulder. ¡°I bet she would love to get a lap dance, hell she might want to give one.¡±


    ¡°Never really thought about it,¡± I scratched my helmet.


    ¡°You are a bad influence on her. Don''t you have better things to do?¡± Chief grabbed my hand and dragged me away from him. ¡°Come on Vesper lets leave this perverted old man to his ramblings.¡±


    Medavac snapped his fingers and pointed at me, ¡°Offer is always good.¡±


    I put my hands up in a shrug not really sure what to do. It did sound like fun, but then again it would piss off Chief. Who knows I might hit him up on it at some point. It could be a sort of undercover op or something? Seemed like a good idea to check out the base of the villains. He was not too perturbed and followed along behind, whistling. We took the elevator to the fifth floor and as usually I looked over the panel to see how many floors there were. I might be a little OCD about this. The hospital was eight floors above ground and three below ground, at the least that were accessible from this elevator. There was probably a few secret floors down there that only Supers could get access to though. For all I know there is some evil underground lair that nobody knows about. What are the odds of that though?


    Our little tour came to a stop in front of Mister Richard''s room. I lingered for a moment feeling some sort of trepidation. Honestly I did not understand it, just last night I did not even hesitate to throw myself in front of a speeding car and yet here I am afraid to receive a man''s thanks. I mostly just did not want to see what he looked like, knowing that I had done it to him. Medavac prodded me from behind and I took the plunge into the room. He lay there with tubes and wires sticking out of his skin and my carapace felt like it came to life with wriggling worms. The steady beep of his heart monitor was to the side and I watched as some fluid moved down an IV bag into his arm. He looked weak to say the least, I got the feeling he could not really move if his life depended on it. He had a robo hand and it reminded me even more that all of this was my fault.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    We stood around him and his head turned towards us. It was bandaged a little as he looked at us. His voice was hoarse and he almost croaked, ¡°There she is, my angel.¡±


    I took a step back. What the fuck was that about? I scratched the side of the helmet a little. ¡°They got you on the good stuff I see.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah hes higher than a kite right now. Got the morphine going,¡± said Medavac.


    ¡°I am so happy to see you,¡± he said reaching towards me limply. I looked over at Chief and he gave a nod. I took his hand and sat beside the bed on a little stool. His fingers grasped lightly and my own just gently pet the hand. I did not know what else to do. I am not good at this stuff.


    ¡°So how are you holding up?¡± I asked.


    He did not really answer, mumbling to himself about something. ¡°Coca... need to get it out.¡±


    ¡°Coco? What you want some Coco Puffs or something? I don''t know if we can accommodate that,¡± I said looking at Medavac who shook his head.


    ¡°He is on a liquid diet until he gets healed up.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry you can''t have any,¡± my voice was as gentle as a synthetic voice could be. ¡°Is there something else you want? If you don''t mind me asking what were you doing in the slums to begin with?¡±


    He squirmed a little bit to my words. It seemed he was having a bad trip. ¡°I, I don''t know where... I have a family, let me go.¡±


    ¡°You have a family?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No. That was a lie. I had to, to escape from hamster girl. Don''t leave me, please, please angel don''t leave me.¡±


    ¡°I am not going anywhere just calm down,¡± I stroked his hand and it seemed to have a good effect on him. ¡°Who the hell is hamster girl?¡±


    Medavac and Chief were looking at each other. I am getting a very bad feeling about this. Chief spoke up, ¡°I think he means gerbil and if he does then he means Nibbles. Son of a bitch.¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck is Nibbles?¡±


    Medavac answered, ¡°Nibbles is a well, a Weregerbil. She is a mean little thing that can bite through just about anything. If she is involved it means Glitter Kitten is closely involved. She is after all the fourth highest up in the command structure of the Mad Dogs, though there are a few stronger than her.¡±


    ¡°Why is she high up if others are stronger than her?¡±


    ¡°She is smart and cunning. Most of the Subhumans down there are not exactly gifted with wit,¡± said Chief.


    ¡°So I see,¡± I mumbled, looking away from them back to Mister Richard. ¡°It is alright now. Nobody is going to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said and oh boy did that feel good to hear.


    Sure the guy was out of his gourde, but it feels pretty good to get thanked. I will take what I can get, better than being screamed at and called a monster. I glanced around and saw a crumpled up piece of paper on the floor. Seems that the janitors are slacking. Two fingers snagged and after a few moments unraveled it. It looked like a hastily drawn map. I changed position, looking at it from different angles in an attempt to figure it out. The only words that were legible were, ¡°Stash. Sparkle Kat. Three Dog. Honey Badger.¡±


    What any of that shit meant I had no idea. I guess Sparkle Kat Cafe, but what the hell was the rest of it? Looking at it from that point of view, I could sort of figure out where things were. I would have to actually go down there and follow this bizarre scavenger hunt to see what was at the end of the rainbow so to speak. That was not a very good idea, so I guess I will never know if there was a pot of gold or not, not worth fighting off a bunch of animal people. I considered throwing it away, but Sub was interested, so it got slipped into a compartment for safe keeping.


    He had drifted off to sleep and I gently slid my hand free. ¡°So is that it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No you are going to stay here and guard him,¡± said Chief.


    I frowned, ¡°What the fuck are you on about? So what now I am your guard dog?¡±


    ¡°If he had a run in with Nibbles it means he pissed off Glitter Kitten most likely. She might order a hit or something if she learns he is not dead.¡±


    ¡°Does she read the paper?¡±


    ¡°Probably, why?¡±


    ¡°Then she most likely knows he is alive and not fatally injured,¡± I said, holding up last Wednesday''s paper.


    Chief tapped his helmet for a moment. ¡°I will be back in five hours to relieve you. If you need help call it in otherwise keep the line clear.¡±


    ¡°Wait you are actually leaving me here? I fucking hate hospitals! Am I getting paid for this?¡±


    ¡°I bought you breakfast.¡±


    ¡°That was to make up for waking me up so damned early.¡±


    ¡°Alright I will buy you dinner later.¡±


    ¡°I will see your dinner and raise one of those blueberry pies your wife makes that you were bragging about,¡± I pointed at him as though I had him cornered.


    He just started laughing, ¡°A small sacrifice, you are in for a treat. Alright so stay here and keep a close eye on Mister Richard. I will be back around three.¡±


    ¡°He is in good hands,¡± I grinned, waving them off. Medavac walked him to the elevator then circled back, kicking up a chair next to me. Seems I have some sort of entertainment. He sat there smoking a cigar... this is a hospital you know.


    ¡°You are sharing that pie with me you know,¡± said Medavac.


    ¡°What the hell are you on about? I asked for it. If you wanted one you should have asked. Get your own damned pie.¡±


    He shook his head and started riffling through his pockets pulling out some cards. ¡°I would but hes stingy and won''t get me any. He is doting on you though so that is my ticket to some tasty pie.¡±


    I looked him over. ¡°Why do you want that pie so bad? Wait is blueberry pie code for drugs?¡±


    ¡°You think that brat does drugs?¡± he laughed. ¡°No they are just really good. I remember the last time I had one was when I was over at his house for Tim''s fifth birthday party. We were grilling up meat and stuff.¡±


    Something there caught my attention, no, not the meat... I mean it did, but there was something else too. ¡°So you have been over to his house before?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah. Why?¡±


    ¡°You think you could show me where it is at?¡± I asked.


    He gave me a long look, ¡°Why would you want to know where his family lives?¡±


    ¡°I will give you half the pie if you tell me,¡± I wiggled my fingers at him.


    ¡°You did not answer my question,¡± he said crossing his arms. ¡°Now look here all kidding aside this is serious. It is best if you don''t know in case some villain captures you and tortures you for information. Why do you think most of us keep it hidden and don''t reveal our real names or faces to people outside of our trusted zone. It is a little different with the Juniors, they don''t have enemies. At the least not yet and by the time that they do you guys will be as close as me, Chief, Neon Nurse and Enforcer.¡±


    ¡°Alright I get it,¡± I replied hanging my head. Now that I think about it was a rather stupid idea to begin with. ¡°I was going ask to see if I could get more pies on the side or something. Just forget I said anything though, I see your point.¡±


    He pat me with his hand and a couple of pictures entered my field of vision. It looked like Glitter Kitten or maybe one of the strippers it was hard to tell, they all look a like. There was a bunch of sexy poses, she was naked in most of them, well as bare as fur will allow. She was tangled up in a ball of yarn in one, it was rather cute honestly.


    I looked up at him and he grinned, ¡°I will give you these if you give me three slices.¡±


    Well I do enjoy looking at cat girls. I pocketed the photos and shook his hand. ¡°Sounds like a deal.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure doing business with you.¡±


    ¡°Hey I was wondering, why have I not seen Enforcer, like at all?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh he is working on the other side of town, the east side. He has to deal with the Diablos and the Sixes. Scarlet Sweeper has the North of the city to patrol and Dreamer''s group watch over the middle, they also help out if there are calls. Basically all us people with experience are spread out over the city.¡±


    ¡°How come Downtown has you and Chief then?¡±


    ¡°I just hang out waiting for calls,¡± he said, lounging and taking a heavy drag off of the cigar. ¡°Only reason I am here is because my last call was here. I roam all over, where ever they need help. Every base has a hospital, fire station and a police station, but depending on who the resident hero of the sector is it changes what is the biggest influence in the area. For instance Enforcer is set up over there with militaristic swat teams, they use a gimped version of our suits just like the firefighters and my paramedics as I am sure you have seen. His base is a walled fortress with gun towers set up right at the edge of the Slums to make sure they don''t try anything.¡±


    ¡°They use lethal force?¡±


    ¡°No, they use tranquilizers. However if shit gets real they don''t pull punches. Right now he is actually more busy with the Sixes and Sevens fighting the Diablos than he is with the Mad Dogs. You would not believe how much the Irish hate the Mexicans. Speaking of Slums they have been rather quiet as of late. Either Glitter Kitten got knocked up again or they are up to something.¡±


    ¡°Is it quiet? I mean almost a week ago I rescued Richard over there.¡±


    ¡°No, trust me on this one. When they move it is not quiet at all. You will see next full moon for sure.¡±


    ¡°Well let''s just hope that some new kittens are on the way and not some devious plot,¡± I said a little worried.


    _____


    Next week Vesper and Medavac face off against Den Mother and Nibbles ^^

 Arc 5, The Pussycat and I, Chapter 4

    Hello everyone hope you had a good week ^^


    The Vespidian


    Arc 5 The Pussycat and I


    Chapter 4


    It had been three hours and all was quiet, well maybe not so silent. Me and Medavac were talking about his rather extensive list of conquests when it came to getting some pussy. It was one of his dreams to fuck a girl in every country around the world. So far he was doing pretty good, there were only thirty countries left on his list and they were all very small, a few were in South America. That was when I learned that life was rather unfair, granted I have had my own first hand experiences.


    Medavac can''t get sick, catch diseases or even spread them, hell his skin deflected non armor piercing rounds and even those barely get through. He was a Rank 6 in Endurance. Apparently when the army was handing out super soldier serum like candy to fat kids back in the eighties, old Medavac got his hands on some.


    Although they threw out the project after killing roughly half of the people who took the shit and only ten percent of the survivors even got super powers. The rest got cancer or their immune systems were shot to shit making them susceptible to diseases. It caused such an uproar that they got taken to the Geneva Convention and a law was made to stop it from happening again. Not that the government really cared, apparently this was the birth of Chimera, which is alive and well. They just went underground.


    Honestly he was not supposed to talk about it, but this was Medavac we were talking about here and he was more than happy to regale me with top secret shit. He had a bit of beef with the government, loved the military just hated the people in charge.


    Apparently he was a part of Chimera. Yup the boogeymen. The Screaming Banshees was an elite team of Supers that they used to surgically strike points of interest around the globe and snuff out insurgents, dictators, hostage situations and political traitor''s of the USA. The more that he talked about stuff the more that I realized Molotov had been telling the truth about just about everything. His team was the normal ones, so to speak, there were a few other teams that were not only stronger, but were shady as fuck.


    Then I heard a name come up that I really wish I did not, Arachnaon. Deep inside I was wishing she was not real, but she was and from the sounds of it was one hell of a she bitch in the sack. More likely to eat you than let you stick it in from what he was saying. Despite being terrified, realizing that she was out there somewhere, I grinned as he told me about her assets. She had nice tits and a booty to die for, enough said. He did not really know what her face looked like, she was wearing a helmet. No, he did not get any of that spider poon. A little hard when you are bleeding out from two missing legs.


    Medavac got out five years ago and as such has no idea what the hell they are doing now. Although he did not know too much outside of his own missions to begin with. They had been rather secretive. He barely knew anything about the other teams, other than that if they needed to be called in things were getting bad. Arachnaon''s team was the cream of the crop, none of them were even remotely human and they all had Rank 7 plus powers.


    One of them was a slime like creature that could shape shift to impersonate people. It was called Omega. If the rumors were true it could eat somebody and access their memories, not even the family could tell the difference. It seemed to be almost impossible to detect. There was also some guy named Jackal, he could turn invisible and not even inferred cameras could see him. He was a solo operative working for the CIA. Come to think of it Molotov mentioned him. There was even a Mind Diver, who went by the code name Nightmare from the sounds of it. At the least that is what the gossip was, he never actually saw them it was just floating around the rumor mill while he was there.


    He reaffirmed what Molotov had said about Arachnaon''s powers: tactical invisibility, extra legs, titanium strength webs, the strands were thinner than piano wire, venom that could liquefy a man''s insides in less than ten seconds and apparently borderline future sight with how faster her reflexes were. Her work was cold and calculative, almost beautiful from the way he described it. It had been her that saved him during his last mission, although it was more of a byproduct of her fulfilling her mission.


    She was like death''s shadow and people dropped like flies, not even realizing she was there. She culled the whole damned city, but they covered it up. After hearing that and realizing that Kraken was planning on training me to fight that made my blood run cold. I never want to see that bitch for as long as I live. From the sounds of it she would kill me before I even knew she was there.


    On a lighter note, I realized that Medavac was a sexual tyrannosaur. His old nickname was Tricky Dick. I had always just kinda poked fun at him, but now I was starting to wonder. How much of a beast in the sack was this guy? You don''t just bang over a hundred women if you are doing something wrong. Clearly he had something going on. Unless he was just talking out of his ass, he sounded rather confident about it though. Maybe I could learn some secret seduction techniques and bag all the hot babes... damn it. Sub knock that off, hot guys, I want the men! Sub we talked about this, you are the only girl for me. Stop blushing will you? That is not a confession!


    ¡°Hey would you fuck me?¡± I asked vaguely, more bored than anything else.


    Medavac puffed at his cigar thoughtfully for a moment, ¡°Well I can''t say it has not crossed my mind, but aren''t I a little old for you? I am surprised you are not going after the guys on your team.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Those kids? Nah I like older men. You know people with experience.¡±


    ¡°Well I certainly have that.¡±


    ¡°So you say. So would you do me?¡±


    ¡°Probably I would have to see what is under that suit though.¡±


    ¡°Wait I thought you knew?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I just know that you were that girl we had been looking for, but now you are something else. I seen your face, but not the body. Don''t tell me your cunt has teeth or something.¡±


    ¡°No... that would just be weird. I might be a bug freak, but man that sounds totally fucked up. Oh, well remind me at some point and I will show you.¡±


    ¡°There is a closet over there we could use to squeeze one out real quick if you are that desperate,¡± he stretched a little. Not even fazed by the long ball he had just thrown at me.


    I looked him over with crossed arms, ¡°Unfortunately there are a few things wrong with that. First you are going to have to wash your dick off with bleach or something, maybe take a cheese grater to it, depends on how crusty it is. I heard where it has been. That and I want to see a test saying you are not a carrier of the herpagonasyphilaids. Second are you sure you can even get it up? You are like as old as my dad. Third I happen to take work rather seriously so it is not happening on the job.¡±


    He slapped his knee, laughing to the point that he was starting to tear up, ¡°Vesper you are one cold, sassy bitch. You come on to me and then shoot me down. You know how to get a man riled up, my soldier is standing at attention just thinking about it. I actually got one of those tests, I get checked up regularly. I might be old enough to be your pappy, but by the time I am done with you, you will be calling me daddy.¡±


    I held my helmet trying to keep from laughing, it was not working though. This old goat! ¡°Damn it, Medavac. You are a bad influence on me. You better not chicken out if I do decide to take you up on that.¡±


    He grinned, ¡°How about this I will take you out to dinner. Then bring you home and see what you got going on. So when did you want to do this anyway?¡±


    ¡°Well let''s see. Tonight is no good and tomorrow is my dinner date with my real dad so maybe the day after that?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a date.¡±


    I smirked, ¡°Fair warning I am going to get saucy, so expect to be buying me a lot of drinks.¡±


    ¡°That is what my old friends Jager and Tequila are for,¡± he laughed resting his arm on my shoulder, in a sort of half hug.


    ¡°I am not even sure if I can actually get drunk, so I guess we will find out. By the way what was the ugliest chick you ever banged?¡± I asked, keeping myself from laughing.


    Medavac frowned and shook his head. He seemed thoughtful for a long time. It was understandable. Finally he smirked, ¡°Oh god. Don''t even get me started on that. So there I was- hey did you hear something?¡±


    My antenna spread and we sat there listening. I could not really hear anything out of the ordinary. ¡°I got nothing.¡±


    ¡°Strange I could''ve sworn I heard something. Must have been a rat in the wall,¡± he said, looking around the room.


    We both got up, he went to check the hallway and I looked over Mister Richard''s room. He was just laying there sleeping. There was a short fizzle sound from somewhere below, a few floors by my guess and everything plunged into darkness. Why the hell would the power go out? This place is like top of the line, something fucky was a foot. The back up kicked in after a few moments, but the lights were dulled. I decided to peer out the blinds a bit. It was a great sunny California summer day out there. It was not boding well in here at all though.


    Medavac returned after a few moments and we switched places. I could see just fine in this pitch environment. Our coast was clear. I took the name plate off of the door and switched it with an empty one down the hall. I figured that it would buy us some time if we really were about to be attacked. Normally I would just take the guy and leave, but there was no moving him in this condition.


    ¡°Hey Chief we may have a problem. The power in the hospital went out,¡± I said over the com.


    There was a crackle and his voice was distorted for a moment, then came in loud and clear. ¡°Sit tight I will be over in a few. Be careful.¡±


    That did not sound too reassuring. ¡°Any idea how long until you get here?¡±


    ¡°At the least five minutes.¡±


    Definitely not good. I sat next to Medavac, it was a damned good thing he was here otherwise I would be freaking out right now. He had a gun, I am no expert on them, first person shooters were not really my thing or if they were they had future type guns that shot lasers. In short I could not tell the model exactly, but it looked like a shotgun with a drum magazine. I readied my arm mounted tasers and we waited in the darkness. Keeping Mr. Richard safe was my top priority. I moved his bed to the corner away from the window, just in case. I had seen way too many movies where things burst in through windows.


    There was something missing though... I could feel that I had overlooked something. The vents, oh dear god the vents! How could I be such a fool?! There was one right in the center of the room, wearily I lifted up and stuck my head in there. My antenna spread listening. A low scrabbling sound was coming from somewhere, it was a bit far away and hard to tell exactly where it was coming from.


    I lowered back down, huddling next to Medavac. My voice whispered, ¡°What sort of ammo are you using, lethal?¡±


    ¡°Cryo, freezing rounds in case you don''t know. They are non lethal, but will put on ice just about anything for a few hours,¡± he replied in a hushed tone, switching the safety off.


    That sounded pretty fucking awesome. ¡°Where the hell did you get those?¡±


    ¡°Chimera. Got boxes and boxes of surplus from back then. I hoarded it a bit, we used these to capture Supers. Neon Nurse was able to reverse engineer it a bit so our boys got these readily available.¡±


    Was there anything that bitch can''t do? I thought she was a cyborg scientist not an all rounder. I am starting to think she is actually a genius or something. I mean she has her Robo animals, her cyborg augments, all those little trash scooper robos, then there is even that nano repair station that she and Chief made and of course all that kinky sex toy stuff. She even has her hands into weapons research... are all Super Scientists like that or is it just Neon Nurse? Then again Dr. Arbor was making weaponized baboons. Hmm I wonder what the hell happened with those things anyway? At any rate this is not a good time to be thinking about this.


    I took a moment to peer out down the halls, I could see perfectly fine after all. The corridor went along branching out into other patient''s room. Their low moans and whines were rising steadily. I could smell fear just about everywhere and it was intoxicating. Both me and Sub were fighting off the predatory urges to hunt down the creatures producing the scent of prey. We knew full well it was humans and they had good reason to be scared. If the power remained out a few of the more sensitive, critical patients might start flat lining due to their reliance on the machines to keep them alive. The back ups would only last so long after all.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    There was also of course the potential Super Villain attack that could very well kill them in the cross fire. Collateral damage could be catastrophic and sadly I could not think of anything to limit this situation from snowballing out of control. Let''s face it with my power set, getting in a fist fight was probably my best case scenario assuming that the Villains were not put on ice immediately. I mean I got a mean bottom right hook courtesy of Molotov, but not sure what that is going to do to a Super. The more that I thought about this the worse the situation got.


    Medavac had his visor down and I asked, ¡°Can you see in the dark with the suit on?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, tapping his helmet. ¡°It should be the same with your suit. These things are about a level below military grade. The lights get filtered to the point that it keeps everything at a certain brightness, unless it is pitch black of course or a flash bang goes off. It over loads the sensors for a few moments.¡±


    I was about to reply when I heard something. It was the sound of metal being hit. The thuds rang out from the corridor. Then the crash of what I could only assume were the elevator doors, falling to the floor. Everybody on this floor heard that. We both stepped back away from the door and positioned ourselves to make sure nothing could get to Mr. Richard. Heavy foot steps trotted on the cold ceramic floor and I heard a door opening down the hall. There was a moment of silence before something was destroyed and a furious howl rose.


    All the little hairs on my body stood up. It made me feel very small and vulnerable. Another door was ripped open down there followed by more crashes. I realized that my clever ruse had put a lot of people in danger. What ever the hell that was out there was going to systematically go through every room until it found what it was looking for.


    ¡°Should we stop that thing?¡± I asked in a whisper.


    ¡°From the sounds of it, it is Den Mother. Not exactly a good idea to fight her heads up,¡± he shook his head.


    ¡°Then we are just going to wait here?¡±


    ¡°We are going to buy time.¡±


    ¡°Can your freezing bullets stop her?¡±


    ¡°If I can hit her. It is going to take at the least four direct hits, six if I don''t get the head.¡±


    ¡°How fast does that thing fire?¡±


    ¡°Once a pump. Lucky for us, my right arm is a lot stronger than my left arm,¡± he replied back, slowly cocking it to keep the noise down. ¡°Just kidding every time I pull the trigger.¡±


    That was a jacking off joke, wasn''t it? Oh Medavac, you dog you. If we were not about to fight a raging beast, I would be laughing. His chambering of the round was not nearly as quiet as it needed to be, after all Den Mother had super hearing, just about. The movement outside stopped and she stood listening much the same as I was. I was so focused on her slow padding and her taking in deep sniffs that a second sound was almost missed. A low scrabbling, the one from the vent. Oh shit, there are two of them. I pointed at the vent and Medavac nodded, giving it a glance. How the two were communicating was well beyond my understanding, but Den Mother and who ever the hell the other one was were almost in perfect sync in their advance. She stopped in front of our door and I could hear her smelling, there was a lower sound, something was dripping.


    I gulped, tensing up. My whole body was bristling with instincts to run. It was Sub, she was terrified and I could smell why. There was blood, human blood. Den Mother''s scent was setting off all manner of warning bells and I could tell she was strong, way stronger than me. There was a moment of calm that felt like an eternity, it shattered when the door was annihilated in a storm of glass and metal. My eyes gaped at Den Mother. She was an honest to god werewolf, not some pussy bitch shit you saw on tv, but an eight foot while hunched, hulking monstrosity.


    Her massive arms were elongated and the claws were thicker than my arms. She had a snouted face filled with dagger like teeth, blood was running down her chin. Her piercing yellow eyes were narrowed, staring straight at me. Den Mother certainly did have huge tits, six of them and she had a near mantle of fur pluming out around her upper chest. The color was reminiscent of a German Shepherd. Twisted and powerful legs propelled her in lope forward, claws digging into the floor as she charged.


    I screamed, nearly falling back. It was so much worse than a jump scare. The thin tethers fired off from the tazers. They stabbed into her fur and the electric current rushed out, it did not even faze her. Yeah these thing were fucking useless. Medavac shot and it nicked her, she had swiveled and ducked herself even lower to dodge the bullet. It is surprising how small something so big can get when it wants to. He had gotten a second shot off hitting her side. Everything inside told me to evade, but right behind me was Mr. Richard, there was no dodging this bull. If she hit him, he would be a goner.


    My legs shifted, anchoring themselves as she barreled at me and all four arms thrust just like how I had to stop that run away truck. Den Mother put her shoulder into it like a lineman. I saw my dad do that shit once when he beat some thug nearly to death. Fuck! I should have watched more football. Maybe then I would have known how to counter it. I knew what was coming and there was no stopping it. It was very stupid of me to treat this like a truck. Not only did my arms bend in a way they were not meant to, it put me off balance. She hit me like a fucking train and used the momentum to throw me over her shoulder with a rolling motion. I hit the ceiling, breaking the vent and out tumbled another animal woman. I fell to the floor, the whole of my body numb and tingly. Pain signals scurrying from my twisted arms.


    I shook my head and tried to get back up. Den Mother slammed her foot down on top of me, pinning me to the floor. I could taste my blood and stomach acid. The pressure she was exerting made it almost feel like my insides were about to come out like tooth paste. How fucking strong is this bitch? Medavac was wrestling with the other animal girl. His gun went off again and again, but he missed every shot. Nibbles was snarling like a cornered rat. She sunk her teeth into his arm and he screamed, thrashing wildly. He punched the gerbil girl in the face with his metal hands. She reeled away with a bloodied nose. He leveled his shotgun at my aggressor and fired hitting her in the arm.


    ¡°Get the fuck off Mecha Fairy,¡± growled Medavac lowly.


    Her vulpine grin spread as she lifted me up with a hand. ¡°So this is Mecha Fairy?¡± Her wet nose pressed against my visor and she sniffed fogging up the glass. Her breath was terrible. ¡°Not impressed. The way Nibbles was going on about you I thought maybe you were strong, guess not. You smell like nothing more than a scared little bitch.¡±


    ¡°Put her down!¡± he roared, tensing his finger to shoot again. Den Mother held me between them. Oh shit, she is fucking smart. I just became her human shield.


    ¡°Nibbles. Get to work,¡± said Den Mother with a head motion, slowly side stepping, so that she was in between Mr. Richard and Medavac. ¡°Just stay put and don''t do anything stupid, we will be gone in just a bit. Nobody needs to get hurt.¡±


    I guess brutalizing me don''t count? I wriggled a little and she clenched down. The air was crushed out of my lower lungs. I could hear the suit groaning. Fear was bubbling up and Sub was attempting to form some sort of plan. We elected to play dead. All resistance faded and she let her grip loosen a little. She had gotten her point across. My head shifted and I watched Nibbles. She was looking over Richard and she appeared rather worried. Something seemed very off about all of this. It was as though they did not want to kill him. I thought they had come to finish him off? If they did not come to kill him then... he must have something they wanted? That little map came to mind and the implications of it hit home.


    ¡°This is not going to work,¡± said Nibbles, pawing at the slurred man''s face, almost gently. ¡°He is fucking wasted there is no way to even interrogate the guy. If we take him, he is going to die. Look at all these machines hooked up to him.¡±


    Den Mother''s ears flicked and lowered, she growled, ¡°Get creative. Bite a fucking arm off I don''t care, get him talking!¡±


    ¡°He is so far gone, he won''t even feel it,¡± she murmured in a low voice.


    Despite the fact that they had control over this situation, they were apprehensive, scared of something. I could smell it. This began to make cogs turn in my head and pieces were put together. These two were fixing a mistake. It all started to make sense. Mr. Richard either stole from them or had something they desperately needed. Which begged the questions; What was stashed? How much were they willing to pay for it? How far would they take this if things did not go their way? I get the feeling they would not shy away from killing to get what they wanted. Sub came up with the idea that they could be reasoned with, bribed, or black mailed. I was not too sure about this.


    ¡°Please just leave the guy alone,¡± I cried. ¡°You said you won''t hurt anyone.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± she slammed me into the floor, blood spattered across the visor as it gushed out of my mouth.


    Gonna feel that one tomorrow. Weakly my body trembled, she was not holding back at all. It was only a little bit worse than Molotov when she was playing around. Medavac took advantage of the opening and fired, hitting her right in the chest. Frost spread and she gasped, reeling back. She fumbled me for a second, but managed to grapple my leg mid air and get me in firm hold. I could not help but notice her nipples were cutting diamonds. My dirty mind is going to be the death of me one of these days.


    Her grasp tightened and I felt my outer shell cracking. The suit was just fine, but the pressure was going through it to me. It was a design flaw, in order to make it more flexible it had to contour to me which left me vulnerable to crushing and impacts. Granted it cushioned the blows immensely, but sustained pressure was something else. It hurt so much, like being one of those squeaky toys for dogs. The air was literally being squeezed out of my lungs in a squealing noise.


    ¡°Stop! You want the stash right?¡± I wheezed.


    She squinted, ¡°He told you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I lied. ¡°So leave him alone.¡±


    She gave a head motion and Nibbles retreated, scurried up her side and sat like a parrot on Den Mother''s shoulder. Now that I could get a proper look at her, Nibbles was rather small. She was no larger than a child. She had short brown hair with a white underbelly. It was kind of adorable the way that her cheeks puffed and her little whiskers twitched. Her ears were rounded and rotated a little. On the surface she almost looked soft and huggable, but it was the way she looked at me that made the hairs stand up. Nibbles was putting out some seriously bad vibes. Her pawed hands were rubbing together greedily. The fangs glistened and I realized that I just made a huge mistake. The whole thing had been a bluff, but these two were either gullible or desperate enough to believe it. Her beady little eyes gazed at me for a long moment then she nodded.


    ¡°Tell us what you know or Mr. Richard is going to have a few less limbs.¡±


    ¡°He was mumbling about stuff and handed me a map. It is in my pocket just take it and get the hell out of here,¡± I squirmed a little.


    ¡°Which one?¡± asked Nibbles.


    ¡°The back compartment on the belt.¡±


    She crept over me, climbing along with her dexterous form. Her grubby little fingers started rifling through my pockets. Medavac had his gun aimed directly at her in case she tried to pull something. Honestly I think it would be best if he just started shooting and hit me too. I mean it is non lethal so it won''t kill me. Not that I can tell him, Den Mother would kill me. Sirens rose from down below and I realized that Chief must be here. This was a good thing I thought for a brief moment, brimming with joy. Then the smell of their fear boiled out. This just got a whole lot worse. Add on the fact that Nibbles was getting clumsy out of panic, which was making her and Den Mother angry. This was a lose, lose situation for me.


    Den Mother snarled, ¡°Got it yet?¡±


    ¡°No there are so many compartments. I can''t find it.¡±


    ¡°You trying to play us?!¡±


    ¡°NO! I swear it is there. Let one of my arms go and I will get it for you. Above my ass for fuck sake on the left side!¡±


    Den Mother''s huge ears stood for a moment and she squeezed, making me gasp. She growled, ¡°Forget it. Nibbles hold on tight, we are going.¡±


    I did not understand what she meant until we were already halfway to the window. Medavac shot. Den Mother lurched slightly from the blow, but she kept gaining momentum. Her arm lashed out, using me like a club. Glass shattered and fell away around us. My head was spinning from the impact and the flashing lights down below blurred. Wind screamed and the ground cracked from the impact of me under her heavy feet. We were surrounded by police, shakily they pointed their guns at Den Mother as she rose from her crouching position. Her teeth spread wide in a guttural growl that put me to shame.


    Bullets pelted her thick hide and she used me as a shield to soak up the heavier fire. When she did the police warily lowered their weapons trying not to hit me. They scattered in terror when she lifted a police car with her free hand and hurled it at several more. It exploded sending dust and smoke through the air. She took advantage of the chaos and set off in a loping run.


    Vaguely I heard gunshots, raining around us and Medavac yelling, ¡°Mecha Fairy! I will get you for this Den Mother!¡±


    I was not carefully held. In fact every time the left hand came down my body rag dolled in her fist, smacking the pavement. There was no strength to break free and it was hard enough to keep my head safe. We banked down a side alley and she jumped up, then crashed through a manhole cover into the sewers. This was certainly good to know assuming of course my brains don''t end up splattered on the concrete. It was here in the dank darkness that I realized Nibbles was in charge. She was directing Den Mother on where to go and even what to do. It was an interesting hierarchy since I had thought their positions were reversed.


    ¡°Left at the junction, right, straight, straight, left, keep going until it dead ends then up,¡± said Nibbles perched on Den Mother''s back.


    ¡°Think we lost them?¡±


    ¡°They won''t recklessly dive into the sewers. Besides the route we just took was right next to the Atomic Apostles. If anyone does follow they will get into a fight.¡±


    ¡°So where are we going to throw the body? Around here looks good right?¡±


    I weakly hit at the hand that held me and she slowed. Blood rolled off of my tongue. ¡°You mind... not being so rough?¡±


    ¡°You are alive?¡± shrieked Den Mother, she looked aghast and dropped me on the wet concrete. My yellow blood gushing out of the cracks in my armor, it was pooling rather quickly. That might be bad. They both peered at me with wide eyes. They must have thought I was dead. Can''t really blame them, I mean this might be the second worst injury I have ever received. Dr. Arbor''s autopsy being the number one. Normal people, hell even supers would have kicked the bucket after this treatment. Yay for Super Healing... everything hurts like hell. Sub are we going to be alright? What do you mean maybe?!


    My fingers twitched and they jumped back. What am I a zombie or something? I could not really move anything other than bottom righty and my head, paralysis was rather prevalent. ¡°You people are rude you know that? Shit, you did a number on me.¡±


    Their eyes gaped. ¡°How are you alive?¡± asked Nibbles.


    ¡°My main power is regeneration. If you stop throwing me around like a stuffed animal I might be able pull my body back together. You don''t want to be wanted for murdering a Hero do you?¡± I wiggled my fingers at them, seems me clinging to life is scaring the living day lights out of them.


    ¡°What makes you think we are scared of the humans?¡± Puffed up Den Mother, all of her fur was bristling and it was pretty obvious I had struck a nerve.


    ¡°Oh please,¡± I rolled my eyes, not that they could see. ¡°I can smell it you dumb bitch. The moment I heard those sirens both of you pissed yourselves. Now look if you guys just throw me up there on the street I will be able to drag myself away and get help for myself. No harm, no foul, pretty good deal eh?¡±


    ¡°Should we let her go?¡± Nibbles started poking me with a stick. That is rude you know! Where did you even get that anyway? I thought she was supposed to be the smart one. Did she really fall for that?


    ¡°Stop being so cowardly. We can''t just let her go,¡± said Den Mother. So much for that. Her massive hands scooped me up. ¡°Glitter Kitten will decide what to do with her.¡±


    ¡°Just be gentle will you?¡± I scowled.


    ¡°Try anything funny and I will kill you,¡± snarled Den Mother.


    My hand pat at her snout. ¡°No need for that. You kill me, you will never find that stash.¡±


    Nibbles held her head with distress, ¡°What about that map in your pocket?¡±


    ¡°A lie. There is a map however I am going to have to get it. If you treat me nice, I would be more inclined to get it for you.¡± I grinned, lying through my mandibles.


    Hook line and sinker Nibbles fell for it. She eagerly nodded and said, ¡°Alright. We won''t hurt you. So give us the map and we will let you go.¡±


    I considered giving it to them then realized that as soon as they had it my usefulness would be at an end and they might leave me down here to be eaten by rats. I mean shit they were just talking about where to throw my body. ¡°How about no. I want to be able to at least walk before I give you anything.¡±


    ¡°You better be telling the truth or Glitter Kitten is going to rip you apart,¡± smirked Den Mother.


    ¡°You will get the map. Just be gentle.¡±

 Arc 5, The Pussycat and I, Chapter 5

    The Vespidian


    Arc 5, The Pussycat and I


    Chapter 5


    To her credit Den Mother was delicate as she carried me like a princess. If only she was a man, I may have enjoyed it. I watched the two closely, it appeared that there was something of a power struggle and yet there was not. Hard to explain exactly. Den was higher up on the totem pole, so to speak and I noticed how Nibbles was sucking up to her. Yet the gerbil would still order around her superior. It was puzzling. Then it fit together, Glitter Kitten had given authority to the little coward for this task. The rat was good at manipulating those stronger than her by playing off how weak she was, it made Den Mother want to protect her. It seems I had been underestimating the subhuman''s intelligence. They were down right cunning, or maybe Den Mother is just an idiot.


    We popped out of the sewers, clear in the Slums. They had been using it sort of like an underground highway to infiltrate the city. I had my suspicions, but now I knew that they regularly used the irradiated tunnels to get around. I guess they are already mutated, so more radiation won''t hurt them that much. Which made me question if the Atomic Apostles were their allies. I had heard that they fought on a few occasions, but I had also heard they teamed up. Maybe one day I would find out, but for now I had better things to worry about. Hopefully they would not turn on me before I could escape.


    The Slums were, well a shit hole. Like post apocalyptic style. Buildings were in disrepair, weeds grew in the streets and there were only a few places with power. The craggy concrete was split in many places where trees had sprouted and other foliage had started expanding. To think they lived in such squalor. Old dead vines crept along telephone poles, the wires stripped and stolen long ago. Boards covered windows in half destroyed buildings, scars from the brutal fighting just a few years ago.


    At one corner an outpost of sorts was set up like a military blockade. Rusted tanks sat with holes gouged in the sides, one was flipped over and the last looked like somebody was living in it. What I guessed were alligator skulls, but that did not really seem right... they were bigger than they should be. Seven or so of them had been placed on pikes in the center of the formation. Sand bags piled up forming a circle. The ground around here was cratered from explosions.


    To our approach there was a rustle and out of the tank hatches popped five nearly identical rabbit girls. Usually when one thinks of bunny girls it inspires images of scantily clad dancers, grinding on stripper poles or carrying drinks to customers in a bar. These were not that sort at all. All of them wore lopsided army helmets, there were a few holes in it letting their ears stand tall. They wore military fatigues that were falling to pieces, I assume stolen from the dead bodies of the former owners of this checkpoint. They seemed more human than most of the Subhumans in that I could tell that they were not covered in hair. Their legs were strange below the knee though, reversed and the feet were clawed. If I had to put money on what their power was, it would be speed.


    One was taller than the others, though they were all just about five foot, not counting the foot tall ears. She appeared to be the leader. There was a scar running up her face ending at an eye patch over her right eye. She had a sniper rifle, it looked well worn and I got the feeling it had seen its fair share of killing. Might be the trophy carvings in the side of the stock. Her whiskers twitched as she gave me a good look.


    ¡°Thumper,¡± nodded Den Mother.


    ¡°Everything quiet,¡± she reported with a slight salute.


    ¡°No movement from the Scalies?¡± asked Den Mother.


    ¡°Nope. Well, none in our direction. I saw a few scouts going into the sewers earlier today.¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck are the Scalies?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it,¡± said Nibbles.


    ¡°You know what to do if they come our way,¡± nodded Den Mother.


    Thumper nodded in agreement and we left without another word. I felt way out of the loop. The Mad Dogs were the only subhuman gang right? Then who are they fighting? Although if they had other enemies it would explain why they had been leaving the city alone for the most part. I get the feeling this is something like a secret, or maybe I am just an idiot with out dated information. It could easily be either or, maybe even both. There was a lot I did not understand. If I used this chance to probe around for information it would be rather beneficial.


    The more that I looked the more this place seemed like a war zone. Streets were blocked off with piled cars and collapsed buildings. The settlements I suppose you could call them were walled in areas with guards rotating shifts around the clock. Honestly I did not think they were this organized. Then again we did lose the war and were only able to contain them to the slums. There was a strangely pristine road. It was in a bad way, but it was maintained so to speak. The sides were boarded up making it like a corral. Street lights and power lines were working along this main street. I knew because I could hear the low buzz of electricity. It was still the middle of the day so the lights were off.


    This road led from the neutral zone clear over to a towering building that looked to be six stories high. To make things even stranger there were humans walking along it as though it were nothing, granted they were all in groups of five or more. I looked back to the building and it dawned on me what it was, it was the Sparkle Kat Kafe.


    To say the Sparkle Kat was the diamond of the slums would not be an understatement. Signs dotted the sides depicting cat, rabbit, dog and even a couple of rat girls. These figures lit up at night, I could tell from the neon light tubes. Arrows incessantly pointed to this paradise among the rubble. The building was in impeccable shape, granted parts looked a little ramshackle from added defensive structures, like lookout towers. They had cobbled together a few search lights from an assortment of car headlights. We did not go in through the main entrance. Instead a side building connected in through a basement.


    The farther we went the more animal people I realized there were. There must be a few hundred here. The smell was a bit musky and the stench of ammonia was layered in a few areas. I get the feeling they don''t have a decent sanitation arrangement. Other than the watching guards just about all of them were sleeping on one another.


    We ascended the spiraling stair case clear to the top. There was not really anything to see since they did not bring me into the main building, more or less the back way in. They stood in front of a door and for some reason both were elated. Nibble''s stump like tail was wiggling and Den Mother''s bushy tail was wagging with excitement. It is good to know their tails and ears betray their emotions just like real animals, but that still left the question, why were they happy? The gerbil girl knocked and she opened the door after there was no answer.


    The room reeked of cat, like one had been spraying on the walls for a while and nobody had bothered to clean it up. At this point not even a good bleaching would do the trick. It was enough to make me gag, which is pretty hard. There was a large bed with shed hair dotting the covers and roughly eight pillows scattered across the surface, one looked like it had been mauled. Speaking of which deep claw marks ran over the walls as though a cat had been sharpening its claws. Other than that there was not much else in this room. Oh shit, this is Glitter Kitten''s room isn''t it? To the right there was another door though and that is where I was carried.


    Nibbles eagerly opened the door, within was a humming computer off in a corner and it appeared to be some sort of living room. A huge tv that took up a whole wall was set up in front of four leather couches that had been scratched to hell. Little heads with pointed ears peered up warily from behind the couches, there must have been twenty of them. They were so soft and fluffy with sparkling wide eyes. They were the kittens I had seen in pictures. A few were looking out from the sides, they had been sitting on the floor. They were dead silent, but the tv was set on cartoons, Nicky Mouse no less.


    A low purring hum and a long tail danced up from the center of the room. ¡°Nya, nya, nya. Nicky Meowsy, meowsy, meowsy. Nicky Meowsy.¡±


    The hair on the tail puffed out and it slunk down when the humming died. Slowly a pair of ears rose up, scanning like satellite dishes before concentrating in on us and a face I knew from photos peeked up. It was Glitter Kitten. She had large green cat eyes, the pupil was huge and diagonally slit. Her whiskers twitched around her nose as she sniffed the air. Those adorable eyes fell on me and gaped.


    ¡°Who is that Nyah?¡± she scrabbled to the top of the couch, crouching there as the tail flicked back and forth with agitation. Oh boy, she looks pissed.


    ¡°This is Mecha Fairy,¡± happily said Nibbles moments before her ears tucked and she realized that Glitter Kitten was not happy at all.


    ¡°You care to tell me why you brought a hero here? To my home Nyah? Where my Kittens are?¡± she asked as her voice grew darker.


    Den Mother answered, flopping me on the floor. I lay there still mostly paralyzed. ¡°She has a map to the Cocaine stash.¡±


    Glitter Kitten snarled, ¡°Shut up Nyah! You stupid fool. You know better than to reveal plans in front of our enemies,¡± she blinked a few times then stepped towards me and cringed seeing my mangled form. ¡°Is she even alive?¡±


    ¡°Not feeling so hot,¡± I waved slightly.


    She lept so high up she latched onto the ceiling screaming. ¡°HOLY FUCK Nyah!¡± Her kittens scattered, tripping over one another and bolted out of the room.


    ¡°Well shit, I did not think I would scare you like that,¡± I laughed for half a breath, the carapace stabbed into my lungs. ¡°Yeah that hurts.¡±


    ¡°What have you done!¡± yelled Glitter Kitten. ¡°Your incompetence is astounding.¡±


    ¡°But she already knows. Richard told her and gave her the map,¡± retreated Nibbles, hiding behind Den Mother''s leg.


    ¡°Where is Richard?¡±


    ¡°Still in the hospital.¡±


    Glitter kitten nodded, ripped the remote up from the coach. She switched the channel to the news and her eyes gaped. Her tail stood straight up and she quietly watched. I could smell her rage building.


    ¡°Channel Nine News. This morning at eleven thirty the Mad Dogs, members Den Mother and Nibbles, staged a vicious assault on Down Town''s Hospital right across the street from the Fire Station. Twenty are reported dead so far, due to power failure the life support was cut for floors three and up. The attack itself was unprovoked, deadly and even claimed our newest Junior Hero, Mecha Fairy. It is speculated this was a hit against Mr. Richard who was rescued from the slums not a week ago by Fire Chief, Mecha Fairy and Medavac; who was also caught in the attack. Clearly this was an act of revenge for defying the subhuman monsters of the slums. It is believed that Mecha Fairy is still alive, however that might not be for long. As you can see here, if she is alive she is in bad shape.¡±


    A video began to play of the outside of the hospital. I saw my top half crash through a window five floors up, break through a support beam and then Den Mother burst out, she used me to break her fall. The camera zoomed in on my cracked, yellow stained helmet, blood oozing out of the broken seals. She lifted my form up bullets beat against the suit, not many got through though. She tossed the car and ran away crushing me into the ground every time her left hand came down. Golden streaks were left in our wake in a grizzly trail. I watched as Medavac jumped down from the window, he rolled, chasing after her. His gun fought his grasp as he fired desperately. He was just a little too slow to catch up, he even chased them into the sewers. It was a little heart wrenching really.


    ¡°When asked Fire Chief told us that the yellow substance is the servo lubricant and fuel, which means from the sheer amount leaking out, Mecha Fairy''s suit was catastrophically damaged. That does not bode well at all for her. Unfortunately if she is alive she won''t be for very long with such extensive damage. The other problem would be the suit. This could mean that the containment field of the atomic core has been compromised and could explode.¡±


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Glitter Kitten turned, staring at me. She looked lost, ¡°I said do this quick and do it quietly. You did the opposite of what I told you to do. You rampaged through the streets, kidnapped a hero, killed people and essentially just let the whole damned city know we are up to something. Do you even realize how much this just hurt the status quo? We had a fucking sweet deal going here. To top it off the hero might as well be a nuke set and primed to go off. What have I told you about dragging in toys?!Now then Nyah, there had best be a map, you had best have gotten the only thing I even sent you out to get!¡±


    ¡°They were waiting for us, it was not as cut and dry as it was supposed to be. We did what we had to,¡± shakily said Den Mother, lowering her ears and showing her submission.


    ¡°Idiots!¡± snarled Glitter Kitten. ¡°Why is it so hard to find good help? You should have known they would guard him. That is why I sent you, so that Nibbles would not fuck this up again! I guess I have only myself to blame for trusting something as delicate as this with you. I should have just done it myself, this is what I get for relying on idiots!¡±


    ¡°At the least we got the information,¡± said Den Mother, turning her head away.


    ¡°And that is why I am not about to beat both of you within an inch of your lives,¡± she rubbed her temple.


    Nibbles tried to speak up, but Glitter Kitten put up a finger to silence her. She shook her head, then looked down at me. ¡°Mecha Fairy?¡± asked Glitter Kitten lowering herself to my level. ¡°How exactly are you still alive?¡±


    I figured I should be honest here, this was the boss of these people she seemed somewhat reasonable. That and I had already told her goons, so if I did not say anything they would. ¡°Oh well, I am a regenerator so, I should be alright if left alone. Maybe, not too sure. I have never been hurt this badly before. All my bones are kinda mush at the moment.¡±


    ¡°A regenerator? That is rather rare. You have that map right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I will give it to you after I have recovered a bit and you let me go.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but I need that map. If you give it to me now, I will ensure your safety.¡±


    Normally I would have said not a chance in hell, but Fire Chief had given me one intense trump card. I am a living bomb now, so there would be no way that she would keep here as a prisoner. I knew full well that shit was a lie, but these villains did not. Sure the core was radioactive but it was inert and could not blow up. ¡°Sounds good to me. It is in the pouch right above my left ass cheek.¡±


    Den Mother yelled, ¡°You lied to us!¡±


    ¡°Of course I lied to you,¡± I sighed. God talking hurt. ¡°You were going to leave me to die in the sewers! Besides why the hell would I deal with lackeys when the boss could just say no to any deals?¡±


    Glitter Kitten nodded and her hand opened up the compartment, pulling out the crinkled map. It was soggy with my blood and almost melted in her hands, to both of our dismay. She lay it flat blowing on it desperately. It was too far gone. Oh shit.


    ¡°Our deal is still good right?¡± I cringed.


    She looked it over and her mouth was tightly pressed in a scowl, she was thinking, ¡°Slight alteration. I am going to ransom you for Mr. Richard.¡±


    I wanted out of here, but something tells me he would not escape from here alive if he came back. ¡°You can try, but I doubt that the guy even knows anything. He was so sloshed out on drugs last I saw it was impossible to have a coherent conversation with him. He would be strung out for days.¡±


    Her eyes glinted as her frown twitched, Glitter Kitten had a dimple on her left cheek. Don''t think it is adorable, don''t think it is adorable... damn it. ¡°So are you telling me that he did not tell you anything? Was that map even real?¡±


    ¡°He did not directly say anything, but I put two and two together.¡±


    ¡°So we are back at square one,¡± she licked her paw. It was rather cute, though I am starting to get some bad vibes. ¡°You better tell me everything you know or I am going make you wish you could die easily. I will get creative so to speak.¡±


    ¡°Wait what?!¡± I cried out. A piercing pain filled my lungs. I croaked out, ¡°I am a bomb you know?¡±


    ¡°Are you now?¡± She replied, smelling me. What is she a bomb sniffing cat? Her face wrinkled up. ¡°Wait, nyan are you even human?! It is you! I was wondering what the hell that smell was.¡±


    Her hand grasped my helmet and started tugging. It felt like my head was going to come off. ¡°Stop it will you? You trying to kill me?¡±


    I seemed to have caught Glitter Kitten''s attention as she tilted my head all over trying to find the release mechanism. It took her a moment, but she found it and I was powerless to stop her. The seals gusted, spurting my yellow ichor like blood out. She lifted it off and the hair stood up on all three of them. Nibbles dived over the couch, Glitter Kitten hissed and Den Mother growled at me. What is this about? Am I that fucking ugly to scare super villains? Is this normal subhuman behavior? They were staring at me for a good twenty minutes, circling like animals. What the hell is going on here?


    The cat girl procured a long stick and started poking me with it, ¡°One of us? Never seen a bug before though.¡±


    ¡°I am not one of you, alright? So just calm down.¡± I squirmed and they reared up unsure of what I was doing. ¡°Look I just want to go home.¡±


    ¡°What are you? What is wrong with your head?¡± asked Nibbles, peering out of a cardboard box at me. Thanks that is real nice to say. Fuck you, you little rat bitch.


    ¡°A mutant wasp woman?¡± I said, a little unsure if that was going to pass or not. I certainly was not going to tell them it was Mutigene that did this to me.


    They sniffed at me. ¡°You smell like a wet dog.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I do. Sometimes I smell like fruit too.¡± I glanced them over.


    It was rather intimidating, being so low to the ground with them circling me. My antenna waved and they froze, eyes locked onto the two feelers. It was strange to the say the least. I made them wiggle and I noticed the cat''s tail perk up. It seemed that Glitter Kitten was rather attracted to movement, just like a real cat. This got me thinking and I experimented. The more erratic the movement the more attention I garnered. She had lowered into a crouching position and her tail swished as her eyes followed. Isn''t that the position that cats do just before they attack? I froze and so did she. That is not good. I would have to keep my antenna from moving around, which I sort of did unconsciously.


    Glitter Kitten rolled over, she seemed to have shaken off her cat like tendency. ¡°You are one of us. Hey join my gang.¡±


    ¡°I ain''t joining shit,¡± I wheezed.


    ¡°You are in no position to be bargaining anything. Usually it is a bad thing if secret identities get out, but seeing as how you are just an animal like us those humans won''t give a fuck if I drag you out there and show the world what you really are. We just got a huge backer and everything. In fact this jumps up our plans quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°You threatening me? I don''t care what happens, I won''t join your gang. Stop telling me shit. How about this I kinda remember what that map looked like, so if I help you get that stash for you, let me go.¡±


    She was thinking on it. ¡°Alright here is the deal. You show us where the drugs are and I will personally show you to the neutral zone, free to go. If you fail to by the end of tomorrow then I will force you to join my gang. What that means is up to you, it could be torture, could be drugs, could be food. For the most part my policy is live and let live. You will find that, though I am harsh with punishments I am lavish with rewards.¡±


    ¡°Fuck that.¡±


    ¡°It only makes sense. If there was an incentive to lose, you would just run us around in circles. However if you now know there is a punishment for losing, well you will try harder to be successful.¡±


    Damn it, she was making a lot of sense. She was turning this into a gamble. I did not really have a choice either. I could temporarily join and then escape, but I get the feeling that she would legitimately track me down break my legs and drag me back, kicking and screaming. I mean Den Mother, the raging bitch who destroyed me is piss scared of her. My helmet should have recorded shit right? Maybe there is an image of the map on there. That is no good, the hud screen was broken. Sub can you drag up the memory of the map in our head and look it over? You found it? Great, maybe there is hope for us.


    ¡°Hey how much drugs did he take anyway?¡± I asked. ¡°I want to know what the hell I am getting into here.¡±


    ¡°Well that is simple. Roughly two hundred kilos of pure Columbia cocaine.¡±


    My mouth gaped and their hair stood up again. ¡°Holy shit. That is what? Four hundred pounds or so? How much is that even worth?¡±


    ¡°Four hundred forty pounds, roughly. Twenty-six million dollars conservatively. Now do you see why we were gunning for that bastard?¡±


    ¡°How did he even steal that much? Let alone how have you guys not found it with your increased sense of smell?¡±


    ¡°That is what we want to know,¡± she sighed. ¡°Look we are not bad people down here. We just want to live our own lives, we can''t even get real jobs since we get discriminated against so badly. Literally it is the only reason we are dealing drugs. We need money to buy food. Which is why I am wondering how the hell you managed to worm your way into becoming a hero. I mean you are way worse looking than we are.¡±


    ¡°It was not easy. If it works though I might be able to remove some of the bias towards Subhumans. I mean look at me, you guys are scared of how I look. If I can get accepted then cat girls or werewolves won''t even get an eye bat at them. Granted you would have to be good.¡±


    They were thinking it over. Glitter Kitten smirked, ¡°You are a fucking fool. You think we did not try to be legit? Butch tried to reign in all the ferals and everybody else, he tried to get accepted and they rejected him. They murdered him in cold blood in a set up. Then once our numbers started to swell they sent in suppression teams and set to work scourging the slums. We rose up and fought them off. Now we make ends meat doing whatever the fuck we have to. Drugs, prostitution, gambling, mutant animal fighting, robbery, extortion, kidnappings, welfare fraud. The system is broken and we are the ones getting fucked. You think we want to live like animals? I want the best for my kittens and I will do what ever it takes to get them out of this mess. If that means I have to kill some filthy fucking humans so be it.¡±


    ¡°Then give me a chance. If I can make a name for myself it will be good for all non humans.¡±


    She laughed slightly, ¡°You know what. Alright, find my drugs and I will let you go. I want to see how this is going to play out. Just to let you know, they won''t accept you.¡±


    ¡°I will do it, just to prove you wrong.¡±


    ¡°Looking forward to it,¡± she smirked. ¡°By the way how long do you think it will take you to get up and moving again?¡±


    ¡°No idea. Hopefully by tomorrow. Hey do the words honey badger, or three dog mean anything to you?¡±


    ¡°Honey badger? No idea on that one. Three headed dog? That is the fighting ring for our mutant animals.¡±


    ¡°I will just have to see when I get out there.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyway to make this go faster? This yellow stuff smells awful and it is getting everywhere nyah.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah about that, that is my blood. Heal faster? Food I guess?¡± I did not really know, this usually just took care of itself.


    Then Sub whispered something rather disturbing in my head. Blood, she wanted blood to speed things up. What am I a fucking vampire? We don''t need no damned blood. Sub, this is just another of your sick fetishes isn''t it? What do you mean it is legit. Sure it is. Stop trying to make a case I know you too well to believe that. Although that is true that Dr. Arbor was feeding us blood to recover.


    Ah shit, you were telling the truth. So what, we are a vampiric wasp monster? Something tells me I won''t be getting my own action figures for kids, once I become a famous hero. I could kind of imagine it actually. Now with extendable proboscis to suck all the blood out of her foes! That would be some nightmare fuel for kids.


    ¡°Since you are such a hero I am sure that you will be on your best behavior and not cause any problems,¡± mocked Glitter Kitten, laying on the top of the couch. She looked rather bored.


    ¡°You are not just going to leave me here are you?¡± I waved my hand at her.


    ¡°Of course not. Nibbles go get some food,¡± she yawned and the gerbil girl did not even question it before scampering out. ¡°Wash her off in the shower, get that yucky stuff off of her.¡±


    Den Mother lifted me up and carried my mangled mass to the bathroom, it was through the room that the kittens had fled. Sure I looked like a mess, but it was not that bad. Nothing was missing completely so it was just a matter of patching everything back together. The kittens were huddled in the corner behind a fort made of cardboard boxes, some were scooting around under boxes and hitting the walls. Several were climbing on cat trees and swinging from knotted ropes hanging from the ceiling.


    Their hair was stood on end and they hissed at me. Clearly I was not welcome. Maybe they will warm up to me? I can hope anyway, my plots and schemes to get one of those kittens were resurfacing. The cuteness was something that should be shared with the world. It is a crime to hoard all this soft and fluffiness here!


    Honestly, I would kidnap... I mean adopt, yes, yes adopt one of them, hell I might want a couple of them. Sure they seem to be terrified of me now, but if I pet them and love them and feed them, I am sure that they would grow fond of me. Then again it seems that most animals hate my guts now, so maybe not. I won''t know unless I try. Not sure if they could smell my intentions or not, but they scuttled out of the room back to where their mother was. They were awfully cautious considering how well protected they were here. Must be their instincts telling them that I am a predator.


    Considering how the rest of the Slums looked this bathroom was pretty good. Sheer size it was about as big as the living room and had a Jacuzzi in the center, it was covered at the moment. Marbled tiles lined the floor and white sinks sat below mirrors. If I remember correctly the Sparkle Kat Kafe used to be a casino, before it was taken over by the Mad Dogs. It would explain why this place was so swanky, it was the penthouse suite.


    The shower was as you would expect, clogged with hair. These are animal people after all and they do shed, it must be a nightmare trying to keep this place clean. She slumped me down and pulled out a tangled ball of fur, tossing it to the side. Eww! You going to pick that up or just leave it there? The cold water turned on splashing across my armor. Some of it was leaking in due to the broken seals and the rips in my under suit. The water ran yellow as the massive clawed hand wiped at me with a towel. She washed out the helmet, which I am pretty sure ruined all the electronics in it. Definitely going to need to do repairs after this.


    Soon I was soggy, absolutely soaked. Den Mother turned off the water and hung me up to dry. After making sure that I was secure she left me there. She had tied my feet together and latched it onto a hook in the ceiling. Now that was weird. Why would they have a meat drying hook in the bathroom? I did sort of smell blood, old blood. Maybe they hung meat up in here every now and then, who am I kidding? More likely they tortured people in here. The water steadily drained out of the suit and my blood was gathering in my head.


    On the upside my carapace had sealed shut and stopped all of the bleeding, so no more yellow goo pouring out. I say goo since my blood is thicker and sort of syrupy, comes with the territory I suppose. The insides were still a mess, but it was mostly just my mid section, the abdomen had luckily been spared any real damage. The main issue was that my arms and legs were broken in multiple places. To top it off, my little time as a dog toy had snapped my spine. I could not feel anything below my stomach.


    She is coming back right?

 Arc 5, The Pussycat and I, Chapter 6

    Arc 5, Chapter 6


    It had been about a half hour or so and nobody had come back to set me free. ¡°Hello! I am still in here. Can somebody let me down?¡±


    There was a little rustling and several pairs of eyes peeked out from the door, three kittens. One was white, another black and the last had blotches of white in the short black fur. All of them had piercing green eyes, tall pointed ears and twitching tails. They were so damned adorable, I just wanted to hug them. Come here, so I can love you! It looked like they were playing a game, sneaking in here by darting behind the jacuzzi. My antenna squirmed as I listened to them, they were up to something. I wonder what sort of game they are so into?


    ¡°Nyah, left,¡± snickered a little girl.


    ¡°Nyah, right,¡± whispered another girl.


    ¡°Nyah, I wanted left. Fine I will get the front,¡± hissed a little boy.


    What could they be up to? I peered around, they had not moved anywhere. It was like they were waiting for something. I spoke up, ¡°Hey, could you three get me down?¡±


    Their heads poked up. Those wonderful little ears rotating as their grins spread. I wonder what they feel like? Probably so soft and snugly. I really want to pet them. They darted out from behind the upraised bath. Left white, right black and the white splotched one rushed straight at me from the front. These three seemed to be a little older than the rest, bigger too now that I got a good look at them. Normally I would be spreading my arms wide ready to receive the love, but all three of them had baseball bats. I had chosen my words poorly. My smile died when I realized what they were up to. I am not a pinata!


    ¡°Get her!¡± cried the boy, swinging it at me.


    The naughty little kitties swooped in, hitting me with the bats. I flinched at the blows and closed my eyes, shielding myself with my only available arm. I could hear the thuds and feel the slight vibrations. After a moment I opened my eyes, looking them over. They were rather weak, well they were children. Although I suppose they are about as strong as an adult man, not some hunk just a joe smoe. Here I was thinking they would do some damage, although I am in my suit, so even more protection than normal. You call that a swing? I will show you how to handle bat little boy!


    ¡°Knock that shit off!¡± I snarled and they dropped the weapons fleeing.


    They stood in the doorway, peering at me. I scowled and made faces at them, which they promptly replied in kind, pulling their cheeks and sticking their tongues out at me. I will make you rue the day, rue the day you crossed me! I wriggled, trying to do a pull up to unhook myself from the ceiling. They crept back in while I was preoccupied and circled below me. The boy grappled onto the crescent formation of my head, using it like handle bars. I am not a god damned jungle gym! My head shook back and forth, trying to get him off.


    He was laughing with glee and stuck on there, coiling his legs around my head for a better hold. The other two jumped on as well, scaling my sides, wrapping around my chest. A realization dawned on me. They were so soft and lovable. My struggling subsided as I basked in the fluffy fur. The three were not pleased by my lack of movement. They started clawing and biting, the girls were deterred by my armor. The boy though sunk his teeth into the little wiggly tentacles on my head. I screeched, thrashing and all three detached, bolting out of the room again.


    ¡°Fucking little biters!¡± I screamed after them.


    They were laughing and pointing at me, I shook my fist. I was going to get these little shits! Just you wait, I am going to pet you so hard! My hand dragged up, holding my leg and I leveraged it up inch by inch. At last the summit was reached. My hand gripping the cord tightly and I yanked up. The first try failed. This was harder than it looked. If only my other arms or legs were working, then this would be easy. I pooled my strength then pulled with everything. The loop moved and I plunged into the floor. Ow! I shook my head, looking for where they went. There you are you little kitties!


    When I crawled towards the door they fled, screaming bloody murder. My journey for revenge ended prematurely when a pair of clawed feet stopped right in front of me. I looked up and it was Glitter Kitten with her three little brats hiding behind.


    ¡°What are you doing, nyah?¡± she asked, peering at me.


    I scowled as the kittens were making faces at me behind her. ¡°I was trying to get to you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± she looked between me and her children, then at the bats on the floor. She sighed, ¡°What did they do now?¡±


    ¡°They tried to hit me until candy would come out.¡±


    ¡°She is lying. See on the floor and everything,¡± protested the little boy.


    Glitter Kitten sighed, ¡°What has Mommy said about hitting people nyah?¡±


    ¡°Only do it if they are going to hit you back?¡± answered the white one nearly in tears.


    ¡°That is right. What have you three just done?¡±


    ¡°Hit somebody who can''t hit us back,¡± the two that were not crying said, rolling their eyes.


    ¡°That is right. Do you know why that is bad?¡± they shook their heads and she continued. ¡°It shows you are weak, see she is still crawling around. In a fight there are no rules, so be sure to go all out. Not against each other though, we have to watch out for one another. If you are going to hit something make sure it can''t get back up. Now against somebody like her it is understandable, nyah, she is what we call a Regenerator. It means that she heals super fast. See how she is not dead even though she got beaten down by Den Mother. She might even be up and about fully healed by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Scary,¡± cried the little white kitten.


    ¡°How do you beat these types?¡± asked the boy. What am I a Pokemon? Well obviously since I am a bug type fire is the bane of my existence.


    ¡°For these types nyah, nyah, you go after the limbs. Nyan, nyan get the arms and legs first, then the head and they will be dead. Simple nyaes? If they are really strong though they can put their parts back on or even grow new ones. Scary right?¡± she wagged her finger at them, pointing at me here and there.


    They nodded eagerly. Glitter Kitten what the hell kind of parenting is that? Teaching the next batch of super villains already I see. The kittens were giving me the evil eye, they were up to something. How can something so cute be so diabolical?! I just want them to love me! Now what am I going to have to deal with? She surprised me though, when she grabbed up the little leader by the scruff of his neck.


    ¡°Now what did I say earlier?¡±


    ¡°Leave the hero alone?¡± asked the white kitten.


    ¡°Nyaes and what did you do?¡±


    ¡°We were playing with her,¡± scowled the boy.


    ¡°Looked more like you were tormenting her. Now look. She has something very important to help me with and that means she is off limits,¡± she smiled vaguely and they cringed. ¡°Since you were being bad, a little punishment is in order.¡±


    The two girls retreated and the boy struggled, crying desperately, ¡°We did not hurt her!¡±


    ¡°Not that you did not try. Come and take your swats without a fuss or I will give you something to cry about,¡± she glared at them.


    Their ears went flat and they reluctantly followed behind her. Glitter Kitten went into the next room over and about ten seconds later their cries of agony rose up. It sounded like she was skinning a cat or something. I heard a low slap and a fresh voice was filled with tears. Oddly only two of them were punished. I could tell by the voices. She returned without her furry little brats and lifted me up with one hand.


    Come to think of it what the hell even was her super power? I thought she was supposed to be fast, yet here she is lifting me up like it was nothing. She lay me on the couch next to the two pouting children, the black furred girl and the white blotched boy. They were sprawled with their bottoms up in the air, a red hand print on the soft skin. The white kitten was smugly sipping on some juice. She got rewarded for tattling on her siblings.


    ¡°What are their names?¡± I asked, reaching towards the little white one. She let me pet her, so soft and fluffy. This one, I want this one.


    ¡°She is Snowball. He is Rocket. She is Midnight,¡± said Glitter Kitten pointing to each respectively.


    ¡°You name your kids like pets?¡±


    ¡°No, no, nyah,¡± she grinned, wagging a finger at me. ¡°It is their stage names for when they get older.¡±


    ¡°Stage name?¡± I asked looking at the children. Then I remember exactly where she lived, the thought they would be actors was thrown out the window after a moment. ¡°You mean like a stripper?¡±


    She almost purred, ¡°Nyes, also super villains just like me, most of them will likely take over the family business. That and it is rather hard to name twenty four children.¡±


    ¡°You have twenty four kids?¡±


    Glitter Kitten lowered her ears and the tail slumped, ¡°Sadly only nineteen at the moment. The young are vulnerable to the world after all. Sometimes they wander off and don''t come back, others are killed during fighting, or picked off by our scaly neighbors and then there are those sick bastards who catnap them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well sorry to hear about your loss.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, most from your half of the city don''t seem to understand.¡±


    ¡°If they are so important to you why am I even allowed near them? Couldn''t I like kill them or take one hostage to escape?¡± I asked, this had been bugging me for a while.


    Glitter Kitten stared daggers down at me, her mouth set in a cruel grin, ¡°I am not too worried with how messed up you are right now. We both know you would not. I could tell just by how you acted, though to be fair I don''t truly trust you. Which is why I am watching over you, just in case. Should you harm one of my kittens well, the claws come out and I would kill you in the slowest, most painful way I could. You would be pleading me for death and yet I would not give it to you.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°Point taken. I like cats and it is not as though these little guys have done anything too bad. I sort of had my perspective opened up a bit since this happened to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes I see that,¡± she flashed the cards of the naked cat girl. When the hell did she get those and why are they perfectly fine! If only they had been ruined instead of the map. ¡°I never would have taken you to be a fan of mine.¡±


    ¡°I like cat girls you got a problem with that?¡± I glared.


    ¡°Why would that be a problem? You should have told me from the start rather than playing coy. I would have been more civil you know. I always treat my fans better. Since you like pussycats so much all the more reason to join me.¡±


    ¡°Still going to have to turn you down,¡± I flatly replied.


    ¡°Well should we ever cross paths, at odds I will be sure not to kill you and trust me I could kill you very easily.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Consider it a favor for helping me out here. You saving that man''s life, well to be frank helped me a great deal. So I owe you one, nyahah. Although after this I suppose it would be two. How about I give you free drinks at the bar?¡±


    ¡°What the hell makes you think I am going to come back after all of this is over?¡±


    ¡°Don''t be so melodramatic. Little miss hero. Offer stands feel free to drop by.¡±


    ¡°I still don''t really like this.¡±


    Glitter Kitten smirked, laying her hand on my head. ¡°No need to be so serious. You are not hurting anyone. In fact a lot of people are not going to get hurt since you are helping me.¡±


    ¡°I really hate drugs though. Who are you even selling it to? That much is enough to ruin the lives of thousands.¡±


    She sat next to me turning the channel on the tv. It ended up back on cartoons. I could see her kittens poking their heads in from other rooms and slowly creeping in. ¡°Life is all about choices, Mecha Fairy. It is their choice to ruin their lives. We all have to live with the consequences to our actions. Sure I am a so called bad person, kill people, rob, torture, but I also protect, support, love and cherish those around me. You see I realized long ago it is not about what others see me as, it is about how I see myself.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Honestly that is pretty deep was not expecting that from a stripper cat. However, drug abuse effects everyone around that person. It is not a simple matter.¡±


    Glitter Kitten laughed, ¡°Nyahaha. Pretty good right I thought that up when I was high as fuck.¡±


    I stared at her and she poked me in the face. ¡°You use your own drugs?¡±


    ¡°Hell no, that shit is bad for you. Fucks with your head you know? Besides only an idiot uses their own supply.¡±


    My frown creased, ¡°You just said you were high. So what were you doing?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Catnip. Now that shit will get you fucked up.¡±


    ¡°Wait is that code for something or do you mean like literal catnip?¡±


    ¡°I mean catnip,¡± she replied rather matter of factly and pointed at a potted plant next to the tv. Several of the kittens were basking nearby it.


    Catnip? Now that is a new one. Well I guess she is a cat, so should I be so surprised? I saw those fuzzy little kids watching me. This was not exactly what I had been expecting from the notorious Glitter Kitten. She sort of reminded me of a hippie soccer mom. So far she had not even touched me, just idle threats and she even seemed apologetic about my kidnapping. Granted I still had something that she wanted meaning I was not going to be released, at least not right away.


    It seemed to me that she was getting more of a bad rap than she deserved. Although that might be a good thing since if her enemies knew she was not that bad it would cause problems. I could just be biased here, I do love cat girls. Of course there was the possibility that this was something of an act, they were villains after all.


    While I had been thinking my antenna swished back and forth. Out of my peripheral vision I saw Glitter Kitten arch her back, going hunter cat mode. She wiggled her ass and the tail writhed with excitement. It was not just her either, the kittens looked rather riled up following with their eyes, bodies tightly bound. In the end they were just cats. I could probably take advantage of this. At the least that is what I thought before she lunged and tackled me!


    She pawed at my antenna, beating them back and forth. It escalated to scratching and biting. It did not really hurt so much as just being weird. This was one of the strangest feelings I had ever had. Her warm, wet mouth held my segmented feelers. I could smell her breath, it reeked of alcohol and... cat food? God is it that bad down here? Her heart beat radiated through her body and flowed into me from the vibrations and sounds. She was purring. The more they moved the harder she chewed. My hand jabbed her in the stomach and she shot away from me back to her perch. That hit did not feel like it connected. Her predatory eyes gazing down.


    ¡°What the fuck was that about?!¡± I yelled at her.


    ¡°Nyahaha!¡± she cackled. ¡°Those thingies on your head are pretty fun.¡±


    ¡°You leave my antenna alone. Just let me sleep will you?¡±


    ¡°Do you heal faster while sleeping?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, not entirely sure if it was true. All that I knew is that it might get me out of harms way.


    ¡°Very well. We need you in tip top shape tomorrow, or else I might just have Den Mother drag you around on our little hunt.¡±


    Oh god she means it too. Sub, fuck everything else get the legs working first! ¡°I should be able to walk, by tomorrow.¡±


    ''Stop whining will you?'' Grumbled Sub. ''We are just paralyzed. I have already gotten most things connected. The spine is being a real bitch though, can''t quite seem to get the right nerves back together. Oh you feel that? No? False alarm.''


    ¡°I wish you would take things seriously,¡± I growled back.


    Glitter Kitten stared at me. ¡°I am always serious. You trying to pick a fight or something?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°I was not talking to you, sort of mumbling to myself.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well we have all been there. You should really choose your timing more wisely. After all if I was not such a nice person, well you would be in a very bad place right now.¡±


    ¡°It is a good thing that you are such a nice person.¡± My mouth spread nearly coming off the sides of my face.


    Her hair stood up for a brief moment then flattened. ¡°Come along now. Snowball, Midnight, Rocket. Let us leave the little hero to recover.¡±


    I was left all alone, the tv my only company. It was just what I wanted, to rest. My eyes dropped shutting out the dimly lit room. Sleep took me for what seemed only a few moments, though it had been hours. The sun had set and the tv channel had been changed at some point. It was on the news, a recap of the daily events they were harping on the attack still. Vaguely I rubbed my face, turning to get a better position. Something was weighing down my legs. Nibbles sat there munching away at a metal pipe. She turned staring at me with her black beady eyes and for a long moment there was silence. It sort of reminded me of a deer in the headlights.


    ¡°You eat metal?¡± I asked.


    She nodded crawling over me so that we were face to face. A bit too close for comfort. ¡°I have to nibble or else my teeth hurt. They grow so fast.¡±


    She had bad breath though I doubted that any of them even brushed their teeth or used mouthwash. Wait a minute does my breath stink too? I have not exactly been keeping up on the oral hygiene since I don''t have any teeth. I blew in her face and she reeled back covering her nose. Oh god is it that bad? Why the hell did no body tell me I had such wretched breath? No wonder Chief has been staying at arms length. When I get back I am going to gargle a whole damned thing of Listerine.


    ¡°How bad is my breath?¡±


    ¡°Rotting meat,¡± she replied, looking a little green in the face.


    ¡°That bad eh? Sorry about that. So why are you here anyway?¡± I asked looking away, I felt a bit embarrassed.


    She rubbed her face with her paws. ¡°I don''t like how things get down there. So I stay up here usually. Glitter Kitten told me to watch you. Here is your food by the way, I got a bit side tracked earlier.¡±


    There was a can of dog food on the table. I eyed it and said, ¡°You don''t have real food here?¡±


    ¡°No. We had to start rationing last month.¡±


    ¡°Rationing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can''t really tell you why though.¡±


    ¡°So what, you are feeding the dog food to your customers down there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No. We stopped serving food, only alcohol and drugs now.¡±


    ¡°So I take it you don''t like that?¡±


    She nodded and I lay back. Seeing the Mad Dogs up close has left me wondering, are they really that bad? Sure Den Mother is a bitch, but the rest of them seem rather low key about most things. The way I had been hearing things I had honestly been expecting them to be feral animals. Yet here they are trying to make a living, albeit in illegal and rather dangerous exploits. At the least I was expecting some Villain type stuff. Not this. Although I suppose I got a dose of the real deal with Molotov everything else seems watered down in comparison. God dammit, I am trying to rationalize why criminals are doing bad things. It does not matter why they are doing bad things it does not excuse it. Besides they tried to kill me.


    The tv flashed drawing my attention. It appeared to be breaking news. That frizzy haired reporter in her trench coat was on, she was out front of the hospital. ¡°Penny Peaches, channel eleven news reporting in. As you are most likely well aware the Mad Dogs assaulted the Downtown Hospital. The target was Mr. Richard, who has been relocated to the Hero League Headquarters under heavy guard. Rumors are that teams are being scrambled to siege the Slums. But should we? According to my sources Mr. Richard is a wanted fugitive connected with the Columbian Drug Cartels, namely the Angels of Hell. This raises a very-¡±


    A voice interrupted her mid sentence and the camera jerked to the side. There stood Glitter Kitten. She was wearing a skin tight tiger print cat suit save her hands and feet. Sparkly dust was rubbed into her fur making it glimmer. ¡°Nyahaha. Interesting I thought he was a rat. I have a little message for the Heroes.¡±


    Penny was shaking a little. At first I thought it was terror, but then I noticed it was enthusiasm. Something wrong with that bitch. ¡°Glitter Kitten! Can I give you an interview?¡±


    She gave the camera a glance. ¡°Pretty brave little human. Very well ask away, but first I have something to say. I know you are watching heroes. I have your little Mecha Fairy. She is alive and well for the moment. I was surprised as well, resilient little thing she is. How long she stays alive is up to you though. In two days I will personally drop her off at the neutral zone, unharmed, assuming my demands are met. It is simple really stay out of my Slums and when I bring her, bring me five million dollars. I would ask for Mr. Richard, but we both know you won''t give him up, not even to save your junior hero. You take one step into my Slums and Mecha Fairy is dead. I will rip off every one of her limbs, let her bleed out, piss on her face and of course I will do all of this right in front of you. I might keep her head as a trophy or I might put it on a pike and display it for all you to see. Just to show you how powerless you are. Don''t fuck with me and I won''t fuck with you.¡±


    ¡°Mecha Fairy is alive?! How?¡± asked Penny.


    She looked rather nonchalant, peering at her clawed finger for a moment. ¡°Simple. She regenerates. Fairly strong at it too. By the way Heroes, I know who she is under that suit after all I peeled her out of it like a tin can. I am rather surprised, honestly. I won''t kick the litter from the box unless you make me, you know what I mean. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Why are you giving her back after two days?¡±


    ¡°Oh that nyah. She needs time to recover. Den Mother got a little angry while we were questioning her and ripped off her arms.¡±


    ¡°Her arms? That is terrible even rank 4 can''t put their limbs back on.¡±


    ¡°Good thing she can then. She is fine, don''t worry about that.¡± Her tail flicked a little, she was lying. Though actually it was true, she just did not know it.


    ¡°Why did you attack Mr. Richard?¡±


    ¡°He-¡± started Glitter Kitten then stopped herself to think. ¡°To put it simply he tricked one of my subordinates and we will not be made fools of.¡±


    ¡°So your motive was revenge?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so. By the way I am not forbidding people from visiting the Sparkle Kat, I just better not see mobilized forces moving in on my turf. You keep the peace and I will keep the peace. Understood? Good Nyah. Well I will see you in two days when I drop off Mecha Fairy. Try anything funny and her death will be the least of your concerns.¡±


    Glitter Kitten crouched and pounced up landing on a roof over head. The camera followed as she vanished from view. Penny sighed then looked ecstatic, ¡°You heard it here first, on channel eleven. Glitter Kitten herself has made demands, fairly simple ones really. Can her word be trusted? Is Mecha Fairy still alive? What are our heroes going to do? All that and more next time!¡±


    I lay there watching as the reporter changed to someone else. She certainly got her point across. That was actually rather smart to use the news media to intimidate the heroes from taking action against her. Since she made it public if they went through with it and shit hit the fan it would look bad for the good guys, since they ignored the threats. Guess this means there is not going to be some rescue mission. That is one bold cat though just walking into enemy territory and making demands like that. Some of that was out and out lies, but then again I get the feeling she was not one to mess with. She was not the leader of the Mad Dogs by being a nice person, at the least not without a substantial amount of strength to back it up. Looks like this is out of my hands and I am just along for the ride.

 Arc 5, The Pussycat and I, Chapter 7, Interlude: Stalemate

    Alright everyone here it is hope you enjoy. Next week is the end of this Arc, however things are only heating up :) tell me what you think.


    Arc 5, Chapter 7, Interlude Stalemate


    It had been a while since all six of the Bronson City Team Captains met up, just about two months, if only it was under better circumstances. During their last meeting Captain Metal had been demoted and Dreamer had taken his place as the Captain of the City Central team. It had been a long time coming and not really a surprise to anyone. The situation looked bad to say the least and it called for the attention of all the Teams to work together to solve it. Though the Mad Dogs were a threat there was something far more pressing than their illicit activities.


    Enforcer stood to the side of Neon Nurse, in full battle gear the same as everyone else. They were all suited up and ready to go. A smooth chromed out face plate that merged into the thick side covering helmet. His suit was a deep blue color with black highlights. The shoulders were domed glass with siren lights contained within. Enforcer was sort of an oddball here, he did not actually have super powers at the least not by himself. What he did have though was Neon Nurse''s cyborg enhancements, a suit personally made by Fire Chief and gadgets for just about every occasion.


    His gloves could deliver enough of a shock to incapacitate most people save the more resilient Supers, this unfortunately included the Subhumans. The grenade launcher strapped to his back had different ammo including frozen, incendiary, electric, adhesive, tear gas, tranquilizer, net, flash bang and grappling hook. He had a shield built into the left arm that could be folded out at a moment''s notice. He even had a souped up stun baton for if things got rough, it had been used on a few rabid activists just the other week. The robo enhancements combined with his suit landed him as a solid rank 6 cyborg.


    Crimson Sweeper leaned against the wall, his trademarked red trench coat loosely worn over an armored chest plate. Thick aviator sunglasses covered his eyes and a black, wide brimmed fedora was tilted forward slightly. Around his neck a red scarf drooped loosely. Now one might think that is not really going to hide your identity, but they would be wrong when it came to Sweeper. No one has yet been able to identify him, the other heroes included. Sure he stuck out like a sore thumb, but if you saw him, he already saw you and decided he wanted to let you see him.


    His power was to see through just about everything and he could control it to such a degree that he could pick and choose what was omitted. This made him a nightmare for criminals since he could drink coffee across the street and watch their illicit activities, then when they were most vulnerable he and his team would pounce. His trusty Beretta was specially augmented to use armor piercing rounds if need be. If things got real dicey he would pull out a gauss rifle and shoot through walls. He was not known for orthodox take downs and was no stranger to the less legal side of investigating.


    His arch rival was Fold who had thus far eluded capture due to his portal jumping. It is astoundingly hard to pin down a guy who can connect two points, sometimes miles away from each other and cross over then open another portal and repeat the process until he feels safe. The other problem was he could close the portal at any point, so following him was a bad idea unless you wanted to lose an arm or be cut in half.


    Fold was not the only troublesome member of the Scarlet Souls. In truth the gang had five Super Villains and a near army of goons. Second in command was a woman named Shadow who could phase out of reality, which allowed her to levitate, walk through walls and dodge bullets. She usually scouted out the jobs before they came in force. If she touched people she could take them with her. They had been a little too quiet lately, which never boded well.


    Dreamer looked over the room from her seat at the head of the table. Her melted opera mask covering down to her cheeks. The sanguine lips pressed into a tight frown. Blue gloved hands folded over one another and her chin rested on them. To her left by three empty seats was Medavac in his white bulky armor and standing behind him was Fire Chief in his rusty red under suit. Opposite them was Neon Nurse, who looked like she was ready to storm into the Slums guns blazing. From his positioning Enforcer was on her side and Crimson Sweeper was staying out of the fray so to say. This was not looking good, the teams were squabbling, which was rather unusual. Of course she knew exactly why they were so disjointed. It was that little freak Vespidian.


    Medavac sat at the thick hard wood table, cupping his face. A chemical burn mark ran up the side of his face. ¡°She just slipped through my fingers.¡±


    ¡°Stop beating yourself up over it. You literally got in a fist fight with Atomic Knight, alone in the sewers and almost caught him. She is alive. The chip in her head is still sending out signals. All the feeds on the suit are trashed though.¡± Fire Chief stood by his side with crossed arms.


    ¡°She should have been able to rely on me. I was the fucking senior here. She was my responsibility and I let her down when it mattered most. I am getting too old for this shit.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight you fucked up!¡± yelled Neon Nurse the visor on her battle suit was down. Mechanical arms twitched irritated and bulky form paced the room.


    ¡°Stop it. Fighting among ourselves will not change this one bit,¡± said Chief. ¡°You want to blame somebody then blame me. I assigned her to guard duty. I was not expecting Den Mother and Nibbles.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you take the high road on this. It makes it hard to be mad,¡± she glared at him.


    ¡°We are all adults here. So start acting like it,¡± said Dreamer, standing abruptly. ¡°We have city wide problems to deal with and here we are arguing over who is to blame.¡±


    ¡°This isn''t just about her. It will affect us all. If we lose Mecha Fairy not even two weeks into her deployment it is going to make the public very nervous. It is going to make us look bad and they might start questioning our viability. Especially after what happened in LA, even you can understand that, Dreamer,¡± said Fire Chief.


    ¡°That is bad. However I have considered this as well. As I am sure you have all seen the news. Glitter Kitten has made it rather clear that she wants us to stay out of the Slums for two days. Which means she is doing something in that time,¡± replied Dreamer, pacing for a moment. ¡°But we have bigger fish to fry than some little freak being held captive.¡±


    Neon Nurse fumed and the robo hands were clamping the air with snaps. ¡°Don''t you fucking call her a freak! She is a wonderful and beautiful individual.¡±


    ¡°What does she mean freak?¡± asked Medavac looking between them.


    Dreamer shifted, ¡°You don''t know? I thought we were all in on this monster that against my wishes was set loose on the streets. It is a miracle she has not eaten her team yet. Vesper, Vespidian, Mecha Fairy whatever the hell you want to call that thing does not change what it is.¡±


    ¡°For your information she is getting along perfectly fine with her team. In fact she has already made friends with most of them,¡± growled Chief.


    ¡°She is a monster plain and simple. I have seen her eat a whole watermelon in one bite. A mouth should not stretch that far. Don''t even get me started with her feeding patterns when it pertains to meat. We all know that Mecha Fairy unless ripped to pieces and separated will recover in less than a day. In other words she is fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh for the love of Pete you are still on about that?¡± Fire Chief rolled his eyes. ¡°She is not some animal that we have to make virgin sacrifices to in order to appease.¡±


    ¡°Seriously though what is she?¡± asked Medavac. ¡°Stop being vague and show me some pictures or something. I know she is a Subhuman, but what is making you guys freak out?¡±


    Neon Nurse nodded and put a little cord from her suit into the screen at the back of the room. Images appeared, little folders with labels. She moved so fast through the assorted files it was nearly impossible to read it clearly. Her eyes glowed shifting back and forth as though she were reading. It took a moment longer then she entered a folder titled ¡°My Little Alien¡± within this there were several other folders and she quickly opened the first one. She opened it so fast in fact that one might think she was trying to cover something up. The first image was a long black haired girl with bright blue eyes, a slightly large nose and a genuine smile. She looked like she was ready to take on the world.


    ¡°Well that is not bad at all. Jesus she looks normal as hell, so why is everybody acting like she is some kind of monster? Although I take it that was here when she was human, that is certainly not what her face looks like now,¡± said Medavac.


    Neon Nurse replied. ¡°That was her seven years ago, right before she went to college. Me and her father were looking around through photo albums. It was the last one where she actually looked happy. After this it looks like her soul got sucked out, so I won''t be showing those. This is a picture of her last week during her check up.¡±


    The screen blinked for a moment. A bone etched face appeared, it was as though it had been sculpted and hardened. The crease of her mouth spread to the sides of the face, a crack in the mask. All four of her inky eyes were larger than a human''s. Her elongated head reached back and formed a crescent moon at the back. There was no skin only a black and in the right light incandescent blue exoskeleton with muscles at the joints connecting her segmented body. Four arms were crossed over her lap and and the bulging abdomen lay to the side. Orange membranes were neatly spread behind her, her wings. Beyond the initial shock of the difference between the two pictures she looked rather bored, sitting there on a cold metal slab.


    ¡°Well that is certainly different,¡± said Medavac eyeing the picture. ¡°Not that bad though. Seen way worse. Hey you got nudes of her? Wasn''t one of those folders called sexy time or something?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah I got all sorts of... wait a minute. I ain''t sharing that with you. Those are for research purposes only!¡± glared Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Don''t be such a tight ass I want to know what I am getting into. She wants my nuts.¡±


    ¡°She wants to, to... to breed with you?¡± she looked aghast.


    ¡°I think she just wants the dick,¡± he smirked.


    ¡°When the hell did this happen?!¡± She pointed at him boiling with jealousy.


    ¡°Earlier today. Hey you been in there, what does her cunt look like? Is it crazy?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You would actually have sex with that?¡± cringed Dreamer. ¡°I have to wonder about your mental state Medavac. Maybe you need to have your head looked at.¡±


    ¡°Oh please. You are just a prude. You are never going to get a man like that you know, Dreamer,¡± he smirked. ¡°So anyway Neon Nurse show me some of the goods.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea-¡± started Neon Nurse before she was interrupted by Fire Chief, ¡°Damn it you guys take this shit seriously! She might be killed.¡±


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    Dreamer shifted, ¡°Good to see someone has their head on straight. Now look she is more likely to turn traitor on us than be killed. Glitter Kitten is notorious for her aggressive recruitment of subhumans and she has a way of making them feel accepted. She finds their insecurities and lulls them into a false sense of security. At times I wonder if she is a cult leader or not.¡±


    ¡°Vesper would not turn on us,¡± said Chief.


    ¡°She would. Think about it,¡± she said, letting it sink in for a moment. ¡°If she was suddenly surrounded by beings similar to herself, that did not judge her based on appearances and truly accepted her rather than trying to conceal what she is. And make no mistake, that is exactly what we are doing to her. It is not hard to realize which side she would take. She seeks a place to call her own that much is obvious. I don''t even need to look through her head to know that.¡±


    ¡°She has a place right here, with us,¡± scoffed Neon Nurse. ¡°She would not go Villain on us.¡±


    ¡°I know all of you here are more or less taken in by her. Even you Sweeper, don''t think I over looked that request to have her transferred to your team. Still trying to figure that out, at any rate. Now look it is commendable what all of you are doing for her, but she needs serious, professional help.¡±


    Crimson Sweeper tilted his hat up, ¡°It seems to me that you are the one obsessed with her. Why can''t you just leave her alone? If this blows up in our face so be it.¡±


    ¡°None of you can even understand what is going on in her head. Since none of you are even going to take me seriously let''s just drop the topic. If we can finally get back to what really matters right now I would appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°NO,¡± said Medavac, slamming his hands on the table. ¡°Tell us.¡±


    ¡°I could literally spend hours explaining why it would be bad to allow her outside. You want the truth? Let me make it simple. She has a parasitical split personality that is slowly taking over and eating her main personality. She calls it Sub and it is leading her around by the nose. Vesper might not be a menace, in fact she is a rather gullible and malleable individual, but that thing is a monster. I should have killed it the moment I found it, when it was weak. But now it is so ingrained in there I would have to kill Vesper to get to it. It is using her as a shield. I don''t expect you to believe me.¡±


    ¡°How do you even know all this? I thought that you were only in her head that one time.¡± asked Chief.


    ¡°I check up on her once a week. It is pretty easy when she is sedated,¡± she said, all of them were glaring at her. ¡°Before you start pointing fingers I have done nothing to her, just monitoring her psychosis. Sub has grown like a cancer since her inception. They are more or less inseparable at this point and that is why I am worried over what might happen. I have seen this sort of thing before. If Sub were to decide that Vesper was no longer needed, I fear it would not be hard for her to take over.¡±


    ¡°You are nuts,¡± laughed Neon Nurse. ¡°Look she talks to herself some times, but who doesn''t? I personally talk to myself sometimes because I need a professional opinion. This one time I walked in on her arguing with herself over which Moon Sailor she wanted to fuck. Rear Admiral Uranus in case you were wondering. As for Sub, I know about her. Since you seem to think otherwise she is not some foreign intruder she is literally the Subconscious of Vesper. Due to the enlarged brain and activity, she became self aware. Let me tell you if your brain was the size of a large watermelon you would be capable of some rather crazy shit that to be frank we don''t understand yet. We have not even figured out if she is psychic or not yet, but that is beside the point. They get along very well together and work together on just about everything.¡±


    ¡°She told you about it?¡± asked Dreamer in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes. She tells me about everything,¡± smirked Neon Nurse. ¡°It is what happens when you actually listen to her. Something you don''t seem to understand.¡±


    ¡°We both know you only want her for her body. You want her to fill you with eggs.¡±


    ¡°What does my sexual preference have anything to do with this? I consider her my friend and yes, I would enjoy being an incubator for her brood. It is not like I can have kids of my own. Is there a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°Your self interests are impairing your judgment here.¡±


    ¡°Just drop it,¡± said Chief, shaking his head. ¡°I don''t care if she lays eggs or what ever else she might do. She is an adult and as such her sexual relations are not our concerns. From what I have seen she is just a traumatized young woman trying to fit in.¡±


    ¡°You are way too optimistic on this. Imagine if she started breeding, little monsters scurrying around all over the place and if they got loose... It would be far worse than the Mad Dogs. I don''t even want to consider it. I was looking over some of that data that Dr. Arbor had and do you realize there were plans to ship her off to Russia, start a breeding colony and release her children upon the world as a scourge to wipe out humanity?¡±


    ¡°Those were abandoned,¡± dismissively said Neon Nurse. ¡°Can we stop this witch hunt already and just get back to business?¡±


    ¡°Gladly,¡± nodded Dreamer, grasping the opportunity to change subjects. ¡°How did we even get stuck on talking about her? What this meeting involves has nothing to do with her.¡±


    ¡°Then what the hell is this meeting about?¡± asked Enforcer''s deep robotic voice. He crossed his arms. ¡°Look I got way better shit to do than stand around here. In case you have not noticed the Sixes and Sevens are at war with the Diablo De Chillar. They are murdering each other in the streets. Are we doing a rescue op or not?¡±


    ¡°Let me finish. Or hell even begin, stop interrupting me,¡± said Dreamer, shaking her head. ¡°We have way bigger problems than the Mad Dogs.¡±


    ¡°You have our attention,¡± shifted Sweeper.


    ¡°Someone or some organization is attempting to unite the varied gangs. As we all know Kraken is spreading their tendrils around the globe, it is concerning to say the least. It might be an agent sent here to see the worth of our local Super Villains and see if any of them make the cut. I am not sure on this though it is just conjecture. Usually my estimates are spot on though.¡±


    All of them looked flustered, ¡°How did you find this out?¡±


    ¡°Well, while I was sifting through the most recent captured henchmens'' heads, I started noticing things. There is someone referred to as the Boss. At first I thought they meant their leaders, but when I asked they did not know who this Boss was only that orders were being given out to the gang bosses.¡±


    ¡°IS that all you have?¡± Asked Neon Nurse, sighing uninterested. ¡°It might just be some rich guy paying them for a job.¡±


    ¡°Do you realize the ramifications if they united against us? We would lose the city in less than a month if every criminal element in the city turned on us in an organized manor. Need I remind you this is exactly what happened in LA! That is not even counting if the Diablos get full reinforcements from LA or if it is just supplementary. If a Kraken merc shows up we are going to have serious problems! Nitro is still running loose in LA so we should be fine, but we need to be prepared. The only reason we even hold order is because they are splintered and divided. Their infighting is to our advantage. Enforcer you know this is true.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°It is. Currently we are taking advantage of the Sixes and Sevens attacking the Diablo De Chillar on one side while we raid the drug supply lines and outer lying operations. We have Pico on the run, but gang reinforcements are streaming in from LA to bulk up their forces. These have been intercepted by the Mad Dogs on several occasions. As much as I hate to admit it I am thankful that the Railroad Union shipped in their pet gang and of course the unusual help from the Mad Dogs, usually it is the other way around. Also the Angels of Hell are up to something, they might be planning to break Blaze Runner out.¡±


    Neon Nurse mulled it over for a moment. ¡°So you want me to believe that there is some shadowy individual, who can actually get the Angels of Hell to work with the Diablos? Or for that matter the Mad Dogs with anybody else save the Atomic Raiders, which they have a very dicey relationship as is. These people would fight over what toppings to put on a pizza just to spite one another. Honestly I don''t see it happening.¡±


    ¡°That is what my snooping is pointing towards. We would have to capture a high ranking member of either the Scarlet Souls, the Mad Dogs, or the Angels of Hell. If this is true they have formed a coalition.¡±


    Crimson Sweeper shook his head. ¡°Scarlet Souls has been acting a little weird, but that has more to do with the Cyber Sirens encroaching in on them lately. Although it might be that they are gearing up for something big.¡±


    Dreamer covered her mouth. ¡°Oh right, I had almost forgotten about them. It is pretty easy when there are only two members. Neon Nurse I am sure you know your former gang very well.¡±


    She eyed her, ¡°I quit that shit five years ago. Sparky was a total bitch and Vira was always fucking with my Robos. Your point is?¡±


    ¡°You did not quit. You got caught and took a plea deal. You are still on probation for another five years might I remind you. So if they get captured you will have no hard feelings if I were to go digging around in their heads?¡±


    ¡°Feel free.¡±


    ¡°No need to drag up the past. I trust Neon Nurse, in fact just about everybody does. She has reformed rather nicely,¡± coughed Fire Chief. ¡°So what are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°I was not done yet. I learned something very interesting from our friend Mr. Richard. He is a member of the Angels of Hell and appeared to have been brokering a deal between them and the Mad Dogs. For reasons I honestly can''t figure out he double crossed Glitter Kitten and got us in this mess. In the Slums there is a massive stash of Cocaine, hidden inside of a cargo container. I know the general area where it is.¡±


    ¡°So if you know where it is lets go blow it sky high,¡± said Enforcer.


    ¡°Not so fast. I have a better idea. In a couple days there is going to be a little transaction between the two. Which is why Glitter Kitten does not want us in the Slums until after it has been done. We are going to catch them red handed and cut the heads off of both gangs.¡±


    ¡°You want to pick a fight with not only Glitter Kitten, but Burnout as well?¡± asked Neon Nurse exasperated. ¡°What the hell are we going to do when the Subhumans riot? Glitter Kitten is the only thing keeping them from rampaging through the city. Let alone if we get those junkies riled up. You have a death wish?¡±


    ¡°No, I have a plan. A very good one too,¡± chuckled Dreamer. ¡°They won''t know what hit them.¡±


    _____


    Next week Vesper gets down and dirty with Glitter Kitten and the gang.

 Arc 5, The Pussycat and I, Chapter 8

    Vespidian, Arc 5, Chapter 8


    It was rather hard to sleep with the bumping music coming from downstairs. So help me god, if I hear What''s New Pussycat one more fucking time! How the hell do people stomach this crap? Why?! I thought this was a strip club what is this music selection? I am going to kill the DJ! It would not be so bad, but they have speakers hooked up to blast that shit over the whole damned street too. No more, no more. Is this some sort of psychological warfare, it has to be right? My antenna writhed as another repeat began. That''s it! All at once a tingling filled my legs. My talons opened and closed, good.


    ''We fixed,'' said Sub. ''So, what you wanna do?''


    ¡°Hey, Nibbles,¡± I said lowering the battered helmet over my face.


    She looked away from the tv, her cheeks stuffed with food. I thought they were supposed to be rationing? Well, not like I care. She chewed hastily before gulping, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Take me to see Glitter Kitten.¡±


    ¡°She is dancing right now, you can tell by the music. Besides, I don''t feel like dragging you all the way down there.¡±


    ¡°I might kill myself if I hear that song one more time.¡± I stumbled to my feet. The suit was broken and most of the mechanisms were not functioning. Joints were seized and it made me move like a zombie.


    ¡°Holy shit! You can walk already?¡± she looked scared, but I do not really care right now.


    ¡°Take me to see her. I will go without you if I have to.¡±


    She relented, ¡°Alright, alright, just follow me and please don''t cause any trouble.¡±


    We stood gazing down at the main floor from a high balcony. Lights flashed over the empty stage it looked like they were taking a short break. Smoke thick enough to get lost in billowed out from a fog machine down below. It made it impossible to see what was going on in the crowd, there were a lot of people here. Honestly, I never would have thought this place would be so popular. I guess sex sells and as far as I cared to know these were some kinky kitties. At the least that is what Medavac was saying. Surprisingly the lower we went the clearer things got, granted, there was a layer of smoke making this place seedy.


    Nibbles led the way. I held her hand like a lost child, first time I had been in a place like this after all. Something told me that I needed an adult. Although, it was a little odd that I was looking to her in this situation, I think I am older than her. This place reeked of sex and wet animal, it was rather musky. Way too many people all sweaty and smelly, grinding together in what I can only assume was supposed to be dance moves.


    It just looked like they were dry humping to me... Oh, never mind some of them are doing a lot more than just that. Directly in front of us one of the cat girls was yowling while some guy was railing her on a table. Needless to say, she was enjoying it. Should I be looking at this? Jesus, those two are going at it. Get a fucking room will you? I should feel ashamed that I can''t look away. Then again, if they did not want to be looked at then they would not be doing it, here, right in front of everybody. It was sort of hypnotic the way her tits sway back and forth. Those were some perky nips.


    A tug on my hand made me look away from the incessant thrusting, Nibbles wanted something. I looked around a little confused when an announcer spoke up, ¡°Welcome to the Sparkle Kat Cafe, where every night is one for the Kitties. Without further ado. You know her, you love her, hell a lot of you have felt the pussycat first hand, she scratches, she bites, and she will make you feel oh so right. Everyone''s favorite Pussycat. Give it up for Glitter Kitten!¡±


    The lights glared and suddenly Glitter Kitten appeared on the stage. I am not even entirely sure how she got there. She looked downright predatory. Her green cat eyes brimming with confidence and a sly smile left you wondering what she was thinking, nothing family friendly that was for sure. Black leather stripes across her fur and there were six heart shaped nipple tassels. The leather cut in between her legs giving her a serious camel toe, it did not look comfortable. Honestly, it reminded me of my own suit how it rode up my ass. Seriously though, it is like a perma wedgie. She must have gotten used to it since she did not seem to even notice.


    There was a little bell tied to her tail and it jingled every time it flicked. Her ears rotated perking up, lithe form flaunting across the stage and grasped the pole with one hand. She spun and her toes curled around the metal shaft, lifting herself upside down all the while still spinning. Glitter Kitten orbited the pole to the point she was reaching reentry speeds.


    It was mesmerizing to watch her. At some point or other I had taken a seat and just stared. She scurried up the pole and her ass hung out as she slid back down. Slowly she ground against it, casting a sultry look over the audience. Her tail danced jingling and jangling. Not gonna lie, popping a lady boner here. If I had money I would be throwing it at her right about now, just like all the others. There was a veritable hail of bills and coins hitting the stage.


    I wonder how she would look in a slutty nurse outfit? French Maid, though, definitely better. She crawled down the catwalk, hands grasping at her from all sides. When she reached the end a large ball of yarn sat waiting. Yarn?! She pounced wrestling with it and getting tangled up. Well played Glitter Kitten, well played. Not only was it the most adorable thing I had ever seen, it was strangely arousing. Sub wanted some of that kitty. Damn it, I just wanted to slap a collar around her neck and take her home. Oh my god, I want to dress that bitch up so bad!


    ¡°What''s new Pussycat? Woah, woah. What''s new Pussycat? Woah, woah. Pussycat, pussycat you''re so thrilling and I''m so willing to care for you.¡± I had almost been able to tune out that music. Yet there it was, boring a hole through my brain. No more, I can''t take it any more! ¡°Pussycat, Pussycat I love you, yes I-¡± My fist slammed into the old jukebox, cutting off the music. I was not lying when I said I was going to kill the DJ, just like video killed the radio star.


    There were a few confused looks, especially Glitter Kitten. Ah shit. Why did I do that? The realization of what happened dawned on her and the hair stood up. She hissed, ¡°Why the fuck did you break my jukebox, Nyah!¡±


    Against my better judgment, I yelled back, ¡°Get some better fucking music Jesus Christ! Stop looping songs and make a playlist for fuck''s sake.¡±


    She growled, bouncing off of the stage and landing right next to me. I jumped back. ¡°I treated you with respect and this is the thanks I get? That jukebox was a memento from Butch. Give me a good reason not to rip you limb from limb!¡±


    I shrunk away from her. I did not think she was going to be this mad. ¡°Am I the only one who was getting sick of that song?¡±


    Grunts of approval started resounding through the room. Glitter Kitten looked around, puzzled. ¡°Wait, you guys did not like the music nyah?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Nibbles.


    ¡°Why the fuck did nobody tell me?¡± she asked, scratching her head.


    ¡°We thought you would hit us,¡± replied Nibbles.


    ¡°Alright Titus get your phone hooked up and start up a playlist,¡± she glanced over to the bar and there was the black version of Mr. Clean. His head was so shiny, I wanted to rub it for luck.


    Titus plugged his phone in and funky music started playing. It seemed that things were looking a lot better. Granted, now that the groovy stuff was on I could not help, but get the feeling that this place was about to become a veritable hotbed of lust. Everybody was smiling except Glitter Kitten. She sadly poked at the hole I had punched into the jukebox. Guilt started getting to me about that, I mean I could have just unplugged it. Slowly she looked over at me and then frowned. Chills ran up my spine. Oh dear. I don''t like the looks of that.


    ¡°As punishment for breaking my things and seeing as how you can walk, I want you to get up on that stage.¡± she tugged on my arm dragging me closer to the spot.


    ¡°Wait, you want me to be a stripper? I am a super hero, not some floozy. This is going to ruin my reputation.¡±


    She gave me a cold look, ¡°I was not asking. What reputation? You are a nobody and no one is going to give a flying fuck if you get up there and shake your goods.¡±


    I looked away. ¡°I don''t feel comfortable or confident enough to do that.¡±


    ¡°Now you are getting shy?¡± she laughed, jabbing me in the side and I nearly toppled over. ¡°Listen, it is rather empowering and fun to do some dirty dancing. How about this I will duo it with you, just follow my lead.¡±


    ¡°I really don''t think this would be good. I mean, if this got out the press might go crazy. They are already kinda gunning for me.¡±


    ¡°Do they know what you look like under that suit?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No, why?¡±


    ¡°Problem solved. Take the suit off in the back and then you can join me. No need to sully that oh so precious alter ego of yours. Besides, it looks a little stiff.¡±


    ¡°That is a terrible idea,¡± I pulled my hand away from her. ¡°I am so fucking ugly. Everybody in here would lose their shit and try to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, nyahaha. It is not that bad,¡± she smirked gesturing out over the room. ¡°Look around you. None of us are human and yet all these people are throwing money at us. They like us for what we are.¡±


    ¡°That might be, but you guys were growling at me and shit earlier.¡±


    ¡°Force of habit. Your scent was rather unique we did not know what to think about it. How about this, if anybody tries to hurt you, I will fuck them up.¡±


    ¡°Every time somebody promises that they fall through and I get fucked. I don''t even trust you.¡±


    ¡°Think about it this way. You are going up there it is only a matter of willingly or not. Now tell me, do you want to go up as Mecha Fairy or as what was your other name?¡±


    ¡°There is no reasoning with you is there?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Where can I change?¡± I asked, hanging my head. This felt an awful lot like Molotov''s head games. I get the feeling there is something of a pattern here. Am I just naturally inclined to attracting these people?


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    She dragged me back up to her room. ¡°Nyahaha glad you see it my way. You will not regret this, you might even find yourself enjoying it.¡±


    The servos were a mess and the auto release function was broken. It had to be done manually, taking off the boob plates so that I could pull the opening mechanism. The suit lifted off and got stuck halfway, so I had to force it all the way. Yeah, definitely not going to be able to wear that again until it is fixed. I fell forward. My chitin exposed and glistening with moisture, it had been hot in that thing after all. The climate control had been damaged. It was rather hard to move and it felt nice to be free, to feel the air on my shell. My abdomen bulged out with a gurgling sound and Glitter Kitten stood back. All the hair was standing up on her, while she sniffed the air. I can''t really blame her for being cautious, I mean, look at me, I am a fucking freak.


    ¡°Your whole body was like that. Interesting. So you are an out and out Subhuman just like us. I knew you were one of us.¡±


    ¡°I am not one of you. I am something worse, at the least you guys are mammals. I would be a cat girl over this shit in a heartbeat. I am a bug for god''s sake.¡±


    She circled examining me. Her hand tugged at my wing spreading it wide. ¡°How pretty. I wish I had wings.¡±


    ¡°Not all that it is cracked up to be.¡±


    ¡°You are really pessimistic aren''t you. You ready to go out there?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I frowned.


    ¡°Smile, smile it is fun,¡± she replied with a glazed grin.


    I grouched back, ¡°Let''s just get this over with.¡±


    We reemerged and she led me along a different route. The stairs led to a side room where all the dancers were messing with their outfits or combing their hair. Some were mutually grooming each other. There was a rather large assortment in here. A wererat was standing in front of a mirror, her large rounded ears flopped slightly. The hairless tail wagged back and forth while she hummed. She, like all the others was wearing fishnet stockings, a rather revealing bra and a g string. Beside her was a werewolf granted she was smaller than Den Mother.


    There was a whole troop of werecats throwing balls of yarn at one another and inspecting one another by groping breasts or pulling tails. Several were licking one another in rather private places. I did not want to make eye contact with one purring while getting her carpet munched, that would just be awkward. It was bad enough that several looked up from licking themselves. When we entered all of them turned and their fur stood up. A few growled, but tucked their tails when Glitter Kitten snarled back. They looked away, avoiding confrontation.


    ¡°Alright, lets get you all dressed up. What sort of image did you wanna go for?¡±


    ¡°Dressed up? I can''t wear clothes like this.¡±


    ¡°Sure you can,¡± she dismissively waved.


    She rummaged through varied clothes and before long there were several mismatched outfits arrayed before me. I never really thought about wearing clothes before, seemed a little weird. Not that I don''t wanna wear clothes, but they don''t really fit anymore and I would probably just tear them up. On the other hand, most of these clothes fit animal people, so they probably fit me too. I guess I will give it a shot, better than walking around naked at the least.


    The first was what I recognized as the a typical whore outfit. Fishnet stocking, low cut mini skirt, g string and a white tube top. Next was a cheerleader, complete with silver pom-poms. Oh fuck, that thing is Bronson High uniform. It had long socks, flashy red skirt that was only a little bit longer than the mini skirt, the jersey sported a big B H in white letters over a blue base. Then there was the stripper outfit. Nothing too special about that, not even sure if it should be called an outfit. It was literally a pair of stockings, nipple tassels, and a g string. Last was an Angels of Hell biker outfit. Not sure why it is here. Jean shorts, tank top, a slightly singed leather jacket with the Angels of Hell logo on the back, black skull faced bandanna, and fingerless gloves. I did not bother to look at the head gear or footwear since none of it would fit. It was a real shame too, since I really liked those boots. Oh damn it, I just realized I can''t wear shoes! Oh the humanity, man this fucking blows.


    Fuck me. So I gotta choose between looking like some hooker or a gang member? Should I just go out there as I am?  No, that is way too embarrassing. I would go with the cheerleader, but something tells me that would just look scary as hell. Seems like something out of a bad horror movie. Why don''t they have like Cosplay here? Where is the nurse outfit, sexy secretary, magical girl or the dirty cop? Guess it is the biker outfit for me. Better cover up as much as I can.


    Glitter Kitten would not stop hovering around me with those expectant eyes. They lit up when I uneasily took the tank top and tried to put it on. It fit, surprisingly, though I had to fold my bottom arms along my stomach, since they would not fit out the holes. I shimmied into the shorts and was even given a belt, since they were a little loose. I did not exactly want the fishnet stockings, but they were handed to me none the less. I had to clench the claws so that they would not get tangled up and the bottom part was cut open since I don''t have feet. The jacket was actually a little small, not really surprising with how tall I am. It took a moment to wiggle my claws through the glove holes. I tied the bandanna under my chin since it sure as hell would not reach the back of my head.


    Now for the moment of truth, I looked in the mirror. What stared back was one scary mother fucker. Those black lifeless eyes. This is not good. Hmm or maybe it will work out since if I can scare people I will probably get sent back upstairs. My abdomen hung down and the wings draped out from under the jacket. My head almost looks like some weird helmet. I could make this work, what is the worst that could happen? It seemed that Glitter Kitten realized I was done.


    ¡°What did you want to be called by the way?¡±


    It took a moment to think. Well, I am the only wasp woman around, so it is not like someone who knows me is going to mistake me for somebody else. ¡°Vespidian that is my name.¡±


    ¡°I will be back in a moment, so wait here,¡± smiled Glitter Kitten as she swaggered out of the room.


    I looked around feeling out of place. I had certainly ruined the mood. They were avoiding eye contact. All these people wanted to inquire more about me, but fear of Glitter Kitten was keeping them from even looking at me. Could be worse, could be circling me like rabid animals, could be throwing things at me and of course they could be ripping me limb from limb right now. I get the distinct impression that I would not win a fight against twenty super villain strippers. Now I know how the Moon Sailors felt, it was rather intimidating and I don''t even have any bros to have my back. At the least they were not space strippers led by Evil Queen Bambi.


    It did not take very long for her to return. She led me to the other door and the stage sat there expanding out into the spacious room. For some reason it looked a hell of a lot larger and that much more frightening from this side. All those lights and the murmurs of a crowd. Second thoughts were bounding about and I started to bitch out.


    It felt like if I stepped out there a familiar thing will occur. I would be aware of their hatred and revulsion. It had happened so many times before, damn it. I should have just worn the suit. Those eyes judging me, mocking me. Sure, I had grown a thick skin, sure I was used to it already, but doesn''t make the pain go away. It just buries it and lets it fester inside like a cyst, until it rots your soul. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words leave deep psychological scars that never heal. Mom''s face appeared, I could hear her rebuking me, calling me a monster. What the fuck do you know about how this feels? No one has ever looked at you with such disgust. My mandibles ground together, making a clicking sound.


    The announcer''s voice broke through my muddled delusions and I looked up. ¡°And now kitties and gentlemen, we have a special show tonight. A new debut with Glitter Kitten to show her the ropes. Found in our very own basement. Put your hands together for Vespidian!¡±


    She was smirking and I latched onto the door frame. There was no way in hell I was going out there. She scowled tugging at my arm, I could tell she was holding back since she did not want to tear it off. This was not going anywhere fast. Glitter Kitten relented and walked out on the stage. ¡°She is a little shy, so show her some Slum love!¡±


    A chant started up and hands pounded on the tables. ¡°Vespidian, Vespidian, Vespidian!¡±


    You think that is enough to get me out there? She was eyeballing me and raised her hands up. ¡°Nyah! I can''t hear you.¡±


    The Denizens of the bar chanted louder and I could see them seething with anticipation. ¡°Vespidian! Vespidian! Vespidian!¡±


    Glitter Kitten scowled, seeing how reluctant I was to go out. She rolled her eyes and charged towards me. Scared out of my mind, I balled up clinging to the door frame. It took a few moments to gather the courage to look. It was strange, I did not feel anything. She had passed me by and grabbed something from one of the dancers. Is that a bottle of tequila? She loomed over me with an unhinged smirk and grabbed my neck. The bottle ended up in my mouth and she massaged my throat to make me swallow. It burned, oh god it burned! It was like drinking rubbing alcohol or something, was that really tequila? It was emptied and tossed away. Glitter Kitten was not done yet though, and extended her hand behind her. A jug of some clear liquid appeared. Oh dear. This won''t end well. She held my mouth and I was too scared to bite, something tells me that I would lose my head. I could not throw it back up and I choked down the contents.


    ¡°What the fuck,¡± I coughed. I feel sick, my stomach might as well have molten lava in it. ¡°At the least give me some salt and lime. What are you trying to do to me?¡±


    ¡°Liquid courage since you are being a sissy about this,¡± she laughed, prancing back to the stage. Standing before them all she leaned forward. ¡°Let''s try that again!¡±


    ¡°Vespidian! Vespidian!¡± roared the crowd.


    Did they really want to see me that badly? Jesus, what the hell is wrong with these people? They only sound that excited because they don''t know what I am. Unconsciously my grip had loosed, and before I could react, Glitter Kitten had pounced. She shoved me out there into the glowing mist and the stage, where there was no where to hide. I stumbled and she stood over me, offering a hand. When I did not take it, she tugged me to my feet. Wearily I looked around and all the uproar had died. They stared and it felt like I was about to throw up. I really wanted to, but it would be kind of mortifying to puke in front of all these people. This is about what I expected. Not even surprised in the least. Look at them so shocked they can''t even change their faces to horror. Why the fuck should I care what a bunch drunks think?


    ¡°Hey, that is that thing that escaped from the Hero League Headquarters like a week ago. You remember, the one that was eating pets,¡± said one of the cops pointing at me.


    There was a little bit of a murmur going around. Hmm, that guy looked a little familiar, oh yeah, I contemplated killing him at one point. I pointed at him. ¡°I don''t eat pets. What kind of sick fuck eats cats or dogs? Why does nobody believe me about the pets? Is it because I can do this?¡± My mouth gaped wide open, unhinging to the point that my head was hitting my back. I could imagine that it looked weird from under that cloth, but hey, if I can just scare these fuckers I will get kicked out of here.


    ¡°Freak!¡± yelled the guy and my heart started to sink, words still hurt, you know?


    Glitter Kitten snarled back, ¡°You know the rules, no caterwauling the girls! Get that son of a bitch out of here!¡±


    A large mass stood up from the bar, it was Den Mother. She quickly cornered the man with help from the rest of the crowd, they had turned on him. He was lifted up and bashed against the wall, I think I heard a few bones break. She drug his unconscious body out the door and after a few moments she returned empty handed. She maintained a vigil over the room by standing cross armed next to the door. It was a clear message to everybody. Play nice or you are going to be next. I had some seriously mixed feelings about this. She just fucked up a cop, sure the guy was a douche canoe, but I don''t think he deserved that. The thought did cross my mind to beat him up, but that would not solve anything and it certainly would not earn me any brownie points with Fire Chief. At the least she did not kill the guy, as far as I knew. No telling what she did with him.


    Glitter Kitten pat me on the shoulder. ¡°See. No one messes with my Kittens and gets away with it.¡±


    I gawked at her, a little light headed, ¡°Is eh... Is that guy dead?¡±


    She dismissively waved her hand. ¡°No. He is being carted off to be dumped at the check point. It is what we do with drunks and the injured. You see we have a nice little arrangement with the cops. We don''t kill their people or other patrons for that matter, and they leave us alone for the most part, so long as we restrict our movements to the Slums of course.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but then why does everybody act like you guys are monsters?¡±


    She gave me a shallow smirk, ¡°We are monsters. Every full moon, we go into heat and lose our shit. Up until a few years ago we did not really know what to do about it, it just happened. To make matters worse, we don''t remember anything we did during that time. We have started taking countermeasures to limit the damages, but there are some who refuse to cooperate. Then there are the ferals who lost their minds permanently, we kill them whenever we find them. They give us a bad name after all.¡±


    My mouth gaped a little. ¡°You kill your own kind?¡±


    Glitter Kitten had a sad look on her face. ¡°They are nothing more than animals reduced to their basic instincts. You won''t understand unless you see it first hand. They can''t be reasoned with and the only thing that will make them submit, is a show of force. At best they could be tamed, but it is honestly not worth it. Trust me on this, I have tried. It is more humane, just to put them down. Look you are harshing my meowellow let''s talk about this tomorrow when you show me where the stash is.¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± I said weakly. Damn it. I was trying to drag this out, so that I would not have to dance. Looks like there is no avoiding it, well, I could pick a fight, but I don''t exactly want her to nearly beat me to death. I know she won''t kill me since she needs me, however, that won''t stop her from dismembering me and keeping the limbs. I can''t grow that back. It is bad to test your captor''s patience.

 Arc 5, The Pussycat and I, Chapter 9

    Hello everyone ^^ here is the end of Arc 5.


    Hope you enjoy, as always tell me what you think :3


    ______


    Vespidian, Arc 5, Chapter 9


    ¡°Now then,¡± she pats me on the head. ¡°How flexible are you?¡±


    ¡°Fairly... Why do you ask?¡±


    Her eyes roamed assessingly. ¡°You ever do anything like this before?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I dance with two left feet.¡±


    ¡°It is easy. Just follow my lead. We will take it nice and slow before diving right in. Let''s start with some stretches so they can get a good look at you.¡±


    There was no arguing with her. I did not want to be harmed anymore and it was just stretching right? No reason to adamantly reject it, I mean it is not even illegal. Strip clubs were simply frowned upon. So I suppose this place is a legitimate business, though the activities could use a bit of work.


    The prostitution and drugs were naturally not legal, if I managed to steer clear of that shit I could probably get out of this with my reputation intact. I can only hope this is not taped and used to blackmail me later. Speaking of which Neon Nurse has some serious dirt on me. Ugh, just thinking about it, she could probably make me do anything if she threatened to reveal all those exam videos or her recording of me, stirring the honey pot.


    She stretched out and you could hear her back cracking. Reluctantly, I followed her lead. We started out with leg lunges back and forth, trading places. She looked absolutely blissful taking in the amorous cat calls, meanwhile I was floundering to keep up. It was nerve wracking. Glitter Kitten noticed how stiff I was and booty bumped against me, not actually thinking I copied her and the crowd went wild. Up until now the music had been just background noise, but now a certain song had started up and everybody started movin'' and a groovin'' to its beat. It was Love Shack. Oddly fitting and for some reason I found myself getting caught up in the heat of the moment. I blame Molotov and all that funk she influenced me with and the booze of course, actually mostly the booze. Starting to think that was moonshine, it sure as hell was not tequila. That shit tasted like Everclear.


    Everybody started singing along, not me though I did not know the words, ¡°If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says 15 miles to the Love Shack! Love Shack, yeah, yeah.¡±


    The other dancers rocked their heads back and forth, tapping their feet. Glitter Kitten gave me a wink and grabbed my hand. Her tail flicked back and forth with her hips swaying tantalizingly, so I made my abdomen wag to copy her. We faced the audience and she kicked the air with her left, then switched to the right, when she repeated I realized she wanted me to follow along, so I did. This reminded me of a Vegas showgirl, not really a stripper. My long leg stabbed up at an angle that made Glitter Kitten jealous. I could tell by her gaped mouth that quickly shut. It was hard to keep my chuckle down. She might be a cat, but I am a fucking bug monster! Getting into the groove my shoulders dipped and shifted back and forth, fingers snapping all the while. I know, I know I dance like a fucking weirdo.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± said a greasy looking dude in a business suit. He started throwing money up on the stage. ¡°Get that ass moving! I want to see some more where that came from.¡±


    I shut my mouth and stared down at him for a long moment. It was not hard to see his raging hard on. What the fuck is wrong with this guy? For that matter, what is the deal with all the people crowding around the stage? Should I feel flattered or just totally creeped out? I scratched my head. Something ain''t right about this. They should be running away screaming and yet here they are swarming around me like drones to a queen. Yes, bow before your Empress slaves! Ok, I might be drunk. That was a very strange thought, what do you think Sub?


    Oh shit, she is fucking hammered, ''Wellsssh we might as well enjoy the attention. I mean, I mean, I mean Glitter Kitten is not just going to let us walk away. And let''shh face it, when was the last time this we got a reception like this..... Out of shuit?''


    She did have some good points. I should take advantage of this then. That being said, something felt wrong. I am not talking about everything being kinda fuzzy. I had never been to a strip club before, but everybody seemed happy. I was comparing it to the Moon Sailors, I mean there was a lot of space strippers in that. The atmosphere was different than what I had been expecting. If anything this was like an edgier version of the Atomic Strobe where my dad worked. Oh shit! I totally blew my dad off! We were supposed to have dinner. Wait... That is tomorrow. All the more reason to get this shit done and over with.


    Glancing around the patrons had all stood up, dancing with girls who were bumping and grinding. Some were flailing about wildly and as things progressed more and more fell prey to the groovy music. Hands roamed and cries of passion drifted up from all around. Yeah, people were banging down there.


    Glitter Kitten grabbed the pole and she winked at me again. I knew what this meant by this point. I grasped the pole across from her, not the same pole mind you... That would just be weird. It is not like I wanna kiss her or something. Well, on second thought, maybe I do. She is super cuddly and cute. I bet she would be so soft and warm. We pressed against the cold metal and leaned back, coiling around it with our legs. Honestly, this was not that hard, not with how flexible I am. Granted, my motor skills were quickly declining and this jacket was getting in the way.


    It was starting to really piss me off, this jacket I mean. How the hell am I supposed to beat her with it on? I shimmied out of it and waved it through the air a few times. The crowd loved that. I would have done some sexy shit with it, like grinding and rubbing, but that is hard when you are already working on a pole. Finally, I tossed it aside. Some guy dove to catch it and ran off with the damned thing. I eh... I don''t really wanna think about what he is going to do with that thing. With that out of the way I could concentrate.


    She used the momentum to spin, but I goofed, not realizing what she was going to do. My wings tore through the tank top sending pieces scattering around the stage. They flapped to get the same movement. Actually, I should say it was more effective than her. Every eye in the place was drawn to my wings flourishing through the smoky room. Vaguely my mind wandered, imagining that this must be what a fairy felt like flaunting about through the forest.


    Seeing what I was capable of Glitter Kitten decided not to hold back anymore. She grasped the pole and it dived between her legs before she went wild on that thing. Her tail writhed, bell jingling, as she ground up, clapping her feet together and swinging with one hand out. She contoured herself until she balled up and held on with only the tail. A fur ball was rotating in the air. Was she really a cat or was she a monkey? I don''t think I can top that I mean my abdomen can''t coil around stuff like that.


    Somebody threw a yarn ball up here on stage. It took all of half a second before she was on that thing. Glitter Kitten pounced down and wrestling with it across the floor. Cheers rose up as she got more and more tangled looking like the sexy little kitty she was. More and more yarn pelted the stage and she did not know what to do with herself anymore. It did not take very long for her to be so tangled it almost looked like a mummy. At any rate she seemed very pleased, purring almost constantly while clawing at the balls.


    It appeared that I was on my own here. My stripping coach was down for the count on account of too much yarn. It is not like I know how to be all sexy and shit. I mean, I was a recluse before this with hardly any human interaction in person. I could try some of the moves from the Moon Sailors though. Looking for some sort of advice I found a bunny girl... Wait a minute Thumper!? Sure enough, there was the militant bunny with an eye patch and a leather captain hat on. She was wearing some dominatrix leathers with spikes all over and had a whip, the fun kind not the Mr. Incentive variety. With but a glance I knew she was a sadist, as she cracked the leather on some poor bastard... Oh, he seemed to be enjoying it. Never mind, then. I guess every S needs an M. She stepped on him, dug her paws into his back before spinning with the whip up in the air. She brought it down again and his howls of joy filled the air. It only encouraged the rest of them.


    Though I could relate, having done something rather similar in the Shattered Realms, in fact I sort of respected her. I did not have the courage to do that shit in real life. As entertaining as that was, it was not going to help me at all. So I continued looking around. The other girls were crawling about on all fours or laying and stretching into strange positions. If it is just that then not too hard. In fact, I have a special move for this.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Adjusting, my arms twisted backwards and I curled into a ball, my antenna flicked and I rolled around the stage. I came to a stop and sat there, flexing my legs to put them behind my head. My mouth gaped and the tongue unfurled to full length. I can do better. My claw grasped the pole and I stretched until my other foot grasped way up on the smooth metal. If I was normal, my legs would have just dislocated and probably made a really gross sound too. Now that I was split flat, the world was sideways. The abdomen flexed and I spun. Gasps rose up from the audience. Well, I bet they had never seen something like this before.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± yelled one of the guys. ¡°Look how flexible that bitch is.¡±


    ¡°Forget that I bet she gives the best head! Look at that tongue.¡±


    Money filled the air. I actually made it rain, well that is one thing off of my bucket list. I basked in the glow half out of my gourd. This was unexpectedly a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I may end up moonlighting down here to relive my stress. Being a hero kinda sucks, I mean people yell at you and get mad over stupid shit. My pay is shit for what I do, there are all these rules and if I overstep my authority trying to help people I get the slap to the face. It can''t be that bad, I mean Medavac comes down here all the time and he never gets in trouble. It is not illegal, dancing anyway. Grasping some of the money I strode off the stage to the bar and slapped down the bills.


    ¡°Mr. Clean I want a eh... Oh yeah a Tequila.¡±


    He smirked, ¡°A shot?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, keep em coming.¡±


    He poured me three consecutive shots and I downed them each in turn, licking salt off of my hand and biting into whole limes. It was bitter and burned so good, but I had no self control at this point, so there was no stopping. Sub certainly was not stopping me. If anything she was instigating this. Somebody kept poking my ass. Hey, if you are going to do that grow a pair and slap my ass and tell me what a naughty girl I am. Call me a bitch, I don''t care. Talk dirty to me. I turned to find Nibbles. Well, that is disappointing. She gave a pleading look, which did not make much sense. What is her problem? Then I noticed where she was pointing and slowly my eyes wandered up the front side of Den Mother, who was looming over me. She had one stacked rack that was for sure.


    Boobies! Against my better judgment... Alright, alright! Devoid of any common sense, I gave those big bad wolves a good petting. How could I not? I mean, look at those things! I thought my hard tits were something to be proud of, but damn gurl she had it going on. These things were some serious pillow puppies and the inclination that I wanted to use her as my bed started surfacing. I buried my face in them. So soft and fluffy! I''m jealous, like totally fucking jelly of these things. I want them, I need them!


    I never did get a chance to see her face, mostly because her hand slapped me so hard my head spun backwards. I get the feeling something like this happened before. The ground came to meet me and I could vaguely hear people screaming. I blinked a couple times and gave a thumbs up. Totally worth it. Nothing broke or at the least I can''t feel it and Sub was just as fucked up as I was, so there was no filter on anything. Come to think of it... Was that you, Sub that got touchy feely? Not that it really matters.


    A good twist and my head popped back into position. It was a little stiff though, so I cracked it back and forth scaring a few people around me. Nibbles and Den Mother were staring at me like I was some monster, meh takes one to know one. What would she have done if that killed me? I mean really, Glitter Kitten probably would have skinned her alive. Not that, that is any of my business. Wait a minute, doesn''t that mean I got free reign to do whatever the fuck I want and they can''t stop me?!


    Six huge honkers, but I only got four hands, how am I supposed to play with all those flesh buns? It seems she was on to me though. Not sure what gave it away. Was it my fingers wiggling or the predatory look in my eyes? She slapped me again, a little less hard, but it was still more than enough to floor me. My eyes spun, as I wobbled back onto my feet. Why are you hitting me? I just want to pet you!


    That blow felt like it knocked something loose in my head. It feels like I should not be doing this, yet it seems like a good idea. How strange. Well, for now I will just ignore that. What is the worse that can happen? My eyes fell on some guy seated at a table there was this slutty bitch cat, grinding all over him. Not sure why, but that made me angry. I straddled the guy next to them and he stared wordlessly at me. Oh? Not going to scream. How unusual, well then you are in for a wild ride! I licked my lips hungrily as the hands roamed and explored his chest. One leg up on the table I thrust my hips in his face. Righty slapped my ass making the movements shudder. Damn, Sub you are getting into this shit.


    Facing away from him my abdomen rubbed and squirmed, while my hips worked back and forth going lower and lower. Black Thunder would be proud after all the practice I had with hip thrusts. All our passionate wall banging has paid off. Mommy, I am going to be a stripper! My hands grabbed the bills that were being thrust at me. Hands started stuffing money into my jean shorts and getting real grabby. I suppose a lap dance is pretty fun. Look at them at my mercy, begging for more. This really is empowering. There was a little tiny itty bitty nagging that I should stop coming from somewhere in my head. It certainly was not Sub, that thirsty bitch was wanting me to go down on some dick or devour that sexy pussycat next to me. Honestly, I was inclined to do either. Where the hell is that voice coming from? Is that you, my long lost innocence? You kinda picked a bad time, can we pick this back up after I get laid? I really, really want this you know.


    Nibbles? She was in my face. ¡°You need to stop,¡± she pleaded, tugging at my hand.


    Why should I? The stage was calling to me, so I abandoned that guy and climbed back up. This was a good song though, don''t know what it is, but it was good. Something about bitches being crazy, scratching backs and fucking good. My wings spread wide they ended up undulating in an attempt to fly. They did nothing, but make a buzzing sound since I weighed too much for the current muscles to support. I can say without a doubt that I was white girl wasted. The last time something like this happened was in college, getting drunk off my ass anyway, it happened right after mid terms? I think. If memory serves correctly, I did some weird stuff with my dike roomie. Not sure, hard to recall or even form thoughts here. Ah... Butt stuff that is right this is why I don''t drink or didn''t.


    Thumper jumped off of her slave nearly flatting him into the floor before landing back on the stage gracefully. I wanted to clap for her, unfortunately my motor skills had degraded. She glanced at me and smirked. Then grabbed the pole and spread her legs against it, wagging her bunny tail at the audience. They screamed and raged, hurling money at the stage. She licked her lips, running a finger down her front and popping off a tassel, flicking it to the side. I vented. What else could I do? She was fucking sexy as hell. The mist plumed from me and washed over the stage. It was hard to see anything. Then a hand grappled onto my leg. I screamed and jumped back, but I ended up dragging the person with me when I fell flat on my ass. It took a long moment to realize it was Glitter Kitten. Her face had flared up bright red as she clung to me.


    ¡°Nyahaha!¡± she purred, still with yarn, draping all over her. ¡°Having fun or what!¡±


    I nodded vaguely listing backwards, it was getting hard to stay afloat. It felt so hot in here, is it just me? It is just me, so I let off more steam. Glitter Kitten yowled and I could feel pressure on my leg. My eyes wandered down to find a horny cat girl, humping my leg. The way she was grinding made me wonder. My hand canvassed down her thin back and the fingers pressed down just above her tail. Glitter Kitten almost melted like butter. She must of had some catnip or something it looked like she was in heat. Well, you don''t see that every day. Such a naughty kitty, you should not do that or else I might do terribly naughty things to you.


    A silhouette drew closer through the mist and I blinked, trying to figure out what it was. Thumper? I would not mind filling that with eggs. She looked kind of predatory... No desperate would be the word I would use. Not sure why she is looking at me like that. Not like I got a pole to grind. Well, not my problem. Mad Dogs ain''t so bad. My eyes closed and I curled up. Everything went quiet, except Sub.


    ''Puuusshhycat, puuuussycat I wuv you... Yes, I, I, I do. You''re sooooo thrilling and I''m shho willing to blah bluh blahblah boobies... those are my melons!''


    ______


    Alright everyone see you next week, hope you enjoyed ^^


    Arc 6 Vesper explores the Slums with Glitter Kitten in search of the missing drugs, however she is going to find more than she bargained for.

 Interlewd: Caterwauling part 1 (R18)

    Caterwauling part 1


    The Sparkle Kat bumped with heavy music and wild, amorous screams filled the strip club. The air was thick with the ripe musk of wanton animals in heat and the unmistakable sweaty stench of sex. It was hot in here, like it wasn¡¯t just me venting to keep from boiling inside my shell like a crab. My pheromone-laced mist filled the air mixing with the already seedy environment cloaked by the fog machines. Catgirls were yowling and grinding on the glistening poles. Some dude got mounted by a werewolf so hard it broke a table, but that only seemed to incite things even more.


    Dicks were waving, boobies bouncing and asses pounding. Steady, frantic and rhythmic thumps from the surrounding patrons and animal girls having sex overpowered the music in some cases. What little appeal at family-friendly this place had, flew right out the window as it turned into a literal hotbed of lust. I had never seen an orgy before in real life, well until now. I flopped about on the stage overwhelmed by all my heightened senses firing off to these new and tantalizing inputs. As my eyes rolled around unfocused a certain kitty cat entered my field of view.


    Her short tabby fur wet with sweat and those large green eyes were so energetic. She was cute, sexy, adorable, I, I wanted her. Her booty bounced as she happily, drunkenly danced. My antennae writhed, smelling the deluge of pheromones pouring out of the juicy pussy between her legs. This kitty wanted to be bred. My limbs rolled and I latched onto her. Glitter Kitten let out a surprised yelp as I buried my face between her toned cheeks. She seemed confused for a moment until she realized what I was doing. She pushed back, rubbing her slit against me all while moaning and purring. Her tail swished about jingling the bell tied to it.


    Sub kept chanting in my head, Pussy, pussy, pussy!


    I enjoyed the heat coming off of her and rubbed against it. My tongue lazily emerged and slid along her horny crease, her wild taste tantalized my thick tongue as it pressed against her entrance and started trying to worm its way in. I couldn¡¯t see her face, but with how she had started grinding against me, it was easy to tell she was enjoying it. With a wet squelch, my tongue probed into her molten hole and her whole body jerked as she gasped.


    ¡°Nyah, ohhh¡­ that¡¯s it you little pussy licker, right there,¡± hotly moaned Glitter Kitten.


    Her back arched as I went deeper and my thick taster lodged itself into her depths. Her muscles tenses and coiled around me. Her quickened heartbeat pulsed through her tight walls, making it slick with arousal. She tasted tangy and salty. She wasn''t content to merely sit there and her ass started bouncing against my face. Glitter Kitten quickly found a rhythm burying my tentacle-like tongue into herself with every time her booty slapped against me.


    She had steadied herself on one of the stripper poles and used it so that she could go fast and harder without losing her balance. The only thing that filled my eyes was that sexy ass as it pounded against me. My hands groped at her and one tugged at her tail, petting it and following it to the base. I rolled my knuckles along her spine right where it connected to the tail. She shivered.


    ¡°Nyaah! Nyah, harder!¡± she cried as my finger pressed into it like a bitch button.


    She slammed her ass back and knocked me loose. I flopped back and she tackled me. Her heated panting made her chest quake as she started licking my neck and making her way to my face. The rough tongue scratched at my carapace and circled my lips. After a moment of enticing we kissed and she wormed as much of herself into my mouth as she could. Her claws kneaded at my hardened exoskeleton and my abdomen pressed against her ass as it needily humped the air.


    Our tongues were wrestling and fighting in between us, until mine unfurled and plunged into her wet maw. My hands clenched at her, the bottom pair latched onto her ass making her rub against my abdomen, while the top grasped her head so that she couldn¡¯t run away. My mouth had gaped so that my lips covered her own completely and my thick oral appendage could freely plumb her throat. Her ears flicked and her eyes were going a little crossed. I don¡¯t know how long my tongue fucked her tight and yet accommodating throat for, but finally, it seemed that Glitter Kitten needed air. Her claws dug into me and she yanked back freeing herself.


    Her mouth was still slack with drool forming bubbles as she heaved air and swallowed several times. Her eyes focused in on me with a need and she shoved me down. She loomed over me and spreading her kitty hole wide as it tightened and twitched as her hips quickly approached me. She mounted me and started humping my face. As tantalizing as it was to watch her slutty slit it was even harder to resist feeling her wrapped around me yet again. Following her rhythm, I waited until she slid back and my mouth bit onto her pussy. She jarred and let out a yowl as my tongue stabbed into her yet again.


    ¡°OOoooh! That is it you, you dirty little carpet muncher. Eat it, eat my pussy!¡± Glitter Kitten howled as she started bucking wildly into me.


    I sucked on her hard, while every one of her thrusts sent her clit grinding against my nose ridge. I was certainly eating her out as my mandibles lightly nipped and pulled at her. Which only made her go faster. Our debaucherous display had not gone unnoticed as it seemed. While I had been preoccupied with Glitter Kitten somebody had started messing around with my abdomen. I couldn¡¯t see due to an amorous cat humping my face, but I could feel fingers and a tongue tantalizing my soft flesh. It certainly wasn¡¯t the kitten, her hands were holding my head for better purchase.


    My ovipositor was half-cocked, mostly due to the alcohol, otherwise, it would likely be stabbing the heavens like a flagpole. My mystery partner was lapping at me with their wet tongue. Their soft hands massaging the wet and hardening member. I felt warm flesh wrap around me and for a long moment, I was lost on what was happening. I was trapped in a crevasse of soft and fluffy. I realized what was going on once the tongue returned and the tight, heated flesh started bouncing. This, this was a tit fuck. They had nice boobies too, all be it a little on the furry side.


    It was hard to hear anything over Glitter Kitten¡¯s growls and moans as she used me. My enthusiastic partner pumped at my bulging mass with her breasts as though it were the only natural thing to do. Glitter Kitten came first as she heaved a heavy thrust, locking her hips against me as she screamed in delight. Her love canal flooded and the juices spurt into my mouth as I kept sucking on her.


    She purred delightfully and pulled herself off after a moment, revealing the one who had been servicing me this whole time. My eyes fell on the snow white bunny woman who had a scar running up her face and ending under an eye patch on her right side. She was all in leather, it looked like bondage gear and likely was after the show she had put on earlier. Her leather hat drooped as she slickly moved her titties up and down my length while licking it. I knew that bunny, it was Thumper. I hadn¡¯t been expecting her to, to be this gentle or even be interested in me after I saw her whipping people earlier.


    I babbled in an elated daze, ¡°I¡­ I have never had a threesome before.¡±


    Glitter Kitten smirked, darting gazes to my lower half, ¡°Well, little mousy, today is your lucky day.¡±


    I vented moaning as she continued slickly licking at me. Her and Glitter Kitten both reddened as they took deep breaths of the mist coming off of my abdomen. It was like they were entranced or something. Before my carapace could close Glitter Kitten snapped one of the hinges exposing my white and squishy flesh. Though it hurt I was too addled by the bunny tit fucking me to register more than the fact that my carapace couldn¡¯t close. The kitty¡¯s rough tongue licked at the sensitive flesh on my underbelly and I squirmed. It tickled!


    ¡°Ssstop that it, it tickles!¡± I cried, reaching for her.


    She swatted me away and kept rubbing her face against my squishy flesh. The pasty white membrane was wet with sweat and condensation, but she didn¡¯t care¡­ if anything that was what she was after. Her tongue wiggled along, lapping at me as she relished the flavor. It was hot, my body felt too hot. My abdomen started twitching, which drew both of their attention. Glitter Kitten focused in on my sensitive member and they both licked it up and down while their hands jerked and stroked lower down.


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    ¡°Cumming, I am cumming!¡± I held my face.


    My legs tensed and I screeched as the tube filled with my bug jizz. Their eye both gaped and the pair started fighting over who got my juice. The duo growled at one another pulling me in one direction, then the other until I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. The tip flared and they tried to get it into their mouths, but they were still fighting over it. Neither of them got a full mouth lock on it and my spunk spurt out. It surged between the pair¡¯s lips and oozed down my shaft. Thumper and Glitter Kitten relented their struggle as Glitter Kitten got the upper hand. Her mouth made a lewd ¡®O¡¯ and took me in.


    Thumper, cheated out of her hard earned reward licked along the sides, slurping up all that dripped down during their competition. Their warm mouths bathing me in pleasure as they wholeheartedly and greedily worked my shaft for more. I lay twitching as the duo devoured the last of my first of many orgasms to come tonight. Glitter Kitten pulled off and kissed Thumper. Their tongues lewdly moving between each other¡¯s mouths. At first, I thought they were just into each other and then I saw the white fluid that was being pushed into the bunny¡¯s eager mouth. She was being fed my cum.


    ¡°It is sweet,¡± commented Thumper, saying something for the first time during this encounter.


    Glitter Kitten purred and nipped at her a little more, ¡°It is. I want more.¡±


    A new surge of arousal filled my abdomen and my declining ovicock twitched, flaring up again as it greedily inflated. These two were so slutty and hot it made me just want to fuck them. I grabbed Glitter Kitten and dragged her over to me. She gave a single look at the pulsing flesh between my legs and submitted, raising her ass up eagerly. I pressed it against her, flopping it around as I missed the mark time and again. Frustrated, I started humping at her. It pushed up against her belly as she purred happily.


    ¡°Nyah, here, let me help you,¡± her body bristled as her hand slid between her legs and she guided me and held it to her entrance.


    With a grunt, I grabbed that booty and pushed. Her pussy resisted for all a moment before it succumb and I slid into her swamp of seduction. She moaned and arched her back as her front anchored onto the floor. Her insides were like molten maple syrup. Her pussy cramped and oozed as I tried to go deeper, but she was too tight. Below me, she panted like the whore cat in heat that she was. We stuck for a moment, she was enjoying it too much and wouldn¡¯t loosen up.


    Thumper kissed me from the side and I switched my focus from the crushing depths of the pussycat. I don¡¯t know if the bunny was drunk or not, but her normally cold and seductive face was somewhat glazed and her cheeks were red. She bit at my lip and my hand plopped onto her head, my finger ruffled her tall standing ears. My whole right side quickly became devoted to pleasing her. My lower arm groped her soft and slick breasts before tracing along her tummy and sliding between her legs. My fingers curled and took turned working into her bunny bun. The thumb eagerly rolled her clit while my fingers wetly slid in and out of her quivering quim.


    Our tongues played as I felt a buck beneath me. Glitter Kitten had gotten used to my size now and had started to move. Her pussy audibly slurped as she pushed back and took more of me into her. My free hands canvassed her back and the lower one stopped at the sensitive spot at the base of her tail. She tightened and yowled below.


    ~~~


    Though Sub had been rather quiet this whole time, it did mean she hadn¡¯t been busy. My brain tingled as I felt her cock slide deeper into my mental muff. Arousal flooded my system as her cum spurt into me. She had been at it for a while now and didn¡¯t seem to be anywhere near satisfied. I hadn¡¯t realized what she had been up to due to the physical sensations. My eyes nearly rolled as I felt her creamy essence pumping into me. It was as though a fire had been lit.


    Sub moaned, That is it you slut, fuck those whores like I am fucking you!


    I felt her hips buck and she thrust harder back into me. She held me down and I lay there too into it to fight her off. Her cock slid deeper and deeper into me as her tentacles were coiling around me. It was hard to form coherent thoughts and that only got harder when she shoved one of those vine-like pricks down my throat and it went wild inside of me.


    ¡®Good, it feels good Sub.¡¯ I smiled dreamily.


    I stared up at her while her identical face leaned in kissing me. Vaguely, I wrapped around her and let her do as she pleased. Our bodies mashed together while she rutted and rode me like an animal. Her lust swelling as the cocks trembled and bulged inside. She had worked another into my pussy and my ass was filled. My hands mindlessly stroked through tentacles as she relished every moment of dominating me.


    She rolled me on all fours and took me like a bitch in heat. The constant slapping of her cocks beating into me filled my head. The lewd juices and lust spilling out of my holes only made her go faster. I couldn¡¯t resist her, I didn¡¯t want to. Her jerking and wild thrusting motions sent me over the edge time and time again. My orgasms rolling into her own and her burning spunk pumping into me.


    You like that, don¡¯t you, you slut! Yeah, so good. So good your pussy is so good! Just ride my cock and don¡¯t think about anything. Just let my dick do the thinking!


    Sub moaned and draped herself on my back as she thrust everything into me. Her body quivered as she filled me to the brim. She paused catching her breath for only a moment before continuing.


    ~~~


    Glitter Kitten rode me like the wildcat she was, that slutty and sultry kitty sliding back and forth on me. I groaned and with Sub¡¯s encouragement started thrusting into her. My grip got tighter on her and I started using her. She let out a surprised wail since up until now she had been doing all the work. With a vigor that could only come from wanting to fuck a bitch full of babies, I railed into that whore cat. My abdomen bulged and got larger inside of her. The obscenely lewd sounds of bodies meeting and her ecstatic cries of bliss filled the air.


    Vaguely, I was aware of the many eyes watching as I fucked Glitter Kitten. It was to be expected, we were mating like animals on center stage. The ever-present scent of animals in heat and sloppy sex had gotten thicker and stronger. This primal display of need had left a certain bunny absolutely wet and willing as she quivered and shoved her pussy into my face. My tongue stabbed into her and she screamed, holding onto me for dear life. Her flavor was different it was more of a sweet taste, though it was still a little salty.


    My oral appendage had gone feral with a mind of its own inside of her. It swirled and her head was thrown back in a moment as she moaned. My hands switched off what they had been doing and the top pair grasped onto Thumper¡¯s delectable ass while the lower pair tightened around Glitter Kitten¡¯s hips, forcing her to thrust into me harder. For a bitch who has had twenty kids, Glitter Kitten had a nice and tight clam. Her hips were fertile. Thoughts filled my head of making her have my children surfaced. I pounded into her harder and faster, I wanted to cum inside of her, I wanted, needed to knock her up.


    Her silken vice tightened as I plunged into her womb and she yowled. I pulled back, but realized that I was stuck. Her clam had clamped down and the pulsing of her body radiated into me. Thumper¡¯s bunny tail twitched as she humped at my face moaning and trembling as my tongue scraped at her insides. She leaned over me, holding tightly as she seemed to lose control and thrust her hips with a mindless abandon. All at once she froze and tightened. Thumper flopped to the side with her ass in the air, juices spurting as she had trouble breathing.


    Glitter Kitten¡¯s crushing walls ground against me as I started pulling and trying to thrust. All the while she was writhing in orgasm. The palpating of her insides finally sent me over the edge and I came. My thick spunk flowed into her as she wailed and lay there taking my seed. She twitched as I pulled myself free and mounted a certain bunny that had been eagerly waiting.


    Thumper groaned as my pulsing bug cock spread her and I loomed over her. My hands grappled onto her breasts and started massaging them as I leaned in, sucking on her ears. She trembled and squirmed as my abdomen began the task of breeding her. The loud and wet sounds of her submission filled the air. Her cute complaints were quickly drowned in her screams of bliss. I thrust harder and faster, wanting to fill this bunny bun with my jelly.


    She came first as her body shook below me. I wasn¡¯t done though and continued the rhythmic pounding as her ass jiggled with every thrust. She was drooling on the floor and had gotten wetter and juicier as I used her. I held her down and shoved as far and deep into her as I could, bottoming out in her belly. Her whole body froze up as I came and filled her.


    I stumbled back and she fell over with a wet plop. Heaving for breath I found myself getting hard again as I looked over the room for more horny holes to fill. As it turns out, they were coming to me. The animal women were all around licking their lips, touching themselves, yowling, and moaning. I could hardly wait. Glitter Kitten had other plans, she wasn¡¯t sharing. Her back arched and she scooted around on all fours, puffing up as big as she could. She snarled and growled while she circled the stage, swiping at anybody that got too close.


    ¡°Alright, alright! That¡¯s enough of that,¡± Shouted the tall and muscular werewolf woman shoving her way through the horny crowd of women.


    It was Den Mother. She picked Glitter Kitten up, hissing and raving as she was, and picked me and Thumper up as well, carrying us out of the room. She likely just kept somebody from getting murdered. The cries of frustrated and desperate animal women faded far behind. I get the feeling this is far from over. I mean Den Mother¡¯s boobies look so divine, I haven¡¯t even gotten to play with them yet.

 Interlewd Caterwauling part 2 (R18)

    Den Mother carried us up through the hallways of the Sparkle Kat before coming to the penthouse suite, or rather one of them. If my sex-addled mind was good for anything, then I, at the least recognized some of the claw marks on the wall. It would certainly help if my eyes were not glued to the jiggling boob flesh before me. I couldn¡¯t keep my hands off of those lovely pillow puppies. So soft and squishy and, and, and warm and soft. She kicked open the door and flopped us on the huge heart-shaped bed, before quickly closing the door behind her. My floppy smellers picked up on her arousal even before the wolfish woman turned back towards us with predatory eyes and licking her lips.


    I lay on the bed watching as she closed in. It wasn¡¯t that I couldn¡¯t move, I wasn¡¯t overly tired nor was I sore or anything, I just simply didn¡¯t feel the need. Slowly my eyes roamed up her front, getting lost in her mountainous titties. I gulped as she lorded over me with heated breaths. Den Mother was a big girl, I barely came up to the top row of her breasts when standing, she must be like eight foot tall. Her moist muff drew near. This was the first time I had gotten the chance to really get a good look at that furburger. It was odd, to say the least, like the rest of her, more dog than human.


    I am not sure what I had been expecting, but this canine cunt was asking for it. It glistened and was swollen, dripping with desire. She didn¡¯t have to say a thing as I dove between her legs, lapping at the sensual juices coming out of her, wallowing in her rut inducing aroma. She kept moving and I was dragged with her, Den Mother ended up on top, running along my length with her body. She sat down on my face, cutting off my air supply.


    My mandibles nipped as her cunt rubbed against me. I couldn¡¯t see what she was doing besides grinding herself lewdly across my face, but I could feel it. Her snout pressed against my squishy abdomen flesh, sniffing and drinking in my pheromones. Her tongue started lapping and I returned the affection in kind. My muscly member probed into her, basking in her swampy sex. With how wet she is I am surprised she managed to keep it together this long. I licked at her puffed labia and munched on the furry mound.


    The course hair grated against me and as a result, I started gnawing, gently pulling and ripping chunks of fur. She yelped, but my hands grappled onto her expansive, well-toned ass so that she could not get away. I chewed and swallowed, getting rid of the obstacles. It didn¡¯t taste as bad as I thought that it would. It was a musky and primitive flavor soaked in lust and the clear and honest need for breeding. The texture was scratchy and irritating. Soon my tongue slid along her soft and bald pussy lips. Feeling satisfied I did a final pass, letting my tongue glide over her trembling snatch before it wiggled and swirled at the entrance.


    She let out a guttural moan as I worked her open and felt around between the holes, feeling them out before finally sliding inside. Surprisingly the moist maw was tight, here I had been thinking this bitch would be loose from whoring herself around. Her walls tightened and coiled around my tongue and at the same time she started snooting around my abdomen. She took deep breathes that pulled at my flesh while she took in my scent. Her tongue hotly resumed lathering me and savoring my squiggly bug flesh.


    The bed shifted as someone moved behind Den Mother and her cheeks were spread, revealing Glitter Kitten. Her face was dyed red with arousal as our eyes met and she paid me no mind. Her rough tongue extended and she pressed it to Den Mother¡¯s ass. She was eating that booty, the grating sound of her tongue rose as it fervently worked the woman atop me. Den Mother let out a single approving growl before her body started vibrating with her tail wagging side to side.


    ¡°That is it Kitten, eat my ass you slut,¡± She chuckled and made sure to press back harder.


    I could tell the exact moment that the kitty¡¯s tongue penetrated as Den Mother tightened up and started humping my face. Soft hands worked at my sensitive, drooling flesh and the familiar feeling of Thumper lavishly serving my member radiated into me. I think she might be the most addicted out of the three. At every opportunity, she gets me into her in one form or another. I flopped against her face as she nuzzled it and licked up the drooling arousal.


    Slowly but surely Den Mother moved her muzzle up, dragging her ferocious tongue along my carapace. Pain dully spread as I felt another vent get torn off and the ticklish sensation of wet lapping soothed all my worries away. She rubbed her fingers and ruffled my exposed skin. Shivers spread and she continued up my shaft. She stopped here and there tasting and the heat of her breath washed over me while she inhaled and exhaled through her nose. Now two tongues assaulted me, one rough and wild, while the other passionate yet gentle. Surprisingly the bondage bunny was the soft one of the cock slobbering pair.


    ¡°This has got to be the strangest dick I have ever seen,¡± said Den Mother shuddering, ¡°This taste and this smell, so sweet and yet so wild. It gets the juices flowing that is for sure.¡±


    ¡°This dirty bug is a natural. Such a horny creature putting out all these smells to get us excited,¡± purred Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°She is begging for it, isn¡¯t she?¡± chuckled Den Mother, lapping at my muscle.


    ¡°Nyaha. Well then, we shouldn¡¯t disappoint her, such a wild beast needs to be tamed after all. Can¡¯t have her running off on us, now can we?¡±


    Thumper rubbed against me, ¡°We should keep her as a pet. It would certainly help on the full moons.¡±


    ¡°That is one idea,¡± the other two replied.


    I would say something back, but my mouth was a bit full at the moment and I muffled around her muff. She got even more drenched as my tongue moved about scraping her inner walls. Thoughts of being their pleasure pet washed over me. Would we do this sort of thing every day? I shuddered just imagining our carnal meetings. Would they keep me here to service them? My head felt lighter and my hearts fluttered. Would I be a slave to their desires and whims¡­ or would they bend to my own?


    They seemed to be into me even more than I was to them, which was saying a lot since all that I wanted in the world right now was to fill these horny, slutty animals with my children. They are sensitive to my pheromones and as such perhaps they were vulnerable to it. Mmmmm, my own personal harem of animal women. Just imagining enslaving them made my ovipositor unfurl to full length and engorge to the point that my eyes were going to roll from lack of blood getting to my head.


    My display of arousal seemed to have impressed the pair affectionately worshiping my flesh as they gasped in sordid desire. The wolf woman rose higher and higher until she was at the very tip of my entrance. Her fingers pried and the muscles opened for her. Her tongue darted inside of me, lapping like a dog from a bowl. My hips rose and I thrust needily at her face. A cold sensation made me shudder when her wet nose touched my inflamed egg slit. She took a moment more, making sure I was loose before her elongated muzzle buried itself into me.


    I had not been expecting that at all and struggled. My tongue thrashed about as I tried to free myself, but her legs tightened crushing me between her powerful thighs. Only my muffled complaints rose as she pressed down harder, forcing me to devour her puppy hole. I tightened and squirmed, trying to wriggle away from her. The werewolf took deep draws of my pussy pheromones. Her breath teasing and torturing me as it raggedly wisped over the aroused bumps and pleasure nodules lining my tube. The more aroused I got, the faster her gulps of air became until she panted and her tongue lolled about inside of me. It licked and slobbered at the gathered fem juices. She didn¡¯t move for a long while, holding us together.


    Her insides were pulsing around me and intermittently tightening like a vice. Den Mother must like anal, every time Glitter Kitten attacked her, she involuntarily got hotter and the walls crushed in on me. All three, no four of us, there are four of us, were in a strange sync. Every time Glitter Kitten kneaded and veraciously licked Den Mother, she took a deep breath. Thumper licked me around the base of my member teasing the swollen flaps of skin and at times probing at my back door. Her hands stroked worshiping the shaft, they pushed down when Den Mother exhaled and squeezed up when she sucked air in. All the while I moaned and my tongue thrashed at her insides drenched in her feminine arousal.


    My head swam as the tangy and numbing essence gushed out of her. I gulped and wiggled to get even more of this special sauce from the shuddering woman. I tightened around her as an orgasm quickly approached. I quivered as it reared up and the inner muscles rhythmically contracted, pulling her snout a little deeper. I felt it, Thumper did as well tightening her grasp and stroking like a mad woman as the cum rushed up the tortured tube.


    A perverse grin covered my face as the addled thoughts of impregnating Den Mother¡¯s throat pussy flooded through my mind. She pulled, trying to escape when she realized what was happening, but it was too late. My pussy tightened, biting into her face with a wet and lewd squelch. It was latched on and sealed shut. She shook wildly as the orgasm came to the head. All my lust flowed, pumping into her. She gulped and everyone in the room could hear her desperate attempts to not drown. She writhed with every time my muscles shoved more of my goo into her. Take it you slutty bitch dog in heat!


    Thumper put an end to the werewolf¡¯s dilemma and freed her, more for her own greed than wanting to help her friend. Glitter Kitten had abandoned her position and darted over, fighting with Thumper over my member as it pulled free from Den Mother¡¯s mouth. Glitter Kitten took it first, sucking down and gobbling up my girl jizz. I could tell by her rough tongue.


    ¡°My turn!¡± Complained the bunny girl wrestling it free and shoving the tube into her mouth and feeding.


    Den Mother rolled to the side and I sat up. My chest heaved as my head pounded while I sucked in sweet, sweet air. Honestly surprised that I didn¡¯t suffocate down there. Speaking of which Den Mother¡¯s mouth hung open, drooling my spunk and her sniffer snorted, spurting cum out. Her eyes looked glazed as she lay there with her tongue lolling on the bed.


    She was defenseless and I attacked. I pounced atop Den Mother shaking my head back and forth between her boobies, all six of them. Boobies, BOOobies, BOOOBIES! Fuck, I missed my tits. It is not fair. I want soft and jiggly titties too you know?! It is not fair, it is not fair! This damned bitch and her and her motherly melons. She has got six of them, who needs that many? Share some, you whore! Her snuggle pups were at my mercy and I had none! I rubbed all over, bury myself in her sensual scent. My fingers eagerly massaged and groped until each of the four found their targets. Her nipples. All at once I pinched and suckled onto her nipples, save one.


    She whimpered at the sudden attack, too disorientated to fight back. She was still wheezing when Glitter Kitten got in on it too. The kitty attacked the lonely nipple, purring as she sucked on it and played with her rough tongue. We were going to milk this big titted bitch if it was the last thing we did. One of my hands was shoved away by Thumper as she joined in as well. My free hand slid down her front, palming her swollen sex. The heat coming off of her could fry an egg.


    Den Mother could only happily pant and moan as her tail quickly wagged on the bed. My hands kneaded like a cat, cupping and lightly squeezing her milky mounds. The hard nipples were easy to manipulate and work between fingers and slurp in our mouths. Her pussy was not left idle for long as I slid a finger into her. It flexed and started digging into her inner wall. Her hips bucked and she whimpered needily. A second finger slid in, opening up that horny hole.


    I spread her and slickly worked them in ever faster clawing motions. Soon a third finger entered and joined the other two as they scraped the roof of her vagina. Her folds twitched and spurt obscenely, sucking and pulling me in deeper. I let them stay in her while the fourth joined them and together they opened and closed a fist. Her hands dug into the covers as she reared up shaking her chest and knocking all three of us loose. She shuddered and writhed helplessly against my masterful technique, which I had honed and perfected on myself. She thrust her hips at the ceiling in a wild, bucking motion just as she came. Her body tensed as she spurt and I slurped up her tasty juice.


    ¡°Fuck! I, I can¡¯t feel my legs,¡± she groaned as I latched onto her front, snuggling up with her sweater puppies.


    My abdomen lifted up and aligned itself to her groin. Wetly my tube flopped about, trying to insert itself. Her pussy was still tight even after all that. I nibbled on one of her nipples, making her squirm. My inseminator found her quivering hole, pressing against it. Den Mother whimpered as I gained a little headway forcing her open a little. She wanted to be bred though, I could smell it, feel it. Her heart hammered in her chest as her eyes were addled by lust. Her mouth opened into a wide O and she wordlessly moaned as I shoved into her.


    Her clam broke open and I slid in with the loud, lewd sound of flesh yielding. She breathed out with a ¡°Huaaa!¡± that got stuck in her throat. Her insides were hot, burning with swampy desire. My eyes nearly rolled from the tightness of her muscular muff. It convulsed, alive, an animal all its own. The walls pulled and twitched, sucking me in as though her life depended on it. Inch after inch ground into her, when she loosened I shoved until she tightened again.


    This puppy hole might be better than Glitter Kitten¡¯s. Speaking of her, she had not been idle. She loomed behind us stroking a shaft so that it glistened in the dim light of the room. I did a double take and realized that she was wearing a strap-on harness with a fairly large toy drooping slightly from her waist. I could see her pussy spread from where another toy was connected to the leather harness, there might even be something up her ass too, that was one kinky kitty after all. She wasn¡¯t alone, Thumper had one too.


    ¡°Wha, what are you up to with that?¡± I asked, thrusting into the sweltering hole.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you nyever had a threesome before?¡± she asked, groping my ass and lubing up her finger in her slutty mouth.


    ¡°I did, but, we, we did that already, didn¡¯t we?¡± I asked, slowing my pace.


    Her hands dug into my cheeks as she pushed me, making me thrust at an awkward angle. She pulled back until I nearly flopped out and then she pushed me back in so that I was hilted in the canine cunt. She rolled us so that Den Mother was in prime breeding position like a true bitch in heat. I dangled from her, wiggling to find a good position. The dog was on her knees with her boobies smothering me and keeping what was happening out of my sight.


    ¡°How about we have a foursome, that ought to be fun. Nyahaha. An orgy, give you some quality pussycat time that will have you begging for more. Just looking at these slutty animals rutting together is getting me so wet and wild. Since Den Mother hasn¡¯t gotten a turn yet, I will let her ride you first, but after this, we are taking turns bouncing on that dick. Augh and this stench. Makes my tummy feel like it is on fire, almost as bad as the full moon, nyah.¡±


    Den Mother moaned as she slumped forward and I leaned to the side for air and saw that Thumper had taken the she-bitch in the ass. The horny rabbit started grinding slowly. Wait¡­ Then where did Glitter- My thoughts were cut off as a slimy thing crawled up my ass. Seeing as how Thumper is hanging on to that bumping booty it is clearly not her. I reeled, jerking from the surprise insertion.


    It is not like I don¡¯t use that hole, but I was not expecting this. Although, now that I am thinking about it, I should have been. I didn¡¯t know Glitter Kitten was this kinky is there an ass she won¡¯t eat? I twitched, feeling the steady thump of the Thumper driving her tool into Den Mother. Every time she did the hole around me got that much tighter and pulled me in deeper.


    The rough tongue wiggled about, scraping at my ring. After what felt like ten minutes she pulled off and plunged her lubed up fingers into the twitching hole. The fingers stroked about and swirled, probing in and out. Ah, ooooh she is pro at this. She circled widened her fingers gradually forcing me to open so that it was not painful in the least. Trapped with my dick lodged in a horny hound I had no choice but to let the pussycat do as she pleased.


    She pulled out once she was able to get her fist in there. It gaped a little, twitching incessantly. I was lonely, foolishly believing for a moment that she was through. She pressed the tip of the dong to my pucker.


    ¡°Nyaha! Let¡¯s get this party started bithes!¡± So declared Glitter Kitten smacking me on the rump and impaling me.


    I screeched below Den Mother as she moaned from the sudden pull of my tube inside of her. My ass was full, well not the fullest it had ever been, but this was much different than when I did stuff alone. The angle was weird for starters. I am not even sure how Glitter Kitten got herself into that position, it would break a normal person¡¯s back, as she started thrusting down into my abdomen. She leaned back and grabbed onto Thumper¡¯s ass, burying her face between the bunny buns. She, she is insatiable!


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    This was the cue for the fuck fest to begin. Thumper thrust into Den Mother and the momentum jarred her forward, dragging me with her. She howled, panting over me, her insides squirming like a sea of pleasure. Oh fuck, that feels good. Glitter Kitten pounded my ass, pushing me down, but my abdomen would spring back up when she pulled back, stabbing into the waiting pussy that it was sloppily drooling around the tip. It was in this strange order that we found a harmony for this heated humping.


    I gasped and shuddered as the two holding the reins picked up the pace. Their hips slapping into us dictated the rhythm and rhyme of this delectable meeting of flesh. I latched onto the jiggling titties that rubbed all over me with every movement. I attacked them, squeezing and sucking to keep myself from clawing at things. Den Mother was tough, her skin didn¡¯t even seem to notice my frenzied movement, or rather it didn¡¯t hurt her. From how hard her nipples are she is clearly enjoying this.


    My abdomen bounced and jarred getting bred on both ends, giving and receiving. To be filled and to fill. The cock scraped at my insides with every eager downward motion. I bucked back, raising my hips to fuck that cock and pussy better. My abdomen soon became swollen with need, making a gurgling sound. Glitter Kitten increased her speed and jackhammered into my booty so fast that it was stuck in place, unable to bounce up or down as it was dragged along with her hips.


    The vibrations from the short and powerful thrusts resonated through my shaft into Den Mother who collapsed as I vibrated inside of her depths. Combined with the now ass slapping bunny who had increased her pace to the point that she was hot on the Kitty¡¯s booty. The muddled mutt went first, screaming in orgasm as we reamed her. She slumped, but we kept humping her holes, driving her wild. Her pussy froze up from time to time squelching and gushing as it couldn¡¯t handle the stimulation.


    Neither could I. Glitter Kitten drove me up the wall as well and I shuddered, screaming, spurting as my body jarred from her continued thrusts. She didn¡¯t stop even after I had cum. The duo kept pounding us together, making low moans as they reached their limits as well. Thumper flopped onto Den Mother¡¯s back side and slowed her bunny tail thrusts. My bulging member slipped out of Den Mother from the rapid and brutal ass fucking that Glitter Kitten was dishing out and it showered the three in my goo. It splashed up, getting all over Thumper¡¯s stomach and thighs, while plastering onto the posterior of my most recent mate. The rest drizzled down the sides. She slowed, panting as she kissed the tip and sucked on it. I could smell what must be a pool of kitten cream as she pulled out with a pop.


    She shuddered and lay there snuggling my ovipositor. Kitties certainly love their milk, whether it be dick milk, or otherwise. We hardly moved breathing heavily. They were sweating, like a lot and as a result, the room was filled with their beastly stench. I vented overheating below my furry lovers. The heated mist did little to alleviate my issue. The room had become like a swamp, a debaucheries soup of potent mating pheromones. Drowning in this delectable aroma, I found myself getting hard again. My blood surging from my head to fill the only organ that really matters.


    Seeing this, all three animal women had become wild-eyed with lust. Glitter Kitten recovered faster than the others, tossing aside her strap-on and shoving Den Mother off to the side. She mounted me and her pussy lewdly devoured me into her broiling baby maker. She bounced, growling as her ass slammed up and down my length taking it with such practiced ease it was hard to imagine that I was having problems getting it in her earlier this night. Her face glowed with ecstasy as her tail jingled with every booty drop.


    She arched her back and drooled mindlessly as her cunt crushed me in a milking motion. Surprisingly she came first. Her juices dribbled as she yowled panting, clearly a lust driven creature in heat wanting to get pumped full of kittens. I obliged. My egg shaft bloated to the point that it stretched her out and she squirmed feeling entirely too full. I didn¡¯t have any eggs for her sadly and my reserves of fluid were just about empty. What I could give her though was the feeling of being impregnated.


    I had noticed it a while ago during my many masturbation sessions. This body already has the instincts and the muscle memory for breeding, it just isn¡¯t mature yet. The tube inflated at a certain spot connecting us. Just using these muscles was orgasmic. It moved down the tube until it reached the pussy lips, widening them as it took a moment to spread my kitty. She coiled around me moaning as lump after lump pushed into her and vanished once they got to her core, her womb. Her breathing fell into ragged gasps and she meowed helplessly, too caught up in the feeling to do anything.


    We stayed, stuffed together for a while longer as I lovingly held her and pet my kitty. She was positively salivating with bliss. One hand rest gently rubbing my knuckle into where her tail meets the rest of her body. She couldn¡¯t think or talk for that matter mewling and huffing as I continuously flexed my muscles emulating a breeding.


    Finally, I pulled out of her with the wet slurp of her body letting me go. Thumper would have been next, already enticing me with that bunny tail of hers wiggling, except the door opened. All eyes darted over to the newcomer and lowered to the diminutive stature of a certain gerbil girl. Nibbles stared at us like a deer in the headlights, apparently having forgotten why she had come here in the first place. She sniffed the air, shuddering and a trickle of arousal wet her leg. It is not like she had to try to smell it, I get the feeling the whole floor can smell us.


    She shrank a little, frightened over the mixed signals she was getting. On one hand, we were upset over the interruption of our orgy and on the other we were horny, super fucking horny. To the point that we would fuck anything at this point. Especially a new piece of meat that just fell into our arms. Nibbles didn¡¯t even have time to think about fleeing before I had pounced. I grabbed her smarmy ass and slammed the door shut behind her, dragging her to the bed.


    ¡°Wait, wait, what are you doing?!¡± She squeaked, shivering as I lay her on the bed.


    ¡°How does Gerbil taste?¡± I wondered aloud, letting my hands fondle her little breasts and bottom righty slid between her legs.


    My thumb rolled her clit. Pressing it and batting it back and forth like a bitch button. Nibbles got wet, very quickly as she shivered being watched by the predatory trio looming over her silently. The three that were supposed to save her in this situation were licking their lips and eagerly anticipating what was to come. She covered her face in shame, trying to hide. That wasn¡¯t going to help her here, besides, we could smell how needy and ready she had gotten.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t¡­ just let me go.¡± She managed to quiver out, she wasn¡¯t fooling anybody with that weak rejection.


    My finger slid along her ever wetter slit. She was whimpering like the rodent she was. Glitter Kitten joined in, stroking her face, ¡°Nibbles, come on, have some fun with us. It will be fun.¡±


    ¡°Call me Caesar cause I am going to toss your salad!¡± I declared, flipping the gerbil and burying my face between her legs.


    She let out a squealing sound and I stabbed into her depths. The others took advantage and started groping and rubbing all over her, in Den Mother¡¯s case even licking her. While I plumbed her depths, Den Mother was full blown frenching the girl. She didn¡¯t seem to be opposed to it and now that I was thinking about it, those two seemed rather chummy even before. They have probably messed around with each other before if they are no like a thing already.


    I spread her cheeks, making sure to feel them up as much as I could. I hadn¡¯t really noticed it until now, but the gerbil had a nice ass. It wasn¡¯t too big and just big enough to pleasantly squeeze and play with. Her complaints were strangled by the ferocious mingling of tongues, at some point Glitter Kitten had even gotten in on it. It was a three-way battle for dominance and Nibbles was clearly struggling.


    Glitter Kitten started getting rather ancy, rubbing her legs together before she stood up and forced Nibbles between her legs. After a moment of them sorting out what they were doing the kitty got sandwiched in between Den Mother and Nibbles. The horny hound was doing much the same as I was, eating that ass. Glitter Kitten closed her eyes, purring happily while the lower beasts were pouring all their efforts into pleasuring her. Thumper groped her titties and they kissed, rubbing against one another.


    The more that I think about it, the more they seem a bit more than friends. This sort of thing is probably normal for them. They are total sluts for one another. Is it just a pussy fest all the damned time down here? I mean, I haven¡¯t seen any animal dudes so is that why they are lezzing out so hard? It was¡­ enviable. I wish I had sex friends like this.


    I shook my head, clearing away my jealousy. Nibbles squirmed while my tongue roiled about inside of her. She started making adorable chirping sounds when she panted coming up for air from the pussy munching. I pinched her throbbing clit in between my index finger and thumb, rolling it. My other free hand plopped atop her ass and held her stumpy tail as it wiggled. I found the sensitive spot where the nerves met the tailbone and pressed, rubbing back and forth.


    It took all of a moment for the gerbil¡¯s legs to go out and she whimpered and whined. She didn¡¯t fall over, held up between us as we used her. My finger kept pressuring and soon she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She shivered and moaned as her cute little pussy flooded with release. I lapped it up and lay back, positioning my abdomen below her hole. Nibbles was already weak in the knees and soon slipped down, pressing against me. I pulled her into my embrace, coiling all my arms around her so that she could not escape.


    She didn¡¯t particularly say anything intelligible, moaning and trembling. Not wanting to waste such an opportunity my bitch breaker pressed against her wanting hole. It didn¡¯t seem to register on her blissed out face, at least, not until it was too late for her. I worked the tip in and reality smashed into her like the pussy pounding she was in for. The fuck town express ain¡¯t got no breaks bitches!


    She screeched holding her face as I lowered her down onto my shaft. Nibbles¡¯ naughty tunnel gushed as she struggled against my dominating insertion. Her ratty little claws, scraped at me and finally with the most perverse sound I had heard all night her pussy gobbled me whole. Once I was in, there was no stopping, her hole despite being the tightest twat I had ever felt was pliable enough that it sucked me in as though her life depended on it.


    ¡°Fuckkk!¡± I moaned, ¡°What the hell is this pussy. She is eating me!¡±


    Glitter Kitten smirked as she plopped herself onto my face, ¡°Nyan nyan, Nibbles is just a little shy, but she is a slut just like the rest of us, if not more so. She might not drink or do drugs, but she sure does like to fuck.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it!¡± cried Nibbles as her hips gyrated and I bounced her up and down, each stroke of her silken vice letting me get a bit deeper.


    ¡°Why are you such a whore Nibbles?¡± I smirked grabbing her small breasts and squeezing them.


    She panted, riding me faster, ¡°It is a rodent thing!¡±


    I was going to reply when a pussy smacked down onto my mouth. It was Glitter Kitten. She sat there humping and thrust her hips in time with my thrusts. Her pussycat still glazed with my cum as it seeped out of her, even though the gerbil had been munching on this carpet. I chewed, gnawing away at her short fur. I could hear the smacking of lips and the lewd slop of every time my member nearly came out of the sex-crazed rodent. She wasn¡¯t even talking anymore and merely grunted and moaned. She slapped her booty down every time I thrust up into her, causing me to scrape her deepest place and subsequently breach, then fill it with my searing flesh. She clamped and tightened. I loved the feeling of her greedy womb sucking on my ovi as it pounded in.


    She squealed and I buried myself in her, letting her walls milk me to orgasm. My muscles pumped and she was rewarded with some of my seed. It spurt into her in pulsing spasms. She shook and fell over. Like a wounded prey creature the predators sensed weakness and attacked. She struggled as they dragged her off of my member and proceeded to eat her pussy out while Glitter Kitten stroked out the last squirts of my jizz, lapping it down.


    I sighed as they played with her, licking her all over and plundering her pleasure trove for my gooey treasure. Seriously though, I am starting to think that they are addicted to my cum. Is it really to tasty? It was like normal tasting to me. I never really noticed, but what flavor even is it?


    ¡°Whew, Nyeow that was fun. Nibbles get us something to drink.¡± Stretched Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°But I wanted to stay¡­¡±


    ¡°No worries, we will keep going, but I am getting thirsty and I am sure that we need a little breather.¡±


    I was relieved and lay back with a heavy sigh. Thumper was not content to leave me be and her hand crept down to my nethers. She pressed her fingers against my slimy flesh and started swirling them. Her booty gravitated to my hand and I started to spoon her as well. It was a nice feeling as her supple fingers rubbed gently and then I felt another hand, and another one as well. Looking up I found Glitter Kitten and Den Mother probing at my egg slit. My unoccupied hands moved between their legs and we essentially started a circle jerk or rather a clit diddle or a beaver bashing¡­ I think, I don¡¯t know, I have never done this sort of thing before so how am I supposed to know what to call it? All that I know is this is the right kind of clam jam.


    We sat in a semi-circle, Glitter Kitten straddled atop my abdomen as it was proudly presented in the center and all of us had a hand in my honey pot. I mean, I had a spare anyway, so why wouldn¡¯t I get in on this. Of course, I was not the only one getting some, my other hands were busy in a flick fest. All three of their soppy holes were slobbering on my fingers as they swirled and stroked and thrust, all the while they returned the favor lavishing my twitching hole with their nearly undivided attention.


    Each was a little different in their approach. Den Mother was a bit rougher, plunging her fingers in and out with lewd schlicking sounds. Thumper moved her fingers like my pussy was a record in a dance club and Glitter Kitten had my erect clit all to herself while she toyed with it, squeezing it and stroking it like a mini cock. None of this was actually to get us off as I learned to my dismay. It was all just to keep us in the mood and horny for the next round.


    The herald of release finally returned, Nibbles came back with an ice cooler. It had bottled water and alcohol as well. I was handed several bottles and I gulped them down greedily. I had not realized exactly how parched my throat had been until the ice cold water slid down. A bottle of booze was passed around and we each took a gulp. Normally I wouldn¡¯t, but I could feel my buzz starting to come down. I am not sure what it was, but it didn¡¯t burn like rubbing alcohol like that other stuff I drank earlier. Nibbles was the only one who didn¡¯t drink.


    I sat thinking about how to proceed, clearly, the night was not over yet and there were hot and wet pussies to plunder. The only real question was, how the hell was I going to keep up with four insatiable animal women? Ah, I got it. The Power Tower. Such thoughts made me get hard again. This time, there were four sets of hungry eyes locked onto my meat and ready to devour it.


    ¡°Alright, we doing the Power Tower,¡± I said, pointing at the bed.


    ¡°What is that?¡± asked Nibbles.


    ¡°Ish fun. Biggest gets on the bottom of the pile and smallest on the top. You will have your asses all facing here and lay down on the bed. Then I mount you girls from the back and fuck you all at once.¡±


    They didn¡¯t complain at all and lined up, facing their tantalizing asses towards me. Den Mother was the bottom bitch for obvious reasons, then Thumper, Glitter Kitten and then Nibbles was on top of the twat totem pole. It was a delectable sight to see, all those puffed up pussies stacked on top of one another. All of them were juicy and ready for breeding. I drooled a little. This was going to be a little bit different than normal.


    I got on all sixes, raising my ass and abdomen up as I faced away from them. I backed up and my mating tubed rubbed about searching out a hungry hole to take refuge in. I explored, rubbing up and down to make sure that I could properly reach every one of them from this position. Sure enough, I heard the squeak of Nibbles as her hot hole spread around me and enveloped me.


    Tight as ever. I thrust and she jiggled at the top, holding onto those below for stability. This felt right, this position. It was like it was natural or something. I didn¡¯t dwell on the thought too long and started to hammer into her. Her little pussy was snug and squirmed with delight. My fervent thrusts increased until I pulled out to her shocked and confused gasp. I didn¡¯t wait to explain and my ovi found the next hole, plunging into Glitter Kitten.


    She meowed and moaned happily. The slick sounds of our flesh meeting filled the room. My thrusts were heavy, making my carapace smack against her ass. Her walls were smoldering and ridiculously wet. Her love canal was being molded to my shape and I was letting my cock do the sculpting. She was a wet kitty for sure. I could hear the schlick and feel her dribbling. Those around her were jealous of the fucking and whined. I plopped out of her and she let out a disappointed groan.


    My thick organ found the bunny buns almost instantly and inserted itself into her oven. She let out a low whimpering sound and I pulled back before railing back into her. She gasped, shuddering. Her insides like all the other bitches in heat were hot and languid, they had submitted for breeding and didn¡¯t even attempt to move. I grew hotter and thicker inside of her at the thought of impregnating her and the others, filling them with my eggs and forcing them to pleasure me, whenever, however, I pleased. She panted as I ripped myself free leaving her desperate for more.


    Finally, I reached the bottom of the stack. The one who had been waiting this whole time so patiently. Den Mother howled as I slammed into her. A rutting, bestial need filled me. My bug cock jackhammered at her hole, causing the whole tower of pussy to wobble and wiggle while they moaned with need. I thrust harder and faster, every pump sending me down her tunnel of bliss. Lost in the elation I kept pounding into her until I started to hear complaints from above.


    I pulled out and then slipped back into each girl in turn. Going down the order then back up. Each only got a couple impaling, body-jarring thrusts before I moved on to the next and soon circled back to each needy hole. The slits got sloppier and looser with every pass and they sounded more and more desperate. Their yowls and squeaks filled the room while our hearts pounded in our chests and our breathing grew shorter and faster.


    Each pussy was different and unique. I didn¡¯t even have to look or even remember where I or who I was in to recognize the feel of the silken embrace. Den Mother curved on the inside and the lips parted in a sort of triangular motion. Glitter Kitten was loose, but her insides were well trained and could tighten at a moment¡¯s notice to squeeze and torture a cock. Thumper was tighter at the front, but near the middle, she got loose before getting tight again. And finally, there was Nibbles. She was the tightest and shallowest hole by far. Every time I slammed into her it stabbed straight into her womb and felt as though the head of my ovipositor might get trapped inside.


    ¡°HARDER!¡± the four demanded.


    My pace increased to a frantic fuck fest. The world seemed to fade only my engorged member and only the holes that desperately craved it filling them existed. Their cries and moans, the wet and lewd sounds of cunts getting creamed filled the air. Soon, I couldn¡¯t tell who was making what sound or which cock holster I was in as they had all be opened and molded to my shape. One would shudder and cum, her body jerking as I continued to hammer away at her. Soon each pussy was slicked and trembled as I made my passes.


    Finally, I reached the boiling point. I grunted and slammed back, knocking the tower over as I impaled one of them and came. My muscles twitched and spasmed as I emptied myself into the devouring hole. Tired and finally spent, I slumped. My eyes drooped, exhausted as the purring and panting sounds of the animal girls filled the now still room.


    This spot was not very comfortable though. I felt around and pulled myself onto the bed. My hands wiggled as the fingers felt about, soon finding what I had been looking for. They grasped onto the squishy flesh and I dragged myself into the warm embrace of six wonderfully plump pillow puppies before finally snuggling up and letting sleep take me.

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 1

    Hello every one it is Saturday and you know what that means.


    Vespidian Arc 6, To Skin A Cat


    Chapter 1


    Light glared in through the parted curtains, making the world blurred. Animal hair, glitter, sparkles and dust drifted in the beams. Pain throbbed through my head, then subsided as my eyes tried to adjust to the still room. A warm floating sensation filled me with peace. It was as though all my stress had melted away. Can''t explain why, but I feel like a million bucks. For some reason, everything smelled like cat, wet cat. Though not particularly unpleasant it was musky and strong enough to make most hold their nose.


    Not me though my antenna squirmed, drinking in that rich scent. Granted back when I was human this stench would be off-putting, however now that my sense of smell brought in more information such as pheromones and other things that I am still getting used to, this held another meaning. It was almost a form of communication and my antenna were radio towers to pick up on these extraterrestrial signals. The messages I received were along the lines of satisfaction. Somebody had been up all night having sex. The room reeked of it.


    My brain was still foggy, so things were not firing off like they should. This dank animal smell was kinda getting me in the mood, yet I felt exhausted to the point it felt like I hardly slept last night. I wonder why that is? Can''t exactly remember much of last night. It all just seemed like a blur, snippets and fragments here and there. I wiped the drool from the side of my face only to realize my tongue was hanging out. My mouth was certainly dry. It took a moment to focus on a pair of cat ears that twitched lightly. I like cats, I am no crazy cat lady, though. My hands stroked through some soft fur and a pleasant purr rose in response. Even a cute nyah. That is a good kitty. Wait a minute... Where the hell am I?


    I blinked twice and found that I was in a huge bed, laying atop the most comfy plush pillow ever... I was lodged between four huge furry mounds with two warm bodies pressed in against me. To my right soft, short tabby fur, cute little nose with whiskers, and the large pointed cat ears. To the left snow white and fluffy fur, eye patch and the foot tall ears of a rabbit. My brain tingled when I recognized the drooling cat girl and then the slouched bunny girl.


    I know these people... However, I do not know what in the hell they are doing here, around me. This must be some kind of dream. That explains it. There is no way Den Mother, Glitter Kitten, and Thumper would be in bed, naked with me, let alone, clinging to me as though I might run off in their sleep. Never thought Thumper would be so soft. She feels like a cloud. She was so good to rub all over, just like a hug pillow and as a result, I coiled around her. I am in heaven. I have some pretty good dreams sometimes.


    Her squirms and slight struggling reminded me of a dog having a bad dream. The fur on her ears was the softest and the more that I pet them the harder she struggled. My mouth was like a desert and scratchy to boot. As a result, I coughed and hacked like a seal to dislodge whatever the hell was in there. Out came a huge, sticky hairball... Oh god. I closed my eyes, rubbing them and stared at the wet mass. It was really gross and gooey. Things started to click and my brain seemed to reboot.


    ''I need a cigar or something after last night,'' sighed Sub.


    ¡°What now?¡±


    She just grinned at me and I looked around awkwardly. I am missing something here. Why does it feel like I got some serious fucking strange last night? The mortifying realization that this was not a dream came creeping in. Glitter Kitten pawed at her eyes and stretched, yowling and shaking her hips in the air. I looked down and Thumper''s eye stared coldly at me. My abdomen felt heavy, so I wearily glanced down to find somebody coiled around it. Nibbles, it was fucking Nibbles! What is she doing there? That being said I can''t for the life of me remember how in the hell I ended up in this situation. Why can''t it be hot guys! Seriously... What the FUCK did I do last night! SUB!


    ''Hey now don''t you be blaming me. This was a team effort. Tag team and shit, gurl we got the pussy, so what you freaking out about? Seriously, compared to what we do, this was like a four out of ten on the freaky scale tops.''


    ¡°SUB!¡±


    ''This was like seventy-five percent you and fifty percent me.''


    ¡°Sub, where the fuck did you learn math?!¡±


    ''From you, you cock slavering whore.''


    ¡°I don''t see no damned dick!¡±


    ''From henceforth we shall be known as the Pussy Slayer, or Raider of the Lost Ass, no wait I got it, the Pussinator!''


    ¡°Sub this is not something to be proud of. Oh god, I slept with a Villain!¡±


    ''Spoilsport. Villains, by the way. Come on, it was a total blast.''


    Thumper was released reactively and she sat up, before doubling over and holding her head. She mumbled something about her ass. Her ears were quivering. It was pretty obvious she had a bad hangover. Nibbles was dripping on me, I shook her off. The Gerbil girl squirmed and curled up going back to sleep, clinging to my leg. Come on now get off. Den Mother shifted, dumping us on the bed. She stood and stretched with a huge yawn. Her fur bristled, then settled, as she shambled out of the door. She did not even look at the rest of us. Not sure if I should feel shame about that or what. A tail coiled around my hand, drawing my attention to the minx at my side.


    ¡°Nyow that is what I call a good time. You are a regular party animal, you know.¡±


    I don''t like the sounds of that. Last thing I remember was shakily standing on stage and Glitter Kitten trying to make me follow her. After that, everything got all weird. So what the hell did I even do? Sub just waved her hand dismissively. I guess that means there will be no answers from her. There''s only one way to find out and I really did not want to do it. Reluctantly, I asked, ¡°What exactly did I do last night?¡±


    Glitter Kitten seemed amused by my distress. A wolfish grin spread across her lips, truly unfitting for a cat and she replied, ¡°I never thought you''d be so rough and that tongue of yours is something else. Well, you really should learn not to chew so hard.¡±


    Chew? What the hell was I chewing on? My eyes gaped at her as she straddled me, she licked her lips. I really don''t like the looks of this. ¡°What the hell are you talking about?!¡±


    ¡°You don''t remember?¡± she coyly replied, acting all shy and shit. Don''t you try that on me, I know you are a whore cat! I mean god, you have had twenty kids.


    ¡°Obviously not, so get off of me and tell me what I want to know.¡±


    ¡°It was breathtaking,¡± she looked away trembling. ¡°No one has ever done THAT to me before. Let alone all four of us. You are a regular monster you know that?¡±


    Her face became flush for some reason. That is even more concerning! Wait, she is being serious. Just what did I do to make this wild cat act like an innocent school girl? Oh no, no, no, no... is it something that I will have to take responsibility for?! Is there going be a shotgun wedding? No! The rest of my life will be spent down here trying to pay child support and turning tricks for tips just to earn ends meet. It was not just her though was it? What have I done? I don''t wanna live in a van down by the river. My life is over! This is why we can''t have nice things, Sub!


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± I started crying. What else was I going to do? I am in way over my head! ¡°I will send checks or something, but I can''t live down here. Look, if you want I will take them on weekends. I am too young to be a parent!¡±


    Her ear flicked and she gave me a very puzzled look. ¡°Take what on the weekends? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I got you knocked up, right?¡± I returned her perplexed look granted mine was more frightened.


    ¡°Hold your clam for a second. What the hell are you on about? How would you get me preggers? We are both girls you kno- well, maybe you are not. Hmm, oh boy, not again,¡± she tilted her head quizzically, thinking things over. Finally, she raised a finger and scratched the side of her face. ¡°Well, if it is any consolation it was a wild ride. Why are you freaking out about this anyway? You are the one who came onto us.¡±


    My eyes lifted from my hands, ¡°Us? Oh dear god. What have I done?!¡±


    ¡°Relax will you? Look, just calm down. If I start popping out grubs or something, I will know it was you. Then we will have a nice long talk and you better know that I am going to wear the pants in our relationship.¡±


    ¡°That makes it so much worse!¡±


    ¡°We will worry about it when we get there. Cool your tits bitch. This ain''t my first rodeo. I will get back to you in like a month if I blow up like a whale.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°Oh, thank god. Wait, then what the hell did we do last night?¡±


    She scratched her ear and smirked, ¡°The better question would be, who didn''t you do last night?¡±


    ¡°What the hell does that mean!¡± I gawked at her.


    Glitter Kitten laughed wagging her finger at me, ¡°You were seriously pent up. Oh, you really are something to skin my cat like that and not even remember it. Let alone what you did to Nibbles and Thumper. Let''s just say you might be my new favorite toy.¡±


    ¡°Stop beating around the bush and tell me!¡±


    ¡°Well, you were rather touchy feely. Got some real balls on you. Nobody besides me and Titus ever motorboats Den Mother. At one point you screamed ''Call me Caesar cause I am about to toss your salad!'' Things got real out of hand from there. Then you were like ''I have never had a threesome before!'' and then I said, ''Let''s make it a foursome.'' I would never have thought you were that kind of gurl. Well anyway, it was a unique experience, to say the least. You were-¡± she cleared her throat and gave a thumbs up, with a wink, ¡°skilled with your oral exam, you passed if I do say so myself. You were a kissing monster last night, never had a tongue make me fuller than a dick before. I thought I was going to choke to death. You could make a living off of this you know, take it from somebody who does.¡±


    I don''t want to hear that! I coughed again and spat out another ball of hair it was not as big as the first one, but I could feel there was more in there. Now that I look at her I can see where all that hair had come from. Her pussy was bald, just yesterday she had a sizable mane down there. There was even a clump missing from her collarbone that was unmistakably the size of my mouth.


    My eyes wandered to Nibbles and from what I could see thankfully not too much was done to her. Well, at the least I can hope. There is no telling what happened on the inside. The best case scenario I did not leave all those hickeys on her neck. Thumper had stood up at this point. Wheezy and wobbling, it seems she can''t handle her booze well. There were several red, clawed hands imprinted on her well-rounded booty. Yup, that was definitely me. It looked like somebody had really gone to town on her. Never drinking again unless there are only dudes around. How the hell did I not jump at some hard throbbing manly men!? I blame you Sub. Come to think of it... What did I do to Den Mother?


    ¡°Your fucking pussycat is nuts, though. Never seen anything like it before, nor felt anything like it either.¡±


    ¡°Felt?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, you whiped it out and started waving it around, got us all riled up and then you started shoving it into people. Those bumps are insane though.¡±


    ¡°Forget it. I will act as though this night never happened,¡± I rubbed my face. Scrub, scrub, scrub mental scrub! Wipe clean this filth from my mind.


    ¡°Such talent wasted,¡± she clicked her tongue. ¡°Come on, you know you wanna join my gang. Think about how fun it was. We do this kind of stuff like every day.¡±


    ¡°I don''t like Villains alright. This is all wrong. This was all a mistake!¡±


    She raised an eyebrow and laughed. Her hands started roaming my chest and though she tried to be sensual about it, well my tits are like steel and it is not like I have nipples. She purred, ¡°How can you say that with a straight face after the amount of furburger burglarizing you did last night. Now if it is the trouser snake you want we get more than enough of that. You saw all those randy men ready to pounce a tight twat. So really I do not understand, why you are resisting it this much? Join us already. You belong here. You are a natural. Who cares about being some stupid hero anyway?¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Last night was a fluke alright. So no. I won''t join your gang. Let''s just find those drugs, so I can go home.¡±


    Glitter Kitten had a very sour look on her face. It was clear that she was not going to give up that easily. Why?! Come on, just leave me alone. I wanna go home, take a cold shower and cry in the corner for a week. Seeing that she had no effect on a top attack, her hands started creeping between my legs. Too bad for her there is nothing there... Oh no, she knows! Her fingers danced along the abdomen as it squirmed away from her. Gathering my strength I threw her off. Damn it, just like last time I could not really touch her. She moves with the momentum, so it is hard to actually hit her with anything. Is it Super Speed or Reflexes? Wait, does that mean she is like Nicky Mouse?


    Nibbles stirred, rubbing her puffy cheeks. ¡°So sore,¡± she groaned shifting a little and stretching. The Gerbil gave me a long look, ¡°It took so long to pacify you. You were veracious, seriously, you were so pent up. When was the last time you got laid? Hmph, and people call us animals.¡±


    I silently scowled at her. Finally, I looked at Glitter Kitten who was inspecting the damages in a mirror. ¡°Hey, I have been wondering. What exactly is your Super Power, Glitter Kitten?¡±


    She turned with a smug grin, ¡°Nyahaha. Does the little Meowsy want to know? What will I get in return I wonder, I wonder? Maybe I will tell you if you eat me out again.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell should I give you something? I told you what my power was.¡±


    She gave me a strangely cold look, ¡°That my little Meowsy was your mistake. After all, now I know that I can beat you to within an inch of your life and in a few hours, you will be fine to repeat the process. Here is a tip little miss Hero. Never tell your enemy your power. You might as well be telling them your weakness. Especially don''t tell what Rank you are if you do blab or your opponent has fought you before. Then again, you can always bluff people by telling them a rank lower or higher than your actual one and telling them skill sets that you do not have or are not that powerful. In other words, don''t be an idiot. Granted, you heroes have it a little rough in that regard since the news reporters will hound you to get the info and websites will document you without consent. We, villains, have it a bit easier since if anybody comes snooping we can just kill them.¡±


    ¡°I know that Den Mother is a rank 5.¡±


    ¡°Is she?¡± replied Glitter Kitten in a playful tone that made me question myself.


    That is not good. How much do I really even know? A chill ran up my spine. Could they actually be stronger than what people think and are holding back for some reason? Then again, it would not be surprising for them to get stronger by training, hell my scrub ass did it in two months. Thanks to the advice of others, but still. These people have been like this for years, so really it would be surprising if they did not grow in power. Could Glitter Kitten be a Rank 7? Somehow I doubt that. If she was, people would have noticed. She is probably a 6 point something. The real problem is what the hell is her power? Chief said it is Super Speed, but she has strength too. It is concerning.


    She grinned at my pondering, ¡°Think as much as you like. If you really want to know then you have to join my gang. However, naturally, I will not tell you right away. Can''t have you dining and dashing after all. My little Furburglar. I will treat you real nice you know? You can be my pet.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the off, but no. I don''t want to be anybody''s pet. You know, you are not what I was expecting. I had heard all this bad stuff about you, but I am not getting those vibes from you.¡±


    ¡°Don''t let this cute and cuddly exterior fool you. It is all true you know? I am a terrible person. I have killed, maimed, tortured, extorted, bribed, whored, kidnapped and of course, there are the drugs.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so nonchalant about everything?¡±


    She circled with a purring laugh, ¡°Life is boring if you don''t have fun. It is dull, lifeless, dark, cruel and not worth living if you just go about day by day, following a routine at a dead end job. Of course, I would not know a thing about those things. I have never had a legit job in my life.¡±


    ¡°What about your kids, though? Surely you understand this is not good for them.¡±


    Her tail flicked... That is not a good sign. ¡°You telling me how to raise my Kittens? What would you know about children? Nyah, you must have lived in a bubble your whole life. The world is a rather vicious place, my kittens are lucky to have me and I am lucky to have them. It is a cat eat dog out there.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t excuse what you are doing.¡±


    ¡°You know what the difference between me and you is? Experience. I have been through much worse than you have. Even though we are the same age. Our lives have been very different.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how do you know how old I am?¡±


    ¡°I looked you up on the Hero League Web Site. Every hero has a bio you know. They usually don''t lie about age.¡±


    ¡°So I see... I have been through some shit too you know. Somehow I doubt you have ever been dissected while alive. You are a bad parent. Teaching your kids how to do crimes and stuff. It is no excuse.¡±


    She laughed to the point that she rolled all over the bed. I noticed though that it sounded strange, dark. Then out of the blue, she kicked me and I crashed into the wall, punching a hole through it. My carapace splintered in a few places, oozing my yellow blood and the pain was rushing up to meet my brain. The blow had made things a little fuzzy and numb. She grabbed me by the head, lifted me back up. Glitter Kitten stared down.


    Her voice fluctuated, rising in volume as she went on and the raw emotion overwhelmed me, by the end she was nearly crying, the only thing keeping her sorrow back was her rage, ¡°A bad parent? You know, usually I could not care less about what people say about me, but when you insinuate that I mistreat my kittens, well the claws are going to come out. I am doing a rather good job with what I have. I am teaching them how to survive in this world. You know nothing of our lives.


    ¡°A bad parent beats their children in a drunken rage four times a week or more. A bad parent pimps their kids out on the corner since the age of eight and then takes all the money to buy more booze and crack. A bad parent makes their kids dig through trash to find food or suck him off for table scraps. A bad parent gets their kids addicted to crack and forces them to sleep in a dog house so that they would shut the fuck up and stop crying every night! Don''t you fucking tell me what a bad parent is. I know it, I lived it!¡±


    I was stunned into silence. It took a moment to process all of that. Holy shit. I figured she grew up sort of downtrodden, but fuck man. Just about anything would be better than that. I started crying, not from pain or anything as far as this went on my threshold it was a three, tops. No these were genuine tears of sadness. I know she is a villain, but... Shit. No one should ever have to grow up like that. I hope those pieces of shit are dead. It made me realize how blessed I had been. Next time I see dad, I am going to give him a bear hug and not let go for like an hour.


    ¡°You have any siblings?¡± I asked, looking away. I could not make eye contact.


    ¡°Not anymore, not since the outbreak,¡± she replied. ¡°I had a little sister, but when the radioactive animals came through, both of us got bit. Of all things it could have been, it was a rat. If it was a cat, then things might have been different. The change is not immediate you know, you have lived it. It takes days, weeks sometimes. She went feral. I tried to reason with her for a long time, locked her in a cage where she could not hurt anyone. In the end, it was better just to put her down. It was not her in there anymore.¡±


    ¡°What happened to your parents?¡± I asked. I knew that it was a land mine, but I wanted to know.


    She smiled, it was a blissful face and yet there was a sea of malice below it. She purred, ¡°I killed them. Tore my papa''s dick off and shoved it down his throat, he choked on it. It was so satisfying to watch him squirm and worm across the floor in terror. Then I strangled my mom, that filthy crack whore who dragged me and my sister out every day, selling us to her friends and dealer just so she could get her next fix. I could have died right then and there without a single regret, yet I did not. No, I lived, I prowled, I had almost become feral myself, but then Butch found me and dragged me home.¡±


    ¡°I don''t get it if you went through something like that then why would you sell drugs?¡±


    ¡°Desperation. I would do anything for my Kittens. I have killed for them, sold my body, cheated, stolen and yes, I have even done the very thing that I despise most. The difference though is I would never harm them, never mistreat them and if they don''t eat, I don''t eat.¡±


    I was silent for a little while. That could have been me. If things had played out differently. If Molotov had not stopped me from killing my mom. If I had bumbled my way home instead of being abducted I could have turned into something worse than this and killed my dad. If Chief had never picked me up, what the hell would have happened to me? If I had children would I love them that much? Could I just idly watch as the world mocked them, treated them like monsters? I don''t know, something tells me that I would not, though. I stared at her. Though we are not the same I felt that she was like a warped image of myself. Me if things had gone differently. The thought sent shivers through my body.


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± I said.


    ¡°Why are you sorry? You did not know, you could not have known. I mean shit, we have only known each other for one night. A very personal and intimate one, but still it is not very long.¡± she smacked me on the back, grinning. ¡°The past may shape the present, but it is the future that is not set in stone. We can always change the future, you know. You can''t live shackled to the past, or else you are going to miss your future. My Kittens are my future, what is yours?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°It would be kinda weird if you did know, after all, that is the meaning of life. It is different for everybody. Nyahaha.¡±


    I smirked, ¡°You are high again, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°As a kite. Want some catnip? It is pretty good. It is only mildly addicting with none of the bad withdrawals you get from other crap,¡± she extended a potted plant.


    ¡°I will take a rain check on that.¡±


    ¡°If you stare at the ground you will never see the wide blue sky.¡±


    ¡°If you stare at the sky you will fall in a hole.¡±


    She chuckled heartily, ¡°Nyahaha, true, true. You know I am going to miss you.¡±


    ¡°Where am I going to go?¡±


    ¡°Well home, right? I mean once we find that cocaine you are probably going to dip out. Unless of course you actually wanna stay here,¡± she said hopefully.


    ¡°Well, that is true, I might come and visit, maybe. So why are you going to miss me?¡±


    ¡°There are various reasons. For one that tongue of yours is simply divine. Down there you taste like honey by the way. Then there is that smell you put out, it drives me wild. You might be my new drug, so you better come down here and give me my fix.¡±


    I scratched the side of my face with a slight smile, ¡°I''ll uh, think about it. You gotta let me play with the kittens, though.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then I don''t really see a problem with it. Can we just keep this between you and me, though... Well, maybe Thumper too, but it is super awkward with Nibbles and Den Mother watching.¡±


    ¡°More for me. Nyahaha this little kitty likes her some big fishies. So, you ready for an adventure?¡±


    ¡°I guess?¡±


    ¡°Alright, let''s go find that bugger sugar!¡±

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 2

    Alright everyone Here it is, Tell me what you think and I will see you next week.


    Vespidian Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 2


    We made our way through the Sparkle Kat. Bodies were strewn about, victims of too much fun and copious amounts of drugs or alcohol. I had to stifle a laugh since there were a few naked cops in the hanging cages. Their clothes dangling from various objects. They were passed out just like everybody else. Den Mother sat at the bar, listing slightly. She was not in good shape and looked exhausted. What I smelled to be tomato juice was in that glass in front of her, so it must be a Bloody Mary. Glitter Kitten waved and she vaguely waved back.


    Among the casualties from last night, I saw the jacket that I had been wearing. Somehow I had grown a little attached to it. I pulled at it from under a tabby haired werecat and she coiled around it, not letting go. Fucking whore cat! I yanked and she pulled right back. It was a tug of war. I doubted that the jacket would survive for long. The cat was not even fully awake, she was using it as her blanket. I gave up a frontal attack since it would rip the sleeve off most likely. Pondering for a moment I crouched down next to her, as she rolled over snuggling up. Hmm, how to get it free? An idea came to me, an insidious and evil scheme!


    My smile spread, as I lifted up her feet. She made a soft meow when I did. My fingers wiggled and I spread her clawed toes. My top hands worked in between the toes and the bottom ones started lightly brushing the sole of her foot. The pads were so soft and it was impossible not to squish them and poke them. She squirmed. I increased the pace until she was frantically struggling in my grasp, yowling and giggling uncontrollably.


    Yes, yes! Feel the wrath of the tickle torture! It was my dad''s special move when I was a kid and was being naughty, so I could testify it''s effectiveness. She tried desperately to crawl away, but I would not let her. Bad kitties need to be punished! She bucked and kicked, however, I continued the attack. It was only when she could hardly breathe from hysterically laughing and crying at the same time did I let her go. She promptly escaped, scuttling across the room, flopped down with her ass in the air and scooted around. I have no idea what that is about. Maybe her feet fell asleep? I claimed my prize and slipped it back on. Eww, it is wet. That bitch drooled on it!


    Glitter Kitten had an amused look on her face. She had been watching the whole time. Odd that she did not try to stop me. Although I did not actually hurt the cat, so no harm, no foul. Granted I may have traumatized her a little bit. Well, that is what she gets for not letting go.


    It was only now that I realized that there was a bit of money in my pants. Not in the pockets, in them. Why am I wearing a g string? Where the hell did all this come from? This is like mine right? Something tells me I earned it, although I probably should be ashamed of it. Not entirely sure why I feel that way. It was almost like I got tips for tricks...  Shit, hearing what I did last night I likely whored myself out. God, I am such a slut. Sub we need to control ourselves here.


    ''Nothing wrong with being a sexually active person. Not like we can spread diseases.''


    ¡°Well, that is true. Although, who is to say that I am not some space aids carrier? I mean, my


    blood is poison to humans, so what are my other secretions?¡±


    ''Hey, don''t you feel that?''


    ¡°Feel what?¡±


    ''Exactly. Notice how we are not obsessing over mating with something? It is cause we scored last night and got it out of our system.''


    ¡°So how long until it comes back?¡±


    ''No clue. With our sex drive? Who knows?''


    ¡°If it is like this now, how bad is it going to get once I can lay eggs?¡±


    ''Not going to lie. I''m a little scared about that. Worst case it is going to be all that we think about and likely all we will be doing. Best case maybe we will get a handle on it.''


    ¡°Well, hopefully, we don''t go nuts.¡±


    It appeared to be time to go. The door opened up illuminating the gloom and I covered my eyes from the glare. Fuck me, it was bright out here. I squinted as shapes started to form, slowly the world came together. Birds chirped, the sun was shining and nothing could possibly go wrong. Not a moment after I thought that did one hell of a clatter rising up down the street. Several mutant rats ran from a pack of large cats. They scuttled around a corner in the distance. I heard the yowls and screams of fighting. Then deep barking resounded and the whole lot of them doubled back, fleeing from a pack of hulking mutant dogs. The cats climbed poles or ruined buildings and the rats dove into their burrows. The dogs clawed at the holes and barked up at the hissing cats.


    Apparently, this was normal since Glitter Kitten did not even bat an eye at it. She led the way and so, I followed. I kept looking over my shoulder, trying to figure out if I should be worried or not. Our first destination was the Three Headed Dog, fighting pit. Along the way she explained the local wildlife a bit to me. It seems that the early morning clear to nighttime was when the critters all got active since the Subhumans were typically sleeping. During the night they hid out. The wild ones were scared of the animal people, but the domesticated ones were well on their way to being trained if they were not already. I could see the merits to this since some of those dogs were as big as a cow. The cats were big as well, most of them were as large as a mountain lion and they used to be house cats. One of the scarier things was that they had learned pack hunting.


    Plants were another thing that had changed from the radiation. Though it was significantly less since this place was not actually radioactive. The thing was they grew faster, of course on a year like this it did not matter since there was no water and they had mostly shriveled up and died. On a good year though it was rather noticeable since they got bigger than they should too. After hearing that, I looked over the varied weeds. Mostly just dandelions and crabgrass. It was not that bad here. I was hop- I mean dreading that they would be like man eating plants or something.


    The streets in this area were well traveled and the sides had been barricaded to keep things out. It was not particularly early at this point, in fact, it was likely almost noon. The sun was overhead when we arrived before a small stadium. That being said it was still larger than two football fields and probably three stories tall. There were chunks missing from the wall to our side and farther down a whole section had collapsed. From the looks of it, I am guessing that a missile or something hit it.


    The archway inside led through darkened tunnels of dingy old concrete. Distantly the low calls of animals bounced around the walls. Most were mere murmurs, but there was the occasional growl that would make all my little hairs stand up. The stench of beasts filled this place, there were a lot in here. Claw marks dragged along the floor and walls, old and fresh blood stains not a day past in some cases. This did not seem like a happy place.


    We emerged out into the stands. Chairs sat in rows clear around, though a few were missing, others were damaged and some lay in the walkways. Down below on the football field, the fencing had been reinforced with a doubled layer to keep the animals from getting loose. Near the top razor wire created an extra bit of deterrence, though I doubted that it would do much if a radioactive animal made a break for it. Light stands every fifty feet or so to keep the place lit at night. Most of them had a few burnt out bulbs. What looked like an obstacle course spanned the arena. Most of the bare ground had holes dug in it, little trenches in some cases. The mutant animals were elsewhere for now, likely in the team locker rooms underground. I could assume that kennels or something equivalent was set up down there. It seemed that during the day there was not much going on here.


    The fresh air blew on a slight breeze and the blazing sun stared down at us. This was looking like it was going to be a hot day. It was already in the nineties and it had not even hit the peak yet. Glitter Kitten stretched and yawned. Her fur bristled up for a second, then settled back down. She found a nice shaded spot, padded at it a few times and curled up ready to take a cat nap. It was cute, although, we really should be finding those drugs. She looked so relaxed and it felt wrong to disturb her. I wrestled with myself over what to do. It was a losing battle, though. The soft and fluffy won out. I took off my jacket and set it for her to use as a pillow.


    I sat beside her, letting bottom righty pet through her hair. It was a win, win I suppose. I get my daily dose of cuddles and she gets a good petting. Glitter Kitten seemed to enjoy the attention, she rolled onto her back, exposing her belly. I ruffled the hair back and forth, idly following the ups and downs of her breasts. She liked that, a little too much if you ask me. She had some perky nips and she shuddered every time I brushed one. I was not even trying to feel her up or anything. I just wanted to pet her, but I am getting the feeling she wants to turn this into something else. Something not very PG at all with how musky she was getting. For now, I should be safe, though.


    I let Sub auto pilot the arm, stroking the naughty kitty. Meanwhile, I looked over the map in our head. Hmm. Let''s see, so if here is the Sparkle Kat and here is Three Dog... Then almost straight west of here is the cocaine stash. Then, what the fuck is the Honey Badger? According to the map, it is right next to the Stash assuming, of course, this thing can be trusted. Somehow, I was getting a bad feeling about this badger. Don''t know why. It kinda feels like a gnawing sensation in my right ar- AHH! Damn it, Glitter Kitten!


    What did you do, Sub?! How did this happen? Don''t you fucking lie to me. You were on petting patrol, so how did you fuck that up! Either Sub was telling the truth and this was unprovoked or she was devoted to her lie. Hard to tell which, though, it is true cats get riled up if you rub their tummies. Well, she is very cat like. It makes sense. True to her catkin, she had turned on me. Jesus those nails are sharp! Her claws dug into my arm and she was latched onto me, biting and scratching. Not sure why she was purring the whole damned time. At the least act like you are not enjoying my pain.


    ¡°It hurts! Glitter Kitten stop it will you?¡±


    ¡°Nyoooo,¡± she yowled, before nipping at me again.


    I waved my arm, trying to dislodge the cat girl, to no avail. She was on me tighter than a tick. Owe, owe she is really starting to draw blood here. I swung my arm down like a hammer and she scuttled to the opposite side of it, avoiding the impact. The only one who got hurt here was me when my arm cracked against the thick concrete ground. I winced, watching as a fracture ran up my carapace. Gonna feel that for a while. How do you stop a cat from attacking you? I don''t know.


    I spun around, hoping that the rotation would get her dizzy or something, anything really. She was perfectly fine, me on the other hand, well I was a wobbling mess. My footing came loose and I fell back with her atop me. The world kept spinning and I was at my wit''s end. Then I noticed something... Sub had been wiggling her fingers and ruffling up her belly this whole time. I seized back control and with the death of my movement, also came the end of the attack. Or at the least, it should have. Glitter Kitten resumed after a few moments. Why!?


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Then it came to me. I remembered that cat my friend had in high school. The little fucker was just like this. Let you pet her and then she would roll over, let you get her stomach only to turn on you. She would claw the shit outta my arm every time too. How did I stop her? That is right, I smothered her in love. It also helped to have gloves and a thick sweater. I know what I must do now. I had to attack. They react to weakness and prey upon it. So I gotta not pull back and instead dive in, just like if a dog bites you.


    I coiled around Glitter Kitten, all four arms. She did not like that, really did not like that. I could assume that she felt trapped. Come to think about it, this is the first time that I have gotta a good feel for her weight. Usually, she is like a damned ghost and I can''t get a firm hold on her. She was light, like really light, can''t be more than a hundred and thirty pounds. Has she not been eating right? Well, I can think about that later. Now I have got you little kitty! My hands roughly went over her, this way, that way and even side to side. It drove her wild and she fought my grasp. She was yowling the whole time. It seems that I am stronger than her, or at the least, she is not serious enough to actually use her real power.


    I am starting to think that Glitter Kitten is an attention whore. It makes sense, oddly enough. Her parents abused her and neglected her, this would damage just about anybody. As a result, now she has daddy issues, explaining her ravenous sexuality and her loose morals. She did not get enough love from her mother and now she is seeking comfort through any means. It might be attention and fawning that she gets from stripping or it could be the love she gets from her children. It is a little sad to see her trying so desperately to give her children what she never had, a childhood. It is heart warming. Then again this is all just conjecture and my own delusions. Although if it was true, then I could manipulate the shit out of her.


    ¡°Who''s a good kitty? You''re a good kitty, yes you are, yes you are,¡± I smirked, rubbing her all over. She liked that, meowing lowly.


    Well, animals like it when you talk down to them like that, so I was kinda taking a gamble here. It sort of paid off. She calmed down, no longer biting or scratching. I pat at her, making damned sure not to touch her stomach, that was her attack button. Everywhere else was just fine. I dug my thumb in, kneading it just above her tail as a result, it was puffed up with hair. I kept stroking her under the chin, rubbing the neck a little and of course scratching her head in between the ears. A low rumbling purr emanated from her chest, she was rather content to just lay there in my lap, being pampered. I could do this all day however, there was still the pressing issue that should be taken care of as quickly as possible.


    I let her go and she just looked at me blankly. She had that, pet me more look in her eyes. She rubbed her head against my leg, while she circled on all fours. It appeared that she did not want to stop. She arched her back scratching her side against me. Serious what the hell is wrong with her? It is like she is my pet now or something.


    I wonder if I can keep her? Maybe I can smuggle her into my room and she can sleep under the bed. I think Sunshine might be on board for that. Gonna have to give her a nice long bath, though, she smells. It would be so adorable to dress her up like a neko maid, but first I need to get a collar with a name tag and leash. She has to get her shots too. I don''t know if I could deal with any more kittens, so it would probably be good to get her spade can''t have her whore catting out there and getting preggers on me. Granted, I am thinking too highly of myself here. Glitter Kitten likely sees me as her new scratching post. And it is bad that I am thinking of her as an animal. She is a people damn it. It doesn''t matter how cute she is, I can''t have her as a pet. It is just wrong. That and I can''t keep her anyway, she would be thrown in jail.


    I stared at the carefree cat girl, rolling around on the ground, bathing in the sun. My hopes thoroughly crushed by reality. I looked away, scratching my chin and my eyes fell on a familiar trio of little heads poking up from behind a diving wall, about twenty feet away. They ducked down to stay out of sight, but it was already too late. I might not be able to take Glitter Kitten home, however, her kids have no criminal records yet, at the least I hope not.


    ¡°Hey, Glitter Kitten,¡± I said looking down at her.


    ¡°Nyeas?¡± she asked, laying there lazily.


    I looked around awkwardly, trying to figure out how to word this. ¡°I was eh, wondering. Um... I, could I like have one of your kids?¡±


    Our eyes met and her playful manner was no more. Her tail swished and I realized I fucked that up. She seemed to actually be thinking about it, though. ¡°What would you do with one of my Kittens?¡±


    ¡°I said that badly, I meant adopt. I would feed them and pet them and love them.¡±


    She smiled slightly, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What? Why not?¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it obvious?¡± she asked and I shook my head. ¡°Sub Humans are not allowed outside of the Slums. We are dangerous, one of my kittens is as strong as a grown man.¡±


    ¡°I could work something out. Please?¡±


    ¡°Look, I appreciate the sentiment, Nyah, but, how do you even know if you will be going home? The way things are going, you will be staying down here.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is true.¡±


    ¡°Think about it this way. You might not be able to take one of my Kittens with you, but if you stayed here and joined my gang, I would pick one out for you. It would not be right away, of course, we may have gotten down and dirty, but that don''t mean anything when it comes to my babies. Trust has to be earned after all.¡±


    Shit, she is right. If I don''t get that stash, then I ain''t going nowhere. I have been putting the horse before the cart so to speak. Alright then let''s get this dealt with.


    ''Or we could stay here,'' whispered Sub.


    Whoa, whoa, hold your damned horses, Sub. Look Glitter Kitten seems alright, but you have to remember that these people almost killed me, us, they kidnapped us. Don''t tell me you are going Stockholm on me? It has been one fucking night! It is the kitten pussy, isn''t it? What about Sunshine, Chief, Medavac or Neon Nurse? We have friends up there. Look the cats might be cuddly, but we should not trust her. This is a villain we are talking about here. She is using us and most likely lying about everything. I don''t care how good the sex was, something just ain''t right about this whole thing. Now look we can visit and get our pussycat dosage when we need it, but down here is not the life for us, especially not the life of crime.


    ''Alright, let''s find the drugs and get this over with,'' said Sub meekly.


    ¡°You are not going to protest? That is surprising.¡±


    ''Well, no use in worrying about it. We will decide when the time comes. At any rate keep an open mind about this, there are good merits to both.''


    Sub had some good points, but I wanted out of here. The main reason? Honestly, it is food. They got none, besides pet food and I like people food. Sure sex is nice, but I can live without it. Food, on the other hand, is well, one of my vices so to speak. I am the live to eat sort of people. If they were not criminals then I would not have much of a problem with it. I had seen this sort of thing before though, it was on tv actually. A documentary about gangs.


    What Glitter Kitten was doing is a recruitment tactic. They show you the fun side, the spoils of their ill-gotten gains. It gets you hooked and wanting more. Then when you crave it they let you in on criminal stuff, usually, it is not bad at the start. They want to ease you into it. Then it escalates slowly at first, but the rewards make you want to do it. The bigger the job, the bigger the reward. It was a very simple tactic. Molotov even used it on me, though her favorite seemed to be the carrot and stick principle. Cults use this stuff too. If they can control how you feel, then they can control what you do. Maybe I should thank Molotov if it was not for her and experiencing it first hand I probably would have fallen for it. For now, I will play along. If she keeps her word then all is well, if not well then I will have to find a way to escape.


    I glanced over the kittens, making sure that they did not notice. Snowball, Midnight, and Rocket were sniggering over there, likely plotting something. Unfortunately for them, so was I. When they looked away I ducked down and scuttled up the stairs out of sight. I stalked around the side of the concrete divider and arrived at the top corner on their side. They were roughly twenty feet away, downhill from me. Snowball peered over the little wall wondering where I went. With a grin, I went along to the next row and got behind them. Sneaking up on the three was a slow process, they had good ears so I had to be quiet.


    Rocket leaned over the wall with his hand over his eyes, fruitlessly looking for me. Hehehe, they don''t even know I am coming. The three curiously emerged and went out to where I had been. They looked around and I took the place where they had just been. Midnight smelled the air a bit, getting near the ground. For a long moment I thought that she was going to follow my trail instead, she went up the stairs to a large booth-like structure. The other two followed. I slunk along until they were a mere five feet away.


    The trio had relocated to an enclosed room that overlooked the stadium. The glass had been broken out at some point, letting the wind flounce through the room. The chairs in here were cushioned, though they had not been holding up so well. Most were scratched up. It was nice and shady, and cool in here. The perfect place to take a nap.


    They started sniffing when the wind changed direction and I was just about to pounce, when I smelled something too, Glitter Kitten. I turned to realize that I was not the only one stalking. It seems that the hunter was the hunted all along. She was crouched not ten feet behind, ready to attack, tail in the air and bottom wiggling. She sprung forward tackling me. I squirmed and fought, but she was stronger and I ended up rolling over in submission.


    ¡°Nyahaha. That was fun,¡± she smirked down at me.


    The kittens were laughing, it seems that they knew all along and were acting as bait. They came over and started pawing at my face. This, this was not so bad. Glitter Kitten got off of me and I hugged Snowball. I pet her and she purred. It made the others jealous and they rubbed up against me. Each of my hands pats at a head or scratched at chins. All this soft and fluffy fur flowing between my fingers. Their deep chested purring was rather soothing. I snuggled up with them for a long time.


    I lazily watched the sun move across the sky and a realization came to me. What the fuck am I doing?! I need to find those damned drugs. Glitter Kitten is distracting me. Damn my short attention span and love of cuddling! Shit, I must have wasted three hours here already. I wiggled free from the sleeping cats, though it woke them. Glitter Kitten stretched with a heavy yawn and pawned at her eyes.


    ¡°Nyn, nyn, nyn? What gives?¡±


    ¡°I think I know where to look.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Well, that was a nice nyap. Shall we?¡±

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 3

    The Vespidian


    Arc 6, To Skin A Cat


    Chapter 3


    We walked along the desolate streets, where not even the mutant animals roamed. It was a little unnerving how quiet this place was, especially considering that this was once a very prominent part of the city. Glitter Kitten and the three munchkins seemed more interested in playing around than actually finding the drugs. Currently, Snowball was chasing a butterfly. It did not make much sense, considering that it was over a hundred million dollars worth of stuff, not to mention what this might do to her relations with the Angels of Hell. I might just be paranoid, but I think she is up to something. It just doesn¡¯t add up.


    ¡°So where is the Sparkle Kat relative to where we are?¡± I asked, looking over the buildings. They formed walls, enclosing the street in a sort of maze.


    She thought about it for a moment, then pointed to our left side. I clawed my way up a building for a better vantage point. Sure enough, it was over in that direction. The Three Headed Dog lay behind us from this distance it reminded me of pictures of the Colosseum over in Rome, more modern of course. After a long moment of inspecting the mental map, it seemed that the stash appeared to be at an angle from where we currently were. It looked like it would have been a bitch to get to if we had to just follow the roads.


    I turned to tell them to follow and found Glitter Kitten, already waiting beside me. My reflexes jumped and I fell back. When the hell did she get there? I did not hear, nor even sense her. My cockroach like reaction time seems to be put to shame by the cat. She gave me a smirk, concealing a chuckle behind her hand.


    ¡°So?¡± she asked, extending a hand to lift me back up.


    ¡°I think it is over there. Not too sure how far, though, the map was not exact.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see.¡± she nodded, her tail flicked. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this over with, shall we? Try to keep up.¡±


    She did not wait for my reply, before crouching down and springing forward. She landed three buildings over, which I can only assume was more than a thousand feet away. This bitch has hops. The Kittens got running starts and followed suit, though they only managed to clear a building. Still, they were quick little things. Ah, I just got left behind. It has been a while since I got to run around like this. That suit is really spoiling me with the flight function. Seems that a good stretch will hit the spot. My legs bristled and I set off after them.


    Buildings quickly passed by from the blistering pace that the cat was setting. Most of the roofs were gravel coated and crunched angrily below my talons. The cats, however, did not make a damned sound. Could it be the pads on their feet, dampening the noise? Maybe I could learn the ways of the cat from them? If it¡¯s something like that it would be impossible simply by anatomy, which makes me a little sad. Who knows, being quiet while fast does have an appeal to it. I am faster than the kittens, don¡¯t even have to go on all sixes to do it either. I don¡¯t even bother, trying to outpace Glitter Kitten. I know she is quicker than me.


    She came to a halt, atop a teetering water tower that overlooked a wide open space below. The railing rusted off in several places and there were holes in the walkway. Down below it seemed to be some sort of park. Brown and gray mixed together from the dead plants and the hot concrete asphalt surrounding it. What looked like a large pond had long since dried up, leaving behind its empty basin near the center. Dead withered trees stood sparsely between the cratered ground where several explosions had gone off at some point. Tall golden grass shifted in the breeze. Insects chirped, but there were no birds to be seen, nor heard.


    Ah, I have heard of this place. It was the old Memorial Park, it immortalized the Bronson family who started the city way back in the day. Or at the least it did, the statues had all been broken apart. Some were rescued when the fighting broke out, but most were not. As a result, they are now in a very sorry state. Just about all of them were nothing more than bases, not even the inscriptions had been spared from the vandalism or collateral damage. In its heyday this place was probably beautiful. Now it is just a sad reminder of what once was.


    Seems odd that we would stop in a place like this. I was about to ask why, when Glitter Kitten raised her finger to stop me. She said in a low voice, ¡°Be quiet, nyah, the Ferals are around here. They might be mindless, but they are strong, well, some of them anyway.¡±


    Ferals? So close to her turf? I am surprised that she has not chased them all off. Oh, that reminds me. Something had been bugging me for a while. I whispered, ¡°I was wondering, how many Ferals are there?¡±


    Glitter Kitten thought it over for a second and shrugged. ¡°No idea. Thousands scattered throughout the Slums most likely. They have little packs and fight over territory. There are less than a hundred of us with our minds still intact. The problem is nine times out of ten a newly converted person will go nuts. It is why the number is not moving, despite the fact that we kill them whenever we see them. Idiots come into the slums, not in our safe zone and get attacked and turn. Then there is also the full moon and everything down here gets crazy. Usually, I wake up and there are a few more mouths to feed than before.¡±


    ¡°It is that bad?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, recently we have found ways around it. Only the Ferals rage out and attack the city. Well, mostly.¡±


    ¡°Who are the Scalies?¡±


    ¡°How do you know about them?¡±


    ¡°Eh, Thumper was talking about it with Den Mother.¡±


    ¡°Ah, mammals were not the only thing that mutates, people you know. Scalies are the lizard and snake people. There are very few of them, sane ones anyway. Humans are not compatible with reptiles and it makes them a bit¡­ Predatory. As far as we are concerned, they can all die. Fuckers ate one of my Kittens. I am not the only one to have lost kids to them either.¡± she spat and looked away.


    Crap, that took a sharp turn south. I looked down at the park. Everything was still, save the tall grass. Odd, there is no wind right now. I focused in on it and realized that there were little trails going through it. At ground level, they would be concealed, but from up here I could see it just fine. There was something moving around down there. Oh, it is a rat man. He looked a bit mangy and scrawny. It was not hard to tell that he was hungry. He made his way along, quietly, cautiously and for good reason too, he was not alone. To each side wakes in the grass made it clear that a pair of something was closing in.


    ¡°Run, you little rat bastard!¡± I screamed down at him.


    He jumped at the sudden sound and looked around. Smelled the air, and he started to pale. His stalkers had frozen in place and waited. He ignored my warning and padded about with uncertainty. Why is he not running? I was about to yell at him again when it happened. The brush exploded with movement and the duo of hunters pounced out into view. Two cat girls. One was striped like a tiger and the other was a smoky gray color. They looked starved as well, I could see their ribs through their skin. The squealing rat man bolted away with them hot on his heels. I took a step to leap into action when Glitter Kitten grabbed my arm and pulled me back. She shook her head. I yanked and tried to get away, but she would not let go. I could only watch.


    He was cornered off to our side in a small alley. The poor bastard lashed out, nipping and snarling at the two, but then they coordinated and attacked from both sides at once. His screams filled the air and the kittens cowered behind their mother. Good to know they have a healthy sense of fear. The fight was not over yet, surprisingly. He bucked and knocked the gray one off before sinking his teeth into an arm. She yowled and raked his face with her claws, blinding and disorientating him. The tiger striped one bit into the back of his neck and thrashed. It took only a few moments before I heard the neck snap and foam poured out of this mouth. His struggling faded to jerks and spasms.


    If that had been it then I would not have felt so bad about not helping. There is only one reason that animals hunt and that is to eat. They tore into their prey ravenously and devoured whole chunks at a time. Blood quickly pooled and coated their fur. They feasted without a care in the world of what a horrible thing they had just done. I could smell it from here, the metallic scent of blood. Sub was relishing it, in fact, she enjoyed that whole scene and was even turned on by it. It is your snuff film fetish and vore shit at work. You got some serious problems, Sub. They really are just fucking animals. What the hell. I thought everyone was just blowing it out of proportion, but fuck. These things are dangerous. No wonder everybody is worried over this. Glitter Kitten might be right, they need to be put down or otherwise dealt with. There has to be another way, though. Surely they could be trained or something.


    ¡°You going to kill them?¡± I asked.


    She nodded, ¡°Too dangerous to let them roam wild. Especially this close.¡±


    I did not question it, did not even try to stop her, not that I could anyway. She moved like a blur and had closed the distance between us and them in a second. The first did not even have a chance to react before she smashed their skulls against the ground. It burst open like a watermelon, splattering brain matter and blood. She ducked under a frantic and rage filled swipe. Her claws came out and she stabbed both hands into the undefended belly, ripping and gashing. The feral fell over, disemboweled and screaming incoherently. Glitter Kitten had mercy and finished her off by curb stomping the head into paste. She did not play with her prey, like I had been half expecting. Glitter Kitten wore an emotionless face during the whole encounter. It seems she is used to this, the killing that is. Well, at the least she did not enjoy it. Not on the outside anyway, no telling what she is thinking.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    She returned and I asked, ¡°You don¡¯t pull your punches, do you? Why didn¡¯t you save the rat?¡±


    ¡°No point, feral as well.¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Smell.¡±


    ¡°You can tell by smell?¡±


    ¡°Nyup, you can tell a lot from piss you know. It is why we mark things, nyah. For instance, you can tell if someone is injured or sick. All ferals smell like they are sick.¡±


    ¡°Piss? Don¡¯t tell me you mark things too.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. I mark what is mine that way everybody knows. It also helps keep the ferals out of our turf, scares them off you know.¡±


    ¡°Seems a little barbaric.¡±


    ¡°It gets the job done. Here, you got a good sense of smell, right? Take a good smell of them, so you know the difference.¡±


    Reluctantly, I went down to the blood-soaked murder scene. Pieces of flesh were scattered all over the place. Fur and random bones poked out through all the red. I had seen some stuff in my time, but this was some rather grizzly stuff. I smelled. At first, I could only sense the tangy life juices and raw meat, but after about a minute or so I discovered the scents. There were four, one was easily recognized as Glitter Kitten. It was healthy and strong, however, the others seemed strange. There was something about them that I could not put my finger on, but they were just wrong. Can¡¯t really explain it, even compared to the other cat girls from the Sparkle Kat it smelled spoiled. Like something was rotting.


    I picked up a large chunk of brain and my antenna squirmed, it was the source of the stench. I stared in wonder. Does this mean there is something wrong with their brains? Could the mutation destroy their brain cells or something, it is like they have¡­ Rabies or mad cow. Wait, is this contagious? I think I heard about some tribe somewhere that ate the brains of their dead and it made them sick. Gave them a neurosis type of thing or was it Prions, I can¡¯t remember. If something similar to that is going on down here, couple it with the animal brain taking over and it is a recipe for disaster.


    It would be similar to a zombie outbreak, speaking of which, there was one of those over in Africa the other week. It was rather small scale and put down in less than a day, but it still made the news. It seems that even Sub lost her appetite after remembering that. Well, there is only one person I know who would have any idea about what to do to fix this, Dr. Arbor.


    ¡°Hey, you guys don¡¯t like, eat the ferals right?¡± I asked, looking over at Glitter Kitten, who was keeping her distance.


    She had a grossed out look across her face like she might throw up. ¡°What the fuck. Why would anybody eat them? You are sick, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Hey, it is a valid question. Make sure nobody eats them. The feral thing might spread.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you think it is infectious?¡±


    ¡°It might be. Have you guys ever seen Dr. Arbor?¡±


    She put a finger over her mouth, tapping it. ¡°You mean that crazy, mad scientist who experiments on random stuff? Yeah, I remember that bitch. She shot me with a fucking dart like three years ago. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°She shot you? Can¡¯t you dodge bullets?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can, but she got me while I was nyapping. Got me right on the ass too, it hurt. Then me and everybody else that she shot got sick for a week. I thought my kittens were going to die, since they could not keep their food down.¡±


    ¡°You have not seen her since?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Oh, hey. How much farther do you think it is to the stash?¡±


    ¡°No idea, it should be around here somewhere, though,¡± I replied, looking over the tall grass throughout the park.


    It was only about four feet high, so not that bad, for me at the least. Glitter Kitten was only five feet tall, so it was a bit close and her head was the only thing poking out. The Kittens could not even be seen above the grass. It made me a little wary and I would have preferred to go around the park, but Glitter Kitten wanted to make sure there were no more ferals in the area.


    Despite my gut feeling we continued along, wading through the grass. It did not take long to find an animal trail and start following it. The path wound through the park like a lazy snake and eventually led to a burrow. It was larger, more than eight feet across and piled up to a good five feet. We sniffed at the air and realized that whatever the hell was in there was not a cat and there was probably more than one.


    Glitter Kitten¡¯s face scrunched up when the stink hit her. ¡°Never smelled this before. So be careful.¡±


    Warily we approached the hole, with the kittens a good distance away up in a tree, just in case. Something in there stirred when we reached five feet from the entrance. It came barreling out, shaggy white furred back, the rest was black. Thick claws sprouted from the hands and feet. The face was narrow, much the same as the werewolves, but it was not a dog. It was a badger and it looked pissed. The badger person reared up snarling and swiping. I realized it was a girl. She was shorter than me standing upright, but she certainly made up for it with attitude. A standoff ensued when another, even larger one emerged. This one was even more aggressive and from the junk hanging down I could see why. It was a male, probably all hyped up on testosterone. We had a fight on our hands.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the big one, you deal with the little one.¡± said Glitter Kitten, lunging forward.


    She tackled into the open stance of the male badger. Her claws raking through fur. She had gone for the legs and done some damage, but it was not enough. The badger howled and swung down, missing. Ah shit, are these endurance supers? I peeled my eyes away from Glitter Kitten¡¯s fight to my own problems. The female charged forward, showing no fear despite the fact that I was bigger than her. Oh god, she is so angry! I punched down, sending her snout into the ground and stopping her momentum. I grappled onto her back and wrapped my fingers around her neck, or at the least tried, it was too thick. I managed to get my arm around it and lock it into position. Pulling with all my strength she wheezed and struggled below me. Her head dipped forward before smashing back and cracking me in the face. Involuntarily I let go, getting thrown to the ground as a result.


    I shook my head and turned to face her, when a clawed paw slapped against my side. It hurled me a good five feet and cracked the carapace. Yellow stained the ground. These are ferals, I should not hold back. The problem is how the hell do I beat an endurance super? They have to have some sort of weakness. Maybe if I go for the eyes? It was worth a shot. She bore down on me and I rolled when she slammed her fists down, avoiding the blow. I managed to get some good distance by jumping back. It was just enough to get a running start. On all sixes, I bolted back at her and slammed into her side. She wobbled over, falling to the ground. I pounced onto her back, getting a good hold.


    My stinger stabbed down, scrapping against her tough skin. It was too hard to pierce, plan B I suppose, sorry for this. My claws dug into her face, gouging out her eyes and all I could hear were her agonized screams. I felt a pain in my heart, this was wrong. I know it is not right, but what else can I do? I winced, damn it. No use thinking about it, best to just get it over with, it is her or me. Her struggling increased as my fingers went deeper into her eye sockets. She was blinded, but certainly not out. She raged and threw me off, rampaging in a circle, lashing out in every direction. I started to feel really bad about this, it feels like I am torturing her.


    Glitter Kitten was already done with her rival. He lay dead, neck crushed. ¡°Nyah, you want a tip? You gotta be quick, don¡¯t let them suffer like that.¡±


    ¡°I know that. This just doesn¡¯t feel right.¡±


    ¡°What are you worried about? They are ferals. It is just an animal, kill it and let¡¯s see what else is around.¡±


    Glitter Kitten¡¯s voice attracted the raging badger and she charged, arms swiping. It took the cat all of a moment to lay with her hands on the ground, winding up for a kick. She launched herself feet first. The blow connected right into the stomach and blood poured out of her mouth, along with foam. She nearly toppled over, wheezing and gagging. Why won¡¯t she just go down? Just die already, fuck. Glitter Kitten made it rather obvious that she was not going to finish the job, and it was up to me to kill her. She just sat there, watch and waiting. Uneasily I approached the unsteady badger, it is just better to put her out of her misery. I grasped her head with all four arms and twisted. A crack echoed through the park and she fell, writhing and convulsing on the ground. Finally, it was over when she stopped moving. I don¡¯t think I can be proud of this. There has to be another way.


    A small whimpering sound came from the den and my mouth filled with bile. It was no wonder they attacked us, they were defending their children. Three little badger kids crawled towards their mother, they were about as big as Glitter Kitten¡¯s smallest kids. In other words, they were not even two yet. My face paled when she moved towards them. I took a step back, I don¡¯t wanna kill children. This is so fucked up. I wanted to try to reason with her, but I could smell it, the stink of a feral.


    ¡°Wait, Glitter Kitten! You can¡¯t kill kids.¡±


    ¡°They are ferals. How many times do I have to tell you? They are animals. If you see a rabid dog on the street you put it down. That is all there is to this. Besides, even if we left them alone, without their parents they will starve. Killing them is a mercy or would you rather they slowly wither away, or be eaten by some other animal?¡±


    ¡°But surely there is another way!¡±


    ¡°There is not. I have tried, feral is feral. There is no coming back. They might be small now, but give it a few years and they will be monsters.¡±


    Glitter Kitten strangled them and kicked me flat when I tried to stop her. Their screams rose and fell into silence. The kittens had slunk their way over, sitting beside me as I moped. Some hero I am, killing a mother and letting her children get killed. I am a failure. I could feel tears running down my face. The three cuddled around me, trying to make me feel better. It worked a little, but I still felt like shit. Glitter Kitten sat across from me, having scoured the den for anything of value and collapsed the tunnel with the bodies inside, effectively burying them.


    ¡°Well, sorry to break it to you, but this is our everyday life. It is the law of the jungle, kill or be killed.¡±


    ¡°I think this was the honey badger on the map, so nearby is the stash, should be over there,¡± I said, reluctantly pointing north west.


    ¡°Well, come on then and let¡¯s get this sorted out. When we get back to the Sparkle Kat, drinks are on me so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if drinking is going to deal with this. I just want to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Then I will let you sleep when we get back.¡±


    I lagged behind her as we continued on. The next area was a junkyard. Piles of metal and crumpled cars made walls with avenues to walk around. There were wererats here, but they were scared of Glitter Kitten and did not even try to come out. We wandered aimlessly through the junk. The kittens played with a Frisbee that had been thrown away. One even found a basketball that was half deflated. I opened an old refrigerator and jumped back, when a skeleton with a fedora on fell out. Glitter Kitten sniffed around. It seemed that she was on to something and so we followed behind her, along one of the many paths. Broken bicycles and old training equipment lay, strewn across the ground.


    The road dead ended by a bus crushed beneath a crumpled up sedan. She circled around before stopping beside a tarp covered cargo container. Glitter Kitten gave it a long look, ripped the covering down and pried it open, snapping off the lock with her claw. The fading sunlight glared off of the white wrapped bricks. It seems we found what we were looking for. Seems a little anti-climatic really. I was expecting some sort of trap or something. It is a good thing really, after all, I have had enough shenanigans for one day. Somehow, though, I felt this was far from over.

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 4: Interlude Burnout

    Hello everyone ^^ It is Saturday I hope you enjoy. There is a little bit Spanish talk so I will translate it. ( Like this) Beside it. Some fairly heavy drug use in this chapter, in no way shape or form do I endorse drug use. Drugs are bad mmkay kids?


    Vespidian, Arc 6, Chapter 4: Interlude Burnout


    Smoke wafted through the oil-tainted air. It was a good stench, one that Burnout was used to. It meant that things were getting done. An engine roared to life, then puttered and died with the excited cries of a lunatic. Things were definitely getting done tonight. It brought a smile to her cruel face, though it was covered by the skull bandanna and her bugged out eyes were under her tinted goggles. Her half shaved head, let the long purple hair drape over one side. Cook Cook was on a roll. He was screaming and raving about something and that was always a good thing. Last time he had a breakthrough he figured out how to make fireproof suits for the goons, before that he souped up the bikes to survive the intense heat from their Pyrokinesis. This time? Who the fuck knows, the man was a genius.


    Burnout walked back and forth decked out in motorcycle leathers. The flaming skull with wings emblazoned upon the back of the jacket with a bold A H in the eye sockets. It was customary for any Angels of Hell member to have it somewhere on their outfit. Her gloved hands left the fingers exposed as she twitchily scratched at her neck. It was already red from irritation and if this persisted then the old scabs would break and start to bleed again. It had been a full day since she had, had a hit and it was getting to her. The high had ended long ago and now she felt cold, lost, and paranoid. Were her men holding out on her? They sure seemed happy for not having any drugs. She cursed under her breath and scratched harder, tearing a scab and shuddered from the pain. It always cleared her mind and focused it at times like this. Brought things into perspective and kept things grounded.


    The garage for the auto repair stop, Sparky¡¯s was positively brimming with boisterous banter as some other members came rolling in hyped up on something. They had been messing around all day and a little lesson was in store. Burnout¡¯s hand glowed sending a fireball the size of a hubcap into the guy who was smiling the most. It smacked him clear off the bike and he promptly rolled across the floor, screaming while the others laughed at his pain. Their voices were jeering and irritated Burnout. Fire filled her hands again and the whole group took off running. She snuffed it out, shaking her head. This migraine would be the death of somebody.


    Her eyes roamed over the familiar wide open space, where suits hung from hooks and mechanized bikes, sat on platforms to be worked on. Among this veritable jungle of pipes and cylinders was Cook Cook. Everything had been cobbled together by him. If they had better funding, then they could most likely get things to look fancy rather than somewhat ramshackle in appearance. It had a bit of that atomic punk feel to just about everything that he made. Gears and twisting springs, glowing tubes flowed through thick plates and heavy structures. Although none of this stuff was powered by heated water, it was all nuclear. Twice as efficient, twice as dangerous and twice as likely to go critical if it got hit in the wrong place. Of course, that was Cook Cook¡¯s specialty, sacrificing safety for performance and output. Sure, it made every one of these bikes a literal death machine to use, but it sure was a wild ride before it blew up.


    ¡°Wh- what- whatcha working on Cooky?¡± she asked, looming behind the squatted mechanical suit.


    Cook Cook didn¡¯t even acknowledge that she was there. He kept tinkering away on her bike, welding torch in hand. Sparks sprayed as he melded metal and bent the chassis. Her eye twitched with irritation, but she knew better than to interrupt a Mecha Engineer while he was inspired. If he was not responding, either this is all just a figment of her drug deprived mind or he was in a transcendent state of creation, crafting things that had no business ever being made reality. It was fucking magic how the man broke every law of physics. She had no idea how it worked, only that it did. Seriously, who the hell would think to power a bike with the raw radiant power of a Pyrokinetic, Cooky that is who. He was smart, but that damned Fire Chief seemed to be three steps ahead at every turn. Cooky made a new napalm and Fire Chief made a grenade that could instantly kill the fire. Cooky figured out how to use radiation to create a potent chemical fire that could burn without fuel and Fire Chief concocted a water solution that destabilized it and snuffed it out. It was back and forth and stressful enough to induce nail-biting from Burnout and she was not even the one trying to out think a certified genius.


    Then, of course, there were the Junior Teams. Oh boy, did she hate those little shits. Especially that new one, Mecha Fairy. That little bitch got Blaze caught. Not only that, she brutalized him and tore his dick off. She could not think of anything that would be more pleasing than to roast that bitch alive. Not only would it be satisfying it would totally rub it in Fire Chief¡¯s face as well as get revenge. It was like three birds with one fireball. She really liked the sounds of that. The others on the team were, well not really a problem, besides maybe that nut case Sunshine. In terms of raw power, hands down she was the strongest on that team. It had more to do with how versatile she was than anything else. Last time she rained kittens made out of water and it tripped Burnout out so badly she almost had a breakdown. It did not help that she was on acid at the time and they turned into butterflies with people faces. Everybody else on that team would scatter like chickens set ablaze if anything even remotely dangerous looking came at them.


    She tapped her foot and held her hands still. She had the shakes. It did not feel good, to do nothing, but wait. However, without a steady supply of cocaine, well, there was not going to be a rescue attempt for Blazerunner. It was pissing her off, he was going to get shipped off any day now to the Institute. No one really knows what happens there, but people go in and never come out, at the least not the same. Speaking of Sunshine, she would be a prime example of an extreme case. If memory served that little ball of light used to be a psychotic serial killer. A warning to every Villain of what will happen if you get shipped. Whatever they did, it involved Mind Divers or maybe torture, likely both. Half the heroes in the league are ex Villains, who have had an attitude adjustment. Neon Nurse would be the only other that she could think of with a decent rank in the city. Although it was different for her, she betrayed her group and sold out their lair, so that she would not go to the Institute.


    A compromised Lair spells doom for any group usually. That alone should have ended the Cyber Sirens, but Spark Spray and Vira got away. Now, they are holed up on the North West corner of the city, little bitches stole it from Burnout, she was still mad about losing such prime drug turf. That being said, there was not much she could do now that they were entrenched. It would be suicide to try and charge into their base with the amount of attack drones and defensive measures in place. She shook her head, remembering the last time they tried, lost fifty members and did not even get through the first set of blast doors. Rich kids, she spat on the ground. Well, what could she expect from the children of some of her richest clients?


    Breaking Blaze out was going to be a problem. The Heroes were expecting it and moving him around like a pearl in a shell game. Time was fleeting, which made that deal with Glitter Kitten even more pressing. The bitch was holding out, but she always came through in the end. At the least, she had never disappointed yet. This, though, was kinda a big deal. Biggest for the cat and only the fourth largest for Burnout herself. She had been looking forward to the after party for a while now. Last time it was such a blast, she rode around the city naked, during a night long, sex, alcohol, and drug binge. Just remembering the wind caressing her bare body made her shiver. This time there would not be a party, at the least not right away.


    Cooky was a short little bastard. Barely five foot and that was tip-toeing, outside of his suit anyway. He was fat too, kinda looked like a plumber with the cleavage going on back there. A huge bald spot on the top of his head, made it kinda look like an egg. Normally he wore oil spattered overalls and a welding mask. In the battle suit, he was taller than her and could stop a car going sixty. Then, of course, there were the flamethrowers built into the arms, jump jet on the back, and shoulder mounted rocket launcher all fueled with irradiated chems. He figured that shit out after a tangle with the Atomic Raiders. The stuff is easy to get too, there is a damned river of it running underneath the city courtesy of the Atomic Raiders and Bronson Atomic Industries.


    The idea to get a hit of that was a very short-lived one, even for Burnout. Desperate as she might be, she had seen what it did to somebody who got it spilled on them. It was not a good way to go. It melted the man into an ooze. The only person she knew that was crazy enough to snort a line of it or inject it into their balls would be Demon Rider. Granted, he was on a whole other level. Even for a rank 9, the guy was nuttier than squirrel shit. Name a drug or something that is bad for you and he has done it at one point or another. By all rights, he should be dead a thousand times over. You gotta be crazy to break into hell, steal the Devil¡¯s personal drug stash and take off with five of his bitches. Apparently, the Devil was not even mad and gave him a demon bike that ate drugs as a reward. All that he wanted in return was to watch the world burn. Win, win as far as Burnout was concerned. Speaking of him, it had been a while since she had even gotten coherent orders. The last time she had heard anything was, ¡°Burn the fucking Diablos! Burn them, Burn them all!¡± Then there was something about kittens laced with LSD, no idea what that was about.


    That was like a year ago. It is hard having a drug addled lunatic as your boss. At the least the demon bitches were acting as his secretaries, otherwise, it was doubtful anything would get done. Burnout had been true to her orders, even without a steady supply of drugs to sell or even use personally. Luckily the Diablos had plenty and it was easy enough to steal. The best part was selling it back to them. That always brought a smile to her face. Killing them all, though, that was proving to be very tricky. She might as well be trying to fight all of Mexico. There was a lot of them, like a metric shit ton. Ten members for every one that she had. Although for the time being she had more Supers. They had a wall of goons, though.


    The ante had been upped recently, from the escalating fighting. Especially now that word on the street was they managed to wrangle in a Kraken merc. It must have cost them upwards of several billion. Kraken never works for cheap. Unless you wave a couple billion at them, they won¡¯t lift a damned finger. At the least not the higher ones like Nitro, Molotov, Abyss, Soviet Love Hammer, Blood-Rage, or Mishka. How did she know they spent so much? Simple really they got one of the nastiest, Nitro. It did not take a month to take out LA. Well, two could play at that game. Burnout had already shacked up with a new, powerful Boss. If she managed to do her job, then she was guaranteed to get a heavy hitter that could help take out the Diablos and anybody else for that matter once and for all. The other thing that she stood to gain was membership into Kraken. The problem was the Boss was not happy with her performance so far. Honestly, they were lucky to even be alive after pissing the Boss off.


    Burnout hit her head against a support beam. It was not her fault. How was she supposed to know that one of the mooks was going to go scorched earth status and burn the blueprints to that death whatchamacallit? It was so damned hard too, to steal it from Dr. Tesla. She killed the guy responsible personally and that was what saved them more or less from the Boss. It sent shivers down her spine, remembering how close they had come to death. They were already in too deep now, she had seen his face. She had no idea why he was acting like a Hero, but it was none of her business. Asking questions tended to get you killed. If she ever got caught there was not a single doubt in her mind that a hit man would take her out before she could squeal. They were spared for now. However, she was on the shit list and was relegated to laundering money, even her mooks knew not to burn it. She made damned sure of that.


    ¡°Burnout!¡± cried several members who tore into the parking lot.


    Her brow furrowed and she walked out to them. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The Diablos are moving a shipment. They are going to be leaving any second.¡±


    ¡°See fuckers? That is why I am the boss. I know shit,¡± she smirked, fire billowing out from around her. She was getting pumped up. Finally, there was something to do. She was not made for sitting and thinking things over carefully, she could do it that did not mean she liked it, though.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    They nodded their heads not wanting to piss her off. She walked back inside. Cooky had just finished welding on a train scoop shaped like a skull onto the front of her bike. It actually looked pretty good and the spikes to gouge at people she drove past were certainly a plus. The shout had spurred movement from the rest of the members and more than a hundred poured out of the woodwork like fleas on a stray dog. They suited up and mounted their roaring bikes. Cooky stayed behind, too enthralled in what he was doing to come along. It was not the first time and likely would not be the last.


    She pulled off the bandanna tying it around her left arm. Her gaunt face certainly had seen better days. The drug use was not helping in the least. A front tooth had been knocked out, during her last fight with Enforcer. Her tongue poked out as she smirked. She owed him one for that and next time they crossed she would pay him back. She tossed her goggles to the side and lifted up her helmet. A distorted skull covered the front with large eye sockets and a jagged maw of teeth, the back was smooth and bone white. She slipped it on and tubes wormed up her nose. The two cartridges on either side of her face fed it drugs when she pressed a button. It was very handy when she needed a boost and could not go fumbling around for a needle.


    Burnout slid into the seat of her bike and wrapped her hands around the handlebars. It felt like she was whole again. Originally this thing had been a Harley Davidson, now it was certainly something more, something monstrous. It glowed, flames being pulled into it from her. The engine ignited like a bomb and it took off like a rocket barreling out onto the street, smoke and charred pavement left in its wake. Shouts from her men filled the air and her twisted smile spread. The familiar rumble and growl of her partner made the world seem distant. She only felt alive when she was riding. This was going to be a fun night.


    Street lights wavered, zooming by as they weaved in and out of traffic. They took the back roads and the less reputable routes that led through downtrodden neighborhoods and by sketchy crack houses. Naturally, all of it was under their control, however, with the semi-drought of drugs, business was not doing good. That was all going to change after that deal tomorrow. The streets will be flooded with cheap crack and the high-end stuff will get sold off to the CEOs of various businesses. They were rather faithful business patrons. She would likely make the money put into the deal in less than a week due to the sheer demand. Burnout knew how to squeeze the market and make them pay through the nose to get the good stuff. After all, she would rather use it herself than sell it. However, she did know that the funding was important. It was hard to run a multi-billion dollar drug smuggling and dealing ring. Well, she was not in charge per se, but she certainly was a big cog in the gears. Of course, anything stolen from the Diablos or anybody else for that matter was free to use since it was padding the numbers so to speak.


    They crossed over Down Town territory into the Industrial District. Lately, the place had been a war zone with the Sixes and Sevens going nuts. Any Villain worth their weight in anything knew about the affairs of others. It would be stupid not to know what your rivals and allies were up to. In other words, it was perfect for a hit and run, smash and grab type deal. Not only would the cops be busy with the riots, but the Diablos would think it was the Sixes that stole their shit or even the cops raiding a supply line. That and they had come prepared to frame somebody else. It was a powder keg doused in gasoline, surrounded by flaming tar. It was at no point a matter of if it would self-destruct and likely take out half the city to block wars, it was a matter of when. She always did like to watch the fireworks, now it was time to set them off.


    She eyed the target, a short convoy of three white vans that had ¡°Jose¡¯s Agriculture & Gardening¡± on the side. To most, this would not raise an eyebrow. Just some people going back to drop off the work vans after a long day of work and go home. It was a legit business that did all manner of stuff from harvesting the crops to mowing lawns and installing landscapes into people¡¯s yards. To the astute, well, it was clearly a front business. It was rather ingenious really, they would stash the stuff in people¡¯s yards or out at their work sites and none would be the wiser. That was until last month when Burnout cracked their system and figured it all out. The Angels of Hell had some too, mostly body shops or motorcycle repair places. Mostly, though, they were used to hide the bikes and anybody that was currently wanted.


    Burnout raised her hand and gave the motion. Everyone sped up. The vans floored it, seeing the headlights following. The sides opened up and men stood, holding the straps with one hand while raising their guns with the other. It was a wide assortment from AR-15s to Mossberg riot shotguns and 9mm Sig Sauer pistols. The Diablos were well armed, but so were the Angels. The night lit up with the cacophonous roar of gunfire, beating back and forth between the two sides. One of the bikes bolted ahead, covered in flames, rider screaming and then it detonated, tearing the street to pieces ahead. Everyone swerved to avoid the gaping sinkhole. One of the vans reacted too late and plunged in. She gave a hand signal and ten of her goons descended upon the wounded quarry.


    Normally Burnout would simply douse her opponent in napalm, but there was the chance of the cocaine getting torched, so that was a no go. The side compartment on her bike opened and she lugged out a heavily modified grenade launcher. It used to be one of Enforcers, MKII models. It was a real bitch to get the tracking device out. With a flip of the switch it was set to electro rounds and she fired. The recoil nearly unseated her and the round punched through the front of the lead van. Arcs of lightning jeered away from it, bursting streetlights and blacking out nearby warehouses. That one was dead in the water, engine fried. It veered to the side hitting a light post and the driver was ejected out into the street. Her tires bumped as he popped below her treads. She gave another signal and five chain wielding goons assailed the van, knocking out the windows. Others joined in like hyenas. They dragged the dazed Diablos out and started, beating the ever living shit out of them. Gunshots rang out distantly as she continued after the last remaining van.


    This one had a Super. An Endurance, Shielder Subset by the looks of it. In other words, this was going to be a pain in the ass. Bullets bounced off the bubble surrounding it and recoiled back at the firer. Several of the front line were cut down. The back opened up and Burnout¡¯s eyes gaped, her fist slammed into the side of her helmet. Burnout shuddered in elation, as the familiar high started pumping into her brain. It was not much, though, the last of her rations. It was similar to a gas tank running on fumes, just enough to get it kick started. The world moved at a snail¡¯s pace. Her heart pounded in her chest and eyes dilated. Fire covered her from head to toe, it reached out forming wings and she took flight. A mounted mini-gun spun and a hail of armor piercing rounds sprayed into the group where she had just been. A whole line of bikes crashed into one another as their drivers were pelted with rounds, tearing them to pieces. Explosions rang out, as they went nuclear and a mushroom cloud reached up to the sky. It lit up the night for a brief moment before the wind and dust gusted out, smothering all the light and sounds.


    Cackling like a lunatic she crashed down on the shield, cracking it and her bubbling flames wormed their way inside. They were trapped in there with it. Men flung themselves out the side, burning so brightly. Burnout watched their shadows dance, writhing and screaming. Her smile grew and grew. No longer protected by the Super she swung herself inside, kicking one of the mooks out the other side. He splattered against an underpass wall. Everything moved slowly and she took her time, lighting them on fire. At first just gentle kindling, then it escalated as the napalm stuck to their faces and oozed down their bodies. She could not stop laughing, as their faces scrunched up and their eyes filled with fear. Everyone is afraid of fire after all. If they were not, well, they just have not been burned yet. They held themselves, clawing at the warping flesh and searing agony.


    All the while she tucked the fertilizer bags that were strewn about the floor in the belt she had stolen from Dr. Tesla. It was a very handy thing, this utility belt. It was a dimensional pocket and could store around two tons of stuff, five hundred in each of the four pockets. It was almost as though she was going shopping, humming away, as though there were not melting bodies all around her. A white powder puffed out as one of the bags lit up with flames. The fumes and smoke nearly made her eyes roll up. She threw up and held herself steady as the world started distorting and turning black. Burnout slammed her head against the metal wall of the van and shook it to get the spots out of her eyes. She stamped it out and pocketed the last bag. Her head, buzzing and feeling light. Jittery and hyper she scratched at her neck, making sure that she could still feel pain. If she could not, that was when she knew that she had problems. The blood coated her fingers and the dull sting let her know she was still in the clear of overdosing.


    She clambered back out and mounted her bike. It had melted a groove in the roof and nearly fused to it. Blinking several times at the passing lights that glared at her, once more her wings of fire spread, lifting her up. The van exploded in her wake, sending shrapnel scattering in every direction. The pieces melted against her molten shield. Could she have saved her men from the bullets? Likely. Did she feel that they were worth it to try? No. It was not worth the risk. Got a problem? Throw more fodder at it. Just one of those bullets would take an arm off and that was if it just grazed. There was not a snowball¡¯s chance in hell she was going to risk herself for those mooks, besides it all worked out. What are twenty or so goons to six thousand pounds of cocaine? Each of those vans had a ton on them.


    Burnout slowed down the bike and pulled up alongside a blackened man. He was still trying to get up and a flickering field protected him from the fires. She grinned and kicked him in the face. He lay flat, shaking uneasily. She glanced him over and noticed his broken leg. Slowly, excruciatingly she dug her heel into the snapped bone and he writhed screaming. She jumped up and landed on his other leg, she bounced off when the field extended. Burnout did not like that, not one bit. The smile died on her face. She mounted the bike and edged it over his leg, it twisted and she relished his scream. His barrier had been weakened due to his pain.


    ¡°Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you here, Muro De Escudos. What is the matter? Does it hurt? You should get somebody to look at that, it looks broken. It might get infected, want me to cauterize it for you?¡± smirked Burnout.


    He grit back, ¡°Vete a la puta.¡±


    ¡°Such language,¡± she replied, wagging her finger at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t your momma ever tell you not to speak like that? Oh, my mistake she was too busy sucking my dick. Oooh I am going to have to take you to the burn ward for that one.¡±


    Muro struggled, yelling and hitting at the bike wheel. It would not move an inch, though. She continued, ¡°Come now, old friend. Tell me everything you know about Pico¡¯s operation and I will put you out of your misery. As the number four guy, you should know where the storehouses are. If you don¡¯t, well, I am going to have a lot of fun with you.¡±


    ¡°Ir al infierno que chupar la polla co?o,¡± he yelled back.


    ¡°Hey, I hear it is a rather lovely place. Unlike you, my boss has actually been there. That sounds like a no to me. Well, I guess we are going for a ride,¡± laughed Burnout, wrapping a chain around his waist. She triple looped it and melted it in place, attached to the back of her bike.


    Mura screamed, ¡°Noooo!¡± when the bike roared to life and the chain slack snapped tight. His face ground against the melted asphalt and they took off, speeding down the street.


    She rode back to where the others had gathered. Along the way she made sure to melt down any evidence of her gang. Bikes, bodies it did not matter they all got the super heated napalm that could melt metal in as little as ten seconds. It really depended on the type, not that she really cared though. The first van sat with blood smeared across the side and the bodies had coins over their eyes. Her grin spread. Perfect. They had brought bags of green spray paint and tagged the side up with the four-leaf clover of the Sixes and Sevens gang. It was their calling sign, that and the coins. She cackled hysterically when they finished up and packed away all the plunder from the raid. It was a real shame that, that mini gun had gotten melted. In the distance she could hear the sirens of the cops. Her sinister smirk only grew.


    ¡°Clear out.¡±


    What a lovely night. Her head bobbed back and forth to the hoarse cries of her prisoner. He rag dolled, bouncing off of the street with sparks flaring away from him. Twenty goons, for a Super and half a ton of Colombian Bam-Bam? Fuck yeah! That was so worth it. They are going to tear each other apart! She rubbed her hands together with glee, driving with her heeled boot, just thinking about all the terrible things she was going to do with Muro when they got back to her lair. The remaining eighty or so thugs had formed up behind her and split the remaining drugs between them. It was enough to last them for a month, minimum. Her pocket vibrated and the jingle started up while she fished around for it. ¡°Na, na na na, na na na, Drugs, gimme drugs, Gimme drugs, more, gimme more, gimme more!¡±


    ¡°Yo,¡± she said, wind whipping by.


    ¡°Hey, is that screaming I hear? Nyah? Is this a bad time?¡±


    Burnout¡¯s face lit up, ¡°GK! My bitch, what the fuck is up?! Nah, nah great fucking time. I am, so, fucking high right now, like literally I think I could blow up half the city.¡±


    ¡°I thought you guys were scraping the barrel?¡±


    ¡°Nah, bitch, nah we just fucked the shit outta the Diablos. The best part is they will think the Sixes did it!¡±


    ¡°Nyahaha! That is fucking hilarious. Hey, you want to get your shit from me tonight? Nyah, Boss says there is a rat. Tomorrow is compromised.¡±


    ¡°What?! A rat? Who is it, who the fuck squealed?!¡±


    ¡°Blazerunner.¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch! Traitorous dog. I will kill him. I will rip his, fucking balls off- oh, well. I guess Mecha Bitch beat me to that. Damn it. Dammit, dammit, dammit! Fuck! Dreamer and her fucking mind raping! Hmm, well, so much for rescuing his ass. Boss going to whack him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already dead. So? You coming or not?¡±


    ¡°You bet your sweet ass I am coming. First I gotta make a little stop. I gotta get the cash. Same place?¡±


    ¡°Meet me at the other drop spot.¡±


    ¡°I know the one. See you there, GK.¡±


    Burnout hung up the phone and pocketed it. Her fingers trembled in rage and fire shot into the sky, ¡°FUUUUCK!¡±

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 5

    ___


    Vespidian, Arc 6, Chapter 5


    I sat at a private booth. It was like the VIP section and I had it all to myself, well, besides the two cat girls who were waiting upon my every whim and the trio of Kittens. The distant caterwauling and familiar grind of music bumped through the rest of the club. I was thankful to be mostly left alone. My mood was somewhat dark at the moment. It seems that Glitter Kitten was going to give me a going away present, party or something. She had run off after hearing that she got a phone call. It seemed rather important too. Well, not my business. The less that I knew the better. I don¡¯t want her claws any deeper into me than they already are.


    My eyes roamed over the two adults that were keeping me company. One was grinding on a pole, while the other had a tray of drinks for the kittens. It was all apple juice. They reminded me of the two ferals that I watched die today. The color schemes were rather similar, the dancing one was tiger striped and the other was a smokey blue color. It made my stomach sick. Normally, right about now, I would be gorging on food to fill my empty and sorrow dripping heart, but they don¡¯t exactly have food. Canned doggy chow was not sounding too appetizing. A bottle of Jager sat, tantalizingly on the table beside me, condensation slowly rolling down the side. My mouth twitched as I motioned and was handed a cup of juice. I was not in the mood to drink, not booze. I killed somebody, again. Sure, they were out of their fucking mind, but god. I made the conscious decision to kill her. It was not a rage filled outburst beyond my control. I did it, willingly. And then I watched their kids get killed. Something is terribly wrong with me.


    I need help. I think, I will have a nice long chat with Chief about it. Maybe he will have some insight, some wisdom. If that fails, there is always Medavac. Come to think about it, he has killed a lot of people. If anybody knows how to forget the guilt of taking a life, it would be him. Of course, his coping might just be sex and drinking. Well, won¡¯t know unless I ask. Neon Nurse would probably know something as well. Hmm, come to think about it, I have a lot of good outlets for this. Now, I just need to get the fuck out of here.


    I sighed, drooping in the chair. Tired. I kinda just want to sleep. The stripper cat in front of me, tiger striped, started rubbing my leg, while biting her lip. Uh-oh. I don¡¯t like the look of that. I did not know this, until we got back, but apparently since I reek of Glitter Kitten the others more or less think of me as her pet now. In other words, it is like she owns me. I am seriously starting to think she is running a cult down here. It might just be me being paranoid, though. Either way, it is problematic. On one hand, nobody in their right mind would try to harm me. On the other hand, I am getting a lot of jealous as well as lustful glances. It seems word of my exploits from last night has spread like wildfire. It is uncomfortable, to say the least. It is like I am a slab of meat and all these girls are slavering and licking their chops ready to eat me. I am worried for my maidenhood here, well, what is left of it anyway. I am sort of all sexed out at this point, so it is kinda scary.


    She started up a lap dance, despite the fact that Snowball was currently occupying my lap. The rounded booty swished back and forth until I slapped it and she recoiled, the tail writhing. It seems that I excited her, which was not at all what I was trying to do. She did not take the hint and came back, attempting to straddle me. That was when Snowball hissed and swatted at her. Their hair stood up, backs arched, and tails puffed out. They even took deep breaths and made themselves look bigger. It was a regular catfight. That was about it, they just growled and angrily stared daggers at one another for ten minutes straight. Rocket and Midnight did not give a damn about it and just played with one another. It seems that the only one that took a real liking to me was Snowball. Of course, that little punishment that they got, for beating me with bats, likely had something to do with it.


    At any rate, I think that Snowball deserves some attention since she did fight off that whore cat. I pet at her and she rubbed against me, purring happily. I smiled, whispering with an exaggerated tone, ¡°Oh yes. Who is a good kitty? Snowball is, Snowball is a good kitty.¡±


    She really liked that. It seems my unadulterated affection was not going unnoticed by the other occupants of the room. Envious stares were pointed at the hands, stroking through the soft fur in my lap. Well, I do have four hands and I am only petting one cat. That being said there were five cats in the room. I am getting the feeling that Rocket and Midnight were getting awfully jelly. It might be how their eyes were longingly following my hands. Oh, ho, ho. The paper bag is on the other paw now! I decided to double down on Snowball and ignore the rest of them. She absolutely melted in my claws from all the petting and scratching. I could see their seething despair and writhing jealousy. That is what you get for not letting me cuddle you. Yes, yes, love me! Adore me!


    I could not handle it. Their pleading eyes and how they desperately rubbed against my legs. Rocket and Midnight had scooted into my lap beside Snowball. They were just so damned cute, how could I not pet them? They started meowing and rolling around, pawing at me. Gyah, too much adorable all rolled up in little innocent packages. It was more than enough for me to forgive the cold treatment they had been giving me just a bit ago. The children were not the only ones who wanted some lovin. The two stripper cats were edging towards me. Problem was I only had one hand left. I thought it over and figured out a way for it to work. I leaned back and my clawed feet rose up. At first, they did not know what to think and took a somewhat defensive stance.


    ¡°Lay down,¡± I said, pointing at my feet.


    They looked between one another, not really understanding. It was only after I grasped one of them and made her lay on the floor that they got it. My closed tripod proceeded to rub up and down her back. As soon as she started purring the other immediately assumed the same position, granted she was crouched with her ass toward me. My foot caressed along her lower back, which made her yowl lowly. Cats truly are simple creatures. All be it capricious at times, though. The kittens were kneading and for some reason attempting to suckle at me. I don¡¯t got nipples you know. They nipped at my hard boobs, trying to find something that was not there. I kind of felt bad about that. It was cute, but then I started thinking about it. It is pretty damned weird. Who the fuck starts trying to milk somebody they hardly know? It seems these little terrors are rather spoiled. Wait does this mean that Glitter Kitten has milk in those C¡¯s? Now that I am thinking about it, her tits ain¡¯t that big, granted, she has six of them. However, the bottom pair were A¡¯s tops. I am probably thinking too much on this, though.


    ~~~~


    I sat there, surrounded by low purring and soft fur. It was relaxing and soothing to my soul. I started drifting off to sleep, but then a certain Sub had accidentally let her presence be known. Sub was busy, experimenting with her own personal Glitter Kitten in our head. It seems she was very interested to know if there was milk in dem titties. I am not entirely sure why she even bothered since our mind is malleable, so if she really wanted there to be milk, there would be. Hell, knowing her I would not be surprised if maple syrup came out. Usually, I would be shaking my head at something like that, but at the least, she is staying out of troub- oh, goddammit. Sub, we talked about this. This is not the time, nor the place! If you are going to start up wild tentacle orgies do it where I can¡¯t see or at the least wait until we are alone.


    Yes, that is right, shoo, shoo. In the corner! Think of the children, Sub, the children! I had to actually try to ignore her in there, enjoying herself. It was hard, she was a screamer after all. I eyed her. You are sharing that when we go to sleep tonight you know. Don¡¯t you look at me like that. What is with the stingy face? Hey, you started it!


    Don¡¯t worry, I will keep the pussycat nice and wet for you.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want sloppy seconds!¡¯


    At this rate, you will be lucky to get floppy fourths.


    ¡®Fourths? Who else is in there?¡¯


    Well, there is me, myself and the imaginary you.


    I spied in there and sure enough, there were five figures. Three of which looked like Vespidian, one Glitter Kitten, and one Vesper. They were all ganging up on the cat. To make matters worse, there was a writhing sea of flesh around them. Hey, keep it PG. How are you even In the mood after what we did last night? Why are you cheating on me with my own imagination anyway!? You fucking whore, Sub.


    Let me have my fun, will you? How exactly am I cheating on you? This is literally just a fantasy, see, she said, waved and it all melted into darkness. Only her glowing eyes stared back at me.


    ¡®You know I get paranoid about that shit, Sub. You know I have trust issues. So why do you do it? I swear, it is like you don¡¯t even love me anymore. It is like you are just using me.¡¯


    Love you? Look in the mirror you bitch. You literally fucking ignore me. You never listen to me and whenever I want to do something it is no, no, no. Meanwhile, you whine and bitch and moan about not getting your way all the damned time. Well, guess what? Relationships are two-way streets. Give and take. Well, guess what? I am tired of always giving. Maybe I wanna do shit too you know? When was the last time I got to do something?!


    ¡®Well, if you would stop wanting to eat people and drink blood or rape my friends then maybe I would let you! Get a fucking Hobby! Let me remind you that sex is not a hobby. Can¡¯t you make little models or something? I hear gardening is pretty nice. You know something normal. Besides, what about last night? I am pretty sure you had a good fucking time. I sure as hell don¡¯t remember it. You might as well have been cheating on me.¡¯


    That was both of us. That is the god damned body, you fucking idiot. I am shielding you from so much shit and I am the bad guy? You would not last a minute without me.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡®Sub, what the hell is your problem?¡¯


    You.


    Come on, say what you really mean.


    She stared daggers at me and finally said, ¡®When was the last time you said: ¡°I love you?¡± To me? All you ever do these days is yell at me or hit me until I go in the corner. At the least Glitter Kitten seems to care about me.¡¯


    Oh please, I rolled my eyes. She does not even know you exist. If anything she cares about me.


    ¡®No, she cares about me.¡¯


    No, me.


    ¡®No, ME,¡¯ yelled sub, locking lips with me.


    I shoved her off and wiped my mouth, looking at her with disgust. What the fuck was that about?


    ¡®I thought we were doing the whole angry makeup sex thing, again. You know, like usual.¡¯


    Where did you get that idea from? Sub, it is not always about sex. In fact, most of the time it isn¡¯t even remotely related to it.


    ¡®My bad, I totally miss read that.¡¯


    ¡°Clearly,¡± I flatly replied.


    ¡®So about that Glitter Kitten.¡¯


    What about her? Why are you obsessing over her? Wait a minute¡­ you didn¡¯t. You are totally pussy whipped. Now it all makes sense. Just cause she popped our cherry does not mean you gotta act like a lovesick dog, trying to hump her leg.


    ¡®I am not.¡¯


    Stop blushing and maybe I would believe you. Look, Sub, I love you alright and I know you love me too. You don¡¯t need to go chasing some strange pussycat, you got me.


    ¡®Prove it.¡¯


    Well¡­ what did you want to do? She was thinking it over. This was one of the times I kinda wish that I could not see and hear what she was thinking. It was a debaucherous mingling of things that really should not be touching. So many tentacles, whoa, whoa! You don¡¯t put pussies on tentacles that is just weird. What are you doing with that octopus? Hey, no. No. Ah.. Not Nicky Mouse. That is going too far. Ok, Sub, I get it. So stop it, will you? Look, when we get home I will let you do whatever you want, so long as it is in our head. Yes, I will even do THAT and you know how much I hate THAT. I am pretty sure Glitter Kitten would run away, screaming, if she had an inkling of what you wanted to do. Give and take, right?


    ¡®You promise?¡¯


    Yes.


    ¡®Pinky swear?¡¯


    Yes.


    ¡®Cross your heart and hope to die?¡¯


    Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake. What are you, five?!


    ¡®That sounds like a no to me.¡¯


    Yes, yes, yes and yes. Happy? Are you happy now? She grinned, running in circles. Well, at least that is taken care of. What the hell happened to you anyway, Sub? You used to be reliable. Lately, it feels like you are regressing in age or something. Show me on the doll where the naughty cat touched you. Mmm, mm so I see. Well, try not to have too much fun. I guess, I will go deal with real life.


    ¡®Yes, yes, go deal with that. I will be waiting, not like I can go anywhere.¡¯


    ~~~~~


    I stirred, drooling slightly. Why do I drool so much? It is embarrassing. I was not even thinking about food or anything so why was I salivating? My blankets of fur were nestled all over me, taking cat naps too. I wonder how long I was out for? It feels like it had been an hour or so, just enough to make me groggy. My eyes roamed over the room and something seemed off. There were six cats nestled around me. Ah, Glitter Kitten had returned. She lay sprawled out above my head on the crest of the large leather couch. Her tail flicked back forth, as her eyes watched me.


    ¡°Nyan, nyan, nyan. Awake, I see. Enjoying yourself?¡± she smirked, rolling over.


    ¡°Well, not going to lie. It is pretty nice, all this soft and fluffy.¡±


    ¡°So, you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Still want to sleep, though.¡±


    ¡°Nyah, you can sleep later. I got something I want you to do, before you go home. After this, I will take you over in the morning.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It is nothing all that bad. I just want you to help carry some of the drugs to a certain place.¡±


    ¡°Why should I? I don¡¯t want to be an accomplice to this crime.¡±


    She snickered, ¡°Nyahaha, you already are an accomplice. You have been since the moment that you helped me look for them. Don¡¯t worry about it, if anybody asks just say you were under duress¡­ I think that is what my Mark said? At any rate, it will be fun.¡±


    ¡°Just have Den Mother do it.¡±


    ¡°I already am, but we need an extra set of hands. Come on, after this, you are in the free and clear. I will make it worth your while. Tonight I show you my special technique. Usually, people gotta pay a lot of money for it.¡±


    Sub liked the sound of that. No. We are not going to partake in the pussycat. Stop glaring at me, will you? We just talked about this. I am not ignoring you. Oh, come on. Fine, fine, I get it. This is the last time. Happy? Good. After this, we are cut off. You understand? Really, I mean it. No more, we are a hero for fuck¡¯s sake. Cuddling with cute kitties is one thing. Sleeping with Villains is another and not ok. These are bad people.


    ¡°Fine. Glitter Kitten, let¡¯s just get this over with.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound so hard. Honestly, all you have to do is help carry stuff and stand over to the side. I will take care of everything else.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I grumbled as she poked at me until I started to move.


    The kittens yawned and stretched, rolling off to the sides and the two adults continued sleeping on the floor where I left them. Reluctantly, I followed behind Glitter Kitten. I stared out over the bar, it was just below where the balcony of the VIP room. According to the clock, it was already almost eleven. I guess I nodded off more than I thought. If yesterday was any inclination, things were about to start going crazy in here. The stage was graced by a duo of cat girls nimbly arching their backs and stretching. All the while their clothes progressively got torn off and hurled into the cheering crowd. Smoke drifted up from a fresh blast out of the machine to the side. The cages held naked dancers swaying in the strobing lights.


    It seemed like there were more people here than yesterday. Well, I guess it is hump day. Also known as amateur night. It got the newcomers, acclimated and if anybody was rowdy enough in the crowd, they could join in on stage as well. Speaking of which, there were a couple of cops dancing with just their pants on. The girls were going nuts over that. Somehow it reminded me of a certain thing known as ladies night. That got me thinking. Where are all the men? I have not seen a single male subhuman. I guess Rocket would be the only exception, but there should be adults. Just to make sure I was not being paranoid, I scoured over all the dancers, patrons and everybody else¡­ Nothing. What the fuck. With how many people get bit there is no way there are only females.


    ¡°Hey, Glitter Kitten,¡± I said, following her down the stair. ¡°Where are all the dudes?¡±


    ¡°Nyahn? There are guys all over the place. Is there one that caught your eye? I can have him dragged over later.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean like cat men or werewolves and shit.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said, thinking on it. ¡°I never showed you, did I?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you killed all the men.¡±


    ¡°Why would we do that? Can¡¯t have no kittens without men.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I thought you guys can get knocked up from like normal people?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we can, it is just a lot less likely. It is pretty hard actually, I certainly have never been preggers from a human.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    She smirked, walking along with a sway to her hips. ¡°No use thinking, I will show you.¡±


    We walked down a side corridor and steadily went down the stairs. What? Does she have a dungeon in the basement? Two rather large silver haired werewolves stood guard beside a thick metal door. They were not as big as Den Mother, but they were pretty close. They exchanged a nod and the door opened. My antenna squirmed, assailed by a thick stench of manly musk. It was primal and my hearts started beating faster. Snarl and animalistic cries echoed out. A certain excitement crawled through my abdomen. Uh-oh. I spun to flee when Glitter Kitten grabbed my hand and dragged me along. There was no chickening out. I did ask for it after all.


    Oh dear god. This is a sex dungeon! The Kitten is a lot kinkier than I thought. I had my suspicions, but now they were confirmed. Apparently, they had re-purposed the extensive vault from the casino to a, well it almost looked like a livestock holding area. There were sectioned off cages that held the males. Each was thick and strong, though there were dents from escape attempts or just getting too rowdy, I could not tell. I thought there would be more. There were only like twenty dudes in here. They were huge, like monstrous in proportion and that included their furry packages. Normally I might whip out a tape measure and see what I am dealing with here, but this was beyond my expectations. Black Thunder still had them beat, though.


    ¡°So what do you think?¡± Asked Glitter Kitten, over the desperate howls of the beast men.


    ¡°What should I think? Why are they locked up in here?¡±


    ¡°That is simple. Men tend to get lost in the breeding rut. All they want to do is fuck and so we locked them up, so that we can use them. We have to keep them separate, they tend to not like to share. The other thing they like to do is fight and so every now and again we release them in the Three Headed Dog and let them fight to the death. These are the strongest, most virile among them. Perfect bulls for breeding. We keep the rest at the Three Headed Dog.¡±


    ¡°This is barbaric.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, Nyahaha. They are a step above animals. Feral are a step below animals. Men have their uses, but they are stupid. They have to be controlled or else they will run wild.¡±


    ¡°But they are people.¡±


    She rolled her eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t start with that. We are not people. As such do no apply your morals to us. Trust me on this, this is the best way to deal with them. You act like we torture them. They don¡¯t have to do anything, but eat and breed us. How else do you think we keep our numbers up? A second generation is far more likely to not go feral than someone converted. What is the problem?¡±


    ¡°It just seems wrong.¡±


    ¡°They like it, I assure you. If anything they are rather pampered. Besides for the girls, it is a reward to have children. It is an instinct, you know. We crave it after all.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, I know that. Even I have that sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± her smirk spread and an eyebrow raised. ¡°Would you care for a ride then? I assure you they are well trained.¡±


    I gulped, looking between her and the plethora of shaggy, hulking men. It was certainly tempting. Something did not seem right about it, though. I felt sorry for them, locked up in her like animals in this dark room. Finally, I tore my eyes away and looked at the floor. There were scratch marks. ¡°I will pass on that.¡±


    ¡°Shame, well, suit yourself.¡±


    She pat me on the back and we walked out, leaving them behind. Wait a minute¡­ Did I just resist a cult induction? Holy fuck! Glitter Kitten really is a cult leader. There might not be some wacky religion going around, but she has all the basics down. It all makes sense now. She is controlling the others through sex and breeding rights. By demeaning and treating them like animals it gives her supremacy. If they do not comply then she beats them down until they do. She has been doing this for years, brainwashing them to see things her way. Since she is the Alpha Female she holds all the rights and if anybody wants anything they gotta go to her or her inner circle to get permission. The more loyal they are to her the more access they get. She said it herself, having kids was a reward. By Lord Helix. I just dodged a fucking bullet. Scary kitty is scary. See, Sub! Cute and cuddly is evil!


    ¡®Now hold the fuck up. Are you sure you¡¯re not jumping to conclusions here? This seems like normal gang shit to me. Of course, there will be a natural hierarchy and hazings. That is how they work.¡¯ said Sub.


    The kittens, Sub, What about the Kittens!?


    ¡®Why are you freaking out? We are bouncing after tonight anyway. The kittens will be fine, they are with their mom and in case you have not noticed that bitch is a total momma cat. In other words, nothing is going to survive fucking with them. So calm down, let¡¯s do this last thing. Get some pussy and get the hell out of here.¡¯


    You sure?


    ¡®Absolutely. Now stop being a bitch and get it together.¡¯


    Fine, fine. This next part should be easy, right? I mean, I just have to stand there, right?

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 6

    Hello everyone sorry about last week, kinda went on a league of legends binge and did not sleep, but I did get gold and so now I don''t have to worry about it and have lots more time to work on this ^^ I have a birthday party to go to today, but I will be posting a second chapter tomorrow so look forward to it ^^


    At anyrate tell me what you guys think ^^


    ~~~


    Vespidian, Arc 6, To Skin a Cat, Chapter 6


    It seems that I should just keep my big mental mouth shut. I got a real bad feeling about this. Jinxing myself and shit. What is wrong with me? Nothing good ever happens when you say stupid shit like, ¡°nothing bad could happen or what are the odds of that? Or what is the worse that could happen?¡± One would expect me to learn my damned lesson by now. I walked along, following behind Glitter Kitten, I, like a slave, pulled a car filled with stacks of white bricks. The only thing missing was somebody with a whip, yelling at me to go faster or put my back into it. The car had two flat tires in the front. Every single thing about this was sketchy as fuck. The farther we went the more this seemed like a bad idea. I knew this shit was wrong, only after seeing the bricks again did I realize that I had been played. There was supposed to only be like four hundred pounds, instead, I don¡¯t know how much is in there, but it is a lot more. Den Mother did not need any damned help. In fact, she was not even here.


    The low groan of the car wheels turning shattered the otherwise silent night. Well, it was mostly quiet, in the distance the beat of music could be heard from the Sparkle Kat. What kind of car even is this thing? I pried up the license plate¡­ a Ford? No wonder this thing was in the junkyard. Man, I am starting to wish I was more of a car person and paid attention to the models and makes. Well, at the least now I know it is a certified death machine. Seems that I have a good weapon if an angry mob with torches and pitchforks attacks me. Although, I can¡¯t imagine a scenario where that happens.


    ¡°Glitter Kitten you lied to me,¡± I whined.


    She turned, walking backward so that she could face me, wagging her finger as though I was a dog. ¡°I did not. I told you that Den Mother needed help.¡±


    ¡°Then why am I carrying all the drugs?!¡±


    ¡°She is getting some other stuff and is going to meet us there. So don¡¯t worry about it. It is not too heavy is it?¡±


    It really was not very heavy. I mean, this was rather light for me, but it was the principle of the matter. ¡°No, I am fine.¡±


    ¡°Nyah, that is good. Just think of it as exercise.¡±


    ¡°Are we there yet?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°How much farther is it?¡±


    ¡°Just a little bit more,¡± she said, leading me around by the nose, or rather antenna.


    The streets had leveled out to the sides forming almost a wall. Glitter Kitten led me through a hole in it, a big hole. We weaved and wove our way through the demolished front section of what used to be a store. With but a glance, I knew the place had been long since looted. The passageway yielded to the wide night sky. The light pollution from the city was not too bad out here and the stars could actually be seen. We had come to an extensive space. It was a field, oddly enough. Patches of dead grass left much of the hardened ground exposed. Rubble from buildings sat here and there in dilapidated ruins. I could not really tell what they used to be from what was left, but they were somewhat tall at one point. There were only two entrances to this place, the one behind us and the one on the opposite side. It did seem like the kind of place that people would do some illegal transaction, granted just about anywhere in the slums would qualify for that.


    I set the car down near the middle of the area and sat on the roof. So, I guess my part here is done? Was not so¡­ oh, almost did it again. Bad, bad me. I lay there, staring up at the twinkling heavens. I don¡¯t remember them being so vivid. I can see so much, the swirling galaxy and the innumerable stars. If memory serves, light takes a long time to travel between the stars. Then isn¡¯t the night sky like looking into the distant past? Makes me feel small, insignificant. I mean, there is a whole damn universe out there and Earth is but a grain of sand in the endless sea of stars. In the grand scheme of things, does anything really even matter? In a thousand years who will remember me or anything I did? Will I just be forgotten like so many before? Are there even going to be anybody to remember? With the way things are going, we will likely nuke ourselves into oblivion and the cockroaches will inherit the earth. What will have been the purpose of my life? I don¡¯t know¡­ and it scares me.


    Glitter Kitten plopped herself down on my stomach. She swished her tail as the ears rotated, taking in the sounds around us. Am I a good chair or something? Not that I am really complaining or anything. Distantly, I heard something as well, a rumbling. My antenna flicked searching out the direction that it was coming from, to my right. This was interesting. The low grumbling of an engine drew closer and then I saw the comet of fire, speeding towards us. Feels like something like this happened before¡­ don¡¯t know why I am getting that deja vu tingling up my spine. It slowed as it approached, even rapidly changing directions when it almost passed us by. It was only when the thing landed that I realized, it was a bike. So that means¡­ Uh, oh.


    The fire clad person got off of the modified bike. Not sure what it was originally, I know even less about bikes than I do with cars. I could guess who this was, Burnout. Who else has a bike that flies with fire? Her skull adorned helmet flickered lowly from the shifting flames. Her shoulders were spiked and the gloved hands poked out from her jacket. Somehow or other her clothes are not burning despite the fact that she is wreathed in fire. The moment she dismounted all the heat dissipated, smoke rose up from around her and the singed ground below. Burnout cracked her neck, rocking it side to side.


    She took two long strides and gave Glitter Kitten a hug, lifting her off of the ground, ¡°My bitch, GK! Kinkiest kitty this side of the states. Been way too long, we need to hang out more.¡±


    ¡°You are late, Burnout,¡± said Glitter Kitten with a playful smirk. She squeezed her way out and perched herself atop the car.


    ¡°Not my fault GK, the fucking fuzz is everywhere. Like legit, I had to drive through the sewers to avoid them.¡±


    ¡°So you got the money?¡±


    ¡°Of course. So this all of it?¡± she asked as her skull-faced helmet glance over at me. I could not see her expression, but I get the feeling that she was not expecting to see something like me. There was a brief moment of silence between us, then she said, pointing at me, ¡°New member? I don¡¯t recall seeing this one. What the hell even is it? I thought bugs could not get you all crittered out. I guess I will have to be more careful. Never even thought about the damned bugs. Ah, my bad forgot you Subhumans get all riled up over being called it. So¡­ you a girl? I mean I see tits. First time we met? Then again last time we hung out we did far too much drugs and I can¡¯t remember too much of it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean we? It was you, who snorted lines off my ass,¡± laughed Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even remind me, my brain still gets itchy after that. I think I ended up with more hair up my nose than smack.¡±


    ¡°You know it was fun though. Besides. It was your idea,¡± mischievously replied the cat.


    ¡°Yeah, a very bad one. Speaking of which, is this one safe to bring here?¡±


    ¡°Nyah? Oh, Vespidian is fine. She won¡¯t blab about this, isn¡¯t that right?¡± said Glitter Kitten, eying me with a knowing grin.


    I shuddered a little, it was like she had me by the balls. I need an adult! I could correct her and say, I am not criminal scum like you. However, something tells me that would be incredibly stupid and get me killed. I nodded, backing away from the car filled with drugs. Come to think of it, how in the hell is she going to carry all of this stuff? I don¡¯t see anybody else around. Oh god, she isn¡¯t going to make me do what I think she is, is she?


    ¡°Good enough for me, I guess. Not that I don¡¯t trust you, but I want to sample the goods, just to be sure,¡±


    Glitter Kitten replied, ¡°Be my guest. By the way, this is not all of it, Den Mother is bringing the rest.¡±


    Burnout pulled off her helmet and her long purple hair drooped to one side. She had sunken eyes with deep bags surrounding them. Her cheeks were depressed to the point that I started thinking she was starving herself. I had heard that junkies don¡¯t have much of an appetite. Whatever the hell was going on with her, it was not healthy. I could smell the fresh blood from the red scabs on her neck and as I peered closer our eyes met, her pupils were huge and dilated. Was she already high? One of the front teeth had been knocked out and a scar dented her lip in. Speaking of scars, she had a few, most were on her neck and I could guess that she had more out of sight. There was something about her that scared the shit out of me, yet I can¡¯t figure out what exactly it is. Is it the Pyrokinesis? Likely. Yet, it was something else. It was her demeanor? I don¡¯t know, but Sub is less than inclined to start shit with her and I am in agreement.


    She picked up one of the bricks, pulled out a switchblade and cut a corner sprinkling it on the flat surface of another brick. Burnout reached into her pocket, brandishing a hundred dollar bill and rolled it up. She packed it and made a line with the knife, then proceeded to snort the whole thing in one go. She shook violently, gasping in pleasure, twitching, her fingers curled into fists. Her eyes rolled up and she sighed. Finally, they came back down burning red with veins scurried all over the whites, pulsating. She blinked repeatedly, switching which eye closed until her body settled down.


    She pulled herself together, by hugging her chest, ¡°MMMMMmmm. Ohh yeah, ohhhh Yeahhh, that¡¯s the stuff. Top quality as ever. Better than the Diablo¡¯s back-alley shit that is for sure. That stuff is only good to make crack out of. You want a hit?¡±


    I shook my head and Glitter Kitten seemed more amused than anything else. She said, ¡°You know I don¡¯t smoke or snort or inject. Shit is bad for you.¡±


    Burnout rung her hands, she reached up as though to clutch the moon, ¡°It feels so fucking good though! This trembling, this writhing in my chest. Makes me think anything is possible. It makes me feel alive.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± nodded Glitter Kitten, ¡°but when you start coming down it is hell, as you know. Why go to heaven for an hour if it means drowning in hell for the next day or so? Not to mention you need more every time or it won¡¯t feel the same.¡±


    Burnout cackled, holding her face, ¡°Nah bitch, nah. You gotta live a little. What the fuck is the point in living if you ain¡¯t doing anything and everything you want? Besides, I know you are addicted to Catnip. Remember what happened last time?¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Nothing wrong with Catnip. Shit is natural, it just gets me in the mood. Not like that garbage you put in your body. At any rate, don¡¯t worry about it. I live a rather fulfilling life as is. This little Pussycat gets around, you know.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth,¡± laughed Burnout. Then she shifted gears in a heartbeat, taking on a darker demeanor, ¡°Hey, how long am I going to have to wait for the rest of it? I have a certain Mexican piece of shit I need to torture. You kinda interrupted my interrogation. I was dragging his ass through the streets! Well, I guess I was going too easy on him, now he has his balls clamped to a car battery.¡±


    I was scared before, but now I am terrified. This bitch has the crazy eyes and she seems a little jumpy, paranoid too. She might start torching shit. Didn¡¯t Chief say that her powers get all weird when she is high? Don¡¯t make eye contact, don¡¯t make eye contact¡­ ah shit. She was looking straight at me. Shiftily I looked away from her. Fuck, why is she looking at me?! Wearily I peered at her from the corner of my eyes. Still there¡­ what do you want?


    ¡°Hey-¡± she started.


    Glitter Kitten interrupted her, ¡°Should be about another ten minutes or so. Don¡¯t worry about it. I got it handled. So what exactly have you been up to lately?¡±


    She seemed surprised for a moment and had to think, it certainly distracted her from me. It seemed that Burnout formed her thoughts, ¡°Oh, you know, trying to get back in Big B¡¯s good graces. I kinda fucked up the last- Wait, she knows about Big B, right?¡±


    ¡°She may have heard a little bit, but just to be safe just don¡¯t talk about it,¡± said Glitter Kitten, resting her hand on my back. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know shit and that is how we will keep it. No reason to inform a new recruit about sensitive info. So how is Cook Cook doing?¡±


    Burnout shifted uneasily, ¡°If you say so. Don¡¯t know why you brought her if she can¡¯t hear about anything important. At any rate, Cooky was cooking up some new fangled thingamajigger earlier today. He will likely be done when I get back. Honestly, pretty stoked about it.¡±


    ¡°She has to learn the ropes at some point. Better me watching over her, than letting her bumble into something and getting whacked.¡±


    Burnout nodded, ¡°True. Mooks and goons tend to drop like flies. I mean shit I lost like twenty today.¡±


    ¡°I know how that is. Fucking Ferals are always causing problems.¡±


    She just shook her head, as though tired. Her eyes wandered back to me and lit up with fire. She pointed at me, ¡°Where did you get that jacket?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Ugh, Glitter Kitten gave it to me? Why?¡±


    Burnout sighed, laughing to herself, ¡°Ah, so that is what it was. Shit was bugging me for a while. That is my jacket. So this is where I left it. Makes sense after last time I did wake up naked, after all.¡±


    I started taking it off, ¡°You want it back?¡±


    ¡°Nah, nah, keep it. I got new threads anyway. I just don¡¯t like losing things.¡±


    ¡°You know, I was expecting you to be like a loose cannon or something,¡± I said absently.


    ¡°Well, if I get angry, then I am liable to flip a lid and start firebombing shit, but other than that not really a problem. Just gotta stay mellow.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is good, I heard your power gets unstable when you are high.¡±


    She pat at her pasty white face, the way that she was touching it made me think that maybe she can¡¯t feel it. Her bugged out eyes roamed over the area, ¡°Who told you that?¡±


    ¡°I overheard it a while back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense. Well, when I am high like right now I am a rank 6 Pyrokinetic, but-¡± she started before Glitter Kitten cleared her throat.


    ¡°You sure you want to tell somebody about your weakness?¡±


    Bewildered, Burnout glanced between us, ¡°She is with you right? So what is the problem? It is not like she is a hero or¡­ Wait a minute. I know that I have seen you before somewhere, but where?¡±


    She got up on in my face, her own twitching out while she looked me over. Burnout was really thinking on this. Wearily I stood there while she circled attempting to discern who I was. I was not about to do anything that might set this bitch off. The feeling that she could turn me to dust radiated out of Sub, to the point that she was hiding in the corner. She held her chin, thinking things over. Do I look that familiar to somebody? Oh man, I feel bad for the poor bastard that got her this pissed. Is there like another bug person running around? Burnout finally shook her head and rubbed her eyes.


    ¡°So you are Vespidian, right?¡± she asked.


    I nodded, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Have we met before?¡±


    ¡°Not that I know of.¡±


    ¡°Strange,¡± she said, ¡°I feel like I have seen you somewhere. Ah, you remind me of Mecha Bitch.¡±


    ¡°Mecha Bitch? Who the fuck is that?¡±


    She clenched her fists and fire erupted out of her, ¡°Mecha Fairy, that new hero bitch who fucked over Blaze Runner! When I get my hands on that whore, I am going to scald all the nerve endings off of her body and slowly melt her to death. No. That is too easy. I will pour molten lava down her throat and shove a red hot pole up her cunt. Probably scorch her nipples off while I am at it. I will show her hell.¡±


    Sounds like it would suck to be her¡­ Uh, oh. I flashed a panicked look at Glitter Kitten, who had clammed up. It seems that she was not expecting this. Good thing she did not blab about me. Oh god, I could have imagined it too. Introducing me ¡®oh hey by the way this is my hostage Mecha Fairy.¡¯ Then a pillar of fire turning me to ashes. This would have turned out very badly. Burnout would likely go nuts if she realized that, that very Mecha Fairy was right in front of her. Think, damn it, think! How am I going to get out of this? My insect senses are tingling! What is that? Hide in a corner and make myself as small as possible, while crying for a mother who does not love me?! Oh fuck, I am so screwed! Sub that is not going to help!


    Glitter Kitten spoke up, likely seeing how I was trembling in terror, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that bitch, she will get what is coming to her of that I am sure.¡±


    Don¡¯t talk about me like that, I am right here. You are not helping! Stop agitating her!


    ¡°I know Big B has plans for that bitch, but come on,¡± growled Burnout. ¡°We don¡¯t need that lanky slut. I have never wanted to torture somebody so badly in my entire life. I mean shit, I would likely keep her alive, just so I could hear her screams. I want to see her face warp in pain as she melts away.¡±


    ¡°You trying to say that you would rebel against the Boss?¡±


    Burnout scoffed and spat on the ground, ¡°Fuck that, I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what does the Boss want with Mecha Fairy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± Burnout rolled her eyes, ¡°Bitch has a protective status.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Burnout was about to respond when Glitter Kitten cut her off, ¡°Remember now. That is need to know info. You already on the Boss¡¯s bad side.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she grouched back.


    Ok, there is something going on here that I think I should know about. This sounds like bad news bears to me. So the evil Boss wants me for something to the extent that the Villains are being threatened to not kill me. What the hell would they get out of doing this? I don¡¯t get it. Where is the profit to this? They should be gaining something from their plans or else it would not be a good plan. What would Villains have to gain from me doing Super Hero shit? I scratched my head¡­ coming up blank here. Am I just fucking retarded and can¡¯t add two plus two? It seems that there are a lot of missing puzzle pieces here. It is interesting though that the gangs are working together under a Boss. I thought they were all rivals and that the Mad Dogs did not work with anybody. So the Angels and Mad Dogs are working together, who else is in on this? That is interesting to know, wait a minute. Isn¡¯t it really bad that I know this? Isn¡¯t this like super secret shit that people get killed over?! Glitter Kitten is not going to let me go, is she?


    Something to the side caught my attention and what I soon realized was Den Mother appeared from the gloom of the building. I squinted at her something seemed wrong about her. It was her left arm, it was limp almost like it was broken. It might just be the lighting, but her shadow looked extra thick. Then again, she is a big girl so that is not exactly surprising and it is rather dark over there. She rapidly approached with a panicked face.


    ¡°Glitter Kitten I got jumped!¡±


    ¡°Nyah? Who the fuck would jump you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know, shit just started flying all over the place.¡±


    ¡°A Telekinetic? Gravity Squeeze? No, that little shit isn¡¯t strong enough to break your arm,¡± pondered Glitter Kitten, ¡°Unless somebody from out of town showed up I don¡¯t know who it could be. Gravity is the only Telekinetic in the city.¡±


    If Squeeze is here, then the cavalry is about to show up. I just need to lay low like the cockroach I am and scuttle off when nobody is looking. I am surprised that they ignored the threat, though¡­ is my life worth so little to them? That is a bit of a downer, but hey, at the least they came to save me. I hope they came to save me anyway. Why else would they be here? I guess this will be my first Super brawl, um, can we even win? They better have brought a whole bunch of Supers or I think this is a lost cause.


    My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden hit that threw me to the ground. I was about to yell ¡®what gives¡¯ when a cement truck landed where I had just been, crushing the ground. What the fuck! Who the fuck are you aiming at Squeeze! As I rolled my eyes swam over the surroundings, trying to find where the hell that thing came from. I am going to punch you so hard Squeeze! Glitter Kitten was on the defensive and Burnout looked like she was ready to light the world on fire. A distant glint made me realize that Thumper had been watching over the place with her sniper rifle this whole time. I get the feeling Den Mother would not have tried to kill me, not around Glitter Kitten anyway and besides what the hell hurt her?


    ¡°Damn, I was hoping to pick one off with a surprise attack. Five against five, what a shame. I never did like to fight fair,¡± said some guy I had never seen before. You are not Squeeze, who the fuck are you!?


    ¡°Fold!¡± shouted Glitter Kitten, ¡°You came to the wrong neighborhood, Mother Fucker!¡±


    Oh shit, the fur was about to fly and that kitty has claws. Did I just get caught up in not only a drug deal, but a Super Villain gang war? Obviously, I am going to help Glitter Kitten here. Nobody throws a god damned truck at me! Wait, that guy said it was five on five¡­ where are the others? I don¡¯t like this.


    _____


    Next few chapters lots of Super on Super violence, hope you enjoy :3

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 7

    Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 7


    Fold appeared to be hovering over us to the side, until I saw the stretched out fire escape that he had materialized on. I thought this guy made portals? So where the hell is it? If there was one thing I had to compliment this asshole on, it was his style. The guy looked fabulous. He had on a tight red leather jacket that was likely a small, when he was a medium since it could not even be zipped up, showing off his red under suit. There appeared to be a white utility belt and some padded armor over his chest. His face had little more than a red face mask and bandanna holding his spiked blond hair up. Why does this guy like red so much? It sort of reminded me of a singer or something in a band. That being said, he did not look all that intimidating. I get the feeling if I got one good punch in on him, he would be toast.


    This guy is like the leader of the Scarlet Souls, right? I think I heard about these guys from dad a few times. Don¡¯t they own the Atomic Strobe or something like that? Wait a minute¡­ that means he works for these guys. Oh, MY GOD! My Dad is a goon! Shit, is he alright? Well, I can¡¯t imagine them sending out a bouncer to do illegal shit, ah fuck I totally can. I am going to have a long talk with you, dad, when I get out of this. Never mind that for now, I gotta think. Gotta remember everything he told me about these guys.


    Ok, so there were five Supers in the gang last I heard. Fold makes portals and is the leader. There was some bitch named Shadow who can distort reality or something to move through objects. I think there was a guy named Jack the Hammer? He had Super strength while swinging something, at the least that is what I had heard, might be something else, though. Mist¡­ I remember there was some girl called Mist. Can¡¯t recall what the hell she did, which is a little concerning. Then there was Cinder Lad. Some punk assed kid my dad beat up with his bare hands, well actually I think a beer bottle, but close enough. At any rate, he was a Pyrokinetic, no idea what rank, though, can¡¯t be too strong my dad, a civi, beat his ass. Although that was like four years ago.


    Why the fuck are these guys attacking us? Their turf is on the opposite side of the city, so what are they doing down here? I will have to think about this later. In terms of powers, I am pretty sure we have them beat. Wait¡­ can we even hit Shadow? Physical stuff is useless if she has her power on, right? Looks like we got a fight on our hands, shit is about to get real. What should a bug like me even be doing?


    A shiver ran up my spine and I rolled, kicking off the ground so that I was about ten feet from where I had been. It seems my reflexes were working very well. Where I had just been was a crater and a big dude stood up, lifting a steel girder. He hefted it on his broad shoulders and started advancing towards me. Jack, I take it? He wore a football helmet that had a visor to shield his face. For the most part, he looked like a football player. He had the chest guard and shoulder plates, granted, I think they are actually made of some sort of metal or something and on top, there was a crimson jersey with Bronson University, number sixty-eight. The pants were plated and the knees were spiked as were his elbows. It looked like he could get down and dirty with the fighting. I did not want to fight this guy, he was going to beat my fucking ass! I bailed, scurrying away. At the least, I am faster than him.


    I thought that I was safe, oh boy, was I wrong. Jack threw that support beam at me. It nearly hit me and I could guess very easily that it would have destroyed me if it had hit. Wait, he is unarmed! I eyed him, ready to pounce when he pulled out a metal baseball bat. Retreat! I don¡¯t want this guy hitting a homer with my head. As I fled, I tripped over the metal beam he had thrown. I grasped up the girder from the dent in the ground that it had made. I was never really a pro batter, but I had seen enough and practiced a fair bit. So I guess I have a fighting chance here. Bring it bitch!


    He stopped about twenty feet away, it seemed that he was contemplating what I was doing. Wearily I scoured the ground and lifted up a chunk of concrete. I guess it will have to do. Lightly I tossed it up and smacked it with the improvised bat. It zoomed at him and he blocked with that bat, swinging it at full force, sending it right back at me. Chunks of rock sprayed through the air as fragments shot all over the place from the blow. Oh, fuck! He knows how to hit a pitch?! The rounded mass was halved and that much harder to hit. Oh, god the hitbox got so much smaller. All four limbs bristled and I lashed out, catching it dead center. Fragments went everywhere as it exploded from the force. Shrapnel shot into my eyes, only one of them was spared as the yellow gushed out and drooled down my face. It took a few moments to register exactly what just happened and then the pain dulled out everything else. I guess getting hurt all the time is starting to make me build up a tolerance to it. It still stung like a bitch, though. How bad is it? It feels like something is flopping around.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I screamed, clutching my face.


    My one good eye watched Jack, as he started charging towards me. Oh, hell no! My claws ripped into the ground and I burrowed through the hard soil. Hand over hand. Faster, must be faster! All four worked like machines and my legs kicked the dirt back, piling it up behind me. I must be part ant or something since I practically swam through the dirt. Sub was helping me with the pain, sharing it as our eyes started to push out the debris. Absently, I plopped back in the eye that had been hanging out. Thankfully, it was still attached and did not separate. That was a close one. I was safe in this damned hole. I must embrace the bug if I am going to survive this. I sat, feeling the vibrations and listening to the sounds. It seems that Jack had bigger fish to fry and did not pursue me.


    The ground rumbled and I could hear the manic laughter of Burnout. I guess that she just blew something up. Now that I was repairing myself, all be it slowly, I had a bit of breathing room. At this rate my eyes would be alright in about ten minutes or so. The safe thing to do would be to just wait it out down here. That being said, I kinda wanted to see what the hell was going on up there. As long as I was sneaky about it, I doubted that anybody would notice me. I mean, I have never actually seen a real life Super Villain fight that involved so many. There was the Blaze Runner fight, but that was like six against one.


    Warily I made my way over to the side away from all the sounds. Slowly I created a hole and poked my antenna out into the fresh air. The coast seemed to be clear, so I raised my head out, looking over my surroundings. Several cinder block dividers sat over to my side with weeds dried up, old dead vines made their way up the side of the building. The fight was near the center of the open ground. Fire raged, burning up the wither foliage and clogging the air with smoke. Den Mother could be seen, lumbering through the haze. She was a big girl after all and it was a little hard to miss her. She seemed to be fighting somebody, it was Jack. He swung the girder, but she caught it and crumpled it in half. Holy fuck! How strong is that bitch? She was about to hammer fist him when she suddenly sunk into the ground, up to her waist. A darkened figure appeared, floating out of the ground. Shadow I take it.


    It seemed that Den Mother was in need of help. Which a certain bunny supplied. I heard a padded footstep above me and cranked my head to see Thumper on the roof, taking aim. After another moment the gun went off and the boom made me wince, retreating back into my hole. I missed exactly what happened, but I can assume that Shadow had saved Jack since he flickered like shadowy mist for a few moments before materializing again. Speaking of mist a filmy fog had descended over our area, cutting me and Thumper off from the rest of the fight. She pulled out a ribbed knife, stuck it in between her teeth and unholstered a submachine gun from her hip. It looked like she was about to go Rambo or something. We looked around cautiously, this was not normal. It was not smoke. Somehow it was almost like a cloud had come down here.


    After a few moments, it became so thick that I could not see two feet in front of my face. Sounds became dampened as well, smells were washed away, except for a rather feminine scent that was spiced with lavender. My antenna swished, trying to discern anything. Usually, fog was cold, but this was warm, gentle even. I started thinking that I was going insane, when the low thumping of a heartbeat filled my antenna. There is no way that this cloud is alive is there? Wait, is this thing Mist? She can turn herself into a fucking cloud?! Seems rather useless¡­ hmm, maybe not. Actually, now that I think about, this is an extremely versatile ability. She is a portable smoke screen. She just zoned the shit outa me and Thumper. Not that I particularly want in on this fight until I am in tip top shape. You can¡¯t fight what you can¡¯t see after all. How the hell do you even beat somebody without a physical body?


    A heard a low thump and a bullet tore through the mist near me. It cracked somewhere off in the distance. Was she firing at random? I can¡¯t imagine that she can hear or see anything after all. I guess there is no point in staying here. I scuttled back into my tunnel. Mist had not come down in here. This time, since my eyeballs were able to see, somewhat, I started making my way toward the sounds of combat. Along the way something passed ahead of me through my tunnel like a ghost and all the little hairs stood up on my body. Wearily I stopped, listening and smelling my surroundings. The earthy scent was here, but there was something else too, a rather humany stench. That was a bit concerning. I don¡¯t see anybody, though. Am I just going crazy? It might be that Shadow, she did pop out of the ground to attack Den Mother. Well, I guess I will deal with it when the problem arrives.


    I arrived somewhat near the fight, but I still kept some distance. My antenna broke the surface, they honed in on the sounds before prairie dogging my head up. Smoke billowed from the burning wreckage of a car. A roar made me look up in the sky to find Burnout charging on wings of fire straight at a young man with a red hoodie, at the least, I assumed that it was a young man. Only person left would be Cinder Lad and seeing as how he is throwing fireballs it is safe to say he has Pyrokinetic powers. The lower section of a gas mask was illuminated and the glint of goggles made it clear that he was not just running around in civi clothes. I could not really tell too much from here, but it looked like there were added protective plates on his chest, arms and legs. Honestly, I am surprised that he is not wearing a helmet. He looked like he was putting up a fight, but it was clear as day that he was quickly losing. Burnout was on a whole other level after all.


    A weird distortion on a wall drew my attention. It glowed for a moment and Fold leaped out and into another one that he had formed on the ground. He went through both a couple times, gaining moment. It was easy to see why he seemed rather desperate. Glitter Kitten appeared from thin air and he barely had time to open another portal below her feet. He closed it half a second later, but she had jumped to avoid it. What would have happened if part of her went in there then it closed? It would separate, wouldn¡¯t it? Holy shit, that is scary. You could totally kill people with that! Jesus, no wonder Fold is considered an A list Super Villain here. I think the only thing holding him back would be that he can¡¯t make portals in the air. They have to be physically touching something. At the least that is what Crimson Sweeper had in his report.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    It seemed like a game of cat and mouse. Fold was running for his life. Of course, all that it would take is one misstep for the tables to turn and he could kill Glitter Kitten. I bit my lip. Damn it, I don¡¯t want Glitter Kitten to die. He seemed dangerous though, so I was going to have to approach this carefully. I observed them for a few moments, scuttling on all sixes across the open ground. Not entirely sure how the hell he was keeping up with her speed¡­ unless she was simply toying with him. When she actually went full out I could not even see her. She was just a blur. Does she actually need my help? Preoccupied, I did not even see the warped hand lunge out of the ground, until it was already stabbed into my chest. Shadow can move through organics?! A cold sensation radiated out from where she touched, it felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside out. My breath seized in my throat as her fingers clutched my heart.


    It beat angrily in protest, then slowed and stopped completely from the pressure she applied. I gasped, clawing at my throat. Can¡¯t breathe. Slowly she materialized a few feet away. She had black, short hair it almost looked like a butch cut. She had on some stupid cape that was red and black. Not that I really cared. She stared down at me with those cold green eyes. I could not tell if she was pitying me or mocking me. I reached at her, wanted to hurt her, destroy her. She took a step back out of my reach, as I writhed there. Kill, I will kill you bitch! My claws dug into the ground as I heaved towards her. She seemed rather surprised that I was still up and about. Well, down and crawling, but still moving none the less. It was easy to know why, she had just crushed my heart. Unfortunately for her, I have three.


    She flickered and a bullet slammed into the ground where she had just been. I turned my head to see Thumper, plunging back into Mist in the distance. She had jumped clear out of the fog, aimed and fired before falling back down. After another moment Thumper emerged once more and fired again. During her distraction, I had closed the distance and latched onto Shadow¡¯s foot. There was a look of disbelief that quickly turned to horror as my claws clenched down, snapping her foot like a twig. My other hands grasped at her and then the world shifted. Everything lost its color. Filtered lights wavering and flickering. I could see the fires and shadows dancing in abstract. I tightly held onto Shadow as she tried to slip free. You won¡¯t escape me! Try to kill me will you?! I will crush your heart and see how you like it.


    I had the upper hand now that I had a good hold on her smarmy ass. I started squeezing, my arms coiled around her. I won¡¯t let you escape! The world shifted again as we plunged back into reality. I took the brunt of the fall, but that did not matter my prey was firmly in my grasp. My stinger emerged ready to stab into her and take all the fight out of her, when suddenly I was upside down. I stared as the portal closed, slicing off all four of my arms. His precision was astounding, to say the least. To separate me from her, honestly, I can¡¯t believe it. If I had arms I may have even clapped for him. It must have been the shock since undoubtedly a world of hurt was coming my way and yet I just felt cold, distant, numb. Shadow escaped. She rolled, throwing my arms on the ground and fading into darkness. I hurt her though, almost took that foot clean off. It will at the least be broken and she will be limping.


    My legs wiggled as the clawed toes reached for one of my arms, dragging it over. It was one of my left ones. I stuck it back in the socket and proceeded to drag myself to the next in order to recover the rest of my broken body. Blood loss was starting to make me light headed. Not good, so hungry. Finally, my last arm was in its place and I lay there, watching the fires dance. So cold. Am I dying? How can that be? Den Mother fucked me up way worse than this. Then again, I have not eaten anything for a whole day. I should have eaten the damned cat food. My eyes drooped, it was hard to keep them open. Someone touched me and I writhed, attempting to fight back. A familiar green glowing mist filled my vision and the chromatic eyes of Dr. Arbor looked down at me. What the fuck is she doing here? She got her hands under my armpits and started dragging me away. It was hard to concentrate and soon everything turned black.


    It felt like only a moment had passed when my eyes ripped open, but I knew it had been a little while since I had blacked out. Wearily I glanced over the white washed room. Contrary to my expectant horror, I was not strapped down to a slab or being dissected. Instead, an IV had been stabbed into my arm, pumping a red fluid into me. Blood? Must be. Woozily I continued my observation. There were computers and technical stuff lining the short walls. In fact, this whole place was rather small. It was probably about ten by ten feet and the only way out appeared to be a ladder at the far side. I squinted at the lab coat-adorned figure, who faced away from me working on something.


    ¡°Dr. Arbor what are you up to?¡± I asked more scared than curious. It was never anything good with this woman.


    ¡°Not much, saving your life. Can¡¯t let my specimen die after all. You did a very stupid thing, you know that right?¡± she replied, turning in my direction, syringe in hand. My stomach felt squeamish at the sight of it.


    ¡°What did I do that was stupid?¡±


    ¡°First of all, you need to eat properly. Remember what I told you last time?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I need like five pounds of meat a day.¡±


    ¡°That is if you do not get injured. More protein is required to fill in the gaps with your power, or blood of course. Otherwise, your body will start cannibalizing your muscles. Of course, I imagine that once you go up in Rank this flaw will fix itself.¡±


    ¡°I did not want to eat cat food. So give me a break.¡±


    She sighed, ¡°You can¡¯t be picky. This sort of things is important. It is a real shame that I had to disturb their natural behavior to rescue you.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The Sub humans, of course. I have observed Glitter Kitten¡¯s colony for about five years now, with minimal interaction of course. I wish to see them in their natural habitat.¡±


    ¡°You talk as though they are animals.¡±


    Her eyes seemed cheerful, ¡°They are interesting, to say the least. The ferals, as the natives call them, are great test subjects for my more in depth research. Radiation in combination with Mutigene yields some very intriguing results.¡±


    ¡°You are experimenting on them? What is wrong with you? They are people!¡±


    She blinked twice and her eyes widened, an eyebrow raised quizzically. ¡°So? You act like I don¡¯t experiment on people. Human, animal, what is the difference? One talks and one does not, both scream when they are cut open. We are all fresh and blood and bone what does it matter what label we put on things? Progress, nothing will stop progress. My scientific advancement has saved millions already and I have merely scratched the surface of what is possible. It is those like you who do not see the big picture, who cling to such shallow things as morality and balk at the hard choices that hold back the wonders that could be achieved. Sacrifices must be made or nothing would ever get done. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so inhuman with your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°Inhuman?¡± she chuckled, ¡°The human race is all that I think about. How can I make us stronger, faster, smarter, immortal, and more durable? Just to name a few. We are flawed, but seek to change that. It is the purpose of my life after all. My meaning of existence and the thing that I find joy in.¡±


    I made a sour face, looking away from her, ¡°You are sick, you know that? Like crazy.¡±


    ¡°The kettle calling the pot black. Well, don¡¯t let me ruin that little reality for you.¡±


    ¡°Why do you always speak so cryptically?¡±


    ¡°Life is full of mysteries, my dear Vespidian. The real question is, what are you going to do from here?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She paced a little and stopped in front of me, ¡°Are you going to turn on the Hero League or not?¡±


    ¡°Obviously not.¡±


    Her eyebrow raised, ¡°I suppose more research is required then. My hypothesis was wrong.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?¡±


    She wagged her finger at me, ¡°I thought you had decided on a mate and were going to start creating a nest. Had my hopes up, you know.¡±


    ¡°Ok, you totally lost me.¡±


    She nodded and replied with a rather heated voice, ¡°Your physical coupling last night. I must say you were rather vigorous and enthusiastic in your attempts at copulation. As futile as they may have been, I can assure you it left an impression.¡±


    The room became dead silent, the low buzzing of static from the computers was the only thing that stirred. Oh god. She was watching me all along?! My words tripped over my tongue, ¡°You¡­ you saw that?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Is it that surprising? I have eyes and ears everywhere, for my research specimen observation. How do you think I found you not too long ago? I see and hear it all. You did not think that I would allow one of my specimens to run around unsupervised did you? Especially not one as vital to my goal as you are.¡±


    I frowned, ¡°You mean that world domination thing? You are like freaking me out here.¡±


    ¡°You should not be worried. I will always be on your side, looking out for your best interests, even if you don¡¯t realize it.¡±


    I looked at the floor, how the fuck was I even supposed to reply to that? She turned away after a brief moment and continued her mixing of things over in the corner. Her hands worked two vials, one blue, the other red, but when they mixed it turned yellow. Ok, now that is weird. Red plus blue is supposed to equal purple. It bubbled a little as she looked it over, noting things and setting it to the side.


    ¡°So what the hell is this place anyway?¡± I asked as my eyes wandered the contained room once more.


    ¡°This is my field post. I keep track of the Slums from here. Gathering data and specimens to be shipped off to my main facility.¡± She replied and pointed to a ball that had legs and arms. A camera like lens sat in the middle. The thing did not seem too intimidating, ¡°Usually, it is all automated and this robot I got from Neon Nurse takes care of everything.¡±


    ¡°So Neon Nurse knows about this place?¡±


    ¡°Well, most likely. She is something of a partner to me, though our expertise are vastly different and we tend to keep our pet projects separate.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait.¡± I said, realizing something, ¡°So, you know everything going on down here and have not helped to get Glitter Kitten and her gang arrested?¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± She almost choked, ¡°I am not about to ship off more specimens to Chimera. If they want anything from me they will have to pay dearly.¡±


    ¡°Chimera?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? What the hell do you think happens to criminals? The Institute is a government run research lab. I used to work there ten years ago. You think I am scary? I am what was called a moderate. Well, I hope you never have to see that place. Brainwashing and re-education is the norm there. A good number of the Hero league are ¡°reformed criminals¡±. Not particularly a fan of Mind Divers. They tend to ruin my behavior observations.¡±


    ¡°That sounds sketchy as fuck.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it certainly is. It is why I broke ties. I prefer my freelance work. Granted If they bring something particularly interesting, I will cooperate. Say, Arachnaon. I would love to get my hands on her again.¡±


    ¡°That is right, you actually saw her up close.¡±


    ¡°She is a very wonderful creature. I have hopes that you will become rather similar to her, in power magnitude and form. As is you are already rather similar. I think you two might hit it off if you met. Then again, you would probably be the victim of predation. She is a bit aggressive.¡±


    ¡°That sounds a bit scary.¡±


    ¡°I understand your apprehension. As is it is doubtful that you will meet her, she is rather busy hunting Kraken members.¡±


    I nodded. Good, meeting her did not exactly sound like something that I wanted. Speaking of hunting, I wonder if Glitter Kitten caught Fold yet? Are they still fighting? It started to make me a little worried actually. Then again, I am basically safe here and just have to wait to get picked up and go home. I just hope there is not an unscheduled medical check up.

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 8 Interlude: The Tigers Tail

    The Vespidian


    Arc 6 To Skin A Cat


    Chapter 8 Interlude: The Tiger¡¯s Tail


    Neon Nurse stood in her full battle gear. The four extra arms protruding from her back, each equipped with a syringe to sedate suspects and grabbing claws to procure anything that she might need. Due to how bulky the suit was, her normal arms could not touch the ground even if she bent over. Despite the half-smile plastered across her face, she was in no way, shape, or form happy at the moment. Her thoughts were distant, occupied by what horrors Vesper might be subjected to by the Subhumans in the slums. She had dealt with them enough to know how barbaric and cruel they could be. Too many times did officers get dragged in, half mauled to death. Some were beyond salvage and had to be put out of their misery before they turned. Others lost limbs and had to learn to adapt to their new robo augments. It changed people, not that she was particularly against amputating and putting on a fresh new robotic limb. In fact, she rather enjoyed that.


    Her eyes flickered over the upraised platform that she, Enforcer and Fire Chief stood on. She gazed over the augmented men and women suited up in powered, riot suits and ready to move. The glowing blue goggles on all their masked faces might make normal people worried, even panicked, however, neither Neon Nurse nor anybody else here was  not already accustomed to this sort of thing. Gathered were more than two hundred, a small army if looked at in the right light. The fruits of five long years worth of labor. There was a tinge of pride, almost like a mother or perhaps more like a craftsman inspecting a finished product. Then again, she was a perfectionist and as a result, nothing was ever finished, there was always room to improve. Everyone here had been made by her. Their limbs, artificial and their epidermis layered and plated for added protection. Most of their bodies replaced piece by piece as they had been dragged in off of the streets after shootouts or routine patrols gone horribly awry. She had saved all their lives and made them better than ever before. Then again, there were the willing volunteers who not only saw the benefits but actively sought out the procedures, Enforcer foremost among them. He was more machine than man at this point.


    Enforcer¡¯s blank chromed out face plate made getting a read on his emotions hard. There was nothing to tell what he was thinking, but she knew. It would not do to have her own creation turn on her, as a result, she had tampered with his cranial carriage and implanted a device to allow her to read his thoughts at any given time. It was not mind control or anything, he had free will. She had gotten the idea after witnessing Dreamer tear some criminal thug to pieces from the inside out. He was crying for his mother and confessed to everything, spilling his guts about secrets that could easily get him killed, by the time she was done and Neon Nurse knew that Dreamer had gone easy on the guy. It was pretty rare for her to utilize the full extent of her power. Though the two had been close, friends at one point, however, Neon Nurse had taken a bit of a distant stance lately due to talk about wanting to send Vesper to the Institute. Therapy was one thing, but the Institute was something she would not tolerate, after all, she had narrowly avoided getting shipped off to that hell hole herself. It was the sort of thing that could make the best of allies into bitter enemies.


    If there was one thing about Neon Nurse that she could be relied upon for, it was being over prepared to the point of being paranoid. She did not like surprises and as a result had systematically figured out counter measures to take down every single member of the Bronson Hero League should they ever turn rogue. However, it was thanks to this mentality that many of the inventions that they relied on today were even created. Cryo, Electro, and Thermal rounds reverse engineered from Chimera surplus were only the tip of the iceberg.


    It was very tempting to implant something along the same line as Enforcer¡¯s thought chip into Vesper, but she restrained herself to simply having a biometric monitor coupled to the link jack for the suit in the back of her skull. These things were benign and simply allowed her to observe through the suit¡¯s eyes, which did not help her at the moment. Currently, she could only keep track of the vitals and location of Vesper. According to the GPS, the suit had been taken somewhere away from her, since the two markers did not line up. That was concerning since it meant that her secret identity had been compromised and Glitter Kitten was torturing her for information or even possibly attempting to force her to join and turn traitor.


    Once more she looked out over the room while Dreamer was droning on about the operation. It seemed that everyone had gathered. Captain Metal and Panther were to one side. Seeing them reminded her of the sonic emission unit that would debilitate the Subhumans. It acted similar to a dog whistle and would likely drive them nuts. They would be disorganized and easy pickings. Vesper will be affected by it too. She did share a lot of the weaknesses as the Subhumans, after all, enhanced senses are a double edged sword and easy enough to exploit. All that testing had resulted in just about a blueprint on how to beat her. Bright lights blinded her, strong smells disorientated her, things such as pepper spray really got to her and cold slowed her metabolism, while heat could not be healed immediately. In all honesty, Vesper was weak to a lot of things. Neon Nurse felt a little sad, contemplating how to brutally maim her friend.


    In the unfortunate event that she did turn, Neon Nurse had already developed as well as installed fail safes to eliminate a threat. Cryo rounds could stop all of her movements and make her vulnerable to capture. It would not do to kill her, even if she did go villain Neon Nurse would simply hide her away and likely make it look like she died. If all else failed there was the last resort. The jack into her brain could deliver enough of a shock to paralyze her for several hours, it was designed in such a way to disrupt her regeneration ability and even render it useless during that time. It would have been permanent, but that was just how prolific her power was getting. It was already nearly rank 6 from all the abuse that Vesper throwing herself through. Not that Vesper knew that.


    Neon Nurse did not want to use this method of capture though. This was not the best route, there could be extensive brain damage and she would nearly be lobotomized as a result. It was truly her last resort. Because of this she was wary to even consider using it, since over the short span of time that they had known one another Neon Nurse had become rather attached to the weird bug alien. To the point that she was obsessed. One way or another, Vesper was coming home with her.


    The junior teams were here as well, Sunshine glowing, as always. The left arm appeared to be functioning as it should. Then again, there was no telling if she would be able to utilize the shield augment properly under stress. That was Sunshine¡¯s weakness, her concentration. If it was disrupted then her illusions would dematerialize and leave her vulnerable. If you could get to Sunshine then she was not particularly strong, the problem lay when she had good blockers to screen threats away from her. Neon Nurse gave a cursory eye to the little glowing magical girl. She did not trust her as far as she could throw her, not after she had seen the case report that got the little psycho shipped in the first place. To murder her own family like that, only a monster could do something like that. She scoffed a little, and they call Vesper a monster, truly blind to a real threat. It was precisely this that led her to set up a dead man switch to self-destruct, vaporizing Sunshine should Neon Nurse deem her a threat.


    ¡°In conclusion,¡± said Dreamer looking out over the gathered heroes, ¡°Teams six to twelve will assault the Sparkle Kat and take the children into custody. They are located on the upper floors, expect them to be guarded fiercely. Teams thirteen to twenty will raid storehouses and destroy the drug supply lines. Once finished with that assault the Bronson Dome and put down all the mutant animals being kept there. Teams one to five will engage Glitter Kitten and Burnout, remember to subdue them alive. Any questions?¡±


    No hands raised, no words, just still silence from those gathered. They all knew what they were about to do. Everything was calm on the surface, below well that was another story. Most, if not all were concerned of this plan. If things went badly, then a good portion of the force would be killed or wounded. Normally direct confrontation with Glitter Kitten was avoided due to what happened last time they attempted to subdue her. It failed and she killed fifty officers and escaped without a scratch. Their suits and cyborg enhancements were better and now only those with rank 4 and up powers were allowed to participate. This made it less likely that things would go as badly as before. However, the simple fact that there will be more than just Glitter Kitten present makes the odds of success go down. It was surprising that the Director approved of this plan.


    Enforcer did not like that one bit, Neon Nurse noted, listening in on his thoughts. Well, he was not exactly wrong. Taking kids as hostages was something criminals would do and since Dreamer¡¯s big plan was to mind wipe Glitter Kitten and Burnout, having them control their respective gangs for us, we needed leverage for it to work. Their minds would be data troves and ripped to pieces most likely as all the knowledge would be extracted. Morally? On the fucked up scale this was definitely a strong seven out of ten. This was a big part of why Neon Nurse, Enforce, and even Fire Chief had been alienated from Dreamer. The only reason anybody was going along with this was because the alternative was worse. Another LA would be devastating to the Hero League and would likely be the straw that broke the tentative balance. Chimera would crack down and that was bad news for everyone.


    ¡°Alright, everyone mount up,¡± said Medavac, leading his response teams out of the room.


    ¡°Neon Nurse?¡± asked Sunshine, who had butterflies fluttering around her.


    ¡°What is it, dear?¡± she replied, hiding her distaste.


    ¡°We are going to get Nee-san back, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will get Vesper back.¡±


    A bright and energetic smile appeared on her face, ¡°Sunshine will save her from the evil space bimbos.¡±


    Enforcer went his way and the teams split up. The gaggle of greenhorns followed along behind Neon Nurse. She sighed inwardly and fought back a frown. It was a good thing her face was fake. She did not particularly like that she was in charge of the Trainees for this operation. This forced her into a supportive role, dragging the wounded from the front or giving assistance where needed. Among other things it limited what she could do, having to babysit superpowered brats might prove to be difficult. They were not machines, after all, and might get into trouble by not thinking things through. It was part of why she did not like organics, they tended to be erratic and disorganized. She preferred machines for their simplicity. They at the least could follow orders and she would not have to worry about them running off. Her thoughts were interrupted by a siren blaring.


    ¡°We have heavy activity in the Slums, according to surveillance the Mad Dogs are engaged in a dispute with the Scarlet Souls. Be advised, Burnout is reported to be in the area as well.¡±


    The back of an armored ambulance turned troop carrier lay open, allowing them entry. She glanced over her charges. Astro Glide, Gravity Squeeze, Sunshine, Disk Jockey, and roughly five power suited paramedics and five cyborg swat officers. Could be worse, she could have gotten stuck with all of the Junior teams. Thankfully, they were the only one allowed to participate due to the dangers. She did not even dare consider how many they would lose if the raw recruits went into the fray.


    They set off with the others, making their way along the cleared city streets. To onlookers, this likely looked like some military operation, as the convoy of treaded armored vehicles sped along the cordoned off thoroughfares. They had planned on raiding the Slums tomorrow night, but the suspicious movements of Burnout prompted them to mobilize early. Which meant that this might get rough, since they had not had time to scope out the whole of the areas they were about to attack. They had general layouts and somewhat detailed information, but Neon Nurse did not like how rushed this was. If she was in charge then they would have scoured the area yesterday so that they could plan more properly, this morning, which would have allowed them some breathing room. Instead, they were now relying on a blitz tactic and hoping that they had the element of surprise. A familiar saying crossed her mind, ¡°Haste makes waste.¡±


    That being said, so long as they got Vesper back, she would consider this a success. It also did not help that someone had spilled the beans and tipped off the Mad Dogs about the plan. This meant that there was a double agent working on the inside. She knew who it was, but she had a vested interest in keeping villains on the street. Should the public run out of people to hate, they would turn very quickly on the Heroes. The ungrateful little bastards. Praising you one day, shipping you off to jail because you accidentally dropped a bus full of kids off a bridge. It is not like it was on purpose or anything. They would have died if you did nothing and you try to help, but fail to save them and suddenly it is your fault and you are the bad guy. Not that Neon Nurse had ever done that, it had happened back in the day to Vira¡¯s dad, which is why she went off the deep end and ended up as a Villain. You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain, after all. You can do thousands of good deeds and no one will notice, you fuck up once and they descend upon you like rabid hyenas. Neon Nurse knew about this all too well, she was still marked with a black spot from her time as a Villain and it had been years since she switched sides.


    The Slums loomed ahead, darkness contrasting against the bright city backdrop. Distantly, light flared up from an explosion, muffling out the glimmer of the neon stripper signs. It appeared that subtlety was no longer on the Villains¡¯ agenda. The speed ramped up and bumps churned the restless heroes as the roads deteriorated and even ceased to exist sometimes. This was the concrete jungle now and civilization felt like it was hundreds of miles away. An expedition into hostile territory.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Her overlay displayed a detailed map of the area. It had been updated this morning and showed blocked roads, crumbled buildings and Vesper¡¯s glowing dot from her tracking device. Unfortunately, it seemed that she was in the thick of it, judging by where that explosion was. Glancing at the other dot, the suit was¡­ where is that exactly? It was not in the Sparkle Kat, instead, it appeared to have been dumped deep in the ruins of old Bronson. That was miles away, why would it be there? She pondered it for a moment, there were a few answers that came to mind. First, they bought that crap about it being a nuke and dumped it in case it blew up. Second, it was being used to blackmail Vesper. Third¡­ she could not really think of a third option, besides maybe they just hated technology. She did not put much thought into it.


    Neon Nurse¡¯s group was supposed to help bring down Glitter Kitten. Which was the most dangerous part, save, securing the children. If they failed then Glitter Kitten would be free to ruin the other plans. The vehicle chugged along below them, as the separate teams split up to their respective mission. According to the reports, the hellcat was currently engaged, so she was not hard to find, catching her¡­ that was the hard part.


    Vesper¡¯s vitals spiked abruptly, which was bad since it meant catastrophic damage had just been inflicted. Without aid, she would die. How quickly organ failure occurred depended on what happened. If it was bleeding out or loss of anything, but the brain then there was time. If it was the brain then she would be dead before they even got there. Her clacking robo hands nearly strangled the driver to go faster. Unfortunately, since they were in the middle of the group, they could not detach or rush ahead. Her anxiety dropped when the steady beat of two hearts appeared on her monitor after an agonizing thirty seconds. Luckily from the pulse and heart rates, it appeared to be the former. These would have more or less flat-lined and the signal would have been lost if the head had been destroyed. Still, the pulse was weak and it did not look good.


    Ahead a blanket of fog loomed over several collapsed buildings, for a brief moment something hopped out and fell back inside. Her eyes replayed the visual and zoomed in, Thumper. If she was here they were close. Another explosion rang out on the other side of the wall, dampened by the mist. The vehicles pulled over and all the hatches opened, the teams spread out surrounding the area. Several rushed ahead through a gaping hole to scout out the ruins while others secured the immediate area. So far this was going better than expected. They had not planned on a Super Villain turf war. It was advantageous, since they simply had to wait for both sides to wear themselves out before striking. Neon Nurse and the Juniors had nothing of real importance to do. They were in a supporting role and so far nobody had been hurt, save Vesper, but not much she could do about that.


    Astro Glide spoke up, ¡°Neon Nurse, can we help with reconnaissance?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Extra eyes would be good,¡± complained Gravity Squeeze.


    They were all so ready, bristling with anticipation. It was a super fight after all and they were just young enough not to dread such a thing, instead thinking it to be some sort of game. Vesper was smarter than that, when she was not throwing herself at the problem anyway. The reality of the situation had not sunk in yet, as to how dangerous this was. This was why she did not want to watch the damned kids. Oddly the only one who did not seem to biting at the bit for a sliver of glory was Sunshine. She just rocked back and forth, surrounded by furry little animals. Neon Nurse gave her a long glance before deciding not to worry about it.


    ¡°Let me tell you, this is not fun time with Mecha Fairy running around and playing hero. This is serious and people tend to die in situations like this. Now look, not a single one of you is going to leave my sight. Your lives are in my hands, which means you are my patients and I don¡¯t lose patients.¡±


    ¡°Come on, we can help.¡± Said Disk Jockey.


    ¡°Have any of you ever seen Glitter Kitten or Burnout get serious?¡± They shook their heads and she continued, ¡°Well then, just sit down, be quiet and hope that they get tranquilized before they realize what is happening, because there will be hell to pay if not. If things don¡¯t work out as planned, a lot of people are going to die tonight and I can¡¯t guarantee your safety.¡±


    They quieted down after she looked away from them, watching the map. Vesper was moving¡­ That did not seem right. According to her vitals, she was weakened to an unconscious, but somewhat stable state. Was someone moving her? It was really the only explanation since there was no way that she could do much on her own. Sure enough, the dot steadily moved away from the fighting zone. Neon Nurse did not know whether to thank or curse the person who did this. On one hand, she was safer and likely would not get caught up the violence that was about to unfold. On the other, well, now she had to track where she went down. It was annoying. For now Vesper was not in danger of dying so she could concentrate better on the task at hand.


    The scouts reported in, ¡°Targets are in sight. Glitter Kitten, Fold, Burnout, Thumper, Den Mother, Shadow, Mist, Cinder Lad, and Jack the Hammer are currently exhausted. Now would be a good time to strike.¡±


    Mist was here? Neon Nurse stared at the wall of gloom. That was not good. She could sense everything around her in that form. Then that means¡­ Neon Nurse¡¯s thoughts were cut off when Dreamer sent out an order, ¡°Move out take them while they are occupied.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you heard her let¡¯s go!¡± excitedly said Gravity Squeeze.


    Neon Nurse confronted her, ¡°Are you trying to get people killed? Mist knows we are here.¡±


    The warped mask, covering Dreamer¡¯s face left the smirk exposed. ¡°It does not matter, they have been fighting for over an hour already. Their stamina should be exhausted at this point. We have them surrounded. Stick to your job.¡±


    ¡°Fine, anything that happens is on you,¡± scoffed Neon Nurse, she turned to the three boys who were ready to charge in with everyone else, ¡°Juniors stand down and stay in the ambulance.¡±


    ¡°Dreamer, can we go too?¡± Asked Gravity Squeeze, going over Neon Nurse¡¯s head.


    ¡°No,¡± said Dreamer, to Neon Nurse¡¯s surprise, she had been expecting to completely overridden here. She continued, ¡°You are under her command, so do as she says. We will be relying on you guys when people get hurt and they will, so don¡¯t worry about missing out on anything.¡±


    The Juniors reluctantly went back to the safety of the armored vehicle. Enforcer and his groups checked their weapons. For this, tear gas launchers had been set up on several of their shoulders. A few were strapped down with tanks of pepper spray that connected to flame thrower like apparatuses. Things had gone smoothly on Captain Metal¡¯s side. He had set up the speaker arrays, awaiting further orders. When the signal was given they stealthily proceeded through the rubble of a store. The eerie silence snapped with the crinkle below their feet. Up until a few minutes ago, there had been intense fighting. Now it was dead quiet.


    Neon Nurse watched what happened next through Enforcer¡¯s eyes. He led the way into the enclosed field. Mist covered their sight and he switched to thermal vision, it did not help since she was a warm cloud. He raised the grenade launcher and switched it to electro rounds. The first hit the bare ground, sending up arcs of lightning through her gaseous form. It reeled and split, retreating and subsequently revealing the area. A burning car helped light the otherwise dark area. Six figures stood at various spots, three facing him and three the opposite entrance. They were cold¡­ a distraction. He thought. His fingers gave a motion and five drones deployed from his back, speeding over to the spot. They were mannequins, then where the hell did- He never got to finish that thought, when a massive explosion rocked the area. A billowing cloud rose up from the opposite side. His eyes scanned, searching for heat signatures. Enforcer rose his eyes to the sky and there was Burnout, a giant fireball overhead.


    She threw it towards them and he yelled: ¡°Clear out!¡±


    They did not have time to escape back to the outside. The group instantly ran through the building, barely getting to the safety of the field before where they had been erupted, the scalding metal warped and bent trapping them inside. He reigned in all of his subordinates firing up at Burnout. The flames around her consumed all of their ammo. He switched to cryo rounds lobbing up the freezing grenades. She dodged, roaring to the side on her wings of fire. Out of the corner of his eye, one of the outer members toppled over, cut in half. Turning to see what caused it, a blur scattered dust as it weaved all over the place. Glitter Kitten! He tossed a sonic grenade in her direction. The ear-splitting sound made her retreat temporarily.


    ¡°We need support!¡± Yelled Enforcer.


    ****


    Panther crouched, perched on a ledge overlooking the arena like trap. His tight blue outfit glistening in the fire below. He watched Glitter Kitten bolting like a streak of tabby hair across the ground below. To Panther, she was running normally, but that was because of his enhanced reflexes and speed. Things moved slower for him. He pounced down, tackling her and the pair crashed into the ground, spinning away from one another. She rose, fur bristling as her claws extended. A slight smirk across her face.


    ¡°Nyah, nyah look what the cat dragged in. What is the matter, forget the last time I whooped your ass?¡± she mocked, her tail flicking.


    ¡°I will take you down.¡±


    She waved her hand lightly, ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself. Nyahahaha! You can¡¯t even touch me if I get serious.¡±


    He lunged at her, going for a tackle and she jumped to the side. He adjusted mid stride and so did she turning it into a game of cat and mouse. It was a fact that she was faster, however, for now she was still holding back. They were even at the moment, making their high velocity duel a matter of who made the first mistake. She darted in for a punch and he managed to deflect it. His foot shot out clipping her tail. At this rate, this was going to turn into a stalemate. Again and again, they clashed while the outside world moved at a snail¡¯s pace. Scratches covered his suit from where her claws had lightly made contact. Burnout had sent another fire ball towards Enforcer. Panther dived in scooping up several swat members and tossing them to the side. He went back for more when Glitter Kitten cut him off. She pounced, loping towards him with the people he had just saved in tow. The crazy cat was going to put them back into harm¡¯s way!


    ¡°Nyuh-uh-uh this is between you and me, no helping others,¡± she grinned, hurling the hapless people into the explosion radius. ¡°Unless you want me to take advantage. After all, there is no telling what I might do if you take your eyes off of me.¡±


    Panther frowned with a seething anger. He charged at her, punching and she side stepped it, flicking her tail in his face. The damned cat was taunting him as she bolted away giggling all the while. This was going nowhere fast. It was right about time to see if the plan was going to work or not. Panther fled, bounding over the wall and booking it to a side building that was mostly intact. True to her nature Glitter Kitten quickly followed her prey, momentarily pausing at the entrance, surveying the building.


    Panther dived into a kick from the side and Glitter Kitten mounted the leg, scurrying over him and kicked off of his chest, sending him straight into the ground. The concrete shattered and a small crater had formed. The cat crouched with glowing eyes, watching with amusement. She circled contemplating what to do with him.


    ¡°Nyah, why did you come here I wonder? Well, it was fun, but this little kitty has a job to do. So I will see you next time, second place.¡±


    Panther grabbed her leg as the doors slammed shut. Suddenly light glared from every direction, blinding her and a strange sound felt like it was drilling through her head. Glitter Kitten realized too late that she had gotten sloppy. She covered her ears, screaming as she backed away. Her eyes could not see except for blots and spots. The ringing in her head drowned out everything else, making it hard to think.


    ¡°Glitter Kitten is down,¡± said Captain Metal firing off a metal net that knocked her flat.


    ¡°I will be right over,¡± replied Dreamer.


    ¡°Good work Panther, you lured her into the trap.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, next time I don¡¯t want to be the bait,¡± he groaned, getting up. His stomach was bruised and probably has torn muscle or two. It would not surprise him in the least after a kick like that.


    Glitter Kitten clawed at the net, her fingers dripping blood from the razor like wire. She growled angrily, thrashing like a wild animal. She slowed her protests after a minute or so, catching her breath. Her tabby fur had become soiled with her blood. Glitter Kitten lay there eyeing them with daggers.


    ¡°What is with this net, Nyah?¡±


    ¡°It is a titanium alloy that has been soaked in sedative. In a minute or two, you will be out like a light.¡±


    ¡°What are you planning on doing to me anyway? Is it off to Bronson Heights for me?¡¯


    ¡°Nope. After you have an attitude adjustment we are going to let you go.¡±


    ¡°Adjustment? Nyah? Dreamer is it. Ah¡­ so I see, well I got business with her myself.¡±


    They both raised their Sonic rifles, ¡°Try anything funny and we will shoot.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I highly doubt that,¡± she smirked.


    ¡°You think you are so smart you stupid Subhuman. I have waited a long time to see you get knocked down a peg,¡± laughed Captain Metal.


    Glitter Kitten¡¯s eyes drooped ignoring him and she snoozed peacefully. The door opened up after a few minutes and Dreamer strode in, her cape flickering on the wind. A wide grin filled her face. She rubbed her hands together, giving a nod to them. ¡°So out like a light?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Good, then shall we get started?¡±


    Dreamer placed her hand on Glitter Kitten¡¯s head and her body instantly started writhing in rejection. She closed her eyes, concentrating and gritting her teeth. It was a battle of wills that only the two could see. At first the cat resisted furiously nearly beating Dreamer out of her head, but then she got serious. The cat girl squirmed, screaming incoherently. She frothed at the mouth and blood spurt out of her nose while she resisted.


    ¡°The more you fight the more that it hurts,¡± whispered Dreamer by Glitter Kitten¡¯s ear.


    She flopped about, spasming and yowling from another mental attack. She was faltering, but this was going to take a few hours to break through her mental defenses. It was only then that the programming could take place, and that could take a while to make it stick. That did not matter though, since Dreamer had all night to work on this and if longer was needed then they would take her back with them. Vaguely she recalled Vesper¡¯s mind, it was by far harder to crack than this filthy whore cat. After all, there were two minds supporting one another in there. This one would only be a matter of time. Glitter Kitten was easy to prey on. She had all manner of emotional distresses, abandonment issues, daddy issues, threatening her children, deep down she even had self esteem problems. It was already assured and this plan was halfway a success, or so Dreamer thought.


    The ground below Glitter Kitten distorted and she dropped down, leaving a hole in reality where she had been. Dazed from the sudden break in her mental link, Dreamer vacantly looked around and her eyes gaped at what had exchanged places with Glitter Kitten. Mecha Fairy¡¯s suit lay there strapped with enough explosives to make Burnout proud. Normally Dreamer would not have been too worried over something like that, however, the suit had a little something installed to make sure Vespidian never got away with turning on them. In fact it had been her plan to use this as a diversion. The atomic core was set to go critical if she set it off. This much of a shock would certainly destabilize it. A timer ticked down to five seconds and the world blurred.


    ¡°Ah, shit.¡±


    The building erupted, shooting shrapnel through the air and raining flaming bits as secondary explosions reverberated. Shock waves tore through the area, disrupting the rest of the fight as the glowing mushroom cloud plumed up filling the sky.

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 9 Interlude: Living Nightmare

    Hello everyone sorry for the late chapter, Doing this a little out of order from what I mentioned before since I think it will fit better. With this chapter everyone should understand why I kept defending Dreamer as not being evil. As I mentioned before there are far worse things than death out there. 3 more chapters for this Arc, next one is almost done, I am just getting hung up on details. so it might get delayed or it might be up later tonight. Btw I am thinking about dropping the Arc # from the titles of the Chapters and just putting "To Skin A Cat, Chapter 9 Interlude: Living Nightmare" for instance since putting the Arc number is getting redundant and making the titles super long. What do you guys think?


    Also check out my other story The Shattered Realms Rise of Zulguarde http://royalroadl.com/fiction/8115</a>


    ~~~~~~


    Vespidian Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 9 Interlude: Living Nightmare


    Dreamer breathed a heavy sigh of relief, that had been a very close call, far too close for comfort. If Panther had not been there she would have died. That being said, where was she? Her thoughts echoed out through the inky sky. It took a long moment for her to realize this place was what she referred to as the Dreamscape or to other¡¯s someone¡¯s mind. Who was she in now? Was it Panther or perhaps Captain Metal? She did not remember entering anyone, it looked dark and twisted with old dried up trees beside the cracked stone walkways. Truly a frightening place, for others that is, not so for Dreamer. She recognized this place, it was her own mind. Seeing no particular reason to stay she motioned for a door to leave, only it did not appear. Surprised, she tried again, to no avail.


    ¡°Leaving so soon?¡± whispered a voice from all around.


    ¡°I have no time for you. I have a city to save and people are dying out there!¡±


    ¡°So cruel, same as always. So tell me, what will you do to stop Glitter Kitten?¡±


    ¡°Once we reorganize it will be a simple matter.¡±


    Glitter Kitten materialized out of a swirling dark mist. Her sensual form perched upon a branch above. She mocked down at Dreamer laughing hysterically, ¡°Nyahahahaha! You think you can catch me? Too slow, much too slow. You are pathetic and weak. Who do you think you can possibly protect? You are powerless.¡±


    ¡°Just go away, I know you are not real.¡±


    ¡°Reality is subjective. You know that little Dreamer.¡±


    ¡°Just as I know you are nothing but a figment of my imagination.¡±


    ¡°Am I now? I don¡¯t know if I should laugh or be offended. Come now Dreamer, you are smarter than that. I know, I made you.¡± The cat girl melted into a bubbling smile that spanned the sky with blood red eyes watching.


    ¡°You did not make me.¡±


    ¡°Just keep telling yourself that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up.¡±


    ¡°You are weak.¡±


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t have time for this. Stop blocking my way, Nightmare.¡±


    ¡°If I am simply a figment of your imagination, then why don¡¯t you just wish me away? Should not be that hard, for someone so strong and virtuous as you¡­ just kidding. Has the thought never occurred to you that perhaps it is you who is not real?¡±


    ¡°I am real.¡± She scoffed, eyeing the bubbling darkness.


    It shifted and squirmed transforming into Vespidian. The sleek carapace glistened in the low light as the hauntingly white mask of a face creased, grinning. Shivers scurried down Dreamer¡¯s spine and she broke eye contact with those portals of darkness. ¡°You don¡¯t sound convincing.¡±


    ¡°Why did you choose her?¡± asked Dreamer.


    ¡°Did you think I did not notice? Your obsession, your desperation to save this poor girl from herself. After all, it is not every day one finds a mind so similar to us.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Foolish Dreamer. I know what you were up to. I know your thoughts, I hear everything. Planning to kill me, using her as a subject to see what would affect the parasite, the darkness. Unfortunately for you, there will be no salvation from studying this one. Try as you might, you will fail. As you always have. You can¡¯t beat me. How can you when you can¡¯t even use our power properly?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. You are nothing, but a ghost.¡±


    ¡°Struck a nerve I see. Go on, do it, leave. After all, you are so strong and valiant. The big hero trying to save everyone from that which they do not even know. Yes, Chimera and Kraken. Oh wait, you can¡¯t leave because you are weak.¡±


    ¡°Enough of your ramblings.¡± She said, imagining a door to leave. However, as it formed the darkness strangled it and the light died.


    ¡°So weak, so pitiful. To think I made such a disgraceful thing. You can¡¯t even use rank 5 powers, while I am a rank 8. Just look at what you did to my favorite pet, you butchered her mind.¡±


    Dreamer trembled with rage, ¡°Youko Izumi was a murderous fiend! She ripped her own parents to pieces with shadow monsters summoned from her mind.¡±


    ¡°She was just a scared young girl unable to control her powers.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. We both know she was fully aware of what she was doing. For god¡¯s sake, she was getting sexual release from it!¡±


    ¡°True. Oh, we both know that was just her virgin kill.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± grit back Dreamer, ¡°You don¡¯t have to remind me of the atrocities that thing is capable of. I remember the crime scenes very well. Her MO was luring her classmates and friends over to her house before torturing them and letting her monsters devour them.¡±


    ¡°My little monster has killed over fifty people in the short time since I awakened her latent powers. Pretty good for only a month. I am proud, really proud you know? Imagine how much more she could destroy if given longer. Then you went and turned everything into cotton candy, kittens, and rainbows, ugh. Disgusting.¡±


    ¡°You did not awaken anything. She is a mentally ill individual who is getting the help that she needs. You had nothing to do with it. Her power if channeled properly could do great good.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± said the ebbing shadow shaking her head, ¡°That was before your time. After all, that was one of the first things I did when I came to this city. Thought it would be fun, you know?¡±


    ¡°Came to this city? What are you talking about I was born and raised here.¡±


    ¡°I know. That is what I made you think, you are simply a persona, a cover if you would. Dreamer is an alias of someone who never existed. Tell me, Dreamer, what is our real name?¡±


    ¡°That is crazy! You are nothing but lies. My name? That is easy, it is Rachel,¡± glared Dreamer.


    ¡°Not that name, our real name.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it odd that you never questioned it till now? Well, it is simple really, you are not Rachel. You are, but a Dream, hence your name. I allowed you to use my body so that you could infiltrate the Hero League.¡±


    ¡°What? No, no this can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, so easy to make you doubt yourself. Oh, but it is true, I even got plastic surgery to change my appearance. Can never be too careful. It would not due to have any of those Kraken scum recognize me.¡±


    ¡°That is ridiculous. I am a hero, I save people. I will not let the city of Bronson down!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well about that¡­ unfortunately, your usefulness to me has come to an end. At the least outside, in here well I have a very special use for you.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you-¡± started Dreamer before her mouth was covered.


    ¡°Hush now, poor sweet child of mine. You have done everything I wanted and more, though you are proving to be a liability. On a few occasions, I have had to step in to ensure that my scheme was not interrupted. As fun as it has been watching you play the hero, my plans are moving forward. One step at a time. However, this requires finesse and I can¡¯t have you bumbling around, saving people and otherwise giving the Hero League a good name. After all, the whole purpose of this mission is to bring down the Hero League from the inside out. Chimera will have our revenge after Captain Liberty and The Sanguine Puppeteer¡¯s betrayal. We could have ruled the world with the Spore, but they feared its power.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you undo everything I have worked for!¡± Shouted Dreamer, shoving the hand away and throwing a right hook into the darkness.


    It seethed and reformed, ¡°Poor, poor Dreamer. You need to be more creative than that. Punching? Really now? Best you could come up with? Let me show you a real imagination.¡±


    Bubbling darkness boiled out of the ground, transforming into tendrils. They lashed out wrapping, grasping, writhing around Dreamer. She shuddered in revulsion, fighting the ever tightening grasp. Pain radiated out, fear spilled out like blood and the crazed grin on the shadow only grew. Her laughter rang out as the terrain distorted. Jagged mountains burst from the ground and unspeakable horrors materialized all around.


    ¡°I know why you tried to save Vesper, saw yourself in her. Her plight and your own are very similar. Although it was really unbecoming how jealous you are over all the affection that she was showered with. For stealing your friends and turning them against you. Granted, if I saw some slutty bug monster attempting to seduce my husband, I would be mad as well. Although, I suppose none of that was real after all Dreamer never existed until a year ago. They are not your friends, I just made them think you had known them for years. Even after all the trouble she has caused, you still can¡¯t bring yourself to abandon her. It is commendable. Unfortunately, you can¡¯t save her, nor can you save yourself.¡±


    ¡°Please, you can¡¯t,¡± cried Dreamer weakly.


    ¡°Ah, good. Beg, beg more for me. Grovel at my feet and lick my toes.¡±


    Disgusted Dreamer looked away. ¡°I won¡¯t. Just kill me and get this over with.¡±


    ¡°Oh, look at you. Still, have some pride I see. Kill you? Oh no. I would never do that. It is going to be so much fun to break you. You, little Dreamer are going to sit right here, unable to move, unable to die, unable to sleep. You will watch as I tear apart your oh so precious Hero League. I am going to destroy everything that you hold dear. Your friends, the fake family I brainwashed into thinking you were one of them, Sunshine, I certainly missed my pet, and let us not forget Vesper. Oh no, I will save her for last. Assuming, of course, Sub does not beat me to it.¡±


    ¡°What did you¡­ You didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Oh please, it did not take much to coerce that creature. An idle threat, a promise of power. There was so much hatred, sorrow, despair, desire, and revulsion in there. In fact, she was already in there, shattered, scattered. It was a good thing I made her fight you off otherwise, you would have ruined a perfectly good toy. Then again, I would have undone everything you did anyway, but that is neither here nor there. It would have been a mere inconvenience. By now I imagine that she has fully integrated with her unwitting host. You should have killed her when you had the chance instead of having mercy. That is your problem Dreamer, you are too soft. You do not go far enough and it derails all your little schemes to make the world a better place. I wonder if she will choose to keep Vesper alive, locked away much as I am about to do to you or if she will consume her to gain full control. What a wonderful experiment, I can hardly wait for it to come to its conclusion. I do so love corrupting the innocent.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t! I won¡¯t let you!¡± screamed Dreamer drawing on the last of her power.


    Light stabbed down from the sky shattering the shadow creatures. The darkness retreated, creating a small patch of colorful ground. Circling like a beast Nightmare sucked in all of the darkness welling up to monstrous proportions. Slowly, her form solidified, a copy of Dreamer save one glaring difference. The mask was not warped, it was whole and unblemished, leaving none of her face exposed. A dark, sinister smile plastered across the front, her cold red eyes glistening as blood flowed down the front in streams of tears. Her mouth opened, revealing the jagged maw of swirling teeth.


    Nightmare cackled, ¡°Won¡¯t let me? How funny. What are you going to do to stop me?¡±


    Dreamer drew back her hand and a strange weapon materialized. She pulled the trigger and a beam of light shot through the towering fiend. She toppled cut in half, down the middle, but they reformed and now there were two. Firing again the colorful glare obliterated one and Nightmare screamed. She writhed and trembled in apparent agony. Her cries turned to manic laughter as she held her sides. Dreamer shot the laser again, but it bounced off, streaking harmlessly into the sky.


    ¡°Oh, it hurts, it hurts soooo bad. Make it stop, make it stop! Just kidding,¡± mocked Nightmare, ¡°Ah, the fun we will have together. You know I actually got a few ideas from Sub. Who would have know that little pervert would be so useful? Honestly, I never would have thought of half the crazy shit she does. What to do first, we have all the time in the world. What was her favorite? Tentacles? Although there was that whole eating people thing. Surprised anybody could actually get off on that. How about both, Shall we?¡±


    ¡°Stay away from me, you monster!¡± yelled Dreamer, forming a door to escape.


    The darkness lashed out, shattering the barrier and coiled around her. Dreamer¡¯s hand held tightly to the door before it tore off, hanging limply as she was dragged away. Her teeth grit in pain to the point that one of her teeth broke and she cried as the tentacles pulled her in deeper. Her arms and legs sunk into the inky abyss. Teeth shred through her flesh and bone only to have it regrow and be stripped off once more. Nightmare watched with amusement as the tentacles grew suckers, which housed mouths filled with whirling teeth. They wrapped tightly around Dreamer and her incoherent screams rose desperately. Her body writhed as the blood poured out from between the coils. She wiped her mouth with a blood stained thumb, licking it and shuddering in bliss.


    ¡°Yes, that is it. Scream for me. Scream for me until your lungs collapse. Cry for me until your eyes bleed. Let me drink your suffering. Let me feast on your agony. Let me wallow in your despair. Hmm, what was that? Trying to say something? Well, speak up I can¡¯t hear you over your bones crunching.¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Dreamer gasped as her face was freed, or rather what was left of it, most of it had been eaten, ¡°Why, why do this?!¡±


    Nightmare bent down, kissing her on the forehead, ¡°Why not? You are my toy and I will play with you as I please.¡±


    ¡°No, no, NOOO!¡± The tentacles stabbed deeper into her form, sucking and draining her. Dreamer screamed into the darkness.


    ¡°No one will miss you, no one will even know you are gone. But don¡¯t worry, I will let you see and hear and feel everything as I take over this life that you so carefully cultivated and turn your pretty little dream into your personal nightmare. What to do first? I suppose we should start with our home. Yes, little Tim will be so pleased that mommy came home to play.¡±


    ¡°No, no you can¡¯t. Please, please anything, but that! Leave Tim alone, leave him alone!¡±


    Nightmare licked her lips, ¡°Now, now where would the fun be in that? Oh, Dreamer, he is not even our son. I killed the real Rachel and took her place. After all, we needed a cover and who better than the wife of Bronson¡¯s most famous Hero? Nobody would suspect her of being a member of Chimera. Who do you think we had our face changed to? Your life has been a lie constructed from the raped mind of the real Rachel. Oh, I had sooo much fun with her. All your precious memories, all those joyful moments are nothing, but fabrications. You have been living someone else¡¯s life, so really it is rather poetic that, now you shall watch as I live it for you. After all, it was stolen, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Brock, Brock will know the difference!¡± Rachel cried.


    Nightmare only smiled, stroking Dreamer¡¯s head, ¡°Ah, yes, Brock Bronson scion of the Bronson family whose ancestors date back to the founding of the city. Of course, everyone knows our friendly neighborhood Fire Chief. You think I can¡¯t impersonate you? What makes you think I have not already? I know everything you do and more, much, much more. Trust me on this, he won¡¯t know the difference, although he will notice a pleasant change. If anything he will like me more. His frigid wife will suddenly rekindle the spark of their romance. You always were reserved in bed. Me on the other hand, well I know my way around the shaft so to speak. Real shame you don¡¯t even swallow. Honestly, if he was not so loyal he would have abandoned you long ago. That little whore Vesper was trying to steal him from us, you know?¡±


    Horror covered her face, ¡°You, no, no, no you wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I already have. On many occasions. You ever wonder what those blank spots in your memory were? It was me taking control. Oh, but don¡¯t worry. I am not going to hurt him, yet anyway. Not while I can use him to torment you. I will let you watch his face twist in delight and feel the beating of his heart quicken and hear his cries of bliss all for a woman who is not you. Ahhh are you crying?¡± she laughed cruelly.


    Dreamer struggled, but she could not cover her face as the tears rolled down. She whimpered weakly, ¡°Just kill me. Please, just kill me. Just get it over with. I don¡¯t want to see that. I don¡¯t want to see anything.¡±


    Nightmare took a deep breath and sighed, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡± screamed Rachel.


    ¡°Simple my dear. Your agony is my ecstasy.¡± She wagged her finger and flicked the newly regrown nose, ¡°You see I am not so cruel. You will feel everything that happens to me. Besides, I gave you this life and it is mine to take, so don¡¯t ever say I never gave you anything. Though, it won¡¯t be him doing it to you. It will be your new friends here. Yes, as he thrusts into me, they will force themselves into you. Don¡¯t worry, they will be so affectionate. Who knows you might even come to enjoy it. Oh, but before I forget, about Tim¡­¡±


    ¡°WHAT! What are you going to do to my-¡± screamed Dreamer before a tendril slapped over her mouth, cutting her. The maws started chewing and her muffled cries rose up. The hatred in her eyes burned fiercely.


    Nightmare smiled wryly, ¡°That is it. Yes, hate me, feed me. That is it, I like that look in your eyes. About Tim, I won¡¯t torture him or anything like that. No, I will give him a mother¡¯s love. Our relationship will be deeper, more intimate than ever before. I am sure he will love the attention. Oh, and you will feel that too.¡±


    Dreamer¡¯s eyebrows raised for a moment, not understanding. That did not sound so bad, how was that going to torture her? It took a few seconds, or maybe minutes, it was hard to tell in here until she realized exactly what it was that Nightmare was implying. Her eyes gaped and she struggled desperately. It hurt, oh dear god did it hurt, as her flesh ripped and her muscles tore. Her little boy, her precious little boy whom she had soiled her hands to protect, to clean up this foul, rotting city so that he would be safe. So that he would have a future. Now this thing, this monster was going to defile the one thing that meant more than life to her. Her thrashing freed her. She flopped down on the ground arm and legless, she did not even care that the mouths happily ate them. Dreamer dragged herself forward with her chin, fueled by pure rage, until she was at Nightmare¡¯s feet. Her teeth bit into the foot in front of her.


    ¡°Fuck you! I won¡¯t let you, I won¡¯t let you!¡± she cried between tearing off mouth fulls and spitting them out.


    Her eyes rose when Nightmare¡¯s laughter roared, ¡°You can¡¯t stop me. So weak, so pathetic. Ah, well our fun is just beginning. Now then, the real world is waiting. Enjoy the show.¡±


    ¡°NOOOOOO!¡± Screamed Dreamer as Nightmare opened the door and stepped through it. She tried desperately to reach it in time, but the darkness bubbled all around her and she sank into the abyss like quicksand.


    ******


    ¡°Dreamer, Dreamer!¡± cried Panther, his voice hoarse. He slapped her face, ¡°Wake the fuck up, we need you!¡±


    Her listless, cloudy eyes became focused and she blinked. Her hand touched the fresh wound on her head, poking into the bleeding hole. Was not so bad. Could have been worse, could have actually caused some damage rather than knocking her unconscious. She smiled vaguely.


    ¡°What is the matter? Are you alright?¡± asked Captain Metal.


    Nightmare replied, ¡°Never better. So tell me what happened after Glitter Kitten escaped?¡±


    ¡°Neon Nurse and the Juniors took off somewhere. Fire Chief took command and is currently evacuating the wounded while keeping the Mad Dogs occupied so that Sweeper can finish his mission.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± she nodded, ¡°Well, forget Glitter Kitten for now. I have something else in mind. While I was in her head, I learned about a secondary stash. We will head there now, Nibbles will be there.¡±


    ¡°Nibbles?¡± spat Captain Metal, ¡°What the hell are we going to do with a rat?¡±


    ¡°Gerbil,¡± said Nightmare. ¡°Simple she is going to become our mole.¡±


    ¡°Why her?¡± asked Panther.


    ¡°Well, she is close to Glitter Kitten a lot of the time and has access to sensitive areas. With any luck, she will have been informed of the Boss we are looking for. I know it is some Kraken scum, the problem is who? If not, well then we will still have an inside source of information on their movements. We are in this for the long haul. Slow and steady. Methodical and thorough.¡±


    ¡°Alright, good enough for me.¡± Said Panther.


    ¡°Good, carry me. Oh, Captain Metal go help Fire Chief. I won¡¯t be needing you for this, but he will be needing all the help he can get.¡±


    Metal nodded quickly and took off in the direction of the raging fire that lit up the cold night sky. It looked bad, but nothing Fire Chief could not deal with. She crawled up Panther¡¯s back and he took off. It was so simple when they followed orders. Panther and Metal were naturally already under her control, as was the rest of the Central City Team. She had been keeping a low profile and ensuring that no one suspected the takeover. Everyone thought it was natural for Metal to lose his position after his fuck up with Vesper. Of course, that was her doing, brought it up to Ring Master and made sure that the harshest punishment was dealt out. Speaking of that old bat, a little visit was in store. So much to do, but there was time. Lots and lots of time. Nightmare was patient, she had already waited twenty years for her revenge so what was another few months, maybe a year or two? Besides, she had a host of wonderful new toys to play with to kill time.


    Vaguely she could hear the lamentations of Dreamer in her head. ¡®Hush now, I have not even started to do anything bad yet.¡¯


    They arrived at the destination after a very short duration. Panther¡¯s speed was in prime shape as always. It was an unassuming building, an old auto repair shop that had been abandoned during the outbreak. Boards covered the broken windows and old ratty cloth dangled from bits here and there. They approached the back, fresh earth had been dug up recently just below the door, which was locked from the inside. Panther kicked it down and bolted into the room. Nibbles did not even have time to react before she was pinned against the wall. She snarled and tried to bite Panther, but Nightmare reached out and connected their minds.


    ¡°Open your mind to me. Deeper now, deeper, more profoundly. Open the doors and let the walls crumble to dust. Good, good just a little more. Almost there, you can¡¯t resist. We are going to go to the inner core of you. Yes, that glowing ball of your essence. And there we go.¡± Smirked Nightmare, as her mental claws ripped open a hole in Nibble¡¯s brain.


    She shrieked in agony and shook as her nose bled and foam poured out of her mouth. It was a forceful entry, it could be considered mental rape, in fact, by all rights it was. Nibbles pissed herself and every muscle in her body spasmed. Weak. Easy prey. Minutes ticked by as the body trembled, eyes rolling. Her defenses were shattered as Nightmare rewarded her with pleasure for submission. It was a good way to tame someone, stimulating their minds to associate ecstasy to following orders, listening to her voice. If done right, it was as addicting as a drug. This was an old trick she had learned from before she gained her powers. Back when she was just an erotic hypnotist, scraping by to pay for her student loans. That brought back memories, none of which were particularly pleasant. They were pushed aside as she assaulted the poor Gerbil once more. Nightmare smiled to herself, forcing Nibbles into a whirlpool of intoxicating release, she quickly drowned.


    ¡°Obey me, obey me, obey me. I am your Mistress, your Goddess. Prostrate yourself before me worm! My words are law, your feeble mind cannot resist. Obey and be rewarded, resist and feel my wrath!¡±


    Nibbles could not think straight as she was bombarded with images and words whispered by voices that slowly shifted tone until they matched her own inner thoughts. It was at this point that she no longer knew what was her own thoughts and what was the invader trying to corrupt her. The fear slowly subsided as the voices reassured her that this was all perfectly fine. They continued on and on conditioning her with repetitive mantras such as, ¡°Obedience is bliss. Empty mind, brain goes pop, can¡¯t stop, not a thought. Mistress knows best. Mistress rewards good pets. Nibbles is a good pet. Nibbles obeys Mistress.¡±


    Nightmare pulled her hand away from the drooling Gerbil girl, ¡°It is done. Isn¡¯t that right pet?¡±


    Nibbles vaguely replied, ¡°Yes, Mistress, Nibbles obeys.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now then pet, you will report to me every week on the activities of Glitter Kitten and to further your conditioning and training. Now I have a question, who is the Boss?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Until I say so act, as though nothing has occurred. This memory of everything that has transpired here will be suppressed unless you hear my voice or are triggered. At that time you will enter a trance and be completely cooperative with me. You will act no differently, but deep inside you know who you must obey. There is no choice. You will know the Trigger when you hear or see it. I have installed a powerful trigger that will make you do a certain task that you will do no matter what. It does not matter if you die attempting it, you will do it. You know exactly what this is and will fulfill it when the time is right.¡±


    ¡°Nibbles obeys Mistress. Nibbles is good pet reward me, reward me.¡± She cried desperately.


    ¡°Rewards are earned pet. Remember that well. Now sleep and forget everything that happened here.¡±


    Nibbles curled up and slept as Nightmare walked away, ¡°Panther our work here is done. Take me back to the headquarters, there is work to do.¡±


    The power to enslave minds, how fun indeed. That was Dreamer¡¯s problem she did not go far enough. She would not sully her own hands to do what must be done. Prey upon the easiest of all desires, sexual. At best Dreamer would try to talk them out of doing bad things. Instead, she went for emotional insecurities, sure, that was a good way too, but not as effective. It was stupid, silly really, building a self-esteem instead of tearing it down. Dreamer set up mental blocks so that they could not use a gun, hesitate if they would take a life, or take away their drug addictions. A waste of her power really, making the world a better place. Sculpting a mind and bending wills was a much better use for it. For rapists, she made it so they could never get hard again. That was a bit cruel, Nightmare thought, then again, it was fun to watch people suffer. Suffering is magic. Ah, to hear their cries of torment, nothing is sweeter. For all the good she tried to do, it was ultimately to no avail. She smirked to herself, hearing the dim protests of Dreamer.


    ¡®Just you watch, I am only beginning. I do hope you enjoy the show.¡¯


    _____


    Hope you enjoyed tell me what you think ^^

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 10 Interlude: Crimson Sweeper

    Hello everyone got a long chapter for you, only 2 more in this Arc. Hope you enjoy, tell me what you think. This one ended up being longer ^^


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    To Skin A Cat, Chapter 10,  Interlude: Crimson Sweeper


    Crimson Sweeper sat idly. The thick red trench coat, draping to either side and his gloved hands rested on his lap. His eyes closed behind the thick aviator sunglasses and wide-brimmed fedora was tilted over his face. None of that helped, though, he still saw everything around him, whether he wanted to or not. There were some metals he could not see through, five-foot thick steel, for instance, blocked his vision. Zinc oddly enough was one of them as well. There was another problem with his power, he could not remember faces. For some reason, his mind would blur out the distinguishing features. He could see their expressions and if their eyes were closed, but that was about it. It forced him to look at other parts of the body to remember, identify people. It was his gift, his curse. It was rather hard to sleep at first, unable to close himself off from the world. Always awake, always aware. That was in the distant past and he could sleep whenever he wanted now, with his zinc lined blindfold. He concentrated too little and people would vanish as he saw through them, concentrated too much and things appeared as normal. He could pick and choose what was seen through, currently, he watched the surroundings outside the speeding armored transport.


    Around him were roughly twenty cyber swat members. On the outside, they were all identical, save the badge number on the shoulder. Helmeted gas masks with glowing blue eyes. Thick plated armor covered them from head to toe, leaving just enough mobility to bend over. That being said the suits did not weigh them down, in fact, they made the wearer much stronger on par with lower ranked strength supers. The only way to tell apart the genders was if there were boob plates or not and even then if they were not large then it would not be noticeable. Some of the guys had bigger chest muscles than the women had breasts after all. They were more or less Enforcer¡¯s men, granted if you looked deeper they were more loyal to their creator, Neon Nurse than anybody else. They were straight-edged, followed orders to the T, which meant that they were bad at improvising if things went awry. In stark contrast to Sheila, his partner and the only other member on his team. Thanks to her, they had become something along the lines of the oddballs. Her unorthodox methods worked well with his and as a result, they had good synergy.


    ¡°Hey, Sweeper you can see through stuff right?¡± asked a woman across from him. It was not someone that he knew.


    ¡°Yes, why do you ask?¡± he muffled out under the red scarf covering his lower face.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. Just trying to make small talk.¡±


    He tilted his eyebrow, giving her a cursory glance. She was stripped bare under his gaze. Left arm and leg were robotic everything else was organic. She had long ginger hair bundled up inside of her helmet. He gave a nod, noticing the scars on her chest, she had heart surgery within the last year. He could tell since it was not fully healed yet. Ah, he noted as his eyes roamed down to her waist, it seems she likes it all natural from the bush between her parted legs. She somewhat had the mannerism of a man.


    ¡°D¡¯s,¡± He stated, losing interest.


    ¡°D¡¯s what is he talking about?¡± she asked looking around.


    Sheila leaned in. Her creased safari hat shadowed her eyes, a band covered in teeth circled the crown. It left her wily white smirk contrasting the tanned skin, ¡°Bloody ell, he¡¯s talkin bout your knockers.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Your booooobs, fun bags, honkers, you know tits?¡± she emphasized, cupping her own sizable endowment and making hand gestures to get her point across.


    Sheila wore a skimpy tan top that had pockets covering each of her large breasts. It was low cut exposing her toned stomach. Tight tan short shorts barely managed to keep her ass in check. Her pocketed utility belt helped keep anything from shifting on her in the heat of things. It left her tramp stamp of a tiger striped butterfly exposed, just above her black thong. Each arm and leg had throwing knives strapped to them with a little band. She had white socks and combat boots. A 9mm Beretta was holstered on her left side and a big bowie knife was on her right side. A towering anti-material rifle that had been heavily modded canvassed her back. Her power made her sneaky. It was not so much as her turning invisible as erasing her presence and that included sounds, smells too. It made her perfect for being a sniper or as she used to be, an assassin for hire.


    The first time they met he thought everyone was kidding about her powers since, they did not work on him. He could see her and no matter how she tried, she could not sneak up on him. Sheila might have been able to silence her movements, but that did not help when he could see her from three blocks away. Her attempts to impress him led to some rather awkward and interesting situations. One time she dove in through his window while he was taking a bath. That was a night to remember, first time they got down and dirty. He nodded a little recalling the details. Very talented, she was surprisingly flexible.


    Her outfit and way of speech had been inspired by the Crocodile Hunter, with alterations of course. In fact, it was her favorite show and she nearly had a heart attack when Steve almost got killed by a stingray a few years back. It was a good thing he left the stinger in, no telling what would have happened if it had been pulled out before he got to the hospital. She was born and raised in South Africa, Cape Town. It always bugged Sweeper, how she was a total Aussie wannabe, but that just made it more fun to poke at him. He told her a few times to just be normal since people these days had skin about as thick as a sheet of paper and got offended over everything. She did not particularly care, though, found it very fun to mess with people¡¯s heads and went out of her way to piss people off if they were bugging her.


    ¡°You mean he can see through clothes?¡± The cyber swat member covered herself.


    Sheila grinned, tipping her hat to reveal the cold, robotic right eye and the deep scar that crossed her nose, ¡°He sees everything. If he wanted to he could look in your baby maker and see if you was preggers. In other words, nobody has got any nickers around him. It is a real cock up if you ask me. Makes it bloody ard to turn him on.¡±


    The woman looked around awkwardly, ¡°I eh¡­ I am not even going to pretend that I know half of what you were saying there.¡±


    ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Fire Crotch,¡± Sweeper coughed slightly.


    Sheila slapped her knee, laughing hysterically, ¡°Oh, bullocks really? You pulling my leg. Wait, really? We got a Fire Crotch over here better call the fireman to put out the flames!¡±


    ¡°My name is Catherine!¡± she yelled back.


    ¡°Piss that, you are Fire Crotch from now on. Sheila I is, nice to meetcha¡¯,¡± she smiled, extending her gloved hand to shake.


    Catherine took it, not really knowing what else to do. After a bit of silence, she spoke up, ¡°So, how did you lose the eye?¡±


    ¡°Funny story that. So there I was in Somalia, assassinating this local Warlord who was hiding out by Wisil. He was using these child soldiers you see. The job went without a hitch, blew the cheeky git¡¯s brains all over a wall. So anyway when I was sitting on the side of the road, waiting for my exit plan, I see this kid. Scrawny little bastard probably had not eaten in a week, nothing, but skin n bones. See that a lot over there. You know? I started feeling bad, guilty even since I was munching on a big old Kit-Kat bar right in front of him. He had those empty, soulless eyes. Gave me the heebie-jeebies it did. At any rate, I waved him on over, offered a piece of Kit-Kat and BAM! Rusty spoon in my eye. Bloody wanker ate my god damned eyeball, after spooning it outa me ¡®ead. Slit his throat like a stuffed pig for that. Just to rub it in I ate the whole bar in front of him, while he bled out. And that is why I hate kids, you can¡¯t trust the shifty little bastards.¡±


    ¡°Well, might I remind you that our mission is to capture around twenty of the Mad Dogs¡¯ progeny, preferably Glitter Kitten¡¯s. Remember now we are not allowed to kill,¡± said Sweeper.


    ¡°As long as I don¡¯t gotta get within arm¡¯s length, then we ace.¡±


    He gave her a long disapproving look, ¡°Then why did you come with your bunker buster?¡±


    Sheila wagged her finger at him, ¡°Now, now this thing is bloody brilliant you know? Got these shock rounds that will bring down an elephant. Neon Nurse also gave me these here special sleepy time syringes just in case.¡±


    ¡°Just remember not to go on another safari. We have a mission here, also don¡¯t shoot Vespidian if you see her. We are supposed to rescue her.¡±


    ¡°She would not have gotten nicked if she was on our team to start with. I was real gutted over her getting assigned to the Juniors.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did petition for it, but she chose it herself,¡± said Sweeper, inspecting the syringe gun in his hand.


    ¡°I am still gobsmacked that we have not gotten a single new member after Flicker got iced,¡± Sheila grimaced, remembering that unfortunate event. ¡°Been a little lonely just you and me.¡±


    ¡°Not your fault, wasn¡¯t then, not now. Flicker should not have tried to chase Fold through a portal.¡±


    ¡°I know, but what if we did not get into that kerfuffle right before it happened? He would still be alive.¡±


    ¡°It would have happened eventually, he was too reckless.¡±


    ¡°Well, he was certainly that. Speaking of Fold I am surprised that you were fine with not being on the task force to try and get that wanker.¡±


    ¡°Not for lack of trying. Dreamer said it would be better if we dealt with this. According to the tracker, Vespidian is¡­ not in the Sparkle Kat. I guess that means she is not our problem. For now at the least.¡±


    ¡°This just seems wrong, though, doesn¡¯t it? I mean kids? I might hate the little fucks, but still. Seems a little extreme even for us. I mean we have tortured people before to find out stuff, ¡®ell, I used to do that for a living.¡±


    ¡°If what I heard is right, they are getting put into child protective services custody.¡±


    ¡°Why bother? Nobody wants to adopt Subhumans. If anything it is just going to make the poor urchins even more resentful.¡±


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t like cats?¡± asked Catherine, looking at an image of the kittens happily grinning with their mother.


    Sheila looked a little perturbed, it was a fact that she liked cats, well, animals in general and the little furry kids were rather cute. The little whiskers on their puffed up cheeks just made her want to squeeze them. Maybe it would not be so bad. The fact that they were more or less adorable and looked like little animals was giving her far more pause than the fact that they were children.


    ¡°Animals are better than people, they don¡¯t lie. If it wants to kill you, it won¡¯t smile and be your friend before sinking a knife in your back,¡± said Sheila with a slight nod.


    ¡°So you got trust issues?¡± Catherine asked leaning forward a little.


    She scratched the side of her face, ¡°You could say that. Well, that is a story for another time.¡±


    Sweeper nodded in agreement, ¡°We are almost there.¡±


    ¡°Alright boys and girls, stop your grinning and grab your linen. We are going into a hot zone, expect extreme resistance. Top priority is containment. Don¡¯t let any of these jumpy fucks escape to sound the alarm. We will sweep floor by floor, calm and orderly. Teams seven and eight will form a perimeter outside, everybody else with Sweeper, I will be securing objectives,¡± said Sheila through the Overseer system.


    There was a very good reason that the cops in there had not been informed and it was a very simple one. They might have spilled the beans if they knew. Everybody knew that anybody who came down here on patrol was more into it for the pussycat time and they were very purrswasive, especially after a few drinks. It had happened a few times before, however, this was a two-way street since they could be fed false information as they had tonight. Every single Lieutenant and squad captain had been informed that they would attack tomorrow, which is why they left the place mostly undefended today.


    The ATC ground to a halt a street over from the Sparkle Kat. The boisterous music and drunken patron¡¯s cheers echoed out of the glowing building. Neon strippers shifted with the lights on the surrounding buildings. This was going to be hard and fast. The other teams quickly gathered up. Two teams rushed to each entrance. Sweeper led one and Sheila took to the high ground. He peered through the wall, looked rather full. A ratio of three to one civis to Mad Dogs. The stage was host to several bunny girls and the cat girls were giving lap dances or prowling around the room for a partner. He gave hand gestures, relaying the info. They nodded between one another and the windows broke in from the tear gas canisters. Chaos ensued as people rushed out, trying to escape the gas.


    ¡°On the ground! Hands where I can see them!¡± Shouted the cyber swat members tackling the disoriented and dazed denizens. ¡°For your own safety do not struggle and comply with orders!¡±


    Kicking and struggling died down rather quickly from the civilians. They were swiftly dragged off to the side to keep them out of the way. Two teams stayed outside while everyone else stormed in. The subhumans had fled from the ground floor going both upstairs and downstairs. Their sensitive noses would not be able to handle the gas. It would only temporarily debilitate them rather than causing serious and permanent damage. If he could help it, Sweeper would like to minimize the damages. That being said, if push came to shove, he would not hesitate to kill, not against the Mad Dogs. They had proven time and again to be brutal, malicious, and neither Sweeper nor anyone else could expect them to not go for killing blows. It was times like this that he hated being a good guy, on the books and accountable for his actions rather than a vigilante. Villains did not play by the rules, which made coming into a situation with the intent to capture, not kill, was a liability. Here they were using nonlethal approaches while their adversaries were unrestrained in their options. It is exactly this sort of thing that gets a lot of good people killed for no reason.


    The gas had dissipated by the time the ground floor was secured and they prepared to move on. Outside gunfire erupted, in short, controlled bursts. He turned, glancing over the situation. Several of the Mad Dogs had tried to make a break for it, they had been tranquilized and subsequently subdued. Giving a finger wave they continued on. Diving into the belly of the beast. Sweeper led the way, combing for threats. The only real objective was the children, none of the others mattered and as such if they stayed in their hiding holes he would not bother with them. The unimpeded progress did not last long. He watched them, grouping up, reorganizing and getting to defensive positions. Some were even trying to sneak up on them, taking advantage of the shadows. This was going to take a while.


    Without effort Sweeper fired off down a corridor as they passed, giving rise to a low thud at the other end. Ahead several cat girls had flipped a table, blocking off the walkway. Their noses were dripping and their eyes were red, clearly, they had been hit by the gas. Sweeper drew closer to the blockade, their fur bristled with anticipation. They lay in wait to the side of the impediment, ready to ambush those who were distracted and attempting to disassemble it. He tossed a grenade in the enclosed space that they were in and the flash blinded all five of them. The cyber swat moved in unison, firing nets on the blinded animal women. They were pinned and compressed, unable to worm their way free. Trapped, they screamed and yowled with rage. He ignored them, moving on.


    The next floor proved to be much more difficult. There were werewolves here. He glanced about, neither Den Mother nor Thumper were here, which meant that they were with Glitter Kitten. From what he could see there were no high-ranking members here at all. That made this a lot easier, not that it was going to be simple. They had come prepared, otherwise, this would have been a suicide mission. It seems that the Mad Dogs were not expecting an attack on their base. This meant that the disinformation had been successful. There appeared to only be the pups so to speak watching the place. The hulking dog women charged forward into the hail of tranquilizers. Their skin was too tough and neither the darts nor bullets could penetrate. Nets could not restrain them and were merely an inconvenience, barely slowing their advance. Sweeper pulled out his Beretta, Betsy, ready to fire when the window shattered and the first two dropped to the floor, convulsing with arcs of electricity sprouting from them. The remainder took steps back weary, but it was too late as they dropped from more impacts.


    Sweeper waved to Sheila, who was on a rooftop nearby, ¡°You took your time on that one.¡±


    ¡°And you said we would not need the Bunker Buster.¡±


    He nodded dismissively and stabbed several needles into the open mouths, putting them to sleep, ¡°We can talk about it later, building is clear. Get in here.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright mate, I is coming.¡±


    A hook snagged on the window and it did not take very long for Sheila to haul herself in. She followed along as Sweeper kept an eye on everything. Things were clear for now. Their objective was in sight, the kittens were cowering in the penthouse with the few remaining guards clustered. Everything was going good, too good in fact. Something felt wrong. He stopped for a moment, considering his options. Sweeper always went with his gut and it was telling him to run. He shook it off, not seeing anything around that would give him pause.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    They arrived at the door, Sheila placed charges to breach and they stepped back. He counted down with his fingers and the explosives went off. Fragments of wood and metal careened out, leaving a cloud hovering in the doorway. The Cyber Swat moved in. They brushed aside the stunned guards, injecting them with the sleepy time drug. It worked almost instantly and they dropped like flies. The officers spread out securing the room before Sweeper and Sheila made their way inside. The children were huddled in the bathroom, the three oldest keeping the others behind them. They snarled like cornered animals.


    ¡°Stay away nyah!¡± cried Midnight.


    ¡°When mama gets back you will all pay!¡± growled Rocket.


    Snowball gave them the kitty cat eyes, ¡°You are not going to hurt us are you?¡±


    Catherine got a little flustered over that, ¡°Hurt you? No, we came to save you kids.¡±


    ¡°Save us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we are going to take you guys to a better place. There will be warm beds and food.¡±


    ¡°Liars! You are just going to catnap us!¡± scoffed Rocket, giving her a death glare.


    Sheila looked around, ¡°Seems like we are the bad guys here doesn¡¯t it? Why did we need the kids again? I am starting have third thoughts on this whole thing.¡±


    Sweeper nodded a little. Talking about taking children from their home and actually doing it were two very different things. He understood perfectly well why Dreamer wanted the children. They were insurance just in case things went horribly awry. If this city was going to survive without Chimera swooping in they needed leverage on the various criminal elements to make them cooperate. Getting Glitter Kitten¡¯s willing or unwilling participation would go a long way toward restoring order in the streets. More enforcement could be dedicated to eradicating the other gangs if the Mad Dogs were no longer a problem. If Burnout got caught as well then all their concentration and efforts could be placed on the Diablos. The reasoning was perfectly sound, which was the only reason Sweeper even agreed to do this. Chimera was bad news, he had seen first hand what they did to people. They made the Nazis look like boy scouts. Sometimes he wondered which side was really worse, Kraken or Chimera. Both are ruthless, cut-throat organizations that plot to take over the world. The only differences were how they were going about it and who would ultimately rule over everyone after the dust settled. It would either be Super Villains or the coalesced world governments. Neither was very appealing to Sweeper.


    This had to be done, it was for everyone¡¯s best interest. Besides, it was not as though the kittens were going to be tortured or anything like that. In fact, they were going to be staying at a very nice boarding house on the north side of the city. There would be guards, of course, and they would not be allowed to leave unsupervised, but they would get an education and perhaps in time they would even be allowed to see their mother. That would depend on her and if the suggestions stuck or if she saw reason. He shook his head clearing away the thoughts.


    ¡°Alright, now listen squirts you are going to-¡± started Sweeper before trailing off, staring out the window.


    In the distance, an explosion rose up in the telltale signature of a nuke, but it was tiny in comparison to what most people think. All eyes were on the dust cloud. The wind roared by and glass shattered all around as the building shook. It could not have been more than two miles away, which meant it was at the other fight. The coms had fallen into disarray, no one knew anything and it appeared that the command structure had fallen. His eyes scanned the nearby area, during the commotion several of the rabbits had fled. They split into different directions. That was not good. Word of the attack here would get out and reinforcements would come streaming in.


    Sheila yelled, ¡°Grab em, tag em, and bag em boys, we are bailing!¡±


    ¡°Just take those three. It will be troublesome to take them all,¡± said Sweeper, pointing at the oldest.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡± cried Rocket, fighting the grasping hands that held him and his sisters down.


    ¡°Relax kid, you will wake up and it will all be over,¡± said one of the Cyber Swat members administering the sedatives.


    Their struggling subsided and Sweeper nodded before talking over the Overseer, ¡°Kittens are secured, we are pulling out.¡±


    There was a slight crackle before the robotic voice came through intermittently, ¡°Good, be advised¡­ Glitter Kitten on loose¡­ Neon Nurse and the Juniors are missing¡­ I repeat, missing. Too dangerous for rescue workers, all units pulling out.¡±


    He looked over the silent room, ¡°Glitter Kitten has not been contained, which means we need to go now. When she finds out expect there to be blood.


    ¡°Should we just leave them?¡± asked Catherine.


    ¡°No, this is precisely why we targeted them. When she comes we can use the children as leverage and with luck we will get out of this alive.¡±


    ¡°Or this is what will get us killed.¡±


    ¡°Either way, I would rather have something to use against her, unless you think you can hit a hell cat flying all over the place at mock 1¡±


    ¡°I am not that good of a shot. I mean it is one thing if it is up in the sky, but when it is down here, turning on a dime and switching directions every quarter second, kinda hard. I am no Reflex Super after all,¡± said Sheila, spitting to the side.


    ¡°Then let us stop wasting time and go.¡±


    Sweeper led the way, glancing all over the place to see any signs of movement or hostiles. To his relief, there was nothing for the moment. However, there was one place he could not see through and that was the basement. From his estimates, the vault down there had nearly ten-foot thick solid steel walls. It was rather large too. He had a bad feeling about that. If possible, it should be left undisturbed, unfortunately, that was quickly shaping up to be impossible since the guards had opened it. Speaking of the guards they seemed a lot stronger than the others that had been dealt with, which begged the question, what was so important that they used the strongest people here to guard it over Glitter Kitten¡¯s children. He did not like not seeing the whole picture. It made things uncertain and Sweeper preferred clarity in all his actions.


    He got the answer to that question and it was not good. Of the two guards that went in, only one emerged and she was running like hell. The werewolf bulldozed through a wall and kept loping in a panicked frenzy. He stopped in surprise of this sudden development, carefully watching. That was when they appeared and the blood ran cold in his veins. Six lumbering behemoths that were even larger than Den Mother crawled from the bowels of that place. They sniffed the air and howled with hunger, sending shivers down everyone¡¯s spines.


    ¡°What the fuck was that?¡±


    ¡°The males,¡± replied Sweeper.


    ¡°What do you mean the males?!¡± cried Catherine.


    ¡°Wait, you thought there were only women? I mean look that kid there is clearly a boy,¡± asked Sheila.


    ¡°Well, you really only hear about the strippers so, I assumed. Is this bad?¡±


    Sweeper nodded, ¡°They may or may not be rank 5s in something. No telling how strong they are. All that I know is they are big.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Sneak the fuck outa here that is what. I ain¡¯t sticking round to find out,¡± said Sheila.


    ¡°Ah, they are fighting one another,¡± said Sweeper, watching as the animalistic monsters turned on one another, swiping and clawing.


    The largest soon drove the others away. He claimed his prize, mounting the subdued guard that did not manage to escape. They truly were animals, he shook his head. The only good thing was that the beast was occupied at the moment, frantically thrusting his hips. Sweeper motioned and they moved forward taking careful steps to avoid creating too much noise. They had made it to the base floor where all the stripping poles and performing platforms were. Outside gun fire raged and the crazed howls of the monster men rose up. They were being suppressed, but it was looking bad. He looked away when a cyber swat member was torn in half by one of the rampaging brutes, he was not the only casualty. The outside forces started to retreat.


    ¡°Come on they need us out there. Sheila, shoot to kill.¡±


    ¡°On it Sweep.¡±


    She slunk out the door, looking for high ground. There was not much so she just set up the gun on a flat area. It took a few moments, but Sweeper and the rest of them were running interference for her. Their bullets pelted off of the thick hides. The stray bullet taking an eye or plunging into the open mouth while they snarled, charging at their new attackers. Sheila finished up when they were less than twenty feet away, a distance that they could leap with ease. She pulled the trigger and an inferno round pierced straight into the open mouth of the closest one, the head exploded in a rain of melted bone and flaming gore. A heavy thud rang out when the corpse hit the ground. The others back away fearfully, not understanding what had done that. Of course they were scared, they were just animals at this point. Sheila fired again and another dropped, but this time it was not dead. The howl of pain it emitted sent spiders down everyone¡¯s spines. The beast thrashed and rolled clawing at the ground in a frenzy. She put it out of its misery with a round to the gaping wound and everything became still, save the twitching body. The others had escaped loping away.


    Regrettable for them, the Alpha male made short work of his mate and the commotion had drawn his attention. Sheila barely had time to throw herself to the side, having to abandon her gun. It was crushed under the wall that came crashing down when the beast came through it like a wrecking ball. She used her power and scampered off, tiptoeing away. She was an opportunist, not a brawler after all. He howled beating his chest with heavy thuds. Sweeper and the cyber swat members backed away guns trained on the towering monster. It snarled, sniffing the air. It was agitated that it could not find where Sheila had gotten off to, circling where she had been since the scent trail ended abruptly. From the raging erection between the legs, it was very clear what it planned to do. Sweeper saw that she was busy shimmying up a drain pipe to get the hell away from it.


    He aimed carefully with his trusty Betsy, it used armor piercing rounds. Normally they would not do much, but a certain soft spot was exposed. He fired and the scream of terror and pain the beast emitted from having his dick shot off echoed out. Wild-eyed it turned to Sweeper. Nearly foaming at the mouth and insane it rushed forward through the onslaught of bullets, nets, tranquilizers and tear gas grenades. The damned thing would not go down. An ATV rammed it in an attempt to stop the charge, but it was flung away like a toy and exploded in the distance. Sweeper ran, separating from the others, since it wanted him. He did not want anybody else to get killed because of him.


    He booked it down a side alley, but quickly found it was not very likely that he would outrun that thing. The Alpha was gaining on him and fast. Loping on all fours it drooled, slavering as it licked its lips, likely thinking of how he would taste. Sweeper turned and fired, hitting the eye. It reared up screaming and he cursed, the bullet had not hit the brain. Blood and eye matter oozed out of the socket as the monster steadied itself. It had learned and covered its face with a hand to block bullets. Backed into a corner with no options left Sweeper looked around desperately for something, anything to use against this thing. That was when he saw a person, barreling towards them, but he was charging through buildings.


    A figure slammed through the side wall and tackled the bull rushing beast. Dust scattered all around as they wrestled back and forth, punches flying out and connecting between them. The alpha male roared, beating his chest to intimidate his foe, unfortunately it did not work. During the few seconds of concentration laps, the star and striped clad man reached back and slammed his fist into the solar plexus of the furry monster. It flew back from the impact and the man charged, following up the devastating attack with a dive kick. The werewolf groaned as the wind got knocked out of its lungs. Already down, he hit it, again and again, reducing it to whimpers. He wrapped his arm around the neck, choking it until the eye rolled and it passed out.


    ¡°Pretty good. Been a while since I had to go all out. You heroes ok over there?¡± he said, wiping his hands with a broad smile. Everyone was more or less in shock from the unexpected and well-timed arrival. They had been expecting to be massacred after all.


    ¡°Thanks for the rescue, holy fuck, thought I was dead for sure. What the hell are you doing here?¡± said Sweeper, wiping his brow, his life had more or less flashed before his eyes.


    Standing victorious the leotard wearing Super did a pose with a peace sign. Sweeper knew exactly who this weirdo was, he was Bronsonman. One of the stronger supers in the city, exactly how strong? Well, nobody really knows since he is a vigilante and just shows up out of the blue in the most random of places. However, considering that he just decked that man beast, he must be at the least a rank 6. The only thing anybody really knew about him was that he seemed like a nice guy. That being said, vigilantes were a problem. They were unaccountable for their actions and that caused problems for the HL since they got blamed for it. If any of these guys went bonkers and started offing people it would inevitably be pinned on the Heroes.


    He looked around as though expecting to see someone, but it appeared they were not here, he scratched his chin, ¡°You guys would not happen to know where Mecha Fairy is would you?¡±


    ¡°Why are you looking for her?¡±


    He pat the back of his head chuckling, ¡°We are autograph buddies, so I thought that I should rescue her, since I saw the bad news.¡±


    ¡°She ain¡¯t here. Sorry mate,¡± said Sheila, climbing down from her hiding hole.


    ¡°Not here?¡± he asked, looking them over, ¡°Then what are you guys doing here?¡±


    Sweeper replied, ¡°Getting these kids out of here.¡±


    Bronsonman seemed dumbfounded for a moment, ¡°Why are you taking Glitter Kitten¡¯s kittens?¡±


    Sweeper replied, ¡°They live in a drug den that is a stripper, whore house, with monsters in the basement. A better question would be why would we not?¡±


    ¡°So, wait you guys came in here to get children? You know, this guy here could be their dad. I have seen worse living conditions, at the least, they are not out on the streets digging through trash to find food. What about rescuing one of your own? Shouldn¡¯t that be your main objective?¡±


    ¡°Mecha Fairy is not here so we went for our other objective. It is not like we just abandoned her, if she is not here then there is nothing we can do about that.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? Have you looked all over, she could be locked up in one of these rooms.¡±


    ¡°She has a tracking device on her.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow, ¡°Wait, so you guys know where she is, but did not go to rescue her and instead came here to kidnap the kittens?¡±


    Sweeper replied, ¡°It is not kidnapping. Trust me, I would much rather be chasing after Fold than doing this. Orders are orders and I can¡¯t very well go against them.¡±


    Bronsonman crossed his arms, ¡°Orders, huh. You know, the Nazis said the same thing when they were gassing Jews during World War two. This is why I won¡¯t join your Hero League, never follow orders blindly, you never know who is giving them and for what reason. If it don¡¯t smell right don¡¯t do it. I don¡¯t care what sort of grand scheme you got going, you are not leaving here with those kittens.¡±


    Sweeper shook his head, ¡°For fuck sake, we don¡¯t want to fight you Bronsonman, we know you are one of the good guys. We are doing this so Chimera does not show up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am and I used to think you guys were too. Maybe you should start acting like heroes. Chimera? What makes you think they are not already here?¡±


    Sweeper paused, ¡°Wait, hold on. What do you mean they are already here?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t tell you who, since I don¡¯t know, but one of them is running around here in Bronson. There are also several Kraken agents and both sides are plotting something. It looks bad, like LA bad.¡±


    ¡°How do you know this?¡±


    ¡°It pays to have friends in dark places.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you are one of them,¡± said Sweeper, pulling out his gun. ¡°Sheila, back me up on this, he is a Kraken agent.¡±


    Sheila raised her hands, ¡°Fuck this. I ain¡¯t getting my gob smacked over this shit.¡±


    Bronsonman looked irritated, ¡°I work alone. I am not a part of Kraken. I was referring to black market information brokers.¡±


    ¡°How the hell can we trust you?¡± asked Sweeper.


    He shook his head, ¡°Alright look. If I was a Kraken agent why would I tell you there are Kraken agents running around?¡±


    ¡°To throw us off your trail.¡±


    Bronsonman thought on it, ¡°Hmm, that is actually pretty smart, never thought of that. Fortunately, you are mistaken, I mean do I look like I am some scheming mastermind? I will admit I am resourceful, but that is a bit beyond me. I am just a guy who runs around and beats up bad guys.¡±


    ¡°I think we should trust him, I mean he saved us. If he really had an ulterior motive, what the hell would it be?¡± said Catherine.


    Sweeper was silent for a long moment before motioning, ¡°Alright, I did not like this, to begin with. I hope you are not lying to us. If you are, the shit is going to hit the fan and this whole damned city is going to go up in flames.¡±


    ¡°So, shall we save Mecha Fairy?¡± smiled Bronsonman, patting Sweeper on the shoulder.


    ¡°Damned straight,¡± smirked Sheila.


    ______


    Alright there we go, likely not going be another this weekend. :3

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 11

    Vespidian, Arc 6, Chapter 11 Cat Tastrophe


    ¡°Be gentle, will you? It hurts!¡± cried a trembling woman in shattered armor, one of her arms was missing.


    ¡°Now, now, now stop being such a baby. It was just an arm,¡± replied Neon Nurse mending the exposed flesh expertly. ¡°Now let me tell you, this could have been a lot worse. I will have you fixed before you know it.¡±


    ¡°Got more wounded over here!¡± shouted several paramedics, dragging over a bulky cyber swat member in a suit.


    Neon Nurse turned, her suit coated in blood. Around her were bodies in varying states of repair. Some were missing arms or legs and others were already put back together, getting a feel for their new limbs. Her medical equipment had been set up as a cyborg chop shop, running out of the back of the ATV. That was the good thing about cyborgs, you can remake them. The mechanical hands ripped apart armor, digging out shrapnel and setting bones before syringes stabbed into the open wounds pouring in her coagulating foam. Her movements were mechanical, precise and well versed, this was, after all, going into her hundredth thousand surgery at this point. She motioned and the man was brought in front of her station.


    ¡°Oh my, oh my, good thing you got him here when you did.¡±


    His bottom half flopped off and the juniors looked like they were about to lose their lunch for the third time in the past twenty minutes. Squeeze could not take it and ran off, retching outside. Neon Nurse shoved organs haphazardly back into the dying man. He had been sedated or else there would be screaming, this was not a time for gentle. The syringes worked their way into the joints connecting the torso and she aligned it properly foam stuck the two halves together. She gave him a final glance and nodded while her teams dragged him off to keep him stable.


    ¡°How do you do that?¡± asked Dick Jockey, looking worse for wear.


    Neon Nurse ignored him for a moment before replying with her hands, arm deep inside another person. ¡°You get used to blood. Eventually, you will be very desensitized like me. It also helps that I turn off my emotions during times like this. Glide go get me some more patients.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine wants to do something too!¡±


    ¡°Just stay around here, for now, I don¡¯t want you running off.¡±


    ¡°But, but Sunshine could help-¡±


    ¡°I said stay here. Why don¡¯t you make the stable patients feel better with your light show or something? Don¡¯t want to follow orders? Then sit in the ATV, I am busy.¡±


    She could tell that they wanted to help, but that did not mean they were of any real use. Enthusiasm was always a good thing, however, it had to be directed or it could be destructive. Their medical training was not nearly up to snuff for these wounds, let alone the finer nuances of dealing with cyborg anatomy. In other words, they were just getting in the way. Sunshine could not be trusted to know how to tie a tourniquet as far as Neon Nurse was concerned. Their only real use would be to help move people, but that meant going into the area where the fighting was still raging. Enforcer was still engaged, lost an arm at some point, but considering that he was more machine than man at this point that did not really matter too much, it could be replaced. So far they were winning. Burnout was more or less on the ropes. Whatever high she had been riding was coming down and hard.


    Neon Nurse¡¯s eyes scanned the area while her hands tied together a major artery in a leg. This was easy stuff, she could likely do it while sleeping. The only hard part was when they were almost dead. Dreamer had run off somewhere. She did not think too much about that other than that the leader of this should not have left without notifying people and putting someone in charge. Things carried on as more people were frantically carried over to her station, patched back together and thrown back out to keep fighting. Glide came in with another swat member, he was about to go back out when a brilliant crescendo of violence unfolded on the other side of the battle.


    Glide screamed, holding his face as did several others, ¡°My eyes! I can¡¯t see!¡±


    She pulled them in, preparing for what was to come. Neon Nurse stared as the explosion cloud rose up. Wind lashed out, throwing debris ahead of the shock wave. Her shield bucked from impacts as the back of the ATV closed to keep most of the damage out. Everyone besides her had lost their composure and were like animals trapped in a sinking ship. Her mechanical hands held the juniors by the scruffs of their necks to keep them from doing anything stupid, like opening up the hatch and trying to make a break for it. From how close they were, this was practically ground zero. This was not part of the plan at all.


    She cursed under her breath and warned, ¡°Hang on, it is about to get bumpy!¡±


    The metal walls shrieked as things collided with it. A sudden jolt tilted the vehicle before flipping it and everything inside shifted. Medical instruments became projectiles and syringes flailed through the air. Broken glass scattered and bodies bounced. Neon Nurse lost her footing as it was ripped out from under her and everyone else inside. The robo arms grappled onto the hand rails to keep her stable, otherwise, she would have crushed Disk Jockey under the suit¡¯s weight. She looked at the groaning people sprawled across the former ceiling of the vehicle.


    ¡°Everyone in one piece?¡± asked Neon Nurse, her pink lights illuminating the interior.


    Sunshine climbed out of a pile of fluffy critters that squalled unhappily. She had used them to cushion the fall for just about everyone, ¡°Sunshine is fine, desu?¡±


    ¡°My eyes, damn it, I can¡¯t see!¡± yelled Glide.


    She bent over him, prying the eyes open and shining a light in, to see. It was bad, well to her not so much, he would just need new eyes. Which she had an abundance of back at her lab, not that that would help them here though. Although, they might be salvageable. She had a feeling that he would prefer to have his original eyes rather than cybernetic ones. It was one of the more baffling things about organics. After all she had gone through Neon Nurse had trouble rationalizing why people still clung so desperately to their inferior organic bodies when a robotic one was far superior. She would ask for permission later, after explaining things to him. For now, he was essentially useless and needed to be evacuated. Speaking of which, with an explosion like that either Burnout just got higher than she had ever before or someone had brought a portable mini nuke here. As such this was no longer a matter of capturing the Mad Dogs, this was search and rescue.


    They sat in the low glow of Neon Nurse, waiting a minute or so longer for everything to settle down outside. She opened the hatch with a Geiger counter out. It was blipping a little, but not too badly, not like the sewers anyway. She gave an all clear motion and they emerged out into the desolate ruins of what used to be a makeshift command center. She tapped her head patching through to Enforcer, coms were down. It must have had an EMP effect. It was more of a nuisance than anything else. Her eyes looked over her HUD display monitoring vitals and sifting through optical displays to see where people were. Enforcer was¡­ alive, as were a lot of the Cyber Swat members. She nodded to herself, a twinge of pride that her creations had survived filled her fake chest. She pointed her arm up to the sky. After a moment several sets of flares fired up, marking their location for Medavac and Fire Chief, since they had not been participating directly. It was insurance, in case something happened, which paid off. No one was really expecting a nuke, though.


    This changed things, the tentative slap on the wrist treatment that they had been giving the Mad Dogs recently was likely to be thrown out the window if Glitter Kitten did not get turned. Which meant that they would stop pulling punches on the full moons and actively go about killing the rabid animals. It was their own damned fault, it is one thing to peddle drugs and get into street fights, but it was a whole other when they bombed the city. They could be considered domestic terrorists now. That meant one thing, Chimera was going to come now. They did not like terrorists and it was one of the few things that would actually catch their attention away from Kraken. That being said, it was still ponderous that they had not saved LA. Neon Nurse felt a little bad for the Mad Dogs, opening up a can of worms that they should have avoided. They had been skating by under the radar for years, but this was something that would draw attention. She could only hope that the Hero League would not get caught up in the crossfire. She had carved out a nice little nook here and she was not planning on giving it up anytime soon. For now, though, there was work to be done.


    ¡°Spread out and find survivors,¡± she ordered as people set to work sifting through the rubble.


    Neon Nurse crouched, letting the robo arms get a good hold on the side of the ATV, with a strained heft it budged and finally rolled back over. These things were hardy and could take a punch or two from a Rank 6 Super, so she was not surprised that it was still in one piece after all that abuse. Things were not as damaged as she thought on the inside, most of the equipment was still operational. She looked out over the cratered ground not four hundred yards from them. The Cyber Swat members were dragging themselves out of the rubble like zombies from the grave. Limbs destroyed and stumps scrabbling for purchase on the soft slope. Wires and sparky bits were exposed that should not be, she bit her lip mildly. There was not too much that she could do now her reserves were already running low and there were only a couple of robo limbs left for swapping.


    Sirens blared in the distance as Fire chief and the backup was en route. Overhead the thundering growl of Medavac¡¯s drop ship resounded before it appeared through the murky sky. Neon Nurse nodded to herself, thinking things over. It looked like they would have this under control. The Villains had already fled and this area was safe now. The wind gusted out from the spinning turbines as the drop ship lowered to the ground. Medavac¡¯s teams poured out of the back like ants and he emerged shortly after, surveying the destruction. After a few moments the visor on the suit flipped up and he chewed on the cigar.


    ¡°Reminds me of the Hellmouth Incident,¡± said Medavac stretching his arms.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any radioactive zombies so I think you are a bit off,¡± chuckled Neon Nurse, patting him with a robo arm.


    ¡°True, but I would take zombies over feral animal people any day. How many did we lose?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. I would guess 50 or so. We were doing fine until that explosion. You know where Dreamer went?¡±


    Medavac looked around with a slightly worried face, ¡°She is not here?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Took off with Panther and Captain Metal.¡±


    ¡°Shit, if we lost all three of them then this is really bad. Any news about Vesper?¡±


    ¡°I am not too worried about Panther, he can take care of himself. No, but I am getting a blip on my radar, she is around here somewhere. How about you take over here and I go look for her? Ran out of robo replacements a bit ago, so not much use for me to stick around.¡±


    ¡°You have a point. Alright, leave this to me and Chief. Don¡¯t be getting into any fights though, we can¡¯t lose you too.¡±


    Neon Nurse smiled wryly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry. Oh, before I forget, take the juniors with you.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine wants to help too. Sunshine will save Nee-san,¡± said the flustered magical girl, butting into the conversation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Neon Nurse.


    ¡°But, but you will need help. Nee-san could be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°She is right, it is dangerous to go alone, take this,¡± said Medavac, pointing at Sunshine.


    Neon Nurse eyed Sunshine for a moment, ¡°Fine, just keep your head down.¡±


    She prepped the ATV flipping switches and checking gauges to make sure everything was still working. All the while Sunshine hovered over her shoulder watching. Everything looked alright, so she shifted it into gear and the hatch closed. The treads picked up speed as she watched the surroundings through the cameras, all while following the blips of Vesper¡¯s tracker. The good thing was that she had settled into one spot and was no longer moving. Oddly the location on the map seemed familiar. But where had she¡­ Dr. Arbor. Neon Nurse almost kicked herself for not realizing it earlier. Dr. Arbor must have been down here observing the Subhumans and saw the altercation. This was good, really good, best news she had heard or rather figured out all day. It meant that Vesper was safe.


    Now knowing where she was going the ATV picked up speed navigating the maze-like streets. If she remembered correctly, this was an observation post that Dr. Arbor had set up a while back. Her real lab was set up under the old Nicky Mouse Land amusement park on the fringe of the slums. People kind of gave up on it after the mutant animals decided to move in. They built a new one on the north side of the city and as such this one was abandoned. The ruins of it could be seen from here. An old derelict ferris wheel loomed through the gloom of smog. She had been there a few times, helping Dr. Arbor with her various experiments. Due to how volatile Mutigene was robots were needed to handle it. Unless of course, you had a death wish.


    ****


    I sat on the slab, suckling at the metal tube. Protein paste poured out and all the while Dr. Arbor watched me from the side. Why does everybody always watch me while I eat? Is it that interesting? So what if this stuff is white, thick and warm stop looking at me like that! It did not really have a taste though¡­ kinda like eating glue or something, not that I would know what that tasted like or anything. Why can¡¯t it taste like chicken or something? I would eat this stuff all day if it actually tasted good. I mean I know it is good for me, but that does not mean I want to eat it. Then again, I was starving over here so it would have to do. I had to gulp it down before giving her a dirty look. It did not even faze her. It is hard to eat when people are watching you. Makes me self-conscious.


    ¡°Do you mind?¡± I asked, shaking my head at her.


    ¡°Just observing.¡±


    ¡°It is creeping me out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it and just keep eating. You need to replenish your protein reserves.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you make this stuff taste better? With all your damned sciencey stuff I would expect you to know how to season food.¡±


    ¡°I am a Professor, not a chef. You should know that my patented S.O.Y. is considered a super food. If it was easier to synthesize I could have ended world hunger years ago. A cup of it will feed a person for a day with all the essential nutrients and vitamins required and then some. I suppose, I could give it a flavor, though, what exactly were you going for?¡±


    ¡°Chicken sounds nice. What exactly is this stuff made of anyway?¡±


    She gave me an appraising look, ¡°That is a closely guarded secret.¡±


    ¡°It is people isn¡¯t it.¡±


    She rolled her eyes, ¡°This isn¡¯t soylent green. You watch too many movies. Besides, orphans are not people.¡±


    My eyes got real big and I threw it up, ¡°Orphans!?!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Stop throwing up on my floor. I was kidding. I do not have an orphan grinder in the back. I am a genius, not a psychopath. Look, it is a bioengineered animal, alright? It has only one purpose in life and that is for me to kill it and turn it into S.O.Y.¡±


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    ¡°Does it have lots of legs?¡±


    She looked around kinda shiftily¡­ wait a minute that means it does have lots of legs! ¡°Well, I would not exactly call them legs. At any rate, that is not important. It doesn¡¯t even have a brain so really I don¡¯t know why you are making such a big fuss about this.¡±


    I was about to retort when a beeping sound rose up from the panel beside Dr. Arbor, ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡±


    She looked it over and a camera feed appeared. One of the ATVs had just pulled up outside and there was Neon Nurse, climbing out of the back. She looked around with a worried expression, holding up the little thingy that I knew was a me detector. You know, as handy as that thing is, if it fell into the wrong hands, I could potentially have some serious problems. It is bad enough that I am chipped like a dog. Or actually, I guess I am more of a hissing cockroach, but that is beside the point. Dr. Arbor hit a button and the hatch opened up, it was well camouflaged so it was doubtful they would have found it. Reminded me a bit of a trap door spider burrow¡­ bad thoughts, why spiders?


    She poked her head in since apparently her suit was too bulky to fit into the small corridor down, ¡°Vesper, Dr. Arbor? We need to go, everyone is pulling out and soon the Mad Dogs are going to retake control of the area.¡±


    I looked at Dr. Arbor and she nodded, I climbed up the ladder and the hatch sealed shut behind her. I guess she was done here. I had hardly stood up when Neon Nurse hugged me and then she slapped me, ¡°Do you have any idea how worried I have been?¡±


    ¡°Not like I got kidnapped on purpose,¡± I replied, rubbing my face. That really stings you know?


    Sunshine looked like she was about to cry and hugged me too, ¡°Nee-san is safe. Sunshine was so lonely.¡±


    ¡°There, there,¡± I smiled lightly patting her.


    Our little reunion was cut short when a terrible crunch exploded behind them. I was not looking, so I did not see exactly what happened, but the ATV had been crushed in the middle. Vaguely it looked like a bent tin can. Now, what the fuck did that? It did not look like an explosive had been used more of blunt force only thing was that there was nothing that hit it evident. Or so I had thought when a figure climbed out of the wreckage.


    Glitter Kitten appeared crouching on the ruined ATV, ¡°Nyahahaha! Where do you think you are going little meowsies? You should know better than to try and steal from a kitty.¡±


    ¡°You idiots, you led her straight to us!¡± yelled Dr. Arbor.


    ¡°Glitter Kitten just calm down. Remember? You said you were going to let me go,¡± I said looking around uncertain.


    ¡°I never said that,¡±


    ¡°We had a deal! Besides, where the hell is my suit?¡±


    She wagged her finger at me, ¡°So gullible. I am a villain after all, what? You think I am not going to lie to you? If it means getting something that I want, then why would I not lie? You see originally I was going to take you back tomorrow and show them what you really are. However things have changed a little. What with your friends attacking, so I decided to do it today. Ah, well your suit¡­ I would not be too worried about looking for that it kinda made a big splash.¡±


    Neon Nurse pointed at her, ¡°You turned her suit into a bomb!? It makes sense, I was wondering where the hell you would get raw materials for something like that.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, you see we had a plan and it worked. It did not quite go exactly as it was supposed to, honestly, we were surprised too when the explosion was that big. But results are results. Nyow then. Vesper are you going to come quietly or am I going to have to drag you back, kicking and screaming?¡±


    ¡°I want to go home. Look, I like you and stuff, but I am not a villain.¡±


    ¡°Kicking and screaming it is,¡± she frowned.


    She moved so fast, a blur, a flicker of movement and her clawed feet sunk into my stomach. She had dive kicked me. My body rag dolled away from the impact and crashed into a concrete wall, shattering it. Yellow oozed out of my mouth as I gasped for air, since all of it had been knocked out of my lungs. Fuck! She is strong! Something tells me she is holding back too, otherwise, I don¡¯t think I would still be able to move. Don¡¯t think anything is broken just some internal bleeding. Shit, are we done for? How the hell are we even going to fight someone who moves too fast to see? I mean she is faster than a bullet. Wait, we have to outsmart her, take advantage of her instincts. Well, I could think of a few things she might fall for. Only one way to find out!


    ¡°Sunshine!¡± I gurgled, ¡°Throw yarn balls at that bitch!¡±


    She looked surprised, peaking out from her refuge of glowing knights, it seems that she heard me though, so we were going to be alright¡­ wait, what the hell is she doing? She raised her hand, guffawing, ¡°Foolish Skankubus! You think your sultry stripper moves will triumph over love and peace!? It is Sunshine¡¯s time to shine! Behold your undoing vile villain!¡±


    I face palmed, god dammit Sunshine! Don¡¯t monologue in front of a villain! You want to die? Cause that is how people die! This is not a magical girl anime. Now is not the time for that Moon Sailors stuff. We need anti-cat measures not anti-bimbo. It was too late though, she had summoned the glowing hunks of love and friendship. Admiral Moon, Captain Mars, Captain Mercury, and Captain Venus appeared from the glowing mist. Their strained speedos and hulking man muscles glistening in the strobing lights. Somehow I was getting the feeling this was not going to end well. Contrary to my expectations Glitter Kitten had not obliterated Sunshine. She had stopped in her tracks with a questioning expression. Clearly this was the first time she had seen Sunshine¡¯s power in action. Wait, then maybe we have a chance.


    She took a cautious leap backward, trying to assess the situation, ¡°Nyah? Who the fuck are you people?¡±


    ¡°Admiral Moon, slayer of slores!¡± declared the chiseled man, flexing his guns.


    ¡°Who the fuck you calling a slore?¡± yelled Glitter Kitten shaking her fist at him, he was unfazed. Well, it is kinda hard to scare a figment of somebody¡¯s mind.


    Admiral Moon pointed at her, ¡°Fear not, soon you shall be cleansed of the evil of Evil Queen Bambi!¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°Who is Evil Queen Bambi?! You know what, I don¡¯t care, you are dead!¡±


    She lunged at him and collided with a stripper pole that materialized out of thin air, slowly she slid down, dazed. This isn¡¯t going where I think it is, is it? Oh god, she won¡¯t fall for that¡­ or will she? Things were going how I thought they were, Sunshine was predictable, to say the least. The Moon Sailors were going to fight like, well, Moon Sailors. They start thrusting and dancing, grinding on those poles. Then there was Glitter Kitten, staring at them from the opposite side of the glowing stage. It was obvious she had been expecting a fight with fists, not pole grinding moves. I could tell that she did not know what the fuck was going on anymore. I did know one thing though, Glitter Kitten was a rather prideful individual and she just got challenged to a dance off. From what I have seen, she would not let something like this slide. It was an insult to her on a professional level.


    ¡°Nyahaha! Is that all you got? I will show you real dancing!¡± declared Glitter Kitten.


    In other words, this just turned into a stripper fight. Sunshine puffed up her cheeks and concentrated real hard, she did not like to lose either so this was getting both of them fired up. Speakers formed and music started up. It was some electric-funk stuff from the show, which meant it was pretty catchy and great to dance to. This particular song was ¡°All Night¡±, it was one of the original songs from the early episodes. The Moon Sailors had the home field advantage since Glitter Kitten had never heard this song before, it did not stop her from tapping her foot in time with the heavy beat to get it down. Admiral Moon and the others bobbed and weaved, clapping with their coats swishing through the air. They posed and strut like peacocks flaunting their eye candy bodies all over the place. All that muscle quivering and shaking, it was entrancing. They ended in their victory poses, which consisted of Vs for victory and other cheese ball crap like that. And then it was a certain kitty¡¯s turn.


    Glitter Kitten showed her dominance on the pole by lightly spinning around it. Once she started it was like a whirlwind of seduction as she curled up worming all over that stiff metal bar like a vine. She bent in ways I did not think were possible. I don¡¯t think even Evil Queen Bambi could put up a fight against this and she was a voracious space stripper who was conquering the galaxy with her slutty dance moves. Ah crap, we were in a dire pinch. And I am popping a lady boner¡­ god damn it. How are we supposed to out seduce a provocative cat like that? We are so fucked! Ah shit, we are going to lose at this rate. Wait¡­ why are we not running while she is distracted?


    ¡°Neon Nurse,¡± I whispered, ¡°lets get the hell out of here.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can try. Not sure how far we will get though.¡±


    I grabbed Sunshine¡¯s hand and dragged her along. We made our escape through the pink mist, heading back towards the city and relative safety. Unfortunately, we did not make it too far before Glitter Kitten realized we were making a break for it. The Moon Sailors tackled her, but she dragged them along chasing after us. Oh great, she was gaining on us even while weighed down by all that man meat. We needed a distraction.


    ¡°Sunshine yarn, I need yarn! Make a big assed ball of it and throw it over there.¡±


    She nodded and made the glowing ball with string hanging down. Glitter Kitten¡¯s eyes got real big when she saw that thing. Sunshine hurled it and it bounced away, dragging several trails of thread. The pussycat pounced, chasing it on impulse. She scurried away tail swishing wildly as she pursued her prey. Her claws digging into it and she dragged it down like a gazelle. Now was our chance to escape. Dr. Arbor had the right idea, she had already taken off running and she was fast. I had forgotten how quick she was. I don¡¯t blame her, she is not exactly a combat Super after all. Neon Nurse was sprinting and for the most part keeping up with us, but her suit was not designed for expedited movement. It was a bit clunky and borderline waddling as a result, she was starting to lag behind.


    ¡°Just leave me. I am slowing you guys down,¡± said Neon Nurse, glancing over her shoulder.


    I turned and got on all sixes it took a moment, but she got on my back, after I said, ¡°Considering how fast she is it doesn¡¯t matter we are not going to out run her. Just get on, I am not going to leave you.¡±


    ¡°I will try my best to keep her off of you.¡±


    I glanced over and Sunshine was riding on the back of Admiral Moon. Dr. Arbor was gone¡­ where the fuck did she go? She must have another hiding spot around here. Damn you! At the least let us in on it too! Glitter Kitten was, oh shit she had already destroyed the yarn ball and had vanished somewhere. All the little hairs on my body stood up. I knew this feeling. It was fear. The feeling of being prey, we were being hunted. We slowed our pace, looking over the surroundings better. A deserted, derelict street with broken buildings that had funny angles due to their collapsed forms. The pockmarked road meandered into a dead end of wreckage. Ahead, to the side was a small, almost canyon-like pass between two fallen skyscrapers. Everything inside of me was screaming not to go anywhere near that since it would leave us open to attack from all sides due to blind spots. The problem was that we were blocked in and it was the only way forward. In other words, we did not have a choice since we could not go back.


    Sunshine lit the way with kittens as we proceeded. If the situation was different I might like this place there were lots of nooks and crannies to hide in. They were not going to do us any good since I could smell Glitter Kitten nearby, which meant that she could smell me, if not see me. A rock clattered down behind us and I nearly jumped out of my carapace, scurrying ahead to get away from it. That was when she pounced. Glitter Kitten lunged out from the side, tackling Neon Nurse off of me. It was so fast that had she not been waiting and ready that we would have been defenseless. Even still she hardly had time to stab one of the loaded needles on her four extra arms into the feisty cat. Whatever it was that she just got injected with slowed her down. Neon Nurse did not emerge unscathed from the transaction, her left arm had been torn off and servo fluid gushed out like blood.


    ¡°Oh dear, she got me good,¡± said Neon Nurse injecting herself to cut off the flow.


    ¡°Glitter Kitten just leave us alone,¡± I cried. She might be a bad person, but I still don¡¯t want to see her or my friends get hurt. Why the hell can¡¯t we just get along? ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you.¡±


    She licked at her wound, pulling out the needle with her sharp teeth, ¡°You don¡¯t belong with them. Just stay here with me. We will have lots of fun together. Don¡¯t you want to play with the kittens?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, alright.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t or won¡¯t? What is stopping you?¡±


    ¡°I have family and friends who care about me. That is what. I don¡¯t even know if you actually like me or not. If you did then you would not have lied to me.¡±


    She was about to reply when her ears flicked and my antenna picked up on the same sound she heard, the low rumble of an ATV speeding this way. Her fur stood up and she looked over us for a moment. Thinking something over. She lunged for me, but Sunshine blocked her off with a phalanx of knights. She swatted one down only to have two take its place. She tore through them like butter as Sunshine desperate kept materializing more and more things from her mind to keep her at bay. Her eyes shut, teeth clenched, a vein appeared on her forehead and then the world got weird.


    The dark and dreary surroundings suddenly vanished as green grass spread out underfoot. Flowers sprouted, trees grew with vibrant leaves, and butterflies filled the air. Glitter Kitten slowed her attack and I knew exactly why, she must think that she was tripping balls. I know I would be if this was the first time I saw this sort of shit. Cotton candy clouds spread out with rainbows connecting them. Kittens and bunnies frolicked without a care in the world. I heard a snap and it repeated, leading into a song. Wait a minute¡­ I know that song. It was at this point that I started to freak out. Mr. Sun and his troupe of sunflowers appeared. What the fuck were they doing here?! I thought that was a dream. How does Sunshine know about my dream?


    ¡°You take the gray skies out of my way. You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day,¡± sung Mr. Sun overhead while his army of sunflowers circled Glitter Kitten, swaying and laughing hysterically. That is kinda scary actually, was it always like that?


    She lashed out cutting them down, but they sprouted right back smiling and laughing. Their leaves snapped as they circled her. They had her cornered coming in from all sides. It was at this point that Glitter Kitten lost her shit. She was putting out the vibes of a rabid animal. She snarled, eyes darting all over for a target and she found it. I was already running. I knew what she was going to do. My legs bristled as I threw myself at Sunshine, my hands shoved her to the side and then I felt the searing agony tear through me. It flared up and the wet sound of fruit splattering on the ground resounded. Only, it was not fruit, it was my lower half separating from the top and my organs flopping all over the ground. The yellow ichory blood pooled. It did not hurt as much as I thought it would. Of course, I was in shock, though.


    Everything started to get kinda hazy and I felt a tad sleepy, but I kept my eyes open. Glitter Kitten had reared up, fur all ruffled and she looked somewhat crazed. She was attacking Neon Nurse who held her at bay with the grabby robo arms and she had a clear shield in between them. Claws raked at it, scratching and marring the material. Sunshine was not looking too good, I must have missed when it happened, but the greenery had fade and everything was dark. She lay to my side, unmoving. Lightly I pat at her, still warm as my hand crept up to her face and sat over her mouth for a moment. She was still breathing. Oh, thank god. Then what is wrong with her? Did her power backlash or something? Did I hit her too hard? It was hard to think.


    Pain tingled through my legs or rather my brain still thought I had them. It kept sending impulses to move them and every time it was like fire and ice, numbing, burning. Was this phantom limb syndrome? I wanted to move, needed to and yet I could not. Neon Nurse¡¯s shield was already splintering and cracking. She needed help. Only I could not do anything. Never before had I felt so powerless in my entire life. I could feel my strength draining and at this point, my arms would not even move. Why? Why is this happening? I just wanted to be a hero. Make my dad proud. Maybe do some good. Super Regeneration¡­ what a fucking joke, what a useless power. I can¡¯t even save my friends.


    My gaze moved over the struggle and a figure had emerged seemingly from nowhere, of course with my consciousness fading in and out they could have just walked up and I could have missed it. Admiral Moon? My eyes shifted over to Sunshine, she was still out. Then who? Wait, I know that American flag print leotard. Bronsonman! Oh shit, not you too. Glitter Kitten is going to kill him. Too weak, I can¡¯t even warn him. He grabbed her from behind, wrestling her off of Neon Nurse. It worked for a moment, until she kicked him in the groin and got some distance. Wait, he was not alone. Some weirdo in a safari outfit appeared from thin air, stabbing a needle into Glitter Kitten¡¯s ass. She reeled back, taking off and Bronsonman shook off the blow to his manhood, chasing after her. Are we saved? I thought we were all going to die. I can sleep now right?


    ~~~~


    Sub pat me on the head, I could feel her coiling around me, hugging me, so warm. ¡®Yes, it is over now.¡¯


    Love you Sub.


    ¡®Love you too.¡¯


    Sub spent a long time just holding me to the point that it felt like I was sinking into her. She was so affectionate with her kisses if only she was real outside of me. We would run away somewhere together where no one could ever find us, disturb us, hate us. Unfortunately, even I was not delusional enough to believe it could happen. I remember this feeling, it was what happened when I first changed only, this time, I was not alone and there was no pain. Instead, a pleasant, mind-numbing pressure exuded from all around, I suppose it could be compared to lukewarm water. The low thumping of a heart resounded, but when I listened to it closely I realized that it was three synchronized to beat as one. This was nice. It was peaceful, in fact, I can¡¯t remember the last time I was ever this calm. And it was only because Sub was here, all around me like a blanket of love. I don¡¯t know what I would ever do without you, Sub never leave me. There had always been something to distract me, something to worry about, something to bite my claws over, and yet now the real world seemed so distant and everything was so insignificant¡­ was it even real or was this truth? Did the girl dream of a wasp, or did the wasp dream of a girl?


    I don¡¯t know how long we stayed like that, but it ended all too quickly. My eyes squinted at the bright lights as they peeked open. I feel like something like this happened before. I moved to block out the rays from the open window, meeting mild resistance as something fell over, plopping down onto my bed. It was an IV stand. I blinked, wiping away the fog from my eyes. A low beeping sound came from my side as I watched the line move up and down smoothly. White washed walls, blanket, sheets everything was sterile. Ugh, a hospital. It was only now that I realized I was not alone Neon Nurse was there with Sunshine, Medavac and Chief and even Dr. Arbor. My eyes wandered down my body, still a wasp¡­ welp, don¡¯t know why I thought that would change. A faint grasp drew my attention and there was Dad, holding my left hand.


    ¡°Dad, sorry I missed our dinner.¡±


    ¡°We can always do it another time,¡± he wiped a tear and hugged me.


    ¡°How long was I out for this time?¡± I asked, mildly squeezing him back and nuzzling up against him.


    ¡°A week,¡± replied Neon Nurse.


    ¡°What happened to Glitter Kitten?¡±


    They kinda did not make eye contact at the mention of her. What? Is she dead? Chief spoke up, ¡°She got away.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, I did not really feel anything about it. I was torn a little bit, on one hand, I hated her on the other I knew where she was coming from unless all of that was just a lie too. Who fucking knows, I don¡¯t want to think about it. I was not really expecting anything, to begin with. ¡°Well, not much we can do about that. When am I getting out of here?¡±


    ¡°You should be discharged after a couple days since you are awake now,¡± smiled Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Good, I will be in your hair in no time. I could go for a steak dinner about now. Hey, who is up for lobster?¡± A stupid grin crept across my face. They all smiled at me and I knew I was finally home. This, this was the place that I belonged.

 Arc 6, To Skin A Cat, Chapter 12 Interlude: The Unseen Turnip

    To Skin A Cat, Chapter 12, Interlude: The Unseen Turnip Is The Deadliest


    Beneath the brick and steel of a non-descript building, the unscrupulous forces of the city of Bronson had gathered for a meeting to figure out what was next on the agenda. Glitter Kitten lounged on the plush leather couch, as usual, she was not wearing anything. She did not have a sense of shame. Her short tabby fur had some rather unusual bald spots. It looked like one of her self-grooming sessions got a little out of hand, or she had fleas and ended up biting at them too much. This cat was feeling rather full of herself since the recent hero attack only a couple days prior was fought off.


    It was not surprising why she felt so smug. She had completed her task which had been to unload the shipment of drugs to Burnout. She then distributed them throughout the poor districts, fueling the grimy underbelly of the Bronson underworld. This was only a test, a convoluted one at that. Fold and his crew had nearly fucked everything up when they attacked, trying to steal the drugs. Greed was an enduring trait of criminals, but often times it got them in trouble with the law and each other. This was a very good example of that.


    There were only two people here at the moment Glitter Kitten and Fold. The rest had yet to arrive. Fold sat at the oak table that had nine chairs positioned around it. His spiked blond hair recently gelled up and the red bandanna held it in place where several clumps were drooping. He crossed his arms, stretching the tiny red dyed leather jacket. The little crimson mask over his face did not hide his disdain. He eyed Glitter Kitten. The two did not exactly get along and had there not been the threat of mind control during the last fight he would have left her to rot. Of course, Fold was a smart man and was able to get over his own ego and ambitions to see the bigger picture. Should any of the gang leaders get caught it would create a domino effect and drag all the others down as well since they had sensitive information about the movements of the Boss and his plans. That said, he was tight-lipped and only told them what was absolutely necessary. The other reason why they had vested interests in keeping each other on the streets was sheer numbers. The heroes could not focus solely on one gang if multiple jobs are actively going on distracting them.


    ¡°You learn your lesson?¡± smirked Glitter kitten.


    ¡°You have no room to talk, I saved your ass.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, we would not have been in that situation had you not crashed my deal.¡±


    ¡°We have to maintain the appearance that we are not working together.¡±


    ¡°I know, but still, you fucked my shit up. Nyah, you can choose better ways than that to show we are not in cahoots.¡±


    ¡°It is good this way, it shows that there is a rivalry and that it is not all smooth.¡±


    ¡°Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Besides, thanks to you I lost Vesper.¡±


    ¡°You two are rather early. Here I was thinking we would be the first ones here,¡± said a new individual, glancing over the chairs and a shorter person followed along.


    ¡°Spark Spray, Vira,¡± said Fold with a nod, ¡°Finally, someone I can have a decent conversation with.¡±


    Glitter Kitten gave him a long scowl, ¡°Good, I did not want to talk to you anyway.¡±


    Spark Spray was a tall and gangly young woman with translucent skin, beneath which a low blue glow radiated out. Her azure hair was spiraled from both sides of her head in short tesla coils that electricity arced off of. At the end of each was a ball that held itself there from the resulting magnetic pull. Most people think yellow when they hear electric, however, her costume consisted of a black rubberized suit that contoured her form. It was plated with external armor that had built-in power converters, allowing her to store excess power or use it as a weapon. These gave off a violet hue. The other purpose of the suit was to contain her raw radiant power, it served as a control mechanism due to how potent and at times uncontrollable her powers were. She had a tendency to fry people by accident when not paying attention.


    Vira was very much the opposite of Spark Spray, she was short and a bit rounded. Where her partner was flamboyant and brash, she was shy and thoughtful and usually stuck to the blinding shadow of her Spark Spray. Vira in her crazed pursuit of her mentor had allowed herself to be experimented on. Her limbs had been amputated and replaced with robo augments. What she lacked in cyborg knowledge she made up for with robotic expertise. In this regard, she was a certified genius. Attack drones and robots were child¡¯s play for her. She was the brains of the duo and typically did all the planning and research for the jobs they did.


    Her outfit copycatted Neon Nurse with some rather drastic alterations. Neon lights spread along her like veins and they dyed her in a red aura. She hid all that made her human, opting for a full body suit complete with helmet. The face plate had a single large optical sensor in the appearance of an eye. Where the mouth should be a pair of hoses led away into her shoulders. This suit even had an advanced AI that helped her control the robots in the vicinity. This was what she was most proud of. It might not be as impressive as the mechanical terrors that she unleashed, however unlike them it was nearly sentient and learned. It was named Xava.


    Her bulky back had several layers, platforms and each housed several smaller drones. These were mostly for scouting and relaying detailed area awareness. Vira was more or less a walking hive of drones. She had a she had a multitude of specialized machines that could perform a wide array of tasks. This made her a potent threat since she could hack computers, cut power, take hostages, spy on people and even sensor sweep areas for threats. She could do all of that without actually being there, in harms way. That being said, she still needed to be within a certain proximity for the control signal to work.


    A sleek disk hovered by her side, emitting a blue light that scanned over everything in the room. A hologram appeared in her interface overview, it looked and sounded like Neon Nurse, ¡°Scan complete. Threat Assessment medium. Subject, Glitter Kitten rank 6.3 Speed, rank 5 Reflex, rank 4 Strength. Subject, Fold rank 5 Dimensional Rifter. Subject, Spark Spray rank 6.5 Electrokinetic.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Xava.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure, Vira.¡±


    ¡°So, it is just Burnout we waiting on?¡± asked Spark Spray.


    ¡°Nyea, no idea how late she will be though. She did just get a lot of drugs,¡± said Glitter kitten scratching the back of her head.


    Spark Spray frowned, ¡°Oh god. She is probably streaking again. Nobody wants to see that skin and bones crack addict flapping around in the wind. If she is not here in an hour I say we start without her.¡±


    Glitter Kitten nodded, ¡°I agree we might be here all night if we wait for her. How did your task go?¡±


    ¡°Without a hitch. We did our assignment almost two weeks ago. Me and Vira are already vetted and in. We had been waiting on you two to get your shit together,¡± replied the glowing woman, taking a seat.


    ¡°Well, things happened, alright? It is done now, so we all gravy. What did you have to do anyway?¡±


    ¡°We embezzled two hundred million from various accounts when we attacked the bank. Vira made it so that it appeared to be a clerical error and transferred the funds to several hundred overseas accounts. I won¡¯t get into specifics in case any of you gets caught since we get to keep ten percent of that. Let¡¯s just say the Boss is very pleased with us.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why you guys tried to rob a bank. Nyhahahaha, didn¡¯t you two get your asses handed to you? By Neon Nurse no less.¡±


    Vira visibly got agitated and her drones took up aggressive stances, fluttering about, ¡°Don¡¯t talk bad about her. She has not abandoned us, she would never leave us.¡±


    ¡°She has been a hero for a while now. You gotta face reality, she sold you guys out.¡±


    ¡°Hey, no fighting, Vira, remember? We don¡¯t talk about her anymore. Just ignore that whore cat,¡± said Spark Spray, uncharacteristically the calm one. She had to hold back her shorter counterpart.


    She shook her head, ¡°You, you are right Sparky. Filthy organic your time will come. The glorious revolution from our fleshy prisons is close at hand.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I never called you guys names. You know, you are lucky Boss said no fighting. Otherwise, I would wipe the floor with you like I did Neon Nurse just a couple days ago. If I had not been interrupted I would have killed her.¡±


    ¡°You could not kill her if you tried.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I certainly could. Metal bends just as easily as bones if given the right pressure.¡±


    ¡°I will let your primitive brain think it is possible. Best not to burst your little bubble of self importance,¡± said Vira turning away.


    ¡°Seems things are fun in here,¡± asked Burnout entering from the portal gate that everyone had used to come to this place.


    She was decked out in her motorcycle leathers, the black outlining the red logo of skulls and wings of fire. She looked pale. Her eyes were sunken into her face a bit and the bags made it clear how unhealthy she was. Burnout appeared to be a lot worse off than she had a few days prior, in all likelihood she had not slept at any point in the last three days. Too hyped up on drugs and far too anxious to sleep. That was how addicts were, they always had to do something or they felt uncomfortable, most feared just sitting there doing nothing. Of course this depended on the drug they were on, Burnout preferred speed, crack, cocaine and heroin, sometimes she would even pop molly just to get to her next fix.


    Xava chimed in at her arrival, ¡°Subject, Burnout, rank 5 Pyromancer. Threat medium.¡±


    Vira nodded silently, taking her seat and observing Burnout. Due to how her eyes were not bugged out at the moment and that she seemed sluggish, it was clear that she was not high. She was sober, something rather rare and showed exactly how serious she was taking this. Her movements were twitchy, but those were side effects from withdrawal. She licked her chapped lips, looking over the other villains a bit paranoid. She waved at Glitter Kitten shakily.


    ¡°Am I late?¡± she looked around worried.


    ¡°No, just on time,¡± said a deep voice behind her.


    Burnout spun around and her eyes gaped at the star and stripe adorned chest. She instantly threw herself on the floor, prostrating herself at the man¡¯s feet, ¡°Forgive me!¡±


    He bent over, grasping her arm and pulled her to her feet, ¡°Tell me, why are you so worried? What did you do?¡±


    ¡°During the drug exchange roughly thirty percent of the stash got burned. I will do better next time. I promise. Please give me another chance!¡± she shook like a dead leaf on a withered tree.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the drugs, it was a small loss. Besides, things happen, I understand,¡± smiled the masked man. It was a warm and disarming face.


    ¡°Boss,¡± cried Burnout and he wiped her tears, patting her on the back.


    ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t cry, you are a Super Villain, right? Alright, shall we get this meeting started?


    Shakily Burnout retreated to her seat after a bit of coaxing. The broad shouldered man looked them over, they all knew who he was, Bronson Man. He had been assigned to be their handler and report their progress to Kraken. If favorable reports were made then more jobs were given and if they continued to perform then they would get in. While everyone¡¯s eyes were on the Boss only Glitter Kitten noticed the tiny figure who had followed him in and her hair stood up in terror.


    Vira¡¯s drone buzzed, ¡°Danger level elevated, Subject, Bronson Man rank 7 Strength and Endurance. Danger level extreme, Subject, Molotov rank 8.7 Strength.¡±


    ¡°Molotov.¡± Muttered Vira lowly and the eyes in the room fell on the cute little girl who did not look like she could hurt a fly let alone be dangerous to these Super Villains.


    ¡°Who is this? Hey, why did you bring a kid here Boss?¡± asked Spark Spray, pointing right in Molotov¡¯s face. Bad move.


    Vira did not even have the chance to warn her before it happened. Spark Spray¡¯s pointer finger bent backwards like a twig. It snapped and she looked wide eyed as it drooped to the side dislocated and broken in three places. Her mouth opened and shut several times before she emitted a blood curdling scream. She held her finger, trying to put it back into place.


    Molotov smiled like an angel, as though the person crying on the floor had nothing to do with her, she said a girly voice befitting the adorable princess dress she wore, ¡°Didn¡¯t your mother ever teach you it is rude to point at others? Maybe now you will remember.¡¯


    ¡°You should not be so rough with women,¡± said Bronson Man.


    ¡°Oh please, give them an inch and they will take a mile. Women will walk all over you if you let them.¡±


    ¡°Still, it is bad to hit them.¡±


    ¡°I did not hit her, she would be crumpled up on the floor if I had. Sometimes women need a good hit with an open hand. Teach them their place,¡± replied Molotov with a smirk.


    Vira quickly taped the finger to the next one over with a crunch as it popped back into place. Spark Spray bristled with electricity as her eyes glowed. It was clear that she was planning to start a fight. Molotov simply smiled at her, watching expectantly. Vira whispered in her ear, ¡°Rank 8.7.¡±


    Spark Spray bit her lip and swallowed her pride. She took several deep breaths and looked away, breaking eye contact in a show of submission. Molotov hummed, looking over the rest of them. Burnout and Glitter Kitten awkwardly looked away, they did not want any trouble. Fold had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing hysterically.


    ¡°Why do you sound like that?¡± asked Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°Hmmm? Oh, you mean all cute and cuddly?¡± she asked with her sweet, innocent voice and as she continued it changed abruptly to a deep man voice, ¡°Da, sometimes I forget after being undercover to change voice back. Little girl sound strange sounding like this, after all.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± she asked wearily.


    ¡°Well, I came to inspect the prospective recruits. Make sure everything is smooth like turnip. Bronson Man you may start the meeting.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He nodded and placed a cube on the table, a hologram appeared. It shifted between several scenes. First was Spark Spray guarding Vira while she hacked the computers in a bank and filling bags with money while they waited for it to finish. They made their escape when the heroes showed up. The image shifted to Fold opening a giant portal on a wall. Soldiers wearing wolf, snake, and eagle insignia marched through in groups of twenty. Their weapons were highly sophisticated and each of them sported futuristic armor. Behind them emerged a tank with a mounted laser cannon and several side turrets. It shifted again to Glitter Kitten attacking a Diablo De Chillar drug convoy out in the middle of the desert and Den Mother stole the cargo containers filled with drugs. Then it moved in to Burnout and the fight between her, Glitter Kitten, Fold, and the heroes.


    ¡°Fold, despite your good performance. I do not appreciate people fucking with my plans. You could have cost us dearly for that little stunt. Whose bright idea was it to set up Mecha Fairy¡¯s suit as a bomb?¡± Glared Molotov and Fold sunk in his chair a little.


    ¡°I, eh, sorry Boss. There were more heroes than I thought and they came earlier than expected. We were a bit desperate so I did what I thought was advantageous. Glitter Kitten was sort of getting mind controlled so I acted a little rashly. It killed a lot of Cyber Swat members, though so we got that going for us.¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± asked Molotov frowning, ¡°Clearly you think the heroes are stupid. They might be foolish and blinded by their ideals, but they learn. You people do realize they are going easy on you right? They follow laws that greatly restrict what they can and can¡¯t do. If things get much worse, they will start going for lethal force over trying to capture you. You showed them that you were capable of much more than simple back street turf wars. You showed them you are a threat. Your purpose is logistics. In other words you have to stay under the radar.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Boss.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, sorry. I have heard that a lot tonight. I think punishments will get my point across far more efficiently than mere words. Fold put your hand on the table,¡± said Molotov, tapping it with her fingers.


    Reluctantly he complied. She pulled a knife and stabbed it down before he could react. He screamed pinned to the table. Blood oozed out from under it, staining the mahogany table. She ripped it back out and watched as he shakily clutched his maimed hand.


    ¡°Let that be lesson for you, Suka. Never fuck with my things. Fuck up again and I will slit Shadow¡¯s throat right in front of you.¡±


    ¡°Why, why shadow? She has nothing to do with this,¡± he grit back.


    Molotov cocked her head, grabbed him by the scruff of his suit and shook him like a doll, ¡°Nothing to do with this? She tried to kill Vesper. Crushed one of her hearts. You even dismembered her.¡±


    ¡°She tried to kill Shadow!¡±


    ¡°Had you not been there in the first place that never would have happened. You have only yourself to blame. Remember, Vesper is not to be touched. Bronson Man has told you this before.¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, it won¡¯t happen again,¡± he shivered.


    ¡°Oh, I know it won¡¯t. I will butcher your whole family if does.¡±


    All the color had drained from his face and he nodded limply. The feeling of celebration had long since been smothered by the oppressive shadow of Molotov. Burnout just stared at the floor, hoping to avoid any sort of punishment. It was her lucky day since she had not actually done anything to warrant Molotov¡¯s wrath. Glitter Kitten on the other hand was not so fortunate.


    ¡°Glitter Kitten.¡±


    ¡°Nyes Boss?¡±


    ¡°I am very disappointed, angry in fact.¡±


    Glitter Kitten¡¯s usual nonchalant attitude disappeared and the fur all over her body bristled, her ears flattened and her tail drooped, ¡°Boss? What did I do?¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± repeated Molotov with a tight scowl that ruined her girly cuteness, ¡°When did I tell you to interfere with Vespidian?¡±


    She retreated, ¡°It was a mistake, I swear! My stupid gang members did it without asking me. I beat them, I punished them, so, so you don¡¯t need to.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you not immediately send her back?¡±


    ¡°I was going to, but, but, but it would look fishy if I just gave her back for no reason. Besides, I needed her help to find the drugs. I even made a ransom to throw them off.¡±


    ¡°If it was just that I could understand, but that is not the problem. When did I tell you to try and force her to join your gang?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you, eh, didn¡¯t. Nyah, I am sorry, but I thought that-¡±


    ¡°You thought?!¡± said Molotov¡¯s deep voice before she yelled, slapping Glitter Kitten. She was quick enough to dodge most of it, but the blow left her stunned and disoriented. ¡°Da, you thought wrong. I have told each and every one of you what happen should you interfere with her. I already killed Blaze Runner for nearly cooking her. What do you think I will do to you for ripping her in half? She is still in the hospital, clinging to life!¡±


    Glitter Kitten stammered, staggering to her feet, ¡°She, she. It was her own fault! She jumped in the way I was trying to kill Sunshine! Not her, I would never deliberately kill her.¡±


    ¡°Did Dreamer tell you to kill her?¡±


    ¡°What?! No, I-¡± she started before she was interrupted.


    ¡°I heard you had a run in with her. Bronson Man, hold her down.¡±


    Glitter Kitten became hysterical and for good reason, Molotov was notorious for her interrogation techniques. Some rumors even went so far as she broke people to the point the only words they could say was ¡°Turnips not the turnips!¡± and should they see one they would cry uncontrollably. Glitter Kitten had already experienced a run in with Molotov¡¯s cruelty and it was something that she wished to never experience again. Unfortunately, she was trapped like a rat.


    She bolted for the door only to find it had been barred and the imposing figure of Bronson Man stood waiting. He grabbed for her, but she  was much faster and darted away, straight into the waiting hands of Molotov. The slender arm thrust the wily cat onto the floor and she put her knee on her back to keep her still.


    ¡°Now, now. I won¡¯t kill you,¡± said Molotov, ¡°Da, a rank 7 mind diver would not have been able to do much to non willing participant, unless they had several days to torture them. So the likelihood that you fell under her influence is low. However, I has questions.¡±


    ¡°Nyah. Then why hurt me?¡±


    ¡°Punishment. I hope you remember your best friend, Mr. Incentive,¡± grinned Molotov coldly, pulling out the crackling whip. Serrated edges of metal jaggedly dotted the metal lashes.


    ¡°NO! Not the whip, not again!¡± cried Glitter Kitten, squirming against the oppressive power holding her down.


    ¡°Then you better start talking.¡±


    ¡°What? You didn¡¯t ask a question!¡±


    ¡°Wrong answer,¡± she lashed down and the other villains winced, looking away.


    Glitter Kitten writhed, screaming as the current went through her. Her fur singed around the throbbing welt that it had made. Surprisingly, it had not broken the skin.


    ¡°Ready to talk?¡±


    ¡°Ask a fucking question!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you want more.¡±


    ¡°No! Please, I am sorry. I will talk, just stop!¡±


    ¡°Da, that is what I thought. Now my little kitty cat tell me. What did you see when Dreamer linked minds with you?¡±


    It took her a long moment to reply, ¡°I, it is hard to describe. I could feel her scratching, clawing, trying to get in. But, but she didn¡¯t I wouldn¡¯t let her. She tried to trick me, changed her voice. Sounded like my kittens pleading for me to let them in. There were colorful things, like what Sunshine makes. Weird things. I don¡¯t remember much else.¡±


    Molotov pondered on it, ¡°Da, I suppose that was too harsh. I has other idea,¡± she smiled and everyone in the room got goose bumps.


    Molotov pulled out an electric razor and Glitter Kitten turned pale when it buzzed on. She set it to the skin, cutting through the fur. With each pass clumps fell off and the writhing cat girl¡¯s struggling subsided. Glitter Kitten cried, it was better than being killed, but it was still humiliating. To be shaved in front of the other villains. She would be the laughing stock of the underworld for a long time after this. They certainly were not going to let this slide. The rest of the Mad Dogs would be laughing behind her back for months. To make matters worse, she rather liked her fur.


    ¡°Smooth as turnip,¡± said Molotov mildly amused as she got off of Glitter Kitten.


    The cat, however just laid there in submission. She felt so vulnerable, naked, and afraid. It was the first time she had ever felt like this. This was worse than when Molotov had first broken into her home and beat her senseless in front of her family. That day she had been shown that she was just a big fish in a little pond. To obey the Alpha, that was the rule, the ingrained behavior imprinted on her since she turned. It was the same for the other subhumans, the strong were in charge. It was why running the gang was so easy, she just had to beat down anybody who questioned her authority.


    ¡°I have been shaved!¡± she cried curling away in the corner, ¡°What kind of monster are you to skin a cat? That is like cutting a girl¡¯s hair off.¡±


    ¡°Everyone knows a premium pussy should be hairless, it is unprofessional to have a wild and unkempt beast. See look at Miss Wiggles,¡± replied Molotov, holding up a hairless cat that she had pulled out of a compartment on her belt.


    Miss Wiggles was a smug looking creature, an Egyptian Sphynx cat to be precise, with a pretty red ribbon around her collar and a bell dangling down. Slowly she surveyed the room with her large eyes and the bat like ears rotated. It almost looked like she squinted with disdain at Glitter Kitten and looked away with a hmmph attitude. She pawed her way up Molotov¡¯s shoulder and sat there just silently staring at them with disinterested eyes. It was clear that the cat thought it was better than everyone else in the room.


    ¡°What the hell is that thing?!¡± asked Glitter Kitten emerging from her corner, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I get the feeling I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Da, she doesn¡¯t like you either.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? Are you a cat whisperer?¡± Wondered Burnout in amazement.


    ¡°She told me. Da, good little Wiggles deserves a treat. She does, she does, she does,¡± said Molotov in a voice that made everyone give her a second glance. She sounded like a little girl and not just any, an adorable one. Molotov ignored all the dumbfounded looks and wiggled her fingers eliciting the cat to lightly claw and bite at them.


    Glitter Kitten¡¯s tail puffed up with jealousy, ¡°Why do you like that thing so much anyway? It is not like it is a real cat.¡±


    Molotov grinned, ¡°Simple, Miss Wiggles is worth more than all of you put together. She is my most prized possession. Vespidian would be a close second though, I have such plans for her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± said Spark Spray, ¡°Why is that cat worth more to you than us?¡±


    ¡°That is because Miss Wiggles is the cutest little thing. Isn¡¯t she just adorable? Also, she happens to be a Super.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean that thing is a Super? How can an animal have powers?¡± asked Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°What powers does she have?¡± asked Burnout. It seemed that the drug addict was the only open minded person about this. Everyone else had skeptical looks, except Vira she did not have a face to see after all.


    Miss Wiggles, the creature in question lazily stretched and yawned, Molotov scratched her under the chin and replied, ¡°You are a cat person and yet you question that a cat can have powers? I am disappointed. As for what makes her so special, well she talks.¡±


    Everyone looked suspiciously at miss Wiggles. A talking cat? Among all the strange things in this wide and messed up world that actually was not so weird. Considering that there were aliens, mutants, human power plants, people capable of creating a firestorm, and of course a little girl able to throw an oil tanker into the sky. A talking cat was really nothing to be that freaked out by. If anything, it was kind of lackluster.


    Vira gave the cat a final glance as her drone concluded a scan, nothing was out of the ordinary. As far as it could tell Miss Wiggles was just a cat, a normal one at that. She thought on it for a moment concluding that it was a red herring to scare them and make them realize how lowly they were thought of. It was disconcerting, but she was not about to argue with a rank 8. They still needed to prove themselves to get into Kraken and even after that they would likely be working under Molotov, so it was best to be on her good side. Earning brownie points now would pay dividends later. Everything up until now was just to get their attention and now was the hard part, actually impressing the recruiter. Word on the dark net was that Molotov was rather fickle, which could prove to be good or bad.


    ¡°Now then,¡± said Molotov, rapping her hand on the table, ¡°time to get down to business.¡±


    The varied villains shifted in their seats and she continued, ¡°Da, you have all completed your tasks, some more efficiently than others. This has affected my appraisal of each of you. Currently Vira and Spark Spray are the top in the hierarchy. For now we will lay low, due to someone getting the bright idea to set off a bomb and catch attention. As a result, you will avoid confrontation. Let the Heroes deal with the troublemakers while we move about behind the scenes. Keep your damned noses clean or I will personally make sure you disappear. Each of you will receive orders later, this will be far more important than these tests that I had you do. As a result do not talk about your respective tasks to anyone else. We can¡¯t afford leaks, Chimera might be onto us, which means the risks will go up. If you do not agree tell me now and I will let you walk.¡±


    Everyone was silent for a moment, looking between one another. Glitter Kitten and Burnout knew full well that was a loaded question and the only way out at this point was death. Fold, Vira, and Spark Spray had never been on the receiving end of the whip and as such did not know exactly how serious this was. They did not have complaints, none the less. Everybody passed the final test for the night.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± asked Burnout scratching her neck.


    ¡°Da. That is all. For now await my instructions and more or less take it easy. You should have more than enough money in your accounts to not need to do anything rash for the next month or so. I will notify you when there is something to be done.¡±


    With things concluded Fold reopened the portal that had been used to get to this location and the other villains left through the hole in reality. Molotov shifted when it closed, Bronson Man by her side. Her hand lightly pet Miss Wiggles who had positioned herself on a fluffy pillow set on the table.


    ¡°Boris take that ridiculous mask off. You have such a handsome face so don¡¯t hide it.¡±


    ¡°Da, sorry,¡± he replied, pealing off the star spangled wrestler mask and dropping in on the table.


    ¡°You did good, but remember give her the cold shoulder. Make her crave you. I know about little autograph session,¡± said Molotov eyeing him like a snake.


    ¡°But, I dream of her. Half time I bang super model I imagine it is her. I want to pound that tight wasp ass.¡±


    ¡°And I told you to just watch over her. Do not get overly involved, at the least not right now.¡±


    ¡°But I want to take her on dates to high end restaurant, looking out over the city and woo her with my passionate pussy wrecking.¡±


    Molotov pat him on the thigh, ¡°I know, I remember when I was a rearing bull, mounting anything that moved. Calm down, no need to rush. Timing is everything. Wait until she is vulnerable and weak, then swoop in and save her from all her troubles. Steal heart like turnip from cold Siberian tundra. Suka can¡¯t resist hero. Remember play funky music, increases chances of wild mambo by thirty percent.¡±


    He nodded eagerly, taking mental notes. With that settled Molotov glanced to the purring cat on the table. ¡°So what do you think, about our fodder?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Glitter Kitten will be a liability, should probably kill her now and get it over with,¡± said Miss Wiggles, though her mouth did not move and her voice was rather androgynous. In fact the voice was in both their heads. Miss Wiggles was a telepath.


    ¡°She has her uses. It would be troublesome to tame a new animal.¡±


    ¡°Well, true. As for the others, I would give them a fifty-fifty odds that any of them actually survive. If I had to put money on anyone it would be Fold and Vira, they are both cowards. Sheer brute force, maybe Burnout and Spark Spray might be able to do something. Those two combined would be stronger than most of the local heroes. Granted, we both know they are not the real problem. I wonder what fish we will catch with the bait? You think Arachnaon will come?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. Chimera is too scared of losing her to the Puppeteer. At worst we will have to deal with Mantia, Nightmare or maybe Jackal. They did not take the bait in L.A. so they might not take it here either. They would not deploy anything that they would actually miss if things went badly.¡±


    ¡°Jackal could be problem. Mantia not so much just make sure she doesn¡¯t get the jump on you. She is an ambush predator,¡± said Boris.


    ¡°But, we have much better bait than last time. We should have known that they would not try to save hero league members. So how is our bait doing by the way?¡± asked Miss Wiggles.


    ¡°As we all know Arachnaon has a habit of collecting spore spawn, so eventually she will come after Vesper, it is only a matter of time. Vesper is doing perfectly fine. Aside of course from barely being alive after Glitter Kitten¡¯s little stunt. According to the data we have been receiving she should be almost rank 6. Once that happens her survivability should go up dramatically.¡±


    Miss Wiggles looked her in the eyes, ¡°Growing soft I see.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about?¡±


    ¡°It is not like you to be concerned about if a pawn dies.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I am just getting old.¡±


    ¡°Says the immortal,¡± scoffed the cat.


    ¡°Speaking of immortal, when is the Puppeteer coming back?¡±


    ¡°Well, she does not want to be disturbed. Having far too much fun.¡±


    ¡°So, it is a she right now? When did it switch bodies again?¡±


    ¡°Not again, she has not switched bodies for fifteen years.¡±


    ¡°Oh god,¡± groaned Molotov. ¡°So she is going through puberty again? Is it a rebellious phase? I and the council can only do so much. What the hell is she even rebelling against? She is in charge and can change the rules whenever she wants.¡±


    ¡°If it gets too out of hand, she will step in. It is not as though she is oblivious to the world. In fact, she is still orchestrating everything going on around the globe. However, she will not be doing any hands on work. Unless there is a good reason she will continue living her dream.¡±


    ¡°I just wish she would take this seriously. I know she could make all of Chimera kill themselves when ever the hell she wants. I have seen the sick shit she has made people do. It makes me lose my appetite sometimes,¡± said Molotov looking a little queasy.


    Miss Wiggles smirked, ¡°Only sometimes? Remember the time she made that spy eat his own face? What about that time she forced a man to butcher his own family, cook them and then eat them. Oh, remember when she made that one bitch shove her head up her own ass? Or the time she made all the news anchors tell their deepest, darkest secrets on live tv. Didn¡¯t most of them commit suicide after that?¡±


    ¡°Da, that type of shit. Let¡¯s not forget about all of the cults she formed back in the eighties just to study human social behavior. Remember when she made that Minister of Bulgaria fall in love with a dog and marry it?¡±


    ¡°Never drink the cool aid,¡± nodded Miss Wiggles.


    ¡°I bet you know a lot more than I do, she did make you after all.¡±


    ¡°Well, she does have a creative side. However, you have known her much longer than me. I am only five you know.¡±


    ¡°True, true. What exactly is she up to these days?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on. Let me guess, it is another cult isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°No, well¡­ maybe, kinda, I suppose she has a following, but it is not what you think. Surprisingly, it is nothing illegal.¡±


    ¡°Makes you wonder what would have happened if things were different. You know if she was some do-gooder.¡±


    Miss Wiggles chuckled, raising her paw to her face, ¡°Her, good?! That is the best joke I have ever heard. Ok, if it did happen, we would likely be living in a Utopia right now. No war, no crime, no hunger, no need nor want, but of course there would be a price no one would have any free will. We would all be mindless drones slaving away in a perfect, clean society. After all humans are greedy creatures and the only way for there to be peace is to control them. Individuality is by definition chaotic. Then again we are all dancing to the strings she pulls.¡±

 Where we are. Poll/ discussion

    Hello everyone !!!


    Alright, so you may have guessed already, but this is not a chapter. Arc 7 Chapter 1 will be at somepoint in the next couple of days since I will have free time now that Halloween is basically over with. THANK GOD. On another note I could use some filler Heroes as fodder for the LA massacre when Gnome has her Vietnam style flash backs. Already got 1 named Little Genius and he is something of a copy cat. you can thank Senizal Fi Chrora for the rather thought out idea. So if you got any ideas I will give them a look and if I like them I will use them. Also don''t go too crazy keep em below rank 4 anything higher is going to be beaten to death with the nerfbat. These are cannon fodder, not real people sheesh.


    So couple questions.


    1. Do you guys want a Halloween filler chapter that is non cannon? Now would be the time to do it since we are in between Arcs and tomorrow is halloween. If it does happen, expect twice the crazy as normal chapters roughly Moon Sailor level shenanigans. There will be somebody called Beef Boy and his power is the bane of Vesper''s existence. He can make raw meat from thin air. *dirty meat puns ensue*


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    If not, don''t worry about it just means your normal chapter gets out faster. Meat Boy will show up at some point in the story reguardless.


    2. What was the thing or things you guys hated most in the first 6 arcs? Be specific.


    3. What was the thing or things you guys loved most so far?


    4. what are your guesses for where the story is going to go from here? Ps it is going to take a very strange turn in Arc 9.


    As an ending note hope to hear from you and thank everyone for reading so far :3 Hope you enjoy.


    also just added chapter 2 for Shattered Realms, so if you want something to kill time give it a read ^^ Link below in my quote.


    http://royalroadl.com/fiction/8115

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 1

    Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 1


    I lounged about on the junior¡¯s couch still, recovering from having my torso reconnected, or at the least I would like to, however there is a strange person sitting there with the rest of the gang. So for now I crept in the shadows of my room, observing the situation. Physically everything was peachy and I was more or less just using this as an excuse to goof off. Apparently, quite a bit changed while I was out. Which brings me to the unidentified life form that might be taking my place, Gnome. Honestly, I don¡¯t know if I should feel threatened by her presence or not. The vague notion that she was a coo coo bird invading our little nest of herolings came to mind, but the more that I thought about it the more that I realized that I was the coo coo bird that did not belong.


    She arrived the day after the Glitter Kitten incident resolved and this was the first time I actually got to get a good look at her. Poking out from her hood she had short sandy, blond hair and by sandy I meant literal sand. Like there were little granules stuck in her hair and every time she moved too quick or scratched her head some would flake off like dandruff. The hair itself had been recently cut, which made her look a little butch. Currently, she was wearing a gray hoodie and sweatpants. Speaking of sweat, she reeked of it since she had just come back from the training room. I don¡¯t particularly know why, but just smelling her was making me a bit antsy. Maybe, I am just nervous?


    She glanced my way and I saw the dark blue eyes, they did not look normal. It reminded me of an old veteran¡¯s eyes who had see some shit, lost some good friends, and done some terrible things to survive. Me? I would prefer it to not even get involved with somebody like that. I closed the door wearily, breaking eye contact. I don¡¯t have a suit any more, so I just sat here, alone, in the dark. Sunshine isn¡¯t even paying attention to me, too busy floating around Gnome. I thought we were friends. I glowered, twirling my finger on the ground restlessly.


    Am I jealous? That might be what this is. It would explain my current bad mood. When the hell did I turn into such an attention whore? I get the feeling my stay with Glitter Kitten has rubbed some bad influences off on me. I keep having weird lapses where I see things¡­ me doing dirty things. It is not like a fantasy it felt like I was there and really doing it. I might have a vivid imagination, but not to that degree, to taste, and smell and feel everything. Well, besides with Sub, but that is different. I can¡¯t remember doing them though, and Sub has stone walled every time I asked her about it. Something tells me it was her. I am not really mad or anything, just worried. What if it happens again? What if I do things that hurt people next time?


    Stop whining. What if this, what if that.


    ¡®But, Sub, I am scared.¡¯


    Stop being a bitch. I am here for you.


    ¡®Thanks, Sub. At the least, I know that I will always have you.¡¯


    Oh? Is that gratitude I hear? Hey, if you really feel that way, my dick could use some appreciation right about now.


    ¡®Sub! Control yourself. I am not in the mood. My place on the team is being usurped and here you are wanting to bust a nut in my throat. I think your priorities are a bit out of order here.¡¯


    I don¡¯t see the problem, replied Sub, coiling around me.


    ¡®Stop trying to seduce me, will you?¡¯


    You know I love you and I know you like this. The attention.


    ¡®Now is not the time. We can do that tonight. Help me here. I am really worried.¡¯


    Fine, Sub rolled her eyes, separating from me, Remember though, you promised. Tonight we are getting freaky. So what the fuck is the problem? Why are you being so sketchy right now?


    ¡®Sketchy? What are you talking about? That gnome bitch is getting entirely too comfortable with the rest of the team.¡¯


    OMG, bitch shut up! Here you are being a creepy stalker, spying on them instead of just walking out there. You are just jelly. Who knows, she might be a nice fucking person! If you would actually look at that bitch you would realize she is shy and the team is poking at her to try and befriend her. Stop being so fucking paranoid, not everyone in the world is out to get us. Hell, most of them don¡¯t even care that we exist. Grow a pair and deal with your problems.


    ¡®That is harsh, Sub.¡¯


    Well, it is the truth so deal with it.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you flip this on me. You are usually the paranoid one.¡¯ I did not believe it. Wearily I peered out at her, surrounded by them. Well, she did not look like she was enjoying all the attention. She just sat there with a deadpan look, ignoring them. Wait¡­ then Sub is right, ¡®sorry.¡¯


    See, trust me, will you?


    I nodded a little and Sunshine looked over here. She lit up with glee, waltzing toward me. ¡®Uh, oh. I had been spotted. What should I do? What should I do?¡¯


    Calm down. You are being a weirdo right now.


    ¡®I am?¡¯


    Totally.


    I took a deep breath and she opened the door, letting the light stream into the dark room, she smiled, ¡°Nee-san? Why are you hiding? Come on out and meet Gnomie. We should all be the best of friends. She is sharing our room, you know.¡±


    She is? Oh god, she was right! I did notice some random stuff that was not here before. Like that cot bed over in the corner¡­ wait a minute, that is my corner! My nest has been compromised, oh the humanity! Or would it be vespidity, or waspality? At any rate that don¡¯t matter. Here I was thinking that somebody was all nice and bought me a bed. But then that means that I have been sleeping on her bed all day¡­ Oh. Oh man, this is going to be awkward. I was wandering why it smelled like dirt. Wait, why did it smell like dirt? This is just bringing up more questions.


    She dragged me out there and everybody seemed cool about my appearance, Squeeze was positively groping me with his eyes. Hey, knock that off will you? Gnome gave me a glance, then she did a double take. Her facial expression, which had been neutral, turned to caution in the form of sharp eyes and a tight scowl. It was such a drastic change that it took me by surprise. After the initial shock, I realized it was kinda cute really. She reminded me of a small animal, trying to look dangerous.


    I waved as non-threateningly as possible, ¡°Eh, hey, Gnome. I am Mecha Fairy, rank 5 regenerator. I guess we are going to be roomies.¡±


    That was a lot more awkward than I thought it would be. Ah, shit. Her face hardened even more, looking at my raised hand or rather claws. Oh boy, seems she perceives me as a threat. Wait, then basically we are scared of each other? Although, I am not really scared of her anymore. Then again, I have not seen her power yet, I heard it was strong though. She is a bit taller than Sunshine, but Sunshine is just a shorty so that is not really a good point of reference. Hmm, I guess she is average height. Looks about 5 foot 5 inches. Nevertheless her dimples are absolutely adorable. I kinda want to squeeze her cheeks and hug her. Maybe, we have more in common than I thought? Then again, I know nothing about her really. She might not like that.


    ¡°Gnome, rank 6 Geomancer,¡± she said, quiet as a mouse. If I did not have enhanced hearing I might have missed that. This little thing! It is totally cute and looks so squishy and huggable. Can I pet her? I wanna pet her. Can I dress her up? She would look good in punk rocker stuff or even goth loli dress or at the least that was the feel I was getting from her.


    She stared me down. What? Is there something on my face? I patted my face down, nothing feels weird. No giant spider or scurrying cockroach. So we all clear. Wait, what is that? Never mind, false alarm just my wide smile¡­ oh, that would do it. Bad! I slapped myself. Bad Vesper! Don¡¯t you go scaring people.


    She looked a little shocked at my behavior, enough so that she actually spoke up, ¡°Why did you hit yourself?¡±


    ¡°Cause, I forgot that I scare people, sorry.¡±


    Sunshine rained glitter on our parade, ¡°Nee-san, Nee-san let¡¯s all be friends with sparkles and rainbows and happy cotton candy clouds!¡±


    Gnome looked at Sunshine like she was crazy, which I will admit she kinda is, so it was understandable. It took her a moment to brush off the glitter that had stuck to her sleeve, ¡°I will pass on that,¡± she said, standing and leaving us.


    Sunshine, you are not helping things here. You might be kawaii as fuck, but that don¡¯t mean everybody likes that. Wait, I thought that she had a whole week to get acquainted with everybody already, except me. Dawh, is she just shy? Let¡¯s see how to get through to shy people? Well, we could try to brute force it. That could go a few ways, either we keep poking her enough that she crumbles under the pressure and lets us into her little world or she would reject us and think we are annoying. I sort of want to pry her little shell wide open and pull her vulnerable little self out. Kinda like a hermit crab. Although, that might hurt her. There are those who just want to be left alone. Damn, this is harder than I thought. Why does making friends have to be so fucking complicated? Oh, right cause I am a monster. I was getting too used to being around other monsters. I mean shit, even they were scared of me. So it is completely and utterly understandable that normalish people would be apprehensive, to put it mildly.


    I guess presuming that I am friendship material is over rating myself a bit. Lowered expectations, let¡¯s go! I will aim for acquaintance, I think that is within range. If not, there is always the creepy bug lady under the bed open. We are going to be on a team, so we should at the least get along. Or minimum not shun one another. Well, once I get my new suit I am sure it will be fine. After all, appearances are everything, right? Huzzah superficialism, who cares what is on the inside, what is on the outside matters more. Who cares if you are a total bitch if you look hot? Yeah, fuck society. Speaking of the new suit, I heard Chief had made some upgrades. I wonder exactly what he did to it? I bet it is pretty neat. No telling what stuff he came up with.


    Maybe I could sneak down there, to Fire Chief¡¯s engineering bay and see what is up? Seems like a good idea. I stopped myself in front of the door. I probably should not go running around naked. Something tells me I would draw a few eyes. Oh god, what if some of the Fire Station people were at the Sparkle Kat and saw me being a total skank? So embarrassing. I hope nobody saw that. Ugh, I don¡¯t got any clothes! Wait, is that really the problem here? I don¡¯t think a skirt is going to cover up this fugly. Vents it is, I guess. I pried the cover off, getting ready to worm my way through my own personal escape tunnel. I wiggled my abdomen in anticipation. I don¡¯t why, but I certainly do love small dark places. Makes me feel safe. That was when I felt them, the pointed stares.


    I glanced over my shoulder, looking back at the four people gawking at me, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you doin?¡± asked Glide.


    ¡°I was going to go check out what Chief was up to.¡±


    ¡°Through the vents?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how else would I?¡±


    ¡°You are being a fucking weirdo,¡± said Squeeze, though he was not particularly opposed to my, shall we say revealing pose? You are giving me mixed messages here¡­ Ah, he had been looking at my ass. Hey, don¡¯t ogle my abdomen like that. He kept talking and broke my train of thought, ¡°Just go down normally, hell we would go with you.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± said Astro Glide, ¡°There are fans and stuff in there. You might get hurt. The image of a blender comes to mind.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°I have dealt with those before. You, you guys would?¡± I asked in disbelief. I mean, I could understand if I was wearing my suit, but I am currently a bug monster, who moon lit as a stripper for one night. For god sakes, they brought me home in a crate with holes punched in it that said ¡°Live Animal¡± on the side, just to avoid suspicion. I glanced at Sunshine who was laying on the floor, flapping her feet excitedly.


    ¡°Sunshine,¡± I said, looming over her.


    ¡°Nee-san?¡±


    ¡°Could you change what I look like with your powers? You know, like make me look human, with some clothes on? Or one of your knights I don¡¯t care,¡± I asked, staring at her, rolling across the floor. Is that fun? Should I join you? I was very tempted to flop down there with her, but my shag rug was in my room.


    ¡°Nee-san wants a Super Mahou Shoujo transformation!? Leave it to Sunshine, desu!¡± So declared the sparkle obsessed Moon Sailor Scout.


    I stopped myself from voicing my doubts, she worries me a little bit, but really what is the worst that could happen? Looks like I was about to find out. Something tells me it would end badly, but I wanted to see where this train wreck was going to take me. Call it morbid curiosity. She posed and did the Moon Sailor V for victory before fist bumping the air, usually two people would do this in sequence right before a magical shounen transformation from the show. The beginning theme came on, Power of Love! Ah, right, I forgot that she could do auditory hallucinations as well.


    With a fufu laugh, she twirled and glitter shot everywhere. Gyah! My eyes, oh god, it got in my eyes! Dammit Sunshine, I get that you are excited, but don¡¯t blow your load on people¡¯s faces like that. I was not ready, tell me first if this is going to become X rated! This is how you make people go blind, you know. Why is it sticky? And warm too. This isn¡¯t what I think it is, is it?! Sparkle bukkake, now I have seen it all. This is why we can¡¯t have nice things, Sunshine! What is¡­ what the fuck is going on? The scenery shifted unsteadily, tinting and swirling with a torrent of petals. Slowly it settled down and I looked around uneasily. The pop music had stopped and everybody was looking at me with wide eyes. What? It is spiders, isn¡¯t it. Should I be screaming and running in circles? Please tell me it is not a Space Australia spider. Oh god, does it have a health bar!?


    Thankfully, my worries were unfounded. Well, the first thing I noticed was my hands, they were gloved and non clawed. Assuming they could see my face, then they would see my wide eyes. I have hands! Like people hands. Although my suit had hands too, so I should really not be so excited about this. What else changed I wonder? I stared at the mirror by the kitchen wall and what stared back was, well, not me. I appear to have become a bonified Magical Girl complete with crazy black twin tails, tights, and a sailor scout school girl outfit. Naturally, like anything that Sunshine made, my outfit was pink and shiny. It feels kinda like I am submerged in warm goo though. Just going to ignore the implications of that.


    Hair, I have hair again! It is so soft and silky. Oh man did I miss having hair. I ran my fingers through the faint strands, it dragged memories to mind. I remember my mom brushing my hair back in middle school, fussing over how I looked for picture day. Makes me a bit sad recalling how close we used to be, before this happened to me. I miss dad ruffling my hair when I felt down. A slight smile crept up my face, how nostalgic. Although, this form was certainly not me, it was much to cute. Actually, it was kinda cartoony with how perfect and soft everything was. Is this perhaps what Sunshine sees me as? Sunshine¡­ don¡¯t do this to me, I might fall in love with you over this type of stuff. Sunshine is best waifu, Rem has nothing on her. Hmm, I wonder if they make Sunshine body pillows? It would not be the weirdest thing I have made. Then again, I got the real thing.


    So she could actually do this? I figured that she could only make things, not alter the appearances of things that already exist. Wait, that is right, her costume is made up of her power, well most of it anyway. Really, it should not be that surprising, this is only an illusion. For instance, though I appear to be wearing a helmet, when I feel around I find my elongated skull. This is still really useful, I mean being able to alter appearances whenever and however she wants, certainly has merits. We could easily infiltrate places if she ever got over the Moon sailor obsession. There might be a problem though, how taxing is this on her powers? I wonder how long the range on this is or how long she can keep it up? I should probably sit down with her and figure out all of her capabilities at some point.


    You know, I kinda wish she had used this on me before I met Gnome. Maybe then I would have gotten a more favorable impression. Then again, I feel like it would be lying to her. So it was probably better to just get the bug out of the closet from the outset rather than hiding what I am. At the least now, she knows what she is dealing with. So if and or when she does decide to open up to me it won¡¯t be based on a lie. At any rate, no use thinking about that now. What is done is done. Looking like this I could certainly get away with walking around, I mean, if anybody asks we could just say I am one of Sunshine¡¯s illusions.


    I really like this skirt though, it is just long enough to cover everything and yet just short enough to tantalize people¡¯s hopes to see beneath it. Of course the leotard is waiting to dash said hopes, then again, it is a pretty nice combo and some people might find it even more of a turn on. Sunshine surprisingly knows about sex appeal. This power is seriously cheating though. Cosplayers the world over would boo and hiss at somebody who could instantly and perfectly recreate a character. It makes all our hard work and long hours of slaving away to get it just right meaningless. Well, not like she is ever going to break into the cosplay scene so I don¡¯t think it would be a problem.


    With my self image crisis over with there was nothing holding us back from venturing forth down into the deep dark workshops on basement level four. Still though, this illusion was strange. It felt like it was alive, wriggling, squirming all over my carapace. So this is what Sunshine¡¯s love feels like? I smiled to myself as we stood in the elevator making our way down. At the least that is how I rationalized it. I found it pleasant, this might become habit forming. Hmm, wait a minute. Sunshine is like almost always surrounded by her power and it feel like this¡­ then wouldn¡¯t that mean that she is basically a closet pervert, exhibitionist? I mean, if I tried, I could easily get off to this. My eyes opened wide, staring at her in a new light. Sunshine might be more of a pervert than I am, or maybe I am just a super pervert and blowing this out of proportions, corrupting something that is innocent. Get your mind out of the gutter Vesper!


    My head rocked side to side with the elevator music. It took only a few tens of seconds for us to arrive and the movement stopped as the doors opened. Come to think of it, this was the first time I had been to the Fire Station¡¯s mecha workshops. I had been to the one in the HQ, but I think that this one is supposed to be bigger. I mean this is Fire Chief¡¯s main haunt. The corridors were the same as ever, cold metal polished to a shine surrounded us as we walked along. The low dings of metal being hammered and hydraulics pistoning reverberated through the walls. The crackle of welding sizzled and sent shivers down my spine. Although, it was rather low so I might be the only one hearing it. There were quite a few branching hallways, I get the feeling I would be lost without the guys. Good thing I did not go it alone. At last, we arrived in front of Fire Chief¡¯s engineering bay. The blast doors were a give away. The problem was they were closed at the moment.


    We stood outside like lost children. The security camera turned, watching us. I waved excitedly and after a few moments a weird light blinked on over by the door. Curious, I stood in front of it, eyeballing it. The terminal reminded me of Hal from A Space Odyssey, with its black sleek rectangular shape and the deep red optical thingy. I wonder if this thing has an AI? I started poking at it, which it did not like. A light slowly went up and down my body. Is it scanning me? There was a quiet beep and the light flashed. After a short delay the door opened up. Well, at the least it did not start saying, ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that Vesper.¡± That would just be weird and creepy. How the fuck you know my name?!


    What awaited us inside was a wonderland of mecha stuff. It was all pretty cool, but I had no clue what the fuck any of it was. I mean, I had seen my fair share of mecha anime, but the real thing was a bit different. Suits were lined up on conveyors, lifting them off of the ground several feet. It had a sushi bar feel what with how they rotated slowly, granted the selection was a little bland. They were all more or less the same, Cyber Swat suits or Cyber Fire suits. There were only a few differences in the designs. Cyber Fire suits looked a lot like the typical fire suits that are commonly used. The helmets were of the same layout with gas masks built in, albeit much more sturdy. These had tanks on the backs filled with various things I could assume it was the special powder stuff used to kill fires or it might even be a foam. They were a bit bulky and the arms had built in jaws of life directly under the mechanical hands, on top was the hose that shot the contents of the tank. The overall color scheme was red with yellow and black stripes.


    Cyber Swat suits were very similar to riot gear, however, they had more armor plates and seemed to focus on defense. On the left side, they sported shields of some sort of clear material. On the right they had a variety of weapons, but the common ones seemed to be stun batons, tasers built into the hands, and flash bang grenade launchers on the shoulders. The heads looked rather tactical with gas mask fused with domed helmets. These suits were bigger than the Fire Fighter ones and I could easily tell why, they were meant to deal with more danger, IE Supers. The overall color scheme for these was a navy blue with black stripes. Also, I suppose that the siren light on the left shoulder should be mentioned.


    The man in question, Fire Chief, was no where to be seen. Well, he has to be here somewhere. I can¡¯t imagine that he would let us in to mess up the place if he was not here. For now, I resisted the urge to poke at things. It was very tempting, I mean there were so many buttons on things, especially that big red one over there, on the wall next to all the expensive electrical looking stuff, the one that says ¡°Do Not Push.¡± You know, that thing is just asking for it. I wanna touch it. No, no, no I would get in trouble. What was that thing I saw a while back? How to not be a protagonist, don¡¯t push weird buttons or open strange boxes and don¡¯t eat food given to you by strangers. Also, there was that thing about not having weird hair. Uh, oh. I got weird hair right now. Am I, am I doomed from the start!? Well, if I was some stupid anime character I would have pressed that button¡­ Oh god dammit! Sub!


    Bottom righty had snuck on over and started jabbing the button. I did not notice it since it was covered by the illusion. Oh no, oh no! I pulled back the hand and wrestled with her over control. The lights flickered and finally, plunged the room into darkness. Things jarred somewhere off to the side and what sounded like a crash resounded in the dark. It was around the corner so I could not see the source of the sound. Oh man, I goofed. Sunshine started glowing and I did too, since I was a magical girl at the moment. Everybody was giving me dirty looks. It was not me!


    ¡®We are going to have a long talk about this later.¡¯


    It is your fault for ignoring me, said Sub with a stingy face.


    ¡®Hey, none of that now! I spoil you too much. I gargled your mayo like two days ago.¡¯


    Two whole days ago.


    ¡®Besides, I let you tentacle rape me. Every damned hole, I even made extra holes just for you.¡¯


    It is not rape if you enjoy it! Besides, you were begging for it. Remember? The safety word was Bacon.


    ¡®You are the one who pounced me while I was sleeping. That is not the point stupid! I promised that we would do stuff already, why are you acting up?¡¯


    I don¡¯t like being ignored.


    ¡®You are lonely again? Come on Sub, you know I love you. Who is my Subby wubby?¡¯


    I am, she said a little stubbornly. It was cute how reluctant she was.


    ¡®See, so just wait for now. I can¡¯t spend all my time with you, you know?¡¯


    That seemed to get through to her. Maybe now I can salvage this.


    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?¡± asked Squeeze.


    I sulked, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, I eh, I brushed up against it.¡±


    ¡°Well, turn it back on.¡±


    I pushed it again and the lights came back on. The conveyor started moving the suits again. The computer beside me flickered to life streaming with strings of code. This thing was not on before¡­ I stared at it all. Everything seemed rather fragmented and looked kinda like mumbo jumbo to me. I can¡¯t make heads or tails of this stuff. Maybe Disk would know, seems up his alley. Reminds me of that time I saw Dr. Arbor¡¯s computer. Igh, just remembering that gives me the willies. All those half formed monsters in tanks. A hand clapped onto my should.


    I screamed, ¡°Jesus on ice skates!¡± nearly jumping out of my carapace.


    I spun around, throwing the hand off and there was Chief, with a very disapproving look on his face, ¡°Who the hell pushed that button?¡±


    Everybody pointed at me, even Sunshine. Don¡¯t sell me out like that guys! ¡°My bad. You should really put glass over that thing you know.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell are you by the way?¡± he said, looking me over.


    ¡°It is me, Vesper. I had Sunshine use her power to make me not stand out. You can stop now, Sunshine,¡± I said and after a few moments the illusion faded leaving me exposed.


    ¡°Duly noted. So why are you guys down here?¡± he asked, eyeing me a bit harshly. Come on Chief, did I fuck up that badly? Ok, ok, ok, I won¡¯t touch anything.


    ¡°Well, I wanted to see what you were up to,¡± I said, rubbing my head.


    ¡°Oh, right your new suit. I was going to show you today, wasn¡¯t I?¡± he replied a little out of it.


    Is something wrong with him? Lack of sleep maybe? Fufu, the missus probably got wild last night or something. Nah, he was likely up all night tinkering with Mechas. Knowing this guy, he probably got so caught up it was dawn before he knew it. At any rate, it is likely nothing, so I shoved it to the back of my mind before things started to take a weird turn again. Better safe than sorry. No telling where the gutter known as my imagination will sweep that to.


    We walked along to a far corner, away from the near assembly line of lower grade suits. I really am special aren¡¯t I? Hehe, Chief really does care. Otherwise, there would be no way that he would spend so much time making me my own personalized suit. There she was, my new suit and oh boy was she a beauty. Are those¡­ Oh, Mi God. Wings, it has fucking wings! Christmas came early. Is it my birthday? I guess I owe Chief a mouth hug or two, it is really the least I could do. This thing is awesome, it looks so cool too¡­ cat face? I stared at the face plate and there was a lit up acronym of the old cat smiley face. There were even whiskers. What the fuck. I mean it is kinda cute, but it is weird. I thought I was supposed to be a fairy, not whatever the hell this is.


    ¡°Chief¡­ eh, I don¡¯t mean to sound ungrateful, but what is the deal with the cat face?¡± I asked, pointing at it.


    He looked at it for a moment, ¡°Oh that. It had a positive reaction with polling, so we went with it. People found it more friendly than a faceless plate. Especially among the children.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait, children? I am not role model material. I curse all the fucking time and I am rude, and lewd. Clearly, I am not fit for that.¡±


    ¡°Clearly, you need to clean up your act.¡±


    ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake. What are you going to be sending me to schools like Scruff McGruff? Am I supposed to take a bite outta crime?¡±


    ¡°Well, it is not happening right away, but there is something of an image campaign scheduled for sometime later this month. Right after we clean out the sewers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will end well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You will be with the other Juniors. Just keep your mouth shut and play with some kids.¡±


    I grumbled, ¡°Guess there is no helping it.¡±

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 2

    Arc 7, Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 2


    It had been a few days since I got my new suit. The system was a little buggy on it. Some sort of glitch or something. It was not really bad, just a weird thing really, occasionally the interface would malfunction and a strange tracker would appear on the overhead map. It would go away after a couple of seconds. I have no idea where it leads, but from what I can tell it is different every time. There is not really a pattern either. Sometimes it is pointing to the mountains, others the gorge, and others the Slums. As far as I can tell there is no rhyme nor reason to it. At any rate, it was not really a problem. It just disorientates me for like two seconds every time it happens, which is not very often. Chief tried to fix it, but the thing is so random that it never happens when he is around. Sort of reminds me of the check engine light on my dad¡¯s old truck every time he took it into the dealership it would turn off and they would not fix it since they could not tell what the problem was.


    Gnome is avoiding me and Sunshine like the plague. I guess I can only give it time. Tomorrow we are supposed to be cleaning out the sewers. Not looking forward to that at all. If it is anything like last time I am going to hate every second of it. From the sounds of it, she will be stuck with me all day long. I bet we can have all sorts of fun. I really want to see her power in action, first hand. She has not really used it at all since she got here, well at the least not in the Station. She has already bagged a couple of bad guys, hung them up to dry from lamp posts or sunk them into the ground to be collected by police. It sounds so cool and I really want to see it. I mean, I finally have somebody to look up to, well, besides Chief, but he is a guy so that is different. I wonder what I could learn from her? I have been forcing myself from bringing up it, but it is killing me with curiosity over what happened in L.A. The problem is though that she gets this distant look on her face every time anybody mentions L or Los or even any of her fallen comrades. It is weird, it is like she is not here when it happens. I am at a loss over that.


    As for what I am doing well, today I got a dinner date with my Daddy. We kind of have a lot of catching up to do and if I am going to be trekking around in an irradiated hell hole for god knows how long, then I need some daddy time. I mean he never even got to see my old suit first hand. In fact, I don¡¯t think that he even knows that I am Mecha Fairy. I want to show it off. He is going to be so proud of me. I actually became a hero. There is another reason I am so excited, there is supposed to be BBQ. He makes the best ribs, the meat just melts off of the bones, not that that matters anymore for me. I can¡¯t wait to chew on the bones. It is going to be so good to crack em open and suck the marrow out. It is going to be so nice just laying on the couch and catching up. Ah, but before that, I have to do something else and I am not sure if I am looking forward to it. It is my check up, of course.


    Ah yes, my weekly psychiatric check up. I wonder what the hell she is going to make me do this time? Well, last time was not so bad. The moment of truth, I opened the door to her little office. It was rather quaint a lounge sofa, sitting opposite a chair and at the far wall was a metal desk. The room had muted colors and the lights were dulled. I actually preferred something like that rather than a bright and blinding place. Miss Mickenson filled the chair, she sure does not change, rounded as ever. She needs to go on a diet. But I digress, she was wearing her oversized business suit.


    Who, eh, Who the fuck are you talking to by the way? Asked Sub.


    ¡®Well, I am talking to you. Why?¡¯


    I already know all of this. So why are you telling me? Besides, it sounds like you are narrating. What? Do you think we are some sort of comic book hero or something?


    ¡®Shush, Sub. I am not that delusional. It is not like we have an audience watching our every move. That would imply that this is just a story and nothing is actually real. If that was the case, then why does anything even fucking matter? Now who is the crazy one, Sub? Sounds like something Dr. Arbor would say. I need somebody to talk to and you are all I got. Who else would it be? Neon Nurse? Dr. Arbor? Dreamer?¡¯


    Oh, thanks. You make me feel soo loved. Said Sub sarcastically.


    ¡®But I do love you.¡¯


    Yes, yes. She said dismissively.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be like that Sub, you are going to hurt my feelings.¡¯


    Your feelings?! Oh come on, I am not that bad. Buck up buttercup, life is a bitch so you better get used to it.


    ¡®I would expect you would at the least be nice to me. Outside is not so bad, used to it now. You, on the other hand, your words hurt a lot more than most. Besides, it is not like I can just ignore you.¡¯


    You are such a pansy.


    ¡®I am a delicate flower.¡¯


    We are a Wasp Monster. Keep up that attitude and I am liable to pluck all your petals and shove my stamen down your stem tonight. I assume you catch my drift.


    I blushed, dammit Sub. This is like serious you know. I glanced over the room. Oh geez, how long have I been standing here like an idiot? I stepped in, with my heels clacking on the tiled floor.


    ¡°So glad that you managed to come,¡± said Marilyn, looking up from some papers at the table, as I closed the door behind me.


    ¡°Not like I got a choice.¡±


    ¡°Still hate me?¡± she asked, toad-like as ever.


    I put my hand up flat and wiggled it side to side, ¡°Eh, you are not that bad, I guess. Hate is a little strong. It is more of a sour taste in my mouth.¡±


    ¡°Been using the toy I gave you?¡± she asked, setting the recorder on the table and gesturing for me to sit on the lounge.


    I sat down opposite her, ¡°I have actually, broke it in fact.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well you can get another at the pet store.¡±


    I glanced over the room, Mark was not here. ¡°Hey, where is Mr. Dirkstein?¡±


    ¡°He had other business to attend, so today it is just you and me.¡±


    I took the helmet off and set it to the side. It feels good, not being constrained. I squinted at her for a moment and she wiped the sweat from her neck. I suppose that never changes, she is still scared of me. Reeks of prey. I don¡¯t get why. It is not as though I have done anything to warrant this sort of treatment. Sure, I killed a man in cold blood, tore a man¡¯s junk off and have hospitalized a few people. I mean, who hasn¡¯t? That type of shit comes with the gig. Well, she is just a human, so I guess somebody who could kill her at any given moment would be scary. I laid back on the cushion, nestling in.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just keep it on the up and up. If I don¡¯t wanna answer something I won¡¯t,¡± I said, turning to her.


    ¡°Fair enough. Alright, so today I am going to ask you a few questions in regards to your kidnapping. Also, here, see if you can solve this.¡± She said, handing me a Rubik¡¯s cube.


    ¡°You want me to solve this?¡± I replied, taking the cube. Oh god, I hope I don¡¯t have to actually fully do this. I never could figure these damned things out.


    ¡°It will help you relax.¡±


    Or it will stress me out. I got OCD after all and this shit is going to drive me up the wall if I can¡¯t make it whole again. I sighed and started to idly flip the corners. I think there was a white cross or something I had to do. Can¡¯t really remember, though, been far too long since I did this stuff. What was it college? No, I think it was high school. I remember back when I was like a jock and some nerd was acting all cool with his glasses and pocket protector and shit. I felt like a retard, trying to figure this thing out. Meanwhile, he would solve it in a couple of minutes or less. Ah shit, I am starting to remember things that I wanted to keep buried. Poor Morty, I decked him right in his big Jew nose when he was making fun of me. Granted, I had a big nose too, so it was more about me feeling self-conscious. I really was not a nice person back then. I understand now that he liked me and making fun of me was his way of showing it. I wish he had just grown a pair and told me, I would not have been so mean to him. Then again¡­ Now that I think about it, I was really an asshole back in high school. I might have made fun of him for it, if he had told me. I can see why he never did.


    I covered my face for a moment, really a dark part of my history. I was such a bitch back then, trying to be cool and shit. All that stupid stuff that doesn¡¯t matter. I guess I was a bully, well actually there is no guess, I was a bully. If I could change stuff in the past, well that would be one of the many things. I would not have quit baseball either. I don¡¯t know what I would have done if Morty had not introduced me to the wonders of anime. Come to think of it, we started really hanging out in senior year after I fucked up that catch and more or less dropped off the team from being heckled by everybody. What was it they kept calling me? Washed up Walda? That sounds about right. I fucking hate my middle name. It sounds like Waldo, what am I lost and need to be found?


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I wonder why he still hung around me? I mean, I think I dumpstered him one time. Oh god, there was that one time I pulled his pants down in gym class. I know that I gave him a bunch of noogies too. It was like our greeting ritual, of course, he would always run at first. Although, there was that one time he was getting picked on by Josh, the resident dick. I broke his nose and kicked him in the nuts. I will admit, kinda a low blow. I almost got suspended for that, but it is kinda embarrassing to get your ass handed to you by a girl. He steered clear of us since then. I was kinda violent back then, wasn¡¯t I? What is with me and going for the jewels? Have I always been this violent? Sub seems to think so. It is hard to remember, too many things fragmented, distorted. I wonder what the fuck happened to that kid after we went to different colleges. He probably got some cool tech job somewhere. Who knows, maybe he is working for Google.


    ¡°Vesper?¡± Mickenson leaned in a little.


    ¡°Hmm? What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You did not answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry was thinking. What was it?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem. Now then, so what did they do to you?¡±


    Hmmm indeed, what did they do to me? I thought for a moment, ¡°Well, I got mauled by Den Mother and they threatened me to help them. Glitter Kitten was not so bad, well at the least, not at the start. She was still a liar in the end. Honestly, I don¡¯t even know what the fuck to believe.¡±


    ¡°What did they force you to help them with?¡±


    ¡°Well, they sort of lost a bunch of drugs and I knew where they were, since I saw a map.¡±


    ¡°You were being threatened?¡±


    ¡°Yup, since they learned of my regeneration Glitter Kitten threatened to torture me, if I did not help. However, if I did help, then I would get released after the drug deal. At the least, that was the original arrangement.¡±


    ¡°That is clearly not what happened.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, shit went sideways. In the end, she nearly killed me since I refused to join her gang.¡±


    Mickenson thought it over, writing things down. I listened to the scratching of her pen for a few minutes before she perked up and asked, ¡°Tell me, why did you refuse to join the Mad Dogs?¡±


    I tapped at my chin, a good question actually. I replied, absently twisting the cube, ¡°Well, it was tempting. There was drugs, sex, good music, booze, and they did not really judge me once they got over their animal instincts. But I realized that they are not nice people. Not decent. They were just showing me good things, hiding what they really were. Criminal scum. They hurt people and laughed about it. I won¡¯t condone their behavior and I certainly would not join them. Not after they tried to kill my friends.¡±


    ¡°So if they had not tried to kill your friends, you might have joined?¡±


    ¡°What? No, I mean, sure I like Glitter Kitten somewhat. She is cute and shit, but that doesn¡¯t change who she really is.¡±


    Mickenson leaned in, ¡°Who is she really?¡±


    ¡°A criminal, obviously. I mean fuck she was trying to indoctrinate me into that little cult thing she had going there.¡±


    ¡°Cult? I thought she was a gang leader.¡±


    ¡°She is, but in essence that is what a cult is. Gangs are very similar to cults you know.¡±


    ¡°You mean like the Atomic Raiders?¡±


    ¡°What is with the Atomic Raiders?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°No. So enlighten me.¡±


    She had a rather smug look on her face, ¡°Funny you should say that. Nuclear Knight is the leader and he used to be a Reverend in the ghetto, before the melt down. Now he is down in the sewers spewing all sorts of religious mumbo jumbo to the mutants down there.¡±


    ¡°I think I remember something about that.¡±


    ¡°You will be briefed, I am sure, since you are going down there soon.¡±


    ¡°So what is their deal?¡± I asked, crossing my arms.


    ¡°They worship something called Pluton. They think radiation is a sacred thing sent from heaven and that the world needs to be bathed in the holy green glow.¡±


    ¡°Weirdos. You would think that they would know better.¡±


    ¡°Who knows? They are mutants after all. They probably don¡¯t think straight.¡±


    ¡°You know. I take offense to that. I am a Subhuman, you know. Are trying to imply that I don¡¯t think properly.¡±


    Mickenson just shrugged, ¡°If you really were sane, then you would not be talking to me. We both know there is a lot of evidence against you.¡±


    I grumbled a little bit, ¡°I would like to see anybody keep their shit together with all the hormones and shit I got going on.¡±


    She sat there thinking about it. After a few moments, she started writing again. I sat there turning the sides to the cube to keep myself occupied. No use worrying over what she is writing at this point. I turned a particular side and something clicked inside my mind. A sudden realization came to me, I knew how to solve the cube. Oh my god, I am a fucking genius! Sure enough, I shifted it and got the white cross correctly with the two other squares in the middle row with the same colors on the other sides. It did not take very long to solve it after that as all four of my hands cranked the cube this way and that attempting different patterns until at last, I got one face all white. Soon the next steps fell into place and I solved it without realizing. All the faces perfectly coordinated. It was satisfying to the eye.


    ¡°Oh, good job. I usually have trouble with these,¡± said Mickenson.


    I smiled slightly, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Now then, there was something else I wanted to ask you about.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Tell me about Sub.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do like sweet onion, chicken teriyaki, although meat ball is pretty good too,¡± I replied, drooling a little. Damn it, now I am hungry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb,¡± she glared at me.


    Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the fuck? Hey, back off you fucking toad. I was not even kidding around, I thought she was asking me about what my favorite sub sandwich was. Wait, how does she know about Sub? ¡®You been talking to strangers again, Sub?¡¯


    Hey, don¡¯t look at me. I didn¡¯t do shit.


    ¡®You sure?¡¯


    Yes.


    ¡®Alright, I believe you.¡¯


    ¡°Well, if you are not talking about a sandwich, what are you talking about?¡± I asked, maybe there is something else? I mean there are like two people who know about Sub. Neon Nurse and¡­ Dreamer. Ah, shit. Did she blab? Now everybody is going to think I am crazy. Assuming they did not already.


    Mickenson looked a little ruffled, ¡°I was talking about your split personality. The one you call Sub.¡±


    ¡°You mind me asking how you know about that?¡± I said pointedly.


    She replied rather candidly, ¡°It is my job to figure out what the hell is going on in your head and if there is a problem to try and help you fix it. As such, I have done research and heard some rather disturbing things.¡±


    Uh, oh. I don¡¯t like the sounds of that, ¡°What eh, what did you hear?¡±


    ¡°I am not entirely sure. Is it true that she wants to eat people?¡±


    ¡°Well, that would more be about meat. I love meat, like if I could fill a swimming pool with raw meat and eat my way to the bottom, I could die happy. It is kinda what I have wet dreams about.¡±


    ¡°So it is not people, it is just meat?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, basically. Although, blood is delicious too. One of my other dreams is to fill a swimming pool with blood and bath in it while drinking it.¡±


    Mickenson looked queasy, ¡°That is just sick. What is with you and swimming pools filled with things?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t go questioning you over your sick fetishes.¡±


    She puffed up a little bit, ¡°My fetishes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I bet you¡¯re into anal. Hmmm, maybe you are into ass to mouth.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re disgusting!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I am not judging. You can tell me. I am sort of like omnisexual at this point.¡±


    ¡°I am not into that!¡±


    ¡°I bet you have not gotten laid in years. Wait, are you still a virgin?¡±


    ¡°That is none of your fucking business!¡± she yelled, completely losing her cool.


    ¡°I am sorry. Alright? I was joking, just foolsing around.¡± I said, trying to disarm the situation before it got out of hand. I mean, she looked like she was about to start throwing pens at me or maybe even that encyclopedia over there. That thing looks kinda heavy.


    She sat there, simmering across from me, ¡°Why is it always sex with you?¡±


    ¡°Cause I am a pervert? I thought we established this already? I mean really, who else has fantasies about tentacle orgies and thrusting their thick ovipositor into their varied acquaintances or getting a train run on them by cartoon characters?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think I want to know.¡±


    ¡°Well, you asked about Sub and fucking like animals is kinda what we do.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± she looked at me surprised.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You and Sub have sex?¡±


    I looked at her strangely, ¡°Yeah, like all the time. I mean, I got urges, you know? It ain¡¯t normal that is for sure. I know that much at the least. Neon Nurse was saying that I had the sex drive of twenty virulent men. What, you want me to rape somebody or something?¡±


    She shrank back, away from me a little, ¡°You are not thinking about me like that¡­ Are you?¡±


    My eyes got big as I stared at her, it felt like I was going to throw up. ¡°What? No, no. Gross don¡¯t, ew, don¡¯t even go there. Jesus! What is wrong with you? I might be a sexual tyrannosaur, but I got standards you know.¡±


    She looked like she did not know if she should be mad or relieved or disappointed or what. Wait, disappointed? Why is she giving me all these contradicting signals¡­ She doesn¡¯t think I wanna fuck her, does she? It got real awkward for about ten seconds before she defaulted to mad. Well, better than expectant, ¡°That is offensive you know! What the hell is wrong with me?¡±


    ¡°Well, while we are being honest¡­ You are kinda fat, not that it is that bad. I am not saying you are morbidly obese or anything, but you are a bit out of my strike zone. I mean cushion for the pushin is one thing, but when the boat capsizes in lard it is another. You also smell bad. At the least to me, my sense of smell is different than people¡¯s so I take things differently.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with being fat?¡±


    I scratched the side of my face, thinking on it, ¡°It shows a lack of self-respect and control. I know, trust me pork chop, I have been there, well not there, but there. You get the point. At any rate, it is easily fixed by hitting the gym and or running in the morning like every day for the rest of your life if you wanna keep it off for good.¡±


    ¡°Did you just call me pork chop?¡± she looked all indignant.


    ¡°I Did?¡± I was a little bewildered, I was thinking it, sure, but I said it? Oops.


    She pointed at me, ¡°You did, you totally did!¡±


    I put my hands up, trying to keep her calm, ¡°Look, pork chops are pretty damned tasty, so take it as a compliment. At any rate, I am sorry I offended you.¡±


    ¡°So you want to eat me now? Is that what you are trying to say!¡± she yelled at me.


    I don¡¯t get what is happening anymore. How did this go so fucking sideways? Can I go home? ¡°¡­ Eh, no.¡±


    She frowned, ¡°Why did you hesitate there?¡±


    ¡°I think we are done here,¡± I said, standing and getting ready to leave.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you walk out! We are not done here.¡±


    I towered over her, glaring down, ¡°Look, I could snap you like a twig if I really wanted to, but I don¡¯t. Ok? I mean you are kinda freaking me out right now.¡±


    ¡°I am freaking you out? You are scaring me!¡± she had retreated behind the desk, fumbling around in a drawer.


    ¡°Why are you scared of me? I won¡¯t do anything.¡± I said, keeping my distance. I don¡¯t know what is in that drawer, but something tells me I don¡¯t wanna find out. I had learned not to get close to people who are scared since it typically made it worse. ¡°I mean, you are just weirding me out. Look, let¡¯s just call it for today and you know calm down, then meet up next week.¡±


    She squinted at me like a toad, or maybe a pig I don¡¯t know. Some sort of clammy beast and after a few moments she relented, ¡°Alright, I will see you next week.¡±


    I waved awkwardly as fuck, ¡°Alright, next week then.¡±


    Why can¡¯t Neon Nurse be my shrink? The moment I start thinking we are getting some sort of connection, like you know friends or something things get weird. Am I just fucked up in the head? Is it me? Is it her? I mean, I know I got problems, but is it really this bad?


    Clearly, it is you. Maybe you should keep our intimate affairs to yourself.


    ¡®Oh, thanks, the only reason I was even in hot water there was because of you.¡¯


    What did I do? I was quiet the whole damned time. You don¡¯t have to be honest, you know. Hell, you don¡¯t even have to tell them anything.


    ¡®Whatever, let¡¯s just drop it. We don¡¯t wanna keep dad waiting, do we?¡¯


    Fuck no, I want that BBQ! I am salivating over here.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 3

    Arc 7, Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 3


    I crept along the backyard, I used to know so well, although I was actually out in the woods by my old haunt. It would be bad to just walk up to the front door dressed like a super hero after all, people would start asking questions. Besides, I want to keep Dad off of the radar in case I get more enemies that want revenge. Less people know the better. I stared at the gnarled tree. Bark split and dry, the hallow cavity seems to have spread since last I looked at it. Worms had eaten away at the exterior, giving it little channels here and there.


    There were two ways to look at it. It made interesting and intricate designs, almost like artwork. That was the positive outlook, the negative was a bit different. It was sad, this old tree which had been here and standing strong, long before my father was even born, it was dying. It has been dying for a long time now, clinging desperately to life. Casting off the parts that no longer grew and poured all of its strength into building up more of itself. The problem was that its fate was already sealed. The rot was within the trunk and no matter how it fought once the foundation had been compromised, it was only a matter of time. The corruption would spread without fail.


    Here I am, getting emotional over a damned tree. What the fuck is wrong with me? I shook my head and used the built in com system to make a call, it rang a few times before Dad picked up, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hey, dad. We still on for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, drop on by. I am firing up the grill right now,¡± he replied cheerful.


    ¡°Mom isn¡¯t there, is she?¡± I asked, more to prepare myself for various insults than anything else.


    He paused for a moment, ¡°Nope, just you and me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well I will be right over. I brought some pretty good meat.¡±


    I smiled, walking along, flickering my metal wings. It felt so good, not having to suppress them inside of the suit. It was liberating and made wearing my MKII suit a lot more comfortable than the MKI. They are so beautiful, these wings that look like butterfly wings. Although, my real wings are in the center, which makes it easy to flap them. The jump jet is in the middle where they connect so that is what really generates lift. The wings are more for decoration, than anything else. The benefit to them though, is I get lots of exercise with them now, since I am almost constantly flapping them. The color scheme is a bit mesmerizing, reminds me of a peacock feather. Red with blue and black forming two eye like shapes at the widest parts. They light up and I can control how the colors work in my HUD. They can strobe or glare, even just glow or shut off if I need to be sneaky. It truly is vibrant. Chief and Neon Nurse really out did themselves this time.


    I pushed open the back gate to the yard, it creaked a little. Hinges were rusty. The lawn was making a recovery from some neglect that it had received a few months ago. Dad, had sort of give up on it what with me being missing. The bald patches were filled with new growth, but it was easy to tell where the problems had been since they were shaded differently. It looked like it had been real bad at one point. My eyes wandered along the teeter totter that I had not used in years, many years. Actually, I can¡¯t even remember the last time I used it. My antennae squirmed, smelling smoke and I found the source. Dad was over by the porch getting the coals going for the grill.


    He was wearing a white Hawaiian shirt with blue and red flowers on it. It was half buttoned so his furry chest puffed out just above the beer belly. He had black hair, much the same as me, back when I had hair. He was sporting some black shorts. It left his hairy legs exposed. He also had those sailor arms, nice and bulky with muscles, but I could tell he had been skimping a bit on working out. They were not as big as I remember. Of course, nothing is. Everything seemed so much bigger when I was younger, so much brighter. Now I have to turn a blind eye just to keep myself from getting depressed.


    Don¡¯t think like that.


    ¡®Thanks, Sub.¡¯ I could feel her, patting me on the back.


    Dad is a total DILF though.


    ¡®Why would you even go there?¡¯


    You know you were thinking it too.


    ¡®I was not!¡¯


    Don¡¯t you lie to me. I am your inner thoughts personified.


    ¡®Now who is lying? You know what, just no. In the corner now!¡¯


    But I wanted BBQ Ribs¡­ Sub was giving me the puppy dog eyes. Like she literally turned into a puppy and looked all sad, like she was going to cry. Damn it, you know I am weak to that.


    ¡®Alright, but not a word.¡¯


    She nodded rather obediently. I don¡¯t know for how long she will be quiet. Well, no use thinking about it. I wiped away my doubts, ¡°Hey Dad,¡± I smiled.


    He turned and looked surprised to see me, ¡°Vesper?¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Pretty cool, eh?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You look like a fairy.¡±


    I covered my mouth with my hand and chuckled a little, ¡°Well, Dad, I am Mecha Fairy after all.¡±


    He nodded, thinking about something. It seemed that something was bugging him, ¡°What is with the face on that thing? You look like a total dork.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think it is cute?¡± I pawed the air like a cat.


    He shrugged, ¡°Is that what you kids find cute these days?¡±


    ¡°I think it is. Although, I will admit it is kinda weird.¡±


    ¡°Kinda?¡± he laughed and I started laughing as well.


    I lifted up a grocery bag, ¡°I come bearing gifts of meat.¡±


    He smiled, giving me a big hug, ¡°I never thought I would see the day that you bought the steak.¡±


    ¡°Well, I got a job now Dad. So I can bring home the bacon.¡±


    I looked down, held his head and gave the hug back with all four of my arms. Sub was even getting in on it, rubbing his back gently. How surreal. My whole life I spent craning my neck to look at his face, yet now I am taller than him and have to look down. When I wear the suit he barely comes up to my neck with the top of his head. Oh Dad, this is really what I needed. We must have been there like that for a good five or ten minutes, just rocking back and forth, holding one another.


    Finally we separated when I let go and rubbed his bald head for good luck. Hehe, this never changes. Always so sparkly and shiny. Weird, he had a lump on the back of his head. Did he hit his head or something? I¡¯ll ask him about it later. Maybe, I will get him a hat to keep his head warm? It is starting to get cold at night again. That sounds like fun, I could probably knit it when I get some free time. It is not like I am in a hurry, October isn¡¯t even over yet.


    I sat the steaks down on the table, they were T bones. Unfortunately, the largest I could find was only 20 ounces, but I did get four of them. I sat a small bag of potatoes on the table and beside it a large container of honey BBQ sauce. Dad brought out the large rack of ribs covered in tin foil, it smelled delectable. The key was to marinate it overnight in herbs and sauce. Let it soak into the flesh so that it would ooze out as it got cooked. I licked my lips, staring longingly at it. I wrapped the potatoes in foil and handed them over.


    The coals were nice and hot now. I sat, watching as he settled them into the bottom to get cooked and placed the ribs in the side smoker to get going. The ribs would not get done anytime soon. They typically take a good three to four hours to cook after all. The steaks on the other hand would be done in like a half hour. He closed the top and sat next to me.


    ¡°So, how you holding up?¡± he asked, laying his arm over my shoulder.


    I leaned into him, ¡°I think I am doing alright. I have some friends.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, I heard.¡± He gave me a thumbs up. ¡°So when am I getting grandkids?¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡±


    ¡°What? I heard you fucked Glitter Kitten.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell did you hear that from?¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Neon Nurse. She was saying you laid eggs.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t lay eggs yet!¡± I yelled, irately.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, real disappointed. ¡°It is going to happen eventually right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, at some point I am sure.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is good. So, about Neon Nurse, you going to egg her?¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­ No, that is just wrong. It is weird ok.¡±


    ¡°I want some grand kids before I am too old to play with them.¡±


    ¡°Whatever hell spawn come out of me, I don¡¯t think are going to be too friendly.¡±


    ¡°Just gotta give them some tough love. Maybe a good belting or two.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is going to work like that. Something tells me they are going to be biters.¡±


    He let out a sigh, ¡°Who knows. When is Neon Nurse coming by again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. She is pretty busy, after all. My best friend though is Sunshine. She is a Moon Sailor fan too.¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°You and those cartoons. Is she nice?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, she is adorable. She is like this tall and happy like all the time,¡± I smiled, leveling my hand to about four and half feet. Might be over exaggerating a little, but that is what it feels like. ¡°You probably saw her on the news. She is the one that makes illusions and looks like an anime character.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the pink one, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that is her. She is so much fun. We share a room.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, grinning a little, ¡°I am real proud of you.¡±


    My thoughts froze for a moment, ¡°Eh, what now?¡±


    ¡°I am proud of you,¡± he repeated and then added more, ¡°I knew that you could do it, if you tried. You are a full blown hero and everything.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my head, ¡°Dad, I have had a lot of help. I mean, if any of the people that have been supporting me were not there, I never would have become a hero. If Fire Chief had not plucked me off of the street or Neon Nurse fought for my assignment to the Junior team, then I don¡¯t know what would have happened. I don¡¯t think that on my own I would have been someone you could have been proud of. Even now, I am such a fuck up. I don¡¯t have that much faith in myself.¡±


    He put his big hand on my shoulder, ¡°Everyone needs help sometimes, and god knows you needed it.¡±


    ¡°Dad, I killed a man and brutalized another. For fuck sakes, I tore his balls off.¡±


    He grimaced a little, ¡°And what did they do to make you so aggressive?¡±


    ¡°Well, the guy I beat into paste shot Sunshine and the other guy was blowing up city streets, he kinda also wanted to rape me, maybe. I Don¡¯t know, but he had a raging hard on and was chasing me around naked.¡±


    Dad¡¯s face got a little dark. I guess he had not heard about that. Oh, right, he didn¡¯t even know that I was Mecha Fairy. I have a lot of explaining to do. Dad looked like he was going to say something, but then the timer went off for the steaks. He got up and flipped the meat, in silence. It seems that he was really thinking it over. I was starting to fear his reaction a bit. If I had nails, I would be gnawing away at them right about now.


    Finally, he broke the sizzling meat filled silence, ¡°I would have killed them both.¡±


    ¡°Wait what?! Dad killing is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Honey, some people deserve to die.¡±


    I sat there, staring at Dad like he was somebody I didn¡¯t know. I had never heard him talk like this. I was flabbergasted as far as I could remember he had frowned upon this sort of thing. I mean, it had never really come up, but still. Although, he never really voiced his opinion about this. The only people I know who talked like this were Medavac and¡­ Molotov.


    ¡°Wait, Dad, have you killed somebody before?¡± I asked.


    He scratched his scruffy chin, thinking. Why did he have to think? This should be a rather cut and dry thing. He said, ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean maybe? Dad, it is a crime.¡±


    ¡°You do realize where I work, right?¡±


    ¡°Duh, Dad, at the Atomic Strobe.¡±


    ¡°Earlier this year some guy pulled a knife on me and it got stuck in this magazine I had in my pocket,¡± he said, laying a nudie magazine on the table, there was a fat gash in the middle. Holy molly, that was quite the badonkadonk. I wouldn¡¯t mind giving that a ride. Real shame it was missing the middle. Hold on, it feels like I am getting distracted.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait. Dad why the fuck did you have a Big Booty Bitches magazine in your pocket? And who the fuck is trying to stab you in the ass?¡±


    He got a little defensive, ¡°It was a rough patch ok, just drop it. I don¡¯t get on your case about all that weirdo cartoon stuff you are into.¡±


    ¡°Why weren¡¯t you just banging mom?¡± Oh god, I just imagined that! Igh, dad and mom getting busy. Where the hell is the brain bleach when you need it?


    ¡°Things are complicated right now,¡± said Dad, a bit despondent, ¡°She is only home once a week. It is better than before though, at the least, she stopped drinking.¡±


    Sounds like I just stepped on a landmine, a huge one, it might be a depth charge. Fuck me sideways, this is going to ruin everything. Way to go Vesper! I just screw everything up. Everything I touch just goes to shit. Why is it so hard to be a people? Maybe I should stop trying and just go off and live on some remote island away from civilization like the bug I am. It is already off the tracks, I might as well deal with it. Dad looks like he needs to talk to somebody about this. When the fuck did I become a therapist?


    ¡°Is she throwing things Dad, is she beating you? I know how she is.¡±


    He frowned a little, ¡°No honey, she is not beating me or anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Sure about that? Dad, you can talk to me. I won¡¯t think you are a pussy for getting beat up. She crack you over the head with a bottle? I see the damned lump.¡±


    He repeated, ¡°It is not like that. I hit my head while I was changing the oil on my truck. It is just draining to see somebody that you love withering away.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. What do you mean withering away?¡±


    ¡°She is working herself to death, you know. Have you not seen her lately?¡±


    ¡°No, been too busy crying in the corner,¡± I lowly growled, ¡°Stop defending her, she is fucking evil.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, she is not evil. She is hurt and lashing out.¡±


    ¡°Like I am not? I don¡¯t give a fuck. If she would stop throwing things at me and talk like a civilized person, maybe we could patch things up. But no, the moment she sees me the kitchen table flips and she is chucking knives at me. What, you think I want some dysfunctional, broken family? No, but things can¡¯t go back to how they were.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they can.¡±


    ¡°Eventually, you are going to have to choose between her, or me. You know that right?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be that way.¡±


    ¡°Dad-¡± I started, why is it always arguing? God, I was yelling at him that night too. I think, I have had enough of this drama. ¡°Alright, you know what, you win dad. I don¡¯t care anymore. If you can get her, to talk to me like a fucking person, then I will forgive her. Deal?¡±


    ¡°I will see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold your breath,¡± I said, before changing topics, ¡°So, what was this about getting stabbed in the ass by big booty bitches?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get stabbed in the ass. Anyway, the magazine is not the damned point. It fucking saved my life, this thing was right over my heart. I might not be here, talking to you right now, if it was not there.¡±


    ¡°Well, shit dad, I didn¡¯t know¡­ What the fuck happened?¡± I asked, looking him over, concerned. I had to hold myself back from ripping open his shirt to see what was wrong.


    ¡°I decked him in the face and then Fold showed up. That was the last I saw of that guy.¡±


    It took a long moment to register that, ¡°Wait, Fold, as in the Scarlet Soul¡¯s Fold?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°That would be him. He is actually a pretty nice guy.¡±


    ¡°Dad! He threw a fucking cement truck at me. He tried to squash me like a bug.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t throw it, he made a portal and used momentum to launch it at you.¡±


    I shook my head in disbelief, wait a minute. ¡°Dad, how did you know that?¡±


    ¡°I seen him do that stuff from time to time. He sets up before hand. Puts one portal on the floor and the other on the roof and shoves something in. It keeps going through the two until he replaces one of the portals. This launches it out at terminal velocity.¡±


    I mumbled, ¡°That is pretty fucking cool actually.¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°Wait, that is not the point. He tried to kill me!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will give him a stern talking to,¡± said Dad, with a rather confident look on his face, rolling up his sleeves.


    I grabbed his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t do that, are you crazy? He would kill you.¡±


    ¡°Well, what do you want me to do?¡± he asked, rather unsure.


    ¡°Nothing, don¡¯t even mention it. I mean fuck. He would use you against me, if he knew that you were my dad.¡±


    ¡°Ok, if that is what you want.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that. I don¡¯t know what I would do if I lost you.¡±


    He just smiled and patted my helmet with his hand. I love you Dad, you would fight a Super Villain for me. That is pretty cool in my book. Rather heroic, I would say. Shit, maybe he should be the hero? Seems to be more suited for it than me. All that I do is run around like a chicken with its head cut off. Speaking of chicken, that sounds pretty good right now, shame I didn¡¯t get any.


    ¡°Dad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± he asked, looking up at me.


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too.¡±


    He went over to the grill and the savory smoke filled the air. The steaks were done. Wow, we sure were talking for a while. It feels like we had caught up on just about everything I could think of and then some. Except for one thing I suppose.


    ¡°Hey, tomorrow we are clearing out the sewers.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, ¡°Be safe there are mutants down there.¡±


    ¡°I know dad. I seen them. Rats as big as dogs.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Like people mutants. Atomic Raiders are down there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. I forgot about them,¡± I said, looking down.


    ¡°You will be fine, I believe in you, Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Thanks dad,¡± I wanted to cry from sheer happiness, but I held it back.


    ¡°Let me see your face,¡± he said.


    ¡°You sure?¡± I asked wearily.


    ¡°Honey, I have seen it before. This is weird, talking to you with that helmet on. That cat face has been bugging me this whole damned time.¡±


    I nodded and unhooked it, setting it to the side. Urgh! The light, it burns! Damn, I think I might really be nocturnal. The suit had been filtering it. All four of my eyes squinted, trying to adjust to the change in the light spectrum. I blinked away the glowy spots and focused in on his face. He smiled at me and I felt all three of my hearts seize up. There was no rejection, no revulsion, just love. I had to take a deep breath to calm myself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t scare you?¡± I asked.


    He laughed, slapping me on the back, ¡°Of course not. You are my little girl.¡±


    My face scrunched up as I held back the tears. ¡°Dad.¡±


    ¡°It is ok, cry if you need to. I will always be here for you. You don¡¯t have to always act strong, you know.¡±


    It was like the flood gate opened and I buried my face in his chest, ¡°Dad. I am scared. I didn¡¯t think it would be like this. If I did not regenerate I would be dead ten times over by now.¡±


    ¡°It is ok,¡± he said, just holding me. ¡°I have and always will be proud of you.¡±


    I sat there as Dad pet my head, I leaned into it, wanting more. I didn¡¯t really know what else to do and it felt so good to be loved. I felt so safe in his arms. Yes, yes! Adore me! He ruffled my head tendrils and I nearly purred. Or at the least I think it was a purr. I am not a cat so who knows what the hell that sound was. He didn¡¯t seem to mind at all. Since nobody ever pays attention to them, I had forgotten how sensitive the things were. He coaxed them and scratched them, all the while my leg had started to spaz out delightfully. That is it, ooh oho, right in the feelers. They coiled around his fingers. I really am a simple creature, just want some love.


    You know, whispered Sub. Technically, biologically, he isn¡¯t our father. I mean, Neon Nurse ran those tests and we are not human at all.


    ¡®Sub what the fuck are you on about? You trying to say we are adopted? You are literally destroying this moment.¡¯


    I am saying, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to seduce him. I wonder how big his-


    I cut her off, ¡®You are ruining this family!¡¯


    But Daddy loves us.


    ¡®Not like that. I can¡¯t believe I am even having this conversation with you. No, just no.¡¯


    You are no fun, you know that? You know what is fun though?


    ¡®No, what?¡¯


    Incest, it is fun for the whole family!


    I smacked her over the head, ¡®Get back in the corner, you filthy degenerate! You are not getting ribs.¡¯


    NOoooo! Cried Sub.


    ¡®This Sub, this is why we can¡¯t have nice things.¡¯

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 4 Interlude Demon and the Apostles

    Arc 7, Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 4 Demon and The Apostles


    The low sheen of irradiated sewage filled the cavernous tunnel. Hard cement walls were coated in grime and layered filth from years of neglect. The rank stench of ammonia and feces filled the air. Two figures walked cautiously along with a dog sized rat leading the way, at the end of a rope. One was much shorter than the other. He wore a ragged cloak patched together from various discarded apparel. Wet matted fur bristled as a tattered ear rotated to varied dripping sounds. Clawed hands held the cloak firm, as they passed under a drainage pipe that acted more like a waterfall of filth. The ratlike face twisted with displeasure.


    ¡°Why do we have to go check out the sub-tunnels?¡± asked the rat man, peering at the taller person with his beady little eyes.


    The taller man wore a hard hat with a flashlight on the top. It lit the way before them. A corroded red bio hazard suit covered his body. It clearly had not done its job from the long, fleshy limbs extending out where arms should be. Barbed sucker cups covered the slick tentacles, some even oozed a sort of mucus. His face was pasty, spongy, and bloated, making it disfigured like a waterlogged corpse.


    He replied, ¡°Reverend said we needed some more rats. Packrat, I thought you would be happy about this?¡±


    ¡°Well, it is kind of fun training them. Still, this is the Blood Rats we are talking about. These are the meanest fuckers down here.¡±


    ¡°Reverend looks over his flock. If you want to stay in the commune you have to listen to him.¡±


    ¡°I know. I didn¡¯t mean disrespect. I owe him, after what that whore Glitter Kitten did to me,¡± replied Packrat.


    ¡°How are your legs healing?¡±


    ¡°About half of what they were.¡±


    ¡°Give it time, his glow heals all wounds.¡±


    ¡°I am still not sold on the whole Pluton thing.¡±


    ¡°All are children of Pluton. His glow is all around us, even now. His love, fills us, changes us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it certainly changed you. Sucker, how does it feel having tentacles for arms?¡±


    He stopped, the slimy appendages slowly undulating, ¡°It took getting used to. In some ways it is better, in others it is harder.¡±


    ¡°True, you don¡¯t have hands.¡±


    ¡°That would be the hard part. But they do stretch and are rather strong.¡±


    The rat sniffed the cement walkway, slowing as it listened. Sucker and Packrat stopped as well, ¡°What is it, boy?¡±


    Distantly, over the babble and gurgle of the waste river to their side, another sound became apparent, screaming. The rat bristled its fur, snorting, as it seemed on edge. He suddenly yanked at the rope and took off running down the corridor, squeaking, and chattering. Packrat gave chase and Sucker tried to keep up. The rodent rounded the corner followed by Packrat. He slowed and looked down as his foot crunched on something. A bone, which looked like it had been gnawed through.


    ¡°Lucky! Come back!¡± yelled Packrat, but the rat hound was already gone from sight.


    ¡°You lost him? Quick as always,¡± said Sucker.


    He nodded, the mutant rats were very fast and strong. The wild packs were a serious threat if they coordinated with the larger alpha rats. Usually, the nests would have several of the horned beasts guarding and breeding. This led to large colonies of strong rats that could take over more territory. They were very territorial and would fight to the death with other colonies over hunting grounds. This tunnel, in particular, was off limits due to an exceptionally large nest deeper in. They appeared to have crossed the line and were now on the rat¡¯s turf. It didn¡¯t bode well.


    It became very apparent that this was the hunting grounds for the rats. The worn concrete was grooved where they frequented. Their urine musked the air and stained the ground. The strange thing was that there were no scouts. Usually, on the perimeter of the larger nests, they would have guards set up. The sentries would squeal and alert the others. The absence was concerning, this was one of the biggest, if not the largest nest in the Bronson city sewers.


    Ahead, a shrill scream rose. Packrat and Sucker looked at one another, that sounded like something fighting. The tunnel branched off, going three different paths. The one to the right was overgrown with some sort of flesh that pulsated and dripped all over. It was disgusting even more so than the usual down here. That being said it was not a rare sight. It was a good thing, leaving only two paths to choose from. The rats would not make nest in one of those infested tunnels.


    Due to how heavy the rat traffic was, it was hard to tell which way the nest was. That is until a howl of pain echoed from the left path. Snarls and desperate struggling radiated from the darkness. They followed the agonized sounds through the dank sewer tunnel. It quieted down as the duo crept along. At last, it was replaced by a low crunching sound that bounced off of the walls.


    Blood streaked across the floor, it squished below their feet. The two rounded the next corner to a large chamber. Sucker¡¯s light trailed over the ground, revealing a grizzly scene. The floor sloped down, creating a small pocket where a pool of crimson glinted in the light. Pieces of meat and bones were scattered across the floor. Nesting material formed mounds and the low squeals of baby rats filled the air. Pitter-pattering feet scurried across the floor and several of the giant rats appeared from a side passage.


    They were rugged, hulking beasts positively bristling with muscle. Each must have been as big as a bear. These were the den guards, the alpha rats. Each had a thick, bone encrusted horn jutting from their heads. They sniffed at the air, glaring at Packrat and Sucker, though they seemed more concerned about the way that they had come from. The three rats snarled, huffing and rearing up to show dominance. Packrat and Sucker took a few steps back. This was strange, they were in the nest and yet the rats were not attacking on sight.


    Something thudded back where the rats had come from and the body of the largest rat either of them had ever seen flew through the air, splattering on the wall. Blood and gore shot out in all directions to the crunch of bones. The glowing rats went mad, screaming in terror. Another thud rose and that was when they realized it was footsteps. A massive blackened hand grasped the edge of the wall and another followed it on the opposite side of the corridor. Two more soon entered view, though they appeared to be smaller. The strangest thing that the two had seen all day appeared from the inky blackness, a face etched in white bone. It had subtle undertones and was hauntingly human yet, it certainly was not. There were too many eyes, four, no there were more where the top of the forehead should be. Another four expanded out like a crown.


    The rats could not take it anymore and attacked. The three lunged tackling into the mysterious creature. Faster than could be registered, one of the hands slammed down, crushing the first of the mutated vermin. The next squealed as it was torn in half by the lower limbs, but the last one managed to sink its teeth into the leg. It hissed, pulling at the rat until the head ripped off, dragging out the spine, still attached to the leg. That was when the apparent humanity was revealed to be a lie. The fake face split in half, revealing the horrifying maw below. Mandibles clacked together ripping flesh and shattering bones. It feasted on the most recent prey.


    ¡°What the fuck is that thing?¡± squeaked Packrat, edging away.


    ¡°It, it¡¯s a girl,¡± said Sucker.


    Packrat stared at it, she, she certainly did have breasts. Now that the rest of her was in sight. There was a rather humanoid if not feminine form, granted it was covered in some sort of carapace. Draping from her back were tattered orange membranes, they were wings. A bulbous shape extended from her lower back and curled to stay off of the ground. When she shifted the ten tendrils that hung from the back of the elongated head wriggled through the air, dragging more food over to her waiting arms.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, that thing does not look friendly.¡±


    ¡°She is a subhuman, just like us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think she is feral.¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Maybe, but if she is not then we should bring her back.¡±


    ¡°You just like her because she has tentacles.¡±


    ¡°Pluton¡¯s love encompasses all. It would be wrong not to bring this lost soul to be enlightened,¡± his face was a little red.


    Sucker took a deep breath and stood, approaching the creature. Much to Packrat¡¯s dismay. He stopped when she turned abruptly, taking on an aggressive stance. A low gurgling hiss rose from her throat. It was clear that she did no appreciate someone approaching her food. That was when the two antennae waved through the air from the top of her head. The mouth closed shut, giving the illusion of the human face again. She blinked at him, puzzled over his actions.


    ¡°Are you scared? Do you talk?¡± he asked.


    There was definitely intelligence behind those eyes. Her mouth opened and closed several times and each time she made a sound. Like a child learning to talk. At first, it was the chattering of the rats until she mimicked, not only his words, but his voice, ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°Packrat, she talks. Come over here,¡± said Sucker, turning his back on her and waving to him.


    She caught his tentacle in one hand, peering at it and touching it with her own tendrils from her head. She seemed to be interested in the fact that he had tentacles too. After a few moments, she squinted and growled.


    ¡°Easy there. No one is going to hurt you,¡± said Sucker, feeling her grip tighten.


    She might have been learning with a childlike enthusiasm, but that didn¡¯t mean her intentions were innocent. The jaws opened again drool dripped on him. It was at this moment that he realized what she intended to do, eat. Sucker slammed his lengthy tentacles into her face. She reeled back, grasping at him as he fled. He managed to avoid the clawed hands and ran to Packrat, who had already gotten ready to run. The heavy blow had stunned her, however, it was short-lived.


    ¡°I told you, I fucking told you!¡± Cried Packrat.


    ¡°You were right, let¡¯s get the hell out of here,¡± he said, rushing to keep up with the bounding ratman.


    They glanced over their shoulders to see her hunched and scuttling towards them on all six of her limbs. They moved in ways that only some sort of bug could. Almost mechanical in how fluid and rhythmic the motion was. Shivers ran rampant through them, for something so big, she was incredibly fast. They rounded the corner at the split in the tunnels. Lucky sat there, scratching his ears. The moment he saw them, he bolted, squealing in a different direction. The rat ran away down the left tunnel, but the way that they needed to go was to the right.


    ¡°Lucky, you little shit!¡± yelled Packrat as the rodent fled.


    ¡°Forget the rat, let¡¯s go!¡± motioned Sucker, he didn¡¯t slow down at all, barreling ahead down the tunnel to the right.


    The scraping of claws filled his ears as the creature bore down upon him. Lucky was on his own, decided Packrat. He scurried through the foul waters, easily catching up to Sucker. The reason they had run this way was because of the heavy bulkheads that separated this section from the upper sewers. They were good enough to keep the rats out, hopefully, they would keep that thing out as well. At the very least, it would slow it down.


    They arrived at the bulwark, the foreboding metal door was several feet thick and slightly ajar from their earlier arrival. Sucker opened it and Packrat quickly darted in. He stepped in getting ready to close it, when he stopped.


    ¡°Where did she go?¡± He asked.


    Sure enough, the large form was nowhere to be seen. Her heavy footfalls and the scrape of claws on cement was no more. She had been right on their heels and yet now only the gurgle of the water could be heard. Something so big couldn¡¯t have just vanished. It left an eerie stillness.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Just close the damned door,¡± said Packrat.


    He pulled and the door got stuck. They both looked up, finding the claws at the top lodged in the gap to keep it from sealing shut. The door groaned from the pressure exerted. Suckers limbs strained fighting her over control of the opening.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hold this! Packrat, help me.¡±


    He backed away and clambered up the ladder. ¡°You can hold it. I trust.¡±


    ¡°Packrat! You traitor!¡± shouted Sucker, losing his grip as the door ripped off of its hinges.


    He started up the ladder, quickly ascending as the creature tried to squeeze through the narrow opening. She got stuck, ripping at the walls and bashing into the concrete to gain access to the smaller cylindrical shaft. She howled clawing and raking down below. Sucker managed to get to the top dragging himself onto the shelf leading to the next door. It was sealed shut.


    ¡°No. NO!¡± cried Suckered rushing to try and open it.


    His tentacles wrapped around the circular locking mechanism and he twisted desperately. The jarring sounds of claws stabbing into the concrete filled the chamber. He turned as she crawled up over the side. That face creased with a sickening smile that stretched nearly off of her head. She huffed, it sounded like laughter. The antennae squirmed as she approached.


    ¡°Pluton. Forgive me.¡±


    A sudden shift behind him made her stop. The heavy door opened and a green glow blinded them, casting away the darkness. A figure entered, radiant mist pluming from back vents on the plated suit. Pitted dents and rusted joints creaked with his movement. He raised his hand gusting out a corrosive fog. It narrowly missed Sucker and washed over the creature. She screamed, rearing up. Her head smashed into the solid roof, part of the mask like face bubbled and melted.


    ¡°Begone foul demon! Back into the depths of hell with your abominable soul!¡± shouted the newcomer.


    Another blast of the cloud drove it back. The creature fled back down into the lower tunnels. Sucker held his chest, breathing deeply. He took the hand of the man, ¡°Thank you, Reverend.¡±


    ¡°Of course my brother. To think a demon would find its way into our sanctuary.¡±


    ¡°Where is that treacherous Packrat?¡±


    ¡°Who you calling a traitor? I went and got help.¡± Said the rat man, peering out from the side.


    ¡°You left me to die!¡±


    Atomic Knight placed his hand on Sucker¡¯s shoulder, it seared the flesh making him wince, ¡°Forgiveness my brother. We must forgive. Come let us pray for our salvation. Pluton has set this demon upon us as a trial of our faith.¡±


    Sucker sulked for a moment before reluctantly, shaking Packrat¡¯s hand. The rat man said, ¡°Sorry, I should have left it open for you.¡±


    ¡°I forgive you,¡± said Sucker.


    ¡°Come my brothers. A new initiate has come to us from above.¡±


    ¡°Somebody fell down into the sewer again?¡± asked Packrat.


    ¡°She was delivered to us by Lord Pluton¡¯s grace,¡± said Nuclear Knight leading the way.


    Sucker looked over his shoulder, ¡°Reverend, what about the demon?¡±


    ¡°Seal the lower tunnels for now. I shall deal with it later. If it can be made to repent, then perhaps it can join us.¡±


    ¡°You would make her repent?¡±


    He slowed for a moment, ¡°All are children of Pluton, no matter how sinful a soul might be. It can be purified through his holy glow.¡±


    The vault-like bulkhead closed shut and locked. They made their way through the tunnels with Nuclear Knight at the lead, lighting the way with his natural bioluminescence. This tunnel was cleared of debris and refuse. The channel to their side flowed with green waters and the occasional barrel with the BAI logo on the side. From whence the sewage flowed they traveled until the tunnel stopped at a makeshift wall. He knocked on the door. It opened after a moment and a disfigured person stood there.


    ¡°Reverend you have returned. Sucker, you are safe. We were worried,¡± smiled a woman whose face was sideways and had an extra arm sticking out of her back. It waved happily at them.


    She led them through the barrier then went back to keep watch. The sanctuary opened up into a large cavernous dome. It was an intersection that had three other paths to take. That was not the prominent feature of this place. Shacks lined the walls and near the center was a pool of radioactive fluid, unlike outside it was pure and tainted. It gave the whole room a green glow. Above this pool, there was a platform with a pedestal, chair, and table. To the side a woman sat in a grimy cage, looking around terrified.


    Nuclear Knight took his place atop the stage. He raised his hands and the inhabitants gathered around the pool, kneeling and worshiping him, ¡°Tell us the word of God!¡± cried out several of the mutants.


    ¡°My brothers and sisters, we are all gathered here in this holiest of places, to give thanks for the bounty that our Lord has given unto us. We must give thanks for all the wonders that Pluton has graced us with.¡±


    ¡°We give thanks.¡± Chanted through the crowd.


    ¡°Now let us join a lost soul into our merciful flock,¡± he said stepping down and setting the woman free from the cage.


    She screamed, ¡°Let me go! Please, please I have money. I won¡¯t tell on you!¡±


    ¡°Be cleansed of your sins.¡± Said, Nuclear Knight.


    ¡°No! You freaks let me go! You won¡¯t get away with this!¡± She struggled and tried to run only to be dragged back by the grasping hands of the crowd.


    Her pleads and tears fell on deaf ears. He lowered her struggling mass into the foul irradiated waters. Making sure to bathe her completely and thoroughly, ¡°Through his glow, we are reborn.¡±


    ¡°We are reborn! Reborn!¡± fanatically wailed the wretched figures.


    Bubbles boiled up as she writhed below the surface. Then it slowed, the waters became tranquil and he pulled her from the muck. She lay still, unbreathing. They gathered around her, touching her with their varied appendages. Nuclear Knight lay his hand on her chest, pushing until she coughed. She rolled, throwing up and trembling.


    ¡°The glow brings us light and life. It changes us and fills us with his love,¡± he said, rubbing her back, ¡°Take her to be with the other initiates.¡±


    ¡°Let, let me go home,¡± she weakly said.


    ¡°This is your home. We are your family now. In time you shall see. For now, rest as you change.¡±


    ¡°Change?! What did you do to me?¡± she cried.


    ¡°Welcome sister, are you hungry?¡± asked a little girl, with spines extending from her back and a jagged tail swaying behind her.


    The woman was taken away and Nuclear Knight turned. His suit plumed for a moment, expelling corrosive mist. He took a moment, lifting a tattered book from the table, ¡°Gather around brothers and sisters. Let us hear the word of Pluton. It was many years ago that he let his presence be known to us lowly mortals. He came with blinding light and a thunderous roar. His rage at the arrogant humans made the earth tremble and his holy glow filled the land, changing all life that it touched. But Man in his arrogance fought back and contained the flow and sealed the font of Pluton¡¯s power. They fought his chosen and have banished us below the ground. We will never forsake his touch and even now his holy water can be found on the surface. Bronson Atomic Industries, they horde his power and we shall set it free once more. The world must be washed in his holy glow. All shall know his love.¡±


    ¡°His love is light. His glow fills us!¡± chanted many, holding each other¡¯s appendages.


    ¡°Lord Pluton is a merciful God! But he is also a wrathful God. He is angry that we have not done more to bring his light to the world. To share his love with all the lost lambs on the surface above us. They live in sin and decadence!¡±


    Several of the mutants cried out, ¡°Reverend, what shall we do?!¡±


    ¡°Fear not my brothers and sisters! We shall save them from themselves!¡±


    ¡°How? How, will we save them?¡±


    ¡°With the love of our lord,¡± said Nuclear Knight, lifting up a container of radioactive waste, ¡°With this Holy Water that we have been gifted from on high. With this nectar of Pluton, they will be saved, forcibly if necessary. We are his Apostles!¡±


    ¡°We are his apostles!¡± bristled through the crowd.


    ¡°It is our privilege, nay our duty to bring his light to the world!¡±

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 5

    Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 5


    The radio buzzed and a chorus of women started snapping and singing, ¡°Lollipop, lollipop oh lolli loli lolli lollipop, lollipop lollipop oh lolli lolli lolli lollipop.¡±


    The engine roared on the outside of the B-52. I stared out the plexy glass at the dull grey sky. Clouds all around. They were out there, I knew they were. I rotated the turret, checking the guns to make sure they were loaded. To my sides the X-Wings stayed in formation and behind them were Y-wing bombers. The distant thunder of guns resounded. I nodded and we banked in for a strafing run. Flak filled the air. Suddenly, from above, they appeared, Nazis riding pterodactyls! I should have known.


    ¡°Get em¡¯ boys!¡± I shouted and all hell broke loose.


    I opened up on them, firing the duel kitten cannons. The rapid fire, heavy thuds shot out the furry little love balls. The pink tracers grazed through the formation of winged terrors. Several went down, but they kept coming. Oh, no. These aren¡¯t normal Nazis, Space Nazis! Their laser Gatling guns lit up, tearing through my wing man. The X-Wing exploded, sending shrapnel through the air.


    The women kept clapping and singing, ¡°Call my baby Lollipop, tell you why, her kiss is sweeter than a cherry pie and when she doesn¡¯t shake, she rock and dance. Man, I haven¡¯t got a chance. I call her Lollipop Lollipop oh lolli lolli lollipop.¡±


    ¡°Stay on target!¡± I shouted over the radio.


    ¡°I can¡¯t shake em!¡± cried another as the craft turned into a fireball.


    ¡°Do a barrel roll, use the boost to get through!¡±


    The others broke off drawing away enemy fire. There was safety in numbers, but like this, they might as well be shooting fish in a barrel. I still had a few chasing me, screeching with those razor sharp teeth. The pilots waved their laser guns. Looks like trouble.


    Lasers cut through my ship, leaving holes whistling from the wind. Everybody knows the B-52 was a hardy beast of burden. It will take more than that to bring us down. Is that the best you got you filthy fascists?! I lined up the iron sights and let loose another volley of fluffy critters. More of the Luftwaffe went down with clipped wings and explosions down below the cloud bank. The guns glowed red hot from the rate in which the kittens were being hurled at them.


    A shrill screaming sound rose up from outside. I rotated trying to see where it was coming from. From the fluffy pink clouds above the Red Baron emerged, with Hitler manning the machine guns. The bullets slammed through our wing and an engine exploded, sending a dark trail of smoke following in our wake. The whole plane went into a tailspin. Sub managed to pull us out and straighten it out. It listed to the side, but we stayed in the air with three engines still going. You¡¯re good, but I am butter!


    ¡°Choke on this, cock bags!¡± I roared opening up on them.


    My kittens rocketed out of the barrel, shredding the wings of the old biplane. Hitler leapt off, landing on the roof of my plane. Oh hell nah! I turned the turret and pelted him with kittens, but they uselessly bounced off. You wanna play rough eh!? I climbed out raising my dukes to deal with this bastard. All four of my fists were ready. Ah shit. He had a Luger! I put my hands up. Seems I was in a pickle. How to get out of this? Ah ha!


    ¡°Surprise!¡± I brandished my abdomen and squeezed, squirting out a thick gunky ichor.


    He clutched his face, ¡°Mein eyes?!¡±


    I closed the distance and smacked the gun from his hands. Hitler tried a right hook and I ducked it, sucker punching him in the kidney. While he was winded, I socked him right in the balls. Take that! I kept hitting him, but he wouldn¡¯t go down. The plane rocked from a nearby explosion and I lost my footing, nearly falling off. My claws dug into the metal to keep me from going overboard.


    ¡°Take my hand!¡± he yelled, reaching for me.


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± I yelled in confusion.


    ¡°Vesper, I am your father!¡±


    ¡°Noooo!¡± I screamed.


    ¡°It is true.¡±


    ¡°You lie! Eat my dick, cock monger!¡± I yelled, shaking my fist at him.


    ¡°Give me your waffles!¡±


    ¡°Never!¡±


    ¡°Vesper!¡± He yelled down at me, when suddenly his groin exploded.


    What the hell just happened? I cranked my head, trying to see what happened and then I saw him, Robocop. He spun his bitchin pistol, saluting me. He was like a turret, just turning and shooting Nazis in the dick. Not sure why he was only shooting them there, but I was not complaining. I took advantage of Hitler¡¯s vulnerable state. I climbed back over the side and decked him in the face. He went down like a sack of bricks and I got on top swinging down with my fists. He just wouldn¡¯t fucking die! Wait, of course. How could I be so foolish? I must cut the source of his power!


    ¡°This is for the Jews!¡± I ripped off his little mustache and he screamed. With all four arms, I lifted him up, hurled him over the side, and flipped him off as he fell. Just like Palpatine, that is what you get for trying to Vader me! I watched him falling until he splat down below on the hard ground. I nodded in approval, the world is a better place now.


    I just lay there for a bit listening to the wind screaming by. The radio happily continued through the bullet holes in the hull, ¡°Sweeter than candy on a stick, huckleberry, cherry, or rye. If you had a choice she would be your pick, but the Lollipop is mine!¡±


    ¡°Almost there,¡± said Sub from the cockpit.


    ¡°We got company!¡± I yelled, sliding back into the turret as a whole fleet of fighters poured out of the clouds all around us.


    More enemy fire stabbed through the metal and several shots even punched into my ball. I kept firing, sending the pink streaks across the dull gray sky, until the gun clicked out of ammo. Ah, dammit! I knew I should have packed more kittens. I dropped down out of the ball turret. The craft rocked from more lasers and bullets pelting the sides. I shimmied my way to the front and leaned over Sub, who sat in the pilot seat, smoking a corncob pipe. Her little captain hat was tilted to the side. Through the glass I could see the target, we were arriving at Normandy.


    ¡°Release the weapon!¡± declared Sub.


    I pulled the lever and the bomb bay opened up. There was a delay and then the massive lollipops fell away, cascading like a waterfall of candy. The rainbow trailed the tail of the plane as we banked over the fighting lines of soldiers down below. Not even the Klingons, nor the Confederate soldiers who were bayonet charging the Nazis lines were spared. We got them all. The trenches lit up with explosions and in our wake, an avalanche of color rushed out from the rising mushroom cloud. It obliterated everything behind us, filling the world with cotton candy clouds, rainbows, unicorns and dancing flowers who were singing.


    ¡°We did it!¡± I shouted, hugging Sub.


    Thus the Kitten Kingdom was safe once more from the evils of the Space Nazis riding dinosaurs. From the magical tentacle forest to the gumdrop and lollipop fields. The winding purple brick road stretched on down below. Distantly the floating castle silently stood contrasting the swirling colored skies. Moons and stars crested on one side while the sun lit up the other half. Mr. Sun was there raining raisins and whistling happily.


    The plane flew off into the sunset while me and Sub rocked back and forth, snapping our fingers and singing along with the old radio, ¡°Crazy way she thrills me, tell you why. Just like a lightning from the sky, she loves to kiss me till I can¡¯t see straight. Gee, my Lollipop is great, I call her lollipop lollipop. Oh Lollipop lollipop, lolli lolli lolli lolli


    ***


    ¡°Vesper. Vesper!¡± said Chief, shaking me awake.


    I snapped out of my comatose state and declared, pointing at the ceiling, ¡°They can take our freedom, but they will never take our waffles!¡±


    Wait, what the hell did I just say? Oh god, I was drooling and it was pooling in my helmet! It is everywhere. I need to drain it, but this is not really the place for that. Sure enough everybody in the briefing room was looking at me a little weird. I must have nodded off during the meeting. I knew staying up all night watching movies was a bad idea.


    ¡°Waffles? Who is trying to take your waffles?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was having a really weird dream.¡±


    ¡°What the hell kinda dream brings that up?¡± asked Chief.


    ¡°Well, there were space Nazis riding dinosaurs and a battalion of Confederate soldiers bayonet charging a trench held by Klingons with bat¡¯leths and I got in a fist fight with Hitler. And for some reason, Robocop was there shooting people in the dick. I was riding a unicorn and I had a laser gun that shot kittens. Also, I was naked, just letting it all hang out-¡±


    Chief put his hand up, cutting me off, ¡°Just stop. We get the picture. Moving on.¡±


    I looked around. Everybody was giving me even stranger looks. Damn you over active imagination!


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, I will be over in the corner,¡± I said, sulking into the shadows.


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± said Chief, clearing his throat. ¡°Teams one to eight will be sweeping from the west Downtown access tunnels over to Brawny Park. Teams nine to sixteen will be starting in the Plaza and moving east converging with the others below Brawny Park. We will restock on Rad-Gone, then move north and enter the sub-sewer. Caution is advised the Atomic Raiders are down there and mutant animals are more prolific as well as more powerful. Use of lethal force against mutant animals is approved, however, use nonlethal means to capture Subhumans.¡±


    Captain Metal spoke up, ¡°Why the fuck are we going nonlethal? Those freaks need to be put out of their misery.¡±


    ¡°You sure do hate Subhumans,¡± I said, crossing my arms, ¡°Just cause they have extra things doesn¡¯t mean they deserve to die.¡±


    ¡°Their heads are the problem, they are insane. You realize they kidnap people and expose them to radioactive run off to make more mutants right?¡±


    ¡°I am not saying they don¡¯t need to be dealt with, just killing seems to be a bit much.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°What would you do?¡±


    I stopped myself from saying something stupid. The first thing that came to mind was to send them to jail, but there was a problem with that. If they really were kidnapping people, then that would mean there were innocent people caught up in the mix. It would be a little hard to tell who besides the higher ups were guilty of anything. I mean, it is not a crime to be a Subhuman, though some would disagree with me about that. What should we do with them? Shouldn¡¯t we try to cure them and get them back to their families? Then again, I have not heard anything about someone ever getting cured.


    I didn¡¯t have an answer and so I deflected, ¡°Why do you hate them so much anyway?¡±


    That shifted the mood in the room a bit. Was that a topic I was supposed to avoid or something? It seems like everybody knows except me. Captain Metal had a rather somber scowl as he looked in my direction.


    ¡°Why do I hate Subhumans?¡± he asked pointedly, ¡°They are the reason I am a hero in the first place. Someone has to keep innocent people safe from those monsters. I won¡¯t let anyone go through what I did.¡±


    ¡°We should get rid of the bad ones, send them to jail. The rest, well, we should find somewhere to put them,¡± I said, thinking it over. I really wish I had a better idea for it.


    Captain Metal nodded, ¡°We can send them to the slums, with the rest of them.¡±


    ¡°No, not the slums. That wouldn¡¯t solve anything. Glitter Kitten would rope them into crimes and stuff.¡±


    Neon Nurse, who had been rather quiet this whole time spoke up, ¡°We should send them to Dr. Arbor. She would house them and research their mutations.¡±


    I shuddered, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want to subject anyone to her.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t so bad.¡±


    Dreamer interrupted us, ¡°All captured subhumans will be shipped off to the Institute for study. There is no room for discussion on this, Ring Master¡¯s orders.¡±


    I would have said something to refute that, but Ring Master was a decent guy. So I assume he has his reasons. Besides, isn¡¯t that where they send all super villains anyway? You can¡¯t exactly have them in a normal jail, they would just break out. The nice people would probably get sorted out right away and helped. I would hope anyway. At any rate, it can¡¯t be worse than what Dr. Arbor would do to them if she got her hands on them. Then again, she was saying things were pretty bad there, I mean she thought they were crazy. I just don¡¯t know, not good at the logistics of this. If only there was like an uninhabited island out in the middle of the ocean that we could put them on so that they could just live in peace. That would be for the best I think. That way nobody would judge them.


    Captain Metal seemed to be in a bad mood over bringing up Glitter Kitten. I guess they are still mad about not capturing her. He had something of a vendetta against her. Wait, it feels like I should know something about this. I was a total fangirl of this guy at one point. Everything is kinda fuzzy. Hmmm, I rubbed my chin, sifting through fragmented memories and recalled something. Oh, there was that, wasn¡¯t there? There was an interview a few years ago and they had asked why he became a hero. His answer had been different than what I was expecting at the time.


    It was a tragic origin story, I felt bad for him. I guess I do even now, to a degree. He is still an asshole. If I had to choose between saving him or a bag of puppies, it would be the puppies every time. What happened exactly? Well, the Mad Dogs killed his band mates. Yup, that was why I liked him back then. Captain Metal used to be in a Rock band, he was the guitarist and backup vocals. I can¡¯t believe that I ever wanted to bang him. Then again, he was pretty sexy and that played a major role in why I wanted some of that. Ah, the young and foolish me.


    Wait, I think I might be more cock struck these days than back then. I don¡¯t recall ever salivating over juicy man meat. Stirring the honey pot maybe, but never drooling in a dickmatized trance, of that I am sure. Must be the hormones and pheromones. Speaking of which Panther¡¯s anaconda looked pretty good today. Old Medavac was packing some heat too. You know, I want to give whoever decided to make skin tight suits the standard a big thumbs up. It certainly gives me a lot of eye candy and not just the guys there were a few ladies I wouldn¡¯t mind tasting.


    There was a certain red headed Cyber Swat member whose booty I found almost irresistible. It was the sort of thing I would enjoy squeezing and kneading. It might be an instinct, looking for a nice vessel for my eggs. At the least, I think that is what is going on here. I could be wrong though. There was also a bit of Sub wanting to dominate her. Seriously, I don¡¯t know why she has it out for gingers. Was I picked on by a ginger at some point and forgot about it?


    Neon Nurse was pretty good too, something tells me that she would modify her body however I liked. Still, she just didn¡¯t feel right. Cold, lifeless, I guess I would compare her to a blow up doll if anything. She just didn¡¯t smell right either. It was a bit off-putting, that plastic new car smell she had sometimes. What is she the Cadillac of love dolls or something? I would prefer something alive and kicking to be honest, like Glitter Kitten. That bitch was bumping, that is for sure. If only she wasn¡¯t such a villainous skank. Hmm, I wonder how Neon Nurse would look with cat ears and tail? I might have to look into this. Neko Nurse, I like the sound of that.


    ¡°Any questions?¡± asked Chief. Ah shit, I was not listening at all. I guess I will just have to wing it. I would look like an idiot if I asked. As though reading my mind Chief, sighed, ¡°Mecha Fairy did you understand everything?¡±


    ¡°Alright, you got me. So which group am I in and what do I do?¡±


    ¡°You are with Gnome, Neon Nurse, Sunshine, and a couple of the Cyber Swat members. Just follow her orders,¡± he said, turning away from me and pointing to the board, ¡°This is day one, so we will try to clean up most of the upper levels today, then delve deeper tomorrow. It might take longer depending on what resistance we run into. Remember, if your suit gets compromised then get out. Don¡¯t risk getting mutated. Check radiation levels often and be sure to backtrack to safe zones if you need a break. Slow and steady, we don¡¯t need to rush.¡±


    ¡°Where are Disk and Squeeze going?¡±


    ¡°They are with me,¡± said Medavac from over to my side.


    They were in pretty good hands then. Looks like I am in the girl squad. Everybody was in their under suits, which were basically a second skin with how thin they were. I could make out all the nice curves. I recognized certain creases as robotic limbs. Depending on the model it was rather obvious. Some were not made to look pretty and were stronger than more aesthetic models. Sunshine¡¯s robo arm could be told apart by the slight groove where it connected to her stump. Neon Nurse though, she was seamless, almost as though she had been made out of a mold or something in one piece. That ginger was with us, the more I looked, the more enticing her toned booty was. I slapped myself, bad, bad Vesper. Keep it professional. At the least, ask her name and take her to dinner first.


    ¡°I am Catherine,¡± she said, extending her hand to shake.


    What is she a fucking mind reader? Does she know what terrible things I want to do to her? Sub delightfully took the hand, shaking it vigorously. She ecstatically coupled the hands to the point that it was becoming a problem. Catherine was looking a little nervous and casting questioning looks at me with a shaky smile that I could tell was a front.


    ¡®Hey, hey we talked about this. No handsies! Shake the damned hand, don¡¯t diddle it. The way you¡¯re feeling her up, she might get preggers. What is wrong with you? You are making us look weird.¡¯


    You do that all by yourself.


    ¡®And I don¡¯t need you making it worse. I will let you out to play later.¡¯


    You always say that.


    ¡®Just calm down, will you? Be good and we will reward ourselves after this. Sounds good right?¡¯


    What sort of reward?


    ¡®I will pursue a relationship. How does that sound?¡¯


    So we going to get a fuck buddy? You slut. We going for the D or the P, why not both?


    ¡®Hey, you are the one who can¡¯t keep it in our pants. I don¡¯t know. We will decide that as we list our options. If we are going to do this, we will do it right and plan it out.¡¯


    I suppose that will be sufficient, but I get a say in this too.


    ¡®We both know you would fuck anything.¡¯


    So? There is a tier list on this. Some things are more worthy of our time than others. I would much rather get a 10 than a 1.


    ¡®Alright, alright. I will see what we can do.¡¯


    Her grip loosened and I managed to let go, ¡°Mecha Fairy. Sorry about that, Catherine eh? You don¡¯t have a Super Name?¡±


    She looked a little embarrassed, ¡°Well, I am not really a super. Just got some cyborg augments and a suit. Nothing really special about that.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. You are still much better than a civi.¡±


    She looked a little glum, ¡°I feel a little useless, though. Like during the raid on the Sparkle Kat, it just felt like I was getting in the way. Besides, super strength is pretty common, well as far as powers go.¡±


    ¡°Just cause it is common doesn¡¯t mean it is useless. It is about how you apply it right? You shouldn¡¯t be comparing yourself to Subhumans, we get multiple powers, but we pay a heavy price both mentally and physically. People judge us a lot you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know. I like Subhumans.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Hey, that is totally an in! Whispered Sub.


    ¡®Not now Sub. What did we just get done talking about?¡¯


    I am just keeping our options open, ok? Maybe, I want to go oyster diving, you know, clam burgling. I kinda want to tear that bitch¡¯s carpet up, did you ever think about that?


    ¡®Well, cool your jets before you spook the woman. If I left you to your own devices, then her leg would be getting humped right about now.¡¯


    So? She has got some sexy legs.


    ¡®What is with you anyway? You are way more pervy than usual. It was the pussy, isn¡¯t it? You got a taste from Glitter Kitten and now you want more.¡¯


    Yeah, so? I want some action, and you are going to facilitate it. I don¡¯t give a fuck if it Neon Nurse or Sunshine, we are fucking somebody! Hell, this Catherine bitch seems like a good lay. If you are that weirded out by it, we should start with almost strangers, easier to open up and it won¡¯t be that weird if things get weird.


    ¡®Ok, ok, we just talked about this. Please just calm down let me concentrate. I mean shit, we are about to go into a mutant infested sewer.¡¯


    Good, well then be the hero. Since you are so worried about what others think about us. Go on, live up to people¡¯s expectations. We will finish this when this is done. You promised, don¡¯t you dare chicken out again. If you do, so help me god, I will shove my dick so far into your brain I will take control of the body.


    ¡®Sweet baby raptor Jesus, Sub that is uncalled for. I promise alright?¡¯


    Sub nodded, melding away into some corner of my mind. Catherine continued talking, thankfully she was not privy to my inner turmoil. Otherwise, I am sure that she would be beating me over the head with a ten-foot pole, ¡°It really depends on the person I suppose. You seem like a nice girl. You are like a wasp monster, right?¡±


    I gulped, ¡°You know about me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have seen some pictures. I was on the rescue team to bring you home. We were not sure if you would be in the suit or not so, your identity has been leaked a little.¡±


    ¡°What did you think?¡±


    ¡°About?¡± she asked, looking around a little.


    ¡°About what I look like?¡±


    ¡°Oh, umm, not too sure. I mean you look normal enough like this. Do you really have an abdomen?¡±


    I nodded and turned so that she could see my back, ¡°Yeah, you can¡¯t really tell since it is hidden on my back here. That is why the suit is so big and fat here.¡±


    ¡°So if you are a wasp, does that mean you have a stinger?¡±


    ¡°Sure do. You wanna see it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe some other time.¡±


    ¡°Alright, no problem.¡±


    She ran her hand down my suit¡¯s back, ¡°Oh wow, this suit is seriously top of the line.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Chief made it for me.¡±


    ¡°I helped,¡± said Neon Nurse, butting into the conversation and adding a little bit of an edge to her words, ¡°Alright, enough flirting you two. We have a lot of ground to cover today.¡±


    ¡°Flirting?¡± asked Catherine.


    ¡°Yeah, I am getting sick of looking at it. You asked to see her stinger. That is like asking a man to whip out his dick. Don¡¯t you know she is into guys and girls?¡± said Neon Nurse pointing at me. Catherine took a few steps back.


    ¡°I was not,¡± I flustered out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, I see your elevated readings. I understand, it is ok. If you have urges, don¡¯t hesitate to come to me. We have talked about this.¡±


    I reluctantly nodded. We have talked about it, but that doesn¡¯t mean I really want her. I don¡¯t know why, but it feels wrong to be like that with her. It will take getting used to.


    Catherine looked me over, ¡°so wait, you were hitting on me?¡±


    ¡°No, not yet anyway. I was trying to learn more about you. I mean you smell nice and have a pretty hot body.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I guess. Look, I am not into girls,¡± flatly said Catherine, giving me a bit of a critical look.


    Ah, there it is a stake to the heart. Now my self-esteem just got shot down. Was Neon Nurse jealous? It kinda seemed like it from all the attention I was showering on Catherine. She sabotaged me. Maybe I will go cry in a corner for a few hours over this embarrassment.


    I tried to play it, wagging my hand, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I am just learning to deal with all these hormones and stuff.¡±


    She seemed to be thinking it over, ¡°It is rough, isn¡¯t it? I hear that is kind of a problem with Subhumans. Well, I am not really mad or anything, you just caught me off guard. I don¡¯t exactly get hit on a lot, I certainly was not expecting it from you.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, looking her up and down, ¡°I find that hard to believe. With a body like that there is no way you are not getting action. I would eat that ass in a heartbeat.¡±


    She blushed a little, ah ha direct hit! Neon Nurse grabbed my antennae. She dragged me along. Oh wow, now that was a serious cock block. Ow, those things are sensitive you know! It is like grabbing somebodies ear and their nose at the same time. Come on now, I was chipping away at her armor. Now she is going to start thinking about what it would be like and stuff. She was wondering about my abdomen, so she has to be curious.


    ¡°Bad Vesper!¡± said Neon Nurse and electricity shot through me. My legs seized up and I flopped to the ground. Ow, fuck. What the hell was that?


    ¡°What the fuck shocked me?¡±


    ¡°Your shock collar for when you get out of hand,¡± she replied, tugging a little, ¡°Come along now, Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Why do I have a collar!?¡±


    ¡°Because you can¡¯t be trusted after last time.¡±


    ¡°But, but that is not fair. I was child napped.¡±


    ¡°Too bad, it was mandated and I agree with it. You have to be controlled, we can¡¯t let you run loose like before.¡±


    ¡°I am not a dog.¡±


    ¡°Then stop acting like a bitch in heat.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t shock me, alright?¡±


    ¡°That is up to you.¡±


    I glowered as she led me away. I am being treated like an animal. Well, I guess I deserved it there. I was acting like one.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 6

    Arc 7, Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 6


    Gnome kept a good distance between us now that she realized my door swings both ways. Neon Nurse shocked me a few more times after that, but it cleared up my head. Sub had been influencing me more than I had thought. I took the hose to her and gave her a good whipping, unfortunately, she liked that. You are such a weirdo Sub. At any rate, we arrived at the entry point without any more altercations.


    We were deploying through the Sewage Treatment Plant on the edge of Downtown. It was the easiest place to get in and led to the catacomb of tunnels that sprawled out below the city. The building was rather large with smoke stacks sticking out of the roof. Scrolled on everything were the three bold letters BAI, for Bronson Atomic Industries. It seemed like anything involving nuclear stuff had them in the picture. Surrounding the place were four high metal fences with razor ribbon on the tops and at the bottoms. I assume to discourage people from trying to get in or mutants to get out. They did try to sneak through the facility from time to time and even have attacked it before. The place looked rather secure with armed guards in lookout towers.


    Why was this place important? This was where the water was cleaned and recycled. They had machinery in there that filtered out all the bad stuff, including radiation. Apparently, they sold the water after that to the farmers on the other side of town for a rather reasonable fee. From what I have heard the stuff is almost as good as mountain spring water after it gets filtered. What do they do with all the gunk and garbage? I don¡¯t know, but it does get shipped elsewhere. I thought that I heard they use it as a fuel, but I could be mistaken about that. A few of their tanker trucks were leaving right as we arrived.


    We got waved through the checkpoint. I could immediately smell the difference between the air here and elsewhere. The stench was palpable, like it just felt up my feelers¡­ Did I just get violated by a smell? Everybody wore masks and radiation containment suits and that included us. The cyber swat wore them under their armor, while Sunshine and the rest of the scrubs had them over their normal costumes. The suit itself was armored to a degree and made of a thick rubbery stuff that was sealed completely shut. They were a bright orange color with reflective stripes on the chest and back. Over the head, thick glass shielded the illuminated face.


    The entrance was not actually in the main building, but a side structure that was heavily guarded. It seems that BAI actually hired a few supers to guard the place. They weren¡¯t Hero League as far as I could tell. They reminded me a bit of Molotov¡¯s mercenaries, all of them had guns. Most of them were playing cards and stuff, looked like a boring job. I stared at the massive vault like door. This was the entrance to the maintenance tunnels and from there the rest of the sewers in general. Apparently, this part was not so bad since they did regular sweeps to clear out mutant animals. It was after we left this area that we would have to worry.


    Catherine was not looking at me, concentrating on the mission at hand. Could be worse. I checked the tank on my back, the gauge was full and the nozzle in my hand had some good weight to it from the hose connecting it to the tank. Everyone had a chemical thrower, save Glide, and Disk. As for Squeeze, well, he was using his power to make it weigh less. I guess the others were not trusted with one, on account that the thing weighs more than two hundred pounds. I mean, that is a lot, it weighs like double what Sunshine does. There is no way in hell that little Moon Sailor Scout could carry one of these. Which was exactly why she didn¡¯t. Instead, there was a trio of glowing knights who each had a pack.


    I was the designated pack animal, so I dragged along the large refueling station on wheels. The thing looked like a large cylinder with flashing lights. It had various ports to plug in hoses and had a nice gauge showing how full it was. I suppose that I should mention that it makes more of the Rad-Gone as the supply depleted. I don¡¯t exactly know how it works, only that so long as everything was green we were good. It is magic! Or rather Science! It more or less was an automated process, so there was not much input needed. I just had to drag it along so that we did not run out.


    Medavac stood at the front of the group, looking us over, ¡°All ready?¡±


    ¡°All ready,¡± replied everyone.


    The BAI guys pulled a lever and the door shifted, rolling to the side. They raised their weapons ready to shoot anything that moved. Nothing did, surprisingly. I started to get flashbacks from my magical adventure down here before. The smell had not improved. It assaulted me and I almost doubled over puking. How the hell did I survive this before? Oh right, I went nose blind in the first five minutes of being down here from getting drenched in it. Ugh, hopefully, there won¡¯t be a repeat of that.


    Neon Nurse and Medavac led the way. I was in the middle of the formation, with Sunshine by my side. The foam shot out in all directions, coating the walls, ceiling, and ground. There was a neat little trick about it. If it came in contact with a contaminant then it glowed red, until the tainted material had been purified. It would then turn white and clear after a while. From the near blinding red glow around us, well, it was safe to say the sewers were an irradiated hellhole.


    We slogged our way through, firing at the green glowing waters, turning them red as blood. Oh man, it is that time of the month, isn¡¯t it? Speaking of which, it is weird as fuck not having a period anymore. Behind us, everything was frothing and red, though, it was lightening in colors. Still, it would take a few hours or more for the contamination to be cleansed where we had already shot it. As we rounded the corner, I heard the heavy door closing behind us, locking us in. There went all the light and sounds of the outside world. Good thing I am not claustrophobic.


    It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust. The contrast between where we were and ahead of us was a bit startling. It was dark as fuck in here, save the water and our foam. There was a good thing about this stuff, though. It killed just about everything, including the wretched smell. Now it was all nice and smelled like bleach. I don¡¯t particularly like that smell, but it was better than the alternative.


    Time was hard to keep track of down here since everything looked the same and there was no sky to keep track of. It must have been hours already¡­ dammit, it had only been ten minutes, according to the clock in my hud. Tunnels, tunnels, and more tunnels. So far it had been a straight shot, no diverging paths, save the odd dead end access tunnel. I didn¡¯t have to actually do much, just keep pulling, just keep pulling, just keep pulling. For something that was supposed to be so fucking exciting and dangerous, this shit was boring as fuck.


    ¡°Who wants to listen to some music?¡± I asked, tapping through my hud. Ah, man this thing doesn¡¯t have any music on it. I forgot to restock it with that mixtape that Molotov left me.


    Medavac laughed, ¡°I got you.¡±


    He switched on his suit¡¯s speakers drowning out the dank sounds of water foaming and marching footsteps. It was some old music, rock or indie? Never heard this stuff before. Something about A bad moon rising and Charlie not surfing. He slowed his pace, slightly bobbing his head along with the tunes.


    ¡°What the fuck is this shit?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This shit, is what I listened to in Nam,¡± said Medavac with a little chuckle, ¡°Killed lots of Charlie and Commies to this mixed tape.¡±


    ¡°Nam? You never said that you fought in Nam. Wait, how fucking old are you?¡±


    ¡°Going on sixty. Nam was a meat grinder, I tell you. Twenty years of blood, sweat, and tears. Those were some of the best years of my life. I only caught the tail end of it, the last ten years.¡±


    ¡°You really like war eh?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, nothing gets the blood flowing like taking a man¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°You need a hobby Medavac.¡±


    ¡°What do you think banging bitches is?¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose if you put it that way. Still man, killing is fucked up.¡±


    ¡°You kids these days are spoiled and spineless,¡± said Medavac, ¡°Hell, I saw some dumbass protesters the other day saying that Zombie Lives matter. They want to eat people¡¯s brains. Why the fuck would you not want to kill them? How do they have rights? They are literally dead.¡±


    ¡°Ok, that is fucking retarded. Zombies are one thing, but a living, breathing person is another.¡±


    ¡°I blame the schools and the Voodoo, but that is beside the point. Stay away from the Voodoo, that shit will fuck you up.¡±


    I laughed, ¡°Voodoo?¡±


    He had a rather somber expression, ¡°Well, Voodoo is some scary stuff. So there I was over in Jamaica on leave after Nam, this was a little bit before I got my powers mind you. At any rate, got wasted one night and ended up fucking this Witch Doctor like there was no tomorrow. I wake up three days later in a coffin, naked and six feet under the ground.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit, how did you get out of that?¡±


    ¡°Well, the bitch came back and dug me up so that she could drug me with her voodoo powder. Well, you see there are two types of Voodoo. The alchemy side which knows secret recipes to make potions and the magic side that can bring dead people back to life as zombies. There is some other stuff, but it is mostly the zombies. Most are of the alchemy variety. That is where their magic comes from you see. It fucks with your head and makes you see shit that isn¡¯t real. Some of them even import Devil¡¯s Breath to make voodoo slaves.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Wait, what the fuck is Devil¡¯s Breath?¡±


    He stopped and gave me a long look, he got close, ¡°Scopolamine, also known as Devil¡¯s Breath is a drug made from a nightshade plant. It is the most dangerous drug in the world, save some of the weirder Super made ones. What it does is take away your will and by that I mean it makes you open to all suggestions. You lose all inhibitions and do whatever the people around you tell you to. They tell you to help them steal all your shit and you will gleefully load up your car and even drive them to the place they want to drop it off. The scariest thing is that you are fully cognitive and able to function, but have no will, like a puppet. Hell, it is used in the sex trade too. You wake up the next day with the worst hangover ever, assuming you wake up at all. No memory or very fuzzy memory of what happened after being exposed. It works fast too, only takes twenty minutes to take effect. It is the shit of fucking nightmares, I tell you.¡±


    I stared at him. ¡°Holy fuck balls. That is the scariest fucking thing I have ever heard of. You are just fucking with me, right? That shit is not real, right.¡±


    ¡°No, it is certainly real. I lived through it, then I researched it after I got free.¡±


    ¡°How did you get free?¡±


    ¡°When she opened the coffin, I punched her in the cunt. When she went down, I poured the powder on her face and she overdosed.¡±


    ¡°How easy is it to overdose?¡±


    ¡°Pretty fucking easy, from what I have read anyway. That is the only time I ever dealt with that shit.¡±


    ¡°The world is a scary place,¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Eh, don¡¯t worry about it. That stuff is mostly used in Colombia.¡±


    ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that one of the countries you still have not fucked a girl from?¡±


    ¡°Yup. I am never going there.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡±


    We nodded silently for a bit. It was a mutual understanding. I almost wish I did not know about that shit. I am certainly not going to be sleeping tight for a few days. How terrifying would it be to not have control over your actions? Medavac is scared of it and he don¡¯t scare easy. That is more than enough for me to be afraid. I mean, I guess from the sounds of it at the time you don¡¯t even realize it. Either way, makes my stomach churn, talk about worse than death. Shit, I think that might be on a level above rape on the evil scale. It is like literal mind rape.


    At any rate, scrub, scrub, scrub. I pushed the thoughts to the back of my head. We had advanced pretty far, I think. We were at the first major intersection, which meant that the mob of suited sewer spelunkers was going to break up into three different teams, or rather four. One group of four was going to stay here and guard the refueling station. Medavac went middle with his group, some guy I don¡¯t know went left and Neon Nurse led us to the right. Everybody knows that right is always the right answer. Not that we are looking for anything in particular.


    Yay, I get to do things. I held the nozzle steady letting loose the spray of white liquid that foamed up as we proceeded. Gnome was doing pretty good too, her outer suit was covered in metal, making her appear to be some sort of golem. It looked rather sturdy and she was not having any problems at all carrying around the tank of foam and spraying down the walls.


    I don¡¯t know if I am thankful or disappointed at the fact that I have not seen a single mutant animal. On one hand, I want to reassert my dominance and on the other, well, they are more trouble than they are worth. Catherine was getting the ceiling and Neon Nurse washed the floor. Sunshine was unfortunately extra weight here, her knights were doing all the work, but I could tell that she was bored. Then I got an idea.


    ¡°Sunshine, come here.¡±


    She perked right up and darted over to me, ¡°What is it Nee-san?¡±


    ¡°You wanna shoot things?¡± I asked, showing her the hose and nozzle.


    ¡°Sunshine can use this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, go for it. Just stay close,¡± I said, keeping a hand on her shoulder so that she would not bolt off.


    Knowing her, she was liable to drag me with her or it might be like a dog clotheslining itself when attached to a pole. She let fly the foam and it threw her to the ground from the sudden pressure. Eh, oops. At least she landed in the foam rather than in the sewage. I pulled her back to her feet and she wore a rather determined expression. She tried again, only to repeat what happened. It would be a little cruel to laugh, so I simply held her like a child. It was almost a princess carry, but less dignified. She seemed to like that.


    I guess this is one of the advantages of having four arms. I am still wondering why she is not using her powers. I mean her knights are about as strong as I am when they are grouped up. Couldn¡¯t she make like super powered gauntlets to hold it? She might be trying to show that she can do it herself. At any rate, now I had my own personal Sunshine to pet as we went along. The magical glowing bunny ears stuck up out of the hazmat suit, wiggling with glee.


    My meter started blipping, looks like about half. Something tells me this is going to be a long day. We rounded a corner and found a bunch of ripped open barrels oozing green goo. That ain¡¯t natural and it looks rather fresh too. Sure enough more BAI stuff. It looked like somebody had raided a whole cargo shipment from how many were scattered around. The effect was obvious, the ecosystem had already shifted due to the exposure. Rats were scampering around, wallowing in the stuff. As a result, they were getting bigger and even the cockroaches too. Do the animals actually like this stuff? That was a disconcerting thought.


    I heard some clacking of claws and turned, looking up. There was a centipede eating the smaller creatures. It hung from the ceiling, striking down on the unsuspecting prey and crunching them up with the thick mandibles. This thing was massive, like as big as a fucking alligator. We wearily took a few steps back. The antennae twitched, pointing towards us. I am a bug, I know what that means.


    ¡°Kill it!¡± I screamed.


    Just like I thought, it scuttled towards us. It seemed that everybody had the same idea, all of us shot it with the Rad-Gone. It reared up, screeching and fell off of the ceiling. The damned thing was fast as hell on all those legs, as it fled down the tunnel. Shit, it got away. Well, at the least it didn¡¯t like that stuff, thank Lord Helix. They don¡¯t get bigger than that, do they? So many legs igh! It ain¡¯t natural I tell you, nothing should have that many legs.


    I don¡¯t know if it was my instincts kicking in from meeting a predator or what, but all my senses seemed to be elevated. Distantly, I could hear that fucker running around. It didn¡¯t seem to have gotten very far. The other vermin had long since scattered, leaving us to a relatively silent passageway. We set to work hosing the place down, Sunshine was now firmly attached to my chest thanks to the bottom pair of arms. I was not letting her out of my grasp, not with giant bugs running around.


    I made sure to drench the barrels and made my way up to the walls. Just a little bit ahead of where we were I saw something rather strange. It looked like some kinda growth, like a tumor or something. Whatever it was, it was alive. The fleshy thing was growing out of the wall and pulsating. It expanded and contracted slowly, almost like breathing. I looked around and found a broken pipe. This will do. I know it is gross, but how could I not prod something like that? It was practically begging for it, is¡­ is that an eye? I poked the tumor and all at once it retracted into the wall and the cement bulged. It was almost as though there was a larger organism back there¡­ oh, son of a bitch. That is exactly what this is! This shit reminds me of the Zerg.


    ¡°Neon Nurse,¡± I nearly cried, retreating back over to her and pointing at the wall hysterically, ¡°There is something in there!¡±


    She gave me a long look, ¡°The flesh blob?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah it fucking moved and shit!¡±


    She shined her light over the hole from a good five feet back and we could see the disgusting flesh writhing within, ¡°It is a Tubifex Worm colony. Granted, this one is mutating at a rapid rate. Deeper in these things will cover the walls.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to kill it or what?¡±


    She nodded her head, ¡°Well, obviously. Now let me tell you, there are much worse things down here than them. You see these worms are actually not a predator and are just scavengers that eat the filth and carrion. Of course with the way mutations work, they could theoretically go carnivorous, so better safe than sorry.¡±


    She approached the hole and one of her robo arms stabbed in with a syringe attachment. It emerged full of some sort of fluid and she stepped back as the gurgling intensified. It seems they didn¡¯t like that.


    ¡°Wait you didn¡¯t kill it?¡±


    ¡°I was taking a sample for study. We need to research this sort of stuff otherwise, we might have problems later on.¡±


    ¡°So I see,¡± I replied, edging away from the drooling hole.


    ¡°Catherine, care to deal with it?¡±


    She replied, sounding a bit disgusted, ¡°On it.¡±


    Catherine crouched down and aimed her arm at the hole. A gun popped up that had been built into the suit and fired off several rounds. A revolting sound gurgled up, it almost sounded like a shriek. The crevice lit up briefly and the wall shook, cracking. A sizzling filled the air and smoke oozed out of the hole. I guess those were inferno rounds? Hopefully, that was enough to kill it. Just to be safe, we pumped our hoses of Rad-Gone in there to drown the bastard in cleaning materials. It was about as toxic as bleach, I pray it is enough to finish the job. The place seemed safe enough, so I let Sunshine free for now.


    I heard something splashing around up ahead, curious, I went to take a look. I saw something that I had not been expecting at all. A, a turtle? Who the fuck flushed a baby turtle down into the sewers? Wait a minute, that thing is pretty big and the shell had razor sharp edges. There was not just one I soon discovered. There were four of them and a giant rat all happily swimming in some green glowing goo. Oh dear Helix, can it be!? Do you like pizza too? Will you be my mutant friends? Can we learn ninja moves together? I squealed with delight, taking a step and they looked at me with glowing red eyes. Uh oh. That don¡¯t look friendly. Oh shit, those are snapping turtles and they have teeth!


    The rat hissed and a tongue shot out like a harpoon, it almost got to me. Luckily it was not quite long enough to reach. I stomped on it before it could retract and the turtles dove into the irradiated water, swimming towards me. They circled like sharks with their clawed flippers. Oh, what sharp teeth you have. I latched onto the ceiling as the little bastards snapped. One managed to sink its teeth into my ass. Son of a bitch, why is it always the ass?!


    I grabbed it and snapped the neck. It was all muscle, hmmm that gives me an idea. I grappled up another and crushed the skull. Ah ha, I tied the two necks together into a nunchuck, or rather turtlechuck. I swung it around like a lunatic and cornered the last survivors.


    ¡°I just wanted to be friends?!¡± I cried, hysterically beating them to death with their own family, ¡°We could have had such great adventures! Why? Why did you turn on me?! We could have been a family!¡±


    The rat squealed as it was crushed under the turtle shell and everybody had gathered to see what the commotion was about. Neon Nurse pat my shoulder asking, ¡°Vesper, what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I sniffled, ¡°Just killing my childhood.¡±


    ¡°Do you need a minute?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, give me a few,¡± I said, gathering up the bodies.


    I can¡¯t just leave them here. They deserve better than that. I couldn¡¯t exactly bury them. So I did the next best thing, made a second turtlechuck. Their sacrifice will not be in vain, I shall use you to battle evil! With these half shells of justice, villainy will tremble in terror! Turtle Power! Lookout Bronson City there is a new hero in town!


    ¡°Eww put those gross things down. You don¡¯t know where those things have been. What is wrong with you?¡± scoffed Gnome in disgust.


    I tossed the turtlechucks over my shoulder, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Well, she had a point. They lived in the sewer and they died in the sewer. That and it is pretty nasty carrying around the corpses of turtles tied together. Sometimes I just get so carried away with myself. That damned theme song was egging me on. Farewell my childhood, you will be missed. Dead and buried, right next to Nicky Mouse. Oh no, not the octopus! Damn you, Molotov! You ruin everything.


    Our tanks were running on empty, since we had to use more than expected on various creatures. I could only assume it would be the first of many refueling trips, after all, we had miles of tunnels to scourge and that was just the upper levels of the sewers. I don¡¯t want to know what is deeper down there. There could be mole people or something.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 7

    Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 7


    We followed along the twisting corridors which were steadily turning white and clear. I guess the only bad thing would be the dying light. Not that it really bothered me with my suit filtering everything. It just felt a little ominous I suppose. There I go again jinxing shit. Nothing will go horribly awry¡­ I am just digging a deeper hole for myself, aren¡¯t I? Out of mind, out of sight? I don¡¯t think that is right, but fuck it.


    All this white is kinda reminding me about of one of those crazy hentai. I mean, look at it, it is all over the walls and gooey. Dollars to donuts it is warm too.


    ¡®¡­ Sub really? Get your mind out of the gutter.¡¯


    We are in the gutter for fuck¡¯s sake!


    ¡®Touch¨¦, alright, you got me. Sub please just take this seriously for now. I need serious mode.¡¯


    Fine. You smell that?


    ¡®Smell what?¡¯


    I don¡¯t know something smells weird. Kinda funky, familiar, you know?


    ¡®Sub, we are in a godforsaken sewer filled with radioactive monsters. It could be anything.¡¯


    I hear you, I hear you. I¡¯ll eh, tell you if I sense anything, granted, I am sure that you will feel it too.


    I nodded inwardly, Sub is finally being useful. The path opened up back to the nexus point. A couple of the other teams had returned as well, refueling their packs. Everybody seemed to be in a good mood with idle banter going back and forth. From what I was hearing our group made the least amount of progress due to animals. The other groups had not even found any. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, from what I have seen they like to cluster. In all likelihood, they will encounter a few deeper in.


    I know for a fact there are giant rat colonies down here. It is a little weird that we have not found any yet. Probably thinking too much on this, we have not been down here all that long. Of course, I could have just had terrible luck on my last visit. It seemed like every damned turn had the fuckers scurrying around. That is just the paranoia talking.


    It soon became my turn in the line and I plugged in refueling. It took a very short amount of time before the connector tube dinged and popped off, much as a gasoline pump does at the gas station. Tanks full we set back out down our designated tunnel. Things had already improved significantly from our previous trip. The only thing that blotched the otherwise clean tunnel was a streak of green running down the middle of the canal. Since the water flowed back to the treatment plant, it made sense that tainted liquid would mix and we would have to treat it again in hot spots.


    We arrived back at the murder scene, where I had straggled my childhood to death. The bodies were gone and blood trails led off into the low green lit tunnels ahead. Something tells me our many-legged friend was behind this. It was best not to dwell on it, we would deal with mister skitter when he showed up. The tunnel split ahead, one appeared to be a maintenance tunnel from the signs that had been long neglected.


    ¡°Alright, we will split up here. Mecha Fairy, Gnome, and Sunshine with me. Katherine and the rest continue on ahead, we will catch up,¡± said Neon Nurse.


    ¡°By Helix, we are splitting up? Like Scoobie and the gang? Don¡¯t you watch horror movies? This is how people die,¡± I complained.


    ¡°Vesper, movies are just movies. Now stop being such a wuss. You can easily throw a car and you are scared of some rats?¡±


    ¡°It is more of the unknown, but yes the rats too. Me and them have a bit of beef.¡±


    ¡°Well then, feel free to pummel anything that jumps out at you.¡±


    ¡°Do I get a treat?¡±


    ¡°You want a treat? What are you a dog?¡± asked Gnome.


    ¡°Scoobie gets a snack. I will have you know I work better with incentives.¡±


    Neon Nurse laughed a little, ¡°I will be sure to feed you some tasty treats later.¡±


    ¡°Oh boy,¡± I grinned.


    ¡°Come along now, daylight is burning.¡±


    I nodded, thinking it over. Really, it is so silly how scared I am of this place. I am far stronger than the first time I came here and this time I am not alone. I got a magical girl, and I know how to use her. That sounded a little weird, at any rate, I got friends. What do you got Bronson Sewers? Nothin, that is what. That makes me the apex predator of this hell hole. Are there still unicorn rats running around down here? I wonder what they taste like? Would the meat be better grilled or fried? I shall feast upon their flesh to gain their power. I could wear the pelt and become Ratgirl. Beware denizens of the deep, behold my magical horn! Nunununu Ratgirl!


    ¡®That was a weird thought. First turtles, now rats, what is wrong with me?¡¯


    You are being a fucking weirdo.


    ¡®I can¡¯t help it. I am excited. I am doing superhero shit!¡¯


    Sub rolled her eyes at me. Yeah, cause running around in the sewer is real heroic.


    ¡®The evils of the sewers must be cleansed by our righteous wrath! Our revenge upon the rats is close at hand.¡¯


    Remember, be Alpha as fuck! Assert dominance. Run it down mid.


    ¡®Wait, are you like my LoL coach? You mean like flashing at people to make them panic flash?¡¯


    Exactly.


    ¡®Now who is being weird?¡¯


    Shush you. These are life lessons.


    ¡®If you say so.¡¯


    With proper reassurances, I reluctantly followed along behind Neon Nurse. What was supposed to be a dead end quickly turned into more of the same twisting tunnels. At the very least, it did not branch off. We did not particularly take it slow, hosing as we went. There were more of those damned tubifex worms. They are like cancer down here. Infesting the walls and corrupting the concrete. Luckily the water down this path was not glowing as much as the main tunnel. This made the disgusting flesh tumors growing out of the walls more like barnacles than some monstrosity that might try to take over the world. If it is this bad up here, how fucking bad is it in the sub-sewer? Why is it that everything with sub in the name is horribly fucked up?


    I take offense to that!


    ¡®My point stands.¡¯


    That is not nice.


    ¡®Ahh, it is ok Sub. I was joking. Who is my Subby wubby?¡¯


    She glowered at me and I scratched her under the chin until she started purring like a kitten. Sub sure is cute when she is being shy. I will spoil you later.


    I aimed and made sure to spray all the pulsating flesh blobs down as we went. It was more fun to imagine the foam was napalm and I was going on an exterminatus. By fire be purged! Note to self, get flamethrowers installed in the suit. Come to think of it, it always was fun lighting people on fire in games, watching them screaming and running away. Maybe Burnout was onto something? Or probably not, games are one thing and reality is another. It is not like people actually get hurt over a game. Besides, I doubt that Chief would allow nor install such an upgrade.


    It is likely for the best, knowing me, I would fuck it up somehow and light myself on fire. I could imagine it now, running around in circles like a chicken with its head cut off, screaming, ¡°My biscuits are burning!¡±


    ¡°Did you leave the oven on?¡± asked Sunshine.


    ¡°Hmmm? Oven?¡± I asked, bewildered, looking over at her.


    ¡°Not fair, you were making biscuits and didn¡¯t tell Sunshine,¡± she puffed up and looked away.


    How did¡­ oh dammit. I was talking out loud again. I pat her on the back, ¡°No, no. I was just talking to myself. If you want we can make some when we get back. Sound fun?¡±


    ¡°Nee-san is going to cook with Sunshine?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Her bunny ears bounced with glee. It sure is easy to tell when she is pleased. Then again, she is basically on cloud nine all the time, happy time drugs and what not. That got me thinking. I wonder what she is like without the medication? It was a strange notion, Sunshine without, well, the sunshine. Isn¡¯t she like chronically depressed and suicidal or something? I wonder what made her like that. Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t actually know that much about Sunshine outside of the basic stuff. Which is rather surprising considering how long we have been together. I never really asked. I just figured that she would open up eventually. I might need to pry that clam open¡­ no Sub, not that clam.


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    My eyes wandered to Gnome and I could feel her looking at me, I could smell it. Hmmm, I know this feeling. Contempt? No, loathing perhaps? Apparently not. It is not fear, that is for sure. I should know this, but for some reason I am just blanking out. Ah ha, she is disgusted! Wait a minute, what did I do to make her creeped out? I have not been acting that weird have I? Maybe, she is just very specific in how she reacts to things?


    ¡°Is there something on my suit?¡± asked Gnome diverting her view.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why you looking at me?¡±


    ¡°You were looking at me first,¡± I pointed out.


    It seemed that she did not like that, ¡°Just don¡¯t talk to me, alright?¡±


    I was about to say something when Neon Nurse interrupted my train of thought, ¡°Now, now you two play nice. We are a team, remember? Gnome, I know you prefer solo activities after what happened in L.A. but that doesn¡¯t mean you can be so antagonistic of others. Organics¡¯ emotions bruise easily after all. Remember, we are in this together and should rely on one another.¡±


    Gnome scoffed, ¡°Don¡¯t act like you know what I went through.¡±


    ¡°It is ok, Gnome I was there. If it wasn¡¯t for me and Medavac, who knows what would have happened.¡±


    That seemed to anger her and she punched one of the worm colonies, making it pop like a zit, ¡°A month. A whole fucking month I survived in that hellscape. Where the fuck were you all that time? Staying safe up here in Bronson after you two ran away when the shit hit the fan.¡±


    Neon Nurse turned a little, smiling that fake smile that I knew too well, she was a little miffed over that. How did I know? Well, it was simple really, I had been around her enough to know when she was putting up a front. The key was how automatic and plastic her expression became. She might try to act like a machine, but there was still quite a bit of human emotion in there. Don¡¯t know if it is creepy or cute. For someone who is always spouting off about how machines are perfection she sure can¡¯t make up her mind.


    ¡°Ran away? Well sure, but tactical retreat would be the better term. After all, how were we supposed to fight Nitro heads up? We had been on a supply run, so clearly we were undermanned and unprepared for that. So we did the next best thing, we started evacuating people. Let me tell you, hurting someone who absorbs kinetic energy is very difficult. They might as well have a high powered forcefield.¡±


    I get the feeling Gnome would have spat on the ground out of disgust over that. Her voice started out pretty strong before petering out and choking, ¡°Evacuating? You left us to die. Where were you when Mr. Flash had his neck slit? Or when they barbecued Flamingo? She turned Justice Roller into a fucking rocket. You should have been there. If you had then Bro¡­ Terra Bolt wouldn¡¯t have¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± sadly said Neon Nurse, ¡°I am sorry I could not do more.¡±


    A muffled explosion resounded from somewhere nearby. Over the coms we could hear some frantic, garbled orders, ¡°They are everywhere, keep firing!¡±


    If I had to guess another team found a large rat colony. A rumbling started to shake the tunnel around us. Gnome was acting a little weird, though I couldn¡¯t see her face, I could smell the fear positively boiling out of her. She had sort of frozen in place. Did Gnome break? Another quake rippled through the cement and a loud boom went off a little closer than the last. She cried, crouching down and holding her legs.


    ¡°You ok?¡± I asked.


    She shook her head and the rumbling intensified. I lost my footing as the concrete cracked and the roof above slanted from the sudden shock. It was right about at this moment that I realized, bringing an unstable Terrakentic who was pretty damned strong into a system of underground tunnels was a bad idea. For Helix¡¯s sake, this bitch has PTSD. What genius thought this was a good idea? Gnome was a fucking ticking time bomb, especially since it seemed she had beef with Neon Nurse. By Helix¡¯s tentacles! She is having Nam flashbacks!


    ¡°Gnome, Gnome, Gnome!¡± I yelled, waving my hands at her, ¡°You are going to collapse the tunnel! Calm down a little-¡±


    Ah shit, bad move. Rule number one when dealing with crazy bitches, never tell them to calm down. It always makes things worse. She turned in my direction and reached out with her metallic hand. She scrunched it as though crushing something. What, are you trying to force choke me? That thought was instantly smashed as my suit dented in my body jarred violently against the wall. Oh, fuck me. She can manipulate metal and we are all wearing it! Neon Nurse was pinned against the wall and I could hear the metal crinkling all around me. Shit, shit, shit, fuck! My eyes swam, searching for anything that could help us. Sunshine. Sunshine was not being attacked. So then Gnome had to use her hands like Squeeze did for her power to work.


    ¡°Sunshine! Get her arms! Or knock her out!¡± I screamed.


    Gnome realized it too. She was like in battle mode or something. She swiftly turned to deal with Sunshine and was forced to let Neon Nurse go. She couldn¡¯t control all three directions at once. The ground ruptured and spikes shot out at Sunshine. Holy fuck! She is trying to kill her! I struggled, momentarily looking down before hearing a heinous screeching sound like nails on a chalkboard, but ten times worse. Sunshine¡¯s knights had built a shield wall, absorbing all of the damage. Gnome clenched again and I heard Sunshine make a squeak as she was being crushed. Ah shit, the Knights are not made of metal so Sunshine¡¯s suit is the only thing over there. She was vulnerable to a direct attack.


    While Gnome was distracted, Neon Nurse had closed the gap. Her mechanical arms descended with buzzing saw blades, they sheered through a small section of armor and a syringe stabbed down, delivering its payload. Gnome reeled, turning to fight Neon Nurse. Unfortunately for her, Sunshine didn¡¯t need to move to use her power. A giant glowing mallet appeared and clocked Gnome right on the dome. A cartoony bonk sound filled the air. It crushed her down, making her lose her grip on both of us. It was only momentary as she turned the cement into quick sand below us. My feet sunk in and it solidified again. Good try, but not good enough. All four hands shoved down and I kicked, shattering the thick rock and freeing myself.


    ¡°You!¡± She grit at Sunshine as the mallet bonked her again, pinning her into the wall.


    The hammer morphed into a blanket and bundled her up, trapping her arms and legs. She struggled, and flopped over, trying to work a hand free. I tackled her and wrapped all four arms tightly to help keep her pinned. She thrashed wildly as though her life depended on it. What the hell, why was she fighting so fucking hard? It is not like we actually want to hurt her. Well, I kinda want to punch her in the face a couple times for fucking up my new suit and trying to kill us, but that is beside the point.


    ¡°Gnome stop. What is wrong with you!¡± I yelled at her.


    ¡°I will fucking kill you all, Diablo scum!¡± choked out Gnome.


    ¡°Diablos? We are in Bronson you dumb bitch.¡±


    ¡°You are lying. I can hear the screams. The fires are burning!¡± cried Gnome.


    I slapped her metal face, ¡°What fires? Gnome what the fuck are you talking about?¡±


    Neon Nurse pat my shoulder, ¡°It is ok Vesper. She has been through a lot.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean it is ok?!¡± I shouted at her, knocking the hand off my shoulder, ¡°She tried to kill us.¡±


    Neon Nurse sighed, ¡°Gnome was forced to fight her brother to the death.¡±


    My eye twitched, ¡°So fucking what? That gives her a get outa responsibility free card? I tried to be nice and be friends. She shot me down and tried to murder us.¡±


    She glared at me, ¡°How would you feel if you were forced to kill your father by the people you thought were your allies?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you go there,¡± I snapped at her. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t, I would rather die than kill him.¡±


    ¡°And I am sure that he would die to save you. Gnome just needs help. She is traumatized and deeply disturbed. I don¡¯t understand why she was set to active duty if she was this unstable. Look, I will get to the bottom of this.¡±


    I scowled, ¡°Fine. I trust you.¡±


    Her golem armor left no expression, but I could hear her, crying? What the hell are you blubbering about bitch, you started this! I wanted to shake her and bash that head into the ground. I bit my lip, drawing blood to keep back my anger. Why am I so angry? I don¡¯t understand. I wanted to kill her. Rip and mangle and tear! She doesn¡¯t need those arms or legs! I let go of her, clutching my head, trying to drown out the thoughts. I slammed my head into the wall, cracking the concrete, and a skull splitting migraine stabbed into my brain. It took a moment to get my bearings. I flopped back against the wall or I would have fallen over.


    ¡®Sub, what the fuck!¡¯


    Hey, that wasn¡¯t me!


    ¡®Bullshit!¡¯


    It is the body, dumb ass.


    ¡®Oh really? I thought you had control over this shit?!¡¯


    I do, but you override me, you fucking cunt rag!


    ¡®So that was me?¡¯


    Yes, that was you. Remember, feedback loop? What you put in comes right back. Stop blaming me when you are the problem!


    ¡®Don¡¯t lie to me! I know you are using me all the time.¡¯


    I am not. Stop blaming me. You know what? Enough of this shit. Fuck you! I am out.


    ¡®What do you mean you are out? Where are you going to go? You live in my head.¡¯


    I am going on vacation. Have fun dealing with the body by yourself and try not to get killed. It is my body too, you know. Maybe after you go solo for a bit you will truly appreciate me and all the shit I put up with for you.


    ¡®Sub what the hell are you talking about?¡¯


    Sub was¡­ gone. Silence was all that filled my head, or rather an antennae trembling pounding. I couldn¡¯t feel her anymore. It was a very strange feeling, being alone. No, no, no. She has to be in here somewhere. Where could she go that I don¡¯t even know about? That little bitch, so she was hiding something else from me too? It is always secrets and half truths with her. It is my body and mind, why can¡¯t you just tell me everything? Are you afraid I will throw you away if I know everything? This is why we have trust issues! Using my fantasies and loneliness against me. How dare you trample my maiden heart and run off on me, you slore.


    So that is what I get for giving her almost everything that she wanted. No one in their right mind would let you do the things I let you do to me Sub! You know what? Good riddance. Sub was just a bad influence on me this whole time. Wanting me to eat people and fuck my friends, forcibly if necessary. That is rape Sub. You are literally all the worst parts of me. Don¡¯t you ever come back! If I see you I will kill you myself! Wait¡­ kill? That is a little extreme. Helix my head really hurts. Did I hit it too hard?


    I rubbed at my forehead, but the helmet was in the way. I took it off massaging the carapace. It didn¡¯t really help like I thought that it would. There was nothing wrong with the outside. The throbbing was terrible, like getting rudely awoken while in rem sleep. I sat wincing and breathing deeply and slowly. It was supposed to help with pain. The effects were minimal. My stomach felt queasy like I was about to throw up. Yet at the same time, a gnawing hunger filled the back of my thoughts and roiled my stomach. I held my mouth, biting the hand lightly to stop it.


    ¡°Vesper? Are you ok?¡± asked Neon Nurse looming over me.


    ¡°No. My, my head hurts a lot. I am real nauseous too.¡±


    ¡°Nauseous and headache? Nothing a little injection won¡¯t fix. Just hold still,¡± smiled Neon Nurse, raising the needle and my carapace felt like it was alive and skittering all over the place, trying to escape.


    I resisted the impulses to a degree, I brought a hand up to defend myself with and she restrained it with her grabber claws. She smoothly slid it into my exposed neck. It oddly didn¡¯t hurt. Well, actually knowing how good at needle work Neon Nurse is, there usually isn¡¯t any pain. I felt the stuff pour into my veins and like ice, it chilled the raging inferno. It was only now that I realized how hot I had been running. If I could sweat, then my body would have been drenched. I had been venting and didn¡¯t even know it. The plates ground back together inside the suit and I held my head.


    The world was spinning a little, but everything seemed to be calming down. So, I guess my body was just reeling from the loss of Sub. I see your game. I won¡¯t come crawling back to you.


    ¡°What did you inject me with by the way?¡± I asked, now that I could think properly.


    ¡°A little something that Dr. Arbor cooked up for you.¡±


    I don¡¯t like the sounds of that, ¡°So what does it do?¡±


    ¡°Well, nothing you need to worry about. It was custom made for you. So one hundred percent compatible with no drawbacks or my money back.¡±


    ¡°You just roofied me, didn¡¯t you.¡±


    Neon Nurse wagged her hand dismissively, ¡°No. Don¡¯t be silly. I would never do that to you.¡±


    ¡°The first time we met, you jammed a needle filled with sleepy time drug in my ass and then proceeded to molest me with robo snakes!¡±


    ¡°That was different, it was a routine check up. I promise, no sleepy on this.¡±


    ¡°There better not be,¡± I wearily looked around. Well, I don¡¯t feel bad, but Dr. Arbor had something to do with this. Can I trust that it is nothing bad?


    ¡®What do you think Sub?¡¯


    Oh, right. I am just talking to myself. That is going to be annoying, expecting some sort of feedback. All alone. You know, I am starting to think that a roofie would be the lesser of the evils here.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 8

    Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 8


    I pat my face, feeling a little fuzzy. There was still the elephant in the room or rather sewer tunnel that had to be addressed, ¡°So, what the hell are we doing with Gnome?¡±


    Neon Nurse looked up from administering a dose of something to the now unconscious Gnome. She said, idly, ¡°I will have to take her up to be confined. For now though, I can carry her and we will finish up this tunnel. It shouldn¡¯t take too long. We will split up at the convergence and you two will meet back up with Catherine and the others.¡±


    ¡°You are leaving us alone down here?¡±


    ¡°Only for a little bit, besides just follow the trail left by the others, you basically can¡¯t get lost.¡±


    ¡°True. Alright, well let¡¯s get to it then.¡±


    Neon Nurse hefted the heavy, metal layered Gnome over a shoulder and her suit slowed as well as noticeably looked shorter due to the weight. Gnome was a rather dense person with that golem around her. We proceeded along, hoses gushing cleaning fluids on everything, especially if it moved and, or gurgled. We came to the end. It had been a rather short trip, only a couple hundred yards of twisting tunnel. Like any sort of magical adventure, there was a boss sitting here at the end. Our old pal, mister skitter, turns out it was a miss skitter and this was her nest.


    Bones were piled around this place and some sort of secretion covered the walls. It seemed alive and not in a happy way. Oh no, no, no, not happy at all. I could hear them scuttling and squirming just about everywhere. Those nasty, nasty little legs, igh. Mommy skitter had a sizable family over here, with varying girths and lengths. It was a writhing sea of segmented bodies over in the shadowed corners. They didn¡¯t seem to like light very much, fleeing from our headlamps.


    An errant thought crossed my mind. Poor little things were just trying to live down here. Although little might be an understatement with how big these creepy-crawlies were. I could strangely relate. She had been gathering food for her babies. A commendable thing, for a bug. Of course, this might just be my bug conscious weighing in. To be honest, I almost felt bad, I don¡¯t, but I almost do. Destroying a family. Oh well, something I will have to live with I suppose. These are little monsters, after all. If left to their own would likely spill out into the streets and eat children and pets, maybe even adults, they do get big enough and have poisonous fangs after all.


    Hmm, when I put it that way this isn¡¯t hard at all. It is more of a matter of protecting our citizens. I wonder why I was attributing human-like morals to these unsightly beasts? Truly must be the bug in me. I never would have even second guessed this before. It could be the children. I do have a bit of qualms about murdering babies, no matter what sort of critter it is. This is what I get for naming the damned thing. Guess I gotta put her down like old yeller, before she can get up to no good.


    We readied ourselves to fight the mass of legs. The walls and ceiling were thoroughly soaked with the Rad-Gone. They had nowhere to run and those that did quickly dived into the suds, writhing in pain before curling up and dying. They drowned in the foam. All of us steadily advanced ever closing in on the big one. She had coiled up to protect her young and we hosed them down. The shrieks and clacking of claws soon fell below the fizzing of the suds.


    Miss Skitter rose up like a great snake from the water, screeching in what I could only assume was a mix of agony and rage. It had caught me off guard since she had been so quiet before. I should have known that this wouldn¡¯t end without a fight. She scurried faster than I predicted and latched onto my leg, ripping it out from under me. You conniving little! Any remorse I may have felt for the beast was instantly replaced by anger. My fist slammed down on her head, cracking open the carapace. She coiled desperately around my frame to stop the attack, however, since I am much stronger this only make her more vulnerable.


    I yanked and the bottom two arms tore at the segmented body. They popped off like Lincoln Logs with legs. Soon I had ripped and mangled her body clear down to the head, which was firmly latched onto my leg. It must be held on there through sheer rage alone. The gooey brain was exposed from where my fist had broken through. A strange impulse, a child-like fascination rose. I poked the brain and caused varied twitches and spasming to ensue from the now screaming creature. How delightful. My fingers wiggled and worked their way through gray matter. It is surprising how large the brain was, must be the size of a dog¡¯s, if I had to guess. Not like I have ever seen a dog¡¯s brain so I can¡¯t definitively say.


    Makes me wonder, is it intelligent? Does it comprehend death or perhaps could it have been tamed and taught tricks? Such a shame to kill it. Is this how Dr. Arbor felt digging through my head? This superiority, this, this control. I can sort of see how she gets off on it. I always did like a little S&M. It feels like I got a bit off topic here. How horrifying, I was actually relating to Dr. Arbor. The world must be coming to an end.


    Realizing that what I was doing was a bit sadistic I ended the suffering, by snapping the head in half. The mandible fell away into the waters with a plop and the giant centipede was no more. Something is wrong with me, maybe not though. These are just bugs and it is not as though I was ever particularly fond of them to begin with. I guess it is similar to burning ants with a magnifying glass. Or dissecting a frog in biology class. It is just an animal I don¡¯t get why this is bothering me so much.


    I stamped on the cluster of eggs smooshing them below my metal heels. Less of these things the better. Just cause I am a wasp doesn¡¯t mean that I need to be the champion of insect kind. If anything I need to weed out the trouble makers or else it will give me a bad name. This reminded me of some research I had been doing recently. I was a little curious to see which type of wasp I was related to most closely. The closest matching my physical features would be the Pepsis or more commonly known, the Tarantula Hawk. I had all the colorations, orange, almost red wings, black and velvety blue carapace, hooked claw toes, paralytic venom, and of course the giant abdomen.


    However, that would be about all that we had in common. Adult Tarantula Hawks don¡¯t eat meat, they are actually nectarivorous, which is a fancy way of saying they are like butterflies and drink nectar. The larva are, well, they are parasitic. It is actually insidious how they devour the prey from the inside, while avoiding major organs to keep the host alive as long as possible. Yet another reason I fear what might happen once I get around to breeding. I know for a fact that I am carnivorous, which means my children will be too.


    The last thing I want is some chest burster shit going down. It might just be all the movies I watch, but I am a bit paranoid about these things. I mean a face full of alien wing-wang is one thing, but being impregnated with flesh eating monsters that devour your body and use it as a nest is another. Well, sorry, Dad. I would rather chop off my ovi than subject somebody to that. Although, how much of Neon Nurse is flesh and blood at this point? She really might be the perfect candidate. If anything went horribly awry, then I am sure she could deal with it.


    I stared at her in a new light. The robo maniac wasn¡¯t so bad. My roving eyes assessed her. Hmmm. I can¡¯t see much with that suit on. If she hasn¡¯t changed from last time she was flaunting about naked, then it is a rather nice body. At the least, her face isn¡¯t ugly, plastic and creepy maybe, but I guess I could just imagine it being from an anime or something. That might make it worse. It just ain¡¯t natural. I could always put a paper bag over her head or do her from behind.


    ¡°Neon Nurse, how much of you is mechanical?¡±


    She paused from spraying the walls for a moment, looks like we are just about done here. ¡°Mechanical? That is mostly just joints and power relay system. However, if you are talking synthetic then the vast majority of my body is made of my special polycarbonate resin. It is roughly ten times as efficient as the normal stuff since I make it from a secret blend. It is also extremely durable. What brought up this inquiry?¡±


    I shiftily looked away, ¡°No reason really.¡±


    She chuckled a little, ¡°Are my charms finally getting to you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Vesper. No need to be so coy. All you have to do is ask. Besides, your organic components betray you. I see those elevated hormones and heart rates.¡±


    I looked down, ¡°That is cheating.¡±


    ¡°All is fair in love and war my dear. So, how about we arrange an exploration after this sewer business is resolved? I know you enjoy my toys, so don¡¯t act so weird. Besides, it is not healthy to restrain yourself too much.¡±


    ¡°Exploration? What are you going to probe me again?¡±


    ¡°If that is what you desire. As much as I would enjoy discussing this, we really should not be dragging our feet,¡± said Neon Nurse, turning her hose back on.


    I nodded reluctantly and followed suit. The remnants of the creatures were drowned in toxic cleaning fluids. Their desperate thrashes soon quieted and the waters stilled all around. The only movement was the sludge and foam dripping down the walls. We turned setting off back where we had come from.


    ¡°So, I have been wondering.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± replied Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just pump the Rad-Gone through the sewers instead of actually coming down here?¡±


    Neon Nurse nodded, ¡°Oh, that. Well, simple really. We have tried that before. It doesn¡¯t get all of the tunnels, nor the ceiling and it certainly doesn¡¯t get all the way down into the very depths of the Sub-Sewers. The problem is the Atomic Apostles sealing off tunnels and then after it has passed, they just go back out and recontaminate everything again. If we flood the tunnels the place only gets clean for a month or two before it gets bad again, not to mention it costs a lot more than doing it this way.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. So this really is the only way then. I feel bad for the sewer maintenance crews.¡±


    Neon Nurse replied, ¡°We stopped having those a while ago. It was simply too dangerous. Even with a hero escort. The list of heroes for it was a little short since nobody really wanted to come down here to patrol. We foolishly abandoned the sewers and just let nature do what it wanted down here.¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t blame them.¡±


    ¡°That was when we had that Brawny Park incident. You know the one? Where the petting zoo was irradiated and the festival was overrun by mutants and subhumans?¡±


    I nodded, ¡°I saw that one on the news. I couldn¡¯t look at bunnies for a month after that. That was a while ago, back when I was in College.¡±


    ¡°Just goes to show how prolific this stuff is.¡±


    ¡°So I see.¡±


    ¡°The ecosystem changes a lot down here. Dr. Arbor could tell you more.¡±


    I stopped in my tracks, ¡°What does Dr. Arbor have to with this?¡±


    ¡°What? You thought she only studied the slums?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, actually,¡± I replied following along.


    Neon Nurse wagged her finger at me, ¡°Let me tell you, there are more crazy mutations down here than you would ever find in the slums. The radiation levels are way higher and the animals don¡¯t get picked off as much. This leads to breeding cycles and hybrids getting bigger and stronger from natural selection. It is an evolutionary arms race down here.¡±


    ¡°¡­ That, that sounds horrifying.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, how come you never used your machines to clean the place up?¡±


    She frowned, ¡°Well, we did try that once and it didn¡¯t end well. My little robos are not strong enough to deal with the mutants. Now if I had my old apprentice, Vira then that would be a different story. We could churn out assault robos and have them scourge the sewers. But that would never happen. Vira is too busy being a criminal and I highly doubt that the Hero League would allow me to have an army of robotic soldiers under my control. That is of course assuming I hack her computers and stole the schematics. I mean the only reason I get away with the Cyber Swat members is cause they are fully sentient and I don¡¯t typically fiddle around in their heads. So basically they are not under my direct control.¡±


    ¡°So you could hack Vira¡¯s computers?¡±


    ¡°Well, sure. I wouldn¡¯t though.¡±


    I gave her a critical look, ¡°Why not?¡±


    She just wagged her finger and placed it over where my mouth should be on the helmet, ¡°That is a secret.¡±


    ¡°But you could stop her and get them arrested.¡±


    ¡°Oh, silly they are not that bad. You act like they are violent fiends or something. They are just misguided children. Small fry in the big picture of Bronson¡¯s criminal elements.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get why we wouldn¡¯t want them off of the streets.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is complicated. I will tell you later once we have a chance to really get into this,¡± she replied, turning and looking over the junction in the tunnel. ¡°Looks like this is where we part. I will catch up in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Stay safe,¡± waved Sunshine happily.


    ¡°You too,¡± waved back Neon Nurse, fading around the corner.


    ¡°It is just you and me now, Nee-san.¡± Grinned the magical girl at my side.


    I pat at her glowing bunny ears, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not keep them waiting.¡±


    The magical, colorful critter scampered ahead of us. It was pretty clear where the team had been since it was all clean already. Of course, the GPS dots on our minimaps helped too. They appeared to be stopped and rather clumped up a good 400 meters ahead? Meters? Who the fuck the uses meters? Um, ok so where is it. Ah, there are the settings. Alright, back to good old Imperial system. So 1,312 feet ahead. Oh wow, They really had been making some serious headway. Of course they probably had not been talking like we had.


    I tapped the radio, trying to get a message through, ¡°Hello, Catherine can you hear me?¡± There was no answer, hmm. I guess I will try again. What was that crap Medavac was saying? Oh yeah. ¡°Whiskey tango? Anybody copy? This is rubber ducky? Smokey is on my tail and I need a jumper doodle. My ding dang is jammed in a wong wang and I need air support.¡±


    Something tells me that isn¡¯t what he really said. At any rate it should get people¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Nee-san I can hear you loud and clear.¡±


    ¡°Not you Sunshine. I know you can hear me.¡±


    I got nothin¡¯. Maybe the signal is getting blocked by all the cement and radiation? If that is the case it is a wonder that I am picking up the GPS signal. Although, come to think of it, it is a little fuzzy. I was wondering why Neon Nurse told me to follow the trail rather than the hud. With my luck, we will run into them when they head back to refuel and we will have to walk all the way back.


    All the way to their location was uneventful. Well, it better be, they already cleared this section. Strangely, it had been about ten minutes of walking and they had not moved on. Are they taking a break? We arrived at the large chamber where the signals were coming from and I slowed, stopping Sunshine in her tracks. Something don¡¯t feel right. I don¡¯t see anybody. Then rule number one when in a horror like situation came crawling up my spine, look up.


    I did, and I certainly did not like what I saw. The five Cyber Swat members were cocooned in some sort of silky substance, dangling from webs that covered the whole damned ceiling. Wait a minute, cocoons? Webs, silky! Oh no, that could mean only one thing. Spiders! The sacks of silk wiggled helplessly. Wait a minute, they have super strength, then how fucking tough is that silk? I don¡¯t like this at all. Every fiber of my being was scuttling and squirming in terror. If I was a cockroach, I would have already fled screaming. Sure enough one of Sunshine¡¯s puppies accidentally brushed up against a strand that was connected to the floor and the walls came to life.


    Sharp pointy legs stabbed into it, the yelping dog was dragged up into the layered web. It would have been encased in silk, but it was unsummoned, leaving the massive spider bewildered. By Helix that thing is huge! I thought the centipede was bad. It was some sort Eldritch horror with tentacles hanging from its face so that it could drag prey to the waiting spear like fangs. How did this thing get so fucking big? It is as big as a pickup truck. More legs moved and I realized, it wasn¡¯t alone. Getting a better look at them, I saw a familiar design, a deep, blood red hourglass. So that must mean that these are giant black widows.


    Oh dear Helix, I had seen enough hentai to know where this was going! Tentacles love magical girls. Thankfully, I am not a¡­ oh no, Sunshine! ¡°Run Sunshine! Save yourself from the tentacles!¡±


    ¡°Sunshine can fight too Nee-san.¡±


    ¡°Not against this you aren¡¯t. Do you want eggs in your cloaca? Cause this is how you get eggs in your cloaca! Just stay in the tunnel and kill anything that comes at you.¡± I yelled at her, taking up a defensive stance.


    Be brave, be brave¡­ fuck this! Why do they have so many fucking legs?! Ngh, I hate spiders, I hate spiders. Why did it have to be tentacle spiders! Not normal spiders, or dog-sized spiders, or even car-sized spider. No, no, no. It just had to be truck-sized fucking tentacle black widows!


    What sort of horrible¡­ oh, look at those undulating fleshy limbs. It is enough to make me drool, so hypnotizing. You know, something smells really good. Are those the spider pheromones? Are you trying to seduce me?! I know you are widows and shit, but come on. We are not even the same species! Wait a minute, what am I doing? Get a hold yourself, Vesper. I slapped myself. Lord Helix have I not fervently worshiped your mighty tentacles?! Don¡¯t tell me this is some sort of trial. Oh shit. I am going loopy with fear, Helix isn¡¯t real. I should know better. I covered my antennae, rubbing them. Bad, bad, just stop smelling will you two?


    Gunk splat against my suit and pinned my left side to the ground. Ewwww, what the fuck was that?! I struggled as the giant arachnid descended. Oh, son of a bitch, I had been too preoccupied to dodge or even attack. They shoot silk globs? That is scary as hell no wonder the other guys got caught. I¡¯ll teach you to fuck with me! I screeched at it and the legs froze for a second. It was just in range. I rolled and my right side faced up. My hands grasped, one got a leg and yanked down, forcing it to come near me and the bottom right punched up straight into the abdomen.


    It gurgled, clacking the fangs ever closer. My left limbs struggled. They could move, but not very well. This shit is strong. And it is so sticky, it makes it almost impossible to move. Damn it, if only I wasn¡¯t in this suit, then I could. Wait, of course. I hit the release button and the suit popped open, letting me roll away as the spider crunched into the empty exo-suit. It kept biting, seemingly too stupid to realize that there was no meat in there. I took my chance and lunged, scaling onto the back before it could throw me off.


    I have you now. Arachnids can¡¯t reach their backs, well scorpions can, but that is another story. Surprise motherfucker! My abdomen bulged and my harpoon stabbed into the soft, leathery flesh. I shuddered with elation as the venom surged out of the stinger into my prey. I haven¡¯t felt this sort of thing in a long, long time. I had forgotten how good it felt. It screamed as I wiggled back and forth, digging in deeper. Take it, oh yes, take it all you dirty girl! The legs gave out on it first and it thudded below me to the ground. It seems the paralysis has set in.


    I got off of it and crouched in front of the eight plate sized eyes. The tendrils drug across the ground, reaching towards me. It was futile. My arm cocked back, reflecting in those dark spheres before it slammed into the head. I punched clear through the protective layer and straight into the cranium. The spider was helpless to stop me as I tore out the brain and tossed it aside.


    I sat there, breathing heavily. My vents plumed. Oh, that was¡­ delightful. Now that might have been better than bating. Hard to tell, it is very different. I suppose it was more of a finally getting to piss after guzzling green tea for eight hours straight and not being allowed to pee. I was so backed up on venom that squeezing the pouch muscles was just right. Come to think of it, stinging Captain Metal felt really good too. I really need to do this more often. Maybe I should let Neon Nurse milk my venom? Knowing her, she could make some sort of contraption. I mean, they do that for snakes and shit right? Hmm, I could probably sell it too. I bet Dr. Arbor would buy it. I should really look into that, but first, there is some unfinished business to deal with.


    It looked like there were three more hanging up there. They were preoccupied with the plethora of critters that were flooding out of Sunshine. In fact, they were actually rather overwhelmed, trying to catch them all. They had made nets with their back legs and used the silk woven between them to snap down and drag up the glowing critters. How to approach this I wonder? They seemed to be completely distracted. I buzzed up, just a little below their web nest. It seems all that muscle exercises has paid off. As long as I didn¡¯t touch any strands, then they wouldn¡¯t know, or so I hoped. I mean Black Widows have bad eyesight. It is part of why they rely on webs.


    They were positioned below me, trying to feast on the furry little imaginary creatures. Too bad for them, even if they caught them, there was no meat to eat. I lined up my abdomen and dive bombed straight into the middle section of the closest one to me. The stinger went in deep, hilting itself to deliver my insidious payload. I flicked my wings, knowing that it was only a matter of time before it fell over, unable to move. I yanked and didn¡¯t budge. Ah shit, the barbs were stuck in the leathery hide. I rotated around trying to wiggle free. Below me, I could feel the spider slipping. Not good, gotta get free. I might fall into a fucking web or something.


    Desperate, I reached back with my foot claws and started tearing at the flesh around the injection site. Sure enough, it gave me the room I needed and I flopped off, hovering away. The spider plummeted to the ground, sending bones and mummified bodies of various creatures scattering. I will deal with that one later. I looked up, seeing one of them get yanked down by several of the knights. They stomped on it brutally and snapped the legs so that it could not escape. Well, that takes care of that, then where is the last one?


    I felt a tingling running up my spine. Like something was watching me. I turned and looked up, when I saw something dribbling down. Just as I feared. It had scuttled clear over to where I was was due to the thrashing on the other spider. The eyes didn¡¯t move, however, what was in them did. Arachnid eyes are just weird. She knows! Her abdomen thrust at me and I dived to dodge the spray of silk. Unfortunately, right into a sticky strand of web. Clever girl. I struggled and squirmed as she gracefully slid down to my side.


    ¡°Ummm, we can talk about this.¡± I pleaded.


    The widow clearly didn¡¯t understand, drooling on me with her clacking fangs. The squirming tentacles that had grasped my free limb to keep it from smacking her in the face. I writhed which only seemed to make it hungrier. I coiled my body and lunged my flailing abdomen at her, stinger ready. It stopped inches away from her flesh. The angle was bad. I couldn¡¯t get any more leverage. Oh no. Oh no. Ah shit.


    Her fangs descended crouching into my hardened exoskeleton. My armored skin held up, until she bit again and pain seared through my chest. My boobie! I could feel the venom pumping into my frame. Like fire, it burned and I screamed. Something filled my throat and I coughed, throwing up. There was a bit of yellow in there. It appears that my lung has been punctured and filled with venom. I don¡¯t feel so good. Her delicate legs tapped at me and then she spun me in circles, every time adding a layer of silk, until the world went black. The crushing pressure fought with the melting of my insides over what hurt more. The sounds and smells were muffled, it was just me and this agony.


    Well, this is a shitty way to die. I always knew that spiders were the bane of my existence.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 9

    Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 9


    ¡®Sub it hurts. I need help!¡¯


    I squirmed in the crushing darkness. My insides felt like molten lava. I had been bitten by a spider, not just any either a giant mutant one. I don¡¯t wanna die in a place like this, I haven''t even gotten any dick yet!


    Stop your whining. You are being a big baby, you know that? We are not going to die. It is just a venom, we are going to be just fine. That pain is us regenerating the necrotic tissue. Said Sub, sounding rather annoyed.


    ¡®Well, excuse me. I don¡¯t have an inside look at the inner workings of my body like you do and where the hell have you been anyway?¡¯


    Busy, now shut your whore mouth. Seriously, I have been gone for three fucking hours and you get into this sticky situation. Makes me wonder how the fuck you survived before I was created.


    ¡®Well, for one I didn¡¯t have to do deal with giant fucking spiders or Super Hero shit in general!¡¯


    True, alright well, see you around.


    ¡®Wait, what? Where are you going?! I am going to die!¡¯


    No, you are not.


    ¡®I am too.¡¯


    Stop being so dramatic.


    ¡®It is going to fucking eat me! I don¡¯t think I am being dramatic.¡¯


    I don¡¯t care, not my problem. You got us into this, you get us out.


    ¡®But Sub, if I die, you die.¡¯


    Yeah well, maybe I don¡¯t care anymore. Maybe, I want to die.


    ¡®Wait Sub, why would you want us to die.¡¯


    You hardly ever listen to me. In fact, the only time you ever come running to me is when you do something stupid and need help getting out of it. Now look, I love you, but that doesn¡¯t mean I am going to just soak up all your crap. We need to start doing shit that I want to do. You know, give and take. Since my inception, you have been nothing but take, take, take. Well bitch, it is about time you started giving.


    ¡®Sub, if you wanted to do normal stuff, then we would, but you don¡¯t. You want to do sick and twisted things that just aren¡¯t human. I mean fuck, you want me to eat people.¡¯


    What is wrong with that? We are not fucking human you twat. Besides, you act like eating people is all I want to do.


    ¡®See! That is exactly our problem. There is a gaping chasm of disconnect between what we think is appropriate. I am scared, really, really scared of what would happen. So, let¡¯s say we did eat somebody, set aside the fact that it is disgusting, what then? You would make us a monster just to get a little satisfaction?¡¯


    How naive. Tell me, why do we wear a suit?


    ¡®Cause it makes us stronger.¡¯


    True, but that is not the real reason. Have you forgotten so quickly the hatred and judgment that we receive? It doesn¡¯t matter how we act, the moment they see us in our true form do you really think they won¡¯t ostracize us? Treat us like a monster?


    ¡®Maybe at first, but once they get to know us-¡¯


    Don¡¯t lie to me and certainly don¡¯t lie yourself. If the public ever learns our true identity, we are fucked. We will be lucky if they just shun us. They will hunt us. It doesn¡¯t matter if we did anything wrong, to them we are just a freak, a monster! Look at what they do to the Subhumans! Do you really think they will treat us differently?


    ¡®Glitter Kitten is a fucking dope dealing murderer! So long as we don¡¯t do bad things, then they have no reason to shun us. The Hero League will keep us safe. Remember the bridge? They saved our ass there. So long as we play by the rules, we will be fine. People are not so petty as to forget who saved them, after all. If we keep doing hero stuff, then people will like us and we won¡¯t be judged.¡¯


    Fine, don¡¯t listen to me. You never do anyway. Sounds like you got this all under control, you don¡¯t need me at all, do you? Scream and yell as much has you like, I don¡¯t care anymore. You got this, big girl Vesper doesn¡¯t need any help. You are a strong, independent bug woman, who don¡¯t need no man. Have fun with that spider.


    ¡®Wait, wait what? When did you become a man? Look, I need help with the spider.¡¯


    Did you just assume my gender? You trying to trigger me or something?


    ¡®No, I-¡¯


    Sub chuckled, Don¡¯t worry about it, I was just fucking with you.


    ¡®Really? This is not the time to be joking around! You going to help or not?¡¯


    Oh, what is the matter? So you do need help?


    ¡®Yes, I need help. Spiders and society are two very different things.¡¯


    I think spiders and society are the least of our concerns at the moment.


    ¡®Huh? What are you-¡¯


    Open your god damned eyes you idiot! What the fuck is that thing!?


    My eyes shot open and I found myself staring into the very depths of the abyss. No, those were eyes. Something loomed over me with a face etched in white bone. ME?! No, I am me and I am here, then who the fuck is that?! There is not like a mirror or anything is there? I know that I am in reality land and not some fantasy. Wait, the face is a little weird like it was melted. I don¡¯t have a ring of eyes on my forehead and I don¡¯t have head tentacles. I mean, I got tendrils, but not full blown limbs like that. Her mouth opened and just like mine, the face lifted up revealing a deadly pair of mandibles. She clicked them together, making a strange sound. I am sorry, I don¡¯t speak bug.


    I tried to crawl away, but her arms slammed down around me. I froze up. She certainly is bigger than me and from the looks of those arms, stronger. My antennae squirmed on top of my head out of fear and then something slapped me across the face. I blinked from the sudden attack and I realized what it was, her feelers. Holy shit, those things are like twice the size of mine. They roved and caressed my face, one twirled around my shivering antennae, while the other slid down my front. Umm, where you going with that thing? Whoa, whoa, hey, I don¡¯t know you like that. You are invading my personal space here!


    ¡°Get off of me!¡± I screeched, kicking at her.


    She was taken aback by the sudden outburst and I got on all sixes, scurrying away like a roach. Just as I had started to gain momentum something grappled onto my leg. I glanced over my shoulder in horror, she had snagged my foot and that powerful arm was dragging me back in.


    ¡°No!¡± I screamed and dug my claws into the cement for traction.


    It didn¡¯t really do much as the claws gouged grooves in the ground and I steadily was reeled in. I squirmed as she grabbed my hips for a better grip. She held me down so that I could not get away. She loomed over me and I shivered in terror. Her hands touched me all over, my eyes swam and I covered my face, crying. It was odd though, she wasn¡¯t really doing anything. I was expecting to be ripped apart and eaten, but it never happened. She flopped me over so that I faced her. I kept covering my eyes and she would pull them back. It was almost like a game of peek a boo. The head tentacles touched me and I reeled away.


    ¡°Scared?¡± said a deep voice from over me.


    I froze, staring up at her, that was definitely her, ¡°You, you talk?¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply, nuzzling against me. The mandibles gently nipped at my carapace, making a scratching sound. If I didn¡¯t know any better she was snuggling me, but that don¡¯t make any sense. What the hell even is this thing? It kinda looks like me, it smells like me¡­ actually, now that I am paying attention, what is this alluring stench? The raw sewage and spoiled meat is kinda ruining it, but something is definitely familiar. Wait, I have smelled this before. This is that stink that was getting Sub riled up a while ago.


    Wait, but if she is a Vespidian then that means I am not the only one. By Helix¡¯s suckers. I am not alone. For shame, judging her before she even did anything to warrant it. I mean she hasn¡¯t hurt me and as far as I can tell she saved me from the spider. I should really give the benefit of the doubt. Didn¡¯t Neon Nurse say that I should be able to communicate through smell? Although that was conjecture, so it is a gamble. What do I want to get across to her? This is a hard choice, well, for now, I need to stop the scent of fear. No telling what she might do if she is exposed to it for too long. She might see me as prey or something. Hmm, I guess happy scent would be the way to go? I don¡¯t want to set her off or anything. Worth a shot.


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    I concentrated, suppressing my emotions until the scent of fear vanished. There we go, now then happy thoughts. I pondered over the varied games, stories, and shows that I partake in. Even delving a little into the naughtier side of things like my fervent exercises with Black Thunder. At any rate, it did the trick and I smelled of some sort of citrus fruit. To get my point across, I vented, allowing the musky aroma to plume up in the heated mist. Whelp, I guess the ball is out of my court now. I wonder how first contact is going to go?


    She sat there, eying me while her antennae drank in my smells. The face seemed to smile, though I am probably just imagining that. Well, at the least she seems somewhat intelligent. She was thinking, processing I suppose. That is good, it means she isn¡¯t just some instinct driven- Her tongue slapped against my face. Come on, stop that, it tickles. Ugh, her breath is awful, like rotting flesh. What have you been devouring down here? She is tasting me¡­ uh oh. She isn¡¯t going to like eat me, is she? Don¡¯t tell me she is a cannibal or something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat me! I need an adult!¡± I wailed, clawing at her hardened exoskeleton.


    She gave me a strange look, the eyes squinting. Eh, did I just dig my own grave? Contrary to my fears she didn¡¯t appear to be hungry for me, well at the least in that way. After a few minutes of her silent licking and incessant kissing or rather sucking at my face, she vented. Oh dear Helix! By all that is holy and pure, she¡­ she wants to do me. The pheromones gave it away in spades. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad? What am I thinking, there is no way I am going to have sex in this hell hole. Set the mood for fuck sakes! I am not some cheap whore you can clobber over the head and drag back to your lair like some caveman.


    She hovered over me, fanning the musky scent from her exposed abdomen all over me. Stop that! You are cheating. Noooo! I don¡¯t wanna ride the pony! My body was betraying me though, steadily heating up and getting moist in various places. Damn you! I mean I think we are the same species. I could be wrong about that though¡­ wait. I peered at her underside, sure enough, she did have hardened boobies. Draping the ground behind her bulging abdomen were a pair of orange tattered wings. If that wasn¡¯t proof, I don¡¯t know what is.


    She rolled me again so that I was ass in the air. My abdomen curled like a whipped dog¡¯s tail reactively. Her lower hands gripped the back of my head, holding on like handle bars. Oh, so that is what those are for. It was for sex all along, I should have known. My tendrils coiled around her fingers, caressing and touching. So smooth and hard, I shivered in anticipation. Just smelling her was making me lose my mind and the apprehensions I had were quickly fading away. My resistance crumbled below her dominant aroma. Which led to my eager abdomen bobbing back up and even opening the protective plate. Exposing my most sensitive of places.


    Shields are down captain, prepare for boarding party!


    ¡®Sub! I knew this was your doing!¡¯


    It is about half and half, actually. So, just have fun for once, will you? It would probably be best if you don¡¯t resist, she might hurt us, you know? I mean, I know you are into that, but we don¡¯t know how far our new friend will take things.


    ¡®Sub! I will get you for this!¡¯


    For what? You want it just as much as I do. Just let it happen. Indulge your primal side, no one is watching, no one is judging. No one will ever know. Give me this and I will stop nagging you for a while, deal?


    As much as I hated to admit it, Sub was right here. All the cumulated stress and holding back has been really getting to me. ¡®Fine, but we are even after this.¡¯


    ¡°Be gentle!¡± I cried, covering my face.


    My mind raced with depravities and addled fantasies of our coupling. Doubts started to gnaw through my pheromone-fueled mind. I mean it is my first time, with a real life person since I got this body. Well besides Glitter Kitten and them, but I don¡¯t remember that so as far as I was concerned that was all Sub. I wonder how big her schwanzstucker is, it must be huge? For that matter, will I be putting it in her or will she be putting it in me?


    I really have been holding back, there is only so much I can take. My dribbling abdomen was rather willing and I didn¡¯t particularly want to deny it any longer. I hope she is rough and dominant and thoroughly breeds me! It would be lovely if- I heard the telltale sound that I knew was the protective plate opening. Just hearing that, drinking in the heated scent of arousal that came flooding out was enough to make my mind go blank. I gulped, salivating uncontrollably. My brain feels like it is melting and it is so warm and gooey. So this is what a mating rut feels like. I hardly even registered the thud on the ground¡­ thud?


    It was kinda like when a guy is so hung he unzips his pants and you hear it hit the floor in the movies, except there was nothing funny about this. I peered between my legs to see the pulsating member flopped on the floor. My eyes nearly ripped open. The last vestiges of my sanity slapped my depraved self in the face, jarring me into a clearer state of mind. It pressed against my belly, dry humping me. This gave me a very personal and up-close look at what exactly was about to be taking up residence inside of me. I honestly never thought that I would say this in all my life, but it was too big.


    This wasn¡¯t even an exaggeration. The more that I looked at it, the more I thought that it would split me in half. Big, huge, enormous, gargantuan, titanic! It is going to sink my iceberg! That thing is going to kill me. I mean, I like em big, but not that big! It appears that I have bitten off more than I can chew. Even Sub seems to have realized the mistake. Good to know she isn¡¯t crazy enough to go for it.


    Abort, pull out, evasive action, man the lifeboats. All hands on deck, code red, code red! Shields up, retreat! Warp 9! Warp 9! Screamed Sub in my head, shaking me out of the lusty haze.


    My bulkhead closed, sealing off my honey hole and I bucked like my life depended on it. She had not been expecting me to resist, let alone kick her right in the ovipositor. Such an insidious weapon those pheromones. I was losing my mind. Thankfully, we had managed to shake them off to some degree. Her face twisted in shock and pain. It had been such a successful surprise attack, she fell back languishing.


    My face scrunched up oooh, that looked like it hurt. ¡°I am sorry. I am just a nubile child, let me grow up first, maybe we can-¡±


    She screeched at me, cutting me off. I didn¡¯t wait for her to regain her balance as I hightailed it. Running on all sixes. It was only now that I could actually look at my surroundings or rather that I noticed them. Where the hell am I? Nothing looked clean here. Chewed bones and ripped apart skeletons littered the floor. I could smell rotting flesh from somewhere. Over to my side were several dismembered spiders. I get the feeling she had been eating them. There was even a torn open cocoon¡­ oh, there was a dead Cyber Swat member over there. Only the cyborg parts were left, chewed up and strewn about like the many bones in this place. That is not good, not good at all. Is Sunshine ok? I could only assume that this was her lair. Her heavy footfalls rose and I dared a glance, oh boy. She is pissed!


    ¡°We can be friends!¡± I screamed, flailing my arms as I ran headlong through the twisting tunnel.


    Not good, she is gaining on me. Embrace the bug, become the bug! I need to find somewhere that she can¡¯t get me. It shouldn¡¯t be hard, she is bigger than Den Mother. I bolted on through, ignoring any side tunnels that were rather large. She must have cleaned this place out, I don¡¯t see a single living thing anywhere. Well, besides the cancerous growths on the walls. They were larger than where we had been before so that must mean this is pretty deep. One of the side tunnels was completely overgrown, looking like some kinda maw or the intestines of some gigantic beast.


    I turned a corner to an intersection. There were three paths to take. Straight in front of me, tubifex worms had overtaken the whole tunnel. To my right didn¡¯t look so bad, just glowing sewage in the middle of a culvert like dip in the middle. To the left appeared to be clear, but the lack of any light made me a little apprehensive. I looked back and tried to assess my situation, that was when I saw the plump rat just sitting there, scratching its ear. It took one look at me and it ran down the dark tunnel, squealing.


    Hmm, judging by the fact that it was still alive meant that it knew where to hide from this thing. When in Rome, as they say. I barreled down the tunnel, hot on the rat¡¯s heels. It clearly knew I was chasing and from how quick the little bastard was I could only assume it knew what was chasing me. If my eyes weren¡¯t so good this place would be pitch black. It smelled bad down here, like rat shit and piss and just decay in general. Something moved on the wall to my side and I reflexively lashed out, smooshing a giant roach. Even without a head the damned thing scurried alongside me. Well, I guess it is hard to kill a roach.


    The rat swooped to the side, skidding a little on the wet floor before ducking into a side pipe. I tripped over myself and rolled in front of it. I gave a final glance to the oncoming train of angry carapace and I scuttled into the small passage. I wiggled and wormed, shaking my booty and just getting all up in there. I made my way after that rat. I couldn¡¯t turn my head to look, but I could hear her howling out there and ripping at the pipe, trying to get to me. She started punching it and the vibrations shook the concrete around me. Her arm reached in scrabbling for purchase. It nicked my claw and I curled away, out of reach.


    I tried to tune out her agonized screams. If I didn¡¯t know any better, she sounded lonely. Well, if she didn¡¯t want to break my butt I would be inclined to drag myself out there. However, reality was a sad thing, I was too small for her and she was too big for me. It was that simple. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t mind getting my donut filled with jelly. Maybe one day, I shall return to this dank hell hole and partake in animalistic, wanton breeding with the only other of my species, but not this day. At any rate, I was safe from her for now.


    I could see the rat¡¯s tail wiggling and waggling up ahead as it skillfully made its way along. The little bastard was peeing the whole way, I could smell it. They do it unconsciously, or so I heard. Like just a little trail to mark where they had been. I kept dragging myself along until finally, the end of the tunnel appeared. The rat scurried out and I quickly followed suit, so that I did not lose him.


    It opened up into a very large, cavernous room. It didn¡¯t look man-made. Glowing water flowed from a ruptured pipe in the ceiling, pooling in a deep depression in the middle. I looked around, feeling eyes on me. The walls bristled and I realized that there were cockroaches all over. There must be hundreds of them. Their statures varied from about a foot to Doberman sized. Their antennae waved through the still air and they retreated away from me. It seems that they didn¡¯t like how I smelled. Well, so long as they stay away from me then I don¡¯t think it is a problem.


    Now then, where did Mr. Whiskers get off to? I put my hand over my eyes and squinted, looking around. He has got to be here somewhere¡­ ah ha! I saw the ratty face peering out from behind a rock. I didn¡¯t want to spook the critter so I would have to gain his trust, but how? Food. Of course. But where the hell am I going to get food here? My eyes survey the room, nothing, but cockroaches¡­ I guess that could work. Speaking of food, my tummy was running on empty and growling something fierce.


    I picked up a rock and hurled it, pegging one of the fatter bugs on the roof. It lost its footing and fell, flopping to the floor, still scuttling due to nerves. It was good and dead, but apparently, it didn¡¯t know that. I plucked it up, since it was rather slow moving and snapped it in half. I had played some games where I had to eat roach meat, so it can¡¯t be that bad, can it? There were a couple of problems though. I didn''t want to eat it raw, but there wasn¡¯t exactly anything to make a fire with. I stared at the pool of glowing goo, thinking and not really coming up with anything.


    I sighed, staring at the juicy bug meat. I hope I don¡¯t get any diseases from this. Reluctantly, I took a bite. There was a moment where I chewed and then I spit it out, scrubbing my tongue with my claws in a vain attempt to get the taste out. Igh. It only made it worse. Disgusted, I spit on the floor. This is not my day. I set it to my side and held my head. Something brushed against my side and low and behold the rat was there, sniffing at my food. Not like it was hard to get, so I handed it over.


    The giant rodent sat down next to me started munching away. My hand plopped down on the head and it shivered, a little scared of what I might do. I just pet the scruffy, damp fur. There were a few bald spots from scars and right smack dab in the middle of the forehead of the little beasty was a spiraled horn.


    I said lightly, ¡°There, there Mr. Whiskers, I don¡¯t wanna hurt you.¡±


    He seemed to like that and happily chattered. Hmm, it seems I have a new friend, even if it is a filthy sewer rat.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 10

    Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 10


    I pet Mr. Whiskers. It was surprising how intelligent this rat was. It was almost as though somebody had trained him. I mean, he knew tricks. Must be as smart as a dog, maybe even more so.


    I extended my hand, ¡°Shake.¡±


    The rat plopped a paw into my hand and started wagging the leathery tail.


    ¡°Roll over.¡±


    Whiskers gave me a funny look, but after I swirled my finger, he flopped down and rolled over. It was almost cute, if this wasn¡¯t a filthy giant sewer rat.


    ¡°Play dead,¡± I said.


    He tilted his head and lay flat before rolling onto his back, stuck his feet in the air and hung his tongue out of his mouth. The toes and feet twitched. Oh, he¡¯s good. Stop hamming it up, what are you going for an Oscar?


    You know, maybe he wouldn¡¯t be so bad with a little TLC. I bet a good old bath with some dog shampoo and a bit of that Rad-Gone would fix this little guy all up. I could brush him and love him and take him for long spirited walks. I would need a good leash though, can¡¯t let him get loose and start fights with dogs or something. I mean, jeez, I don¡¯t wanna pay for vet bills after he tears up some pooch. I especially don¡¯t wanna get sued if he mauls somebody. I would probably have to get him registered, rabies shots, and stuff too. Oh, the woes of pet ownership.


    ¡°Who is such a good ratty?¡± I said, scratching him under the chin.


    I might be getting ahead of myself, there is no telling if I can actually keep him or not. Sad really, I am getting a bit attached. Might just be my lack of human contact at the moment. At any rate, he is a good boy, such a good boy. I called him to me and Whiskers scampered on over, rubbing affectionately against my side. I sat, petting his head while thinking. I had been running away from my problems. I was in a bit of a pickle here. From what I have seen there is no other entrances or exits to this place or rather none that I can get through.


    Why was this a problem? Well from the sounds of things out there. She had not given up on me yet. The wall shook every now and again from a brutal blow. She had been at for a good hour or so. Thank Helix the Bronson sewers were built to withstand 7.0 earthquakes or else she would have broken through in a matter of minutes. The claws scraped tirelessly out there. Awkwardly, I looked at my own claws, damn these digging designed hands. Speaking of digging¡­ maybe I could tunnel my way out before she gets here? It is probably too late for that already.


    She is faster than me, stronger than me, but the real question was, was she smarter than me? From what I had seen so far, no, not at all. However, that could just be a clever ruse! I could try to escape, but if she is having that much trouble getting through, then what kind of chances did I have when I hit the sewer system again? I would just be wasting my time and trapping myself. Well, if I can¡¯t run, nor hide since she already has my scent, and I can¡¯t fight her heads up¡­ then what the hell am I supposed to do? I might be able to trick her.


    I surveyed the room for my assets. It was a fairly large dome shaped room. The roof leaked radioactive liquid and below it was a rather deep pool of the glowing fluid. The walls were alive with the man-sized cockroaches scuttling around. They waved their antennae nervously every time a vibration crept through the wall. Other than the size, there didn¡¯t appear to be anything weird about them. I had Whiskers at my disposal, but he was a coward and I knew full well that he would flee the moment she broke in. What else was there around here? I mean, how the hell am I supposed to McGuver up some magically complex strategy without at the least a rubber band, some chewing gum, and a stick? I think, I might be boned.


    I wonder what is in that pool? Maybe I could hide from her in there? Launch a surprise attack like Sly Marbo? I could probably get the jump on her and sting her. Wait, what if she is like immune to my venom? Ah shit, her carapace is tougher too isn¡¯t it? I wouldn¡¯t even be able to sting her properly. But what if she catches me and stings me? I mean she is bigger so it wouldn¡¯t be that much of a stretch to think that her venom was deadlier than mine. I mean shit, mine is just to subdue my prey. What if hers is to kill or if it lasts longer or hurts more? Things were looking grim for poor little me. Something tells me I am either going to be eaten or raped and subsequently killed by said rape.


    I would suck some serious dick right now to have Neon Nurse¡¯s sleepy time drug, like a whole gallon of it. If I had that shit then I could attempt to lull her into a false sense of security and stab her in a vulnerable spot before fleeing in terror. Wishful thinking. Best not fantasize about things I don¡¯t have. Let¡¯s see, there is a metal pipe, I could clock her over the dome when she breaks through the wall? Nah, carapace is too thick. It would just glance off and break the pipe. In all likelihood, she wouldn¡¯t even feel it.


    The only thing that I had an abundance of was roaches. The filthy little fuckers were everywhere. It is hard to think with all these scuttling little legs everywhere. Hmm, wait I could use the roaches. Yes, yes, I could use them as meat shields and skitter away like a bug when she is distracted. It is perfect, it is fool proof! Ah fuck. How am I going to get them all off of the roof? They are scared and have retreated to the back corner. I will give you something to be scared of!


    My wings flapped unsteadily and I took to the air, buzzing toward them. Sure enough, they sensed me coming and the writhing wall shifted away from where I was heading. Damn, these bastards are fast! Hey, come back here, you little! I had underestimated the wiliness of the giant Bronson city roach. I chased them back and forth until I had them cornered, ah ha! I have you now- Wait, what the hell are they doing? They were balling up together. What are they up to? It is almost like they are¡­ don¡¯t tell me this is that so-called hive mind thing I had heard about in stories. Are they sentient? Ah shit, how does one kill that which has on mind but many bodies?


    Suddenly one of them was launched at me. It flew at a blinding speed, unknown to any regular roach. Oh no, these were super roaches, saviors of the sewers! I might be in over my head. Or am I? I swung down, smacking the dastardly fiend out of the air straight into the glowing pool below. I am the Hero here don¡¯t you try anything funny. You are getting ahead of yourselves, you filthy vermin! They tried again and I hammer fisted the little bugger into paste. Who is next? Who wants some?


    It seems that they abandoned that plan. I guess they realized throwing their bodies at me was useless. Now what are they up to? They shifted and then I saw it, the grandpappy roach. Ruler of this subterranean kingdom, no he must the Emperor of this sprawling mass. By all that is holy that thing is huge. How was this thing hiding in here? It is bigger than I am. I am starting to feel inadequate here. Why is everything bigger than me? I shall do battle with their leader and claim his empire for my own! With an army of roaches, I shall be unstoppable. The sewers shall be my oyster!


    ¡°Prepare yourselves!¡± I declared, pointing at him.


    Papa roach didn¡¯t like that. He started doing gestures with his claws. Is he trying to communicate? An extended middle claw? I just got flipped off by a roach. Never thought that would happen. Wait a minute, hey, that is rude. Don¡¯t give me no sass. Just be good and die! He flicked his wings and made some sort of sound. It was almost like a hiss. Dear Helix above, this thing is a hissing cockroach! I knew there was something different about it- they all shifted and started screeching at me. Uh oh. I started backing away and then as though to a signal the scurrying tide of black carapaces flooded towards me.


    There were clearly too many of them to fight, hell that is why I wanted to use them in the first place. I mean, if push came to shove, I probably could kill them all, but I wanted them alive. Individually, they were weak, but together it was a downright nightmare. Whiskers had already fled to a far corner. You! I knew I shouldn¡¯t have trusted a rat. There was only one thing to do. I must subdue Papa roach or all hope will be lost! But how was I going to get to him? He was clear in the back behind his waves of minions.


    I smacked down another pest, they were pressing in around me, cornering me like an animal. I can¡¯t take it anymore! I started rotating my arms, disturbing the air. Cockroaches are very sensitive to air vibrations and currents. They got all these little hairs all over their bodies. Something changes in their environment and set off various impulses. It is part of why they are so damned hard to hit with a shoe or something. They got the reflexes ingrained into them. If I recall they are sensitive to smells too. My vents burst open, releasing my angry smell.


    It worked. They scattered once the air rushed over them. I guess even if they are smartish they still can¡¯t beat nature. They know I am stronger and it scares the shit outta the rank and file. They turned tail, parting around me like a boulder in the river. This was no hive mind the big one was controlling the others. Now was my chance. I rushed forward, lunging at the now screaming Papa roach.


    ¡°Reee!¡± screeched from all around. Damn it, they had started to circle back.


    He rose up slashing down with a knife. I blocked it with my forearm and the blade shattered on my skin¡­ A, a knife? What the hell? Where did it get a knife from? THEY ARE LEARNING! It knows how to use tools. What is next, fire? Does it know about that brilliant crimson flower in this dark abyss of ignorance? They are growing intelligent thought. It really is a hive mind! I must kill it, kill them before they can breed and take over the surface world. They shall not inherit the earth. Not so long as I have anything to say about it!


    Those large bulbous eyes, staring at me. This is one bad roach. I feigned a left hook and it went to block, that was when I came from the right and clocked it right in the eye. He wasn¡¯t expecting that. It staggered from the blow and I could see that the thick exoskeleton was cracked open and gushing blood. I tackled in like a lineman and smashed it into the wall, pinning it so that it could not escape. It kept screeching in my antennae, barking out orders to the army quickly closing in.


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    The first reached me, grabbing at my leg to try and ruin my balance. I kicked it and the blow shattered the face, crumpling in the head. It let go and I reached back, sending my fist straight into Papa roach¡¯s wound. The insides squished around my fingers as I kept digging through his head. The others started swarming me, but it was already too late. I yanked back, tearing out the over-sized brain. It was like a grapefruit in proportions. That is pretty damned big for a bug.


    Though Papa was dead, he didn¡¯t know that. His body still worked on nerves and muscle spasms. It kept clawing at me, trying to escape. I grasped one of the writhing feelers and the body calmed down. Eh? Weird. It is still alive, but he ain¡¯t got no brain. I let him go and he flopped down running aimlessly and the horde of cockroaches followed. I stood watching it for a few minutes and it was then that I realized something. I could control that thing. The hairs and the feelers were making the body react to its surroundings. If I directed it, then I had my own personal wall of meat shields. Of course, I am going to have to test it to be sure.


    I waited for him to circle back since it was a very predictable path. Literally just running until he hit something. Sure enough, he bumbled on over and I threw myself onto his back. He bucked and reared from the sudden stimuli, causing me to death grip on or else get thrown off. I worked my way up and coiled my fingers around his two feelers. I pulled back and he stopped dead in his tracks. Oh, they are like joysticks. I shifted them to the right side and he walked that way. I did the opposite same was true. So, my hypothesis was true.


    It was a good thing too, cause the rumbling of my amorous pursuer breaking through the wall had reached a fevered pitch. She was almost here, but I was not ready for a confrontation just yet. I still needed to figure out a way to disable her or at minimum slow her down. A trap would do, but what sort? I looked over the room again, there must be something I missed. I stopped in my tracks, staring at the overhanging rock face. I could make that fall on her. It wouldn¡¯t stop her, but it would certainly stun her if the ceiling came down on top of her head.


    I shimmied up the wall, vibrations quaking through the stone below me. She sounded desperate, sad. It made my stomach queasy, I held it for a moment. It took a few breaths to rid myself of these feelings. It is like I feel guilty or something. Now was not the time for that. My claws dug into the hardened rock. It was surprisingly easy to tunnel through. I chiseled and catacombed the packed soil, getting it so that it was in a large chunk. I could feel that it was loose, just a bit of pressure and it would come crashing down right where she was going to come in.


    I sat up there waiting, listening to every sound, feeling every nuanced vibration. A crack rang out and the wall below burst open. Her claws entered below me and she stuck her head in, smelling. The roaches coward around their fallen leader and Whiskers sat in a far corner, hidden behind a rock. More of her came into the room and I kicked with all my strength, dislodging the huge chunk of earth. It cascaded down, slamming on top of her exposed head and upper body.


    Dust filled the air as the rocks came to a standstill. I wasn¡¯t taking any chances and zipped over to my mount. I pulled the feelers like reins and we started to move with the swarming host of roaches behind. Just as I feared, the ground rumbled and she roared. Lifting up her silhouette drug itself up, scattering the rubble. My initial thought was to flee, but that would do me no good, she would catch up. This was my best opportunity. It was now or never. Her movements were confined, she looked exhausted after breaking through to here and she appeared to be disorientated. I had to act now.


    ¡°Hya! Charge!¡± I cried out, kicking the sides of my new steed.


    Pappy didn¡¯t like that, but he reluctantly started to gain speed. It became a full skittering dash by the time we reached her and he broadsided straight into her chest. The momentum was enough to take him out permanently, crushing his head, but his purpose was complete. The rest swarmed her, hissing and screeching. I could tell it was overwhelming her senses as she fought desperately, clawing at the masses that kept coming. Wave after wave. Many will die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.


    As she thrashed and squashed bugs left and right, I watched, waiting for the opening to reveal itself. I had to find a weak point or this will have been for nothing. I peered over her carapace, looking for chinks in the armor or cracks or just squishy flesh in general. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t anything on her body that could be exploited. Nothing about her was even remotely soft, save her mouth. I ain¡¯t sticking my stinger in there, she might bite it off.


    Her tentacles crushed several of the roaches, tossing them away. Oh, right, I had forgotten about the tentacles. How could I have possibly forgotten about those? They were soft, yet muscular and a little slimy too. It sent shivers through my body just thinking about them. I slapped myself, now is not the time for that. They were her weak point. I watched her movements and timed it so that her head came down. I straddled her large head, venting to distract her. My abdomen bulged dripping as the stinger emerged, thrusting down into the undulating flesh. She cried out as I held on for dear life and started pumping my payload into her.


    I had just about squeezed every last drop out when her struggling intensified. She shook back and forth dislodging me and her arms lashed out dashing the bugs against the walls, smashing anything and everything around her. She screamed, holding her face with one hand and pulling herself free with the other three. Her mouth opened, mandibles twitching and snapping shut. All of her eyes stared at me as she took a step, starting to wobble as she got closer. Her claws stretched out, grasping for me as she steadily lost strength.


    She collapsed, throwing up mere feet away from me. Her whole body convulsed and writhed. The breathing became hoarse and labored. All the while she kept dragging herself hand over hand to me. Such, such resolve. Does she hate me that much? Her movements slowed until they stopped all together. Did, did I kill her? No, that can¡¯t be my venom is only paralytic. Although, I did give her a lot of it. Did I overdose her? I don¡¯t think I can be proud of this.


    Something warm and wet rolled down my face and I realized that I was crying. Why? She, she was trying to kill me. But then why do I feel so bad about this? It was only now that I smelled her. She hadn¡¯t been in hunting mode, even after all that I did. It was a sad, yet happy smell. I don¡¯t understand. Was she worried about me this whole time and then she was happy to see me? I sat next to her, holding my knees. This is all my fault. I killed her, the only other of my kind. I was the one who led her on, I sent her the signals. So, of course, she would try to mate with me. Then I rejected her and basically kicked her in the balls before running away. Of course she would be mad, I would be mad if somebody did that to me.


    I rubbed my face, I am a terrible person. What have I done? Who was the real monster? God, if I had been left all alone in these sewers, fighting for survival in this irradiated hell hole with zero human contact, would I have really been any different? How long has she been down here like this? No wonder she was so damned happy to see me. She must have been so, so alone. I can¡¯t even fathom her sorrow. She must have been so excited to find another of her kind. To finally not be alone and I took that from her.


    So that is why she was so determined. If it was just over food there is no way that she would have bashed through that wall even after it took so long. She didn¡¯t want to be alone anymore. I am a monster. I killed her¡­ I killed her. I didn¡¯t mean to, I just wanted to stop her, to escape. Was she really even going to hurt me? I was too scared of what she might do to even look at her properly.


    ¡®Sub I know you can hear me. What, what should I do?¡¯


    You screwed the pooch on this one, didn¡¯t you?


    ¡®Can you think of anything that could save her?¡¯


    Not really. We are just going to have to wait until she either pulls through or dies.


    ¡®My venom won¡¯t kill her will it?¡¯


    I don¡¯t know. You squeezed the whole sack into her. There is no telling what that is going to do.


    ¡®What do you mean you don¡¯t know? Sub, you know everything.¡¯


    I said, I don¡¯t know. I am not some omnipresent entity that knows all of life¡¯s secrets, ok?


    ¡®But you know all about the body Sub.¡¯


    Yeah, cause I have explored the workings of our body since I got nothing better to do.


    ¡®Sub-¡¯


    Vesper, just shut the fuck up for right now. I don¡¯t think I have ever been this mad before. Growled Sub in my head.


    ¡®Why are you mad?¡¯


    I could feel her cold eyes on me. You really have to ask that? You ruined my plans!


    ¡®What plans?¡¯


    You better hope she does not die. I was going to use her.


    ¡®For what?¡¯


    Breeding you idiot!


    ¡®But, but she is too big!¡¯


    If you weren¡¯t so obsessed with getting fucked like a whore, then you would have realized it is a two-way street!


    ¡®You are so mean. It is your fault I couldn¡¯t think straight.¡¯


    Think about it, we could put it in her.


    ¡®Oh, well I am sorry. I am not used to having the equivalent of a dick. The thought hardly even crossed my mind. Here I was thinking I was going to railed and filled with hot juicy bug love.¡¯


    Well, that is true. You are always the bottom when we play around. You need to grow a pair and be the man in this relationship.


    ¡®I am not the bottom all the time... it is like fifty-fifty. Be the man? But I am a girl. I don¡¯t even lay eggs yet. How are we going to breed?¡¯


    Did you ever think that maybe, she lays eggs?


    Oh¡­ I hadn¡¯t thought of that. She is bigger than me. Could it be that she is an adult? Is this what I will turn into one day? I sat observing her. She certainly was beautiful. It is weird though, I have conflicting thoughts. On one hand, she does look monstrous, yet another part of me finds her¡­ irresistible. Is this what it means to find a mate? I don¡¯t know, but my hearts are beating rather quickly. Is this, don¡¯t tell me this is love? No, this isn¡¯t love. This is lust. I wanted her, but I should let her rest.


    I heard a low, pained cry. It was more of a gasp really. My eyes fell on her and the tentacles twitched.


    ¡°You are alive?!¡± I cried happily, cradling her face against my chest.


    Her listless eyes gained some life as they shifted around looking at things. When they focused in on me and her antennae flopped against me, smelling, her eyes opened wide with fear. The stench poured out of her as she attempted to escape and failed miserably due to her limbs not working properly. She was scared of me now. I pet her head and she cringed away, wincing. I smiled sadly. It appears that I have a lot of work to do if I am going to get back on her good side.


    ¡°No more pain,¡± I said, stroking her gently, ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you anymore, unless I have to.¡±


    I don¡¯t think she understood me at all. At the least, I hope that I can convey my intentions to her. It would be better not to fight. She seems a lot more subdued than before. Did I become the Alpha in our relationship by beating her into submission? It wouldn¡¯t be the weirdest thing to happen. She does act like an animal for the most part, so supremacy is something that must be established, for both of our sakes.


    I hugged her and my fingers coiled around her tentacles, stroking them and rubbing them. If these are anything like mine, then they are as sensitive as fingers and it feels good to be rubbed here. After a bit of coaxing, she purred. I smiled broadly, I was right. She is just like me. So then, maybe all that she wanted was a little love. I purred right back at her and her resistance to me faded almost immediately. She let me do as I pleased with a soft smile on her face.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t a bad girl at all, were you? I know, how about I give you a name? Unless you have one already?¡±


    It was clear that she didn¡¯t understand me. She just looked at me curiously. Well, I guess there is no helping it. For all I know she was raised by rats or something. I suppose she isn¡¯t that much different than those children who were abandoned in the wilderness and grew up without human contact. She likely won¡¯t be able to fully assimilate into human society. Something tells me, she won¡¯ be accepted if I bring her back, I guess, I guess I will have to hide her then. Oh no. If they find her and catch her, they will send her to the Institute.


    I smiled, looking her over, ¡°What do you think of Astrea?¡±

 Interlewd- Astrea X Vesper

    Warning this is an erotica chapter so if you do not want to see then skip over it is not needed for the main story.


    Interlewd- Astrea x Vesper


    I stared at the bone etched face as it loomed over me. The crown of eyes at the top of her head and the four black abysses stared back. I nearly jumped, but managed to suppress the knee jerk reaction from being awoken. It was Astrea, petting me with her antennae. She bent low, pressing her face to mine. I was not entirely sure what she was up to, until she started licking me. She is such a sweety, my hands roamed up caressing her head tentacles drawing out a purring sound from her. We simply lay there me in her arms, she was not going to let me escape. Not that I would.


    What to do, what to do? It is hard to think when I am this horny and her tantalizing aroma was not making this any better. In fact, it was why I was positively dripping down there. Astrea was in the mood as well from how her armor plates kept opening to wash me with her scent. Part of me felt that it would be wrong and yet a vast majority of me felt this was right, to just indulge. Stop being such a sexy bitch, how am I supposed to resist when you are sending me so many signals? I mean, let¡¯s face it, who else is going to love me like this?


    My eyes wandered down to her thick abdomen and the opened protective plate. The amount of sensual juices dribbling out her holes could fill buckets. Her purple, veined member pulsed obscenely and all I could do was stare at it, drooling with a slacked jaw, wanting it, needing it. The slick flesh gradually grew in length as more and more of it emerged from her body. Eagerly my hands pressed against the warm flesh and she shuddered, retreating a little. I smiled at her, relieving some of the fear that was radiating out of her. She still remembers what I did to her last time. I am sorry, ok? I regret hurting her.


    I was such a fool to reject this. There, there, yes I won¡¯t hurt you. I nuzzled my face against her, for lack of better words dick. It is easier than saying ovipositor, assuming that this even is one. I stroked it gently, yes have to be gentle or it will spook her. The head contracted and she started purring and huffing. She likes the attention. My tongue lapped at the juices and savored the musky taste.


    ¡°That is it. Good girl,¡± I cooed.


    She relaxed to my ministrations, even moaning a little as my tongue slid inside of her rigid tube. All the fight had left her and the tension just slipped away as she let me please her, I had a lot to make up for after all. It was actually rather fun stroking her and watching the flesh engorge as it got wetter and hotter from her arousal. She had other holes as well to be played with. My mouth slurped off her tip with an audible pop. I looked over her assorted intimates while idly stroking my hands along her shaft. If she was like me, then this one would be her pussy. My fingers spread open the larger of the remaining holes. She gasped and wetness spread oozing out. Ah, she must truly be one of my kind. Maybe even the only other.


    Slowly and steadily my clawed fingers worked their way passed her folds. Unsurprisingly, she was rather tight, resisting every moment by clamping down. Well, I would hope that she was a virgin. Her muscles ground and squirmed. I licked my lips with anticipation and I retracted my fingers from her. Her hole greedily opened and closed, confused over the lack of fullness. Oh, such a dirty girl. Seeing something so erotic and inviting, well, I didn¡¯t need to be told what she wanted. I kissed it and she shuddered when my thick tongue worked its way in.


    Her insides revolted, delightfully mashing against it. I could taste her and all of her little bumps tickled me. There is a reason this sort of place is called the honey pot, however, she actually tasted like honey. Such sweet, syrupy insides. I probed deeper, wiggling and working her opened even more. Astrea had long since fallen over hardly able to move, too blissed out to do anything other than purr. The rumble resonated through her body and vibrated into me. All the while my free hands worked her shaft, glistening from her from her sloppy arousal.


    Her muscles tensed and she curled up shaking. Oh coming already? I was not going to let that go to waste and pulled off, her insides clenched trying to keep me from leaving. My tongue plopped out and it circled the hole, drinking up all the delicious dribbles. I diverted my eyes from her hungry twat as it panted, wanting more. Her ovi had expanded quite a bit now, barely allowing both of my hands to firmly grasp it. I coiled around the muscle and slid up and then down, caressing it with my hardened carapace. Well, it was as close to a tit fuck as I could do with these hardened breasts.


    Astrea cried out and I could feel her spunk flowing in the tube. I held it tightly, squeezing it to myself to cut off the flow so that she could not come. She let out an exasperated sound, whining and bucking her hips with need. No helping it, my beautiful Astrea. My mouth unhinged and I slurped down, sucking on her tip. It took a bit of rotating and squirming to get a good hold on it. Her hands grappled onto my head and she forced me down, deeper onto her engorged member. There was only a brief moment of resistance before I let her slip down my throat. It is a damned good thing my throat is so elastic otherwise this thing would have never fit.


    She trembled and squirmed wanting desperately to release. My arms let go, giving her what she craved. She screamed in joy. She came and hard. Astrea thrust her hips desperately trying to fuck my throat all while gushing her thick syrup into me. It was delicious, so warm and tasty and thick. All that I could do was gulp in hopes not to drown by the sheer quantity coursing from her tube. I could feel my stomach filling and at last she let go, flopping back. She trembled meekly as I stroked the shaft hungrily for the last spurts of her gooey goodness. Licking my lips with satisfaction as I pulled back, freeing myself from her body.


    ¡°Did you like that Astrea?¡± I asked.


    She chirped a little, purring, but no words. Well, I don¡¯t really know what I was expecting she can¡¯t really talk after all. I slid up her hard carapace so that I sat on her armored chest and we were face to face. I kissed her gently, our lips met. At first it was one sided, she didn¡¯t know what to do. However, Astrea was good at mimicking and soon she returned the kiss. Our lips mashed together as my tongue slipped in, to play. Her mandibles clicked and nipped at it as her tongue coiled and suppressed mine. Soon she had beaten me back and I was the one being invaded. Her pulsing flesh tasted so manly and yet so feminine, it is hard to tell with our kind. Are there even males of my species?


    I pulled away to her displeasure, but I had something else in store for her. I still had not gotten off yet and I could tell she was very good with her mouth. She stared at me, waiting for what I would do next. My abdomen opened and my own ovipositor emerged, it was already hard and swollen, achingly so. My wetness glistened in the low light and I presented it to her. The moment of truth had arrived, I entrusted myself to her.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Astrea smelled it with her antennae and then she licked, tasting it to my delight. I shuddered as her slithering appendage coiled around it. She sucked and her lips wrapped around me with a leg shattering squelch. I moaned as I lay back atop her. Her head bobbed as mine had, slowly at first as her mouth sucked and tightened with greedy slurps. She was far more accommodating than I could be with her, my whole length was inside of her and her tongue emerged pressing against my pussy.


    She wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer and after prodding and tantalizing my entrance it finally relented allowing the tip in. A fire spread inside of me. I screamed and her arms coiled around me, holding me to her as more of her wormed inside. My mouth gaped as I gasped and moan, oh god she is good at this. Her tongue worked back and forth, widening me, claiming me, making my insides mold to her shape. I held my face, crying incoherently from the pleasure coursing from my neithers. Yes, more. Give me more! Deeper, go deeper.


    My walls contracted and released in time with her. All the layered ridges and bumped walls squeezing with elation. They were desperately opening when she thrust in and greedily trying to hold her in when she pulled out. I could feel my own orgasm quickly building up within. All that I could do was moan, I was at her mercy. The tipping point came and my body seized up. She sensed the change and sucked harder, drawing a scream from me as I came. The pressure that had built up until now broke like a dam and my juices flooded into her waiting mouth. She sucked harder and faster sliding her head frantically up and down my shaft.


    My hips could do nothing but turn to jelly as she sucked me dry and guzzled down every last drop of my hot wasp jizz. I lay there, my head felt fuzzy and not a single thought could enter my blissful head. Vaguely, I could feel her licking me as my unfocused eyes met her and we kissed again. My arms coiled around her big neck and I lovingly nuzzled against her.


    ¡°I love you Astrea.¡±


    She purred, licking me more. I know, you can¡¯t talk. At the least you know how to show your affection. I signed content until her ovipositor rubbed against me, ready for another round. Oh, oh my. Already? Well, I can¡¯t really blame you. Such a sexy girl. I shook my head of the fog and realized that my own body was rather ready as well. My tube was standing at full attention, completely and utterly dwarfed by her own. To be fair, she was twice my size, her body¡­ it is not like I have size issues here! She is so big I could stick mine inside of hers¡­ that is called docking? Wait but is that how it works with ovis?


    I grasped her shaft and she whined with eagerness. Slowly I pried it open and sure enough that dripping entrance was big enough to fit me inside of it. She panted from the stimulation as I probed around.


    ¡°Astrea are you sure about this?¡± I asked and she chirped happily.


    I don¡¯t think that she actually understands what I am going to do, but I think she will like it. I lifted up my tip to hers and she tilted her head with a very quizzical face, until I pushed myself into her. Her face distorted in shock as I went deeper. I could feel her trembling and her tube contracted around me. As I had thought, it felt like a vagina in here. There were bumps and layered muscles that formed rings. When they squeezed they clamped down making it insanely tight. So, it really is a pussy. Sub was right, our inny is an outie.


    My hands grasped the sides of our fused shafts and I thrust. Astrea¡¯s face had gone completely red and her armor plates burst open, drowning us in her intoxicating mating pheromones. Her soft flesh was exposed for all to see under her thick blackish blue carapace. But it was all mine and mine alone, I won¡¯t share her with anyone! Oh fuck me this is the best pussy ever! So much better than toys. Her wet, juicy insides squelched and tightened as I pulled out a bit and thrust back in, to her moans.


    She screeched and fell over so that her ass was in the air and her abdomen was pointed towards me. Something compelled me to do the same and so we were both on all fours with our greedy bodies entwined. We both moved in a synchronized frenzy of thrusting and animalistic mating. My brains felt like they were melting and all that mattered was that hot, tight hole milking me and pounding against me. I could feel myself getting bigger and bigger inside of her. Every thrust harder than the last, every bone jarring pound echoing lewder and even more tantalizing sounds emanating from our drooling mouths.


    She kept getting tighter and tighter until finally we met in the middle and when we tried to pull apart we found that we were stuck. I moaned and cried wagging back and forth I wanted to keep thrust, I wanted to keep breeding that hole and yet I could not. Astrea was much the same and ended up lifting me up off of the ground by the abdomen in frustration that I had stopped. She started scuttling around the room, dragging me with her. I clawed at the floor desperately to try and stop, unfortunately there was nothing to get a grip on and Astrea was going to take me for a ride. We circled the room and she even went up the wall onto the ceiling where I dangled helplessly from her.


    Her pussy felt like it was eating me alive and kept biting and squeezing. She wanted my cum bad and I wanted nothing more than to fill her. However, neither of us was getting anywhere fast. This carried on for several minutes, until she had another orgasm and fell off the ceiling. We laid there, still stuck together like animals, like dogs¡­ bitches in heat. Her walls came alive with movement, massaging and wetly caressing me. That melting honey pot was far too much and I felt the familiar pressure of an orgasm rising. Ooooh yes, yes, that is it.


    I howled and screamed and so did she, eager, desperate for my juices. Her body undulated sending me over the edge and I came. She moaned and the fiery insides engorged even tighter. We were fused together with flesh as my body gave out and I lay there limply while her intoxicating hole opened and closed sucking at me with glee. She took it all huffing and moaning with every spurt of my cum and every pulse of our bodies. Just when I thought it was winding down something pressed against me, or rather something inside of her pushed into my ovipostor. Whatever it was, it was incessant and kept trying to force its way inside of me. I could not exactly move to escape.


    A pressure mounted and with a loud squelching sound it broke through my tight ring. My mouth gaped with pleasure and pain fighting over what was real. The bulge filled me as my insides latched onto the spherical shape, pulling it deeper into myself instinctual. It, it could only be one thing, an egg. Sure enough another was already knocking at my door wanting into my warm body. I could not resist it and my entrance swallowed it whole.


    We were breeding. I am going to have babies. I am going to be a mommy. Why does that sound so appealing? Am I ready? Doesn¡¯t matter, I want this, I need this. My brain felt strange, a warmth filled my tummy and everything just felt right. It felt so good as my folds coiled around the intruders and moved them along, deeper inside of myself. Finally, the first reached my womb at first it resisted, but my body was drowning in hormones and estrous. There was no resisting this. At last, it opened, allowing entry.


    I felt fulfilled, complete and the most mind numbing orgasm yet peeked as soon as the second egg found itself in my deepest depths. I could not control my body any longer as fluids poured out, muscles spasmed and my pussy devoured more and more eggs. Unable, unwilling to stop. Eggs, eggs, EGGGGS! Can¡¯t think¡­ must breed.


    ***


    I came to, what must have been hours and untold climaxes later. Though my mind was fuzzy I could recall the constant ring of orgasms, just when one was ending either I or Astrea would have another and start it all over again. Finally, it ended when we slipped out of one another and lay there blank and happier, more fulfilled than I had ever felt in all of my life. I rubbed my bloated belly contently. Yes, this was what I was made for. There were too many inside of me, every once in a while one or two would slip out. I cuddled up next to Astrea who was sound asleep after our romp.


    ¡°I love you.¡± I kissed her on the cheek and fell asleep.


    I think this is going to be habit forming.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 11 Interlude: Deep Down

    Arc 7: Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 11 Interlude Deep Down


    Fire Chief glanced over the gathered men and women, their visors glowed in the darkness a sapphire blue. Everyone held weapons ranging from riot shotguns to fully automatic assault rifles, all of which had inferno rounds. Before them lay the very bowels of the sewers, the entranceway gaped like some great maw of darkness. The last three sectors had been cleared of any and all mutated monstrosities with extreme prejudice, live fire had been used in many instances and was well warranted in the case of the swarms of vermin. He shifted, the metal gauntlets crossed over his thick plated chest.


    ¡°Where is group 8?¡±


    ¡°Ran into troubles, giant spiders. Neon Nurse and several of the others are mopping up now,¡± replied one of the Cyber Swat members.


    ¡°Casualties?¡±


    ¡°Unsure, coms are sporadic at best. We will have to wait for them to arrive.¡±


    ¡°So be it. Set up a perimeter and restock on supplies. We will be heading into level two once the rest have rendezvoused. Groups 7 and 6 go to help speed things up,¡± said Fire Chief.


    Twenty members headed down the dark, grimy tunnel that had yet to be cleared. As they went, they sprayed Rad-Gone to eliminate contamination and save time on the return trip. He nodded as they turned the corner. The dripping of water and fuzzing of foam filled the tunnels with a crackling pop sound. Things were going about as planned so far, if anything they had made better time than had been expected. It had only taken twelve hours to scourge the top level, it had been expected to take a minimum of twenty hours.


    Resistance had been lighter than estimated. Whether this was a stroke of luck or harbinger of horrors to come was uncertain. What was certain was that someone, or something had already cleared out large sections of the pipelines. It may have been the Atomic Raiders or perhaps the Mad Dogs cleaning their escape and smuggling routes or there could be something very bad down here. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time that some unspeakable abomination had been spawned in the dank pits of radioactive sewage. The only thing that he knew was that things down below would be worse.


    Even if group 8 had been wiped out, it would be acceptable losses. Fire Chief felt uneasy at the thought, it felt foreign. Sure, he understood that there will be losses, but that group was rather strong. It had Neon Nurse, Vesper, Gnome, and Sunshine in it. To lose so much manpower would be devastating to not only morale, but it would greatly hamper the coming assault on the Atomic Raider¡¯s base. Just losing Neon Nurse would be crippling to the city-wide Cyborg task forces. Enough so that they would be scrapped once the surplus of cybernetic replacements was gone through.


    This wasn¡¯t the only weird thing going on lately either. Blank spots and fuzzy memories plagued him over the last several weeks. Days would vanish and sometimes he would find himself in a place he had no memory of going to. It must be lack of sleep and anxiety. The night terrors were not helping either. The nightmares would appear again and again. Women and children burning and screaming as they were consumed by raging infernos. Tim and Rachel always among them, crying out desperately for help as their faces warped and turned black in the flames. There was no helping them, not when he himself was trapped, pinned below a pillar of fire. Flesh searing and melting off of the bone, nostrils singed with every agonized breath. It felt so real and yet time and again he would awake, screaming and soaked in cold sweat.


    Fire Chief cupped his mouth, though the helmet got in the way. He wanted to throw up. Just remembering it made sweat pour down his face and shivers scurry through his spine. His teeth ground together and he clenched his fists, pushing it to the back of his mind. He sighed and breathed deeply, calming his mind. Those were just dreams. Just dreams. He reminded himself.


    ¡°Chief? You alright man?¡± asked Panther, sitting across from him.


    Panther wore one of Chief¡¯s suits. Though it restricted his movements a bit, it offered protection and augmented strength so it was a good trade off. Otherwise, Panther wouldn¡¯t even be able to get down here with how irradiated this place was. He could, but it would be a fast way track to get all manner of cancer.


    ¡°Fine. Just tired lately.¡±


    ¡°I hear you, man. You have been cranking out those suits like you are possessed or something.¡±


    ¡°Not really, it just finally got to the point it can be automated. The assembly line does most of the work now. I just have to make sure everything is working.¡±


    Captain Metal cut in, ¡°Still, five hundred suits in a week is insane. Why are you making so many?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just felt like it. It is calming to make things.¡±


    Panther seemed concerned, ¡°Maybe you need to take a break? Why don¡¯t you take your wife and kid on a vacation or something for like a week? Go to the beach and get a tan. Hell, take your boy to Nicky Mouse Land. I bet he would love that.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t take a vacation. The city needs me.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, we can survive for a week. We got Neon Nurse and Over Seer.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Chief. We can tell. You are fucking stressed out man.¡±


    Fire Chief sighed heavily, ¡°You are right. When we are done with this I will petition for it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good, we are worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, guys.¡±


    The area steadily became fortified with mobile blockades and a perimeter scanner beeping if anything moved in the surrounding tunnels. For now, everything was quiet. This would be the relay station and supply tunnel since directly above was one of the major entrance points, leading up to Brawny Park. The scouting of the second level would begin soon. In total there were twenty teams of ten taking part in this operation. Problem was, that was the bulk of their forces. Especially after that Glitter Kitten fiasco, that had cost them more than twenty members.


    Enforcer was on call for anything that disturbed the peace with a paltry number of officers, roughly fifty or so spread out across the city. In short, they were undermanned until this was finished. To a villain, this would be pretty close to a wet dream for their criminal schemes. Fewer officers on call meant less retaliation for their activities, which meant they were more likely to get away with whatever it might be. Assuming, of course it was even discovered.


    If they had caught wind of this then tonight would be the night to get away with murder. This was another reason things were hurried. The more time that was spent down here, the more likely the gangs would realize they had a prime opportunity. Assuming they did not know already. If they did know, well then they could get away with even more right from the outset so long as this dragged on. The last thing that Chief wanted was to come out of the sewers to find the city burning down.


    It wouldn¡¯t do to fret over it. If things did get out of hand up there, then they would postpone this, deal with whatever shenanigans was afoot and hit the sewers again after a short break. Chief¡¯s head pounded a little, a slight throbbing. He watched as the members assembled, fresh groups would be the spearhead into the new tunnels. His attention came to the slogging of feet and sure enough, the pink glow of Neon Nurse¡¯s fluorescent tubes announced the straggler¡¯s arrival. Something was off, there were too few people. So there had been losses.


    ¡°Where is Mecha Fairy and Gnome?¡± asked Chief standing up.


    ¡°Well, Gnome went a little stir crazy so I had to remove her from active duty. As for Mecha Fairy, Sunshine explain it to him,¡± replied Neon Nurse, looking at the energetic hazmat suit next to her. The glowing bunny ears made I clear who it was.


    ¡°Big bad spiders caught the others so Sunshine and Nee-san had to save them! Nee-san was all like swoosh and wham and bam! But then the spiders caught her and bit her.¡±


    ¡°So Spiders got her? Where is she?¡±


    Sunshine continued, ¡°Then a really big and angry thing showed up. It was so scary. Sunshine had to hide. It killed everything that moved and took Nee-san.¡±


    Fire Chief took a deep breath, feeling a vein rising on his temple. ¡°How does she always get into trouble? Seriously, I am getting fucking tired of having to save her ass.¡±


    ¡°Chief?¡± questioned Neon Nurse, ¡°What has gotten into you?¡±


    ¡°Every damned time something bad happens, she is involved with it somehow. Nothing but trouble since I dragged her in off the street.¡±


    ¡°That is uncalled for,¡± glared Neon Nurse, ¡°It is not her fault this thing abducted her. Now, are we going to save her before it is too late or not?¡±


    ¡°Do we even know where the hell she is?¡± replied Fire Chief.


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    ¡°I can¡¯t get an exact location, but she is in the Sub Sewers.¡±


    ¡°Is she even still alive? That place is a hell hole.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am getting good readings, but they are concerning me. Her adrenaline and hormonal fluxes are cause for concern.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡± asked Panther.


    ¡°Either she is in estrus or fighting for her life.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Move up schedule. Medavac lead the rescue team. Take teams, eight to twelve with you. The rest of us will proceed as planned. We will branch out cleansing the tunnels and when you return we will assault the Atomic Raider¡¯s hide out once it has been found. Be careful, and don¡¯t take unnecessary risks. If you find the base, relay the location and retreat.¡±


    ¡°You heard the man,¡± said Medavac, loading his shotgun.


    The roughly fifty members of the rescue team gathered up their supplies and prepared to delve into the vary depths of the sewers. What sorts of monsters they would uncover was yet to be discovered. However, the denizens of the deep would most assuredly not take kindly to the intrusion. Medavac led the way, giving a slight wave to Chief and the others.


    They walked along the gloomy concrete tunnel, an unhealthy green glow below their every step. Everything in the sewers runs down and that means things got more concentrated the lower they went. More radiation meant more nasty things. The teams could not rush head long, but they couldn¡¯t take it slow and steady either since time was of the essence.


    ¡°Oi! Fire Crotch, heard some fuck off spiders gave you some trouble?¡± grinned Sheila, poking fun at Catherine.


    ¡°I told you not to call me that!¡± she vehemently protested.


    ¡°Pipe down you two. Which way?¡± asked Medavac, turning to Neon Nurse.


    Her head tilted from side to side a little, ¡°Hard to say. According to the schematics, we still need to head down here a ways. There should be a bulk head cutting off the lower levels in case of flooding. That will be our easiest access point.¡±


    ¡°See anything Sweeper?¡±


    Crimson Sweeper nodded, ¡°Yeah. To our left rats the size of dogs. To the right, some sort of fungus that is glowing and it appears to be carnivorous due to all the skeletons around it. In front of us¡­ looks like Atomic Raiders, or at the very least a subhuman. I think it is a kid, something ain¡¯t right though. I don¡¯t recognize him from any of the files.¡±


    Sheila looked displeased, ¡°Oh bullocks. Kid, it just had to be a kid. Alright, I will deal with it. I need footage you know.¡±


    ¡°Footage? Are you filming this again?!¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. How in the bloody ell am I supposed to get a show on Animal Planet if I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Animal Planet wants what you are peddling.¡±


    She looked away angrily, ¡°I am like the Crocodile Hunter of Subhumans, I is, I will have you know. Besides, goin for the late night slot. I ain¡¯t dealin with no wankers and tossers.¡±


    ¡°You are not even Australian!¡±


    ¡°So? I am still a Brit. You wanna have a go, ye limy git? Deck yeh right on the snoz, swear on me mum.¡±


    ¡°Nobody wants to see this shit, so stop recording it.¡±


    ¡°You act like we are not being watched already. The suits record everything you know.¡± Replied Neon Nurse, ¡°If she wants to have fun, let her.¡±


    ¡°Fine just keep it in moderation.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, yer lil ed, nobody will even know I is here. A fly on the wall I am.¡±


    ¡°So what did you mean deal with it? I thought you hated kids?¡±


    ¡°Well, I certainly do. Grubby little bastards. I will make it painless. He won¡¯t even feel it.¡±


    ¡°Sheila. No. Subhumans are to be caught alive.¡±


    She scowled, ¡°Alright, I get it. Well have fun with the, well whatever the hell that thing is.¡±


    ¡°This is an unregistered subhuman. Proceed with extreme caution. Use cryo rounds, keep your distance until we know what it is capable of,¡± instructed Medavac.


    They rounded the corner to find a teen sitting on the culvert, tossing a ball to a waiting rat that caught it and brought it back. To the sounds of footsteps, the semi normal in appearance boy turned, revealing the upper body of a girl fused to him. The flesh melded at the torso and separating the two was a third leg. Each had two arms and appeared to be conscious, independent of one another. The boy was on the right side and the girl on the left. Their faces were stretched and muscle exposed where the skin had been corroded off. It left a rather disturbing sight, being able to see the teeth where lips should be. The boy was completely bald, while the girl still had some patchy hair on her head. What little clothes they did wear were ripped and falling to pieces.


    They retreated almost instantly. Scurrying on seven limbs like some sort of abominable crab, all the while crying and yelling at one another. The rats fled as well. Sheila squealed and started shooting, causing everybody else to open up. The shots echoed out deafeningly. Frost crackled as it spread around the impact points. Many of the shots had missed creating a flash freeze of the surroundings. Rats and varied other creatures had been trapped by the quickly expanding ice.


    The girl had been hit, she drooped limply encased in a thin layer of ice while her other half dragged them away. His cries for help were answered. The sounds of feet dashing in their direction filled the corridor. It was multiple people. A man in a tattered red hazmat suit appeared. His putrid flesh looked like a drowned corpse. Tentacles grew where arms should with suckers covering the bottom. They undulated, dripping mucus.


    ¡°Meld!¡± Cried the newcomer, lashing out with the stretchy arms. They coiled around the twins and dragged them to him.


    ¡°Sucker!¡± cried the boy, ¡°They shot us.¡±


    ¡°By the holy light!¡± Cried out a voice from behind the two.


    A green mist shrouded the tunnel and from it emerged a towering suit, it was corroded and falling apart in places. Seals broken and metal dented. Vents fueled the ever advancing fog of death. It kept a strangely organized path as though it were controlled. It avoided Meld and Sucker. The rats and vermin curled screaming as it washed over the surroundings. This man needed no introduction, it was Nuclear Knight and he was trouble.


    ¡°Suppressive fire!¡± yelled Medavac, hurling a grenade.


    It bounced twice before being consumed by the wall of fog. The explosion glowed for a moment, muffled by the hissing of things melting. The teams were organized, taking turns firing rounds and reloading. A veritable hail of bullets pelted into the encroaching haze. The thuds resounding out made it evident that they were hitting something.


    ¡°And the Lord wept for what he must do. Cull the wolves so that the lambs might live!¡± roared Nuclear Knight emerging half frozen.


    As he shifted the mist followed masking his movements. His huge hand lunged out, grasping one of the cyber swat members, pulling them in. He slammed his fists against the protective plating and washed the screaming man in a more concentrated dose of radiation. It melted through the armor in seconds and silenced his cries of woe as his head shriveled up and exploded.


    Numbers were useless here. At best they could get ten people standing shoulder to shoulder across in these tunnels. This one was not the largest either and could only accommodate five at a time. The rest had backed up, it was a steady retreat while firing anything and everything that they could at the walking menace.


    He shook off the bullets and increased his pace. The bulky shadow loomed in the shroud, he swung hard into Medavac. He took the blow, almost losing his footing from the sudden attack. He locked hands pushing back and yelled, ¡°Use Rad-gone and Electro rounds! I will hold him. Aim for the joints.¡±


    Neon Nurse¡¯s mechanical arms brandished cattle prod like devices and stabbed at the suit. Her hands held a nozzle and she poured it over them, concentrating most on Nuclear Knight. The rest followed suit, dousing the pair in cleaning chemicals. Electricity shot through the duo. Due to his Endurance, Medavac was immune to the electricity and fairly resistant to the radiation. He wrestled the larger man, keeping him from breaking free. The metal crinkled and seared from the corrosion.


    The Rad-gone was working, just not fast enough. It just showed how potent and dangerous this man was. Out of all the Supers in the city, Nuclear Knight was very high up on the list of hard to deal with. For one, in enclosed spaces like this, it was impossible to get away from his power, unless you run back from whence you came. Though Glitter Kitten could probably beat him, if she got the jump on him. If she didn¡¯t, then she would lose due to not being able to get near him without taking severe damage and likely not even hitting him since she would be blinded by all the particles in the air.


    Definitely, one of the worst to deal with. Usually, it was just best to avoid the guy. That was not an option here. He was in the way and they would have to deal with him at some point during this expedition. If they didn¡¯t, he would continue converting civis and polluting the sewers. It was like a never ending cycle. Research on him was dismal at best, so an actual counter to him was none existent. He was, however, weak to Rad-gone, but it didn''t actually stop him, rather it just slowed him down.


    It left Neon Nurse stumped over how to deal with him. The man was basically a nuclear power plant with a near limitless supply of power. If the morals were to be ignored, then if he was caught, he could probably power the whole city if he was locked into some sort of harvesting chamber and his radiation siphoned off. At the very least that was what Dr. Arbor had said a while back. Not that Neon Nurse would ever do that¡­ she had contemplated it as some sort of prison. Really, it wasn¡¯t so bad. Just gotta sweep those pesky things known as human rights under the rug and everything would be gravy.


    They concentrated their streams, drowning the man in chemicals and foam. It seemed to work, he was losing strength quickly and Medavac was able to get a good hold on him. However, that was when things went from mildly ok, to horribly awry.


    ¡°Lord Pluton give me strength!¡± he cried out, the vents all over the suit burst open and the surroundings were crushed beneath a tsunami of radiation. He had been holding back, until now.


    Medavac sent a right hook into the mask, jarring Nuclear Knight. It was not nearly enough to bring him, though it did stun him for a moment. He shoved and retreated. It would be suicide to stay in this cloud for too long. Especially breathing this crap in. It would burn him from the inside out, it was, unfortunately, one of the weaknesses of Endurance Supers. If you could figure out a way to attack the innards, they couldn¡¯t do much. This being the case, poisons and acids tended to do some serious damage if ingested. Of course, there was always the getting drowned too, one of the worst ways to go.


    ¡°Retreat! Get a better position and keep up the pressure.¡±


    Medavac broke free, kicking Nuclear Knight¡¯s leg out from under him. He collapsed over to the side. Neon Nurse took advantage of his weakness, jamming needles into the weak points. Unfortunately, they shattered on impact, weakened from the aura of corruption. It left her infuriated. She kicked him, knocking him over again. Then she proceeded to continue dumping Rad-gone on him and shocking him as he attempted to get back to his feet. Medavac had to drag her away before she overstayed the tolerable limit in the corrosive fog. She had been in there too long already, the metal of her suit had warped and the visor over her face dented in with pockmarks.


    They managed to get away, but Nuclear Knight did not follow. Neon Nurse grumpily looked over her trashed equipment and the broken arms on her battle suit. ¡°So, he is stronger than he used to be. Sure wish I had known about that.¡±


    ¡°How strong do you think he is?¡±


    ¡°Not a seven that is for sure, we would all be dead if he was. Likely six point something or other. At any rate, my robos will be useless when he can corrode metal in a matter of a minute or so just from standing there. Definitely a problem. We should find a way around to get to Mecha Fairy.¡±


    ¡°I think we should resupply first. We need new suits for sure.¡±


    ¡°True. He did a number on us. Speaking of which, where did Sheila go?¡± asked Neon Nurse, looking around.


    Crimson Sweeper replied, ¡°Well, it appears that she has gone on safari. I would be angry, but she does this all the time.¡±


    ¡°How the hell did she get passed the mist?¡±


    ¡°Sheila is faster than you might think.¡±


    ¡°I suppose she is on her own for now. I hope they don¡¯t have somebody that can actually notice her.¡±


    ¡°I would be more worried about them. Solo stuff is what she excels at. If something happens, she can always run away, she is good at that,¡± laughed Crimson Sweeper.


    Neon Nurse flatly said, ¡°So, she is just goofing off, isn¡¯t she.¡±


    Sweeper rubbed the back of his head, ¡°Yeah, basically.¡±

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 12 Interlude: Sheila, the Mutant Hunter

    Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow


    Chapter 12, Interlude: Sheila, The Mutant Hunter


    ¡°Right, I think we lost em,¡± said Sheila, looking around the empty tunnel. ¡°Well, then. Elo and welcome viewers to another exciting edition of Sheila, the Mutant Hunter! This will be our fifth journey into the Bronson City Sewers. Unlike the Slums, this is a more primal and wild place. The Subhumans have some civilization about them. As such not so bad. Last time episode, I was down there, managed to nab some of Glitter Kitten''s minge hair. Now that was a wild Pussycat I tell you what.


    "Here though? It is a jungle out here. Danger around every corner, from the wily giant fuck off spiders to the rare an elusive nuddy mole rats. You never know what strange and mysterious critters we will find down here. Let¡¯s see what we can wrangle up today, shall we? Ah, before I forget I gotta do the disclaimer. Kids, don¡¯t be stupid, don¡¯t try any of what you are about to see at home. It is dangerous and I mean fuck me dead dangerous. You have been warned so don¡¯t you cheeky cunts dare try to sue me if you get a one way to ticket to destination fucked trying this shit out.¡±


    She crept along, narrating everything that she saw. For the moment there was not too much, so she was mostly quiet, until she turned a corner. A pack of wild rats the size of dogs hunted a giant roach. Their mangy fur was mottled with bald spots and the yellowed teeth clacked together chattering. Meanwhile, the slick black-carapaced roach hissed at them, edging towards the wall in an attempt to escape.


    ¡°Uh, Ah! Look at what we found. The Bronson City Sewer Rat, pack hunters they is. Range in sizes from wee little fuck to full blown fuck off rodents. Seems that they are facing off against one of our own, Bronson City giant hissing cockroach. These little rascals have been around since before the meltdown and have only been growing larger and meaner since. Though they are hardy creepy crawlies, three on one is bit hard to deal with. Now the problem with the mutants is, their hormones and what not are all discombobulated. What this means is, they enter mating season almost year round. That makes a whole heaping gob of babies, more mutated than the last batch. It leads to some exciting and interesting adaptations. After all, only the strongest live long enough to breed.¡±


    Sheila started up her commentary of the fight. ¡°He goes in for a right hook and ah, it connects, right in wibbly dibblies! He¡¯s gonna feel that one in the morning. The roach was like fuck off mate, there is more where that came from! Come at me bro. But the rat and his mates just ain¡¯t having any of that, going in for another bite. They got him by the balls now, what will he do? Of course, he goes for the shakimaroo. He got free, but he is not out of the woods yet. The wanker rats still have him cornered. This is really back and forth, it could be anybody¡¯s fight. There goes a leg! Such savagery. The roach is down, the roach is down! Things are looking dire unless there is some miraculous turnabout. Looks like the rats are going to eat good today.


    ¡°And there it is! The little bloke smacked him right in the gob. Knocked a tooth out and everything. Not today, you dick heads. He¡¯s running, can he make it?! He¡¯s like the Husein Bolt of roaches over here. And he¡¯s gone. Fuck me dead that was a close one. What an exciting fight right from the start. Looks like this will be an interesting run. Let¡¯s see what else we can find. Hopefully, we will be able to find the Cheeky Cunt Spider, deadliest of all the giant fuck off spiders. One bite is enough to kill a hundred men, if we find one, I am gonna poke it with a stick.¡±


    She made her way along, following the gruel of primordial filth. The shit was literally everywhere and it glowed in the dark down here. Her adventure continued, side-stepping past chewed bones and scraps of clothing. Somebody had been eaten down here. It was not that uncommon, usually a drunk would do the old ¡°look what I can do¡± and open up a manhole cover. These types of things never ended well. If they were not horribly mutated, then they would be eaten. Just about everything down here was carnivorous, including the fauna.


    A thrashing sound echoed from up ahead between the grimy dripping sounds. She rounded the next corner and there was a scaly beast. ¡°Crickey! Look at the size of that wanker! Now let¡¯s get a little in depth on the ecology of this beauty. It is not every day you see a wild saltwater crocodile, they are native to Africa, however back before the meltdown and the zoo was overrun they had ten of these fuckers in an exhibit. Naturally, there were other exotic and rare beasties, but we are talking about the big old fuck off crocs. Now if I remember correctly the largest that they had was about ten or so feet. A lil bastard compared to this bloody wanker.


    ¡°Now, how she got down here I don¡¯t know. If I had to guess, she looks to be about a twenty footer. From previous encounters, I can say with fair certainty that this here is just an adolescent. They get a whole lot bigger than that down here. Largest I have seen was a fifty footer. If we end up going to the toxic sewer pond, then maybe we will catch a glimpse of Old Stumpy. Clearly, this is one of the dominant predators of the Bronson City sewers. As you can tell from the plated scales, she is heavily mutated. As for what adaptations she has acquired, well let¡¯s find out shall we?¡±


    Sheila scooted along the edge of the canal, observing the giant crocodile. She picked up a bone and poked at the water to get the reptile¡¯s attention. It slowly made it¡¯s way over, just the head and eyes on the surface while the jagged tail crested a ways back.


    ¡°Now those of you watching at the edge of your seats calm down a lil, I am in no actual danger. She can¡¯t see, hear, or smell me, hell won¡¯t even feel me if I touch her, unless I want her to. That being said, weight is still weight. She will feel my added weight if I were to step on her for instance. However, she can see this here bone that I am using to draw her attention. That is just how my power works. In other words, I am a real sneaky git I am. Let¡¯s see if we can ride her? That oughta be fun.¡±


    To demonstrate, Sheila waited until the large beast had come all the way over to the edge and she stepped on the head. The weight pushed it below the surface. Baffled the creature threw it¡¯s head back and uneasily looked around. The low grumble made the water shake. She waited a moment and then threw herself onto the back of the beast. The croc rolled and thrashed, trying to dislodge her, though it did not actually see her. It just knew that there was something there.


    ¡°She is really mad now! This is what is called the old death roll. Since crocodiles can¡¯t chew properly they rip and tear at the flesh of their prey by latching on and rolling like this. If I was on the receiving end of this, well I would be fighting for my life and probably be tits up dead from the radiation poisoning down here. Luckily, this suit is pretty sturdy.¡±


    Clutching tight like a lemur, Sheila was dug in deeper than a tick. After dozens and dozens of nauseating rolls, even those who might be watching were getting dizzy. The vague notion that this was how laundry in a washing machine feels came to mind. The croc gave up not even sure if anything was even there. It couldn¡¯t see or hear anything and the dismal intelligence that it possessed made it forget all about the added weight. It settled down and resurfaced observing the area.


    ¡°Bloody ¡®ell mates that was a wild ride. I was this close to letting go and chucking biscuits. Now let us observe the beast in its natural habitat. As an apex predator, this here beutie has very few predators to worry about down save some of the more gnarly mutants. Including but not limited to a larger individual of this species. Like Old Stumpy, for instance, could eat this little bugger in a single bite. A fair comparison would be a Great White to a Megalodon. It is just not even in the same ballpark.¡±


    She sat there riding the crocodile as it meandered down the canal of sewage. To the sides, animals fled away from the water¡¯s edge. They seemed to be rather wise. Soon it began to irritate Sheila that nothing was happening. She pondered on it and came to a conclusion, she would have to instigate some sort of confrontation with another critter. It was just too damned peaceful. People don¡¯t watch boring stuff, they want violence, they want action they want brutal savagery and they want drama! Or they want cute and cuddly, but nothing down here was cute nor cuddly. It was not like it was going to start raining kittens or something.


    She didn¡¯t have to wait long for an opportunity to present itself. Over on the bank a mangy feral Subhuman stalked some plump rats that waddled along unsuspecting. Sheila pounced into action. She kicked off the croc, riling the beastie up and scaring the skins off of both the stalker and the prey. The rats scurried screaming away from the water¡¯s edge at the sudden explosion of movement and the cat girl lunged, grabbing onto one of the rats. They were cornered between two vicious predators and that made them dangerous.


    ¡°Crickey! We got us a three-way fight to the death. In one corner we have the Bronson city rats, in another this feral subhuman, and last but not least, our very own crocodile. Place your bets who will win this desperate blood bath!¡±


    She side stepped, backing away from the snarling and screaming as the creatures bore down on one another limbs flailing, teeth gnashing, tails swishing and blood spurting. It was a regular orgy of violence, just what she had been looking for.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°The wily pussycat is agile and dexterous, but will it be enough to deal with the sheer power and cunning of the crocodile or will the rats emerge unscathed while the predators duke it out over a territorial dispute? There can be only one! The cat has got a big old fuck off rat with a horn. Clearly, that is an alpha rat. He¡¯s going like do you even lift brah? Well clearly that she cat certainly does. She is lifting him right off to destination fucked! He can¡¯t escape that death grip, not when she has got him by the scruff of the neck. The croc is bearing down will this be a fight for the ages? The cat is too preoccupied with her prey. She is already within striking distance! Her cat-like reflexes kicked in and she springs away at the last second! Truly a wild pussy on the loose over here. Can her feline prowess be contained? I haven''t seen a pussycat this wet and wild since I cut myself shaving last week.


    ¡°The crocodile is going in for a kill! Ah, it missed. Come on you stupid twat, do something! I have been hyping you up for nothing over here. The cat has got this one in the bag- oh wait! A new challenger appears, the Cheeky Cunt Spider! The cat jumped too high and got tangled in the web. All hope is lost, pack your bags to nope vill cause this one is going to the arachnids. She¡¯s got a one-way ticket to destination fucked. She is so fucked it is not even a first class ticket, shes flying coach. What a turn about, the hunter became the hunted. No one ever suspects the Cheeky Cunt Spider!


    ¡°This fight is looking about finished, everybody is running for the hills the true alpha predator has emerged. The Cheeky Cunt Spider of the fuckiousnopious order. You can tell by the red hourglass on the abdomen. The common name would be the black widow. The most venomous of all the fuck off spiders. One drop of venom can kill over a hundred men and a single bite can deliver gallons at a time. What is this? The croc has not given up just yet, she¡¯s like fuck off mate I seen that bitch first. They are fighting over the catgirl and the rat. The humanity! They tore her in half. Poor thing, she didn¡¯t stand a chance. Oh god the giblets are everywhere!


    ¡°Oh, oh! We got tentacles, people, it is a tentacle fight! I knew there was something weird about that clever girl, she¡¯s got tentacles for a tongue. Will it be enough?! They are locked in a struggle for dominance, who will be the victor? Oh no, the Cheeky Cunt Spider reeled her in for a nibble is this the end?! And there is the death roll! She¡¯s got her by the tentacles. This isn¡¯t even a fight anymore, it is a downright brawl. The rats have fled, and now it is just Cunt versus the Croc over the downed cat girl. Who will claim the prize? Who will survive? Find out next time on, Sheila, the Mutant Hunter! Nah, just fucking with you.


    ¡°This ends here and now! Two men enter, one man leaves, Thunderdome style. One miss step and it is over. She¡¯s got her in the eye! The Cheeky Cunt Spider landed a devastating bite, it is over. There is no possible way that the crocodile can survive. Ah, but she is not going down without a fight, that is one tenacious girl. And they are down, they are both down! It is just a writhing mass of tentacles and limbs. They are rolling towards the water! What a reversal, the Cheeky Cunt Spider can¡¯t swim! It is over¡­ the cheeky bastard rats won it all. All the predators killed each other. What an upset, what a display of cunning and brutality!¡±


    Sheila wiped her hands, watching the rats scurrying around, sniffing at the strewn innards of the catgirl. It was a bit disconcerting to look at, grizzly and gruesome. Guts and torn flesh littered the ground. Foam and blood poured out of her mouth. The glazed eyes rolled into her head. It was a quick death. The spider venom worked within a few seconds after the injection, that was why she had not struggled too much after being captured. She squatted down, getting a close up view.


    ¡°Poor little pussycat, she didn¡¯t stand a chance. See wankers, this is what getting bitten will do. Her insides are already liquefying into spider food. If that fuck off spider had not been interrupted then she would have been cocooned and saved for sipping later. Whelp, no use crying over spilled milk. Nature is as nature does, Mother Nature is a scary bitch after all. Let¡¯s see what other critters we can wrastle up shall we?¡±


    She idly poked at the floating bodies in the glowing water with a broken pipe. Not taking much longer she continued on, deeper into the bowels of the irradiated tunnels. The walls became flesh, squishy and oozing slimy mucus. Behind the thin membranes, countless wriggling masses loomed. She watched her step, ensuring not to step in any of it, until it completely overtook the tunnel and she no longer had a choice. She lightly pawed at it, testing the stability of the gurgling bumps below her feet.


    ¡°Danger, danger, danger. Mates we have found ourselves one of the most deadly of all the animals of the sewers. The Tubifex Worm Conglomerate. Usually, these are passive bottom feeders. However, nothing is kosher down here, not after the mutations. Much like the Venus Flytrap, these are ambush predators, lying in wait for creatures to set off their sensory organs. At which point the gurgling mass of flesh and teeth will latch onto the prey and absorb it into the mass so that I can expand.


    ¡°Now you might be wondering what makes it so daunting, so well, dangerous really? I mean the buggers can¡¯t move to chase their prey and creatures can just avoid them. However, these things are insidious. They use pheromone and food lures to draw in prey to the deepest parts. See on the roof those bumps? If you look closely now you can just barely make out the sensitive hair like antenna dangling down like a trip wire. Once brushed against the grabbing tentacles will descend to scoop up their prey and drag it to the waiting worms. One of the worst ways to die, eaten alive from the inside out.¡±


    Sheila looked around and found a cockroach in a side tunnel a little ways back. The thing was about the size of a cat, so it was easy to hold still. She brought it back to the edge of the growth, ¡°Observe, we will use a live prey item to set off the traps. Watch closely now, these things are lighting fast and ready to pounce at a moment¡¯s notice.¡±


    She released the roach on the fleshy ground and it wearily waved the antenna atop its head. After a moment it caught the scent of food and scurried along deeper, until one of the near see through hairs brushed against it. Faster than a blink a slimy array of tendrils shot out from every direction, latching onto the hard carapace. The roach screeched desperately before being dragged over to the side and pulled into one of the bulbous lumps. The dark shape could be seen bulging as it was pushed deeper inside the tunnel below the writhing flesh.


    ¡°Now that you have seen these squibly bastards in action and know the dangers, let¡¯s do this!¡± excitedly said Sheila stamping on the gurgling flesh.


    She made her way along, due to her power even if the hairs touched her, they didn¡¯t get set off. They would pause for a moment, then continue to wave about. It didn¡¯t take very long for her to catch up to the roach being pushed through the innards of the colony.


    ¡°Now, Tubifex Worms have a stomach like area usually near the middle of their territory, it doubles as a womb and nursery. You will know it when we see it. Here the eggs and larva hatch and consume the most recently caught prey. They do all of this complex and sophisticated societal behavior without a single brain among them. Truth be told, they are a lot like Jellyfish. Nerves and sensory organs run everything. And it seems that we have arrived, welcome to the heart of a Tubifex Worm Conglomerate.¡±


    Before her rose a pillar of flesh that connected the ceiling and the floor, only allowing passage by squeezing to the sides. The membrane was translucent here allowing a full view of the inner workings. Various creatures had been captured, ranging from rats to Subhumans. Their flesh bore strange designs where the worms had burrowed into the skin and eaten away as they went. All of them were already dead, lack of air and breathing in worms would do that. The unsettling squirming masses of little bodies moved almost like blood cells in a vein, cycling in and out of this nexus point of the colony. It was alive and pulsating, squirming.


    ¡°Now if I was with the rest of the group we would be dousing this thing down with fire and then put out the flames with Rad-Gone to get rid of the radiation. As for why I am not, well it is simple they might not know I am here, but if I start messing with stuff then they will start reacting due to the nerves. On my own here, with nobody to rescue me, well that doesn''t sound very ace now, does it? Being eaten alive by worms is a bad way to go. Normally, I like animals, these things those are not natural they are more of a cancerous growth than anything else. They are resilient and even the larger predators avoid their territory. If left unchecked, these disgusting things can take over the whole ecosystem and kill everything else. So remember you ever see this stuff growing somewhere, don¡¯t get near it and call it in. These things are invasive and destructive.¡±


    ¡°Well, moving on. I think we have spent more than enough time with these. The other side of this tunnel should be an access point to the lower sub level. There should be even more crazy things down there. I already got to poke a Cunt Spider so we are off to a good start. We still haven''t seen a Nuddy Mole Rat this time around.¡±


    Sheila walked carefully and squeezed between the fleshy fold and wormed her way out to the other side. This side was more of the same. Sickening bulbous globs of flesh growing everywhere, pulsating and breathing. She made sure not to set off any of the hairs and finally the green glow of sewage became a welcome sight at the end of the tunnel. She slowed for a moment, glancing both ways. Everything always went downhill, so she followed the flow. It would inevitably lead her down.


    This place seemed strange¡­ there weren''t any animals. Only bones, chewed, broken, and spit out. The marrow sucked dry. This wasn¡¯t the doing of the worms. She stopped, listening to her surroundings. It was quiet, too quiet. A faint sound echoed from ahead, crunching. Sheila snuck to the corner, peering down the corridor where the sound came from. At first she didn¡¯t see what was making it, too dark. Then it shifted. The massive, yet gangly form seemed contradictory. It was tall, roughly ten feet if she had to guess. It had to slouch over or hit its head on the ceiling of this tunnel. Oddly, there was a big old rat following along to the side, though it seemed weary.


    On her back, yes, it was a her. Sheila could see the big old honking boobies, sadly no nipples. At any rate, on the back, there was a smaller one riding on the shoulder. They were rather waspish-looking and the thought it kinda looked like Vesper came to the forefront. What are the odds of that though? Pretty damned high. There weren¡¯t any other wasp monsters running around, or at the least, there shouldn¡¯t be. But then what the fuck was that thing with her? It called for a little hands-on investigation.


    ¡°Well slap my ass and call me Sally, I never seen one of those before. Must be a new species that spawned from the primordial muck. Dahh, she has a little baby with her. Whelp, you all know what that means. Let¡¯s poke her with a stick,¡± Sheila¡¯s malicious grin spread.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 13

    The Vespidian


    Arc 7, Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 13


    ¡°Astrea, Astrea. Yes, your name is Astrea. Do you understand?¡± I asked, placing my hand on her hardened bosom.


    She didn¡¯t seem to be getting it. Astrea just tilted her head, puzzled over my actions. I know she can talk, is she just playing stupid? Hmm. I don¡¯t really get it. I must keep trying.


    ¡°Vesper,¡± I said, placing my hand on my chest. ¡°Me, Vesper. Vesper.¡±


    I had seen this in some movies¡­ doesn¡¯t appear to be working too well. It is almost like she is a child. Well, she didn¡¯t have anybody to teach her, so she is probably developmentally retarded. Poor, poor thing. Having to be all alone down here. I won¡¯t leave you. It is not your fault, not your fault at all. Her mandibles clicked and she wetly licked my hand. Not really what I was going for, but at the least she is affectionate. She was fairly happy from the smell that she had been emitting. I pet her on the head.


    Better try again, she at the least must have a name and come to it, ¡°Astrea, A-st-rea. You are Astrea.¡±


    Her mouth bits moved, watching mine. Was she mimicking? She seemed to be trying so hard. It took a few minutes of back and forth to get results, ¡°Aaass¡­ Assttrraaa. Astrea.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you said it! Good job Astrea. Good girl. Who is a good girl?¡± I said in an exaggerated voice, stroking her under the chin. It feels like I am training a dog.


    She repeated, seemingly proud of herself. ¡°Astrea.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Good girl. Astrea,¡± I said pointing at her.


    She smiled, pointing at me, ¡°Astrea.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I wagged my finger at her and then I pointed to myself, then back to her. ¡°Vesper, me Vesper. I am Vesper. You are Astrea.¡±


    Her mouth opened, then closed. She seemed to be thinking it over. My hopes rose up when she pointed to herself only to be dashed on the rocks of disappointment, ¡°Veee-sssper?¡± She pointed at me, ¡°Astrea.¡±


    Oh for Helix¡¯s sake. She is just copying me and not actually understanding what I am saying. This is going in circles. Ugh, I was never good at teaching children. I have to get her to associate my name with me and her name with her. But, how? For fuck¡¯s sake a blind and deaf person learned language, how fucking hard can it be? Wait, Helen Keller. How did she learn to communicate? The first word that she learned was¡­ water? Well, worth a shot.


    I took her hand gently and led her over to the glowing pool of toxic liquid. I wish there was a better source around here, but I really needed to get this taken care of. I splashed her hand in it and said, ¡°Water.¡±


    She looked at me like I was an idiot. Hey you, this for your benefit. I kept trying, splashing my hand and her hand in the glowing goo. All the while I kept saying, ¡°Water.¡±


    Eventually, it seemed to click. She replied, ¡°Wahhter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. That is right. Good job Astrea.¡±


    ¡°Astrea!¡± She happily said, pointing at the water¡­ she still doesn¡¯t get it.


    Maybe there is something else I can use? Water doesn¡¯t seem to work. Well, if she is anything like me then food would do the trick. Oh, oh right, food. Of course, how could I be so blind? I looked around, only roaches. I think that she eats these things anyway, so this should work. I picked up a roach and dangled it in front of her. This got her attention far more the water had. Her eyes followed it and she touched her antennae to it. She plucked it from my grasp and started munching down on it.


    ¡°Bad!¡± I yelled and smacked her on the head, she dropped it and retreated a couple steps, whimpering. ¡°Bad Astrea. Did I say you could eat that?!¡±


    I picked up the half eaten roach and she cowered away when I approached. I held it in front of her again and she wearily smelled it once more. ¡°Cockroach. Cockroach.¡±


    She seemed to be thinking it over, slowly she pointed at it. ¡°KKHHH KHH Khhoo¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, you can say it, I believe in you.¡± I grinned excitedly.


    She wore a blissful face and declared, ¡°Khock!¡±


    I blushed a little. Cock eh? She looked so adorable, saying cock for the first time. Such a dirty girl already learning about the adult matters in life while barely being able to speak. Me and my dirty mind, she doesn¡¯t even know what it means. Wait a minute¡­ well, I did say cockroach she is on the right track.


    It reminds me of when I was like five or six and couldn¡¯t say stick, instead I kept saying dick. I remember getting into a fight with some of the neighbor kids and I ended up beating them up with a big stick that I had found on the ground. Then I went home and when my mom asked how I had gotten so dirty, I told her it was because of the big dick I had found in the woods and I had used it to beat off all my friends. Yeah, that didn¡¯t go over well with mom. I got grounded for a month. I also got in trouble at school a few times for running around with a stick and declaring that I had the biggest dick of them all. Nowadays it is a little embarrassing, but I can laugh about it. Back then I didn¡¯t know any better.


    How, how odd. I just remembered something about my childhood. Up until now, it had just been this sea of darkness that I had somehow managed to crawl my through. Mom and I used to be pretty close huh? I smiled for about half a second, until I remember exactly who had beaten me and called me monster not too long ago. Well, not like getting hit by plastic dongs could really do anything to my carapace. Why do I remember these things now of all times?


    Is this my maternal instinct kicking in since I am trying to care for Astrea? Shouldn¡¯t these roles be reversed? I mean, she is older than me right? Well, at the least been a Vespidian longer since she is more developed. If there was one, maybe there are more of my kind skulking around? I mean something gave birth to Astrea, unless she was like me and got mutated. This brings me back to my old question, how long has she been down here? I really wish that she could talk. I suppose it will take time.


    ¡°Good Astrea,¡± I pet her on the head and fed her the roach.


    She didn¡¯t smell of wet dog anymore, so that was good. It meant that she was not scared anymore. She happily munched away and I procured another of the large insects, ¡°Cockroach.¡±


    ¡°Cockaroo roooach? Cock cockroach?¡± she repeated, unsure at first, but once she said it, I handed over the incapacitated critter and she tore it apart.


    Watching her devour these disgusting creatures as though they were high-class cuisine was honestly making me realize exactly how hungry I was. My stomach snarled. Ah, running on empty here. She pushed the juicy abdomen chocked full of eggs over to me. Is, is she feeding me? I was genuinely touched. I mean she shared her food with me. This certainly is the most nutritious part of a roach, the brood. I was hungry enough that just about anything would do at this point. People eat fish eggs and stuff all the time, don¡¯t they? It can¡¯t be that bad, can it?


    I pulled one of the larvae away from the rest. It was still inside of the warm casing. Wearily, I licked it, just to see what it tasted like. Surprisingly, it actually wasn¡¯t that bad. It didn¡¯t taste much different than a raw chicken egg. Except it was a little crunchy. I chewed, pulling it in bit by bit until the whole three-inch long egg was gone. Now that my apprehension was gone there was nothing to save the rest of the eggs. This was survival of the fittest after all.


    Besides, this one pregnant roach had over three hundred eggs in the hardened casing that it would have left somewhere. Thinking about it rationally it is a good thing that I am killing these. If left unchecked the population would explode. If the big ones are like the little ones, then a single adult female can have ten thousand offspring in a year. That is a whole lotta bugs. If it wasn¡¯t for the other mutants down here, then I get the feeling the streets would have been overrun already. Watching all that Animal Planet is really paying off.


    Now the next part that needed to come, teaching her that certain things were friends, not food. Like Whiskers for instance. My ratty little friend had taken some distance due to my new friend. He was, well to be frank scared shitless of her. I didn¡¯t particularly blame him either, since for all I know she eats rats. At any rate, this was going to be a bonding moment to be sure. He tried to run when he realized what I had planned. Really, it was too late and I tackled him. My arms coiled around him and I lifted him up. He squalled and squeaked the whole while.


    We arrived before my lovely Astrea and she turned, sizing up the rat, as to be expected. I pointed to his mangy fur, ¡°Now Astrea. This is Whiskers. Whiskers is a friend, not food.¡±


    She thought on it until I saw a light in her eyes. It appeared that she had an epiphany. She pointed to him, ¡°Wh-whist-whiskers?¡±


    She is learning rather quickly, isn''t she? That is kinda scary. Faster than me? Maybe not though, my problem is lack of motivation. When I really try I catch onto stuff pretty fast. Must be that giant brain doing work. I smiled, patting her, ¡°Yes, good girl. Whiskers. You said it right.¡±


    She put out her hand expectantly¡­ uh oh. She thinks he is food. I mean, I fed her before so now she is expecting it. I gave her another roach¡­ she crushed it and is now licking her lips while eyeing Whiskers.


    ¡°No!¡± I flicked her antennae and she winced. I wagged my finger in her face, ¡°Bad, that is a bad Astrea! Whiskers is not food.¡±


    She took a moment, looking at him and flopped her feelers onto him, smelling. She let out a strange chattering sound and then I realized, she was speaking rat. Whiskers replied with his own squeaks and the two began to converse. Oh, so they were going to sort it out themselves? Now I felt like the stupid one, not knowing what was going on. She growled lowly and started clicking her mandibles together, making a sharp sound. Whiskers didn¡¯t like that at all and his squeaks turned to high pitched squeals of what I could only assume was him pleading for his life. She was threatening him, definitely making threats.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    This is extortion you know. Blackmail maybe? Did they have a drug deal that went south? Don¡¯t tell me Whiskers owes you money for his gratuitous gambling debts and binge drinking?! What, he is also a low down dirty playboy who gets all the ladies and frequents strip clubs, making it rain every night with your money? What is that, he is a total animal in the sack? What, you guys had a threesome? Who was the third wheel? How daring. Oh, so you are out for revenge because he broke your maiden heart? Well, I guess we can kill him then¡­ wait a minute.


    Something is fishy about this, what strip clubs?! What am I thinking? This is a wild animal and a somewhat feral bug person. Stop it over active imagination! Just cause I don¡¯t know what they are saying doesn¡¯t mean I can just make stuff up. I don¡¯t think they had a deal. Granted, they might come to some sort of understanding at the end of this.


    Whiskers was looking a bit pale and his hair was standing up. Scared for certain. He was awfully fidgety and I get the feeling he was getting ready to run. Their exchange had been reduced to growls and hissing now. Uh oh. That doesn¡¯t look good at all. Whiskers looked like he was ready to launch himself into an attack. Don¡¯t do it you fool! I am not worth it, don¡¯t fight over me you two. She will crush you like a grape, a very hairy grape. Just when I thought it was going to come down to teeth and claws and inevitably Whiskers getting munched on, they came to an understanding. They both looked at me and then Whiskers extended his paw and Astrea shook it¡­


    What the fuck did I just watch? Where did she learn how to shake? I never taught her that. What are these two scheming? Don¡¯t tell me they decided to put their differences aside and eat me together? I am just an emergency food ration to these two, aren¡¯t I? Don¡¯t you look at me like I am a piece of meat. This is shady, this is seriously sketchy. What are they up to? They didn¡¯t really put up aggressive postures, so maybe I am not on the menu¡­ unless. No, that is silly. I don¡¯t even want to think about that being an option. They probably just agreed that since I am so nice they would to be friends for my sake. MM, mm. I nodded to myself. Yup, yup that is definitely what it is.


    Whatever just happened, they seemed to have made a truce for now. I suppose that will have to do. I stood up and shimmied onto Astrea¡¯s back. Her tentacles lovingly coiled around me. Ohhhh, save it for the honeymoon or for that matter the wedding, will you? Whiskers is watching, keep it PG. Now that I was getting a nice close look at these things, they were pretty impressive. Each was about the thickness of an adult woman¡¯s arm and it was all throbbing muscle. Oh my, they are all slimy too. I quivered a little. Be still my beating hearts. Tentacles, my only weakness, how did you know? If she had come at me with these things from the start, we would probably still be rolling around, making love in her lair.


    Our little trio made our way along the dank, dripping tunnel searching for a way out. Or rather I was, the other two didn¡¯t really know what they were doing. I could hardly wait. Once we escaped, then I would have to plead with Neon Nurse so that I could keep Astrea. I mean, I could keep her in a box under my bed. I know she would take us in. Astrea would probably get probed and explored with various instruments, but, but that is ok. We would be together. My delusions of writhing joyously together were interrupted. By what? I am not entirely sure myself.


    ¡°Crikey mate! Look at the fun bags on that one.¡± said a female voice from somewhere. It sounded a bit accented.


    I perked up, looking around. My antenna wiggled to try and discern where it had come from. I don¡¯t see anything. Or for that matter smell people. Astrea didn¡¯t seem to have noticed it. I asked, ¡°He-hello? Is somebody here?¡±


    The voice didn¡¯t really reply, though it had come from over to my side somewhere, looks like the left path. I don¡¯t sense anyone though. I looked over at Whiskers, who wearily kept an eye on Astrea. I don¡¯t really blame him too much, she did try to eat him. He didn¡¯t notice anything strange either or he would have reacted. So is it just me? Am I just hearing things? But that clearly sounded like some weirdo Australian woman.


    ¡®Sub you heard that too, right?¡¯


    Yeah?


    ¡®Why do you not sound sure?¡¯


    I am getting weirded out here.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me there is a new entity emerging from my mind.¡¯


    No, no, no it is certainly not that I would know.


    ¡®Well, if it is not you, and it is not me, and it is not some newcomer in my head then¡­ who the hell is it?¡¯


    Sub just shrugged, I don¡¯t know. Maybe we are just hearing things. You know getting a little stir crazy cause we want to talk to somebody.


    ¡®Ah, that explains it. I did start going a little loony back there. Here I thought you were going to say something like this place is haunted. Silly me.¡¯


    Ghosts? Who believes in ghosts? Don¡¯t be silly.


    Sub was right. Ghosts, pfft. Who believes in ghosts? I mean there are zombies, but that is different. It is not like this place is haunted by all the lost souls of people who lost their lives down here. I chuckled inwardly to myself and then I felt something poke me in the ass. I glanced over my shoulder to see what did it. Nothing, well I can¡¯t say that there were tentacles, but none of them were on my booty. I eyed Astrea who just looked at me with a sheepish smile. Getting all touchy-feely eh? I know I have a nice ass, but now really isn¡¯t the time for that.


    I gave her a low growl and she looked away scared. I am not in the mood damn it. ¡°Come on Astrea, we have to find a way out of here. I have to find somewhere safe to keep you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so the little lass is dominant. She doesn¡¯t seem too receptive to sexual advances from her partner. Maybe we can help em out, eh?¡± said that disembodied voice from right next to me.


    I screamed and jumped back, struggling my way free of the tentacles, ¡°Who is there!? I can hear you. Where are you? What are you planning?¡±


    Nobody is there and my outburst startled Astrea. She was looking around scared. Whiskers got agitated. Well, it didn¡¯t help that me and Astrea were drenching the area in the stench of fear. She was only scared cause I was scared. I have to calm down. Think rationally. There has to be a reason for this, so don¡¯t be so freaked- something just touched me?!


    ¡°Her fanny is surprisingly supple. I thought it would be ¡®ard and bony.¡± Said that weirdo while something was kneading my cheeks.


    ¡°Stop touching me you perverted ghost! Stranger danger, stranger danger!¡± I yelled, flailing my arms in every direction. That seemed to do the trick, I scared it off. Can ghosts, even get scared? Oh no, it is toying with my emotions!


    The voice came from a little bit away from me, ¡°Danger, danger, danger, seems she can sort of detect me. Hmm, but it is only the little one. Very peculiar. We will have to test this.¡±


    Astrea came over to me, placing a hand on me out of concern. We both looked around, to no- there was a stick, no, a broken pipe floating in mid air. I stared at it, it stared back, seemingly freezing from being spotted. I started getting curious over that. Wearily, I approached and it didn¡¯t move an inch. I touched it and it fell to the floor. I am getting weirded out here.


    ¡°Look at the derriere on this one.¡± Said the voice from behind me.


    I turned and Astrea was looking a little concerned over the magical floating stick, prodding at her ass. She was so perplexed by it that she was like a deer in the headlights and had frozen up instead of attacking it. Hey! Stop that, that is my booty! I growled, charging over. I swiped at the air behind the stick and didn¡¯t hit a damned thing. The poking stick fell lifeless to the ground. This can only mean one thing. G-G-G-GHOSTS!


    Reee!!! I screeched running away.


    ¡°Run, Astrea, run! There is a perverted ghost!¡±


    She didn¡¯t really understand what was going on, but she quickly followed me. Whiskers had already bolted ahead of us, squealing. Well, cowards are smart, that is why they live so long.


    ¡°Crikey! Seems they¡¯ve been spooked. Quick little buggers. Don¡¯t you worry gang, I won¡¯t lose em.¡±


    ¡°Stop following us!¡± I yelled at the voice.


    We ran around the corner and came to the intersection that I had come to when Astrea had been chasing me before. That one corridor was still overgrown with those Tubifex worms, so that was out of the question. We could go back where I met her, but I think that is a dead end. Then I suppose the only way left to go would be down the culvert path. We slogged through the waste waters approaching the other side. What looked like a bulkhead had been torn off of the hinges and tossed to the side. The structure here had been smashed open by someone or something. Whatever it was, it had claws from the deep grooves left in the cement.


    Astrea slowed down, I tugged at her, but she would not continue. Was she scared of whatever creature did this? Then, does that mean that there is something even scarier than her down here? No matter how I tried to pull her to get through that broken doorway, she just kept shaking her head reluctantly and saying, ¡°Scared. Scared. Astrea scared.¡±


    While normally I would be very proud that she just expressed a coherent thought with words, however, now was not exactly a good time. I looked back where we had come from, nothing. Well, not like I had ever seen the ghost, to begin with. I listened and smelled. Nothing, but sewer stank and dribbly water. Maybe I was just blowing this all out of proportions. I looked back at Astrea and her eyes were glued to something across from us. For that matter, Whiskers was snarling too.


    ¡°G¡¯day love,¡± smiled a lit up woman¡¯s face across from us.


    Ngh! I hurled a chunk of concentrated goo at her and the floating head vanished, not getting hit. The glob splattered against the wall. I smelled for a moment and realized, wait I know that smell. It, it is one of Chief¡¯s suits. Then, wait a minute. Then that one of the heroes. Why the fuck have they been terrorizing us?


    ¡°Hey, hey! You are a hero, right?¡±


    ¡°Sheila, I is,¡± whispered a voice in my antenna from right next to me. I jumped like a scared cat and splashed down in the grungy liquid.


    ¡°Stop sneaking up on us!¡± I yelled at her.


    ¡°Why? You are knock me dead funny to fuck with, you know that?¡±


    ¡°I am not having fun!¡±


    ¡°Well, I certainly am.¡±


    ¡°Show yourself.¡±


    ¡°I did, but you threw things at me.¡±


    ¡°That is cause you scared me.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that is enough fun for now. As I said before I is Sheila, pleased to meetcha,¡± she said, materializing right in front of me with an extended hand.


    Warily, I took it and she stepped so that there was some distance between her and Astrea. She was cautious, to say the least. I had a lot of questions.


    ¡°Did you come here to rescue me?¡±


    ¡°Me? Nah, came here to goof off. Was very successful too, might I add. You are very entertaining to watch by the way.¡±


    ¡°So you mess with people for fun.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Bloody ¡®ell of a good time. I didn¡¯t think I was actually going to run into you down ¡®ere, but since I did, suppose I will have to drag you home with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, umm. Is everyone alright? What happened with the spiders?¡±


    Sheila laughed a little and I realized that her right eye was mechanical and there was a scar going up her face. I guess she had lost it at some point. I kinda wondered what had done that, but it seemed touchy to ask.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry bout our mates, they took care of them Cheeky Cunt Spiders. Only lost a couple swat members.¡±


    ¡°Swat members? Did Catherine get out ok?¡±


    ¡°Fire Crotch? Yah, she is knocking around. Don¡¯t get your knickers in a twist, she is fine.¡±


    ¡°Fire Crotch?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that is what Sweeper called her so. At any rate, she and most everybody else is Ace. It was just you who was flopping about on the deck like a fish.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is a relief.¡±


    ¡°So, who is this lovely lady? If I remember correctly, you were supposed to be the only one,¡± asked Sheila and I froze up.


    My mind swam as I tried to think of excuses, I couldn¡¯t really think of anything. Astrea interrupted my silence, pointing at me and then her. ¡°Vesper. Astrea.¡±


    Sheila paused for a moment, ¡°Astrea eh? What an interesting name. Pleased to meetcha.¡±


    She smiled and extended her hand to shake. Astrea looked at it for a moment and then she growled, taking on an aggressive stance. Seriously, what the hell did those two shake hands over? Sheila pulled out a strange looking pistol, aiming it for one of Astrea¡¯s larger eyes. Oh shit, that escalated quickly. I can¡¯t just let my future mate die here. I got in between them, waving my hands to break it up.


    ¡°What are you two doing?! Bad Astrea!¡± I shouted and she warily backed down. ¡°Sorry about that, she is very protective.¡±


    ¡°Not very sociable eh?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, I am teaching her though.¡±


    Sheila lowered her gun, she rocked her head back and forth, thinking about something. She smiled after a moment, there was something off about that grin. ¡°Oh, so it is like that. So, what are you going to give me to keep your friend a secret?¡±


    My mouth instantly got dry, ¡°Are¡­ are you blackmailing me?¡±


    ¡°Blackmail is such a nasty word. I prefer calling it a favor.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I cringed.


    She pat me on the shoulder and her grip tightened. She looked me dead in the eyes and smirked, ¡°What are you willing to give?¡±

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 14

    The Vespidian


    Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 14


    I looked at Astrea. What would I give up for her? I don¡¯t know. I hadn¡¯t thought about this, well, I suppose I had. Somewhere I knew that I was going to have to choose between her and well, everything else more or less. I guess it really was just a fool¡¯s dream to have my cake and eat it too. I barely get accepted outside of my friend zone as is and I know how to be a people, she, she won¡¯t fit in at all. They are going to disdain her by how she looks, even though she is such a good girl. Somebody will do something stupid and set her off and then she will get gunned down.


    I sighed. Shit. I don¡¯t want to lose all the friends that I have. I barely started making my way in life. I finally got the gravy train back on track. This might be the hardest choice in my entire life. Would I even be able to take care of her on my own? I don¡¯t have any fucking money. I spent it all on homoerotic manga and food, mostly food, but still. How on earth am I going to support two of us? She eats more than I do and I eat a lot. I mean I guess I can whore myself out to Neon Nurse and that would keep us fed for a bit. If worse comes to worse, we could move to the Slums and I would resign myself to being Glitter Kitten¡¯s play thing.


    I started to tear up, Sunshine and I wouldn¡¯t be friends anymore and Dad would look at me like some tramp. We would be villains and be hunted. No, I don¡¯t want that at all. But I can¡¯t just leave her. That would be even worse, allowing her to suffer down here all alone. Why can¡¯t it all just work out? So then what will I give Sheila? I don¡¯t really know what she likes or would even want. If I give her the wrong thing will she go back on the deal and turn us in?


    ¡°What do you want exactly?¡±


    She smirked, ¡°Surprise me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know?!¡±


    ¡°Well, think of something. Tick tock.¡±


    My brain felt like it was having a meltdown. I don¡¯t know. How the fuck am I supposed to know what she wants? I went with my gut. She looked like she is into some kinky shit. I cried, rubbing my face of tears, ¡°I will be your sex slave!¡±


    Sheila started laughing hysterically to the point that she was holding her stomach, ¡°Oh Jesus, I can¡¯t breathe. It is too good, it is too good! Whew, I got you bloody good. Eh, eh, I had you going, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    At first, I didn¡¯t really register that. It took a moment to decipher what she had said, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was just fucking with you mate. No worries. Blimey, you go straight for the balls and don¡¯t pull the punches. I wasn¡¯t expecting that. Pfft, sex slave.¡±


    ¡°You, you meant it? You won¡¯t rat us out?¡± I asked weak in the knees.


    ¡°Nah, where is the fun in that? I will help you out.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Course I am. You know, you little scamp. Me and Sweeper had our eye on you for joining our team, but then you went with the Juniors.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said starting to realize exactly who this was, ¡°You and Crimson Sweeper are on a team, right?¡±


    ¡°We is indeed. The mysterious duo! We could make it a trio, like musketeers, eh, eh.¡±


    ¡°Wait are you trying to recruit me to your team?¡±


    She perked up, ¡°You want to join us?!¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    She drooped, ¡°Ah piss that. Come on it will be fun. You like killing people, we like killing people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like killing people!¡± I shouted at her.


    She was only slightly deterred by that, ¡°Eh, really? But you looked so happy when you were tearing apart that man on the bridge.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I was wearing the suit. Nobody saw my face and I certainly wasn¡¯t happy killing the guy.¡±


    Tsk, tsk, Sheila wiggled her fingers at me, ¡°It is ok, you can talk to me. I kill people too you know. Besides, no use lying to me. You see the suits all have face cams, so that maniacal grin you were wearing while beating that scum into paste is on the record.¡±


    ¡°They could see my face? Why didn¡¯t anybody tell me about this?¡±


    Sheila shrugged, ¡°They are scared of you. Why do you think your suit has all the bells and whistles? Do you even know most of the security systems in that thing?¡±


    ¡°If they are scared of me, then why is my suit so advanced and augments my strength and speed?¡±


    ¡°Cause they can control you while you are wearing that thing. It is when you are running loose like this. Out in the wild, out of the suit that they are scared. Since they can¡¯t just flip a switch and stop you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean they can flip a switch?¡±


    ¡°That is simple. They can do a few things and these are just the basics. They can turn your suit off and lock it so that you can¡¯t get out or they could electrocute you to the point that you pass out. There is a bunch of other safety protocols, but I am not at liberty to discuss those.¡±


    ¡°Why not.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna get in trouble. If you join my team, then I will tell you more.¡±


    ¡°You are totally blackmailing me to join your team.¡±


    ¡°I am not. I am just giving you the option. I don¡¯t got the finger on the button. Trust me, if I was threatening you, then it would be a whole lot worse than this. This is some friendly advice from your pal Sheila.¡±


    ¡°You said that you would help right?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Swear on me mum.¡±


    ¡°So what should we do?¡±


    Sheila thought for a moment, ¡°Good question. Normally, I would say we should probably meet back up with the fellas and help em clear out the Atomic Raiders. However, we have a bit of a problem.¡±


    ¡°What about Astrea?¡±


    ¡°You could leave her down here or bring her along. However, if she comes along then things might get complicated what with the orders to ship all Subhumans to the Institute and that would include her. It is up to you.¡±


    ¡°I am not sending her to some jail.¡±


    ¡°Orders are orders. If you leave her down here then nobody will be the wiser for the moment. Unless of course, you are willing to break the rules a little.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really leave her here, she will follow me.¡±


    ¡°Guess you got no choice then. We are going on a little walkabout, hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°What is a walkabout?¡±


    ¡°It means that we will be wandering around, instead of doing what we are supposed to.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Ok, I guess.¡±


    ¡°About the fuck off rat¡­ I am assuming you are keeping that too.¡±


    I smiled, proudly pointing at Whiskers, ¡°He is a good boy. Knows all kinds of tricks, like a dog.¡±


    Sheila gave him an appraising look, nodding, ¡°He better be good. He tries to bite anybody and I will smack him right in the gob.¡±


    ¡°So we are going to meet up with the others?¡± I asked a little unsure.


    ¡°Nope. You crazy? Dreamer is on an authority trip lately, the less she knows, the better.¡± Said Sheila.


    ¡°You are being a bit contradictory here. So we meeting up or not?¡±


    ¡°We are going to be finding another way out. I got a friend who would be interested in your friend.¡±


    ¡°What sort of interest? Who?¡±


    ¡°She is your friend too, you know.¡±


    I was drawing a blank. Who was she talking about? ¡°Neon Nurse?¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Close, Dr. Arbor.¡±


    ¡°Her? Surely there is somebody else? I don¡¯t particularly want to leave Astrea with her.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Arbor is a very strange person. I am not sure that we can trust her.¡±


    ¡°What other option do we have?¡±


    ¡°Neon Nurse?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what happened to you? She can get overridden and lose control. If it is someone unrelated to the League, like Dr. Arbor, then that is a lot less likely to happen.¡±


    ¡°Where would we even find her? Assuming I go along with this.¡±


    ¡°That is easy. She has an observation post near here.¡±


    ¡°How do you know this?¡±


    ¡°Well, you tend to learn a lot of sensitive stuff if daft wankers don¡¯t realize you are there.¡±


    I guess it is better than the alternative. Dr. Arbor though¡­ I just can¡¯t make heads or tails of that woman. Is she really on my side or am I just some science project to her? What will she even do to Astrea if she gets her hands on her? The worst case scenario I suppose would be live dissection like with me. Best case would be that she gets a new home and the problems related to her care are taken care of. Either way, it is still better than being sent to some lab somewhere to have Helix knows what done to her. Besides, I don¡¯t think I have ever heard a good thing about the Institute. Dr. Arbor thinks they are crazy and she is crazy, so that makes them double crazy.


    ¡°Alright, we will do it your way. Lead on,¡± I said, having come to my decision. I really hope she isn¡¯t just yanking my chain.


    Astrea had been quiet the whole time, however, I had noticed that she twitched a few times at the mention of Dr. Arbor. She didn¡¯t smell any different so it wasn¡¯t fear or anything like that. Not sure if it is just the way that I said the name or what. It couldn¡¯t be that she actually knows that name or rather person, could it? Considering that she is still learning words, I highly doubt that. Besides, if Dr. Arbor knew about her why would she let her run free and wild down here rather than have her cooped up in a lab habitat for study? It just doesn¡¯t make sense.


    Unless¡­ unless it is something like she was doing with Glitter Kitten and them. Observing them in their natural environment. Ah, crap I could totally see her doing that. I wonder, is she observing the Atomic Raiders as well? She did mention that she was studying the irradiated beings and if she does have an observation post, then she is using it on something. I guess the only way to find out would be to ask her directly. Just how many cookie jars does that woman have her grubby paws in? It seems like everything leads back to her in some way.


    We climbed up a warped and broken ladder that was fastened to the concrete wall inside of the sundered airlock area. Judging from the size and thickness of the door that lay on the ground, I can assume that this served as a divider between down here and up a level. Sure enough, there was another vault like door that was closed up here at the top of the platform. There was a thing that could be spun, it looked a lot like a ship wheel. I cranked it and the heavy door shifted.


    Astrea touched me incessantly making a low whimpering sound. I pat at her face to calm her down and used my lower to arms to continue opening the door. It groaned open, man those damned hinges needed some W-D 40 or something. Something tells me there have not been any maintenance crews down here in a while. I didn¡¯t see any rust, but there was a layer of grime and some sort of mossy mold growing on it from the other side. Sheila went ahead, vanishing for a few moments. She returned after scoping the place out, the coast was clear.


    A tunnel went to the left and right. Both ways seemed endless, however to the right looked more worn from either foot or animal traffic. The slimy moss didn¡¯t grow in the middle of the path. Over to the side, a deep river of glowing goo flowed to the left, so that means that it is coming from the right. Sheila went right, keeping to the path and we followed. Astrea seemed increasingly worried and clingy. She was not getting out of arm¡¯s reach of me. I could smell her apprehension, did something bad happen to her here before? I am probably reading into this too much.


    Speaking of smell, there were definitely rats running around. There was also something else¡­ human? It didn¡¯t smell right though. So then it must be Subhumans. It could be the Atomic Raiders, they are down here or it could be a lone mutant¡¯s turf. Who knows? I am no sewer expert after all.


    The river bend meandered as the tunnel curved and we came to a fork. From the lingering stench, this place was frequented by a lot of different things. At this point, it was no longer an if this is the Atomic Raider¡¯s haunt, but a matter of when we were going to run into any of them. If my sense of smell could be trusted, then they were all over this place. I couldn¡¯t really tell where it was strongest. Usually one would like options for this sort of thing. However, there didn¡¯t appear to be a choice here. Ahead the tunnel was blocked and the other path dead ended. Which meant, there was but one path for us to go. Somehow it felt like a trap, a maze.


    Sheila vanished as she had several times now. I was starting to get used to this sort of thing. She went to scout ahead. We stood around, waiting for her to return. I didn¡¯t like this place it was a bit too exposed and so I crept off to the dead ended side tunnel, peering out at the main walkway. Astrea loomed idly behind me, her tentacles kept caressing me.


    Footsteps echoed through the soggy tunnel and my eyes gaped, straining to see any movement. Sheila? No, if it was her then I wouldn¡¯t hear her coming. I could hear it now, multiple footfalls. They didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry. One was heavier than the others, but there were three in total. Rounding the corner a trio of figures emerged. A strange green glow illuminating the largest among them. It appeared to be some sort of suit, though from the looks of it worse for wear. Holes and rotted metal pockmarked the outer layer, some sort of glowing mist oozed forth from each blemish in the armor.


    Next to him was what I recognized as a hazmat suit that the sewer maintenance workers used. I had seen a few at the processing facility before we ventured into this place. Judging by the fact that the guy had tentacles for arms, I can say with certainty that the suit had failed at some point. Might be the lack of sleeves on that thing that did him in. Other than that though, his flesh seemed, weird like waterlogged or something. He didn¡¯t smell good that was for sure.


    Between them, I had almost missed the child¡­ er ah, children? There was a boy and a girl. The girl appeared to be frozen solid and was held up by the tentacle guy. That was not the problem though, she as connected to the boy at the torso. They had a third fucking leg between them and closer that they got, the more fucked up that pair was. Their faces were melted to a degree exposing their teeth where the lips curled away from some sort of chemical burn. There was not hair on their heads, save the girl, but there was not much on her smooth scalp. They barely had scraps of clothes on due to how poor the stuff was. It was falling apart and left them looking rather primitive, kinda like a loin cloth.


    Ok, so who the fuck are these three? They didn¡¯t really match anybody that I had hear about. The big guy is glowing, so does that mean he is that Glow guy who has acid for blood? Although¡­ no it couldn¡¯t be. Is that guy Nuclear Knight? Oh shit. If that is that guy, then he is like my hard counter. It would be like an ADC against an assassin. There is no way. I ain¡¯t taking no chances on this. Getting melted does not sound like a good time. I bit my lip. Oh fuck me, they are coming this way too. Think, damn it think! Use that oversized noggin.


    Why are they coming here? There is nothing here, it is just a fucking dead end! We retreated to the back of the corridor with our backs to the wall. Maybe if we hide, they will just pass us by? Yeah, that might work, we are black as night after all so we will blend in with the shadows. So long as we don¡¯t move or make sounds we should be fine- Whiskers! You little shit. He wasn¡¯t budging, standing his ground. Stop being a hero you little bastard!


    I could hear their footsteps, they were close. I wanted to run up and grab that filthy rat, but there was no time. Maybe he will be a good distraction. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. Whiskers squealed, running to them when the trio rounded the corner and I cringed expecting him to be obliterated. However, he was not.


    ¡°Lucky! Where the fuck did you come from?¡± asked the tentacled man.


    Whiskers, you had a family? Wait a minute, it all makes sense now. How else would a rat be so well trained? Whiskers looked at us, pointing us out like some sort of guard dog to his masters. You little fuck! I fed you and took care of you and this is the thanks I get?! Traitor! I should have known better than to trust a fucking rat! I have been used by a rat. This is why I have trust issues.


    ¡°Demon!¡± Roared the big guy pluming a green mist.


    Oh, fuck me that is definitely Nuclear Knight. Can we take him? I got Astrea with me and she is a powerhouse of muscle so maybe we stand a chance. I glanced over my shoulder to her and all my blood ran cold. She was scared out of her mind, clawing at the wall to escape. Why are you so scared? I need you here. There is no way in hell I can beat this guy on my own. My eyes fell on that smug rat. I had been betrayed! All my fear turned to anger.


    I yelled, ¡°Damn you Whiskers! I will kill you, you no good turncoat rat bastard!¡±


    The tentacle guy put up his tendrils, ¡°Wait Reverend. She, she talks.¡±


    ¡°So it seems. There were two of them.¡±


    ¡°Of course I talk. What do you think I am, an animal or something?!¡± I glared back at them.


    Nuclear knight stopped creating the radioactive particles and stood there, observing us. He seemed to be thinking something over. If I could sweat then I would be drenched right now. I have had my ass kicked enough times by bad guys already to know when I don¡¯t stand a chance in a fight. With this guy¡¯s power set my chances of winning are below zero. I wouldn¡¯t even be able to get near the guy.


    Nuclear Knight broke the silence and my thoughts from running around to dark places, ¡°Do you have peaceful intentions here?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I said, unsure. I mean currently my only goal is getting the hell outa here, fucking with these guys isn¡¯t exactly high up on my to do list.


    He thought it over. ¡°Why do you sound unsure?¡±


    ¡°Well, to be honest. I don¡¯t trust you. Look, we were just trying to leave this place. I don¡¯t want any trouble. This is a bad neighborhood, you know? We won¡¯t bother you if you don¡¯t bother us. Live and let live, right?¡±


    He nodded his helmeted head. By Helix¡¯s tendrils! He, he¡¯s reasonable. He spoke up, sounding rather elated, ¡°Ah a kindred spirit. Forgiveness is the path to salvation. Care to hear about our lord and savior Lord Pluton? Surely someone as intelligent as you can understand that your soul is at stake.¡±


    Or not¡­ what is this guy a fucking Jehovah¡¯s Witness? Get off my lawn! Stop peddling your snake oil and empty promises. My heart is already filled with the majesty of Lord Helix¡¯s tentacles! Begone follower of the Dome Fossil. I shall not be led astray! ¡°I think we will pass on that. Good day, sir.¡±


    ¡°Come, hear the word of Pluton. It will light the darkness with his holy glow.¡±


    ¡°I said good day, sir!¡±


    He approached us, arms wide as though to hug one of us. Stranger danger! Well, at the least I am not a little boy. We both retreated like cornered rats. There was nowhere to run from him, ¡°Stay a while and listen.¡±


    Back off Deckard, I ain¡¯t having none of your shit. Take your Herodric cube and shove it where the sun don¡¯t shine. This guy is damn persistent. Leave us alone. ¡°We really should be going.¡±


    He clapped a hand on my shoulder, ¡°Join us for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Eh, what?¡± Food? My only weakness! No, no, no. What sort of food would they even have down here? It is probably just gruel and rat meat. Now I am actually a little curious. I slapped myself get a hold of yourself, this is all a clever ruse. I will not be tempted by your silver tongue and lotus blossoms!


    ¡°Come now, you are on our doorstep. Once you have filled your bellies I will send you on your way.¡±


    ¡°Doorstep?¡± I asked, turning around to find that the supposed dead end had opened up. A host of hideous mutants were crowding around us. Astrea hissed at their approach. What is wrong with your face lady and why is there an arm growing out of your back?!


    A little girl who reminded me of a porcupine grasped my hand, ¡°Come sister. Join us.¡±


    ¡°Join us. Join us,¡± chanted through the crowd.


    I have to escape, this a freaky deeky cult. They are going to brainwash me. I don¡¯t wanna drink the cool aid! Oh no, they are everywhere, there is nowhere to run. Their varied appendages touched me all over. Who said you could touch me?! I slapped away one of the hook like claws from one of those freaks. Nuclear Knight had closed the gap and hugged me in his crushing grasp. I struggled and squirmed, but it was no use. I always had a feeling that I would be done in by some wacko religion. This is fucking college all over again. Sorry, Dad, I guess I am joining a cult.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 15

    The Vespidian Arc 7


    Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 15


    I seem to be in a pickle. I would prefer it if the pickle was in me and not the other way around. I sat next to Astrea, beside a glowing pool of goop. This was no ordinary pool of fluorescent sludge, oh no, this was the concentrated stuff. Direct from BAI, the cream of the crop, so to speak, of toxic irradiated slime. I stared around the cavernous room to the varied, shall we say diverse, congregation here. There were quite a few of them, thirty or so in total. All of them were less than pleasing to the eye. Some were downright hideous with deformed and warped bodies. I guess compared to some of these, I didn¡¯t get the shit end of the stick on looks. I can see that it could have gone a hell of a lot worse.


    Nuclear Knight stood on an upraised platform that overlooked the pool and the rest of the room, ¡°We are gathered here today to welcome two lost souls amongst our flock.¡±


    Hmm, it almost sounds like we are getting married or something. I interrupted, ¡°We didn¡¯t say that we wanted to join.¡±


    He was not perturbed. ¡°Worry not children, you are welcome among us. Now let us rejoice in the word of Pluton. His love, his salvation is for all. Lord Pluton shall not turn away the leper nor the crippled.¡±


    Astrea didn¡¯t understand what was going on. I did though, this was clearly an initiation into the cult. Why do all the wackos on power trips come after me? Am I some sort of mailable individual who has a sign on my back saying ¡°Come convert me!¡± It is not like I am some youth straight out of college who is gullible and susceptible to influencing. What is this fifty shades of gay? Sorry sir, but religious institutions are more for power and control than actually teaching morals and social edicts. Sure they are there, but they are simply sprinkled in. It gives them the moral high ground on the things that they do and allows them to look down on others. It is a lot easier to control people if they give themselves over to some higher cause like serving some god.


    Those in despair and at the lowest point of their lives will cling to anything to be able to find meaning in life. Ostracized from those whom they used to be close to. Forsaken by society, whether it be real or imagined. It is when they are most vulnerable to kind words and a cause to believe in. Such things are dangerous, extremely dangerous. Under the right circumstances, even healthy minded people can fall prey to such things. It doesn¡¯t even have to be a religion around a god figure, it could very well be an ideal. The so-called right thing can very well be a machination of the most atrocious things imaginable. History has seen it time and again. With the best of intentions, the most heinous acts humanity has ever witnessed have been committed.


    Germany in the aftermath of the first world war would be a prime example. The people were desperate and angry. Since they had been forced to pay reparations and it had destroyed their country, in a war they didn¡¯t even start. Such conditions make it easy for radicals to take hold and gain power. The perfect spawning ground for the National Socialist German Workers¡¯ Party later commonly abbreviated to Nazis. They used the scapegoat method on the Jewish people and made them out to be evil. It is hard to imagine that a single man, who failed to get into art school would set in motion events that would shape the world and be responsible for the deaths of millions. The most reviled human in recent history, Adolf Hitler. We all know how that ended.


    It is easy to demonize others by stripping them of their humanity and comparing them to something else, like pests or vermin and as such needing to be exterminated. Of course, let¡¯s not forget about the Japanese and the slaughter of the Chinese during WWII as well. I mean, I love the culture, like roll on the floor foaming at the mouth for more, but that doesn¡¯t excuse the atrocities committed by Imperial Japan. Then there were the US firebombings of Kyoto and Tokyo, among others. These killed a lot more than the nukes ever did. As well as the internment camps, the confiscation of property, and mass round-ups. The USSR under Stalin killed more than the Nazis ever did over the course of his iron-fisted reign. Yet we don¡¯t talk about that. After all, the victors write the stories that go down in history and they choose who the villains and heroes are.


    I guess, no matter how you look at it humanity is capable of some terrible things. Witch hunts to inquisitions to root out heresy and forbidden ideals. History is full of darkness. Nowadays we tend to sugar coat these things, less to scare the children. However those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. We have come so far and yet we could easily fall back centuries. It is a slippery slope. Might makes right could very well make a come back.


    Molotov is very much the same, comparing humans to animals. If she had her way civis would either be wiped from the face of the earth or enslaved by Supers. I can only assume that they would be used like cattle or pets, beasts of labor. It is a scary thought. From what I heard, she was doing that over in Russia. I sincerely hope that her diabolical schemes never come to fruition.


    All that being said, there are merits in religion and ideals. It is only when they have been corrupted and twisted to serve some ulterior motive that things go horribly awry. If used correctly, they can bring people together in peace and harmony. Giving them a place of safety in an otherwise inhospitable world. Depending on what exactly is taught and actually practiced the outcome is very different. In the past, it has been used as a unifying element to pull otherwise opposed groups together under one banner. There are plenty who preach one thing and yet practice another behind closed doors. Here would be a good example, these poor people certainly need the love of some all accepting god. After all, a lot of them have faces not even a mother could love. They are all desperate to believe in something after being rejected by those above. There has to be meaning in life or else everything is dull and gray.


    Nuclear Knight spoke, raising his hands. ¡°They say it is what you make, I say it is up to fate. The Lord has brought us all here, together for a purpose. There are no happenstances, no coincidences. All has been preordained. It is our destiny to fulfill his will. As we seek salvation from the sins of the overworld. The land above us is rife with evil and abominations. Their tempting words will lead us astray with the sins of the flesh and the greed for material possessions.¡±


    Sounds like some pretty orthodox stuff. By saying that everything has already been set in stone he is more or less making it so that his actions are blameless since they would have happened no matter what. I am on to you. It is a clever way of escaping responsibility while also furthering his fanaticism. Fanatics in just about anything are bad news bears since they take things way too far. The other thing is he is telling everybody to give up their possessions. He is likely hoarding them somewhere.


    ¡°We must stay on the path of the righteous or else our souls shall be forfeit and the everlasting life of the Ever Glow will be lost!¡±


    Shrieks filled the crowd and children cried. They fervently pleaded and worshiped him. Oh boy, he has got these people thoroughly indoctrinated. Well, I guess if his preaching is just peaceful then it isn¡¯t so bad. Could be a lot worse¡­ oops. Me and my big mouth.


    ¡°We must convert the nonbelievers!¡±


    Oh, god dammit! Why? Why can¡¯t you people just be happy with those already around you? Don¡¯t involve innocent bystanders. He stepped down beside me and I edged away from him. I was kinda cornered with the pool behind me. He¡¯s not¡­ son of a bitch. He is going to push me in there, isn¡¯t he!? Gross, gross. I don¡¯t know where that has been or who has been in it. For all I know, it is their spawning pool and it is filled with all their disgusting bodily fluids. His hand pushed me and I latched on. It is going to take more than that to defeat me! I smacked him in the face, or rather helmet and it came off. I stared wide eyed at the glowing skull that had sinuous muscles attached to it.


    ¡°What are you!?¡± I screeched at him.


    ¡°I am Lord Pluton¡¯s Apostle, his prophet set upon the world to bring glory to his name and salvation to the lost and the damned.¡±


    ¡°You are crazy!¡±


    ¡°Be reborn in his holy glow!¡± He shouted, dunking me under the surface.


    I should have known he wasn¡¯t afraid to go in himself! I clawed at the goop as it soaked in everywhere. I held my breath as long as I could, struggling against his firm grasp. My antenna writhed, drowning in the scent of¡­ well, I am not entirely sure what it smells and for that matter tastes like. All that I know is it burns like acid. Somehow I am getting flashbacks to that night that started all of this. This, this isn¡¯t Mutigene is it?! Where would he even get that stuff?


    My air was running out and the hearts beat erratically fueling my fears of drowning. His firm grip held me down here where I couldn¡¯t get a good hold on anything to push or kick off of to break free. If I could just touch the bottom, then I could get loose. This goop was viscous almost solid, yet didn¡¯t give me enough purchase to escape and instead weighed me down. Bubbles foamed out of my mouth and I gasped for air, except there was none. The searing liquid filled my insides. My lungs filled to the point they overflowed and it oozed into other organs, mixing and churning like molten lava. So fucking painful! This is so much worse than being dissected. Am I melting?!


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    My strength gave out and I stopped struggling, just as things started turning dark. That was when he pulled me up. He flopped me down and pushed on my chest. Blugh! The goo shot out of my mouth and I writhed. I rolled onto my side throwing up. I don¡¯t know how long I lay there barfing my guts out, but eventually, I got a clear enough head to see that they had tried to get Astrea too. Unfortunately for them, she was too tall to be submerged in the pool. Well, it is not surprising she is like nine feet tall.


    She just looked at them strangely and Nuclear Knight had to fill several buckets up and dump them on her head. She didn¡¯t seem to mind at all. In fact, I think she enjoyed it. Probably thought it was some sort of bath. I guess she is used to this stuff. Well, she has been down here for a while. Come to think of it, she has probably been drinking this stuff. What other water sources are even down here? Maybe, maybe that is why she is so damned big?


    At any rate, my head is all fuzzy and I don¡¯t feel so good. My abdomen feels a bit bloated too. I gotta pee, I really gotta pee! I covered my face partly in shame and partly because I feel something coming up again. I couldn¡¯t hold it anymore and just let it spurt out. Arrgh! It burns it really feels like my cooch is on fire. There was yellow mixed in there. I am bleeding! So that means, I gots the Chlamydia! This is going to be so embarrassing when Neon Nurse gives me a check up and I will have to tell her it burns when I pee.


    ¡°His love fills us. It encompasses us and surrounds us even here in the darkness. Let his glow guide us. We are reborn through his light.¡±


    ¡°We are reborn!¡± cried out the crowd.


    ¡°Take them to recover, with the other initiates,¡± he said, pointing off to the side.


    Astrea didn¡¯t let them touch me, seeing how weak, I had become. She carried me as they prodded her into following. It seems that she is scared of Nuclear Knight. They must have gotten into a fight before or something and seeing the results it is easy to see that she lost. Not really a big surprise, she likely tried to brute force it and got burned. That would explain why her face is a bit melted. I should have paid more attention to the warning signs she was emitting. She knew they were around here.


    We were led along to a room near the back of the enclave by among others the porcupine girl. She had long spines that came from her back and instead of hair more of them protruded from her scalp. They looked like they were made of bone or something. Her face was a little rodenty, sharp teeth and large eyes. However, unlike most rodents, she was neither shy nor scared.


    ¡°Welcome sisters. We do hope that Pluton¡¯s favor does not harm you.¡± She smiled, revealing those bucked chompers.


    ¡°What are you going to do to us?¡± I asked, feverish.


    ¡°We will put you with the other converts and await any changes that might come. Once you are stable you shall be taught the scriptures of Lord Pluton and his will.¡±


    ¡°I need water. Like nonglowing water.¡±


    ¡°We shall bring you food and water soon enough.¡±


    Well, that is thoughtful of them. Then again, I guess they have a vested interest in keeping their converts alive. We had come to the place that they kept the mutating people. There were five people in here, each in a different state of development. Some were turning into animal people while others were, well¡­ I am not entirely sure what was happening to some of the others. One of them I couldn¡¯t even tell that it was a person anymore. I could only assume that it was what with all that bulging flesh and extra limbs.


    The newest convert before us appeared to be an office lady. Her business suit and the like were shredded and from what I could see she was having some serious problems. Her arm had broken out in hives or maybe giant zits. I poked one and she reeled, screaming into a corner. Wait, those are eyeballs. Those are definitely eyes, they moved and oozed tears as the pupils expanded and contracted. Holy shit, she must have like fifty of them just on that arm alone. It looks painful.


    ¡°What is your problem bitch?!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t realize those were eyes. Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Do I look ok to you? Use your damned eyes.¡±


    Eye puns¡­ she is fine. I dismissively looked away from her.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t touch others so readily.¡± Said a voice from over to the side.


    My gaze found something rather strange. Well, maybe not so much down here. A giant Cockroach. Now, this was no ordinary creepy crawly that I had encountered before. This thing just talked. Reee?! I jumped away like a scared cat. I knew it! Hide your children, hide your wife. Nuke em Rico! The uprising is at hand, we are doomed, DOOOOMED! Astrea quickly picked me up again, looking worried over my actions. She looked between me and the roach assessing what to do. It seems that she didn¡¯t like the roach either.


    ¡°Calm down. I mean you no harm.¡± Said the roach.


    Lies! Who can trust a bug? I stared at it pointedly. I could see exactly why this thing could talk. It had a huge brain. In fact, the gray matter was exposed on the top of its head, covered by sort of clear see through carapace or membrane. It was totally gross. Ngh, I saw it move. Those big, bulbous, soulless eyes staring at me. The antennae twitched. Astrea loomed over him and he retreated a little, scared. Hmm, so that means we are still the predator in this situation. We must be wary to no be outsmarted by this abomination.


    ¡°Were you a human originally?¡± I asked eyeing it.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why can you speak English?¡±


    ¡°I learned?¡± It said questioningly.


    Hmmm. Likely story. The girl who had brought us here took its clawed appendage in hand, ¡°So, Doctor are they doing better?¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± I said, pointing, ¡°You are a doctor?¡±


    ¡°I am indeed.¡± It replied, ¡°Yes Maggie, they are doing better. Most are stable. Though we, unfortunately, did lose one.¡±


    I looked over to where it was pointing and it looked like something had melted into a fleshy soup. Oh, that doesn¡¯t look good at all. So I guess people do die from that baptism in sewage. That poor bastard, I hope they are dead. I certainly wouldn¡¯t want to live like that. Something was really bugging me and it was that damned roach.


    ¡°How did you become a Doctor?¡± I questioned it.


    ¡°I was taught.¡±


    ¡°By who?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°I am sure that you would not know her.¡±


    It can¡¯t be¡­ ¡°Dr. Arbor?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you do know.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how do you know her?¡±


    ¡°She found me a few years back and experimented on me. As a result, I have gained Super Intelligence.¡±


    By Helix. It is worse than I thought. I picked up a newspaper that was over to the side and rolled it up. I smacked him over the head with it. It was super effective. He reeled back fleeing from me as I chased him down. You must not be allowed to live! The world is at stake. Your kind shall not inherit the earth! Come back here, it won¡¯t hurt much. I am just going to smash you like the insect you are.


    Maggie got in between us, fending me off with her rows of spines, ¡°What are you doing. Stop that.¡±


    I smacked her on the head too, making her cry. Bad, that is a bad whatever the hell you are. What? Did you freaks think I was going to play nice? You fucking kidnapped me and dunked me in irradiated goop. You think I am not going to be mad?! Maggie did something unexpected. The spines on her back wiggled. It seems that she was angry. It was kinda cute how she was pouting. I faltered my attack of the bristling porcupine girl and in the next moment the quills shot out like missiles. I swooped and dodged a lot of them, but there was a lot. They harpooned me and I felt like a pin cushion.


    ¡°Owe, fuck!¡± I yelled, trying to yank out the one that had lodged itself into my face.


    The damned things were barbed and it was stuck in there. The more I pulled, the more it hurt. I grit my mandibles and tore it out, leaving a hole in the middle of my face. I glanced over to make sure that Astrea was ok. She was fine. She had been hit by a few, but they did not penetrate her thick exoskeleton. It was definitely more dense than mine and tougher. She had closed the gape and concern filled her face. She poked at my wounds and pulled out the ten spikes that had stabbed into various parts of me. Luckily, they were rather shallow. It seems that my exoskeleton was just a little too weak to ward them off. So that means that these things were about as bad as bullets in terms of force. I will have to keep that in mind.


    I stared down at the quivering rodent girl. You, you evil little creature! I smacked her again with the newspaper and she started blubbering. That is what you get for quilling me, you little bitch. She was bald for the moment, but I could see the heads of the new spikes already growing and poking out of her skin. Wow, those things grow fast. I guess that means she is defenseless. I grabbed her before she could run away and bent her over my knee, spanking her. Not too hard or anything. I don¡¯t want to cripple her with a broken ass.


    ¡°Release her!¡± Cried the roach charging.


    I grabbed him by the face and held him at bay. He is pretty weak. Well, I guess he is a thinker, not a fighter. I should kill it here before it can breed. It looked kinda desperate, trying to save her, at the expense of its own safety. Maybe this roach is not evil? I let them go, realizing that I was becoming the bad guy here. I did attack out of the blue, sure it was just a newspaper, but that doesn¡¯t really matter. Besides, what kinda hero picks on a little girl?


    ¡°You, you let us go?¡± he questioned in disbelief. Clearly, they thought I was going to kill them.


    ¡°My bad. I got carried away. You are not plotting to take over the world or anything right?¡±


    ¡°No, I am a pacifist.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so I see. You a girl or a boy by the way?¡±


    ¡°I am male. Why did you attack me?¡±


    ¡°I ran into some roaches down below that seemed like they wanted to take over the world.¡±


    ¡°Lord Pluton¡¯s love will make the world glow!¡± Said Maggie.


    ¡°Maggie. We have talked about this. Pluton isn¡¯t real.¡± Said the roach.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that Doctor or else your soul will burn in nuclear hellfire when the world is purged during Pluton¡¯s second coming! Only the chosen shall be spared.¡± Cried Maggie.


    Oh, well that is quite the bomb to drop. So Nuclear Knight is planning on setting off a Nuclear Apocalypse? I guess I should have seen that one coming. That is not peaceful at all. We should probably do something about that. Where the hell did he get a nuke? Sure, there is a lot of radioactive waste down here, but it is more complicated than that to make a bomb I would imagine. Unless he is just making dirty bombs.


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t believe in Pluton?¡± I asked the roach.


    ¡°No. I am a man of science! That Pluton is simply the fanciful ideal that Nuclear Knight used to rationalize what happened to him and the others.¡±


    ¡°Then why the hell are you here in his cult?¡±


    ¡°I am here to observe them and ensure that diseases and the like are controlled.¡±


    ¡°So Dr. Cock-¡±


    He interrupted me, ¡°My name is Dr. Crypto!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Roach.¡±


    ¡°My name is Dr. Crypto!¡±


    I gave him a stingy look. Taking away my fun. ¡°So you are just observing and don¡¯t like Pluton right?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean you will help me in undermining Nuclear Knight¡¯s control?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I balled my fists and punched them together menacingly, ¡°I guess that means I can¡¯t let you leave here in one piece.¡±


    He waved his claws frantically, ¡°Just because I won¡¯t help doesn¡¯t mean I will oppose you.¡±


    I smiled, oh such an evil grin, ¡°Good cause you got a lot of explaining to do. What is Nuclear Knight¡¯s weakness?¡±


    He gulped, looking shiftly around, ¡°I, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Wrong answer!¡± I shouted and smacked him over the head with the newspaper, ¡°Astrea, if this doesn¡¯t prove to be useful I will allow you to eat it.¡±


    She looked around and then started drooling with hungry eyes at the roach. He panicked ¡°Ok, ok, I will talk. Just don¡¯t let her eat me!¡±


    Fufu, I guess playing the Villain comes naturally for me. I certainly look the part. It seems a lot more effective than trying to reason with him. I smile and they cringe away in fear. I could smell their fear, such a delightful scent. The stench of prey. Shall we begin the questioning or rather an interrogation? It won¡¯t hurt, much, I promise.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 16

    The Vespidian


    Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 16


    I peered around the room. It was good to know one¡¯s surroundings after all. There were beds arrayed at various intervals around the dingy room. They were not really much to look at more or less just mattresses, laying on the floor. All of which were mildewy and stained with questionable fluids. This place was worse than a run down motel on the bad side of town. There was a table with some medical equipment. Something tells me this is the sort of place one wakes up in a bathtub full of ice and written on the wall in blood is ¡°Get to a hospital!¡± Not my kidneys! Don¡¯t harvest my organs and sell them on he black market. I wouldn¡¯t put it past these people. Still, the medical stuff seemed out of place here, seeing as how it looked a bit high tech and expensive. If I didn¡¯t know any better it almost looked like some sort of meth lab. Tubes and things running around between breakers and vials with some concoction dripping through it.


    To the side, a space heater hummed lowly, plugged into a grungy outlet that did not look regulation compliant. I get the feeling it could start a fire or electrocute someone. It did however, keep, the room warm and humid. This sort of place was the perfect breeding ground for all manner of insects and fungi. Mosses spread on the wall where a slow drip of water leaked through the cracked concrete. Little critters scurried around trying to keep out of sight. The smell in here was rancid, putrid, like rotting meat¡­ delicious. Eh, wait, what?


    ¡®Sub? What was that?¡¯


    Nothing. I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.


    ¡®Sub.¡¯


    What? I am just hungry, ok? Just ignore it, it is nothing.


    ¡®Well, alright.¡¯


    There was a fungus growing on the wall and it was unlike any of the others. It faintly glowed blue oddly enough. Dirt and dried blood coated the floor. This place is seriously not clean. Look, I get it, you live in a fucking sewer, but for fuck¡¯s sake that is not an excuse to forgo anything reminiscent of sanitation. Cleanliness is akin to godliness, right? Ever heard of hygiene? Really, this is where they take the sick? They must have high mortality ratings on the converts. People probably get sick just from being here. Well, I guess it is a good thing I am not a person then.


    The other converts were sticking to their corners of the room, avoiding any sort of confrontation with me. Especially eye lady. She just hugged herself crying in self-loathing. It made things easier since it left the roach and Maggie to my mercy. Astrea was getting distracted by the fungus, mulling around over there by it. She kept poking it and pulling little pieces off, eating them. I put my hand up to stop her, but lowered it, realizing that, she knows more than I do about this stuff. If she was eating it, then it probably wasn¡¯t poisonous. At the least, not to us. Although, it might be a hallucinogen¡­ There are spots and it is clear. I had seen one of those in the forest when I was kid. Granted it was not all radioactive, but it certainly looks similar.


    I pulled her away from there like a parent having to drag her child from the candy store, Astrea didn¡¯t want to give it up. I swatted the plant from the wall and stomped on it until there was nothing really left. Astrea had a very sour look on her face, though she did not say anything or vocalize a complaint. She didn¡¯t need to, she smelled of malcontent. I smiled at her, petting her tentacles to calm her down. It worked rather well and soon she was purring and had forgotten all about the destroyed meal.


    Now then, to the matter at hand. I turned to Dr. Crypto, newspaper in hand.


    ¡°Tell me.¡± I snarled, looming over the quivering roach.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Where are the plans to the rebel base!?¡±


    ¡°What rebel base? What are you talking about?!¡± he screeched in terror.


    I picked him up by the carapace and shook him around like a rag doll, ¡°Where is Hillary Duff!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± He screamed, backing into a corner. ¡°You are crazy!¡±


    ¡°Like a fox.¡±


    I slapped him and he started crying, ah the bug has feelings. I suppose, I should begin the real questions now that he is shaken up and willing to talk. ¡°What is the source of Nuclear Knights power?¡±


    He appeared to be dazed for a moment before it registered, ¡°He is radioactive.¡±


    ¡°I know that stupid! I thought you were supposed to be smart? What makes him so damned strong?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He replied and I raised my hand to slap his face off, ¡°But, but Dr. Arbor was researching him!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I lowered my hand, ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°It is complicated, I don¡¯t think you would understand even if I told you.¡±


    I slapped him. ¡°Just cause you are smart you think I am stupid?! I will have you know my brain is the size of a watermelon.¡±


    He peered at me blankly¡­ that is a look of pity, ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you are smart.¡±


    I shook him violently. ¡°You calling me stupid?¡±


    ¡°No, please I will tell you, ok? Just stop with the violence.¡±


    I eyed him, ¡°Well get talking.¡±


    ¡°He is in a constant state of flux.¡±


    ¡°Flux you say? How so?¡±


    ¡°Basically, he is transitioning from one state to another. He is physically becoming a gas and reverting back to a solid.¡±


    I rubbed my chin. What the hell does that even mean? The only thing I know that turns into a gas and a solid would be water. ¡°So is he like water rapidly heating up and then cooling down?¡±


    The bug seemed surprised. Hey! Don¡¯t be so surprised. It is offensive. He answered as I contemplated smacking him again. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So then how would you go about beating that?¡±


    ¡°From the testing, if you could contain his gaseous form in something it would render him useless, more or less. However, the radiation he emits is highly corrosive. There are not many materials that can withstand it for very long.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is his suit made of? That thing seems to be pretty durable.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is a prototype from Dr. Arbor. He has had it for about a year now, originally it vented his radiation out to be used as a weapon when needed. Before the seals broke it fully contained his power to prevent exposure to those around him.¡±


    ¡°Well, if she made a suit then surely she made some sort of containment cell to keep him in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she did. It siphons off his excess radiation to power a generator.¡±


    So her fingers are pretty deep in this cookie jar. If she had something like that, then she could have stopped him a long time ago. Then why has she not trapped him and done intrusive studies of him? Or is there some other motive to keeping him running loose? I just don¡¯t get it. If I had her power then I would have locked that wacko away a long time ago. I guess that is another question to ask her when I see her.


    ¡°Ok, so I am assuming that said chamber is not readily available to us to trap him inside of. So, what else could be used to take him down? Is it possible to disrupt his phasing?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically, it could be possible to lock him into either solid form or gas form if he were heated or cooled to a certain temperature. However, with how his body regulated temperature, it would be impossible. If you try to heat him, he will cool and if you try to cool him, he heats up.¡±


    ¡°Would it be possible to trick him into heating up too much?¡±


    ¡°It might be but, I am unsure. It is somewhat related to his psyche.¡±


    ¡°Ok got it. So I just gotta make him really mad to the point that he is literally steaming. Then what?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°He would probably implode.¡±


    I stared at him for a long moment, blinked a few times and then sighed, ¡°So he would blow up?¡±


    ¡°Considering that the man is a walking nuclear reactor, yes.¡±


    ¡°And nobody has seen this as a problem?¡±


    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t a problem at the least not until a few months back.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Arbor did an experiment on him and it augmented his powers. This would be why the suit¡¯s integrity has failed.¡±


    ¡°What exactly did she do to him?¡±


    ¡°I am unsure.¡±


    Dr. Arbor! Why you do this? Stop making Super Villains stronger! I mean I know it is your job, but for Pete¡¯s sake make the heroes stronger! First, you monkeyed around with Glitter Kitten and them and now this? Are you trying to build an army of super freaks? Oh, wait, that is exactly what she is doing. Then she really is evil. She is the mastermind behind everything! I am going to have to give her a piece of my mind when I meet her again.


    ¡°Then we should freeze him. You wouldn¡¯t happen to have any liquid nitrogen laying around would you?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°Ah, here I was thinking we could pull a terminator on him.¡±


    ¡°Terminator?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Alright, so if you work for her, then you must know where her observation post is right?¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He seemed to be hesitating on that. I raised my hand and he covered his face, ¡°Yes, yes I know. Don¡¯t hit me again.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°I won¡¯t if you show me where it is.¡±


    Dr. Crypto glared at me before sullenly agreeing. Well then, now that is out of the way, we just need to get out of here. My eyes fell on Maggie. She had more or less been hiding this whole time, but now that there was talk of leaving, she had emerged or rather was creeping along the side of the room to get to the door and escape. I can¡¯t have none of that, so I pounced. Like some great bird of prey, I came down on her. She squealed like a rodent and scrabbled on the concrete in an attempt to escape. But I was faster and her spines had not grown back yet, making her easy prey. I dragged her back over and tied her hands and feet together with some of the surgical tubing that lay scattered across the floor. This place was pretty disorderly.


    ¡°Lord Pluton will get you for this!¡± She cried out.


    Yes, yes, sure he will. I stuffed a sock in her mouth to shut her up. Now that the nuisance is out of the way I could actually think. The other converts were scared and kept quiet from fear of being eaten by Astrea. I mean, she did look famished, staring at Mr. Roach while drooling hungrily.


    There were a few things that made our escape complicated. For one, well we would not be able to just walk out of here. There were mutants everywhere and the entrances were guarded. The wall was a bit thick so it would take a while to tunnel through. This was our main escape plan. I didn¡¯t trust the little coward to not rat us out if he was used as a guide or something. However, I was going to be needing a distraction so that nobody noticed Astrea breaking down the wall. She was not exactly quiet and we didn¡¯t have too much time to get out of the way before the Hero League showed up. Since I have a tracking device in my head and Sheila likely ran off to tell them that I have been child napped.


    Still, I don¡¯t know what the hell was in that sludge, but I feel sick. I should be immune to radiation, but if that wasn¡¯t irradiated water, then I have problems. This fever won¡¯t go away and I got the runs. I think this is the first time I have ever been sick since I transformed. Makes it hard to concentrate on things. The only thing that I could compare it to would likely be dysentery. Which isn¡¯t good if I remain down here. With modern medicine, it is nothing to worry about, but we don¡¯t have access to that down here. My regeneration should keep me from dying or anything like that, but who is to say something else might happen?


    We would need a distraction to manage an escape. Just when I was stumped somebody entered the room, disrupting my plots and schemes. The guy with the tentacles. Astrea and I looked at him and he looked at us, rather happy to see us I might add. And by us I mean Astrea. This guy was giving her some rather passionate stares and from what I could tell, he wasn¡¯t disgusted by what he saw. Wait, don¡¯t tell me he is into her? I kept looking back and forth between them. They seemed to know one another. All be it, Astrea seemed less than enthusiastic to see him. She seemed neutral about the whole thing. Oh is she giving him the cold shoulder?


    I broke up the awkward silence by clearing my throat, ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    He seemed a bit shy, ¡°I came to check up on you two.¡±


    ¡°And?!¡± Said the boy from behind him, he recoiled a little.


    ¡°Ah right, Dr. Crypto can you fix Meld?¡±


    ¡°So unreliable, no wonder Packrat stole your spot in the commune. You really are a sucker.¡± Grumbled the half melted boy, dragging the frozen solid girl connected to him.


    Oh? That sounds like there is turmoil in the happy little cult. I wonder if I could take advantage of this? It could be worth looking into. The roach was giving me a worried look, clearly asking for permission. I nodded and he seemed to relax. That is still a child, I am not heartless you know. Dr. Crypto made his way over and started inspecting the child Popsicle. Meanwhile, I looked back to the hazmat suit adorned man.


    ¡°Have you two met before?¡± I asked him.


    He replied with a fond smile that turned to a grimace at the end, ¡°Yes, we did. She tried to eat me though.¡±


    ¡°Well, I could imagine. She is a hungry girl after all. Speaking of which, you guys have food?¡±


    ¡°What is her name?¡± He inquired, looking upon my larger counterpart.


    ¡°I named her Astrea.¡±


    ¡°You named her?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she rescued me from some spiders and we hit it off.¡±


    ¡°Oh, here I was thinking you were her child. Although it would be weird for you to talk and her to not if she was older.¡±


    ¡°She very well could be older than me. We have only been introduced since yesterday after all.¡±


    ¡°Have you been down here all this time alone?¡± he asked me.


    I was about to reply when the prospect of him finding out that I am a hero kinda ruins my secret identity. ¡°No, I was in the Slums for a while and wandered in here recently.¡±


    ¡°Are you having any symptoms of illness?¡± he seemed genuinely concerned.


    ¡°Well, just a little, but I don¡¯t think it is serious. You have clean water down here?¡±


    ¡°Clean? There is nothing more clean than Pluton¡¯s nectar. Drink of it and his power will flow through you.¡±


    ¡°What is that like Jesus Juice?¡±


    ¡°Ah, an MJ fan, I see.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you like him too?¡± I replied surprised.


    ¡°Of course, I grew up with that music.¡±


    My stomach grumbled. ¡°Food?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I will be right back.¡± Sucker said, hurrying off.


    How reliable. You know, he seems like a nice guy. I looked at Astrea, maybe¡­ no, no, no. She is my waifu. I don¡¯t care if he does have good intentions, that is mine. All of it clear from her claws to her tentacles is mine and I am not sharing. Besides, nice guys are pushovers and get taken advantage of by others. Speaking of which, that gives me an idea. He supposedly has a high position here right? If I could convince him to join my cause then my chances of success go up dramatically. I may have just found an errand boy. If I play my cards right, he might even escort us out of here and let us go on our way.


    I glanced at Meld. What a poor creature. Actually, they are still people so that is a little offensive I suppose. It is like a physical manifestation of me and Sub how we are separate and yet the same. I am probably just personifying myself onto them. That is not a good habit, like attributing human characteristics to animals. I shouldn¡¯t be getting attached or cozy with these people. This isn¡¯t like the Mad Dogs where I stood no chance of breaking out on my own. As far as I heard, I am stronger than everybody here, save Nuclear Knight and maybe one or two others. Better safe to assume so anyway.


    ¡°How is she doing?¡±


    Dr. Crypto replied, ¡°She will be just fine after the ice melts. This sort of thing is a capturing tool used by the Hero League.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how the ice doesn¡¯t give frost bite to those shot?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°The ice has an enzyme that puts cells into stasis, preserving them from the damaging effects of freezing. You ever heard of cryogenics?¡±


    ¡°I have actually. I thought that was science fiction though? Which now that I said it sounds silly since there are cyborgs running around. Still, it is amazing that they figured out how to get it to work. I mean freezing is the easy part, thawing is the hard part due to how the cells degrade from being frozen.¡±


    ¡°I am not an expert on it so I cannot say the exact specifics.¡±


    Seeing as how I wasn¡¯t going to get any farther with that I changed the subject. ¡°So what is Meld¡¯s power?¡±


    Meld rubbed his nose, ¡°I can melt anything I touch, well except metal.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the boy shrugged. How helpful.


    For now, he was on the possible threat list. Considering I am not made of metal he could be problematic. I wonder though, how resistant is my carapace to that sort of thing? I almost want to ask to have him liquefy a finger or something just to see. However, Getting melted isn¡¯t exactly high up on my to-do list. Then again it would be good to know how dangerous it was in case we ever got into a fight. On the other hand, since he said melt I can assume it is some sort of acid and as memory serves that is the bane of my existence and I can¡¯t regenerate it. So I better just leave it alone.


    Meld had drug over his better part and set her so that a little heater could blow hot air on her. Slowly but surely the girl was getting defrosted, like a frozen dinner in the microwave. It was no wonder either, the room was likely in the nineties almost a hundred degrees. It certainly was like a greenhouse in here. I sat in Astrea¡¯s lap, letting her appendages coil around me. She seemed to have abandonment issues and didn¡¯t want me running off. Not that I would, still I found it cute and gently rubbed her sensitive feelers. Now, this was skinship, pure and simple.


    Sucker returned carrying some cans of food. I¡­ I know those cans. The bold ¡°Shake me!¡± on the side and images of chicken gave me all that I needed to know. Those are the same as the Hero League has. Why the hell do they have them? Did they steal from the League? But then wait a minute I thought those things were made on site in the cafeteria? I am confused. Either somebody is supplying them with food or they figured out a way to steal it. Both have heavy implications.


    I can easily assume that Dr. Arbor is feeding them if that is the case. I thought she preferred minimal interference with her research specimens? Since it hinders their natural behavior if she does. Feeding animals inhibits their hunting instincts and they become reliant on the food givers. Humans are very much the same, we become complacent and lose motivation. If you are just given something then why would you exert effort into earning it? It is the old give a man a fish proverb. This just raises more damned questions. What the hell are you up to down here Dr. Arbor?


    Putting all that aside, I had an insurrection to start. There would be holes and doubts in the followers. There always are, it is just a matter of finding the weak point and manipulating it. These people are crazy and so I must fight religious mumbo jumbo with religious mumbo jumbo.


    ¡°So Sucker. I heard that Packrat screwed you over.¡±


    His face visibly tightened up at that, ¡°It is in the past.¡±


    I know a wound to an ego when I see one. ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t you want revenge? I mean he stole from you, didn¡¯t he? He made a fool of you and took your place in the hierarchy right?¡±


    Meld laughed cruelly, ¡°Yeah before Packrat showed up Sucker was Reverend¡¯s right hand, now he isn¡¯t a toe.¡±


    Sucker visibly shook with angry over the child¡¯s words, but he managed to suppress it, ¡°Lord Pluton teaches forgiveness and so I shall endure.¡±


    ¡°All that humiliation? He made a mockery out of you, didn¡¯t he? I mean I heard about it and I just got here.¡±


    ¡°It is the test of a true man to not give in to such emotions.¡±


    Hmm. Well, he is saying some admirable things here. I feel a little bad about this. Maybe I don¡¯t have to trick him and just be honest. He seems like a rather righteous person. ¡°Hey Sucker. I was wondering could you let me and Astrea out of here so we can visit Dr. Arbor?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Arbor?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t know about Dr. Arbor? She is a person who has been watching over you guys. She sent this to help you.¡± I said, pointing to Dr. Crypto who nodded.


    ¡°Watching over us? A messenger of the Lord?!¡±


    Oh, I can use this. ¡°Yes a messenger of the Lord, but not Pluton. He is a false god.¡±


    He stared at me in disbelief, ¡°Lord Pluton a false God? No, I won¡¯t believe it!¡±


    I stood up declaring, ¡°Lord Helix is the one true God! Through his tentacles, our salvation is assured. You bear his mark as I and Astrea do, your tentacles are proof enough. He fainted for our sins! Come brother join us as his chosen, cast down the vile Dome Fossil and tear down your false idol Pluton.¡±


    ¡°But, but Reverend said-¡±


    I interrupted him, ¡°Hear not the heresy of the False Prophet! Though peace might be his words, his actions lead you and the other lambs to slaughter. Join me, help me save them before it is too late!¡±


    I could tell he was confused and debating over it. Damn, it wasn¡¯t enough. I need to push it harder. I could hear Maggie struggling in the corner. No doubt trying to get free so she could scream me down with her brainwashed rhetoric. Unfortunately for them, I had first had experience with cults and how to deal with them. Make them question the leader. I guess College was good for something.


    ¡°Nuclear Knight has forsaken you. He has beaten you down and stolen your free will so that you could not rise against him. What Prophet of a true god would allow your suffering to have been so great? How could he have allowed Packrat to usurp your hard earned rewards? Undermine your devotion and integrity? Clearly, he cares not for your well being. He is using you, Sucker! Open your eyes. Take my hand and join me. Let us rejoice in Lord Helix¡¯s embrace!¡±


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t. I am faithful and yet I can¡¯t just dismiss your words, they hold too much truth. I did all that I was asked. Yet why has Packrat been so favored? I was the one who found him and saved his life.¡±


    Yes, yes! I have him questioning his faith. It is only a matter of time now. I suppose it just shows how vulnerable these people are. Normal people would just think I am crazy and brush me off. ¡°Tell me, what has Lord Pluton been described as?¡±


    ¡°A glowing ball.¡±


    ¡°Do you not see? He is the Dome Fossil. An ancient evil, who would destroy the world! Packrat is an agent of evil, a demon set upon you to keep your spirit in check and bring you low so that you would never question the False Prophet. How else would such a treacherous creature rise so quickly to prominence? Has he not been a pestilence upon you from the very start? You have been deceived, but now you will know the true god Lord Helix. There is a reason you were gifted those beautiful tentacles. You have been chosen to cast off the veil and save your brethren from the lies of Nuclear Knight! He leads them to damnation. If not you, then who will save their souls?¡±


    Sucker started crying. Oh, maybe I pushed a little too hard. I pat his head, smiling, ¡°There, there Sucker. I know it is a lot to take in. I need your help. Your people know you, they will listen to you. They would never listen to me, an outsider, a stranger. Their eyes blinded and ears deafened to the truth. Take me to where Dr. Arbor is and all shall be revealed.¡±


    Maggie wriggled across the floor and managed to get her mouth free, ¡°She is lying! Don¡¯t listen to her Sucker! Lord Pluton¡¯s holy glow is our salvation. You can¡¯t turn your back on it. Reverend won¡¯t forgive you if you turn on the faith!¡±


    Uh oh. Sucker was having a serious moral dilemma here. Damn you, you filthy porcupine! Don¡¯t you ruin this for me. I had him, he was so close! I shoved a sock back into her mouth to silence her. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this lost child who has been led astray. She knows not what she speaks. Do you not see? This is what the False Prophet has done to them. He has warped their minds. Sucker, only hellfire awaits the followers of the Dome Fossil. I need your help. Astrea needs your help.¡±


    He looked between Maggie and Astrea. Finally, he came to a decision. ¡°How can I save them?¡±


    YES! Lord Helix be praised. Glory to the tentacles! Let the orgies begin! Oh, oops even I, am getting caught up in this.


    You¡¯re sick, you know that?


    ¡®Shut it Sub.¡¯


    ¡°Come my brother, there is much work to do.¡±

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 17

    The Vespidian


    Arc 7, Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 17


    ¡°You are leaving?¡± asked the woman, growing eyes all over.


    ¡°Yes, we are,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Take me with you. Don¡¯t leave me here.¡±


    She seemed very distressed. It was understandable considering her circumstances. She had been kidnapped and mutated. No doubt they were trying to brainwash her with their wacko religion. Well, having been in a similar situation myself, I could relate. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth to just leave people. However, she would slow us down, and besides, the hero league was coming so she would be saved. Then, I remembered exactly why I was in such a rush to get out of here. All of these people were going to be shipped to the Institute. Unless I had been lied to, that was not a happy place. Could I, in good conscious leave these people here? No. Damn this bleeding heart. I didn¡¯t have time for this.


    ¡°Alright, who wants to come with us? This is your last chance, so speak up.¡±


    Naturally, Eyegirl wobbled her way over. None of the others moved though, except the puddle of human flesh. I diverted my eyes. Don¡¯t look at it, don¡¯t make eye contact. Surely that thing is not sentient and it just twitched, right? Oh god, it is gurgling at us. Unless that is a plea of kill me, I will do my best to ignore it. I mean fuck. If I was like that just kill me and get it over with. So, I guess no takers. Well, I did try. With that, we left those poor souls to some fate which may or may not have been worse than death. I don¡¯t really know how bad it is so I will just ham it up here. Gotta look out for number one.


    ¡°Sucker lead us out of the enclave and then we will follow Dr. Crypto,¡± I said.


    He nodded, leading us out of the ramshackle building. We certainly were a strange group. Two wasp monsters, a giant talking roach, a crazed fanatic with tentacles and a woman growing eyes from just about everywhere. Truly a strange group indeed.


    This place was oddly calm. There wasn¡¯t any fighting between the freaks and they seemed to be getting along rather well. If their cult wasn¡¯t so violent to outsiders, they probably could have lived in peace down here undisturbed. That being said, from what I have pieced together they are likely plotting to nuke the city. Like a rabid dog, you just gotta put these sorts of things down before they can hurt people.


    Just when we were making our way to the exit my old pal Whiskers decided to make an appearance. Well, well, well. If it isn¡¯t the traitor. What brings you here? Ready to stab me in the back again? You little rat bastard! He squeaked and happily chattered. I ain¡¯t falling for that shit again. Low and behold a rat man appeared. He was a mangy sort. Scraps of fur missing and scars. He was an unclean creature and I could smell him from a distance.


    ¡°Packrat!¡± Declared Sucker undulating his tendrils menacingly.


    Uh oh. What are you doing, you idiot? We are trying to sneak out of here. Not cause a scene. Packrat looked between us, ¡°Where are you taking them?¡±


    Sucker faltered. I should have figured. He was a pushover to begin with. I sighed. It is just a rat man, I can take that should things reach that point. I glanced up at Astrea who looked annoyed. It seemed that she was taking her cues from me. She loomed, reeking of aggression. Whiskers got the hint, growling back. If things continued this way, then this would only end in violence.


    ¡°Packrat we are just going to meet Dr. Arbor. You know who that is right?¡±


    ¡°I do. What business do you have with her?¡±


    ¡°Eyegirl here is not doing well, so we were going to get her checked out.¡±


    He gave her a glance and her face hardened under the scrutiny. ¡°No can do. Nuclear Knight said nobody can leave right now.¡±


    ¡°Nuclear Knight is a false prophet! His words are lies!¡± yelled Sucker. Ah fuck. Now you grow a backbone? Just long enough to screw us over.


    His words echoed out into the room drawing all the gazes from varied entities. I can¡¯t exactly call them humans and calling them something else just seemed insulting. At any rate, our cover was blown, thanks to Sucker. Yeah, he is definitely not getting any of my Waifu after this shit. There was only one logical thing to do, run. However, this was an illogical situation and they would be expecting that. Fortunately, it seems that Nuclear Knight is not here at the moment. So I had to do the unexpected. Double down on the crazy. These people are nut jobs if I can convince them that Dr. Arbor¡¯s lab is akin to the holy land, then I am in business.


    ¡°What are you-¡± started Packrat before I cut him off, raising my hands and shouting, ¡°Rejoice, followers of the false prophet, for salvation has come! Cast down your idols and heretical god for the one true god has come!¡±


    ¡°One true god?¡± the gathered mutants looked at each other.


    I wiggled all my head-tendrils, ¡°Lord Helix has come to lead you to the light! Only his tentacles can clutch our souls from the darkest pits of sin! What sort of god lets his people live in squalor and cower below the surface of the earth, where not even the sun shines? Lord Pluton is an evil being who has ensnared you and your fellows with his honeyed words and empty promises. He wishes destruction upon the world and is deceiving you into furthering his goals. Cast down this vile being who imprisons you!¡±


    ¡°The Everglow is our salvation!¡± cried out several of them.


    Hmm, I thought so. ¡°Tell me, what must you do to earn your place in this Everglow?¡±


    ¡°We must do the Lord¡¯s bidding! Through our deeds of faith, we shall be saved!¡±


    ¡°And how do you know what his bidding is?¡±


    ¡°The Reverend tells us! He knows the will of the Lord.¡±


    I cast my hands out, ¡°His words are filled with ill intent. This Lord, he speaks to is evil! What compassionate god would allow his followers to suffer in this dank place?¡±


    ¡°This is a trial to prove our Faith!¡± cried out several of them, ¡°Hold fast, Pluton shall deliver us from this pretender!¡±


    I declared, ¡°Lies! Open your eyes. There is no Everglow. The only thing awaiting you is death and despair in this rotten hell hole! Join me in the exodus to the holy land where the earth is fertile and no one shall judge you based on your outer appearances. It is your souls that shall be judged. We shall live in peace and prosperity rather than famine and war.¡±


    Several of them started crying, while others grew angry but dared not attack due to the mass behind me known as Astrea. It seems I am swaying the more skeptical of the flock. They must see that living down here is terrible. Packrat had backed off. He wasn¡¯t really disturbed by my claims, in fact, he didn¡¯t seem to really care what I was saying. Was he not a religious crazy? That could put a wrench in my gear or it could help me.


    ¡°You shall not sully Lord Pluton¡¯s name!¡± cried out several of them.


    ¡°Your god is weak! If he were truly real and watching over you then he would strike me down now. He would smite me into oblivion for that is his way, is it not? Yet he does nothing while I slander his name and call him false. You have all been deceived, your good faith has been used against you for evil.¡±


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± asked a deep voice from our side. My blood ran cold when I saw Nuclear Knight returning from where ever he had been. Shit, shit. Oh fuck.


    I was already in deep, time to double down again. ¡°The False Prophet returns to whisper is lies into your innocent ears. Listen not to this wolf in Shepard¡¯s clothes. He has led all of you astray and onto a dark path where only damnation awaits!¡±


    ¡°What nonsense do you speak?¡± He roared back, getting closer. ¡°The holy glow is all around us. Pluton is with us, my brothers and sisters. Listen not to this seductress leading you from the path of the righteous!¡±


    ¡°The only path you tread is to damnation and eternal torment! Lord Pluton is a vile and twisted abomination who uses you for his gains! The only ones who will burn in nuclear hellfire are those who would spread it!¡±


    ¡°The Lord gave us light, the Lord is our light in the darkness! His holy glow encompasses us and strengthens us! The Everglow awaits the faithful and the deep dark awaits those who fall from his path! Repent now and be saved!¡±


    I screeched, ¡°Your souls will be forfeit and the lake of hellfire shall consume you if you continue this path. Turn back now or forever be lost! Save yourselves from this man¡¯s lies. If he truly cared for you then why must you hide in the sewers and scrounge for scraps, while everyone else walks the earth and bathe in the light of the sun?!¡±


    Nuclear Knight seemed to be fuming, the mist plumed out from around him, ¡°I have had enough of you and your lies little one. By Pluton be purged!¡±


    ¡°See! He resorts to violence when his words fail! He is an agent of evil!¡± I screamed, retreating from the encroaching wall of green.


    Eyegirl cried, ¡°What are you doing? We are all going to die!¡±


    She kinda had a point. Looks like my plan backfired a bit. We are going to need a miracle or something to get out of this. My antennae twitched, hearing something. It was faint under the hissing and ranting. A banging sound? I peered where it was coming from, over to the side of where Nuclear Knight and his flock of crazies were. I saw a familiar face, Sheila? She was waving and making hand gestures. I couldn¡¯t really tell what she was trying to get across. It almost looked like she was shooing me away. Is she telling me to run?


    Before I had long to ponder her coded message I noticed movement from the entrance behind Nuclear Knight. Fire Chief! And he wasn¡¯t alone. I am saved! That sure is a lot of guns though, hey, hey, where are you guys pointing those things? It is me, Mecha Fairy, you know, your friend? I am here. I waved and that was when they fired. Something hit my hand and I looked down.


    All my elation turned instantly to dread as I stared at the frozen hand. Ow, you twat! Watch your fire! Why are they shooting me? If we stick around then we are going to get iced. My thoughts scattered as another bullet clipped off the tip of one of my antenna. I screamed. Time to blow this pop stand! I mounted Astrea, leaping onto the back of her head and grappling the tentacles like reigns. She shivered when I did and they coiled around me. Oops, sorry. I know they are sensitive. I reached down, snagging Dr. Crypto before he could escape and secured him between me and her. I directed her and we turned heel to the opposite entrance from where Nuclear Knight and the hail of bullets were coming from.


    She lunged forward on all sixes, surging across the empty space, bullets ricocheting off her thick carapace. I could see a couple spots where frost had started to form. She bulldozed through a hut. It reminded me of Godzilla taking out Tokyo. The thing might as well have been made of paper with the way she manhandled it. She put her shoulder into it and knocked down the barrier to the tunnel outside. Wordlessly, I shook our guide and he managed to point to our left. We ran. We ran as fast as we could away from the screams and yells. It was not exactly what I had in mind for a distraction, but it would work. The echoing gunfire did not seem to be growing any further away. I glanced over my shoulder and saw why.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    I had not seen when, but Sucker had managed to grapple onto one of Astrea¡¯s back legs, getting dragged with us. People had taken our cue and ran like hell. Packrat and that weird lady with an arm sticking out of her back were running as fast as they could after us. The only one able to keep up was Packrat, the others were trailing behind. A little farther back from the lady, Nuclear Knight led a smaller group. He¡­ he was covering our escape. He laid down a wall of radiation cutting off the tunnel behind us. That would buy us some time. Flaming bullets still penetrated through, cutting down some of the stragglers. He lifted them up, carrying those that he could on his back.


    Well, I guess he does look out for his followers. Thanks to his efforts the Hero League couldn¡¯t follow us. That seriously feels weird to say. Something must have happened after I got abducted and they changed the plan. I wonder why they were using inferno and cryo rounds? Could it be they figured out that Nuclear Knight was weak to fire and ice respectively?


    ¡°Why are you following us?!¡± I yelled back at them.


    ¡°You seem to know where you are going!¡± Yelled back Packrat.


    ¡°Fuck you, get your own getaway plan!¡±


    ¡°What happened to that great exodus you were talking about?¡±


    ¡°What, now you believe me?¡±


    ¡°Not really, I am just trusting your survival instincts.¡±


    I scowled at him. ¡°We are just running blindly, stop following us.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. You knew they were coming and were ready to run.¡±


    ¡°I am being tracked so if you stay with us they will find you no matter what so leave us alone!¡±


    ¡°You are being tracked? Wait, then-¡±


    ¡°Yes. They found your base cause you took me in, against my will I might add.¡±


    ¡°You bitch!¡±


    ¡°Hey, fuck off you rat bastard! I never wanted to stay in your funny farm, to begin with. It is your own damned fault for forcing me to stay.¡±


    He had a sour look on his face, but didn¡¯t have anything to say. I guess he realizes it is their fault. Better late than never. We rounded a corner to find a split. I held up Dr. Crypto like a divining rod and he pointed to the left. We bolted ahead, trying to lose our unwanted company. The rat was persistent, speaking of rats, Whiskers was doggedly following us. Get lost you filthy animal! I shook my fist at him, glaring as harshly as I could. He wouldn¡¯t make eye contact. Ah ha. So he knows he did wrong. You traitorous swine how dare you follow me when the going gets tough.


    Astrea skidded to a stop and I looked forward to see why. We had come to a dead end. I looked around, but it didn¡¯t appear that there was anywhere to go. Oh, fuck me. Did we take a wrong turn?


    ¡°What the hell? I thought this was the right way?¡± I glared at Dr. Crypto.


    Packrat stopped just behind us, ¡°You, you led us into a trap!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t like it, then beat it! You mangy animal.¡±


    He didn¡¯t take kindly to that. Packrat and Whiskers entered what I could only assume were attack stances. Showing your true colors yet again, eh rat? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I knew better than to trust vermin like you! I guess words can only go so far. I glanced at Sucker.


    ¡°Hey, you wanna take out Packrat?¡±


    He looked a little winded from being rag-dolled around, but Sucker nodded with determination. Oh, then that means it is just you and me, Whiskers. I am going to get you this time! He squealed retreating. He could sense my killing intent. You better run, you little shit. I stomped after him and the rat took off, scurrying into a sewage pipe to the side. A coward as always. I got down there looking in the hole. It was actually rather small. I couldn¡¯t fit. You little¡­ I scowled. He got away.


    I glanced over at the fight between former brothers. It wasn¡¯t really my concern, even if Sucker lost, then Astrea or I could deal with that rat man. My eyes narrowed on the roach, he retreated to the corner with his back to the wall and I lifted him up.


    ¡°You sold us out didn¡¯t you?!¡± I yelled, shaking him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t, it is here!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it!¡± I smashed him against the wall, grinding his carapace into it. I could hear it cracking under the pressure.


    Whoa, whoa, hey. I think you should just calm down. We are being really weird right now.


    ¡®Fuck off, Sub. I don¡¯t wanna hear it right now. We need to escape or else Astrea will be taken from us!¡¯


    I think Astrea is doing something to us. It is like she is controlling us or something.


    ¡®What the fuck are you talking about? How could that innocent little love bug who just wants to cuddle us with tentacles be controlling us?¡¯


    Maybe she is not doing it on purpose?


    ¡®Eh? How?¡±


    Well, what is the first thing that crosses your mind when you think of her?


    I stopped and thought on it, ¡®I, I love her. I want her babies.¡¯


    Yeah, I know. See isn¡¯t that weird?


    ¡®How is that weird? We are the same species for fuck sake.¡¯


    Sub seemed to be mulling it over. She came to a conclusion. I think her pheromones are getting to us more than we first thought. Think about it, we are way more aggressive than usual and are obsessed with her.


    ¡®Pheromones? This is love!¡¯


    You are being irrational. We have known her for a day.


    ¡®It was love at first sight! Love is irrational. It is wild and wet and hot and¡­ son of a bitch you¡¯re right.¡¯


    Just think clearly, you don¡¯t wanna kill somebody right?


    I nodded to myself. Sub is right. Seriously, what is going on with me? Is Astrea using me? I don¡¯t want to doubt her intentions. How can I be sure of what she wants or if she is even as simple-minded as I perceive her to be? For all I know, she is a master manipulator and I am dancing in her palm. I stared at her alluring form. I, I can hardly bring myself to distrust her. Surely she is the same way towards me? I mean she follows my orders. For now, we just have each other to rely on. I can sort this out later.


    I eased up on the roach and set him down, taking a deep breath. Astrea just stood there, watching Sucker fight Packrat. She was watching rather intently. His tentacles lashed out, bashing into the ground, narrowly missing the agile ratman. Packrat swiped with his dirty paws, clawing at the discolored flesh of the tentacles. The two seemed evenly matched, Sucker was stronger and his skin was tougher, but Packrat was much faster and he easily avoided any significant attacks. It seemed that whoever made the first mistake would lose.


    Sucker whipped his arms out and rolled them back in almost instantly, it caught Packrat off guard and one of the suckers latched onto his skin, boring into it. Now that I looked at it, his arms are basically octopus tentacles, complete with barbed suckers. I can assume that was where his name came from. They were rather effective as his arm coiled around the rat man, tightening his grip to ensure the prey did not escape. The other arm wrapped around him and started flexing to crush his bones.


    ¡°Alright, alright, that is enough,¡± I said, trying to break it up.


    ¡°You want me to stop? But he attacked us and sullied Lord Helix¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t kill in Lord Helix¡¯s name that is not how he works.¡±


    Sucker was debating it. Jeez, just how much does he hate Packrat? What the hell did you do to him? I mean depending on the answer it might be well warranted for him to snuff out that rat. Neither of us came to a definitive answer when a green glow washed over the corridor, Nuclear Knight had arrived with his followers in tow. He took one look at the scene before raising his hand and blasting Sucker with a gust of radiation. He fell back reeling and letting Packrat go.


    He shook his head, ¡°This is truly the end of days. When Brother fights Brother and demons roam the land freely. The blood of the world shall flow and all will know Lord Pluton¡¯s wrath.¡±


    ¡°Who you calling a demon?¡±


    ¡°You and that,¡± He said, pointing at Astrea. Oh hell no. Don¡¯t you point at her, it is not nice to point at others.


    ¡°Hey, you guys followed us. I don¡¯t wanna hear your preaching.¡±


    ¡°Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, stop quoting overused verses and take your rat and scram. We want none of whatever the hell you are peddling.¡±


    ¡°You think I am going to simply let a demon like you walk away and corrupt the minds of others? You are a dark apostle and must be purged with the wrath of Pluton!¡±


    ¡°You are fucking nuts you know that? Look, I don¡¯t wanna fight you, so just go your own way.¡±


    ¡°You seek to deceive me? I will not fall for your games wretch.¡±


    ¡°I am telling you-¡± I started before he shot out a lump of radioactive goop.


    I blocked it with my lower left arm. The carapace warped and bubbled melting where it touched. Holy fuck, it hurts! I screamed, clutching it and Astrea bristled with killing intent. We need to run. This guy is too much. Damn it, she seems pretty intent on fighting him. It also doesn¡¯t help that he is blocking our only exit. It is him or us. Packrat was still recovering after getting hit in the crossfire. I grabbed him up as a human shield. Astrea moved first, come to think of it, this is the first time I had seen her actually attack something seriously.


    She lunged forward, even faster than Packrat had been moving. Her claws dug into the armor, tearing it wide open. Nuclear Knight¡­ he was a withered mummy in that thing. The glowing green fog erupted out sizzling at her and she reeled back, covering her face to keep it from getting burned. This didn¡¯t look good. We couldn¡¯t get near him. The corrosive substance had already filled the area around him and was closing us in. Surely there was something in the environment to help us here¡­ nothing. There was nothing here.


    Fuck. Fuck. Think, damn it, think! He is a villain, but he cares about his followers, right? I stared down at Packrat, who struggled meekly in my grasp. Oh, I have a plan. It is not going to be pretty though. My antennae twitched, catching Astrea¡¯s attention. ¡°We go in together.¡±


    She seemed to understand, but at the same time, I could not be sure if she really understood. It was a gamble, but at this point, we didn¡¯t have a choice. I hurled Packrat at Nuclear Knight and he pulled back the mist, trying to not kill his friend. Astrea and I moved at the same moment, darting into the breach left by the mist. Our claws tore through the desiccated body, sending a scream radiating out from him. We crushed and mangled and ripped apart the suit and body, scattering pieces all over. Without his acid mist he was nothing.


    We, we did it. We actually beat him! I mean, how the fuck could he have survived that? I turned to Astrea smiling, but it scrunched up when I realized something was wrong. The radiation had not dissipated. If anything, it had become more concentrated. Oh shit, I forgot that he could turn himself into a gas! Dear Helix, he has ascended beyond physical constraints! That is not fair! That is cheating, how the fuck are we supposed to beat that!? We were fucked from the start.


    We retreated to the dead end, cornered as the wall of corrosive vapor edged forward. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. My eyes swam over the surroundings as my options ran short. Dr. Crypto had backed himself away near the center of the wall. I grabbed him up.


    ¡°Where is the entrance?!¡±


    ¡°It is right here!¡±


    ¡°There is nothing here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, there is nothing, did you think it would be out in the open?¡±


    ¡°Then how do we get in?!¡±


    ¡°Only Dr. Arbor can open it.¡±


    ¡°You say this now? Holy fuck, Astrea break down that wall!¡± I screamed, punching the brick.


    It didn¡¯t feel right, too hard to be concrete. It was like metal. Could this be camouflage? She understood, bringing back her muscular arms and slamming them into the concrete. Bits and pieces shattered away as her claws got purchase and she ripped a hole in the metal. It really was a metal door, I guess that means we were on the right track. She flexed with all her might and tore the illusionary wall down. Within lay stainless steel walls going down a corridor.


    I didn¡¯t have to be told twice and scuttled in followed by Astrea and Dr. Crypto. The green glow crept in as well, Nuclear Knight had not given up yet. At the end of the hallway, a pair of doors opened to our approach. We hurried in finding a moderately sized chamber with another set of thick doors on the other side. They were closed and would not open. There didn¡¯t appear to be any way to open them. No handle, keypad, lever, or buttons. We were trapped yet again. Why can¡¯t things just go my way?


    If he is mist, then wouldn¡¯t he be vulnerable to wind? I mean clouds get blown around all the time and shit. I flapped my wings and it created a small gust, pushing back the encroaching green wall. Astrea stared in amazement at my wings¡­ you have some too you know? Oh, she has been down here in the sewers so she likely doesn¡¯t even know how to use her wings. They are mangy and ripped in places, holes, and tears where she had gotten into fights with things. I don¡¯t think Astrea has regeneration. If she did then those would have been healed already instead of scarred over.


    Well, this is bad. I was banking on her bigger wings being able to help hold Nuclear Knight at bay. I thrummed my wings creating a steady flow of air. It was working, forcing him out. He had somewhat condensed into a humanoid form and grasped the sides of the entrance to keep from being blown away. This was tiring. The muscles ached and burned from the exertion. If I was just flying then it would be easy, but purposefully creating a draft took a lot more energy. My wings cramped up and froze up. Ah shit.


    Nuclear Knight bolstered his form filling the other half of the room. Trapped like rats, yet again. I fucking hate the sewers. A sound echoed and the door behind him closed shut sealing. Now why the fuck couldn¡¯t that have happened when he was outside!? I looked around, why did that just close? I noticed that the ceiling and floor were lined with vents. I could fit in there, Astrea could not though, she was much too big. I bit my lip, I could live if I abandoned her. No, I won¡¯t do that. The vents emitted a gas, blue in color and thick enough to cut with a knife. I guess it is a good thing that I did not go in there. Nuclear Knight washed over us like a wave of agony.


    The mist covered us and everywhere that it touched seared, melting and oozing. Her carapace was holding up better than mine. I reached for her and the arm turned to mush, falling off. Oh¡­ oh fuck. I can¡¯t regenerate that. Every breath burned, my lungs on fire from the corroding chemicals filling them. I, I am going to die. I don¡¯t wanna die! What the hell is this bullshit! It hurts, it hurts so much. I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t die down here. Have to escape. My legs gave out and I crumpled to the wet ground. Astrea huddled over me, trying to shield me. It won¡¯t help, but I know she truly cares. She should have run, should have left me. She could have saved herself, instead we will both die together. I don¡¯t feel good about this, but at the least this time I am not melting all alone.


    You haven¡¯t been alone for a long time now. Keep it together. I don¡¯t know how much more I can take.


    I felt so sleepy and warm. Everything started getting dark, going in and out. How long has passed? Strangely, I was not hurting so much now. Could it be that all my nerve endings have been seared off? My eyes stuttered, blinking. For some reason, the green mist was now blue. Did the stuff coming out of the vents overpower Nuclear Knight? Are my eyes so fucked that the colors are changing?


    A figure loomed over me. Astrea? No, it was Neon Nurse? Astrea lay to my side unmoving and there was somebody else there too. I squinted trying to see through the haze and darkening world, I know those chromatic eyes anywhere. Dr. Arbor. Better late than never.

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 18 Interlude: Breaking Eggs

    The Vespidian Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow


    Chapter 18, Interlude: Breaking Eggs


    June 26th, 2011


    ¡°My little pretties. Oh, how cute you little babies are. Who is going to grow up big and strong and kill all of Mommy¡¯s enemies? You are, oh yes you are,¡± said Dr. Arbor, wiggling her fingers over a nursery filled with trembling little creatures.


    Their soft squiggly flesh made the writhing grubs within seem repulsive to the more squeamish. However, to Dr. Arbor, they were cuter than kittens. They had no eyes to speak of, though, the bodies had long sensitive hairs that flicked around. The soft gurgling sounds and whining noises they emitted when hungry made her smile, granted it was hidden under her mask. She turned away when an alarm sounded. It blinked over in the corner beside her control center. She gingerly closed the lid, sealing in the little worm like creatures.


    ¡°What now?¡± she said to herself aloud.


    If it wasn¡¯t her cute little daughter. Oh, how she struggles. She sure was adorable when she was suffering. Regenerators sure do love to get hurt. Agony was ecstasy to them so she couldn¡¯t blame her for getting into trouble. But what is she up to? Dr. Arbor took a closer look, watching on the cameras as the frantic wasp girl seemed to have resolved onto something rather dangerous, escaping. Her mental stress seems to have reached a breaking point. Luckily, the reason why this was so dangerous happened to be out at the moment. For how long, that was likely to be short.


    ¡°Why would she do something that stupid? Is she trying to get killed?¡± she mumbled to herself.


    This was unacceptable. To lose that Subject would be catastrophic to her research. She sighed, it was nice here, but the way things were going it would not end well for little Vespidian. She, she was just too damned human for her own good. Usually, when changed to such a degree the subject casts off their humanity and embraced what they had become. This was not always a good thing though. Especially, for one so inhuman, so wonderfully touched by the Spore or in this case the extract Mutigene. It was astounding that she managed to retain so much of her former self through the transformation process. At one point she had been reduced to a literal soup of organic material. It was a process similar to a caterpillar entering into a chrysalis and reforming its body.


    Dr. Arbor shook her head. Now was not the time to reminisce. Vespidian seemed dead set on escaping. She scanned over the cameras watching for anybody who would impede the path. For now, it was clear and her flight out of the installation went smoothly. It was what came after that was the problem. When SHE would inevitably return and find out, then this little walk would earn the girl a broken spine if she was lucky.


    She sat there for a moment contemplating. Perhaps, it was time to move on. A Super Genius can¡¯t help but come up with plans to their current situations, it was just how they were. Dr. Arbor had not come here willingly, no, she had been kidnapped. It had been four months already locked away in this prison-like lab. It appeared that the time to enact the escape plan had come. They would both need a distraction to get out of this. Or else the little terror would likely skin them both alive.


    Dr. Arbor typed away for a few manic moments until all manner of alarms started going off. The surrounding cages opened up. Four nearly identical copies of Vespidian wearily emerged from their enclosures. They seemed disoriented at first from the lights and sounds. She took her micro chipper out, it looked very similar to a glue gun, and thrust it into the back of each of their heads. A loud crunch sound emanated and each fell over, writhing in pain. They turned to attack her before she sprayed a specially designed pheromone onto herself. They immediately became docile.


    Good, so that works. She flipped several more switches and the vents opened up. After a little bit of coaxing the creatures took off, scrambling to freedom, to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting city. With the distraction taken care of Dr. Arbor packed her vital research materials into the dimensional storage device attached to her belt. She backed up the computer hard drive onto a small external drive. The process took a few minutes. Just when it was about finished the door opened. Dr. Arbor turned and frowned by what she saw. A little girl in a spy outfit glared at her and it felt like the moon was going to come crashing down.


    ¡°What have you done?!¡± Yelled a gritty man¡¯s voice as she bore down on Dr. Arbor.


    She retreated cringing in terror, ¡°It was a glitch in the system!¡±


    ¡°Nyet, I know better than to believe that lie. Dr. Arbor, I am disappointed in you. Tell me, was it worth what I am going to do to you? And her when I catch her?¡±


    Dr. Arbor did not say anything. She didn¡¯t have a chance before her arm snapped, bending backward and her legs crumpled in at the knee from where the tiny fist slammed into them. She knew something like this would happen, however, that didn¡¯t help numb the explosions of pain from her shattered limbs. She whimpered meekly, fighting was so barbaric and uncouth.


    ¡°I suppose that will have to do, for now, can¡¯t just kill you.¡±


    She chuckled a little, coughing up blood. ¡°I was counting on that.¡±


    ¡°Now to clean up this mess you made.¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that, I doubt you will find her in time.¡±


    ¡°What are you prattling about now? How could I not find her¡­ what did you do?¡± Molotov stared at the screen where five dots were quickly moving in different directions over the city map.


    ¡°Oh, I just gave her a helping hand.¡±


    Molotov scowled, ¡°I will deal with you later.¡±


    ***


    Present day, October 10th, 2011


    A beeping sound jarred Dr. Arbor from her restless pacing. She grimaced for a moment and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. Green mist wafted from her breathing apparatus. It had been another nearly sleepless night of nonstop work. She was so very close to another breakthrough, she could taste it. The beeping continued, drawing her attention. Dr. Arbor blinked a few times and scraped the sand from her scratchy chromatic eyes. Sure enough, Neon Nurse was waiting at the entrance, locked out like everyone else who came to this place. She made her way along the long corridor in her bunny slippers, stained sweat pants, and loose lab coat, before finally reaching the door. She opened it, ushering in Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Welcome, come in, come in, don¡¯t be shy. Don¡¯t mind the mess, things tend to get sloppy while I am working,¡± said Dr. Arbor, leading the way through the whitewashed walls.


    Despite what she said, there was not a single speck of dust to be found in this place. It was unnerving how clean the place was. The reason why it was so well kept became apparent. Robots scurried around behind their feet cleaning anything that trailed in their footsteps. Neon Nurse wore a frown. The pink tubes embedded in her fake skin gave her a strange glow, She hardly glanced at the skittering robos, after all, she had made them.


    Dr. Arbor looked into the glass tank, which she had been pacing around before. This was a sort of rejuvenation pod filled with stem cells. Within floated Vesper, her carapace warped and melted from her latest fight. Reckless as always, picking fights with people she had no business getting involved with. If she had not acted when she did the little fool would be dead. One would expect a person who is weak to something to stay away from it and yet Vesper violently threw herself at the very banes of her existence. Just last month she got into a fist fight with a Pyrokinetic and now she pissed off the second-strongest Super in the whole damned city. Well, native Super that is. There were currently eight visitors who were stronger in Rank, including Dr. Arbor herself.


    She sighed, walking to the larger tank and placed her hand on it. Within an even more impressive in appearance, creature lay dormant, suspended in a sort of gel. Subject 808. It looked a lot worse off than Vesper had, missing most of its limbs and the face had melted completely exposing the mandibles below. It was a shame, to think this was all the potential it had. A cheap knock off to be sure. Though it was stronger than the original, physically, that was only temporary.


    A voice rose from beside her, it was Neon Nurse, ¡°So, what are we going to do with that?¡±


    ¡°Not much we can do. The damage was too extensive and a lack of regeneration has sealed its fate. This one will die, but before that, I will be sure to harvest anything of use. I learned a lot from this one. We are almost ready to end the experimental phase thanks to it. It had a good run, for a clone.¡±


    Neon Nurse nodded coldly, ¡°You told me they would never meet. How am I supposed to explain this? She is going to ask questions and I don¡¯t have answers, at the least ones that she can know. There is no telling what she would do if she found out we are cloning her for experiments.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± said Arbor sarcastically, ¡°I was uninformed that the League was raiding the sewers yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you blame me. I told you specifically last week down to the hour and even our entry points.¡±


    ¡°My mistake.¡±


    ¡°What were you doing anyway?¡±


    ¡°Same thing I always do, research. Which is why I did not collect it since I was so busy at the main facility. You act like I didn¡¯t lose anything from this as well.¡±


    ¡°Why was it out of the pen in the first place?¡±


    Dr. Arbor wagged her finger, ¡°Now, now, Xava. It was out there as a control test to see how it would match up in the wild. Fairly well, I should add. Easily an apex predator, that being said, an animal is still just an animal. If it was not mentally deficient, it could have posed a real threat.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if it was retarded, it could have killed Vesper.¡±


    Arbor took a moment crossing her arms, ¡°Doubtful. All the clones are hardwired with her pheromones. They would not harm her, it is in their behavior modifications. Still, I am surprised you are so hostile. It was still a clone, biologically it is Vesper. Granted the cloning process is not perfect as you can see from the variance in powers.¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°It is not the same. Don¡¯t call that thing Vesper.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t, it doesn¡¯t have a name. I just called it 808.¡±


    ¡°I thought that was because you gave this one doses of Mutigene to accelerate the growth period.¡±


    ¡°I did and that is why it was a rank 6. If my calculations are correct, it was a fair amount stronger than Den Mother. Not to mention the carapace was much more sturdy than her skin.¡±


    ¡°How long until she recovers?¡±


    ¡°A week, most likely.¡±


    ¡°That long?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen her face? She is missing an arm, by the way, she won¡¯t be growing that back so we will have to improvise a replacement. Luckily, we happen to have a willing donor,¡± she said gazing up at 808.


    ¡°Won¡¯t there be rejection?¡±


    ¡°It is an experiment. There will be a chance, however it is still better than leaving her down an arm.¡±


    ¡°I could always make a robo arm.¡±


    ¡°If it does not take then we will go with that. It will be interesting to see how compatible their anatomy is. Before we had problems, but now her regeneration is stronger so better odds.¡±


    ¡°That is easy enough. So when are you going to dispose of that?¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡± smirked Dr. Arbor.


    Neon Nurse¡¯s face tightened, ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of me.¡±


    ¡°It is unbecoming of you to be so riled up over a little copulation.¡±


    ¡°Copulation? What do you mean Copulation?! They¡­ no, no, no they didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°You should have seen it. Little Vesper so vulnerable and willing. She was begging for it.¡±


    Neon Nurse held her head in dread and screamed, ¡°Nooo! I will kill it myself. How dare it, how dare it touch my Vesper! It defiled her!¡±


    Dr. Arbor chuckled, ¡°Your Vesper? A little clingy, don¡¯t you think? Calm down. You are too attached.¡±


    She scowled in return, ¡°You are too detached. I thought you cared about her.¡±


    ¡°A good scientist has to passively observe,¡± replied Dr. Arbor.


    ¡°That sounds very lonely.¡±


    ¡°I have friends like you, so it is not too bad. Besides, I find it very fulfilling watching my children grow.¡±


    ¡°Friends eh? The best a Mad Scientist can hope for.¡±


    ¡°Who is mad? I am perfectly calm. If anyone is letting their emotions get to them it would be you.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I want her to myself you know.¡±


    ¡°I am well aware and you have had my consent for a long time now. At any rate, Vesper chickened out halfway through, real shame too. I wanted to see them breed.¡±


    She looked at her blankly, ¡°You mean, they didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Arbor shook her head, ¡°Nope. Besides 808 is sterile. Tied her tubes myself. Best that they could have done was vigorous mating with ultimately futile results. I suppose it is a lot like humans and how they have sex for pleasure rather than procreation. If she had been in danger, then I would have killed 808.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke about that stuff. You know I take it personally. How would you have killed her?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know, the safety measure I installed,¡± she made a small hand gesture squeezing two fingers together. ¡°A small detonation device that is in her brain. I think it would level a city block. I learned long ago, not to take chances. Always have backup plans for your backup plans. And above all else, never create something you can¡¯t destroy. They can and will turn on you.¡±


    ¡°That is rule number one for us Super Geniuses right?¡±


    ¡°It is, indeed, my apprentice. Some people don¡¯t know it though, like Chimera. I have been hearing some distressful things.¡±


    ¡°Chimera? Now what are they up to?¡± asked Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Children playing with fire. They have been pestering me to join them again. Seems their experiments with Spore are having some, setbacks, shall we say.¡±


    Neon Nurse thought on it. Spore was some bad stuff. Dr. Arbor would know and she had said that it was a sentient life form that did not like being here on earth. The atmosphere was toxic to it, or rather inhibited its growth. For a fungal based creature that was a bad thing. Mere contact with it would induce violent mutations, usually resulting in death or mental degradation and instability. It was where Dr. Arbor¡¯s power came from and why she was so obsessed with the Spore. After all, she was the leading researcher on it since it was first discovered in 1947. Considering that she was thirty-two at the time meant that Dr. Arbor was ninety-six years old now. One would not be able to tell considering how spry she was for such an old granny. She was in better shape than most athletes in their prime. Being Rank 3 in Reflexes and Speed helped too.


    Neon Nurse shook her head, getting back on subject, ¡°What have they done now?¡±


    ¡°From what I hear they are trying to make Arachnaon stronger, but that is not possible. Direct contact with Spore was what made her to begin with. I mean she eats the stuff now, you know. She has peaked and they don¡¯t like that one bit. It is why they have been aggressively scouting and recruiting.¡±


    ¡°You mean like Mantia and Centi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, those two are promising. Omega is another one we have to watch out for.¡±


    ¡°How would we even know if it was coming though, it could be anyone.¡±


    ¡°They only call in Omega if things need a subtle touch, usually it is political stuff. Things here are not dicey enough for Arachnaon.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, we can keep it that way. I don¡¯t want to be involved in a city wide war zone.¡±


    ¡°That depends on Kraken and Chimera if push comes to shove this city will likely be destroyed during the fighting.¡±


    ¡°Not even accounting the Hero League?¡±


    There was a silence between them and Dr. Arbor looked away, ¡°We both know too much for such foolishness.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Neon Nurse¡¯s face became plastic and fake, emotionless for a moment. It unfroze and she stepped over to another hallway, ¡°How are the Vespids doing by the way?¡±


    Dr. Arbor followed and they reached a heavy blast door. She punched in a couple of numbers and the door slid open. Lights flickered on, revealing ten observation rooms, five on each side. At the end of the room was another section with an operating table. Upon this metal slab lay a half dissected wasp woman. The mechanical arms precisely moving about and carving her flesh. They pulled out organs and lay them to the side in an organized manor.


    Culture tanks fizzed to the side with half grown clones. They looked so peaceful, unaware of what horrors awaited them once they matured. Though it was doubtful they would understand what was going on. Each clone was a blank slate. A child, innocent, naive and so trusting all the way up to when the surgeries began. Their personalities and minds stunted by design. A test subject had no need for intelligent thought. It would only make it more cruel to torment them with experiments that only ended once they could take it no more and died. That was what Dr. Arbor and Neon Nurse had decided.


    ¡°We are almost coming to the point where I can learn nothing more from these defective look a likes. However, once that occurs, we will be ready for Stage 2 of her development.¡±


    ¡°How long do you think?¡±


    ¡°A month or two. Once I go through 808 my research will advance a great deal.¡±


    Neon Nurse looked over the creatures as they meandered in the pens. The one near the end attacked the glass, trying to escape. It garnered only electricity. A powerful shock went through it, smoke rose from the jittery body, falling to the floor and twitching. The others seemed rather content and ran on treadmills or lifted set amounts of weights. They were rewarded with a flow of protein paste from a nozzle. A twinge of guilt crossed her heart, but she reminded herself of why these creatures were enduring this. It was all for Vesper. These would die so that she could grow and flourish. She almost felt sorry for them, if they didn¡¯t have Vesper¡¯s face, she would not feel anything. It was one of the pluses of being able to turn off one¡¯s emotions.


    ¡°Have any escaped recently?¡±


    ¡°No. Even if they did, these clones all die within a week of maturing. Their brains shrink as they eat themselves. It is a very painful way to go and makes them violent, like that one.¡± She said, motioning to the one lying dead on the floor. ¡°She would have died tomorrow. This is why I tend to harvest them a day or two before they would expire.¡±


    ¡°Good, at the least they do no suffer. What do you do with the bodies?¡±


    ¡°I grind them up into paste and feed it to my S.O.Y. Same thing I do with all the bodies of my research subjects. Once they process it through their special organs they produce S.O.Y. for consumption by other creatures. I dislike wasting valuable materials.¡±


    ¡°Well, that seems rather efficient. It is like pigs eating ground up pigs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it fattens them up rather nicely.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ then it is their poop?¡±


    ¡°No. It is more of a milking.¡±


    ¡°I have been wondering this for a while, but what is a S.O.Y?¡±


    ¡°Trust me, you don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    ¡°Can you at the least tell me what S.O.Y. stands for?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that. It stands for Super Organism Yolk.¡±


    ¡°So you are feeding this stuff to an egg? Wait, how do you milk an egg?¡±


    ¡°No, but it is laying eggs.¡±


    ¡°So it is a giant chicken?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Much too many tentacles and drooling orifices.¡±


    Neon Nurse gave her a strange look, ¡°Did¡­ did you say tentacles?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Please! For the love of science, tell me that you have not told Vesper about this thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, she knows it exists, but I have been rather vague about it to her. She thought I was grinding up orphans.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Why were you freaking out?¡±


    ¡°This is Vesper we are talking about. She probably would have tried to have sex with it.¡±


    Dr. Arbor¡¯s eyes got big, ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ I wonder how that would turn out? I could see it sticking-¡±


    Neon Nurse put her hands up, waving them frantically, ¡°No, no, no! I forbid it. Keep that thing away from her.¡±


    ¡°I think you are over reacting.¡±


    ¡°You have not seen her porn folder. She is into that sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°What sort of thing?¡±


    ¡°There are only a couple of things that scare her off and tentacle monsters that lay eggs are not one of them.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that is an apt description. I would not worry about it so much. They are Asexual and reproduce without a mate. Besides, they don¡¯t have teeth or a brain so they are not dangerous. The S.O.Y. is literally the solution to world hunger, well if their population increased a lot more. I only have about ten adults in my main research facility.¡±


    ¡°So they are like jellyfish?¡±


    ¡°Sort of.¡±


    ¡°I kind of want to see this thing now.¡±


    ¡°Maybe next time. I don¡¯t have any here.¡±


    ¡°Good, you keep it away from Vesper.¡±


    ¡°I kinda want to see them together now though. I wonder what sort of child they would have?¡±


    ¡°Nobody is having Vesper¡¯s babies but me!¡±


    ¡°It must be hard for you. At any rate, I feel that we have gotten off subject.¡± Said Dr. Arbor motioning for Neon Nurse to follow.


    ¡°We did, didn¡¯t we? What else was there?¡±


    ¡°I was just about to dispose of Nuclear Knight. I am sure that you wanted to see that after what he did.¡±


    ¡°How considerate of you.¡±


    They rounded another corner and arrived at another science station. This one had an airlock that separated it from the rest of the installation. Once through the pressurized chamber they arrived to a moderately sized room that had a prominent containment cell. A glowing green mist filled the view port, swirling endlessly. It was Nuclear Knight. For now he was trapped inside of that chamber. Arbor stepped next to her, staring in with pitiless eyes.


    ¡°Let me out of here!¡± He yelled, angrily bashing against the sides to no avail.


    ¡°I will do no such thing,¡± she replied, ¡°You have caused me a lot of trouble, even after I did you that favor of augmenting your power with Mutigene.¡±


    ¡°We had a deal!¡±


    ¡°And you have caused me trouble. You have proven to be a liability and as such I will not allow it to continue.¡±


    ¡°So what are you going to do to him?¡±


    ¡°I will put him to good use. The amount of energy that he puts out is rather astounding. Given the right setup, he makes far more than Spark Spray.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you are really going to do THAT to him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you going to do to me?! Lord Pluton will deliver me from this prison!¡±


    ¡°Lord Pluton does not exist you idiot. Plutonium is what you are thinking of and it is merely an element. It won¡¯t save you from what I have planned.¡±


    Nuclear Knight raged and swirled in there, but for all his power it was useless. The walls held fast and there was no escape. Dr. Arbor pressed a button and the air within the chamber began being sucked out. Bit by bit it pulled at him until he was caught in a vortex. He became a little tornado getting smaller and smaller as the vacuum increased in power compressing him and sucking him in. Finally, every last breath of oxygen in the chamber was sucked out leaving it a void. To the side a canister lit up and several monitors showed bar graphs, indicating that it had been successful.


    As to what had been successful? Nuclear Knight had just been turned into a battery. Dr. Arbor had combined her own expertise with Dr. Tesla¡¯s dimensional pocket technology and created a prison that would not only trap Nuclear Knight in another dimension, but siphon off his power creating a near infinite supply of power. Since he did not need to eat or drink, he would not starve to death in there. It could not be opened from the inside and now that it was locked and secured could not be opened from the outside either. There was no longer a way for him to get out. If the device broke, then he would be stuck in that alternate dimension or destroyed with it.


    ¡°Finally, he shut up.¡± Muttered Dr. Arbor.


    ¡°Was he that talkative?¡±


    ¡°Last time he was in here preaching about this and that. Just wouldn¡¯t shut up at all.¡±


    ¡°When can I take Vesper home?¡±


    ¡°Once she is fully healed. I will tell you.¡±


    ¡°What am I to tell the others?¡±


    ¡°The truth? She got hurt and so I am taking care of her until she is healed.¡±


    ¡°What if they want to know where she is?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell a soul. We don¡¯t know which one of them is the Chimera plant or who has been compromised yet. Paranoia is the key to a long and prosperous life.¡±

 Healthy Green Glow, Chapter 19 Interlude: Where the Wild Turnip Grows

    Arc 7 Healthy Green Glow


    Chapter 19 Interlude: Where The Wild Turnip Grows


    The small frame of a girl jumped down from the above sewage pipe. She was covered from head to toe in a thick rubbery suit, save the clear visor over her face. Her cold, emotionless, blue eyes scanned over the glowing water and she motioned with her hand. More armored figures jumped down totaling at about twenty. In the lead was a tall bulky man, he must have been more than six and a half feet tall. He gracefully landed like a cat, despite his cumbersome appearance. After him a much shorter man jumped down, he was of average height, which made him the second shortest in the whole group. The rest were just abnormally tall, each about six foot or more.


    ¡°Boris, we appear to be off course,¡± said a deep, gruff voice, yet it originated from the little girl.


    ¡°Da, systems are having trouble getting reception due to radiation interference,¡± replied the largest man.


    ¡°Fold you still have that portal open? We will need it for quick escape, leave no witnesses,¡± commented the girl.


    ¡°Right Boss, it is connected to the staging point.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Keep it that way and I will let Shadow out of the Turnip room.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get why you put her in there.¡±


    ¡°To teach lesson.¡±


    ¡°Alright Boss. Just go easy on us.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t fuck up or you be my new Suka.¡±


    Boris stared at his wrist, a holographic map flickered before stabilizing. ¡°Molotov, we appear to be East of our target location. Shortest route is by large underground reservoir. I believe it is called the Toxic Sewer Pond.¡±


    ¡°Da. Move.¡± Shortly said the girl darting ahead.


    They kept pace, moving through the dank tunnels. Giant rats scurried at their approach, screeching and hissing. Their powerful muscles bristled under their mangy, scarred fur. Several lunged at Molotov and she swiped her hand, sending blood, gore, and shattered bones splattering all over the wall. In just a slap she had obliterated five giant rats. The rest ran in terror, screaming as they left trails of urine in their wake.


    She rounded the next corner, slowing for a moment at the immense flesh that protruded from all around. The disgusting, mucus dribbling membrane shifted with life. She eyed it for a moment and poked it with her foot. Tendrils lunged out, but she was far faster dodging away. It was a Tubifex Worm Conglomerate. She could simply dodge her way through, but it would be more fun to kill it. The sadistic little girl pulled out a flamethrower from her utility belt and let loose a line of fire. It seared the flesh, making it quake and squirm. The creatures screamed and writhed in repulsive undulating motions. She poured more and more fire on it. Watching it burn with a child like obsession, an evil grin plastered across her face.


    ¡°Die worms!¡± Laughed Molotov as the others caught up.


    Seeing what she was doing, they pulled out their weapons and opened fire, sending lasers and armor piercing explosive rounds through the screaming mass of creatures. They kept firing until the wails of agony stopped. Molotov grunted and gave a head motion, moving forward through the still burning lumps of oozing flesh. The worms squirmed below their treads.


    It did not take long to traverse through the remains of the worm colony. The tunnel opened up into a vast cavern. The ceiling rose more than fifty feet high. Glowing fungus illuminated the shadows. There was hardly anywhere that was not revealed. The ground where they stood looked out over the sprawling mass of liquid. The concrete dipped down, vanishing below the bubbling ooze.


    Molotov stood near the edge of the lake. She looked out over the vast expanse of glowing water. Truly, this was a foul place where the nuclear waste congregated. It was hard to imagine that anything could survive in there and yet life stirred. She eyed the rippling water, leaning over to get a better look. An eye opened, it was probably about the size of a manhole cover. Before anyone could even react the largest crocodile to walk the land since dinosaurs ruled the world emerged. This was no ordinary beast, it was a mutated monstrosity. It lunged forward lightning fast. Jaws large enough to swallow a bus whole gaped. Acid spewed forth from the ends of thick tendrils deep within the mouth. Molotov dodged to the side as did everyone else. They had managed to avoid the deadly attack.


    It singled her out as the weakest and easiest prey due to her size. The maw slammed shut around her. Boris tackled it and held it from leaping back into the water. Team Wolf fired their weapons, but the lasers merely glanced off the thick hide and the bullets harmlessly crumpled up. The scales were too thick to be pierced! Boris readied himself to receive the attack head on. He punched it, denting in the scales. This was truly a monstrous beast, not even Boris¡¯s manly muscles could break through. It shook and threw him off. The beast swiped with the tail narrowly missing Fold who fell flat to dodge it.


    It was a force of nature sending waves of fetid liquid splashing up on the shore. Team Wolf retreated several leaps to dodge the corrosive liquid. They fired again, one managed to hit it in the eye. The croc had, had enough and it dived back into the water. Or at the least, it tried to. The side of the mouth burst open, showering bone fragments and teeth and gore. Molotov climbed her way out, ripping off a tentacle that had coiled around her. She grabbed the whimpering beast by the jaw and dragged it fully onto the shore. It was huge. Must have been more than eighty feet long. Her grip tightened and she pried the mouth open, snapping the muscles that held it shut. She kept going until the head split in half with a sickening crunch. It cried helplessly and she punched up through the under part of the head. The eyeballs shot out of their sockets and the brains oozed out like tears of blood.


    ¡°Bloody ¡®ell! She killed Old Stumpy. What is this pint-sized terror?!¡± shrilly cried Sheila, having observed the massacre. It couldn¡¯t even be described as a battle.


    Nobody seemed to have heard her. Molotov stepped out, wiping her hands with disgust. ¡°Da. Nobody eats me. That will teach you who is Suka! I make shoes and handbag out of you, rest will be rug for living room! Head will go on wall, next to the rest.¡±


    ¡°The rest?¡± asked Fold.


    ¡°Da, Molotov is big game hunter for sport. She has wall of trophies that she has killed with her bare hands. Where will this one go?¡±


    ¡°Right next to Abominable Snowman.¡±


    ¡°Crickey! The Abominable Snowman!?¡±


    They heard that and looked around. ¡°Who said that? I give till count of three to show self or I break you, like spirit of my people.¡±


    Sheila dipped to the side. Hiding from their watchful eyes. She peeked out, ¡°Fuck me sideways. What the fuck is Molotov doing here?! That there is bad news, you guys saw what she did to Old Stumpy.¡±


    ¡°Two.¡± Said Molotov.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leg it boys!¡± Cried Sheila running for it.


    ¡°Three,¡± sighed Molotov, ¡°Why do they always run? What you think I am not fast?¡±


    Sheila glanced over her shoulder, having turned a corner, the coast was clear. She didn¡¯t stop running though. ¡°Blimey, that was close. Skin of my teeth that was!¡±


    She turned another corner, ducking into the smaller passageway. Molotov was already there waiting. Sheila jumped back when the little girl pounced. Her cat-like reflexes went off and she moved at the slightest provocation. She dodged, hurling herself away from the hug of death. Molotov had just barely missed and got up, wiping the filth from her suit. She took a step and Sheila pointed behind her.


    ¡°Look out a Golden Marmoset!¡± She screamed.


    Molotov looked, more intrigued than scared. There was nothing there and the pitter patter of Sheila¡¯s feet running away rose. She had been duped, her teeth clenched with anger. Molotov gave chase easily outpacing Sheila. She could see her clear as day, thanks to the suit¡¯s viewfinder. It was still weird that the woman was flickering in and out of existence. Molotov thought about Supers that she had heard of and were in this city with a power like that. There was only one that came to mind, well on the Hero side. The other would be Shadow, but she was well and taken care of. No, this could only be one person, Sheila. A mercenary from South Africa with quite a kill record.


    Molotov came from the ceiling this time, reaching down to grapple up the well endowed woman in a sleeper hold. Sheila reacted as though possessed, diving into a slide below the arms of the little girl. She was on her feet running again before Molotov got down. This was an elusive woman. She smirked, this should be fun to toy with her. If she really wanted it to be over, it would have already been over. But Molotov liked to play with her food. It had been a while since she had this much fun, not since little Vesper was enduring her training. There were crocodiles there too.


    Sheila ran scared now, bumbling straight through a huge cheeky cunt spider nest. Her arm got caught and she struggled for a moment, ripping herself free. She picked up bones and scattered objects, hurling them at the spiders above to piss them off. It worked and the giant spiders descended just in time to intercept Molotov. Unfortunately for them, Molotov absolutely hated spiders. A certain Spider Woman would be the culprit as to why. She despised them so much that just seeing so many of them in one place sent her into a blind rage.


    She slapped one spider, sending a messy pulp splattering away. Another lunged at her and she grappled the fangs tearing them from the face. She turned them around and stabbed them into the eyes, pushing until they came out the other side of the head. More spiders poured in from all around. Little baby spiders the size of dogs scurried at her, lunging with their fangs bared. She swatted them down like flies. Every smack sent blood and shattered carapaces spiraling away. Their screams of death only enraged the remaining spiders.


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    She ripped at their spindly little legs using them against them. She used them like javelins harpooning the Spiders higher up. They tumbled down, knocking loose more. They crashed down in front of her and her fists pummeled into their soft flesh popping them like balloons. Her maniacal grin spread as she kept thrusting her fists into the thoroughly dead spiders. Silk hit her from above, knocking her off balance.


    The last spider was the Matriarch a giant, even among these massive creatures. The momma spider was angry that her brood had been massacred. It pointed the huge spinneret and shot silk at her, webbing her arms to her body. It quickly slid down to sink the deadly fangs into its prey. When it got close Molotov burst free to its surprise and dismay as her fist connected with the face and the innards of the spider spurt out like toothpaste being run over by a steamroller.


    Molotov took a moment, wiping the spider blood and guts off. Sheila had used that time to gain some distance, having vanished out of earshot. She got to the crossroad. The path went left and right, but where had the quarry escaped to? Molotov got low, tracking the footprints left in the muck. Poor, poor Sheila without her power, she was just a highly trained assassin up against a monster that was faster, smarter, stronger and even more highly trained at killing people than her.


    The hunter followed the tracks, winding through the filthy tunnels. It seemed that Sheila knew these tunnels very well. She had led the chase to a somewhat troublesome place. A Tubifex Worm Conglomerate that seemed to have no end. This thing would take forever to burn away and in the meantime, Sheila would escape. Clever girl. Molotov took a moment, stretching before she took the position of a sprinter. With a burst of speed, she took the plunge through the flesh covered corridor. Her feet, powerfully stabbed into the flesh below and before the recoil of the jiggle could even squish in she lunged ahead. Every step propelling her faster and in her wake a sea of stinging tentacles sprung out for prey that was no longer there.


    She had gotten serious now, running all out. The middle of the colony appeared before her, a wall of jiggling flesh. The only way passed was to squeeze to the side, but she didn¡¯t bother. Molotov jabbed her fist out and the mass of flesh imploded sending guts and worms and blood everywhere. She steamed ahead at full power like a locomotive of pain. Anything that got in her way was run down like a dog. Sheila was just up ahead, she dove to the side avoiding getting smashed. Molotov kept going, straight into a wall.


    ¡°Haha! Fuck you bitch that is a wall! Destinatio¡­ oh, fuck me ded, she went straight through the bloody wall?!¡±


    A wall didn¡¯t matter, she came crashing through, bulldozing into the next tunnel over. She skidded to a halt, realizing that she had gone too far. Molotov poked her head back out of the chasm she had made and saw the fleeting figure of Sheila, darting around the next corner.


    ¡°Holy fuck!¡± Screamed Sheila fleeing.


    ¡°You can run, but you can¡¯t hide,¡± Laughed Molotov, skipping after her prey.


    Sheila had fucked up, in her panic to dodge the pain train she took the wrong tunnel and had cornered herself. She backed against the wall clawing at it desperately as though freedom was so close. She turned when the shadows of Molotov covered the wall of the corner. She was just out of sight. But her voice was not. Between a rock and a hard place she pulled out the sniper rifle off of her back and leveled it. She sat there waiting, teeth chattering.


    The voice of a little girl sung out joyously, not at all appropriate for what horrors lay ahead, ¡°One, two, I am coming after you.¡±


    She skipped a little closer, ¡°Three, four, I am at your door.¡±


    Her fingers appeared on the wall and she slowly emerged like some horror movie monster, ¡°Five, six, I hope you like dicks.¡±


    Sheila didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment and fired. It didn¡¯t matter that it was a looked like a child. If anything that made her more jumpy on the trigger finger. However, this was no child it was a criminal mastermind responsible for the deaths of untold numbers. Molotov¡¯s head kicked back from the shock of impact and she stumbled back several steps. Sheila stared in horror. The armor piercing round had not killed her, it hadn¡¯t even hurt her. Molotov turned her head to the side and spat out the bullet. Her visor cracked clear open. She just stared holes through Sheila for a moment, making her lose her nerve.


    ¡°NOOO!¡± cried Sheila, ¡°I am innocent, I swear! I didn¡¯t do nothing! I just wanted to be on Animal Planet!¡±


    She pulled the trigger as fast as she could firing rounds without even properly aiming. This time Molotov swat the bullets out of the air. She drew closer, wiggling her fingers, ¡°Seven, eight, I can hardly wait.¡±


    ¡°Stay away from me!¡± She screamed, pulling out her Bowie knife.


    Molotov loomed over her and exclaimed with triumph in a voice that was so sweet and angelic, but that just made what was said so much worse, ¡°Nine, ten, I am going to rape you time and again!¡±


    ¡°I always knew it would be a child to bring me down! Creepy little fuck! Do the world a favor and die in a fire!¡±


    The blade slashed down and shattered on the finger that blocked it. It was hopeless. She was outclassed in every way. Sheila knew she was as good as proper fucked and so tried a last ditch effort. She brought her fingers up and jabbed, trying to gouge out Molotov¡¯s eyes. But she was blocked by Molotov¡¯s hand, which she placed over her nose like a fan. She wagged her finger, ¡°Uh, uh, uh. Very, very naughty. Do you know what I do to bad little girls?¡±


    ¡°No, no, please. I will tell you anything. Just let me go.¡±


    ¡°Too bad,¡± said Molotov, hugging Sheila¡¯s around the neck, ¡°I hope you like turnips, cause you are my new Suka.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck.¡± Was all that Sheila managed to get out before Molotov gripped and squeezed. Sheila kicked and struggled, but it didn¡¯t take long for the fight to fade and she went limp, unconscious. Molotov grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her through the tunnels. It took a good half hour to get back to the others. They had been skinning the crocodile as per her request.


    ¡°Comrade, you have returned what happened to suit?¡±


    ¡°I was careless.¡± She replied.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to leave here? Your suit has been compromised.¡± Said Fold.


    ¡°Nyet,¡± replied Molotov, ¡°I only wear suit cause I don¡¯t like the smell. Radiation is not threat to me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, won¡¯t you mutate or get cancer or something?¡±


    ¡°Nyet, now let¡¯s move.¡±


    Boris stared at the limp body of Sheila, ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°My new pet.¡±


    ¡°You actually caught Sheila?¡± said Fold in disbelief, ¡°That bitch has been a thorn in my side for quite some time.¡±


    ¡°She put up good fight, but only so much that once can do when they are so heavily overpowered.¡±


    Fold seemed to want to say more, but kept quiet, eyeing Sheila venomously.


    ¡°Then are we leaving?¡± asked Boris.


    ¡°Nyet, we still have not completed objective. I simply got side tracked. Girl was fun to chase.¡±


    ¡°Da, then we proceed as planned.¡±


    ¡°Da, I will interrogate her later.¡±


    Boris nodded and Molotov opened one of the compartments on her belt, sliding Sheila inside. With a click, it closed and she was gone. They proceeded forward, following the sewer schematics. After a short while of traversing through grime and muck, they came to a well-treaded path. Molotov raised her hand and they stopped, staring out at the intersection. Ahead glowing blue and red lights flashed from the shoulders of cyber swat members patrolling. There were not many here only several pairs at either end, keeping an eye on things. Molotov waited, listening in.


    ¡°What do you think made all that racket up there?¡±


    ¡°The gangs probably noticed the lack of patrols and started stuff. Chief pulled most of us out to deal with the Sixes getting into another fight with the Diablos. Of course, it could have been Burnout going nuts again. With the amount of blow that bitch does one would think her brain would have dripped out of her ears by now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like being down here with so few.¡±


    ¡°Good thing Nuclear Knight was distracted, we would have lost more when we took out that rat nest these freaks had going on down here.¡±


    ¡°The numbers aren¡¯t adding up though, we didn¡¯t catch them all. Nuclear Knight even escaped.¡±


    ¡°He probably fled to the lower tunnels with the rest of them. We will drown them out with rad-gone once Chief gets back down here with more generators. We will flush the whole damned system clean and finally be rid of this crazy cult. Bronson will be a lot safer after this. Then we can focus all our efforts in taking out the Diablos.¡±


    ¡°What about the Mad Dogs?¡±


    ¡°GK is still licking her wounds after that last fight. They won¡¯t try anything until the full moon when they get their power boost.¡±


    ¡°Well, sure they get stronger, but they also get stupid. When that happens, they are just animals in heat.¡±


    ¡°Animals that can tear buildings down with their bare hands.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. I got kids, man.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do once this is over with?¡±


    ¡°I got some vacation saved up, probably going to take the family out camping or something.¡±


    ¡°You are getting old, old man.¡±


    ¡°Shut it-¡± The taller of the two abruptly stopped talking as his head twisted backward. Molotov hung down from above and pulled the body up out of sight.


    ¡°What the-¡± A large arm curled around the other, dragging him into the side tunnel. Boris flexed crushing the helmet and the head.


    ¡°Threats neutralized. Seems things are proceeding as planned. They have not found the device, yet.¡±


    They dragged the bodies a little further back and watched the patrol at the far end. It didn¡¯t take long for them to notice the disappearance and lack of communications back. Worried, they came rushing down. However, they slowed to a stop halfway down. The pair scanned with their rifles and backed away. They knew something was wrong, just not exactly what.


    ¡°Fall back we have company. Alert the others.¡± Ordered one of them, staying behind while the other ran.


    ¡°It appears that they only have short range coms down here. How advantageous. We should deal with these two.¡± Said Molotov, emerging from the shadows, like a ninja.


    She raised Sheila¡¯s sniper rifle and shot the fleeing man through the back of the head. He went down hard on the concrete. The suit spasmed out twitching and writhing, but he was well and dead. The Swat member standing his ground returned fire, precisely and mechanically. However, the small target dodged and weaved, advancing upon his position. Realizing there was no running his suit glowed red. Molotov had seen this before, it was the self-destruct protocol. He was going to try to collapse the tunnel.


    She darted forward and chopped into his neck, severing the head in one brutal motion. The body wobbled and toppled over. Molotov stabbed her hand into the back apparatus and tore it open, removing the power core. All the systems shut down, leaving the suit dead and dull. It was the sure fire way to stop that sort of thing. Blood and servo field pooled around the body. She looked over the helmet and shook the still gasping head free, tossing it to the side where it splattered against the wall. She opened another compartment and stowed away the helmet and power core.


    ¡°Vira will be excited to see this, I am sure.¡±


    The bodies were unceremoniously dumped into the foul waters running to the side after being stripped of power cores. The evidence of their murders disposed of the group continued forward. The schematics revealed their objective to be close. They had arrived at the Atomic Raider¡¯s base. The area had already been cleansed of radiation with heavy doses of rad gone and the Cyber Swat members had moved on to cleanse the rest of the tunnels. Molotov snuck around the corner, eyeing the once glowing sanctum which had been decimated. Not a single ramshackle house stood. Bullet holes and explosion marks marred the concrete in various places.


    The area no longer lit itself with glowing waters. It was now dull, yet surprisingly clean. Boris led the way following the map. They marched up the stairway to the upraised platform. The podium no longer stood and the book that rested upon it was long gone. They made their way to the back of the room where Nuclear Knight¡¯s home used to be. The wall was cracked from some sort of impact. Boris nodded and Molotov slammed her fist into the wall bringing it down. Dust billowed through the room and a green glow filled their eyes from the cavernous hidden room.


    ¡°Ah, he lived up to his name after all. Boris, is it operable or have we wasted our time?¡±


    He stepped forward, placing his hand on the large metal casing. He circled it looking over the device, ¡°I am unsure. Design is primitive. Worst case the nuclear material they used was inert. If so it will need new source of plutonium or other power sources if it is to be live.¡±


    ¡°Plan is still same, once bomb is ready Bronson City will burn, just like L.A. I am sure that Nitro will be very pleased when she arrives later this month. Maybe this time Chimera will actually show their faces, I know they are already here.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going to get the materials?¡± asked Fold.


    ¡°That is above your pay grade unless I decide you are needed for it. Less you know, less of a liability you are.¡±


    ¡°The bomb appears to be stable for transport.¡± Said Boris.


    ¡°Da, Fold, you know what to do. We are pulling out.¡± Said Molotov, lifting the bomb.


    Fold opened a portal on the wall and the group slipped through, before it closed behind them. Leaving the Hero League and all of Bronson City none the wiser of the impending peril.

 Arc 8, Superficial, Chapter 1

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 1


    ¡°Vesper, Vesper?¡± asked a familiar voice.


    I opened my eyes and there was Astrea looking down at me, concerned. She fanned me with her four arms. I turned my head and gagged throwing up water. Why do I feel so cold? I feel like a drowned rat. After a little bit of shivering and just laying there things started to become clear.


    Beyond the crystal clear sky had not a cloud to be seen. Ah, another blistering California summer day. She reached down and I took her hand, being pulled onto my feet. Oh, so strong, my knight in shining carapace. I blinked a few times to understand where we were. There were people all around, wearing mouse-ear hats. For some reason, they weren¡¯t screaming or running away after seeing us. In fact, they just went about their business chatting, eating overpriced hot dogs, and riding the roller coasters. Nicky Mouse Land? Holy guacamole, how long has it been since I came to this place? High school? Has it already been that long?


    We were in the water park section where they had slides and everybody was running around in trunks or bikinis or one pieces. Come to think of it, even Astrea was wearing a light red bikini. I glanced down to find that I was wearing a matching set. Not really sure why we don¡¯t have nipples and our naughty bits are in the abdomens. She didn¡¯t seem to mind, though, so I was not going to question it. Now that I looked at it, I could certainly see the appeal to this it gave her a flashier appearance than normal. Oh trying to garner more of my attention? The way her thick carapace gleamed in the sun, reflecting a velvety blue, it was making me moist. Of course, it might have been since it appears we just went through a water slide and I almost drowned.


    ¡°What did you want to do now?¡± I asked, having gotten my bearings.


    She pointed and there was the Water Log Ride, my favorite. Without another word, we lined up. She stood behind me, her arms hugging me. I leaned back in her embrace. We rocked slightly from side to side and I realized something, this, this was a Date! Seeing as how Astrea is socially inept, I must have set this whole thing up. I just can¡¯t remember any of my plans. Nooo, the date is going to be ruined. I racked my brain trying to come up with the most romantic thing ever. I couldn¡¯t really think of anything though, the only thing coming to mind was a certain plan to get into my pants.


    Yes, Boris and Molotov¡¯s date seemed rather romantic. If I had fallen prey to it, then I would probably be evil right now. However, I wonder what we have already done? Have we done the Haunted House already and, and even the Crazy Army Helmet ride? Ok, ok think here. I don¡¯t remember hearing pirate music or seeing swashbuckling, so I think we haven¡¯t gone on the Pirate Cruise yet. Ok, so that is next and then Yeti Mountain? But before that, we gotta have lunch, Pizza break!


    During my plotting, the line had moved forward and it was our turn next. We got on the log ride, weighing it down. It was a bit lopsided due to Astrea¡¯s mass. Oh no, it wouldn¡¯t go if we were in it. Reluctantly we got out and Astrea looked sad. I could tell that she really wanted to have fun too. What is this shit, make your damned rides to accommodate people of all shapes and sizes, she is just big boned. It is not like she is fat or something, this wasn¡¯t an over indulgence it was just how she was. I could fit, but that would be mean to her so we left looking for something else to do.


    The more we looked, the more I realized none of these rides would withstand a girl of her magnitude. Yeti Mountain was a no go, Pirate Cruise nearly sank when she sat down, and the Army Helmets broke, trying to turn. Oh, my god, this is horrible, worst date ever! The pizza was even awful. I almost started throwing punches over this overpriced garbage that tasted like cardboard. The Haunted House was too small, Astrea could not fit inside the corridors, without breaking them.


    It was already dark when our choices finally exhausted. There was only one ride left in the whole park that we had not tried, the Ferris wheel. Reluctantly, we looked over the specs and surprisingly enough, she would fit. The weight load was over a thousand pounds per compartment, which meant that me and her could just barely get into the same box. It was a little cramped. I ended up sitting on her abdomen, otherwise there wouldn¡¯t be anywhere to sit. I didn¡¯t mind, in fact, I enjoyed it as her tendrils coiled around me and her arms held me.


    Slowly the rocking booth ascended into the night sky. Truly, a beautiful scene filled with glimmering stars. Despite the usual light pollution, there were a lot of stars out, glimmering and twinkling down to us. It was so warm, so peaceful. I leaned back and looked up at her awestruck face. Ah, that is right, this is the first time she had seen the night sky. She had been in that sewer for so long. Don¡¯t you worry about a thing. I will show you the world.


    I held her head and kissed her.


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    She just smiled at me as the world around us dimmed. All the park sounds and music dulled into a silence. The stars flickered out, the park lights fell into darkness and slowly everything faded into an abyss. I held onto her and yet she still melted between my fingers. She evaporated before my very eyes. I cried and held my head. Astrea? Where, where are you? But there was nothing here. And I realized it had all been a delusion.


    Darkness, always it returns like a faithful friend. I wonder when it stopped scaring me? Where once this desolate wasteland of nothingness was frigid and terrifying, it was now merely lukewarm. I have been here so many times now to know my own head, my own imagination. This place was merely the outer shell projected over my inner sanctum. Really, it was mostly just to keep out unsavory sorts, a defense mechanism. Seeing as how I am here I can safely assume I didn¡¯t die from Nuclear Knight¡¯s attack.


    How long has passed, I wonder? Would there be more dreams? Sub appears to be recovering as well, which means she is hiding somewhere. That makes this stay a lot lonelier than usual. The tentacles forest and lollipop fields are just not the same without her. And so I spent most of my time watching the painting like sky above. Just me and my thoughts, I am surprisingly not freaking out as much as I thought I would over being in a coma, again. Am I just getting used to being a punching bag or something?


    I can hardly wait to be free from here. Me and Astrea, just thinking about it brings a warm smile to my face. I have so much to show her, so much to teach her. I am pretty sure that I could get Neon Nurse on board to help teach her human interactions and words. Then, once she was somewhat competent we could go on vacation for a bit, get to know one another better and maybe, maybe even settle down to have a family. The whole world is out there to see. I am sure that she will love eating various critters from across the globe. We could go on a sightseeing tour to exotic places. We could go exploring the Amazon or maybe go to the Caribbean and catch some rays on the beaches, well maybe a desolate uninhabited beach, but still. Hawaii would always be nice too.


    I had been so alone now that I think about. Sure, there was Sub, but she wasn¡¯t physically there. I couldn¡¯t just reach out and touch her on a whim, nor curl up in her arms when I needed a hug. If anything she was similar to a ghost. I could feel her, but can¡¯t really touch her, unless I was in here, of course. It is funny how we take not being alone for granted. There are after all billions of people out there, so surely one of them would be the right one. But for me, up until I met Astrea, I had been the only one of my kind. Sure, I got along with humans, but even I am not so delusional to believe that I am one of them anymore. Astrea just existing has opened my eyes to this fact. I am not one of them and I never will be again.


    All things pass eventually, and so did this. A doorway appeared, as it always did when I was ready to leave.


    ****


    My eyes slid open, unfocused at first. White and gray blotches all around. Blinking a few times things became clear. I was¡­ where the hell am I? It looked like a hospital room, smelled like one too. White and sterile, absent of life. That was normal, only thing was, I could tell something was off. It was the sounds, besides the steady beep of the monitors to my side, it was quiet, too quiet. Oh wait, this isn¡¯t a hospital room, this is an observation room. Which means I am in either Dr. Arbor¡¯s lab, or in Neon Nurse¡¯s. I lay there for a long moment, the light overhead dully glowing. It was not overwhelmingly bright like most lights, that is nice of them to not blind me.


    There was not much in this place, the bed I lazed about in and an end table to the side. A glass of room temperature water sat atop it. I could tell from the lack of condensation. My left arm flopped about, hard to move. I must have been laying on it since it was tingling and felt dead. Through a bit of effort and shaking it around to get the blood circulating again, I managed to grasp the glass, only to crush it by applying far too much pressure.


    I stared at the claws¡­ this wasn¡¯t right. This was not my arm. Something had happened to it. It was bigger than the rest of my arms, giving me a slightly lopsided look. Kinda like if someone only worked out one arm, but more than that it was thicker, harder than my other arms. Come to think of it, this arm melted completely off. I remember watching it, I can still feel the pain searing through my veins and the numbness that came after. How the hell did I grow it back?


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I fumbled about and found the little controller used to call for a nurse. I pressed on it and sure enough after a little bit Neon Nurse appeared. She smiled vaguely and stuck a straw in my mouth. I sipped on it and cool, refreshing water alleviated my dry throat. I sighed and lay back, I felt rather weak.


    ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± she asked, observing me and glancing over the monitors to my side.


    ¡°I feel like I went ten rounds with Mike Tyson and got my ass beat.¡±


    ¡°You are lucky to be alive. It was very foolish of you to pick a fight with Nuclear Knight.¡±


    ¡°He is the one who chased me down and started that I just wanted to leave.¡±


    She nodded a little, looking away from me, ¡°What¡¯s done is done. No use fretting over it now. Mistakes were made and we have addressed them while you were out.¡±


    ¡°What sorts of mistakes?¡±


    ¡°Chief will have more about you assignment once you meet with him. For now, just rest and get better.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right Neon Nurse. I got a favor to ask.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± she replied quizzically.


    ¡°I have this friend you see and she needs help.¡±


    ¡°A friend?¡±


    I smiled, ¡°Yeah, she is like me, but bigger. Speaking of which, where is she? She should have been there with me when we were attacked.¡±


    Neon Nurse¡¯s face froze, she seemed to be thinking something over. She looked away, avoiding eye contact. What is that about? Before I could raise my concerns she spoke and my heart felt like it shriveled up, ¡°Vesper¡­ 808, she, your friend succumbed to her wounds. She sacrificed herself to save you.¡±


    At first, it didn¡¯t really register. ¡°Who is 808? That isn¡¯t really a name. Astrea, I am talking about Astrea. She is like a big me, but she can¡¯t really talk much. But she is learning. She is learning so well. She even learned my name and I taught her how to say cockroach and¡­ she looks mean, but, but she is really a good girl.¡±


    ¡°Vesper,¡± said Neon Nurse, I didn¡¯t like the tone of her voice it was withdrawn. It was hesitant and sad. If her fake face could produce tears I get the feeling they would be glistening in her eyes right now. Don¡¯t you do that, you are going to make me cry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Sorry? What are you sorry about? Deep down I knew what she meant, that doesn¡¯t mean I was going to accept it. I could feel it, the tears had come. No, no, no, this isn¡¯t how things were supposed to go. This isn¡¯t right. We just met each other. How could she be torn from me so quickly? I loved her. We were going to have babies together and find somewhere that no one would bother us. She was innocent damn it! She didn¡¯t do anything wrong. This isn¡¯t real, this has to be some nightmare. Ah, this is just another fevered dream, isn¡¯t it?


    I tried to get up, only to fall flat on my face. My legs weren''t really working, ¡°Astrea! Astrea!? Where are you?!¡± I shrieked, dragging myself towards the door.


    Neon Nurse coiled around me in a bear hug. She wouldn¡¯t let me go, ¡°It is ok Vesper. I am here for you. Go on, just let it all out.¡±


    I struggled, writhing and squirming like a lowly worm. I couldn¡¯t fight her off, I was much too weak. ¡°Shut up! Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Vesper, she is dead.¡±


    ¡°You are lying to me!¡± I felt a surge of power fill my left arm and it moved, tearing off one of her limbs. Neon Nurse stumbled back from the blow. Despite missing an arm she grasped at me, trying to hold on to me. I yelled at her, ¡°How could she be dead? She is stronger than me and tougher! How am I alive and she is dead?!¡±


    ¡°She protected you, shielded you from most of Nuclear Knight¡¯s attack.¡±


    I held my head, it is my fault? She is dead because of me? If it wasn¡¯t for me then she would still be alive down there. I, I killed her. It is my fault, all my fault. I hit my head against the ground, cracking the ceramic tiles. Why can¡¯t I do anything right? Hero? Don¡¯t make me laugh. What sort of hero gets the ones they loved killed? I am just an idiot who gets people killed.


    Neon Nurse slid my head onto her lap and pet me, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself. She wouldn¡¯t want that, would she? I don¡¯t like seeing you like this.¡±


    ¡°I just want to curl up and die.¡±


    She pet me more, playing with the tendrils, stop that. They are sensitive. ¡°Vesper. You have friends who cherish you. I love you. I know you have heard it before and don¡¯t feel the same way, but I love you. It hurts so much to see you like this.¡±


    I cried, burying my face against her, ¡°She completed me. I will never meet someone like that again. I will never feel anything like that again. You don¡¯t understand, you can¡¯t possibly know what it felt like.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, that is just the pheromones talking.¡±


    ¡°But I was so connected to her.¡±


    ¡°It is a trait of your species. You bond very quickly. It is a shame. We lose those who we care about. That is life. Fleeting and painful, but it is the pain that lets us know we are truly alive. Without the pain and suffering, how else would we know the joy and the bliss of life? There was a time that I considered ending it all and letting it all go.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to die?¡±


    She smiled sadly, ¡°I did. It was when I was diagnosed with cancer and told that I only had two years to live. I tried so hard to find a cure and failed at every turn. It hurt day in and day out. The chemotherapy made things worse, it weakened my immune system. My hair fell out, my face looked like a corpse and I could hardly move. Depression set in. It was like I was swallowed by an abyss of emptiness. Nothing mattered. I was so empty. I wanted the sweet release of death so much back then. But when the time came, I couldn¡¯t do it. I was too afraid of death. I was terrified of vanishing and fading into nothing. Being forgotten as though I had never existed, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°How did you get out of that?¡±


    ¡°Well, about a year into it, my powers fully awoke. I understood things that should not be. I had been a robotics engineer during school, but I had to drop out due to my illness. There was only so much they could do for me. Medical research back then was archaic, to say the least. I knew how to fix myself. The weak flesh had to be stripped away and replaced by machinery, but I was not ready to do it to myself. Too many unknowns, too many chances for failure. I could do it only one time and it had to succeed. In my desperation, I turned to less scrupulous sources and made terrible deals for funding and materials, both organic and mechanical.¡±


    ¡°When you were a villain? So it was because you were desperate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sometimes the right thing is viewed as wrong. Like in the past where doctors could not use cadavers to gain medical knowledge to save lives.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± I said vaguely. Well, she had done a good job of distracting me. Strange, Neon Nurse never really talks about how she became a cyborg.


    She smiled at me, welding back on her left arm. ¡°See, no harm, no foul. You know, we are rather similar now more than ever.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked.


    She lightly touched my left arm, ¡°Our components can be changed.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what?¡±


    She thought for a moment, ¡°Ah, sorry. Astrea was it? Though she is dead, she is with you even now.¡±


    I just looked at her blankly, ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡±


    She grasped my hand, ¡°Vesper, this arm was melted completely off. It was gone, however, we were able to attach Astrea¡¯s arm and it was compatible with you. In death, she is still looking out for you. We have preserved her in another room for study and should you ever need organ transplants.¡±


    ¡°I can see her?¡±


    Neon Nurse¡¯s face scrunched up, ¡°You might not want to see her like that. There was a lot of external damage from Nuclear Knight. I think it would be best if you didn¡¯t see her.¡±


    I was about to protest, but thinking about it. I don¡¯t really want to see her melted and deformed. I know full well what that corrosive gas could do. It would be better to remember her as she once was. Speaking of which, I was exposed to that stuff¡­ how fucked up do I look?


    ¡°Mirror,¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡± replied Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Give me a mirror.¡±


    ¡°Just a moment.¡± She brought it over.


    I was expecting the worst but was pleasantly surprised to find that I did, in fact, have a face that was not melted off. Though it was warped a little and my upper left eye had been sealed shut.


    ¡°How is my face not worse off?¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you, you are getting stronger Vesper. At this rate, it won¡¯t take long for you to reach rank 6. However, there are some things that need to be discussed. For the time being, you will be taken off of street patrols. The higher ups have decided it would be safer to place you on the Image Campaign.¡±


    ¡°Image Campaign? What the hell is that?¡±


    ¡°Did Chief not mention it to you? Strange, he told me you had already agreed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I signed up for anything weird. What exactly is this Image thing?¡±


    She paced a little thinking it over. ¡°To put it simply it is something of a PR program. You know Public Relations. From what I heard you will be getting to pick a sponsor and doing jobs to help sway public opinion in our favor.¡±


    ¡°Why are we worried about public opinion?¡±


    ¡°After LA, people are starting to doubt us. They are questioning if we can actually keep them safe. The recent Slum incident is not helping matters.¡±


    ¡°Ok, but why me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Replied Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    She repeated, ¡°I don¡¯t know. There could be a multitude of reasons as to why they chose you and Sunshine.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine is going with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is. I can see why they would choose her, but you¡­ well, Vesper, I frankly don¡¯t think you are suited for this. Though it is out of my hands at this point. All that I can say is, be careful. Appearances are everything and this means you will have to be on your best behavior at all times. Keep swearing to a minimum and no weird, perverted stuff. Also, you can¡¯t reveal your identity to anyone that does not already know. The media would go nuts if they found out we are actively using a Subhuman on our Hero roster.¡±


    ¡°So stop being me?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. Once you are recovered Chief will have a meeting with you and the representatives for the prospective sponsorships. I would recommend against trying to goof off and scare off the sponsors. There are big opportunities and future connections at stake here for you. You never know when having friends in high places will bail you out of trouble.¡±


    ¡°What if I get like a sex toy sponsor, like eh, what was that one I saw the other day? Something about dragons?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t. We made sure of that.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, I think I would be a great adult toy spokesperson.¡±


    ¡°That would be the wrong kind of image. You will be talking to kids you know,¡± She flatly replied.


    ¡°I thought you were in the business? What with the robo ginas and what not.¡±


    ¡°I am, but that is more private. It is not in association with the Hero League.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t I get a Sponsorship from your company?¡±


    ¡°I will consider it. However, now would not be a good time.¡±


    ¡°Eh, seriously? This is harsh. Why exactly should I even do this?¡±


    ¡°Either you get a lucrative sponsorship and all the perks that come with it, or you will be doing roadside cleanup for the next three months.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is that! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. It feels like I am getting shoehorned into this.¡±


    ¡°Vesper. You ran off on a mission and instead of regrouping, actively avoided your team members. Now, I know why you did this, it was to keep Astrea a secret and we have done that. However, you are being reprimanded for your actions since it looks like you just ran off. This is the higher ups way of putting you on a tighter leash. It also does not help that Sheila has gone missing. Sweeper can¡¯t even find her.¡±


    ¡°Sheila is missing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, at first we thought she was just messing around like usual, however, it has been a week since the last time anyone saw her. It is uncharacteristic of her.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, Sheila knows about Astrea.¡±


    ¡°What? She knows?¡± Neon Nurse¡¯s face hardened, ¡°That makes things more complicated. Ok, don¡¯t you worry about it. I will start looking into it more.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡±


    ¡°No, just worry about yourself for now.¡± She pat me and handed over juice pouch. I slurped it down, mmm apple. Kinda wish it was banana though.


    Sponsorship¡­ I sat there wracking my brain. Who the fuck would Sponsor me?

 Thoughts and Concerns

    Alright so, J1st''s recent review has troubled me in many ways. It is both good and bad at the same time, since now I am starting to question myself and where this story is going. Here are my thoughts about it.


    He makes some fair points about the unbalanced tempo and drastic changes in tone. However this is a biproduct of Vesper''s mental instability and since we are viewing the world through her eyes most of the time it tends to tint things. As you may notice, the Interlude chapters are typically far darker than the Vesper chapters simply because that is the real world and is not being influeced by Vesper''s many coping mechanisms/ random thoughts. And yes, sex SEX SEX is a coping mechanism. incase you were wondering.


    As for the nuances of characters like Molotov and the like, if you don''t read closely it is very easy to miss the tell tale signs of what she is thinking since the Interlude chapters are not specifically in people''s heads. In case you were wondering, yes Molotov cares about Vesper, however Molotov is also evil and manipulative. She was employing the carrot and stick approach to Vesper in case you did not realize.


    There was some talk of Wish fullfillment in the review as well. Not really sure how to take that considering that I am holding back a lot specifically so that it doesn''t just turn into a full blown erotica where Vesper is having wild, detailed tentacle orgies and amassing a harem to fill with eggs and take over the world. Instead I have actively been crushing her hopes and dreams as well as clam jamming/cock blocking her. I like to let the hope fill her eyes and then smash it, makes things much more emotional. I mean hell, I killed off Astrea 2 chapters ago and trust me on this, she is not the last to die in this story.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    He likes Captain Metal... surprising considering just how one dimensional and generic he is. He might as well be a cookie cutter antagonist. The only thing even mildly interesting about him is his hatred for Subhumans and he was in a rock band, Subhumans killed said bandmates. That is it, that is literally his whole back story. I guess he is easy to understand, even skim readers could get him down to a tee.


    So I have a few questions, are the arc transitions too jarring? They tend to open up with either Vesper having a strange dream or an interlude, or if it is a continued arc it just picks up where the last one left off.


    The main problem that I have with fixing said flow would be well, Vesper''s insanity. In order to make the story more cohesive then Vesper herself would have to be changed. Now there are several options for this, assuming it is a problem currently. Personally I don''t think it is problem lately, but I could be wrong. The steady decline of viewers is telling me something is wrong.


    1: we do nothing to her and continue as we were. Eventually, I will do revisions and edits to earlier content.


    2:I go back and do extensive revisions to earlier arcs, before moving forward. Vesper will be less perverted and have less random thoughts.


    3: we start a reboot that is darker, gritterier, less comedy though there will still be some, and follows a diverging story line. This would be the Vesper as a villain version. Currently we are in the neutral story, since I have thought up what would happen depending on which faction she ended up in by the end of the story.


    Other than that, any thoughts or concerns? Also be sure to read J1st''s review and tell me what you guys think. I am not organizing a witch hunt here so don''t start bashing him, he made some fair points and I want to address them, just not entirely sure how. Just looking for feed back and wondering where to go from here. Questions in general are welcome. Be sure to comment and I will get back to you, also I might answer spoilerish questions, if you have them.

 Arc 8, Superficial, Chapter 2

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 2


    The day that I had somewhat been dreading and strangely enough looking forward to had arrived. It was my meeting with Chief and the prospective Sponsors. However, before any of that, I had to see my personal toad, err I mean therapist. I was not looking forward to this. Wearily, I opened the door to her office and she sat there looking through some papers.


    ¡°So you have finally come,¡± she said, glancing up, ¡°You should start making it a habit of being on time. Especially, if you are serious about Sponsors. At any rate, sit down and get comfortable.¡±


    I took her advice and lay upon the black leather couch across from the chair that Miss Mickenson would soon be sitting in. After a few minutes, she finished up with what she had been doing when I arrived. I stared at the ceiling mostly, with listless eyes. Tired. It feels like all I want to do lately is sleep. Her movement drew my attention. She wore a gray suit today, not quite as shabby as the first time we met. Still, though, she was rounded and filled the clothes a bit too much. Her perfumed stench irritated my antennae.


    She sat down and placed the recording device on the table between us. ¡°So Vesper, is there anything you wanted to talk about?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    I must have sounded rather down due to what she said next, ¡°Is something wrong? You don¡¯t sound like the usual snarky, in my face pervert that I had come to expect. Then again, with how jumbled up and all over the place you are really I should not be surprised.¡±


    ¡°Just not in the mood,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Well, care to talk about it? You know, it is kinda why I am here. It is my job to listen to people bitch and whine about stuff. So feel free to vent.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Miss Mickenson¡­ have you ever been in love?¡±


    She sat there pondering for a moment, clearly not expecting a question in return, ¡°I thought that I was once, but it didn¡¯t go too well. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°The woman that I loved died the other day, and it was my fault.¡±


    Mickenson seemed startled, ¡°Wait, what? I didn¡¯t hear about anybody dying.¡±


    ¡°She was not a hero, so you would not have heard.¡±


    She nodded a little, ¡°Tell me more about her. What attracted you to her? What makes you think it was your fault?¡±


    I smiled sheepishly, ¡°Her name was Astrea and she was probably the cutest, most innocent being I have ever met. She was a lot like a child and that made me want to protect her, yet in the end, it was me who ended up being protected.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like she was somebody special.¡±


    ¡°She certainly was. Just smelling her sweet aroma was more than enough to make me feel better. Now that she is gone, I feel empty inside, so lonely, unmotivated and I have even been contemplating suicide. Funny how someone I only knew for a couple days has had this much of an effect on me.¡±


    She had quietly listened to me, ¡°A few days? I think you might be blowing this out of proportion a little. Sounds a lot like Romeo and Juliet, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Sort of? Hmm, I guess I am acting like an angsty teen. Must be all the raging hormones. Still, I can¡¯t just forget her, she completed me. A human like you can¡¯t possibly understand our bond, our connection.¡±


    Mickenson seemed a little wary over my outburst, ¡°You lost me, what does me being human have to do with this? Wait, then Astrea was a subhuman?¡±


    ¡°She was certainly not a squishy human. Her carapace was rather robust. As far as I know, Astrea was the only other of my species. Can you possibly imagine what it would be like to be the last living human on the planet? Surrounded by aliens who look upon you with disdain and fear over what I might do and not what I have done?¡±


    There was a long silence between us, ¡°Vesper, not everyone hates you. In fact, most people don¡¯t even notice you. Sure, you are creepy and potentially dangerous, but I mean you haven¡¯t really done anything to warrant what you are talking about. Have people been picking on you?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Not really. At the least, not recently.¡±


    ¡°Then where is all this hate coming from?¡±


    ¡°I am trying to stay positive. But it feels like every time I get something going the way that I want it, everything goes to shit. I mean really, all that I want out of life is enough money to live comfortably with lots and lots of food, play video games, and maybe find someone who loves me and fucks my brains out every day. Is that so much to ask? I know, I know the last part is a tall order.¡±


    ¡°You do realize you can get rich really fast off of Sponsorships, right?¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Mickenson rubbed her face a little, reminded me of a toad. ¡°Seriously? They didn¡¯t tell you the details about Sponsorships?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, not really. I thought that was what the meeting with Chief today was about.¡±


    ¡°Ok, let me illuminate this for you. So companies will place bids on Heroes and sometimes Villains, these bids are more or less a retainer fee to the Hero League to reserve said Hero to more or less be contracted out to said company. There is a whole bunch of legal hoops you will have to jump through, but I am sure you will be fine. Once you have a sponsorship depending on how popular you are or successful in marketing your image has been you will be selling their products or simply promoting them. Usually with commercials and ads. There are many ways to do this and it is different for each company. Your starting salary will be small, but as your fame and fans increase then so will your merchandising. If you are successful, then you even get toys and comic books, hell normal books and even movies made about you. And you get paid a royalty fee for all of the above. In other words, Sponsorships are all about being popular. Think of it as being a celebrity/actor, there are many parallels between the two. Let me warn you, it is a rather cutthroat environment.¡±


    ¡°Cutthroat? How do you know so much about this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is very competitive, but I am sure a rivalry will do you some good. I have a few other patients who have sponsorships. So, I tend to hear about this sort of thing a lot.¡±


    ¡°How will having a nemesis be good for me?¡±


    ¡°I thought you watched anime?¡±


    I puffed up, ruffling my tendrils I see! ¡°Of course I do! What does that have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Simple really, what does every main character in all of those shows have? An adversary, especially in the sports and idol genres. It will force you to strive harder to accomplish your goals or taste the bitter defeat of having your jobs stolen from you.¡±


    ¡°Well, when you put it that way. I can see your point. They can do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. If your sponsor finds someone they like better, then they can terminate your contract. Though there are restrictions and it does take a while. Make sure you read the fine print.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the advice. You know, you are not so bad.¡±


    ¡°Coming around I see,¡± Miss Mickenson smirked.


    ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡±


    ¡°At any rate, this was an enjoyable session. I hope that you can be this amiable from now on.¡±


    ¡°Over already?¡±


    ¡°It is that time after all. You should not be late for your first meeting. Remember these people will be on the look out for bad habits and taking notes.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome, see you next week.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I am genuinely surprised that Mickenson was actually helpful. Maybe these meetings are actually paying off? I think that this may have actually been the most progressive session yet. I am actually rather excited about what the future holds, assuming I don¡¯t fuck it up. I stood before the door to Chief¡¯s office. I could hear talking inside, seems that the sponsors are already here. I took a deep breath and after a moment of hesitation opened the door.


    He sat at his desk wearing his hero outfit, the smaller brick red suit. By his side was Dreamer in her blue magician Esq outfit, the mask covering her face seemed different than I recall. Ah, it was not melted anymore. Sort of reminded me of those laughing and crying masks at a drama house. At any rate, it was smiling. Not sure what I should take away from that. Speaking of which, why the hell is she even here?


    There were a few other people in here, two to be exact. They looked like professional business dudes. Clean cut, shaven and not a wrinkle to be seen on their suits. They smelled like coconut, oddly enough, must be their shampoo. I am getting a lawyery vibe from these guys. Oh no, the blood suckers are out in force today.


    Everyone¡¯s attention turned to me when I entered. I got a nod of approval from Chief, ¡°Mecha Fairy right on time.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my neck, ¡°Thanks Chief, so you mind explaining what this is all about?¡±


    Dreamer spoke instead of Chief, ¡°These are your prospective sponsors. They will make their introductions and give you their pitch. Choose whichever you like or both if you feel up to it.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t like either of them?¡±


    ¡°Then we will try to find another sponsor, but keep in mind with your accomplishment I would not try my luck. It is a miracle that these two have taken an interest. Sponsorships are more for seasoned Heroes.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°Point taken. So, eh, who is first.¡±


    The guy with black slicked back hair turned to me. NERD! My nerdar was going off. He¡¯s got a pen protector on his undershirt. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, I represent TSI or if you are not familiar with us, the Tesla Science Institute. Recently, we have taken an interest in you. You should feel honored.¡±


    I had never heard of this company before, is it even a company? It sounded more like some think tank than anything else. Tesla sounded familiar though¡­ ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be related to a certain Dr. Tesla would you?¡±


    He looked at me with a straight face, ¡°We broke ties with Dr. Tesla after he went underground. The only thing we have in relation to him would be the name, he did found the TSI after all.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so what do you guys even do?¡±


    ¡°Well, we do many things. From charity work, to campus funding, to the sciences. Our current college program is going rather well and just last year we paid for a hundred scholarships.¡±


    ¡°What exactly do you get out of sending people to college?¡±


    ¡°Well, in addition to usually getting promising young scientists to work for us, we get significant tax write offs.¡±


    ¡°Ok? So what would you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°We would like to send you back to school. On the condition that you pursue a career in Biology, Mechanical Engineering, or something similar. We have heard about your promising talents.¡±


    I stared at him, ¡°Eh, what now? What talent?¡±


    He seemed troubled looking over at Dreamer and she replied, ¡°Mecha Fairy, do not play coy. They have been informed of your hyper learning.¡±


    ¡°Hyper Learning!? This is the first I have heard about this.¡±


    ¡°So Neon Nurse has kept this from you I see¡­ alright. Mecha Fairy, your cognitive functions are much higher than a human¡¯s. You learn faster than you should and for the most part, you retain the knowledge. Think of your brain as a sponge. That is what my team of researchers found during your two months of testing.¡±


    ¡°Testing? You mean when you locked me in a cage and poked me with sticks and treated me like an animal?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡±


    ¡°I feel that we have gotten off topic,¡± said the TSI representative. ¡°Our offer is still good, we await your reply.¡±


    He stepped to the side and the other guy stepped forward. He had short blonde hair with green eyes. He was kinda handsome. For some reason I was getting some car salesman vibes from this guy. ¡°John, John Johnson at your service.¡±


    Johnson, you say? My eyes roamed down. I didn¡¯t see any bulge, but then again he was wearing pants that would make it a little hard to see unless it was like a third leg.


    He continued, ¡°I represent Bronson Atomic Industries. Now I know what you might be thinking, what does a multi billion dollar Industry giant like BAI want with me? Well, let me tell you! We heard you helped clean out the sewers and we want to give you something special as our thanks. We did a fair amount of research on you to figure out exactly what you would want. For starters here is an all you can eat buffet coupon for Mongolian BBQ over in Down Town.¡±


    Dear god, he is a mind reader! I snatched it out of his hand. I was drooling just thinking about all that meat and noodles and squid-san, wait a minute! Get a hold of yourself Vesper this is all a clever ruse. What price does this smorgasbord of food have, it is my soul isn¡¯t it?


    ¡°This is strings attached?¡±


    ¡°Nope, just yours enjoy!¡±


    Guh, something is fishy, nobody just gives me shit for free. ¡°Alright, alright, stop hamming it up, what do you want out of me? Let me guess, you want me to be a Nuclear Engineer or something?¡±


    He had a blank look for a moment, ¡°Oh, that is not what we had in mind, but if you wanted to be one we could facilitate it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so you weren¡¯t trying to recruit me into the RND department?¡±


    He shook his head and managed to get his left arm over my shoulder, which was hard since I was currently almost two feet taller than him. I didn¡¯t really know how to respond to this and I ended up having to bend down a little. He continued, ¡°We over at BAI want you to be a sort of mascot if you would.¡±


    ¡°A mascot? I don¡¯t really get you.¡±


    ¡°It is simple really we want you to be the new face of BAI.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you guys been getting a bad rap over all the mutants and shit in the sewers and the illegal dumping of nuclear waste?¡±


    ¡°None of that is our fault. We run a clean and environment friendly operation. If the Atomic Raiders didn¡¯t attack our transports, there would be almost no pollutants in the city. We recycle the waste in a very green way. Company secret, can¡¯t just tell you.¡±


    On one hand, I know first hand how the Atomic Raiders are and on the others something is telling me this guy is full of shit. Environmentally friendly? Green? Yeah, I bet it is green, glowing so brightly you can see it from space. Don¡¯t you be throwing those buzz words at me. What am I a brain dead zombie? I am really not liking these options. I guess I should hear him all the way out though.


    ¡°Alright, so what exactly did you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°As I said, we want you to be a mascot.¡±


    ¡°What does that entail?¡±


    ¡°Commercials, photo shoots and maybe more that is all just for starters.¡±


    ¡°Nothing illegal?¡±


    ¡°No. In fact, nothing even Super related.¡±


    ¡°Then why even get me?¡±


    ¡°Well, we like you. You are an up and comer. You got a bright future if you are willing to work for it.¡±


    Both John and the TSI guy handed over some documents. From what I could see they were contracts. I started reading through it and my brain felt like it was turning to mush over all the legal jargon. The Proposal for BAI wasn¡¯t really that bad. The TSI one though required me to go back to school. Not a chance in hell was I going back. It sounded too good to be true and likely was. Only a single thought crossed my mind.


    ¡°I¡­ I need my lawyer!¡±


    A rattle sound came from the side and out, pounced Mark Dirkstein. I nearly fell over out of sheer surprise as he straightened his suit, ¡°Did someone say lawyer?¡±


    ¡°Helix above! Where the hell did you come from?¡±


    ¡°Details, details,¡± he said, brushing off my complaints. I mean, I was looking for him, but seriously, where did he come from? Was it a vent? It has to be a vent, right? Unless¡­ oh, my god, Mark is a ninja. It is the only thing that makes sense here. He was hiding behind a false wall just waiting for the most opportune moment this whole time, wasn¡¯t he?


    He took the documents and sifted through them with ease, truly a pro at this sort of thing. He nodded a few times and took to my side, whispering to me, ¡°Alright, this looks pretty straight forward. My fee will be five percent off the top. Usually, I charge twenty, but since Dr. Arbor is a good friend I will give you a discount.¡±


    ¡°How much are we talking here?¡±


    ¡°Well, depending on how you do it could be a lot of money or it could be almost worthless and if it ends up like that I will cut you loose. Time is money and I got better things to do than waste it. So let¡¯s make this worthwhile for both of us, shall we?¡±


    ¡°What the hell do I get out of this?¡±


    He replied, pointing to himself, ¡°You get my expert legal advice and I will handle the paperwork.¡±


    Something seems fishy here. But, I can trust Mark. At the least, I think I can. He has had my back against the quacks and kept me from going to the funny farm. Sure the guy is kinda sketchy, but he is a criminal defense lawyer so that kinda comes with the territory. I don¡¯t really see why he would fuck me over here. Especially since from the sounds of it, I am a golden goose. It doesn¡¯t make any sense to kill the goose. The more money I make, the more money he makes, seems like a good deal.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how did you know about this, by the way?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Arbor gave me a heads up last week.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± Well, there we have it.


    I shook his hand and he pulled out a contract. He came prepared. I looked it over, very carefully. Especially the fine print and assuming I understood every word there in full context then it was exactly what he had said. He will basically be my agent and be getting me jobs and making sure stuff was up to snuff. His cut was even the five percent that he mentioned. I couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with it. I stared him in the eyes and he wore a business face, not hinting at any, well, inner thoughts really. I signed it and he set to work negotiating for me. Something tells me I just signed a deal with the devil.


    ¡°Before I sign this I want a tour of your facility. I want to know who it is exactly that I am working for.¡± I said looking at Johnson.


    ¡°That is easy enough. I can take you right over, today if you would like.¡±


    ¡°And, and I demand food large portions in my contract on a daily basis.¡±


    He thought it over, waiting to see if I had any other demands, seeing that I didn¡¯t he replied, ¡°Every other day.¡±


    ¡°Three meals a day.¡±


    ¡°One meal a day, kids meal.¡±


    ¡°Two meals a day, all you can eat.¡±


    He seemed distressed over it, holding up two fingers, ¡°Two meals a day of normal size.¡±


    I thought it over, tapping at my chin. Hmm, well it is a start. ¡°Three meals a day of normal sizes.¡±


    ¡°We will see. Keep in mind if you do good, then we won¡¯t have any problems upping your funding.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well I want it in writing so write up a new contract and I will sign it after my lawyer approves of it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds reasonable.¡±


    ¡°What about us?¡± said the other guy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Look you might be nice people, but I don¡¯t feel like dealing with that sort of stuff again.¡±


    Though I did not voice it, another reason would be that I was suspicious that TSI was merely a money laundering business front for Dr. Tesla. Something tells me they are getting lots of donations from various anonymous sources and said money is being funneled elsewhere. I mean it makes sense and if he was behind it then he might try to get me. I had never even heard of these guys before today. Of course, I could just be imagining things and be overly delusional and paranoid. Either way, I ain¡¯t taking my chances. So that was out. BAI might be a little sketchy, but then again, nothing is squeaky clean either. There is a lot of fucked up shit even in the Hero League and I call this place home.


    ¡°So when can we start the tour?¡± I asked John.


    ¡°Whenever you are ready.¡± He replied.


    Chief finally spoke up, ¡°Report back with your contract when it is signed or if you choose to not sign up. We need to have it logged for legal reasons, lawsuits and the like.¡±


    ¡°Okie Dokie.¡± I gave him a thumbs up.


    I have never been in the main facility I wonder what it is like? I wonder if it will be like Charlie and the chocolate factory, but with radioactive isotopes? Oh my god! Will there be singing and dancing midgets painted orange?

 Arc 8, Superficial, Chapter 3

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 3


    A short car ride later we, and by we I mean Mark, Mr. Johnson and I, found ourselves arriving at the Bronson Atomic Industries Headquarters. It was located near the Slums and was more on the south eastern side of the city. Lucky for these guys, Enforcer¡¯s base of operations was just down the street and as a result, there were tall concrete walls with electrified razor ribbon closing off the Slums from the rest of the city. For a good city block or two, all of the old buildings had been demolished to create a flat expanse with nowhere to hide. Enforcer didn¡¯t take chances and if his plans ever came to fruition, then the Slums would be sealed off completely in a force field. I am not too sure if it would work. First of all, do we even have powerful force fields? It would be a start, but the sewers would have to be sealed as well or they would just go under the defenses, then again, most of the problem ones could simply jump over the wall, to begin with.


    If I remember correctly, this area was plagued by the Sixes and Sevens as well as the Diablo De Chillar. The strange thing about the Sixes was that, well, they were a Union, not actually a gang. To be precise, they were the Railroad Workers Union. If I had to compare it to anything, I guess they were like the Mob. Originally, they were not even in the city, but then somebody had the smart idea of requesting them to come and set up shop. That was back when the Diablos were expanding too much. It was the whole fight fire with fire mentality and, oddly enough, it worked to a degree. The Diablos would have taken over this whole section of the city if the Sixes were not here. Now, though they have frequent clashes in the streets over turf. I hear Enforcer is having a hard time with it.


    Other than that I have not heard too much since this is not the section of the city that I usually deal with. As a result, I have not paid too much attention to here. Although, I guess if I end up working for these guys then it will be my business what the villains are up to in the area. Still, the place was not as bad as the Slums from what I have heard the fighting is mostly taking place either in the plantation areas or the railway and warehouse district¡­ speaking of which after all this time, I finally figured out where the hell I had come up around during my initial escape. It turns out I had been somewhere over in that area. Though, I am not sure about the specifics I was not exactly in the right mind set during that time to be paying attention to details if I ever wanted to return. Not that I would.


    I let out a sigh and looked through the car door window. So this is their digs eh? It actually looks surprisingly nice. Not entirely sure what I had really been expecting. It was a clean, uniform in appearance building. A big BAI logo stood paramount atop the covered entranceway. An uprising of steps led to the front revolving doors and people walked in and out at a steady pace. Huge reinforced glass windows spanned the front of the building and perfectly manicured honey suckle hedges, palm trees, and even some flower beds broke the monotony of concrete, steel, and glass. Just seeing how green everything was showed how meticulous they were in the care of the appearance, we were in the worst drought that California had seen in over a decade. I enjoyed the smell, not sure what kind of flowers they were, but I found them rather soothing to the antennae.


    ¡°And here we have the Headquarters. As you can see, we pride ourselves on keeping a good appearance.¡±


    ¡°So I see,¡± I replied, idly looking him over. I had kind of filtered it out, but Johnson has a strong chin. It was not Admiral Moon status, but it was pretty good.


    ¡°Just follow me and we will get this tour underway.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were going to the main facility?¡±


    ¡°We are. Just want to show you around here, if you do take the Sponsorship then you will be coming here to get job requests.¡±


    ¡°Sounds simple enough.¡±


    The glass doors opened up into a wide reception room. Across from us stood an oval shaped counter behind which stood five receptionists. Every last one of them could easily be a model for some swimsuit magazine, despite wearing navy blue business skirts and blouses rather than bikinis and thongs. Each of them had a different hair color, ginger, platinum blond, black, brunette and oddly enough the last had a dark green hair color, it must have been dyed. All of them noticed our entry and said in unison, ¡°Welcome back Mr. Johnson, has your business concluded?¡±


    ¡°Not just yet. We are doing a little tour so would one of you be a dear and fetch my hazmat suit and a spare for Mr. Dirkstein?¡±


    ¡°Right away,¡± replied the green headed one, leaving the room.


    The others returned to their work. At first, I thought that they had obviously been hired for their looks and eh, large assets, but they diligently typed away at their computers and being rather helpful to the visitors. There were a few lined up waiting for their turn. It appeared mostly to be job applicants.


    ¡°So,¡± I said, looking around the room, ¡°Where are the orange midgets who sing and dance?¡±


    John took a moment to understand exactly what I said, ¡°You mean Oompa Loompas? Those are not real, you know.¡±


    ¡°Surely you got some weirdo creature or people running around here similar to that.¡±


    He just shook his head, ¡°No, not really. There is a cartoon thing we use on the tour, but that is about it. Unless you wanted to see the mutant animals we have captured for experimentation?¡±


    ¡°Does it sing and dance?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I sulked. Ah man, this place is going to be boring. Well, maybe not. ¡°What sorts of animals you got?¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°You¡¯ve been in the sewers. We got rats, dogs, cats, raccoons, spiders, roaches, even got a centipede. On the nastier side of things, we managed to transplant a tubifex worm colony. You know the usual stuff. Oh, we did get in a squirrel that animal control caught in Bronson Park a while ago.¡±


    ¡°I kinda want to see the trash panda and maybe the squirrel.¡±


    ¡°We will be sure to make a stop by the mutation prevention department.¡±


    ¡°Mutation prevention?¡±


    ¡°I will tell you more about it when we get there.¡±


    ¡°Ok, why are we going to need suits?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You wanted a tour right? So I am going to take you through our various departments. Some of them are a bit volatile, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I get a suit then?¡±


    ¡°I hear yours is better than what we have, so I think you will be fine.¡±


    ¡°How come you have access to all this stuff? You aren¡¯t just some lawyer guy, are you?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard of me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really pay attention to names too much.¡±


    ¡°John Johnson here, CEO and Founder of Bronson Atomic Industries. Here at BAI, we cover all the sciences from atomic, to the new Tachyon Energy Research.¡±


    ¡°Tachyon Energy? Never heard of that before.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course, you have not, it might not exist.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Then why are you researching it?¡±


    ¡°Tachyon particles are theoretical particles that move faster than light, assuming of course they exist. Well, at the least that is what the Eggheads down in the labs think. You would have to talk to them to get a better idea, I am not a scientist after all.¡±


    I was about to reply when the elevator opened up and the secretary had returned, hauling a wheeled rack that had two thick suits hoisted from it. Vaguely they were reminiscent of diving suits. The helmet was domed glass, allowing for all around vision. I had seen something like this before¡­ Nuclear Knight¡¯s suit was very similar to these. Did he steal it from them? Well, he did raid their supply shipments from time to time, so it made sense. Wait a minute, didn¡¯t Dr. Arbor give that suit to him? Then¡­


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have anything to do with Dr. Arbor would you?¡±


    He replied rather peppy, ¡°Well of course we do. At BAI we get only the best and brightest. She is one of our head consultants, though she typically sticks to her own private projects. She helped design our protective suits.¡±


    So I see. It appears to be Dr. Arbor all the way down. It couldn¡¯t be¡­ did she set up this sponsorship for me? She is like my deranged fairy godmother or something. I am starting to wonder exactly what her goals are. What is this, a Cinderella story and this is my pumpkin carriage to the ball? I mean what does she want from me? There must be some sort of agenda or else nobody in their right mind would be showering somebody with so much attention. Of course, who said she was in her right mind to start with?


    ¡°Hey Johnson, I was wondering you are not a scientist, then how come you are in charge?¡±


    He thought for a moment, tapping his chin, ¡°What, you think scientists can run a business?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that insulting? I mean I am sure they are smarter than you, so why wouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    He had a puzzled look for a moment, then it seemed to click with what I had said, ¡°Oh, I said that wrong. I don¡¯t think that they can¡¯t do it, it is just they have better things to do than scrounge around for money. I think very highly of our Research and Development department. They come up with some pretty cool stuff. Problem is, money doesn¡¯t just grow on trees you know, well not unless you know where to look anyway. It is very time-consuming to keep all our projects funded and staffed at all times. It would be a waste of their time if they had to run around worrying about how to pay for the next piece of equipment that they needed or how to procure a certain sample for an experiment. That is my job.¡±


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    That made sense. I remember Neon Nurse complaining about funding.


    I watched as they both got suited up, Dirkstein needed a little help. Not surprising, the first time he had put on such a thing as far as I knew. They were both still shorter than me even in those things. I guess I am pretty tall, depending on where I am, I do have to duck in order to not smack my head on the door frame or ceiling for that matter. It looked like we were ready to proceed.


    ¡°Now we will start the tour. If you will follow me, we will proceed to the main facility.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I thought this was the HQ how will we get to the main facility?¡±


    ¡°Simple, it is below us.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that bad? What if something goes wrong and blows up? Won¡¯t the city get destroyed?¡±


    ¡°The city is perfectly safe. It is down there pretty deep and as I will explain in a little while it is highly unlikely that anything bad would manage to get out if something did happen. We have containment protocols. and many counter measures, I assure you.¡±


    That sounds reasonable. Oddly, I feel that I am just looking for some excuse to say no to this. It might have something to do with the sewer stuff since these guys are responsible. I should at the least give them a chance.


    The three of us entered the lift over to the side and Johnson put his eye near a screen, it scanned him after a moment and a different set of buttons appeared on the touch screen. Oh? Seems that we are going where only authorized personnel get to go. Or maybe not¡­ he touched a button that said Tour.


    He stood back as the elevator started to move and a screen appeared in front of us. A weird little cartoon guy appeared¡­ it looked kinda like Johnson and the moment it spoke I knew that it was. ¡°Greetings and salvations ladies and gentlemen, John Johnson here and boy do we have a treat for you! We at Bronson Atomic Industries are excited to have you!¡±


    I just blankly looked between him and the caricature, he did his own voice acting for this thing? Well, I guess if he just recorded it once rather than having to explain it over and over again every time you take some people down here. To be honest, I was actually excited to see where this was going. What sorts of high tech gizmos were they concocting down here?


    ¡°At Bronson Atomic Industries, we pride ourselves on our clean and safe facilities. It has been-¡± the voice cut out and a mechanical voice said ¡°Three days since the last work place injury.¡±


    Johnson looked a little embarrassed, ¡°There was a little mishap with our disposal unit, they got attacked by some mutants when they were taking a shipment over to the processing plant. It was only minor injuries and one of them got cancer¡­ of course, one of the others did get half his face melted off. Those sewer mutants sure do have some scary powers.¡±


    ¡°Getting your face melted off is a minor injury?¡± asked Mark.


    ¡°Compared to some of the things I have seen, the man is lucky. Plastic surgery is pretty good these days you know. He will get a new face and it will be fine. We have a very generous health care plan.¡±


    ¡°Three days ago? We just cleared out the sewers last week.¡± I replied, looking him over.


    ¡°Well, sure you broke up the gang, but you guys didn¡¯t get everything. The lowest levels are still infested with mutant animals and even subhumans.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I guess we didn¡¯t get them all.¡±


    ¡°It is understandable, we have been combating the sewer life for years and still haven¡¯t been able to eradicate it all. Best we can do is keep it contained down there. At any rate, don¡¯t worry about it, our facility is safe other than external activities the track record is very good in here.¡±


    He tapped a button and the cartoon continued. ¡°Bronson Atomic Industries is the leading producer of clean energy in the world. Why our patented Geothermal Nuclear Reactor Plant supplies all the power for Bronson city and that is just a little one. Together with our recent partnerships with Chronic Tonic, Industrial Construction Incorporated, and Stellar Space we are going to make a brighter future for all mankind, on Mars!¡±


    I looked at him, ¡°Mars? You guys are trying to go to Mars?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, actually, it is our long term project. We are going to Terraform it and colonize it.¡±


    ¡°How the hell are you going to do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I did say long term. From our estimates, it is going to be another twenty years before we launch the first mission. We are mostly waiting for Stellar Space to design and build a spacecraft capable of the trip. Then we can begin testing it on shorter flights. We will probably end up making our own space stations before embarking on the grand adventure.¡±


    ¡°Chronic Tonic? Why does that sound familiar?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they are a pharmaceutical company. Their corporate headquarters is over on the North West side of the city. Save your questions for the end of the tour I will be happy to answer them.¡±


    I am not entirely sure how long we have been in this elevator, but it felt like it had been ten minutes. Just how deep are we going? Just when I started getting paranoid we came to a stop and the doors opened to a white washed room that branched out down different corridors. A few people with lab coats walked about and there was another reception desk with only one girl at it. She gave us a little nod and went back to her own work.


    ¡°This is our RnD department. In front of us is the special restricted area and to the left is our Green Energy Team, and to our right is the Experimental Materials division. The next floor down is the Mutation Prevention Department.¡±


    ¡°Experimental Materials?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are constantly trying to formulate new, stronger, lighter metals for building purposes. Our partner Industrial Construction Incorporated has been building up the city with the new materials. For instance, they made the Hero League bases with our state of the art polycarbonate concrete.¡±


    I started to come to a realization, ¡°You guys are eh¡­ well connected.¡±


    ¡°Well of course we are. We have been here for twenty years. I remember back when this place was hardly even a city. Over the years our Super friendly attitude has helped draw in all sorts of young, bright-eyed heroes and build up this great city. We like up and comers, and from what we have heard that is you. Which is why we want you to take our offer. It is a win, win. We have lots of connections to help your career and all we want really is for you to do a couple of commercials, slap a sticker on your suit and do a few promotional events. Not bad for a six figure salary is it?¡±


    ¡°Six¡­ six figures? Like how much exactly are we talking here?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t read all of the contract did you?¡± asked Mark.


    ¡°Well, maybe not all of it. But I remember it not being that much.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± said Mark pulling out the contract and looking it over, ¡°You get paid twenty thousand up front and ten thousand per commercial and promotion. Since it looks like they have eight planned for you, that would be one hundred thousand all added up, plus bonuses like food expenses and hotel fees. Granted this is the old contract, the new one should be better.¡±


    ¡°So upfront I get paid almost as much as I do for a whole year of working as a junior hero and every two things after that is the same amount?¡±


    ¡°That is the entry level. Once your name gets out there and you get more popular or you fulfill your contract we can renegotiate at a higher rate since it will be worth more for both of us.¡± Said Johnson.


    I bit my lip. Damn it, this was certainly tempting. I could literally buy all the food that I wanted. Hopefully, Mark can even get it to be even more. Of course, that is probably just greedy, but hey. I think that I deserve it after what I have done and been through.


    Johnson smirked a little. Oh god dammit, this fucking helmet has emoji faces on it linked to mine. He must have seen the stupid grin I was wearing. He turned away and motioned, ¡°Let¡¯s continue on with the tour, once we are done down here we will write up a new contract in my office, depending on if you want to take the sponsorship or not.¡±


    First, we went into the Green Energy wing. It was a long corridor that had several intersections farther ahead. To our sides were large concave windows revealing researchers and their varied projects. The first section we arrived to had something to do with solar energy. They were testing different panels and even if the pattern that they were used in would change the energy output.


    ¡°This is our solar project. Currently, the panels are not efficient enough for what we have planned.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing it under ground? Solar needs the sun right?¡±


    ¡°For testing, we are trying to find a better absorption rate, currently they are only about twenty percent efficiency and we have some of the most advanced ones.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like much.¡±


    ¡°It is not. Currently, the cost to manufacture and then install and maintain them is not worth it. Which is why we are trying to make it better before marketing them. All those other solar companies are just a bunch of crooks, their panels are fifteen percent tops. That is not even enough to cover the energy requirements for a household. Our minimum would be fifty percent, but we are aiming for a hundred.¡±


    ¡°Wait then solar energy is no good?¡±


    ¡°Currently, no. Only reason we are even doing it because of all the government subsidies. If it was not for those, we would not even touch the stuff.¡±


    ¡°It is that bad?¡±


    ¡°It is not cost effective. Not to mention bad for the environment and we have enough problems from the eco regulations and fines.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa. Bad for the environment? Says the guy who runs nuclear power plants and has literally ruined the slums? How so?¡± I asked.


    ¡°First off the Melt Down was sabotaged by a bunch of idiotic Eco-terrorists. Was not our fault, but we are still cleaning up the mess, unlike them. As for the panels, making the things creates lots of emissions and then once you actually set them up, depending on how many there are, they make the temperature in the immediate area go up sometimes tens of degrees. Also since they are usually in the desert sand erodes the panels faster, meaning they have to be replaced more often, which means you gotta make more of them.¡±


    ¡°So what your nuclear power plant is better?¡±


    ¡°It is certainly better in terms of sheer power output. However, what we think is the best energy source would be Geothermal mixed with Nuclear. We got a plant about the size of a football field deeper down and it creates so much power we have a surplus.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know the specifics, but basically we use radioactive lava and continually keep it flowing between the two reactors so that it doesn¡¯t have a chance to cool and solidify. The heat generates the energy. If you really wanted to know more you gotta ask one of the eggheads on the project.¡±


    ¡°So if that is so good, why are you even bothering with other stuff?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t take that into space. Which is why we need alternative sources for the Mars mission to be successful.¡±


    ¡°You seem oddly obsessed with going to Mars.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. It is my dream to be the first man on Mars.¡±


    ¡°Well, that would certainly explain it.¡±


    We continued on. The next section of windowed laboratories was kinetic energy or so the signs said. Long slabs of metal shock absorber things under them. The scientists had a machine that would walk on top of it at varied paces. It seemed simple enough the energy from the machine walking was transferred into the springs and then harvested.


    ¡°So what are your plans with that?¡±


    ¡°Well, currently we are testing out a new sidewalk to use in more densely populated areas. People walking on it will generate lots of power since there will be near constant foot traffic. We are also developing a version that would replace roads and use cars to generate energy.¡±


    ¡°You mean like how Nicki Mouse Land uses its roller coasters to generate power?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that is the older design. It was more of an experiment, but it yielded good results.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have much else to say about that and so we moved on. The last section appeared to be bio fuels or so the signs on the doors and labels said. Not entirely sure what they were making it out of, but it was glowing. All of the scientists were wearing suits like Mark and Johnson while they worked.


    ¡°This section here is researching the sewer waters and trying to figure out if there is a way to convert it into a fuel source that is no longer so dangerous to human health. It is looking like a slow process.¡±


    I nodded, so they are trying to clean up the city.


    ¡°Did you want to get a closer look?¡±


    ¡°No, I am good.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is about it for this section.¡±


    ¡°I think I have seen about enough. Let¡¯s get that contract made up,¡± I said.


    ¡°I thought you wanted to see the animals, though?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I changed my mind. They are probably all weird and gross anyway.¡±


    ¡°Alright well, just follow me and we will head on up,¡± said Johnson leading the way.


    It mostly seemed on the up and up. I kind of just feel like I am wasting my time checking the place out. Not really as exciting as I thought it would be. I was expecting there to be some super sketchy stuff, but not really. The only thing bugging me would be what was in that secret area. However, I can assume that it is that Tachyon thing since it should have been in the energy department but was not.

 Arc 8, Superficial, Chapter 4

    Arc 8, Superficial


    Chapter 4


    We made our way along towards the elevator, however I could feel a certain sensation running up my spine. Are my wasp senses tingling? Do I even have wasp senses? Well, I guess my instincts would qualify. It was danger and since Sub was still out of commission I could not really interpret it other than the primal senses that were welling up. Was I just being paranoid? I looked around the white washed walls and nothing really seemed different at all. I could not see anything that would illicit this feeling. Just when I thought it was in my head the lights dimmed and red siren lights blinked along with a wailing alarm.


    ¡°Warning, warning! Containment on lower level has been breached. Mutation Prevention Division has been compromised. All non security personnel are to quickly and orderly evacuate to safety zones.¡±


    I just looked at Johnson, frowning, ¡°Safe in here, eh?¡±


    ¡°Hold on, I will get to the bottom of this.¡± He replied making his way over to the reception desk.


    Around us all the scientists locked themselves into their respective research rooms. The lights and sounds annoyed me. I didn¡¯t like these noises they grated at my antennae. Nothing seemed to change for a minute or so. However that was when the elevator arrived at our floor. The doors opened and several armored people stepped out, eight in all.


    ¡°What happened this time Boss?¡± asked their leader holding a large caliber rifle. If I had to guess then that thing could take out a tank.


    Johnson replied, ¡°Something got loose down there. Kill it and bring anybody that was injured to the infirmary.¡±


    ¡°Right, any idea what it is?¡±


    ¡°Not too sure, camera feeds are down and I would have to go up to the security room to review the videos. We don¡¯t have that kind of time.¡±


    ¡°It is not one of those baboons again, was it?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure, be alert. You know how crafty those things are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, last time they set up an ambush and used a hostage as bait.¡±


    I looked between them, ¡°Wait monkeys?¡±


    ¡°They are Dr. Arbor¡¯s, we are just holding on to them temporarily.¡±


    Hmmm, it feels like I remember something about this. ¡°You mean the genetically engineered baboons the she was making for a warlord in the Congo?¡±


    ¡°You seem well informed and here I was thinking that was supposed to be a secret.¡±


    ¡°Well, Dr. Arbor and I have a rather intimate relationship. She has saved my life many times now. Though I have only heard about it in passing so I don¡¯t know too much.¡±


    ¡°Intimate you say?¡± He looked at me and his eyes roamed down, clearly I knew what he was thinking.


    ¡°Nothing sexual,¡± I replied, ¡°that would just be weird.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± he said, looking away from me and towards the men, ¡°Quicker you get to it, the less problems we will have.¡±


    They nodded and went back down the elevator to deal with the problem, what ever the hell was going on down there.


    ¡°So, eh what now?¡± I asked. ¡°Honestly, surprised you didn¡¯t ask me to go help with that.¡±


    ¡°We have people who can deal with such problems. As for you, we need to draw up a new contract. So come on up to my office and we will work out the kinks.¡±


    ¡°Look man, before I sign anything, is there anything else I need to know about? You guys shady or something? Last I heard those baboons were bioweapons engineered for killing. Last I heard that sort of thing was outlawed. Just come clean and I will decide if I want to continue.¡±


    Johnson nodded a bit, crossing his arms, ¡°Those are more of a favor. We didn¡¯t make them, we are just holding onto them for the moment at Dr. Arbor¡¯s behest. Personally, I can¡¯t wait to get rid of them, the things are a nightmare. We don¡¯t make mutants here we just capture them and try to figure out counter agents.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything crazy that will come back to bite me in the ass? You know, guilt by association?¡±


    ¡°Not that I can think of. If anything does happen, well, we have good lawyers. I wouldn¡¯t be too worried.¡±


    ¡°So you are saying that I should be a little worried?¡±


    ¡°One should always be worried over their business ventures. Things can change very quickly and usually not for the better.¡±


    ¡°Speaking from experience?¡±


    ¡°We learn from our mistakes, do we not?¡±


    ¡°Well, some people don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°True enough.¡± He cracked a slight smile.


    I was about to reply when that feeling came back, shuddering up my spine. I am not really creeped out by his smile¡­ so it is not Johnson, then what the hell is making me feel this? All the little hairs were standing up. I had felt this before, but where? Oh right, when I was being hunted in the sewers. Wait a minute why would I be feeling that?


    ¡°Hey, whatever is down there can¡¯t get up here right?¡± I asked looking around.


    ¡°Not unless it got into the elevator shaft and managed to climb here.¡±


    I nodded vaguely. Hearing that made me not want to get near that elevator. We idled around the information desk, the attendant appeared to be a lot less concerned now that we were hanging around here. The white walls surrounded us with a monotony that was only broken by the windows of the varied labs and the shapes of people moving within. Out of the corner of my eyes I noticed something that I had over looked before, the vents. It is always the fucking vents.


    ¡°Do all of the vents connect?¡±


    ¡°Well yes. It would be weird if they didn¡¯t. Why do you-¡± Johnson never even got to finish when somebody slammed against the glass of the Solar experiment room.


    The door burst open and the remaining scientists fled, screaming and making a Bee line for the elevator. What they were running from? A squirrel. Not just any squirrel this thing was a monster. Now a normal squirrel was about two feet long counting the bushy tail, this thing was going on four feet. The lithe form reminded me more of a cat than a rodent, but the talon like claws and bucked teeth definitely kept that image in check. The fur was silvered and mottled in some places, but those black soulless eyes seemed overly large, bulging even. And it was foaming at the mouth, of course it was. So, it has got the rabies.


    At any rate it was agile and fast. Darting all over the fucking place. This looks like a job for¡­ somebody else. Eh, who am I kidding? Who the fuck else is going to deal with this thing? I sighed, how bad can this be? The thing isn¡¯t that big. Well at least there is only- I had to stop that thought before I could jinx myself. No, no, no I have learned my lesson already don¡¯t go thinking and especially don¡¯t go saying stupid shit.


    I squared up, making myself look bigger to intimidate it. It kinda worked the radioactive rodent was hissing and edging away from me. I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me so that it could not get loose and attack others. It is just you and me now, you filthy animal¡­ well I guess there is that mauled guy over there in the corner as well. Speaking of which, he wasn¡¯t really looking so hot.


    The beast had overcome the wariness and launched into a screeching charge. Oh shit. Thinking fast I ripped up one of the solar panels and used it to hold the deranged creature back. It blocked the blow, but threw me back, pinning me to the wall. The only thing between us was that panel and it was not going to hold up for very long. It started gnawing and ripping through to the point where my shield snapped in half. Uahh! Get it off me! I swatted at it, beating back the chattering teeth and scraping claws. How can something so small, be so fucking evil! What is this thing from a Monty Python skit? Where is the holy hand grenade when you need it?


    I lost sight of it for a moment as it rustled about behind the tables. Uh oh. Shit, where did it go? Everything got real quiet for a moment until I heard a dripping sound. Seeing a globule drop down right in front of me, made me really not want to look up. Of course I had to though. It was there on the ceiling, directly above me, crawling down in a prowling fashion. How in the fuck did it get there?!


    It leapt, latching into my helmet, clawing and biting at me. Cracks started to form in my visor while I screamed and thrashed about. There was only one thing to do, attack. My fingers jabbed into those black eyes. Who says I fight fair? Molotov had always taught me to go for the eyes and as much as I hate to admit it, it worked. It squealed, retreating back, giving me much needed space. I managed to dislodge the critter and hurl it as hard as I could at the opposing wall.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Blinded and now filled with a murderous rage the squirrel bolted all over the room, crashing into stuff. Though it could not see, it could certainly hear. The moment I took a step it honed in on the sound and threw itself at me. I felt like a matador and side stepped it. The squirrel thudded into the thick glass bouncing off, momentarily stunned. I was not over looking an opportunity and dived in, firmly grabbing hold of the scruffy flanks. It squealed as my grip tightened and the bushy tail whipped at me, trying to knock me loose. I could hear bones cracking and the heart beat quickening.


    It snarled and squirmed in my grasp. Lefty swung down with the solar panel, smooshing the trembling creature with an ear splitting squeak. Take that Mother Nature, why you so fucking scary? Eco friendly my ass. Whew, thank Helix that is over. That thing was surprisingly strong was not expecting that for the size. This arm is really something else though. It is definitely stronger than my others and this was Astrea¡¯s smaller arm. I wonder what I could do with one of her main arms? Well, that got morbid real quick.


    Hmm, if I had gotten bit by that thing would I gain all the powers of a radioactive squirrel? Honestly¡­ I think I am better off the way I am. I mean nobody would take the Marvelous Marsupial seriously. Wait a minute those things are rodents, they don¡¯t even have a pouch so it is not even a fucking marsupial. Then what the hell would the name even be? Squirrel Girl? Girl Squirrel? Nah that is stupid. Gotta think of something cool like eh¡­ the Chattering Champion. Yeah that sounds cool. Wait, wouldn¡¯t I grow like twelve boobies? Nuuh that is just too many, I mean what would I even do with all of those nipples?


    It feels like I am forgetting something. Ah, right that guy in the corner. I stood over him, looking over the wounds. Yeah, that don¡¯t look good. There was nasty green ichory stuff oozing out of the bite marks. Something tells me this guy is going to become the Man Squirrel. Not even sure if amputating would save him at this point. I decided to leave him be and stood beside my beaten quarry. I poked at it with my foot. It is certainly not coming back from that, the head is flatter than a pancake. Smells rotten too, likely has that feral disease.


    I looked up and nearly jumped when I saw the faces of Johnson and Mark staring at me through the glass. Seeing that the coast was clear they opened up the door and gathered next to me.


    ¡°You got it, as expected of a hero.¡±


    I crossed my arms, ¡°I want a raise. This was not in my job description. I mean if you want me to fight mutant animals I will, but I want a heads up before hand.¡±


    ¡°I believe that can be arranged,¡± said Johnson.


    ***


    We spent the next few hours pouring over legal papers with all manner of lawyer jargon to the point my head felt like it was going to explode. Apparently, things were more complicated than I had thought. Luckily, I had my own personal blood sucker to fight off Johnson¡¯s money grubbing fiend. They had been going back and forth for a while now over a swimsuit photo op where I would just be wearing my helmet and the varied under garmets provided. They had even brought the guy in to try and talk me into it. Needless to say I was adamantly against it. I mean, I would do it, but I am not ever taking off this suit in front of people.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just wear the suit with the bikini and thong or whatever it is I am promoting over it? Have you seen the ass on this thing? Pretty nice right?¡± I said, bending over and looking at them from between my legs.


    ¡°People think swimsuit and they want skin. They want under boob and sexy toned asses with sweat glistening down the crack.¡± Said the photographer.


    ¡°I get that and I agree, but I can¡¯t take off the suit¡­ I have scars.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    ¡°I literally don¡¯t have skin.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± he trailed off taken aback. He sounded a little more empathetic to my plight, ¡°How did that happen?¡±


    ¡°Chemical burns and fire. I would be dead right now if I had not had extreme and invasive procedures done to me.¡±


    He rubbed his temple and closed his eyes thinking it over. After a little bit of silence he sighed and started looking me over from varied angles. He was doing the whole picture thing with his fingers making a rectangle as he went. He was especially checking out how my ass looked. I was not offended or anything, really it is more of a compliment when people check you out. I know sex sells an that would be the whole point of this. If it means I have to over sexualize myself then well I guess it is part of the process. Looking is one thing, but getting touchy feely without my permission is another.


    ¡°I can work with this,¡± he said giving his nod of approval.


    I don¡¯t really know this guy, but he is famous apparently. I have not been reading magazines lately so I would not particularly know. He was a rather flamboyant guy with pink hair done in some weirdo spiral. Is that popular these days? He had on a colorful button up short sleeve shirt that conspicuously was only half buttoned, leaving his smooth chest exposed. He was not particularly muscular just kinda thin. There were some blue shorts and he wore socks with his flip flops, the savage.


    I almost thought he was gay, but there was no way with that sort of fashion sense and he totally was not living up to the flaming tag. He was not dramatizing his voice or anything. Although maybe that sort of thing is in now? I don¡¯t know, why would I know? Is this that Metro sexual thing I had heard about a few times? You trying to impress me? Where are the bulging man muscles? Where is the manly chest fur that I can ruffle as I snuggle?


    I shook my head throwing away these errant thoughts. At any rate I needed a break from all of this and that was when somebody who looked awfully familiar walked in, though I could not place my claw on who exactly it was. I stared at the young man. Hmmm. I feel like I should know this. He had dark frizzy hair, it was a Jew fro. A large nose sat in the middle of his face and siting upon it were some black rimmed glasses. He wore a lab coat with a pocket protector on the front with several pens sticking out of it. Below that was a buttoned up white shirt and a pair of tan khaki pants.


    ¡°Sir I brought the report from the Testing labs,¡± he said, barely glancing at me.


    To this Johnson perked right up, he was kinda tuning out all the laywer talk as well now that most of everything was hammered out. ¡°Morty Manberg! Just the guy I was looking for. Say hi to our new sponsored hero, Mecha Fairy.¡±


    Morty Manberg? It felt like a ping pong ball darting all over my brain as memories ricochet through my skull. Wait a fucking minute! ¡°Morty!¡± I shouted and the poor guy went sheet white.


    He retreated a little as I aggressively approached and gave him a hug that lifted him off of the floor and popped his back. Oops, I put him back down before I broke anything.


    ¡°Do I know you?¡± he asked wearily.


    ¡°Morty old pal, it is me. We went to high school together.¡±


    He was thinking on it, ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know you.¡±


    I got close to him, looking around so that nobody else could hear. I whispered, ¡°It is me, Vesper. I am so happy to see-¡±


    He screamed bloody murder and ran away, leaving me just standing there, ¡°Morty¡­ Morty? Hey come back here!¡±


    Mark looked at me, ¡°What the hell was that about?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I replied dumbfounded. ¡°I¡¯ll be back. Going to see what is wrong. Mark you can finish up I don¡¯t know how long this will take.¡±


    ¡°Alright, still going to need you to sign stuff though.¡±


    ¡°I will do that when I get back.¡±


    I took off after him and followed the scent through the halls. It wound around several corners and through several rooms until finally I had caught up to him. For some reason he had run to a secluded storage room and was hiding behind some crates. He cornered himself and started crying as I got closer.


    ¡°Morty, what the fuck man? Are you¡­ crying? Why?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t real.¡±


    ¡°What isn¡¯t real?¡±


    ¡°You, you can¡¯t be back. You were dead, it was in all the news. I was finally free of you.¡±


    I crouched down next to him, ¡°Free of me? What the hell did I do?¡±


    He looked at me meekly, ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t remember?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°I remember bits and pieces. Senior year we were thick as thieves weren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? You made my life hell!¡±


    I sat there for a moment and then shouted, ¡°What!? We were friends you got me into anime and manga. The rays of light and salvation in this dark world! The only reason we stopped being friends was because you went to a different college and we lost touch.¡±


    He stared at me with cold eyes, ¡°I went to a different college to get away from you. Hell, I went out of state to escape you.¡±


    I sat there in denial for a good while, ¡°Morty, I don¡¯t understand. My memory might be wrong¡­ so eh, tell me what I did to you to make you hate me this much.¡±


    ¡°You tortured me.¡± He said.


    ¡°It was the pulling of the pants in gym class wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°There was that and you gave me a swirly almost everyday. Every morning you gave me a noogie until I had scabs. You broke my special edition Neko-chan dvd box set and figurine. You threw me in a dumpster like five times and took my lunch money so that you could buy a second lunch.¡±


    I sat there, rubbing my chin, hmm that does sound familiar. Wait didn¡¯t I also tell the girl he liked in J.R. year and then she threw food on him? Oh my god, I am a fucking terrible person. What the hell was wrong with me? Seriously, if I had a time machine I would go back and punch myself in the face and kill Hitler, but that is beside the point. Why was I such a bitch?


    I looked at him and pat his shoulder, he winced a little, ¡°Look, I am sorry about all that. Didn¡¯t we hang out a lot during senior year though?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t hang out, you just kept following me cause everybody hated you for ruining the championship game and I could not get rid of you.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry. Morty, I am different now. I will make it up to you. I will get you a Neko-chan body pillow? Sound good? If you want I could get a replacement box set.¡±


    ¡°Why would you bother? You think buying me stuff is going to make this ok?¡±


    I sighed, ¡°Sorry. Just¡­ I am sorry. I feel terrible about that, I don¡¯t remember some of that, but I don¡¯t remember you ever lying to me either so you are probably telling the truth. What do you want, what can I do to make this better?¡±


    ¡°You are serious?¡±


    I rubbed my face, ¡°Yeah. I literally remember us being friends. I still remember the rubik''s cube that you taught me how to do and just hanging out after school watching anime. My memories are a bit distorted though so maybe it is all just lies that my brain is piecing together.¡±


    ¡°Rubik''s cube? Oh right, I did teach you that. What do you mean your memories are distorted?¡±


    I rubbed the back of my head, ¡°Well when I say that I changed, I really mean it. I hardly remember anything before college and even then I block most of it out.¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem as mad now and despite himself asked, ¡°What happened to you¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know¡­ fell in some glowing goo and poof, Super shit.¡±


    ¡°So you are a hero now? Well, I guess you must have changed. Otherwise the League would not have let you in, probably.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Friends?¡± I said hopefully extending my hand.


    He gave me a sour look for a moment and then shook my hand, ¡°You are going to make it up to me.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ what do you want?¡±


    ¡°You are going to replace Neko-chan.¡±


    ¡°I can do that. So old pal, tell me, what have you been up to all this time?¡±


    He had calmed down considerably by this point and sat there smiling while he talked about various things. This is the Morty that I remember. After high school, he went to Arizona and did a masters program in theoretical physics. Which was amazing, I always knew he was smart. Wait a minute, is Morty actually a Super? He denied it, so I guess not. Apparently he was in charge of the Tachyon Energy Research Division here. I didn¡¯t particularly pry into that considering it sounded rather top secret. I mean sure people mentioned it, but they never really went into detail about exactly what it was meant to do. I guess I would have to do some research on it.


    Hold on, then why does he need me to buy Neko-Chan for him? He makes more money than I do! Well, whatever it is my peace offering. I missed this guy. I gave him another hug, this time being gentler and making sure not to break his back. It was kinda cute how he struggled. I ruffled his hair, laughing. Yay, friends are great. I can¡¯t wait to binge watch anime with him. Just like the old days. I bet him and Sunshine would get along.

 Superficial, Chapter 5 Interlude, Caroline

    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 5 Interlude, Caroline


    An alarm beeped through the dimly lit apartment room. The blinds were closed off, shutting out the world. A hand slapped down, silencing the incessant beeping. Caroline sat up with a groan. It was six in the morning and she was really starting to question how much she needed her job. It felt like a railroad spike was slowly being hammered into her brain, that was how bad her hangover was. She blinked a few more times and finally dragged herself out of the empty bed.


    She took a long cold shower to clear her head. Isabella¡­ that was an ordeal. She needed a lot of work, but it was worth every moment of frustration. She was finally getting the hang of things, but she was still an entitled little princess¡­ cunt was more like it. Every other manager had quit on that girl and so it fell on Caroline to deal with it. Isabella was not the hardest model or even idol she had dealt with. If anything the Idols were way worse than the models, drama queens the lot of them. Unfortunately for Isabella, Caroline didn¡¯t take shit from her charges which usually led to some ferocious cat fights for dominance. Normally, a manager would be fired for that sort of thing, however, this was her job and she had express permission from the higher ups in the company. Caroline dealt with the problem girls and boys¡­ sometimes it turns out to be a cross dresser, not that she cares so long as they are presentable and do what is in their contract.


    There were a lot of kids whose parents had far too much money and tried to live vicariously through their children. Isabella would be a good case and point on that, granted unlike a lot of the others, she actually had some talent. Isabella had the voice of a god damned angel and that alone kept her from getting kicked to the curve. In Star Agency a talent had one month to prove their worth after which point they were cut and the next eager person waiting in line got in, to undergo the same rigorous testing. If they passed, then they went to the next stage, training their talent to be presentable to the public. If they managed to stick to it without quitting then they would get their first jobs. Then the promotion campaigns start and it is up to them.


    Then, of course, there were the VIPs, the Sponsorship programs brought in people. They couldn¡¯t really be crossed due to their supporters, let alone the fact that they could kill civis and not even mean to. Usually, they were not actually hired on for long and just did their contracted work before vanishing again. If they were popular, like Panther for instance. He made repeat appearances and even got on talk shows. Most of the Sponsored had something to do with the Hero League or, on occasion vigilantes and rumor has it that there is even a villain hiding amongst the varied talents.


    As for who it was, Caroline didn¡¯t want to know. In fact, she didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with Supers, not after they failed to find her daughter and a known villain attempted to plant that, that thing in her place. Likely some devious plot to give that creature a cover or a lair or something. What ever it was, it was no good. It was not until after the incident that she realized exactly how close they had been to being murdered. That had been no little girl at all. Oh no, it was one of the most wanted Super Villains in the world, Molotov Kurstov¡¯e. Just remembering the look of utter disgust, disdain, as though they were all just insects to her made shivers run down her spine.


    Saar¡­ that poor, sweet, foolish man. He actually thinks that thing is Vesper, it is an insult to her memory. He just won¡¯t see that it is not her. Just by the fact that a villain brought it there and proceeded to lie about what it was, where it had been, and what it will be doing discredits everything that had been said. Only an idiot would trust a Super Villain. It is a good thing that the Hero League captured it and has it locked away where it can¡¯t hurt anyone. She didn¡¯t even want to imagine if it was still prowling the streets and back alleys. If only Saar would stop visiting the damned thing and defending it.


    It was sickening watching him so desperate to find Vesper that he adopted the creature to fill the void. She was gone¡­ she was gone. If only it was something stupid like she eloped and ran off with some guy rather than just vanishing. That was wishful thinking. Vesper didn¡¯t really have human contact and there certainly was not a boyfriend or even girlfriend, Caroline was not particularly judgmental about such things. A few of her talents were not straight by any stretch of the imagination. The closest thing that Vesper had to such a relationship was a little creepy now that Caroline thought about it.


    Though Vesper¡¯s computer was handed over to the police during the investigation, they had missed her external hard drive. Caroline didn¡¯t even know it existed until she was cleaning up Vesper¡¯s room late one night in a drunken, ¡°my life is falling apart and I have no control over anything!¡± moment. Once she had sobered up and decided to see what was on there, fully expecting it to be gratuitous amounts of weirdo cartoon porn¡­ If only that was the case. Instead, what she found was disturbing.


    Vesper had been stalking an Internet Idol going by the alias of Ichigo. After doing a bit of digging, most of which had actually been done by Vesper, Caroline found Ichigo. It was a bit eye opening really, it was like watching one of those crime shows and a serial killer had meticulously planned out their target¡¯s daily habits, where they go and even an entire folder filled with pictures procured from all over the web of Ichigo. There was even a diary about how she wanted to be friends. The amount of effort that went into this was staggering and there was even a planned ¡°Meeting¡± that never got followed up on, due to Vesper going missing. Even if she had not gone missing, Caroline doubted that Vesper would have done anything, she was too cowardly.


    At that point, even Caroline could not deny that Vesper had an unhealthy obsession with this girl. Of course, that was Vesper¡¯s personality, she was a bit of a perfectionist until she got bored and lost interest in it, which usually left things either mostly completed or one hundred percent done. Moderation was not key in her lifestyle and she binged on everything from watching entire shows in one sit down, to reading a story and even playing a game to the point that it felt like she was starving herself down there from neglect. Often times not sleeping for days once she got a new thing to obsess over.


    All of this brought up a single, desperate idea. Maybe, Vesper went to Ichigo. It was a long shot, but what else did she have to go on? So Caroline showed up on that person¡¯s doorstep to see what the obsession was about and with the hope against hope that Vesper was there. She didn¡¯t think that Ichigo had kidnapped Vesper or anything like that, she was more worried at this point about the opposite. Vesper wasn¡¯t there, however, this was as some might call it a fateful meeting that would change both of their lives.


    Over a bit of coffee, or in Ichigo¡¯s case tea the two got to talking. She was a nice girl who was genuinely concerned over the predicament. However, she had never seen, nor met Vesper, though she did recognize the user name on the forum. She had been wondering why one of her most outspoken fans had suddenly gone silent. Vesper had been very encouraging and if it had not been for her and a few others Ichigo likely would have quit being an Internet Idol. Caroline had become somewhat of an expert on Ichigo¡¯s portfolio over the course of investigating the hard drive and decided to offer her an opportunity to be a model at Star Agency.


    She sighed. What was the use in even thinking about this? Vesper was not going to come back and Ichigo was not her client. This was pointless and a waste of energy to stress over. She turned the water to cold, letting the chilled torrent cascade over her. It washed away her sleepiness and helped to dull the throbbing in her head. After another moment she turned it off.


    Caroline cleaned up, toweling down and drying her dark hair before slipping it into a pony tail. She stared at the bags under her eyes and rubbed some makeup to smooth it out and blend it in. She pampered her eyebrows and brought out her lashes. Everything had to look professional. She could not just bumble in halfway presentable, not in this business.


    She meticulously made the bed and took the clothes that had been set on it, putting them on. It was more or less the same thing that she wore every day, a black with white stripes short skirted business suit. Below it was a white buttoned up blouse. Caroline sat on the bed and pulled the stockings into place before slipping her feet into a pair of black heels. They were nothing crazy simply elegant and yet reserved. She adjusted her silvered watch and checked the time, six thirty.


    Caroline gave a final glance over the apartment room. There was not too much in here. It was a studio apartment with the bare minimum. There were hardly three rooms, bathroom, bedroom, and the kitchen/living room. On one side was the small stove and refrigerator and on the others was the couch, a small coffee table and the T.V. Her eyes linger on the papers strewn across the table. She frowned. Why had things gotten this bad? Divorce, the notion made her stomach turn. It was not something that she wanted to do and as a result kept putting it off.


    She loved Saar, for thirty years they had supported one another through thick and thin and yet now it was all coming apart at the seams. They hardly spoke these days, too much yelling. It had already been over a month since they last talked to one another. It had gotten to the point that she had more or less moved out and hardly ever went back. It was easier for both of them this way. Maybe if they just had a bit of time to cool down things would sort themselves out.


    She tore her eyes from the legal papers and slung her briefcase over one shoulder, while carrying her purse on the other. Caroline closed the door behind her, locking it. The hallway was not spotless, evidence of her rowdy neighbors stained the carpet and a couple of freshly patched holes in the wall made it very clear that this was not the best of places. However, it was relatively cheap. She did not know her neighbors, nor did she want to. The ones across from her liked to party at late hours as for the others, they were a bit more reserved. Twice now she had come back after late hours at the office and found a drunken college girl passed out in the hallway while various people were going in and out of the room. This was a rather frequent occurrence and hopefully would get them removed from the place soon.


    Caroline like most days performed her daily ritual of getting coffee on the way to work. She liked it black, bitter and piping hot. She sat there combing through the varied headlines in the paper. She did this every day, checking to make sure that there had not been a scandal of some sort with her current charge. Some of them had been rather lively and got into trouble during their off hours. Today, nothing about Isabella or any of the other Star Agency talents. She did not expect anything about Isabella since she had become rather docile lately. Instead, there were a lot of Super related pieces. They seemed to be all that was in the news these days.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Headlines such as ¡°Glitter Kitten¡¯s new look, who skinned that cat?¡± ¡°Burnout still on the loose after the daring drag race on the Bronson Bridge, five dead and thirty injured.¡± ¡°L.A. in flames, Diablos on the march.¡± ¡°Hero League cleaned out the sewers, but did they get everything?¡± ¡°Atomic Raiders on the run.¡± ¡°Insider scoop, Bronson Atomic Industries sponsored a new hero, who is it?¡±


    She just frowned. As usual, nothing particularly good to be heard. Though she did not like them, she knew that the Hero League was a necessary evil or else the really bad people would be unopposed. Caroline crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the trash on her way out. She walked through the upscale northwest side of the city, Uptown to the locals. This was the area where all the rich and well off people congregated. Caroline could not afford a condo here so she had to settle for a fifteen-minute walk from the Hub area of the city. She would drive, but with how bad traffic was and the fight over parking spaces, it was less trouble just to walk to work.


    Star Agency was an expanded complex of varied schools in the arts. It encompassed just about everything from acting clear to music classes. Each section was a different school more or less and as a result, there were people from all walks of the professional entertainment here on a regular basis.


    As usual, the press was floating about the entranceway trying to get interviews with celebrities. The journalists and photographers waited like vultures for their prey, anyone of standing that would give them the time of day. It was best to ignore them or else they would swarm in for questioning. They were parasites, leaches and would happily ruin someone¡¯s career just to get a good story.


    Caroline avoided eye contact and when they tried to ask anything she ignored them. Most of the seasoned paparazzi knew better than to try and get anything out of her, Stonewall Vasska was her nickname in that circle. She was not entirely sure where they had come up with that, but it might have to do with the fact that she did a lot of damage control for her talents and shut down stories before they could gain momentum.


    She walked up the stone steps into the sanctuary where those pests could not enter on account of various restraining orders and two security guards who kept out the undesirables. They wore the Bronson PD uniforms of blue and the large aviator sunglasses. The badges had large Bs on the center of the shield. These ones were rather strict and stood there with crossed arms while frowning at the world. The one on the left gave Caroline a slight nod as she walked passed.


    Inside the atmosphere was very hopeful with all the young and naive talent candidates auditioning. Maybe one in a hundred would make the cut to even start classes, whether they would pass or not was questionable. The standards were high here. It was not for the light hearted or the hobbyist. This place bred the next generation of professionals.


    ¡°Mrs. Vasska,¡± called out a voice to the side.


    Caroline glanced over to find a girl that she recognized all too well. It was Isabella. She wore skinny jeans and a light blue blouse. This was her everyday clothes, though she was rich she did not go too crazy with clothes¡­ well except shoes. It seemed like she wore a new pair every week. Currently, they were a black pair of open toed heels.


    ¡°Early I see. Good, make it a habit,¡± replied Caroline.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do today?¡± she asked.


    Caroline opened her briefcase and pulled out her laptop. She spent a moment, pulling up several word documents with spreadsheets and time tables. ¡°You have classes at eight and at noon there is a recording session in the vocals department. After that, you are done for the day. Remember not to go crazy tonight, tomorrow you have an important meeting with a record label.¡±


    ¡°Really?! They are actually going to do it?¡±


    ¡°Assuming you behave and perform well, yes.¡±


    She jumped up and down before finally giving Caroline a big hug, ¡°Thank you! I never would have made it without you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± replied Caroline letting the hug last for a moment longer before peeling the hands off and looking away from her. ¡°Alright, alright, you are getting out of hand.¡±


    ¡°But, but thank you. You¡¯re the only one who believed in me.¡±


    ¡°It is my job. You didn¡¯t need me, you just needed disciple and routine.¡±


    Though Caroline was trying to be a little cold here, she was genuinely happy that Isabella would finally be able to stand on her own and be able to get along with others. When she first got here she acted like a little princess. That was her main problem, her lack of social skills. She tended to make enemies out of people due to lack of respect and misunderstanding. She was a good girl at heart, but on the outside, she was prickly to new people. Caroline watched her for a moment, it would be soon now. She, like all the others, would be transferred to another manager and Caroline would have to start this whole process over again with a new problem talent. This was why she tried not to get too attached, they always left her in the end.


    A newcomer, appeared at their side and said, ¡°Caroline can you come in here for a minute?¡±


    This was May. She wore glasses and her brown hair was tied into a bun. With but a glance one could tell she was of the silent bookworm type or the no fun category. She was the personal assistant to the section chief, Elliott. He oversaw the placements of new talents. If he wanted her then it must be about a new assignment, which meant that it was sooner rather than later that Isabella was being transferred. This was not a bad thing. It was actually a rather good thing. It meant that she was ready and would not be a problem for the company. However, if they wanted her then that could only mean that the new talent would be trouble.


    Caroline sighed, trying to not look annoyed. Usually, she got a week off in between new trainees as her vacation. Well, not like she really had anything planned. Besides, the work kept her mind off of the various elephants looming in her life¡¯s room.


    She followed along with Isabella trailing a little behind. They went past the reception desks and the varied clerks going over applicants. The clerks had little blue vests over their suits. It was their uniform and made them easy to spot if people needed help. An elevator leading up to the top floor of the building sat waiting and they entered. Isabella didn¡¯t seem to understand what was happening, but she stayed quiet since it seemed important.


    They stood, watching as the clear glass lit up with the outside cityscape all the while ascending at a steady pace. It was a lovely morning as the cars below moved about and the masses walked the street. Distantly the airport rumbled with the arrival of planes. Further to the west between the skyscrapers of such company giants such as Chronic Tonic and Tesla Incorporate the green of the forest could be seen. Bronson was truly a vibrant city, if only there was not the ever looming threat of the Slums and the tides of mutated monsters crawling from the sewers.


    The elevator came to a stop and they stepped out into a plush and luxurious hallway that had a hard wood desk at the end just before another set of solid doors. This was May¡¯s office and beyond those doors was the man who kept everything running. The only person of higher authority would be the president, he had his office in the central building of the complex. May opened the doors, though she did not enter.


    Caroline walked in, as usual, she had been here many times already. Bookshelves lined the right and left walls on the far side large windows overlooked the city and nestled right in front of it was a large mahogany desk. Stacks of papers were neatly arrayed atop it. In the middle was a curved screen that blocked the man sitting in the tall standing chair from view. She stepped forward until she was right on the other side, taking a seat in one of the several waiting chairs.


    It took Elliott a little longer before being ready. He typed away and answered his phone that seemed to never stop ringing. Caroline could not help but hear some of his conversation. ¡°What do you mean the dresses will be late? Now you listen here sista, we have a venue in three days and our girls absolutely need those.¡±


    There was a little bit of yelling on the other side of the line, but she could not make it out. Elliott just shook his head calmly and said, ¡°If you can¡¯t deliver then we will take our business elsewhere.¡±


    Finally, he hung up, leaning back in his chair and he spun it a few times. It stopped and he stood up walking out from behind the desk. He wore a bright white suit that was immaculate. The undershirt was black and he had on a pink poke-dotted tie. His golden hair neatly slicked back. Elliott had shining green eyes and a smile that could cheat a nun out of her virginity. The only thing was, well he was gay and not just gay, super gay.


    He put his hands on his hips, ¡°The nerve of some people, seriously.¡±


    Caroline spoke up, knowing that he could go on for hours over this sort of thing, ¡°What did you call about Elliott?¡±


    ¡°Caroline, my rough ragamuffin you should really dress less conservatively. You could be fabulous, you know.¡±


    ¡°Elliott.¡± She stared holes into him.


    ¡°Spoil sport. Oh, Isabella, you were here too. I have wonderful news, you are getting a record label audition.¡±


    ¡°I already told her.¡±


    ¡°What? You told her?!¡± he seemed distressed, ¡°You ruined the fun and excitement. I thought I was going to get to surprise her.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Elliott.¡± Said Isabella smiling to console the flamboyant man.


    He sat on the desk wiping tears from his eyes with some tissues, ¡°It seems like just a few short months ago you came in here with such a can do attitude and unfocused talent. And now you are ready to go out there to show the world what you can do. They grow up so fast.¡±


    ¡°It has only been about eight months,¡± said Caroline, unmoved.


    ¡°It was worth it though,¡± Elliott sopped up the last of the tears and slapped his hands together with glee, ¡°Alright my little canary you will be moving on to bigger and better things. However, this means that you will be getting a new manager now that you have gotten used to everything. Caroline will be with you for today and tomorrow, but after that, Mr. Lewis over in the Vocals division will be in charge of your schedule and management.¡±


    Isabella looked between the two of them and smiled, ¡°Thank you, I will do my best. I am going to miss you though Mrs. Vasska.¡±


    Caroline put her hand on the girl¡¯s head, ¡°You will be fine. If anybody bullies you, come tell me.¡±


    ¡°Ah as for you Caroline, are you excited for the big reveal of who your next talent will be?!¡± asked Elliott in an exaggerated way.


    She just sighed, ¡°I guess. I would rather have a vacation though.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, no. We can¡¯t have that. This request just came in and this special girl will need your help.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Mecha Fairy!¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is that?¡±


    He turned the screen and a strange suit filled the image. It had large, colorful wings expanding out from a rather feminine form. The robotic shell looked like a woman, a rather large one, like a giant. Granted, it was a sleek and lithe form. From how skinny the four arms were and the way that the stomach pinched in seemed like it would be uncomfortable, to say the least. The helmet had a blank faceplate that lit up, for some reason, there was a weirdo cat face on it. Something about it just made Caroline¡¯s skin crawl, she could not put her finger on what though.


    ¡°A cosplayer?¡± asked Caroline hoping it to be true.


    ¡°No, she is one of the newest Juniors. BAI is sponsoring her after her work in the recent sewer raid.¡±


    ¡°A Super¡­ Why me? Is she going to be a problem? Look, I can¡¯t deal with a person who can tear me in half if they get angry.¡±


    ¡°Well, the Hero League PR Director thought that you would be a good fit to manage her.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Dreamer? Surely you have heard of her. She is the captain of the City Central Team.¡±


    ¡°So this Mecha Fairy is¡­ is she violent?¡±


    ¡°Well, she can be. But from the spirited conversation I had with Dreamer that appears to be only under duress. The main thing is that she gets distracted easily and needs someone to actively lead her around to stay on task. I could not think of anybody better for the job and you were asked for by name.¡±


    ¡°By name? Why would they know about me? Oh wait, there was that one time I visited their headquarters.¡± Caroline frowned.


    ¡°You will be fine. If anything happens just report her to the Hero League and she will be punished.¡±


    ¡°I will think about it, but I want the option to back out if I don¡¯t like her.¡±


    Elliott wagged his finger, ¡°No can do. This isn¡¯t a request. They were very specific and you will be compensated.¡±


    ¡°What do I get?¡±


    ¡°Well, I know how long you have been here and how wonderful you have been. So I talked it over and you are going to get a raise if you do this.¡±


    Caroline rubbed her chin, ¡°How much are we talking here?¡±


    ¡°Salary. Starting at hundred thousand a year. Sounds good?¡±


    ¡°Well, could be worse. So when is she coming?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow evening. Come after dropping off Isabella.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Come on Isabella, you are already late for your voice training.¡±

 Superficial, Chapter 6

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 6


    Sup my bitch? Did you miss me?


    ¡®Sub?¡¯ I looked around my empty room, clearly, that voice had come from inside my head.


    The one and only. You seem to be doing good in my absence.


    ¡®If I do say so myself. It was very quiet and lonely without you.¡¯


    Lonely? You are so sweet, but shouldn¡¯t you have been rather occupied with our lovely Astrea?


    I cupped my head, ¡®Oh fuck me, you don¡¯t know?¡¯


    Know what? What are you talking about?


    ¡®Astrea is dead.¡¯


    There was a long pause and then Sub yelled, What do you mean she is dead?!


    ¡®She¡­ she died shielding us from Nuclear Knight.¡¯


    You don¡¯t sound very sad about this!


    ¡®Of course, I am sad. I cried for days and where were you? It has already been more than a week since it happened. Where the fuck have you been? Where were you when I needed a shoulder to cry on? I needed you and you weren¡¯t here for me. If it was not for Neon Nurse I probably would have killed myself.¡¯


    Oh, I am sorry, I was more or less in a fucking coma after mitigating the pain of melting alive! You could have looked for me. It is not your choice to make, to kill us. There are two of us in here and I wanna live. Don¡¯t you ever do something stupid like getting us killed, do you hear me?!


    ¡®I did and I could not find you. I figured you were just off in some corner recovering and I was right.¡¯


    Why are we fighting?


    ¡®You started it.¡¯


    Sorry.


    ¡®Yeah, me too. Look, just sift through the memories to see what you missed, I need to get ready.¡¯


    Ready for what?


    ¡®Mark and I have an appointment to finalize all of the sponsorship stuff.¡¯


    Sponsorship? Alright sounds like I got a lot to catch up on.


    With that taken care of, I rolled out of bed and opened the bathroom. I took a moment staring at the mirror and the smooth white bone that formed my face, the top left eye was still sealed shut and all around it the carapace warped from the burn. I don¡¯t think that is ever going to heal. I sighed, nothing really to be done about it. My tooth brush was thicker than most and buzzed to life as I set to work scrubbing down my mandibles and tongue. Absently, I pulled out a chunk of bone¡­ now, how did that not get chewed up? After that whole Glitter Kitten thing and realizing that my breath smelled of rotting meat that was a bit eye opening. Ever since then I had been more keen on keeping up on the hygiene.


    I gurgled some mouth wash and spat it out before turning on the shower. Once it was nice and scalding hot I got in and scrubbed down the carapace. The warmth radiated through my body though this sort of heat was not enough to hurt, it just felt nice. Lately, I had taken to using this coconut body wash since I liked how it smelled. I guess on the plus side I did not have to worry about shampoo or conditioner on the account of not having hair. Though I did have the feeler hairs that helped me sense things, they felt weird if I used products other than the body wash on them.


    Now came my favorite part washing the head tendrils. They felt so good to stroke and by the time I was done, they were so soft and sensitive I had to restrain myself or else I would be in here for a while. Although, cleaning the abdomen was pretty fun too. Opening the plates and ruffling around the sponge on my soft skin to clean out all the sweat and grime, sometimes blood depending on how rough the day had been. As one can imagine rubbing myself clean can get out of hand very quickly. Normally, I would indulge for a while, but I had gotten a late start on this today. Sufficiently satisfied, I turned off the shower and shook the water off by vibrating and flapping all of the carapace plates. I finished off the rest with a towel.


    This was how just about every morning had gone since I got out of the sewers. Well except this isn¡¯t the morning just about night time actually. I had slept in a little too much due to not having anything to do. It also had to do with Neon Nurse bugging me about appearances. I don¡¯t really get it, I mean nobody is going to see me out of the suit¡­ but it is nice to feel clean. The other reason I did it was to maintain a routine, I feel that I would get too lazy if I did not. With nothing left to do, I shimmied into the suit and not a moment too soon as I heard a knock at the door.


    ¡°Nee-san?¡±


    I opened the door to find Sunshine. Her magical girl outfit was glowing brightly as usual. I pat her head and she pouted a little, so damned adorable. I wanted to pinch her cheeks and talk to her like a child, but that would just be mean. I mean even she has some self-respect.


    ¡°Ready to go Sunshine?¡±


    She nodded, grinning as we set off towards the lobby. I wonder where Sunshine has been running off to lately? Up until a while ago, she would still be sleeping when I finished up my routine and I would have to wake her up. She is getting a Sponsorship too, so most likely she is getting into the habit of waking up early.


    My thoughts were interrupted when I realized we had reached the others. Mr. Dirkstein, Medavac, and Fire Chief were here. Chief was chatting with Medavac, while Dirkstein was off to the side a little talking on his phone. All of them turned when we arrived.


    ¡°Good you are just in time. I was about to go up and get you,¡± said Chief.


    ¡°I am here, so now what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We better get going then,¡± replied Medavac already walking out the automated doors.


    I followed along, down the thick concrete steps to the street below. Medavac¡¯s drop ship was waiting for us. It had been parked to the side out of the street to not interfere with traffic. The sleek hull glistened white in the dying sunlight and the deep red medical cross sat emblazoned upon the side. The turbines started up to our approach and the loading bay gaped open, allowing entry. We climbed in and the ramp lifted up behind us. This thing had not changed since the last time I was in here. The back section had seats in the walls to strap down additional people and dead center in the main compartment was the medical table for on site procedures.


    Sunshine sat beside Chief and Medavac had gone into the cockpit to man the helm. I followed him in, finding several of his paramedics strapped down in the midsection. Their suits¡¯ visors were down keeping their faces hidden. The innards of the cockpit were lit up with blinking lights and the glare of the sun outside. That old beat up poster of Miss Universe still sat looking over the rest of the compartment and the hula girl bobbed from the vibrations of the engines.


    ¡°Medavac,¡± I smiled, looming over him, ¡°What have you been up to?¡±


    ¡°Not much, Sugar Bug. Just glad you are better.¡±


    ¡°Sugar Bug?¡±


    He turned a little in that bulky armor, ¡°What you don¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°No, just never heard that one before. Is that my nickname?¡±


    ¡°Sure is, hey you still owe me a date.¡±


    I nodded absently, ¡°Well, I have been a little busy¡­ wait a minute, you owe me a date. Remember, you said you were paying. When are you free?¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°I am always free, unless there is a call. So just hit me up when you are ready.¡±


    ¡°Ok, though I am not sure what my schedule is going to be like with the Sponsorship stuff.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, I heard you got a pretty good deal. A word from the wise, don¡¯t get too caught up in the drama and remember you are a hero, no matter what anybody says.¡±


    ¡°Drama?¡±


    ¡°People get jealous of other¡¯s success so don¡¯t be surprised if your coworkers are resentful.¡±


    ¡°Is it that bad?¡±


    ¡°It can be, but I am sure you will be fine. Oh, but remember no matter what happens, keep your cool and don¡¯t hurt anybody.¡±


    ¡°So they can just attack me and I can¡¯t do anything back?¡±


    ¡°What are you worried about? It is not like they can harm you. I am talking about pranks it is going to be the best they can do. Civi¡¯s tend to not like Supers encroaching in on their turf.¡±


    ¡°Oh ok, I can deal with that. So basically just ignore them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah pretty much, you are there to do a job, so just do it and don¡¯t mind the gnats buzzing about.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Medavac.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Speaking of which, we have arrived.¡±


    I looked out passed him to see the roof top of a large building. There was a heliport near the center and the craft hovered for a moment losing speed and altitude before finally setting down. I stared out the windows at the courtyard and several others buildings sprawling out in a circle, around the tower in the center. Hmm, I feel like I have seen this place before, but where? I didn¡¯t have long to think on it when the rumble of the back opening rattled the ship.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Have fun,¡± said Medavac, wiggling his fingers at me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°You coming?¡± asked Chief from the doorway.


    ¡°I am coming calm down.¡±


    Sunshine was already outside happily running around. Seriously though, sometimes I feel like she is a dog or something. She would be a fun pet to have, so energetic and spirited. I wonder what kind of collar would fit her? It would have to something cute. I held my head, why am I thinking these things? She is a human being for fuck sake, not some animal.


    Some people pay lots of money for that sort of thing you know.


    ¡®Shush Sub, she is my friend.¡¯


    Maybe we just need to get a pet or something? You know some cute little critter you can love on.


    ¡®I will think about it. But pets are a big responsibility and from my recent experiences they all want to kill me.¡¯


    Like being a superhero isn¡¯t?


    ¡®Fair enough.¡¯


    I shook my head gathering my thoughts and pushing aside all of the unrelated nonsense. Focus Vesper, focus this will be the beginning of my bright future. After pumping myself up I quickly followed them into the waiting elevator. The doors closed and I saw a logo that I knew even through all of my jagged childhood memories, some things will stick with you until the day you die and this, this was one such thing. It was a star with a rainbow under it and the words ¡°Star Agency¡±.


    I never thought that I would have set foot in this place again. It was different than I remember, but that likely had to do with arriving from the roof and it had been years so there were new buildings. So this was that foreboding feeling that I had a while back.


    ¡°Star Agency?¡± I asked Mr. Dirkstein.


    ¡°Yes, it was in the contract. You were lucky to get a partnership with them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember this in there.¡±


    ¡°You never bothered to read all of the contract, so that is understandable.¡±


    I glowered. Oh great. He probably thought he was doing me a favor by getting this too¡­ well, it can¡¯t be that bad. As long as I keep my head down I doubt that I will come across Her. I mean, I am only supposed to do some photo shoots and she takes care of idols.


    The elevator came to a stop and we stepped out into a luxurious corridor. Somebody has too much time and money with all this gaudy crap or they are compensating for something. The carpet was red and plush, all the walls were marbled and towards the end there sat a thick wooden desk and a very uptight looking secretary. She gave us one look and hit a button opening the sturdy doors to the room beyond.


    We walked in and the doors came to a close behind us. Why do I feel like I am being trapped? Just being paranoid. There were a lot of books in this place all neatly put on shelves that covered the walls. The bay windows on the far wall faced the city as the sun dipped out of sight and the lights of the cityscape came to life. This guy has a great view. There were an assortment of white chairs that kinda looked like eggs. They formed a half circle facing the gleaming desk¡­ is that mahogany? I had only heard rumors of such high-class wood, truly this guy must be a big shot.


    Enough putting off the inevitable, my eyes focused in on the two people who were present in the room. One was Dreamer with her stupid opera mask and magician outfit. I really wish she was not here, but since she is the PR Director and more or less my boss now that was impossible. Next to her was a man wearing a white suit with a black under shirt and a pink poke-dotted tie. His shimmering gold hair was slicked back. He smelled of coconut, oddly enough. I see somebody else enjoys the nutty goodness.


    ¡°This is Elliott,¡± said Dreamer, ¡°he is in charge of where talents are placed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so he is a big shot,¡± I commented off handedly.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy!¡± excitedly said the overly flamboyant man quickly closing the distance between us with his arms wide ready for a hug. ¡°I have heard so much about you.¡±


    It was so unexpected that I had to hold back from smacking the guy down. My killing instincts are still embedded after the sewer nonsense. I just stood there like a statue frozen and afraid that I would tear this man to pieces. He gave me a hug and I just looked around the room for help, but there was none. Sunshine was even looking jealous over me getting the hug or maybe that I was letting the guy hug me? After a moment he let go and pat me on the back, hurting his hand in the process.


    He winced, ¡°That suit is harder than I thought.¡±


    Finally managing to get my head around this I replied, ¡°Well I can stop a speeding truck and walk away. What have you been hearing about me?¡±


    ¡°Johnson over at BAI has been sending glowing recommendations. I hear that you have dealt with quite the few mutants.¡±


    I scratched the back of my head, ¡°Yeah, I guess you could say that. I am not the best though.¡±


    ¡°No one ever said you were and that is perfectly fine. What matters is you are doing your part. Speaking of which Dreamer has recommended you and Sunshine for work on the Image Campaign that the Hero League has been proposing.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I questioned looking over at her.


    ¡°It will be community projects. Not to worry just listen to what your manager has to say,¡± she replied leaning against the wall.


    ¡°My manager?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you will be getting one of our best to help you keep track of everything and ensure that your appointments proceed as planned. She is Super Duper, I am sure that the two of you will get along famously,¡± said Elliott.


    I awkwardly replied, ¡°I am sure.¡±


    Elliott smiled, ¡°She is a little strict, but she is a very kind person once you get passed her tough exterior.¡±


    ¡°Where is this manager?¡±


    He sat and shrugged, ¡°She is running late. I imagine it has to do with her current talent.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem very reliable if she is late for our first meeting.¡±


    ¡°This is more of a formality. Starting tomorrow she will be devoted to your schedule and making sure that you maintain it.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, is that already sorted out? Can I see a copy of it?¡±


    ¡°Why certainly.¡±


    He handed me a piece of paper. There was a timetable that reminded me of a class schedule from high school. It mentioned a photo shoot taking place at eight in the morning and then there was a large block of something called Talent Assessment. A break for lunch and more Talent Assessment.


    ¡°What is Talent Assessment?¡±


    Elliott got excited over that, ¡°Ah, that is where we find the thing that makes you the most special person in the world and helps draw it out for all to see!¡±


    ¡°So I see.¡± I nodded.


    Well, this was reasonable. So I just gotta do these stupid classes and the photo shoot and I get paid. I nodded to myself. Hmm, I wonder what I am good at? So they are going to give me like professional coaches and stuff? That could be interesting and fun. Maybe I will find out about a talent I never knew about. Now I am actually getting excited. Maybe this giant brain of mine will finally be useful for something like learning how to play some sort of instrument.


    ¡°We have dorms if you would like to live closer.¡±


    I thought it over for a moment and the cons greatly outweighed the pluses. ¡°I can fly so I am not concerned with travel time.¡±


    Elliott circled around me looking at my wings, ¡°Oh so these actually work?¡±


    I spread them, ¡°Why yes, they do. Well, sort of, there is jump jet in the middle there that actually give me lift. Though I can flap the wings.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how exciting. I bet it must be wonderful to see the world from such a view.¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°If I had Superpowers then I would love to fly. I would just travel the world and see all that there was.¡±


    I nodded that sounded nice, ¡°You remind me a lot of Astro Glide, he loves to just float around.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, from the Juniors. It was a real shame we were not able to get him added onto this deal. Maybe next time,¡± said Elliott looking over to Dreamer who gave a slow nod in return.


    ¡°Is there anything else I need to worry about?¡±


    ¡°Not really your contract is rather straightforward, though you will be on a tight schedule for the first week or so.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡®We have to figure out what you are good at and then tailor your classes to that skill.¡±


    ¡°Sounds efficient.¡±


    ¡°It has been developed over the years.¡±


    I nodded. I don¡¯t particularly have anything against all of this. Most of it so far sounds reasonable. But like most good things, they come to an end. If it sounds too good to be true, then it is


    The door behind us opened and the late arrival stopped for a moment observing us. She had a long black ponytail and deep blue eyes. This woman wore a secretary type outfit with pantyhose and a short cut business woman suit. She stared at me with those cold eyes.


    ¡°Caroline so glad that you made it,¡± said Elliott.


    She diverted her attention from me and pointed at him, ¡°Next time I have to hand somebody off, the handler had better be there and waiting. It took four hours for Lewis to show up. Is Isabella actually going to be fine with that guy?¡±


    Elliott seemed dismissive, waving his hand, ¡°She will be fine. Mecha Fairy, this is Caroline or Mrs. Vasska depending on how she prefers you to refer to her. She is going to be your manager.¡±


    This was the last person I expected and by that token wanted to see. It was Mom. Oh for fuck sake, why is she here?! My first impulse was to run away screaming, but there were two problems with that. First, she was blocking the door and second I had promised Dad that I would be civil if she was civil and so far there were not an assortment of objects being thrown at me. It was not easy to suppress. Anger was a good way to reroute my fear, but throwing the chair directly in front of me at her, which would likely squish her and would in fact likely get me up shit creek without a paddle.


    My fingers twitched and I had to put them behind my back or else I would look like a weirdo and probably ruin this. The money damn it, think of the money! I just imagined all the food and figurines I would buy. It helped a bit. I was still not comfortable in this by any stretch of the imagination.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy is there a problem?¡± asked Dreamer, looking between me and Mom, knowingly.


    You evil bitch. She fucking knows, how could she not? I know that she knows, she was there when Mom visited while I was quarantined. Why would she do this? I was starting to think that maybe she was not so bad and then she pulls this shit. Is it like her life¡¯s mission to make my life hell? To fuck me with a sandpaper dildo at every opportune moment?!


    I grabbed Chief by the hand shaking him,¡°Chief, I want out.¡±


    He was a bit startled over my frantic actions, ¡°Calm down. What is wrong?¡±


    ¡°I changed my mind. I don¡¯t think I can do this.¡±


    ¡°Mecha Fairy just sit down and listen. This is an amazing opportunity for you,¡± said Chief.


    ¡°Chief¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing is going to happen,¡± he said patting me on the shoulder. Oddly enough, it was calming.


    Reluctantly, I did as I was told and sat down. Wait a minute, why am I scared of Mom? I could literally crush her like a grape. Besides now that I was looking she seemed concerned over my actions. This was not the fear filled with rage that I knew from her, this was something else. She seemed hesitant, though her demeanor tried to hide it.


    ¡°You are not violent are you?¡± Asked Mom.


    ¡°Not unless someone tries to hurt me or my friends.¡±


    She let out a sigh of relief and extended her hand, ¡°Mrs. Vasska, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mecha Fairy. I will be your manager until your contract is fulfilled.¡±


    I crossed my arms and looked away from her to Elliott, ¡°I want a different manager.¡±


    The look of confusion and shock that filled her face was mouth watering. Somehow this seemed wrong¡­ it was almost as though she didn¡¯t know it was me. I know my Mom, she is not that good of an actor and she is straightforward about things. Then Dreamer never told her it was me? So then she just thinks I am some Super called Mecha Fairy. I don¡¯t know how I feel about this. On one hand, I want to see her suffer and on the other, I could use this to my advantage. It is a lot like how Captain Metal acted totally different around me when he didn¡¯t know it was me. I think this is the longest we have been in the same room without throwing things at each other.


    The flowery man was equally distressed and said, ¡°What is wrong with Caroline? I assure you she is one of the best and will look out for your best interests.¡±


    ¡°I have heard things.¡±


    She remained quiet, oddly relieved. I am getting the feeling she does not actually want to be my manager. But if she does not know I am Vesper, then why would that be? There must be something else.


    Elliott chuckled a little, ¡°Your reputation precedes you, Caroline. But I assure you Mecha Fairy that the rumors are grossly embellished.¡±


    Mom asked, ¡°What exactly did you hear?¡±


    I was going to mention the knife throwing incident or maybe even the dildo beating, however, both of those were things only I, Mom and Dad knew about. I stood there for a second, thinking of things she had told me about work¡­ Ah, right there was that, ¡°Didn¡¯t you beat somebody with a sock full of oranges so that there would not be bruises?¡±


    ¡°I did and that bitch deserved it,¡± she replied, not even phased or regretful.


    Dreamer stood wagging her finger, ¡°Mecha Fairy, oranges? Really? You are wearing a near bullet proof suit that can withstand the impact of a rank 4 Strength Super. You will not wiggle your way out of this. I requested her by name because I thought the two of you would work well together. And no you cannot back out of this or get a different manager. Star Agency was gracious enough to allow you this opportunity, and like it or not you are legally bound to do this job.¡±


    I sighed relenting. Dreamer had me cornered here. I could just run away, break out the window and flee. But that isn¡¯t going to fix anything and is just me trying to get out of responsibility. I will also likely just get dragged back in here. It feels like she wants me to fail, well fuck her. I will make this work. I stared Caroline in the eyes, though she only saw the helmet emoji. Dad, I am doing this for you. Grudgingly, I extended my hand, she paused for a moment and shook it.


    Elliott smiled, ¡°I am sure you two will get along fantastically.¡±


    I doubt it. Something tells me I am going to be wanted for murder by the end of the week.

 Superficial, Chapter 7

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 7


    ¡°Remember, be here by seven in the morning,¡± that was what Mom had said when I was finally allowed to leave yesterday. I had not really slept well last night, tossing and turning. Stomach pains and cold sweat plagued my normally sound sleep. This was the sort of thing I felt while being tortured and imprisoned by Molotov. I was dead tired and according to my suit¡¯s clock, I was already late since it was past seven. Not a good start to my sponsorship career.


    There was no time to do my routine, no time for weights or shower or anything really. I stumbled out of the bed, not even bothering to make it. I slapped myself a few times to knock the sleepiness away, pain was a good incentive to not try and go back to sleep. Now that my jimmies were thoroughly rustled, I got myself into the suit and away I went. Somehow I was getting that cliche image of a schoolgirl with toast in her mouth, running to school. Oh please let me run into the man of my dreams¡­ like that will ever happen. Ah, shit I am going to be super late.


    I rushed down the corridor to the elevator. Damn it, why is this shit on the second floor? I peered at the glowing number, 7. Yeah, I don¡¯t got time for this. I opened the stairwell to the side and darted down, definitely less time than waiting for that stupid elevator. The main floor bustled about with people visiting the Fire Station and the varied personnel running about doing their jobs. I weaved my way through the crowd as quickly as I could without knocking people over or stepping on people. Luckily, since I was so tall people tended to move out of the way when they saw me coming, but of course, there were those who were not looking and they had to be sidestepped.


    Finally, I managed to get out the door and got to a spot where nobody was in close proximity. My wings spread and my jet fired up setting me free from the constraints of the streets. Was it a brisk morning, not sure the suit has an interior climate. I stared down at the bumper to bumper traffic and swarms of people the size of insects below. Good thing I can fly. I would have had to wake up at like five to get there on time otherwise. Not that I will be there on time anyway.


    I had never really noticed how big the City Central Hero League Station was. It took up about four blocks and towered a good fifty stories at the highest peak in the middle. Though it was not the tallest building in the city it was certainly the most imposing. Just looking at it made me think twice about doing something wrong. Of course, this might have to with the quarantine and being held in the underbelly of that place for two months. Makes me wonder how the Villains are not scared of doing stuff just from looking at it, clearly, it must be that they have not been on the receiving end of harsh punishments just yet.


    I diverted my eyes to the northwestern part of the city. Uptown, or fancy land as I tended to refer to it. Right smack dab in the middle of the place was Star Agency. One might even say that Uptown was built around Star Agency on the account of all the rich and famous people buying land and building their mansions in close proximity to the place. There were also business giants in the area. I didn¡¯t know too much about these, but I did know their names. Granted, it would be hard not to when they have giant signs on the fronts of their skyscrapers. There were two which were bigger than the others, Chronic Tonic and Tesla Incorporated, or CT and TI respectively.


    Chronic Tonic made makeup and pharmaceuticals. There were a few rumors about performance enhancing drugs, but honestly, I don¡¯t think it really matters even if they did exist. It was not like they could make a civi be able to stand up to a Super in terms of ability. I mean a rank 1 was slightly less strong than the strongest non super in the world. It was more of athletes getting doped before games to boost their stats. There was a bit of controversy over that in Baseball, also using nonregulation bats. It was not sportsmanlike, but to be fair, I can understand the want and desire to be stronger. Otherwise, I would not be hitting the gym in my off hours or at the crack of dawn on normal days.


    As for Tesla Incorporated, well I got no clue. From the name I can easily assume it has to do with power in some way or in all likelihood it is related to Dr. Tesla in some way. Somehow though that was just too obvious, like screaming to the world that it was just a business front to a Super Villain. If it was related then it would have been shut down already and Dr. Tesla should have been caught, seeing as how he has not been I think it is safe to say my concerns are unfounded.


    Damn my short attention span! I am late already, now is not the time to idly be thinking about things which have nothing to do with me.


    I banked down towards the entrance landing near the steps. Not sure why, but there was this congregated mass of people just kinda loafing around out here. They perked up at the sight of me, gracefully appearing from the sky. I got one step before the swarm had encircled me, waving microphones in my face or as high as they could reach and snapping photos, while berating me with questions. It was confusing and disorientating, too many voices talking all at once. I am too tired for this shit.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy, Mecha Fairy! Care to answer a question? What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Eh, I got a sponsorship.¡±


    ¡°Who sponsored you?!¡±


    I was about to reply when I saw out of the corner of my eye Mom and she looked like she was about to murder somebody. Oh Jesus, not me! Take him, I didn¡¯t do nothin wrong. She had several police officers with her and they were forcing their way to me. Oh no, she has come to finish the job! I bounded out of the circle and landed about ten feet away free and clear. I looked over my shoulder and she was still coming. Fuck that. I ran away. She is just so scary.


    I kept running for about three blocks, not too sure was not exactly counting after all. My stomach started to turn itself inside out, from hunger. Oh right, I forgot to eat breakfast. I looked around and I spied my favorite fast food joint, Colonel Chicken. I ducked into the door since it was shorter than I was and walked up to the counter. There was some uniformed guy at the register, he had on a black apron with the chicken bucket logo on it and the little sailor looking hat.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± he asked, gawking at how tall I was.


    I ignored him for a moment, looking over the menu. What sounded good? Well, can¡¯t go wrong with the usual. I looked down at him, ¡°Three, eight piece buckets of fried chicken and a large drink.¡±


    ¡°For here or to go?¡± he gulped.


    ¡°Here.¡±


    He charged it up, ¡°Thirty-six dollars.¡±


    The price has gone up again. Noooo, that used to be only thirty. Grudgingly, I fished about for my credit card in the suit compartments pulled out the shiny gold Hero League Card. It was linked to an account created for my Super Identity. He swiped it and after a moment it beeped. He swiped again and the same thing happened. He scratched his ever more nervous face and handed the card back to me.


    ¡°You have cash?¡± he asked.


    What the hell! There should be over twenty thousand dollars in there! I had half a mind to call up Mark and start screaming at him over where the fuck my money was. It was supposed to be twenty thousand up front, not to mention the paid meals. Do I even have cash on me? I started looking through my varied compartments, I found a five, a large ball of lint, and a half munched chocolate bar. These were not things that somebody would want in exchange for my food.


    I frowned, to be too poor for a fast food binge. What has this world come to!? I was about to tell him just to forget it when the door burst open and there was Mom, out of breath and looking like she was about to kill over from exhaustion. She looked at me with those cold dead eyes and my skin crawled. Oh god, she is a zombie come back from the grave to haunt me.


    My first inclination was to run, but there was nowhere to go unless I wanted to break windows. I don¡¯t got money to pay for breaking things. I stared her down and she fell over on the floor. It seems that I won this battle of wills! You know, if it was anybody else I would have ran on over there to make sure she was ok. I side stepped past her laying there, avoiding looking at her. I didn¡¯t see nothing. This is my only opportunity to escape. Her hand grabbed onto my foot and I screamed. It really is a zombie!


    ¡°Where do you think you are going!¡± she grit out.


    ¡°To get help.¡± I lied, trying to edge my way out the door.


    ¡°Why are you running from me?!¡±


    ¡°You scare me!¡± I yelled back.


    She just kinda looked dumbfounded. ¡°I scare you? What? Why?¡±


    ¡°You looked like you were going to kill me earlier.¡±


    She sat up, eyeing me, ¡°Of course I am angry, you are late for work and talking to the press.¡±


    ¡°Talking to the press? They swarmed me. Besides what is wrong about talking to them?¡±


    She sighed, ¡°Those people will ruin your life if they get the chance. They do that just ignore them. How were you late when you can fly?¡±


    I put my fingers together, ¡°I couldn¡¯t really sleep and ended up missing the alarm.¡±


    She rubbed her face a little, ¡°I get it, stage fright and jitters. Just don¡¯t do it again and don¡¯t run from me. It is my job to help you and make sure you do your job. Alright, now enough funny business, we are going back there if I have to drag you.¡±


    I stood up, ¡°I doubt you could if you tried. However, I will go back willingly if you do something for me.¡±


    She looked at me skeptically, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Pay for my food,¡± I said, pointing to the register.


    She grumbled and wobbled over there, ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Thirty-six dollars.¡±


    She looked back at me and then at him, ¡°What the fuck did she order?¡±


    ¡°Three buckets of chicken and a large drink.¡±


    She had a very sour look on her face, ¡°Make that two large drinks.¡±


    He ran it up and she paid for it. She handed me a cup and then proceeded to fill her cup with a sports drink. After several large gulps, she filled it back full and sat down at one of the booths, looking like she was about to pass out. I filled mine up with lemonade and sat across from her. Her breathing had calmed down a bit now. She must have run as hard as she could to catch up that quickly. I am actually starting to feel a little bad about that.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Mom stared at me, finally, she said, ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know exactly what you heard about me. Clearly, the orange thing was not all of it. Whatever it is, it doesn¡¯t matter. You are my talent which means I will do everything in my power to make you successful. It is my job to help you, but I can¡¯t help somebody who doesn¡¯t want help. If you are not serious about this then quit now and don¡¯t waste both of our time.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t quit. They won¡¯t let me.¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t quit, then why not try to enjoy it? Better than being miserable the whole time. Besides, it is not like this line of work is some torture. I read your contract, it took two hours, but I read all of it. I honestly have no clue what you are complaining about, there are so many extra perks stuffed in there I don¡¯t know how you managed to sneak it all under the radar.¡±


    ¡°I have a good lawyer.¡±


    ¡°Well, you must since you managed to get a paid snack break every four hours.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right I forgot about those.¡±


    The guy called out our order and I walked over and picked it up as well as a few condiments, BBQ and ketchup. I set the tray on the table and slumped back down rifling around for a tasty piece of chicken. Mom sat there for a minute or so before snagging a drumstick. I tapped the side of my helmet, opening the mouth section. I crunched down on my succulent and crispy chicken, breaking the bones and chewing them. Naturally, I kept my mouth closed so that she could not see the mandibles.


    ¡°Are you wearing a mask under your mask?¡±


    I thought about it. My face is made of a hardened bone, so I suppose my face was something of a facade. Technically, it could be considered a mask. ¡°Yeah, I had a bad run in with Nuclear Knight and his corrosive mist during the sewer mission. Lost my left arm too.¡±


    She directed her eyes to the arm in question, ¡°I am sorry to hear that.¡±


    That actually sounded sincere. I nodded, ¡°Down side of being a Super Hero, you gotta fight Super Villains and in that case mutants.¡±


    ¡°What is the upside?¡±


    ¡°Asking myself that actually. I don¡¯t know if I am cut out for it. It seems like every villain in the city is stronger than me and kicks my ass. I am tired of fighting, I didn¡¯t sign up to fight supers or mutants, I signed up with the rescue team purposely to avoid such things. I just don¡¯t know what I am doing with myself anymore, but it is not like I can just go home and be normal so here I am. Still, I do want to help people. Apparently, doing this is going to do that. A big part of why I took this sponsorship in the first place. Ok, while I am being honest it has more to do with the money. It is expensive to feed me and I am tired of being a leech.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what to say to that and nibbled at the chicken. I continued eating, sticking large pieces in and snapping them in half while I chewed. After observing me eat a whole bucket and proceed to start on the next she spoke up.


    ¡°Were you really going to eat all of this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°How are you so thin while eating so much junk food?¡±


    ¡°Hyper metabolism. I have to eat at the least five pounds of protein a day. Of course, that is bare minimum. The most I have eaten in a single sitting was fifty pounds of ground beef. I felt pretty fat after that.¡±


    ¡°What happens if you don¡¯t eat?¡±


    ¡°I start to get weak. After three days my muscles will start to cannibalize themselves for the protein reserves and after two weeks I will go into a coma. Granted, most people are dead by that point, so I guess, I am better off than most.¡±


    ¡°How do you-¡±


    ¡°I would rather not talk about it.¡±


    She diverted her eyes, ¡°Fair enough. Well, finish it up so we can go.¡±


    We spent another five minutes there in silence as I finished munching down the second and subsequently what remained of the third. I pat my tummy once it was all consumed, definitely hit the spot. Seeing that I finished she wiped her hands clean and refilled her drink. I did the same, there was a lot of greasy goodness, normally I would lick my fingers, but this was kinda a public place and I have a two-foot long tongue that certainly is not human.


    ¡°You ate the bones too.¡±


    ¡°High in calcium and the marrow is pretty nutritious too.¡±


    ¡°You know, you are probably the weirdest person I have ever had to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Is that a bad thing?¡±


    She thought it over, ¡°No, I have dealt with some terrible people in my time and you don¡¯t seem to be so bad. If anything, you are too honest.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I am honest. This suit and name are all lies to the world to hide who I am.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes white lies are better than telling the truth,¡± she replied, walking ahead of me.


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Being too honest can hurt someone and those around them even more than lies sometimes.¡±


    I can sort of see that. For instance, if I told her I am Vesper she would lose her shit and probably knife me. So yeah, I guess lying about us not being related at all is beneficial for both of us. This is some sage like advice, must be from experience. I nodded a little as we walked back to Star Agency. This time when we walked by the paparazzi Mom gave them a stare that could kill and they didn¡¯t even attempt to come close. See, I knew she was scary. You have to be to do that to those sorts of people.


    We were late, by a good ten minutes thanks to my gluttonous appetite. If I had not run off I actually would have been early since my first appointment started at eight. The entire reason she wanted me to come early was to avoid the vultures as she calls them and to orientate to the surroundings. It also would have been a good impression to be early. Well, I blew that, sorry.


    My photo shoot was taking place in a smaller studio room off to the side of the main modeling department. Due to all of the people running around I could tell this place was popular. Just about every room had a lit up sign ¡°Do Not Disturb, In Session¡± Mine was sadly dark, well not for long.


    Mom opened the door and we entered, I had to duck or hit my head. This place was not designed for people of my stature. Ah yes¡­ Mr. Pink swirly hair who wears socks with his flip flops. What was his name again? Well, I am sure that I will hear it at some point, so on with the show. They had a whole beach set up here with sand and a fake background of the ocean expanding off into the distance. There were even palm trees and stuff in here. Wouldn¡¯t it be cheaper just to go to the beach and have it be more authentic?


    Come to think of it, I don¡¯t remember ever going to the beach before. Mom and Dad could never really afford to take a vacation other than to like the national park or the zoo and stuff that was local. I wonder what all the excitement is about? Is the ocean, even that cool? It is like a giant lake with salt water right? I don¡¯t really see the appeal of that.


    Mom apologized, ¡°Sorry we were late, Mr. Benito. First day jitters.¡±


    He motioned with his hands to come over, ¡°It is fine, it happens to everyone. Still, I would prefer not to wait around. Try to be early for the next shoot.¡±


    I stood over him by a good two feet, staring down at the varied people. Somehow it feels like everybody is just so short, or more likely I am just too damned tall. Off to the side, I saw the thing that they had all of the varied bathing suits I would be modeling in. There was a red one piece that reminded me of Bay Watch, a purple micro bikini that criss crossed creating a diamond shape where my belly was, then there was this two piece that was light blue and had frilly over hanging material, and then a standard black bikini top and bottom. Out of all of them, my favorite would be the frilly one, but that has more to do with my personal preference for cute things.


    One of the assistants brought over a large sticker with the BAI logo on it. It got smoothed out just above my boobies. They must have gotten the proportions from somewhere cause it actually fit without looking tacky. Well, I guess it is official now, I have been branded. Where is my money?


    ¡°So what is first?¡±


    ¡°We will start out simple, do the red one first.¡±


    I plucked it off of the hanger¡­ I wonder if this is even the right size? It looked a little small. I stretched it and got my legs through, shimmying it up over my front and realized that getting two arms on each side through the strap would be hard. I did it, but just barely. It was tight. Luckily, there was some pretty good stretchy material in this thing. It held together where I thought it would rip. I better just play it safe and not be too crazy with the poses.


    He looked at me through the camera, it was a very expensive one. With the wardrobe taken care of, I was herded onto the sand in front of the green screened background. Ocean sounds of waves crashing and seagulls filled the room in an attempt to set the mood. I closed my eyes attempting to imagine me being at the beach, kinda hard when I have never been there.


    ¡°Be playful.¡± He said.


    ¡°Like this?¡± I asked doing the old cat paws in the air and winky face.


    He stared at me deadpan for a little bit. Oh boy, this is harder than I thought. It sucks not being able to show my real face. How the fuck am I supposed to display emotion?


    He shook his head, ¡°No, no play in the sand.¡±


    Eh, ok. I plopped down on my knees and started poking at the sand. Oh, I can make a sand castle. That is what people do, right? I started shoveling the sand to erect my fortress of solitude that none shall enter, muahahah! I had been too absorbed in my craft to notice, but apparently, we were done with that now. Ah man, I was not even finished yet though. They snapped their fingers to get my attention.


    ¡°Alright, I want you to frolic around a little.¡±


    ¡°Frolic? Eh, I can try.¡±


    I thought it over. This would be easier with a partner, cause then I could chase them playfully. At any rate, I tried my best, which turned out not to be good enough. I ended up tripping over my castle, due to how unstable the sand was to prance about on. Everybody sighed. Frolicking is for little girls anyway, so I was not too upset. I am not really cute or anything so doesn¡¯t really fit my image, to begin with.


    He clapped his hands, ¡°Alright, that is enough, change to the black one.¡±


    So soon? I barely even wore this thing. Whatever. I tugged at it managing to free my right side and then the left. I put it back on the rack and several of the crew dusted the sand off of me so that it would not interfere with the next article of clothing. This one was a lot easier to get on and I tied the top between my arms. The bottom just slipped up and I gave it a good snap to get out the wrinkles. I stood back out on the sand waiting for my directions.


    They wheeled out a banana boat. Ah yes, the banana boat. I stood there, looking it over for a bit, ponderously in fact. They were not saying anything so I kinda just did what I wanted. What would people want to see? I got on the other side of it playfully peeking out and then slunk onto, straddling the giant yellow water toy. If I had a cowboy hat this would turn into a rodeo, but sadly there was not one. I rolled on my side facing the camera. Finally, I lay facing the ceiling in the bow of the banana boat.


    I have no clue if I did any of that right, but fuck it, I had fun. I got up and they took that boat away. I was a little disappointed really. I wonder if they would let me have that thing? It would be so fun to ride it down street. It has got wheels so might as well use them. I mean there is that nice hill over by Downtown. It has got that nice slope and everything. There was a moment of silence before I got a big thumbs up from Benito. Seems I did good there. Maybe I am just better with props or something.


    He clapped, ¡°Good, good now then put on the purple one.¡±


    I untied the bikini and put it back on the rack. Just as before the sand was swept off of me. I stared at the purple one¡­ how the hell do I even put this thing on? Should I ask for help? I probably should better than looking stupid because I don¡¯t want to be embarrassed. I mean, it is way worse to act like you know something and fuck up than to ask for help.


    ¡°I need help with this one.¡±


    One of the girl assistants had me here. I followed what she said and she had to tie it in a few places, but like magic, it fit. It was a rather snug thing if I did say so myself. It rode up my ass and made the front of my suit camel toe even more than it usually did. It is amazing what a borderline piece of dental floss can do. Ok, it is not that thin, but it is barely there. I walked back out, unfortunately, there were no props.


    ¡°Alright, we are going sexy here so let¡¯s get this going. Get on all fours facing away from us and look back over your shoulder.¡±


    Well, that is child¡¯s play, sir I did worse for my stream. Come to think of it, I was wearing a helmet then too. I did as I was told and assumed the position. This would be the doggy, my favorite. Too bad I don¡¯t got a partner. I brought my right hand up, putting a finger to where my lips were under the helmet and played coy. He liked that, taking a few pics from different angles. Something tells me the rest of this was a sham and this right here was what the guy had been waiting for the whole time. Well, at the least I am not a cam whore. I mean nothing wrong with pin up models. Somebody has to make this stuff look sexy. I wonder if there is a Hero League calender?


    ¡°Now on your side.¡±


    It seems all of that ero is paying off. I rolled onto my side, lifting my leg up in an arch and provocatively placed my lower hands over my metal breasts as though the string had slipped and there was something worth hiding. He loved that circling around to get different angles. Ah yes, paint me like one of your French girls, fufu. At least I think this guy is French¡­ maybe Italian?


    For the last part, I did a split, except it was a bit more extreme. A normal person¡¯s legs would have dislocated since mine can literally move in any angle which is how I can crawl on ceilings and walls or running on all sixes for that matter. I thought it was sexy, but everybody went blue in the face and Mom actually screamed running over to me. What? It is not like I just broke my leg or something.


    ¡°Holy fuck get a medical stretcher in here!¡± Yelled Benito.


    I realigned everything, standing back up to the shock and awe of just about everybody in the room. I put my hands up trying to calm them down, ¡°It is ok, I am fine. I thought I told you I was really flexible? Besides, I regenerate so if anything did happen, I would be fine after a few hours. I mean hell I can reattach my arms and legs.¡±


    Benito wiped the sweat from his face, ¡°I think we are done for the day.¡±


    ¡°I could keep going though?¡±


    ¡°No, that is fine. Next time. I need to be prepared for this.¡±


    I frowned, ¡°Oh, ok. Sorry for scaring everybody.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that,¡± said Mom.


    ¡°But my arms are the same way you know. Outside of the suit, I can roll up into a ball.¡±


    ¡°How about you just try acting normal?¡±


    ¡°But I am not normal.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough¡­ just warn me before hand if you are going to do something like that.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Ok, sorry.¡±


    Way to go me. I just gotta ruin everything, don¡¯t I.

 Superficial, Chapter 8

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 8


    My first photo shoot could have gone better, but it certainly could have been worse. I could have royally screwed the pooch, but there was some good stuff from what Benito said. Now was one of my snack breaks before we started up my classes. Not entirely sure which ones I will be doing yet. Mom, er Caroline, I gotta get in the habit of calling her that or else I will slip up and blurt it out. At any rate, she was sitting across from me looking over something on her laptop, while I munched away at some tasty catering food that was delivered to her office. This is the sort of thing I can get used to. Pulled pork with macaroni and cheese, absolutely finger licking good.


    Caroline looked up noticing that I had not finished yet, ¡°I am amazed you are still hungry.¡±


    ¡°I am always hungry. You sure you don¡¯t want any?¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but I am fine,¡± she looked a little queasy.


    Not sure what her problem is, ¡°What are we doing next?¡±


    ¡°What are you good at?¡± she asked.


    I shrugged, ¡°I dunno. I guess we will have to find out.¡±


    She pointedly stared at me, ¡°Really? No idea where to start?¡±


    ¡°You are the expert here.¡±


    ¡°Can you sing? Dance? Act? You know, that sort of stuff.¡±


    I tapped at my chin, ¡°I have not really tried. My usual day consists of laying around watching movies or working out until the siren goes off and we go out to either punch villains in the face or pull people from fires and stuff.¡±


    She rubbed her face in frustration, ¡°I guess we will have to go through and find out.¡±


    ¡°Is there like a gymnastics thing? I am pretty flexible and can jump very high.¡±


    She paused for a moment, ¡°There is actually. Though I can¡¯t imagine them being pleased with a Super showing them up.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that go for every class? Won¡¯t they get jelly if I am better than them at anything?¡±


    ¡°I see someone has told you a few things. Yes, but that is to be expected. Supers are disdained in this business due to having unfair advantages.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that apply to anybody with talent? I mean there are plenty of things I can¡¯t do, while there are things that I can do and others can¡¯t. You have to have a knack for it or the genetic disposition. It is like how black people have that extra ligament in their legs so they can run faster. I don¡¯t hear anybody crying foul over that.¡±


    ¡°That is different than a super-powered person. Besides, a little bit faster doesn¡¯t mean anything when people can literally run faster than sound. Just here in the city, we have Panther and then there is the fastest person alive, you know, The Fast.¡±


    ¡°Just cause he has a goofy name doesn¡¯t mean the man isn¡¯t a Rank 9. Show some respect the guy can run around the world in less than half an hour. But I get what you are saying. I am just saying that there is a natural talent involved.¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, I deal with that every day. There are those who are gifted and those who are not. I have crushed the dreams of many aspiring people simply because they were not good enough. But that is different. Supers are inherently different, you guys are inhuman in your abilities and that scares people. People want a level playing field, but when you have people just better at everything, then you have those that don¡¯t think that is fair. Like last year we had a guy with Muscle Memory and he could master anything he saw after the first time he saw it.¡±


    ¡°So what they want everybody to be equal?¡±


    ¡°So they say... though I am unsure of how sincere they are about it.¡±


    ¡°That is just stupid. If we were all the same, then nobody would be unique, we would all just be mindless drones. The main problem would be that we are not equal. Some of us are just better at things than others. I mean hell, how can we all be equal when there are mentally handicapped people? You can¡¯t just do a facelift to do away with that. You can¡¯t make them smarter, so the only option on that line of thinking would be to make everybody else dumber to even the playing field. Nature intended for there to be diversity, there is no diversity if we are all the same. That is how a species dies.¡±


    ¡°So you think you are better than everybody?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°No, where did you get that from? Look, there is always somebody stronger or better. To think otherwise is, well¡­ hubris and will get you killed in my line of work. I am lucky, I can grow stuff back if I overestimate myself. I guess a civi would not understand the insurmountable walls known as Ranks. Highest I am going to be able to be is 6 in regeneration unless something drastic changes. My body can¡¯t break that limit.¡±


    ¡°For us, there is a wall called Supers that we could never deal with. You are rather humble about your powers.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing really to brag about, I am like average for Supers. I know people who could kill me with a flick. I have gotten my ass handed to me on a silver platter enough times to know better. It is depressing really, I have all this power that normal people can only dream of, but it doesn¡¯t mean shit.¡±


    She said offhandedly, ¡°Sounds like you are making excuses.¡±


    My mandibles clenched and I had to hold back from slapping her, ¡°What would you know about being a hero? Have your friends died because of a mistake that you made? Have you bled for this city, cried for it?¡±


    Caroline seemed a little uneasy, looking away from me, ¡°No, I have not. I was not questioning how hard your job is. It was more of a come on, buck up you are a hero right¡­ sort of thing. Look, I don¡¯t deal with your kind often, so bear with me on this. Everybody is different, so I need to find what best motivates you.¡±


    ¡°My kind?¡± I eyed her.


    ¡°Yes, Supers. I honestly don¡¯t like you people, but I can see that there are far worse things than the Hero League out there. Like Glitter Kitten and the Mad Dogs for instance. I could only imagine what would happen if they were left unchecked. As much as you Heroes have failed me and my family I am not callous enough to hold it against you.¡±


    I stared at her, this isn¡¯t adding up. ¡°What did the Hero League fail at?¡±


    She crossed her arms, ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know you and I am not going to get into something that personal with you.¡±


    It probably has something to do with me. I mean there is no way that it doesn¡¯t. I don¡¯t recall her ever being involved with Super stuff before I went missing. Although in this line of work she may have run across several, she did mention some guy with muscle memory. If she didn¡¯t want to talk about it then fine, better for me. Less likely I will say something stupid and blow my cover.


    ¡°How about we do the gymnastic thing first?¡± I inquired so that she would not stonewall any harder.


    ¡°Ok, there should be a class starting soon. During your trial period, we will join the starting classes and figure out what, if anything, you are good at. If you are not good at anything then we will find something for you to do.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Fine by me, lead the way.¡±


    We walked along the campus hallways that connected the departments. The walls were smooth and muted in their color while the floor was made of some sort of polished granite or maybe marble. People wearing different uniforms walked intermittently through here. It seems that each department had their own dress code. I am starting to get a school rivalry vibe coming from this place. I don¡¯t know who the navy blue skirted girls were, but they didn¡¯t seem to like me or the green skirted girls for that matter.


    It was not really that I was trying to ease drop on them, but it is hard not to hear their venomous whispers and insincere giggles. Oh god, did I just walk into a school arc? But, but I am not cute enough to be the main character¡­ I don¡¯t even have hair for fuck¡¯s sake! This isn¡¯t going to end up with the stereotypical bullying of the new kid, is it? Something tells me I am not a good target for that. Who the fuck would try to bully a seven-foot tall mecha suit anyway?


    The further we went into this department the less diversity there was. Now there only seemed to be the green jogging suits and green school girl outfits. So then who were the blue girls? This was not their place so I wonder why they were hanging around? I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter for now.


    Our little journey stopped in front of an open door. Within the floor glistened from the polished wood and along the walls were handrails. There was an instructor wearing a frilly ballerina outfit whiter than snow. She was awfully cute with that tiara on her head. She had golden, semi-long hair down to her shoulders. She stood in the center, talking about something to the gathered students. They looked over at me since I had more or less become the elephant in the room the moment I ducked in passed the doorway.


    Seeing as how everything in here had come to a screeching halt, I waved a little, ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡± replied the Instructor looking between me and Mo- Caroline.


    She answered the questioning look, ¡°This is Mecha Fairy, she is currently Sponsored. You know the drill, Camille.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± smiled Camille clearly relieved. ¡°A Sponsorship. Come in, come in. Do you have any experience with ballet?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Before I forget, what powers do you have? So we can be careful, don¡¯t want anyone getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°Strength, Speed, Endurance, Regeneration are the main ones.¡±


    She put her finger to her mouth, ¡°Quite the few you have there. Must be nice being so gifted.¡±


    ¡°It is not as nice as you might think.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°I am sure,¡± she smiled slightly¡­ was that a smirk? Eh, something tells me I don¡¯t like this person already.


    She continued, ¡°For now, stand over there and watch the lesson. Pay attention I will call on you to try some basic things out.¡±


    I went where she had gestured, looming over the nearest boy in a green jumpsuit. He was about two feet away, inching ever further. Am I that scary? Well, I guess I should not expect much from a guy in dance class. Wait, but don¡¯t football teams have their players do ballet to get better balance and stances? I mean Bronsonman basically dances all over the place while he beats people up and he is like the manliest man I know, well besides Boris. So clearly there is something to this. I could actually learn a lot from this stuff and apply it to fighting.


    I looked away from the wandering eyes of the other students. They were having a hard time concentrating with me here. I know, I am tall, stop whispering about it over there. It was just best to ignore them and so I did. Camille tapped at her phone for a moment and music slowly trickled into the room from hidden speakers in the walls. It was violins and piano.


    ¡°Now class as I was saying we shall finish our stretches and then we will learn the Pas De Deux. It is the basis for most duets and even some solos. As you should all know preparations before workouts are key to avoiding injuries and increase your flexibility.¡±


    She rotated her arms, loosening up the joints and back muscles. This was simple stuff and I copied what they did slowly windmilling my arms around. Next we stretched the legs one at a time in lunges that rotated the dominant leg. She stood, tiptoed on one foot and raised her other clear up straight and held it to her chest for about ten seconds before switching, repeating several times. Oh, now you are speaking my language. She seemed impressed that I was able to keep up. I am not particularly surprised since the suit looks clunky around the top. Some of her students needed to hold onto the railing or could not do it all the way.


    She sat on the floor and so did everybody else. I followed along. She spread her legs in a V and then stretched her arms along one leg for a good thirty seconds before switching to the other. Come to think about it Molotov never really taught me warm=ups, only the exercises. I wonder why that is? I shook my head of those thoughts and looked around. It seemed that the next was simple sit-ups. I didn¡¯t need a partner, I did this enough in my room all alone.


    Now that all of the warm-ups were done everybody partnered off. Except me, there was an odd number of people in the room thanks to my appearance. I leaned against the wall watching them. This did not please Camille.


    She snapped her delicate little fingers at me ¡°Non, non, non. Your posture is terrible, have you been skulking about like the hunchback of Notre Dame? Stand up straight, puff your chest out, show your majesty like the great swan princess you are.¡±


    Well, I have been crawling around in vents and a sewer, not to mention I have to duck every time I go through a door. Eh¡­ this is getting a little weird. She called me a swan princess. What the hell even is that? Oooh is this that I am the ugly duckling, but will grow up to be a beautiful butterfly thing? I straightened up, towering over her and everybody else in the room. It felt good, seeing her have to crane her neck to look me in the face. She motioned and one of the students brought over several books.


    ¡°Balance these on your head for the rest of class.¡±


    ¡°My helmet is funny shaped though. It naturally curves up as you can see.¡±


    She took a moment, looking over my suit before, pointing to the back of the crest where it fanned out, ¡°Place them there and walk around the sides of the room.¡±


    ¡°What do I do if they fall?¡±


    ¡°Pick them up and start over. Do ten laps without dropping any of them. I will be watching.¡±


    ¡°I feel as though I am being singled out.¡±


    ¡°Non, non. This is a basic. If you don¡¯t have good posture and balance, then how could you possibly perform? Besides, you are not alone,¡± she said, motioning to the far side of the room.


    There were three people over there and each of them had books balanced on their heads. They wobbly walked along. I must have overlooked them since I had been ignoring the students up until now. I sighed and walked over, none of the books fell. I am over here with the rejects while everybody else learns stuff. Nothing to do about it I guess. They kinda looked at me like some strange animal.


    My stride outpaced the others in the group by a large margin. In one case a single step was equivalent to three of theirs. I got long legs, what else can I say? I walked along to the music that everybody else was practicing their partnered dance with. It was fluttery, magical, whimsical even. I stared at Camille as she showed them what to do. She was graceful and majestic, this bitch knew what she was doing. The imagery of a fairy prancing on a pond with lily pads filled my head. Damn it, I want to be that fucking fairy!


    I never took my eyes off of her, even when my head turned at strange angles for normal people. It was not any owl stuff, but it would still be pretty uncomfortable for normies. If I was not wearing the suit, then yes, I could spin my head around. Instead, I had to settle for walking at a slight angle to keep line of sight. I rounded the corner and almost bumped into the slowpoke at the back. Luckily, I have great peripheral vision and managed to sidestep in order to avoid her. My lapping caused her to jump and drop the books.


    I stopped, unsure if I should lend a hand or not. This girl seemed like a nervous wreck and on the verge of tears. It was a bit pathetic and I bent over, picking up her books for her. With a clatter, mine fell as well¡­ this is what I get for helping people. I sighed and placed mine back where they had been.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said mousily.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± I looked away from her.


    I was mad, but it was my own fault for sticking my antennae into her business, so not her fault. I had some catching up to do if I wanted to actually learn anything today. Ten laps around this moderately sized room, can¡¯t be that hard. I mean that lap took about thirty seconds. This time I only glanced at Camille when she was in front of me and concentrated on where I was going. Sure enough, this was not hard at all. I strolled around for the final pass having not dropped the books for the past five minutes.


    ¡°Finished so soon?¡± she asked, watching me, we were more or less making eye contact if there was not a visor in between.


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Good, you can be my partner.¡± She said.


    ¡°Your partner? Am I ready for that?¡±


    ¡°It is easy, you will be doing the Danseur routine and watching my movements, then we will switch.¡±


    ¡°What is a Danseur?¡±


    ¡°The male partner.¡±


    ¡°Why do I gotta do the male routine?¡±


    ¡°It fits your build. Besides, I doubt anyone in here could lift you.¡±


    ¡­ she had a point. Reluctantly, I nodded, ¡°Fine. What do I do?¡±


    ¡°Simple just follow my lead,¡± she said, taking several steps away from me. ¡°One and two and begin.¡±


    All at once the music shifted and grew quiet. It started out with just the piano lightly tapping as though they were footsteps. She stepped in time with the beat, waltzing in hopping strides somewhat like a rabbit. Every third step she would jump high and spin several times before landing and swiping her foot along the floor in a full circle as the rotation came to a stop. She did this twice before ending up back where she had been at which point she bowed and looked at me.


    ¡°You want me to do that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, do you need help?¡±


    ¡°I will give it a try, not sure if I will get it right though.¡±


    ¡°This is a class for learning. I don¡¯t expect you to get it right the first time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok,¡± I nodded.


    The music started over and I gulped, alright here goes nothing. I stepped lightly, trying to keep in time with the meandering music. I covered more ground than she did each step more confident than the last. The third arrived and I hopped, scraping my head on the ceiling above. It created a loud grating sound that made everybody wince and shook the room. A few of the more elitist looking people were trying not to laugh. I barely even jumped too. It surprised me so much I didn¡¯t even spin. I landed uneasily and my heels thudded on the hardwood, scratching it. I stared at the dent I put in the ceiling. Oh boy. I hope they don¡¯t charge me for that.


    She stood, watching me with a serious face and her finger tapping at her mouth, ¡°I see, I see. This class is not for you.¡±


    I scowled, ¡°What do you mean. Look, I know I fucked up, but what am I supposed to do when the roof is a foot above my head? I will do better next time, so don¡¯t kick me out. I am serious here, I wanna learn.¡±


    She tutted a little, wagging her finger, ¡°Non, non, you misunderstand Mecha Fairy. This class is not for you because you are better than these uncultured swine. You are truly gifted as unrefined as you are, I see the diamond ready to be polished. You need special lessons or else your wings shall never unfurl and you will never fly where you belong.¡±


    Wait¡­ what? I thought she hated me? Hey, calling people pigs is not very nice. I looked around at the students. This is not how to make friends, yeah, they all hate me now. About half of them looked shocked over the turn of events and the rest were giving me death glares. It seems being called swine insulted their pride. Don¡¯t look at me like that I didn¡¯t insult you, she did! Hmm, if I am getting special lessons will I even see any of these people again?


    I didn¡¯t really know what to do. Caroline had walked over and grabbed my hand, dragging me off to the side. She nudged me with her elbow, ¡°I thought you said you were not good at this sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°I have never danced before¡­ well, there was that one time, but it is a bit different. So how was I supposed to know? Besides was that even good? I hit my head and didn¡¯t even land the jump. Is this something to be that happy about?¡±


    She crossed her arms and looked me in the helmet, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did, but I have never in ten years heard of Camille taking on a student for special lessons.¡±


    ¡°Wait, seriously? Why? I don¡¯t get it. I was garbage out there, like a flaming dumpster.¡±


    Camille appeared beside us, ¡°You cannot fool my eyes. Mecha Fairy I shall make you beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­ I think.¡±


    ¡°What is her schedule looking like?¡±


    ¡°We still have to go around the other departments. She might be good at other things, if she can sing too, then she might be able to steal Sunshine¡¯s spot as the backup vocal in the hero idol group,¡± replied Caroline.


    Camille asked, ¡°Is she free tonight?¡±


    ¡°After seven I believe.¡±


    ¡°Can she come in for our first lesson?¡±


    ¡°Well, you up to it.¡± Asked Caroline.


    ¡°Sure, unless something comes up.¡±


    ¡°Bring her to the gym, I will be waiting. You can leave for now not much else we can do here.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    We left Camille¡¯s class and started along the long hallway. I got to thinking, ¡°She was nicer than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Camille? She will work you hard, but if she is then that means she sees potential in you.¡±


    ¡°At least somebody sees it, I sure don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You will be fine, what are dance lessons to beating up villains?¡±


    ¡°I see your point. Oh, so what was that about a hero idol group?¡±


    Caroline just rubbed her face and sighed, ¡°Do they really not tell you why you are even here?¡±


    ¡°I thought it was for the modeling.¡±


    ¡°The image campaign, remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ wait we are doing an idol group?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there will be concerts and merchandise and autograph events. You will even be going around to different schools. Sunshine is currently doing voice training.¡±


    ¡°Who else is in this group?¡±


    ¡°Just you, Sunshine, and Ichigo.¡±


    ¡°So it is a trio? I think she should be the lead. People like her more anyway. Besides, we are friends so I don¡¯t want to fuck her over.¡± It feels like I missed something there¡­ my brain came to a screeching halt, ¡°Did you say Ichigo?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be her stage name. Do you know her?¡±


    I could hear Sub salivating in my head. Wait a minute, that isn¡¯t drool at all! Hey, calm down you. Stop popping a stiffy for fuck¡¯s sake, she isn¡¯t even here!


    Ichigo¡­ You thinking what I am thinking?!


    ¡®No, but I know what you want Sub. Look, just be normal, nonrapey Sub. Ok, ok, less rapey than normal Sub. We are going to be working with her.¡¯


    I know you want her as badly as I do. Don¡¯t you want to hold her down and fill her with eggs?


    ¡®Well, sure, but that is not the point! There is a natural progression to this stuff you know. You know, romance.¡¯


    When did I say not to seduce her?


    ¡®Oh, you are being reasonable. Here I was thinking you wanted to just break into her room and pound her into a coma.¡¯


    Ohh, that is hot. That sounds way better than my plan. Let¡¯s do it!


    ¡®No. Bad Sub.¡¯


    It was your idea.


    ¡®Doesn¡¯t mean it was a good one. Just not now we can talk about this later.¡¯


    Fine, but remember you owe me. I want some action and I don¡¯t care if you have to grovel and be her slave I want some of that fairy poon. Hell, I would be happy if she let us lick her toes.


    ¡®I doubt she is that kind of person. You are a strange one Sub. When did you get a foot fetish?¡¯


    She just shrugged, Seems kinky.


    ¡®Fair enough¡­ alright, alright enough of this. Go back to whatever it was that you were up to.¡¯


    Caroline repeated, ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°Not personally, though, I have seen some of her modeling stuff.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, she is getting rather popular lately.¡±


    ¡°I am glad to hear that. Oh, so wait, if Sunshine is the backup, then Ichigo is the main singer?¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡±


    ¡°She can sing? I didn¡¯t know about this.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, originally she was just doing modeling after I scouted her, but she took some classes and is among our top singers currently.¡±


    ¡°You scouted her?¡±


    ¡°My daughter was a fan before- eh¡­ well anyway, she made the cut and has been thriving ever since.¡±


    I knew that was a can of worms that I was not poking and ignored the obvious change in direction that the conversation had taken, ¡°So why is she going to be working with us?¡±


    ¡°Dreamer originally just wanted you two to be a duo, Sunshine I mean. But Elliott wanted somebody with experience to more or less make sure that the group didn¡¯t tank. We are putting too much money up to let it fail. This is her first group project so we are unsure of how it will go. It is a big break for her and you guys. Once you guys are grouped you will have to listen to her as well as me.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    ¡°Did you want to meet her for introductions?¡± asked Caroline.


    I squealed with joy, ¡°YES!¡±


    She looked awkwardly at me, ¡°Maybe some other time?¡±


    I grabbed onto her shoulder, ¡°No, no, you are not taking this from me. I want her autograph.¡±


    She looked a little scared, ¡°Alright, we will go once she has finished her vocal practice, besides we have to go over there any way for your testing.¡±


    Ichigo, I am coming!

 Superficial, Chapter 9

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8


    Chapter 9


    We had arrived at the Music department and I could hardly contain my excitement. Ichigo was somewhere around here. Still, I never knew that she could sing. I should know these things, after all, I am her biggest fan. Her blog page never mentioned it. Maybe she was just saving it for a big reveal when she did this project? It could have been in her contract to keep it hush hush. I can¡¯t imagine her not being popular. Come to think of it, Sunshine is here as well. Hmm, I should probably go check up on her, make sure she isn¡¯t getting into trouble.


    This place was, well, noisy. Outwardly to normal people not so much, but due to my enhanced senses, I could hear the varied music and singing voices through the sound dampened walls. Truly an incoherent orchestra of discord. Every sort of style from rap, to country, pop, and somewhere there was even what sounded like a metal band. Never really been a metal fan due to the screaming and loud noises. At first, it was merely annoying, but that was quickly changing as a queasy feeling rose in my stomach. Uh oh, I am starting to regret eating all of that food.


    This was not really the sort of thing that I could just filter out normally. The suit, though, it could and I had to change a few settings. The newer suit was a bit buggier than my old one. The menu was annoying to scroll through with my eyes, especially since I did not know my way around. I am somewhat tech savvy and did find the correct menu. Now that I knew where to go it was easily found. I turned down the sensitivity, deafening peripheral sounds beyond fifty feet or so. That seemed to do the trick. My antennae were no long throbbing and had calmed down a bit. I have enough voices in my head already, so I don¡¯t need a choir screaming at me while I am here.


    I looked over at Caroline, who was patiently waiting since I had stopped and proceeded to tap at my helmet like some sort of primitive. Seeing my new movement, she asked, ¡°Finished? Did you get a call or something?¡±


    ¡°Adjusting my suit¡¯s hearing. I was getting a headache from all of the sounds.¡±


    She looked around, ¡°I am surprised you can hear anything. The recording booths are soundproofed.¡±


    ¡°The suit has some pretty good hearing. These antennae are not just for show, you know.¡±


    Her face scrunched a little, ¡°I have been meaning to ask, why the bug motif?¡±


    ¡°What you don¡¯t like pretty butterflies?¡± I asked, spreading my wings a little. I mean, I like my wings. Chief did an amazing job on these things.


    She shook her head, ¡°I mostly just don¡¯t like insects in general¡­ wasps especially.¡±


    I can assume that was a jab at me. Mom, I get it, alright? Well, at the least she didn¡¯t say, I hate a certain wasp creature that is acting like it is my daughter. I might have a carapacy exterior now, but it is still me on the inside¡­ well mostly anyway. Not like I can tell the difference at this point. So what if I don¡¯t remember every tiny, tiny thing? Like eh, when your birthday was¡­ or even mine for that matter. Hmm, now I am getting all self-conscious about this.


    ¡°Well, enough about your wasp problem, let¡¯s go see Ichigo.¡±


    Her face looked fairly grumpy, ¡°I didn¡¯t say I had a wasp problem. If I see one I tend to take care of it, even if I have to throw something at it.¡±


    My eye twitched, ¡°you don¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°I doubt you have bug problems with that nice suit and everything.¡±


    ¡°You would be surprised. Besides, mutants are way worse than household critters, I can tell you that. Suit only does so much against them.¡±


    ¡°I am sure they are. I don¡¯t even want to know what sorts of horrifying things you found down in the sewers.¡±


    ¡°What, like the giant roaches?¡± I asked.


    She shook a little, ¡°I said, I don¡¯t want to know. So don¡¯t tell me.¡±


    I could have continued this to freak her out, but Ichigo sounded like more fun. ¡°I want to meet Ichigo. I wanna shake her hand and get her autograph and hug her and pet her. Can I feed her treats? Does she like cookies?! I mean I don¡¯t have any on me, but I can get some.¡±


    ¡°She is not some sort of pet, so don¡¯t go touching her without permission and especially don¡¯t look down on her. Treat her with respect, she is your elder here.¡±


    ¡°But Sunshine lets me touch her.¡±


    Caroline just shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know how you people do it in the Hero League, but out here people have personal space. Especially, Ichigo, she hates people touching her. She is a little weird. She wears gloves to avoid direct skin to skin contact when she has to shake people¡¯s hands.¡±


    All my fingers wiggled, ¡°Oh, no need to worry about that. See, I am wearing a suit.¡±


    Even if I wasn¡¯t wearing the suit, it wouldn¡¯t be skin to skin¡­ a carapace doesn¡¯t count, right? I mean it is basically my bones, so it would be bone to skin? She must be a clean freak though not to touch people directly.


    Yes, give her the old boning.


    ¡®Shush Sub.¡¯


    You know you want to pet her, feel her. Drink in her delectable scent and taste her in every way.


    ¡®Sub that is for later. We have to take it slow, or else she will catch on to our intentions. From what I am hearing she is easy to spook.¡¯


    But I wanna munch her carpet.


    ¡®Sub come on now you are getting ahead of ourselves here. We haven¡¯t even stolen her used towel yet.¡¯


    Why stop at the towel?


    ¡®Who said we were stopping there?¡¯


    Oooh go on, go on. Tell me more.


    ¡®Well, obviously, we need to swipe a pair of her panties. It is going to be so fun to diddle while rubbing those all over our antennae and smelling her. It will be like she is there!¡¯


    I approve. You have my blessing, now go my child, make me proud!


    Hmm, this is the first thing in a while that me and Sub have agreed upon. No surprise there, our girl crush on Ichigo is burning like a phoenix at the center of a thousand suns! Where are you, my love?! Have my babies or I will have yours, either way, I am not picky. I want to wallow in your presence and bask in your essence. Reign it in, reign it in Vesper, you are getting out of hand. I took a deep breath and let it out. Ah, much better. Seriously, what are you going to do if you scare her off by being a weirdo? Where will the snoo snoo be? Be normal damn it, be normal!


    ¡°Still,¡± said Mom, ¡°don¡¯t touch her.¡±


    ¡°But, but I wanna hug her. Is that ok, for the love of god is that ok? Tell me! I need to know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, ask her,¡± she said staying out of arms reach from me.


    ¡°Ok,¡± I said, best behavior mode activated.


    First impressions are key. She can¡¯t think I am a freak or my life will be over. Oh Helix above, oh Heavenly Father, and the Great Tentacle Beast of Gigak 9, please, grant me your powers! Please let me not fuck this up.


    We arrived at the studio that she was in. It was not actually all that far from where I had been messing with the helmet. Only about three doors down. The light was off meaning that they were not currently in session. Mom opened the door and closed it behind me. We were in a booth like section that was separated from the rest of the room by thick glass. There were a lot of recording equipment in here. At the far side of the room was a man who looked pretty professional what with his slicked hair and gleaming glasses. He had a nice suit too.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Caroline, come for a visit?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, figured I should introduce Mecha Fairy and Ichigo.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, she is not here at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Where is she?¡± asked Mom.


    ¡°Something urgent came up, so she went home early.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well, I hope it is nothing too serious,¡± I said more disappointed than anything else really.


    I hope she is ok. I wonder what happened? Did somebody break into her house and steal her stuff? Oh no, what if she has been kidnapped!


    ¡°How long ago did she leave?¡± I asked.


    ¡°About ten minutes ago.¡±


    So if stupid Camille had not held me up I could have met her! If I remember correctly her apartment is about a half hour from here so there is no way she could be home yet. Then she probably has not been kidnapped then. Oh no, what if it was her cat that had a problem? No, that thing was cute, it was a big white fluffy critter. Wait a minute if it was only ten minutes, then her scent should still be here.


    I wiggled my antennae smelling, drinking in the aromas around. Hmm, well, there were a few different scents. One was Caroline, another me, then there was that glasses guy, and finally there was a last that I could not name, but by process of elimination, it could only be Ichigo. Oooh, it is strong too. Almost like she were still nearby. So this is what she smells like, oddly enough, she lives up to her name and there was a hint of strawberries. Must be her body wash or perfume. She smells so soft and delicate and tantalizing. Uh oh, popping a stiffy just imaging what things we would do together. I wonder if she tastes like strawberries? I don¡¯t think I have ever been so turned on by the thought of strawberries before.


    Ichigo, no, my long awaited fateful encounter has been postponed! Wait is this an event flag?! Ichigo at home. I can see her in her natural habitat. I wonder if she is still all soft and snuggly even in normal clothes. Does she still look like a magical elf creature? We can have a pajama party and I can roll around on her bed soaking up her aroma. It will look weird if I just show up at her house without a reason¡­ hmm, oh this guy gave me an in. I can just go to make sure she is ok with whatever the problem is. Is this a get well soon type of thing? Should I bring flowers, chocolates, and a teddy bear? Does she even like bears? Dammit, what was her favorite animal? It was dolphins, wasn¡¯t it? No, it was turtles, sea turtles. Why turtles though? They are not that cute. Shouldn¡¯t it be butterflies? I mean she is a fairy creature, so surely she should love her kin.


    My head was spinning with all sorts of courtship ideas. I am really not good at this. Everything for me just revolves around food and sex with some video games sprinkled in there. It is not normal, I know that, which is why I am hesitant. How could I possibly express a love greater than the all-consuming void of a black hole? I mean Astrea was something special, but Ichigo was like the sun in the sky deserving my worship. She was the shining light in an otherwise bleak and dead world when I was living in my parent¡¯s basement.


    I will find you Ichigo and I will snuggle you!


    You could break into her house and spoon her while she sleeps?


    ¡®Sub¡­ that was almost a good idea, but somehow I don¡¯t think she would appreciate that and I will get charged with rape.¡¯


    Well, I certainly would like that sort of treatment. Maybe we should write a love letter?


    ¡®Great Idea! Where to even begin though?¡¯


    Well, clearly it has to be written in our own blood to convey how serious we are.


    ¡®Sub our blood is yellow and smells bad.¡¯


    True enough¡­ hmm, I am not good at this. You are the romantic, I am just a rutting beast in the sack.


    ¡®I got it, we will leave her anonymous presents with letters pasted together from magazine clippings.¡¯


    ¡­ I am pretty sure that is what serial killers do. Something tells me she will call the police if something like that showed up. Besides, even if it did work, she won¡¯t know it is us so the effort will be wasted.


    ¡®This is a magical fairy creature we are talking about. I can¡¯t just say, I will suck yo dick, les go.¡¯


    Well, obviously, you gotta be all like I wanna go oyster diving in your south sea or like I wanna get lost in your secluded grove.


    ¡®What the fuck kinda pick up line is that? You might as well say I am going to egg you bitch, bite the pillow I am going in dry.¡¯


    You would take me home with that one, just saying.


    ¡®But you are a thirsty bitch Sub.¡¯


    I want some action damn it. Seriously, I am desperate here. This dry spell is really starting to piss me off. I still say that Neon Nurse should be on the table. Remember when she was bragging about that robo puss? What was it, up to 1000 rpms? Gotta say, I am intrigued.


    ¡®Sub that sounds terrifying. I don¡¯t know about you, but I would rather not stick our ovi in a meat grinder.¡¯


    I was just throwing it out there. We have outlets for this, you just have to use them.


    ¡®It is weird though, Neon Nurse might as well be my adoptive Mom for fuck¡¯s sake.¡¯


    Oh for fuck¡¯s sake, stop personifying our problems onto other people. Just cause mom hates our guts doesn¡¯t mean you gotta adopt a new one. You are just trying to make things weird. Unless¡­ wait a minute. I knew it! You are into incest. Then why are we not banging daddy?


    ''I am not! Why do you even have to go there? Just no. Stop it Sub.''


    Hey, you started it! If anyone is our adoptive Mom it is Dr. Arbor. That bitch made us out of goop.


    ¡®She is more like the crazy aunt that shows up uninvited and unannounced, bearing strange gifts to lul us into a false sense of security so she can molest us in the backroom while no one is looking.¡¯


    That is oddly specific. Don¡¯t tell me you are hiding a childhood trauma from me?! Give me the dirt you filthy whore!


    ¡®She has done that though!¡¯


    You are being overly dramatic about this. Dr. Arbor has saved our asses how many times? So if she says ¡°Good news it is a suppository!¡± then that is a small price to pay for being alive. We would be dead right now if it wasn¡¯t for her. Besides, we both know you are a low-key maso anyway and actually like it. You know, I always thought it was weird how I am the S and you are the M.


    ¡®Not always. Maybe I just feel like you need to pamper me.¡¯


    Our conversation was interrupted by Caroline, ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Ye-yeah.¡±


    We could have gone on for a while longer, but Caroline was already waiting at the door. It was best not to poke the tiger. No Ichigo here anyway, so no point in sticking around. I followed her along the smooth hallway, passed the ever gawking trainees¡­ or eh, what are they called? Talents, I think. The uniforms of the music department were red, but they had the same design as the rest. All the boys wore jogging suits and the girls had skirts and blouses with long socks. I bet those would suit Ichigo.


    We arrived at a studio about twenty or so doors down along the rows. The light was currently on. So the occupants were recording at the moment. She opened the door and I slid in as quietly as possible. The layout was identical to the other with a room on the other side of the glass. We were in the control room due to all the switches and little things that could be slid around to adjust the music or sounds. Among them were several computer screens displaying little pulsating bars that went up and down. I think this thing is measuring the frequencies of the singer¡¯s voice.


    I looked through the glass to find, well not Sunshine. I had been expecting to be taken to her next and yet, sadly that was not the case. Instead, there was this girl I had never seen before. She had that stereotypical drill hair that those rich girls had¡­ I thought that was only an anime thing. So it is real? A real-life Ojousama. Is she a stuck up bitch too? I always thought it was just a myth, like big foot or a noncorrupt politician.


    She was clearly in the music department due to her uniform. She had brown hair and green eyes. This girl could sing. Like seriously, it is beautiful. The sort of thing that made tingles run down spines like spiders and hair stand on end. If only I had such a thing, then I could make a living off of it. This was a voice suited for singing in a choir or a national anthem, however, that was not what she was singing. She was singing a pop song¡­ it was Barbi Girl. I feel bad for her, nobody is ever going to take her seriously if she sings that type of stuff and that is coming from somebody who likes that sort of stuff.


    The song came to a close and she came out of the room, she smiled ¡°Mrs. Vasska, I didn¡¯t think I would see you so soon.¡±


    ¡°Good to see you too Isabella. Is everything going alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everyone is treating me well. But what brings you here? I thought you had a new-¡±


    She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked up at me. Clearly, she was intimidated by my mere presence. Honestly surprised it took her this long to notice I was here, usually I am the first thing people notice.


    ¡°This is Mecha Fairy,¡± she said, motioning to me.


    ¡°Nice to meet you¡­ Isabella,¡± I said, extending my hand.


    She hesitated for a few moments before gingerly taking my paw for a moment and shaking it. So girly. Well, she is an Ojousama so that should be expected.


    She said with a bit of a condescending tone to her voice, ¡°You are big.¡±


    ¡°Why yes, yes I am. How observant of you,¡± I replied squinting at her. I knew it, total cunt. I turned to mom, ¡°So how do you two know each other?¡±


    ¡°She is my former Talent. You could learn a few things from her.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Good question. Why should I teach this plebeian anything?¡± replied Isabella scowling at me.


    I frowned, ¡°What the fuck is your problem? Bitch.¡±


    ¡°Hey, none of that now. Isabella, I know you are harsh to new people, but I would really appreciate it if you didn¡¯t piss off somebody who could kill us rather easily,¡± said Caroline.


    What are you, my mom? Oh, wait. ¡°Hey, that is not nice. I don¡¯t kill people.¡±


    She looked me dead in the faceplate, ¡°Mecha Fairy I looked you up. You are violent and have killed before.¡±


    Isabella seemed to finally realize the potential danger that I represented and seemed a lot less antagonistic, ¡°She has killed people?¡±


    I replied, crossing my arms, ¡°That was self-defense. The guy shot Sunshine, which caused her to drop five cars off of a bridge. He deserved to die.¡±


    Caroline glowered, chewing on her lip a little. I remember this habit, she did this when she knew that she was wrong, but didn¡¯t want to admit it. Though technically she isn¡¯t wrong, I did kill that guy and I am a violent person. However, she is mistaken that I kill just anybody. I mean they gotta be some real pieces of shit that don¡¯t even deserve to live and even then only if they hurt me or somebody else.


    It took her a few moments but she said, ¡°That might be, but accidents do happen. Be sure not to hurt anyone.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that. I know. You act like I have no self-control.¡±


    She glanced at her watch. I know that watch¡­ I, I gave that to her. Well, not the current me, the me from before I went to college. It was a birthday present and I spent like an hour picking through the different ones at the store. I ended up on silver since gold was way out of my price range and the rest just seemed kinda cheap. I am surprised that she still even has that thing.


    ¡°We should get going. There is a vocals class that will be starting soon.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°See you around, Mrs. Vasska,¡± said Isabella, though she didn¡¯t even look at me. Must be mad. Well, fuck her, she don¡¯t matter. Thus our adventure continued!

 Superficial, Chapter 9.1 Interlude: Ichigo

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 9.1 Interlude: Ichigo


    Ichigo sat sipping at her mango juice. Her sky blue hair currently was not too long due to a cosplay that she had done a few weeks ago. Her uniform of red kept the surroundings from being dull. Absently, she stared into space thinking of varied things. How much money would be left after rent? Would she have to get that cosplay outfit specially tailored? What to make for dinner?


    ¡°Great session,¡± Said Scott, her manager, standing over her. Though on the inside was a bit different, ¡®She was a little flat. We will have to try again next time. She should have just stuck to modeling.¡¯


    Ichigo puffed up her cheeks, chewing on the straw. She didn¡¯t particularly like singing, but everybody kept pushing her into it. She was a model and liked doing that. It was fun to dress up and she liked the attention. Being able to hear what those around you actually thought was both a blessing and a curse. She couldn¡¯t turn it off and heard everything whether she wanted to or not. If it wasn¡¯t for the money then she would have stayed an Internet idol. It was nice and quiet over the net since she could not read their minds, or know their true intentions. It was refreshing and exciting. As for here, well, everybody was an open book. One would be surprised about the things that people daydream about.


    Scott didn¡¯t actually even like working with her, but a little blackmail about his adulterous behavior with one of the other talents kept him from voicing his complaints. He would be in some real trouble if she brought it to the attention of police due to the age of the girl. He doesn¡¯t know that she can read minds, as far as he knows she has a video and is threatening to show his wife or the police if he acts up. As a result, he has been on the best of outward behavior and does whatever she says.


    Unfortunately for Scott, he wasn¡¯t the only one cheating and is none the wiser of how much of a slut bag his wife is. That hoe is getting gangbanged just about every week. Poor Scotty, he just doesn¡¯t know. Now why would she go and ruin that fun by telling him? But that is not of Ichigo¡¯s concern if anything, it was karma.


    She smirked, ¡°Why thank you. How are my Idol Group plans coming along?¡±


    He seemed to have forgotten about them. Unacceptable. What use is having a lap dog, if he can¡¯t even do this right? Maybe it was time for a replacement. Caroline was so much more competent. Ichigo regretted letting her go. Oh well, at the least she was useful in getting into Star Agency. That woman was a treasure trove of dirty secrets, especially when she was drunk. That being said some things were best unknown. Who would have guessed about the pedophile sex ring being run out the mayor¡¯s estate and directly connected to the Hero League or the expansive and corrupt pay to play advancement system here in Star Agency?


    There was other stuff too, like embezzlement among the higher-ups, apparently, there was even a subhuman slave trade going on among the rich and powerful of the city and out of state. Those were some adventurous people there. There were also drug connections and about half of the Talents and staff were dabbling in the stuff, including the president. Speaking of him, he was sponsoring a certain, Spark Spray.


    Just about anything and everything that could be thought up was here and alive in Bronson, the corruption was to the core. Which made things dangerous to know. Not that Caroline could be blackmailed on these. She despised these things and if there were not death threats she would have gone public a long time ago. So that was a wasted opportunity. It is best to stay under the radar.


    It wasn¡¯t even that Ichigo was actively trying to manipulate people. When their heads are just spewing their thoughts and they state what they desire, it is pretty easy to say the right things and grease the right wheels. She often times did it without even meaning to. Caroline was a friend? Ichigo found it hard to make friends due to hearing what they actually thought about her. At any rate, Ichigo liked Caroline for how up front she was in her thoughts and what she said. She was not two face and if she had a problem about something she would say so. They will be working together on this hero thing. Speaking of which Caroline is supposed to visit at some point. That should be fun.


    Ichigo sat, reaching out with her mind searching for the familiar touch of Caroline¡¯s inner voice. She found it pretty quickly, it was rather close at that. ¡®Oh for fuck¡¯s sake, what is it now? If she wasn¡¯t a Super then I would be yelling at her to keep moving. Why is she hitting her helmet? So weird, well at the least she isn¡¯t threatening people.¡¯


    Oh, someone that Caroline is holding back on? Intrigued Ichigo followed the voices, yes voices, coming from beside Caroline. There were two distinct voices emanating from that one¡¯s mind. They appeared to be arguing over something.


    ~~~


    Yes, give her the old boning.


    ¡®Shush Sub.¡¯


    You know you want to pet her, feel her. Drink in her delectable scent and taste her in every way.


    ¡®Sub that is for later. We have to take it slow, or else she will catch on to our intentions. From what I am hearing she is easy to spook.¡¯


    But I wanna munch her carpet.


    ¡®Sub come on now you are getting ahead of ourselves here. We haven¡¯t even stolen her used towel yet.¡¯


    Why stop at the towel?


    ¡®Who said we were stopping there?¡¯


    Oooh go on, go on. Tell me more.


    ¡®Well, obviously, we need to swipe a pair of her panties. It is going to be so fun to diddle while rubbing those all over our antennae and smelling her. It will be like she is there!¡¯


    I approve. You have my blessing, now go my child, make me proud!


    ¡®Hmm, this is the first thing in a while that me and Sub have agreed upon. No surprise there, our girl crush on Ichigo is burning like a phoenix at the center of a thousand suns! Where are you, my love?! Have my babies or I will have yours, either way, I am not picky. I want to wallow in your presence and bask in your essence. Reign it in, reign it in Vesper, you are getting out of hand. Ah, much better. Seriously, what are you going to do if you scare her off by being a weirdo? Where will the snoo snoo be? Be normal damn it, be normal!¡¯


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.~~~


    Well¡­ that is certainly not normal. It would appear to be a genuine pervert. Ichigo sat there pondering. This Vesper and Sub sound like they would be very easy to manipulate, a little tease and they would be eating out of the palm of her hand. Still, there are two voices¡­ this sort of thing was rare. Usually, it was only crazy people with multiple personalities, but even then they didn¡¯t actively talk to one another. It was fascinating. Vesper? Wait, that name is familiar. Wasn¡¯t that Caroline¡¯s daughter¡¯s name? It was, but she is supposed to be dead. Could it be someone else? Who names their kid Vesper though? It might be prudent to listen a little more.


    ¡°Scott.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I will be in the back taking a nap. If anybody comes tell them that I went home, I don¡¯t want to be disturbed.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said, grumbling on the inside, ¡®This stuck up little bitch always telling me what to do.¡¯


    Ichigo closed the door and sat down, staring at the wall. She was not sure if she should be scared or not of this Vesper. Caution was one of her main principles when dealing with the unknown. It didn¡¯t take long at all for Caroline and the mystery person to arrive.


    She peeked through the blinds to find a very tall woman encased in metal. That was Mecha Fairy, if memory served. She had seen her a few times in the news. That suit was rather strange though, four arms and a cone-shaped head that fanned out into a headdress. It was almost alien in design. Though it had been made by Fire Chief. How did she know? Well, Ichigo knew about just about every Super in the city and actively avoided them. Research was important and she spent hours scouring the net for new information if a new Super showed up or new information appeared on the forums known as Superleaks. Being involved with Supers was a fast track to trouble and she wanted none of that. Ichigo did not like fighting people. Which was one of the main reasons she had kept her powers a secret. Since undoubtedly the Hero League or even one of the gangs would swoop in if they found out and ruin her cozy little life.


    Mecha Fairy¡­ she was a newer Hero. She was overall rather powerful, not top tier in the city, but definitely someone to look out for due to the wide assortment of abilities she had. Her strength and Speed had both jumped up a full rank since last month, now sitting squarely at Rank 4. Her rate of advancement could either mean that she was reaching her power limit or it might mean that she had far more room to improve. That being said, those weren¡¯t even her main power, it was regeneration. There was a bit of debate over what it currently was. According to various leaks, things went down very badly down in the sewers and she had a run in with Nuclear Knight. The fact that she is walking around means one of two things, either she is a Rank 6 or she got extensive cybernetic augmentation.


    Ichigo did not hate Supers rather she thought that they were fascinating. Unfortunately, when you give people power they tend to either flaunt it around or use it for their own gain and occasionally, they would help others. This made them rather dangerous and being someone without offensive or defensive powers made things difficult. It was best to lay low and stay out of sight. If they want to fight, well let them and watch the show. Speaking of which they were talking a little.


    A conversation carried on and then things got quiet. Mecha Fairy and Caroline had no reason to stay and yet Vesper stood there like a statue, too absorbed in her own thoughts. Ichigo listened in, not that she had a choice, and her face turned blue from the banter of Vesper and Sub.


    ~~~


    ''I will find you Ichigo and I will snuggle you!''


    You could break into her house and spoon her while she sleeps?


    ¡®Sub¡­ that was almost a good idea, but somehow I don¡¯t think she would appreciate that and I will get charged with rape.¡¯


    ~~~


    Why yes, that would be molestation and I don¡¯t know you like that, thought Ichigo.


    ~~~


    I certainly would like that sort of treatment. Maybe we should write a love letter?


    ¡®Great Idea! Where to even begin though?¡¯


    ~~~


    Who the hell writes love letters in this day and age? Just send a text¡­


    ~~~


    Well, clearly it has to be written in our own blood to convey how serious we are.


    ¡®Sub our blood is yellow and smells bad.¡¯


    ~~~


    Wait, what?! Blood¡­ why is it yellow?


    ~~~


    True enough¡­ hmm, I am not good at this. You are the romantic, I am just a rutting beast in the sack.


    ¡®I got it, we will leave her anonymous presents with letters pasted together from magazine clippings.¡¯


    ¡­ I am pretty sure that is what serial killers do. Something tells me she will call the police if something like that showed up. Besides, even if it did work, she won¡¯t know it is us so the effort will be wasted.


    ~~~


    She had gotten those before and she did call the cops, Ichigo quivered just remembering that. Stalkers were a problem sometimes. It was really creepy when she could hear them through the walls.


    ~~~


    ¡®This is a magical fairy creature we are talking about. I can¡¯t just say, I will suck yo dick, les go.¡¯


    Well, obviously, you gotta be all like I wanna go oyster diving in your south sea or like I wanna get lost in your secluded grove.


    ¡®What the fuck kinda pick up line is that? You might as well say I am going to egg you bitch, bite the pillow I am going in dry.¡¯


    ~~~


    Whoa, whoa eggs? This is getting weirder than usual. Like the wrong side of the internet weird.


    ~~~


    You would take me home with that one, just saying.


    ¡®But you are a thirsty bitch Sub.¡¯


    I want some action damn it. Seriously, I am desperate here. This dry spell is really starting to piss me off. I still say that Neon Nurse should be on the table. Remember when she was bragging about that robo puss? What was it, up to 1000 rpms? Gotta say, I am intrigued.


    ~~~


    So Neon Nurse and Mecha Fairy are a thing? So the rumors were true. Does Mecha Fairy have a dick? So confused.


    ~~~


    ¡®Sub that sounds terrifying. I don¡¯t know about you, but I would rather not stick our ovi in a meat grinder. Think of the Children Sub! The Children!¡¯


    I was just throwing it out there. We have outlets for this, you just have to use them.


    ¡®It is weird though, Neon Nurse might as well be my adoptive Mom for fuck¡¯s sake.¡¯


    ~~~


    Or not¡­ This is getting a bit disturbing.


    ~~~


    Oh for fuck¡¯s sake, stop personifying our problems onto other people. Just cause mom hates our guts doesn¡¯t mean you gotta adopt a new one. You are just trying to make things weird. Unless¡­ wait a minute. I knew it! You are into incest. Then why are we not banging daddy?


    ¡®I am not! Why do you even have to go there? Just no. Stop it Sub.¡¯


    ~~~


    Ichigo gulped. Ok, that is enough of that. It seems a bit too personal¡­ A little more couldn¡¯t hurt though.


    ~~~


    Hey, you started it! If anyone is our adoptive Mom it is Dr. Arbor. That bitch made us out of goop.


    ¡®She is more like the crazy aunt that shows up uninvited and unannounced, bearing strange gifts to lull us into a false sense of security so she can molest us in the backroom while no one is looking.¡¯


    That is oddly specific. Don¡¯t tell me you are hiding a childhood trauma from me?! Give me the dirt you filthy whore!


    ¡®She has done that though!¡¯


    You are being overly dramatic about this. Dr. Arbor has saved our asses how many times? So if she says ¡°Good news it is a suppository!¡± then that is a small price to pay for being alive. We would be dead right now if it wasn¡¯t for her. Besides, we both know you are a low-key maso anyway and actually like it. You know, I always thought it was weird how I am the S and you are the M.


    ¡®Not always. Maybe I just feel like you need to pamper me.¡¯


    ~~~


    Ok, ok now that is really enough. Well that was enlightening. I am picking up a lot of¡­ insecurities.


    They left down the hallway and Ichigo sat in silence, sweat dribbling down her face. She was speechless and her mind racing. What- what a strange person or people apparently there are two in there. She stared at her quivering hands. That person might just be a bit dangerous. She knows where I live. Wait yellow blood? Why is it yellow¡­ unless Mecha Fairy isn¡¯t human. Is it a sub human? What sort of animal has yellow blood? But the Hero League doesn¡¯t hire Sub humans. What was that about eggs? She wants to lay eggs in me? So she is definitely not a human. What the hell is she?


    If Mecha Fairy actually is Vesper, then how did she become a Super and where has she been. Another question arose, if that is Vesper why hasn¡¯t she told Caroline who she is? Caroline was clearly oblivious or else she would be crying and hugging her daughter. She would certainly be a lot happier. This called for more investigation. Of course, she would have to be very careful, there is no telling what such a deranged person might do. The last thing Ichigo wanted was to be egged, whatever the hell that meant.

 Art Drop 1 and update ^^

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 Superficial, Chapter 10

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 10


    I am getting tired of hallways. The only good thing about it is that the ceiling is fairly high, so I don¡¯t hit my head. Oddly, though it felt like somebody was watching me. Well, I guess that is to be expected. Just about everybody is gawking at me if they see me. I looked around, not seeing anyone. It was just Mom and I, but she was in front and not looking back. I heard footsteps from time to time. My feelers twitched, hmm strawberries¡­ smells kinda like Ichigo. Oh great, am I going to get turned on every time I smell strawberries? Should I fill a bathtub up with strawberry jam and lather it all over myself?


    Sub whispered in my head, Sounds delightful.


    ¡®How much would that even cost though?¡¯


    Who cares, we are rich bitch. Besides, we can eat it when we are done! So it is like two birds with one stone.


    ¡®Alright, but where would we even do this?¡¯


    I don¡¯t know. Ooo Ah, I know. Neon Nurse. Although she would likely record it.


    ¡®Not sure if I want there to be a video of this out on the Internet.¡¯


    We both know she has way worse than that on us.


    ¡®True enough. She has got some serious dirt on us after all.¡¯


    Did I just develop a new fetish? So this is how these things happen. Could be worse, could be like midget dungeon porn or vore, or guro, igh¡­ well, I guess the last two are far worse than the first, but still. I am looking at you Sub.


    She just shrugged, not even trying to deny it.


    Ignoring all that, I feel that I got rather sidetracked. We were going to go visit Sunshine and I was rather excited about this. With our determined and quick pace, we arrived at the correct room in no time at all. Caroline opened the door for me and I ducked in due to being a bit taller than the entrance. This place was not made for people of my stature. It was a rather unimpressive room, barren of any furniture save three chairs sitting in the middle. The area was about the size of the booth that Isabella had been in. There were three people in here, Sunshine, Dreamer, and a scrawny looking dude that looked like he hadn¡¯t slept in a few days, whom I can only assume to be her teacher. I mean, who the fuck else would this guy be?


    I didn¡¯t like the look of this guy. I was getting a little bit of a tweaker vibe with his gaunt cheekbones and dull eyes. His clothes weren¡¯t doing him any favors either. They were a little ragged and definitely well worn. He had on a pair of frayed jeans, black teeshirt, and a loose unzipped hoodie. His hair was black, but there were some gray streaks here and there. He wasn¡¯t particularly tall, a little shorter than Dreamer. He didn¡¯t look professional at all, unlike all the other teachers I had seen. Maybe this is a case of the drunken hidden genius type thing like they do in stories. My eyes wandered over to mom, I mean I got a real life example of that here. Say what you will about her, she gets the job done. Ok, that might be a little harsh on her, she doesn¡¯t drink on the job.


    I spent a moment longer looking at him. I guess I will give him a pass for now. I averted my eyes to the reason why we had come, Sunshine. She stood over there, being all bubbly and cute, with glitter and sparkles floating everywhere, as usual. Singing some song, which wasn¡¯t usual since it didn¡¯t sound like some Moon Sailor theme.


    Though something seemed off¡­ what was it I wonder? Ah, it was that thing sitting on her shoulder. I had missed it in the cloud of glitter and sparkles floating around her. It kinda looked like if a bunny, fennec fox, a butterfly, and a unicorn descended into an orgy of cuteness and this thing crawled out. To top it all off it even had on a little pointed hat. Whatever this abomination of cuteness was, I wanna pet it. It is so damned fluffy!


    I pointed at it, ¡°What the hell is that thing?!¡±


    It seems that I interrupted her singing practice as the music halted and everybody looked over at me. Sunshine looked lost for a moment, in a daze, until she realized it was me and her bright smile nearly blinded me. She rushed over, latching onto my leg. Now that I was up close and personal with the creature it looked up at me with those bright swirling rainbow filled eyes. It was even more adorable up close. Those eyes though¡­ if I looked too long it felt like they were pulling me in. I mean they swirled around like a whirlpool, so it was a little hard not to follow the spiral. Absently, I found myself petting it and had to look away to refrain from touching it. Using my lower hand to more or less block the thing from my view I looked down at Sunshine who happily continued hugging me.


    ¡°Sunshine where did this thing come from?¡±


    ¡°Sunshine made Mellow. Isn¡¯t she cute? Dreamer said all the kids will like her. Mellow also helps Sunshine when she is lonely.¡±


    ¡°Mellow?¡± I asked, making sure to avoid looking at it. The cuteness will overpower me. It is a sin, a sin I say!


    ¡°Sunshine named her after Marshmallows, since she is fluffy and soft, but Mellow sounds nicer.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ Why are you lonely Sunshine? You know you have me right?¡± I pet her head. My Sunshine has not been getting enough attention! I have to properly take care of her with love and cuddles. I mean magical girls need those sorts of things to survive, right?


    ¡°Well, Nee-san keeps sleeping and won¡¯t wake up though. So Sunshine got lonely and made a new friend.¡±


    I rubbed the back of my head, ¡°Sorry about that. I promise, I won¡¯t do anything that will make that happen again. We are going to be working together every day, so we will get to hang out a lot more.¡±


    ¡°Nee-san promise?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Pinky swear?¡±


    I extended my pinky and she coiled her own around it, trying to shake, ¡°Mhmm.¡± I nodded, smiling.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that super, Sunshine?¡± said a very, very feminine and soft voice. It was Mellow. I don¡¯t know why, but that voice sent cold shivers down my spine. It was like somebody got handfuls of ice and rubbed it up and down my back. Even though that voice was so disarming and sweet and something tells me it could lull me to sleep without even trying.


    ¡°Oh Mi God it talks!?¡± I screeched, almost reactively slapping the ever living shit outa that cute critter. I did manage to hold back, for Sunshine¡¯s sake.


    There is just something wrong with a talking animal. It makes all my little hairs stand up. I mean if it talks then it is smarter than it is letting on and that well, that is just unsettling. It could be up to something for all I know. I stared at the creature suspiciously and it just floated about innocently. Why do you have wings if you don¡¯t even need them to fly!? It is not fair, not fair at all.


    Hold on now me¡­ I mean Sunshine made this thing so it should be harmless. It is not like she would make something that could hurt people. Her knights, maybe, but they are more for defense. Hell, last time she got in a fight it started raining puppies and kittens to drown them in cuteness.


    ¡°Sunshine this, eh¡­ Mellow just talked. Did you tell it what to say?¡±


    She thought about it for a moment and shook her head, ¡°Mellow is always happy!¡±


    Well, that didn¡¯t answer my question. If it was anybody else I might have thought that they just dodged my question, but since it was Sunshine it comes with the territory while she is all looped out on her happy drugs. The creature in question had started rubbing up against me, making sweet cooing and purring noises. I wanna pet it. Ahh, it is so soft and fluffy.


    That thing looks kinda tasty, doesn¡¯t it?


    ¡®Sub? What?¡¯


    I don¡¯t like it. I think we should kill it and eat it. That would show it who is boss. I wonder if she could make more so we could skin them and make a blanket?


    ¡®Jesus, Sub, it is just one of Sunshine¡¯s imagination things. It is not even real. There is no meat or fur on that thing.¡¯


    But it smells good. Complained Sub.


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    Smells good? I gave it a whiff. Hmm, she wasn¡¯t wrong. Mellow radiated an aroma of cotton candy and lollipops. Is Sunshine getting stronger? I don¡¯t recall her being able to alter odors with her illusions. Now I am actually starting to wonder what the hell this thing tastes like. Why is it always food with me? Maybe just one bite wouldn¡¯t hurt? No, no, no that is just wrong.


    I decided to keep my mind occupied and asked, ¡°So what were you singing?¡±


    She hopped up and down excited, ¡°Oh, oh Sunshine was practicing the song we are going to be singing together.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, we are supposed to sing. What song is it?¡±


    ¡°We could be. Sunshine really likes this song. It makes Sunshine feel all bubbly and happy.¡±


    I don¡¯t think that I had heard of that one before. ¡°How are you coming along?¡±


    ¡°Sunshine is trying what does Nee-san think?¡±


    ¡°Alright, well lemmy hear it.¡±


    She let go of me and nodded happily, walking back over to the center of the room. The music started back up. I wasn¡¯t particularly a connoisseur of music, but it sounded like a nonelectric guitar with some drums in the background. Sunshine took a deep breath and sung along.


    ¡°We go hide away in daylight.


    We go undercover, wait out the sun.


    Got a secret side in plain sight.


    Where the streets are empty that¡¯s where we run.


    Everyday people do everyday things, but I can¡¯t be one of them.


    I know you hear me now we are a different kind.


    We can do anything.


    We could be heroes~


    We could be heroes~


    Me and you~


    We could be heroes~


    Anybody¡¯s got the power


    They don¡¯t see it cause they don¡¯t understand.


    Spinning around and round for hours.


    You and me we got the world in our hands.


    Everyday people do everyday things but I can¡¯t be one of them.


    I know you hear me now we are a different kind,


    we can do anything.


    We could be heroes~


    We could be heroes~


    You and me.


    We could be.¡±


    I stood there taping my foot to the beat. Towards the middle, it had gotten faster and gone a little techno? I don¡¯t know, I suck with music. At any rate, it wasn¡¯t bad. In fact, it was pretty catchy and Sunshine sounded amazing. If Sunshine is this good and she is only second string¡­ then how good is Ichigo? Ichigo is the triple threat, talented, adorable, and cute.


    That is two things.


    You can be adorable and cute, Sub. They are not mutually exclusive.


    I don¡¯t think that is how it works.


    Ok, ok. Talented, cute, and smart.


    Remember the three S¡¯s for women, Vesper. Sexy, Sane, and Smart.


    What is your point?


    Don¡¯t you remember you only get to pick two! No one has all three!


    No, no, no Ichigo is the exception.


    There are no exceptions.


    But Sunshine is not sane or smart.


    Well, some people don¡¯t even get two.


    That is mean, mean Sub.


    It is the truth though.


    This is our friend we are talking about here though.


    All the more reason to be honest.


    I nodded grudgingly, she had a point. Sunshine gazed over at me with sparkling eyes and Mellow hovered around her. I can see why she would be a hit with kids. I gave her a thumbs up and she did a little victory pose with the V. Mellow flew about raining sparkles and glitter everywhere.


    Caroline murdered the mood when she said, ¡°Mecha Fairy, we should be going now. You can play with your friend later.¡±


    I frowned, ¡°But I hardly even got to hangout.¡±


    ¡°You are at work. You can play in your off hours. We still have to see if you can sing, remember?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I relented, walking over to Sunshine and giving her a hug, ¡°We will do stuff later.¡±


    The normally bubbly Sunshine looked a little sad and pouted, ¡°Nee-san is leaving?¡±


    ¡°Only for a little bit. I will see you at the station.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine has sessions with Dreamer after practice. So, so Sunshine can¡¯t play,¡± she looked wearily over at Dreamer, who nodded.


    I guess she doesn¡¯t want to do her therapy. Well, I don¡¯t blame her, Dreamer is a cunt. I would take my toad any day of the week over her. Still, that is a bit of a gray area for me since I don¡¯t know too much about her problems, that sort of stuff is personal after all. It is serious and I doubt that I could help. This was the sort of things that Mind Divers were actually useful for. Well, that and drugs. I know that she takes medication and stuff cause of her nightmares and let¡¯s face it, that could be dangerous if scary things came crawling out of there. I just¡­ kinda been avoiding it since it is not really something to be sticking my antennae in. She never really opened up to me about it, so what am I supposed to do?


    Reluctantly, I waved goodbye and left Sunshine to her practice. We continued on a few doors down and came to a classroom. There were ten talents and a teacher looking over them. It appears that for once we were not interrupting a class since they were talking amongst one another and still getting to their respective spots. The instructor looked a little annoyed. Like usual the room grew silent the moment I entered and all wide eyes fell on me.


    Awkward! I broke the ice, ¡°Hello.¡±


    The teacher guy looked over and saw Caroline, visibly relaxing. Why does everybody act like I am scary? I don¡¯t remember doing anything wrong. It is cause I am tall isn¡¯t it? I am just a big old love bug, I swear.


    ¡°This is yours, I take it Caroline?¡± said the man, glancing over me a little. Oh, I am a this now, eh?


    ¡°Despite how she looks, she is well behaved, Darren.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± I crossed my arms.


    ¡°Well,¡± she said, ¡°It means despite looking like an intimidating person you are rather nice.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just say that?¡±


    ¡°It was a compliment, ok,¡± she scowled at me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk down to me like some animal.¡±


    Now she crossed her arms and stared me down like a viper, ¡°I wasn¡¯t. You would know if I was talking down to you. Now, while I am still in a good mood, go do your assessment.¡±


    I bit my lip. Civil damn it, be civil. So what if she is antagonizing me and I could throw her through a wall. I took a deep breath and nodded grudgingly. Think of the money, think of all the BBQs with dad I could afford. Ah, well that did the trick. Suddenly mom was a lot more bearable to be around. She is a little snippy, but she has always been like that.


    ¡°Do you know what this class is?¡± asked the teacher.


    ¡°Vocal exercises?¡±


    ¡°Close enough. You have any experience?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Never really tried.¡±


    He sighed a little. Oh boy, it is going to be like that, is it? ¡°Very well. We will start with warm-up exercises. To ensure that it is your real voice could you remove that helmet?¡±


    ¡°I will not, but I can open the bottom part if you like?¡±


    ¡°We just want to make sure you are no auto-tuning our voice.¡±


    ¡°Auto-tuning? Wait really? Is that actually a problem?¡±


    ¡°You would be surprised.¡±


    I opened the mouth section. ¡°Is this better?¡±


    Now that my voice wasn¡¯t all mechanical and synthetic it returned to being somewhat feminine yet deeper than the average woman¡¯s voice. Not really my fault, it comes with the size. This being said I can change the tone and pitch a bit. We started out with some warm ups. First was humming to loosen things up. At first I merely listened since I don¡¯t do this sort of thing ever really. After about ten seconds or so I figured out what they were doing and took a deep relaxed breath before exhaling and realizing that I don¡¯t have a nose to hum out of like them. Now, this was very awkward. I can¡¯t just say oh hey, I don¡¯t have a nose the looks I would get for that are undoubtedly bad. So I did the next best thing, I tried to mimic the sounds that they were making.


    At first, it sounded like something between a cat being strangled and a growl. Everybody looked over at me. Eh come on now, just keep doing what you were doing. Don¡¯t mind me.


    The teacher¡¯s face pursed as he winced from my sounds, ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°No just bad at this sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, just try your best,¡± he sighed dismissing me as some sort of irredeemable, untalented person. Clearly, he was not expecting much from me. Well, I don¡¯t blame him.


    I nodded, ¡°Ok.¡±


    We started again and after a bit, I managed to get it to the point that it wasn¡¯t some abominable sound, much to the relief of everybody in the room. I was actually starting to get the hang of controlling my pitch and tone. As it turned out, I had a wide range in this regard. It was more than I had initially thought. I started to notice a difference between me and the other students. I could hold the notes for far longer than them due to my lung capacity. This, of course, didn¡¯t mean that my voice was beautiful or anything. No, I had a long way to go to get on their level or Sunshine¡¯s or even Isabella¡¯s level.


    Speaking of Isabella. I really liked her voice. If only I could sound like that, all angelic and stuff, instead of well, like me. That is certainly confidence building, not. I tried to emulate what I remembered. We were doing the A E I O U and as much as I tried, I couldn¡¯t quite get her voice right. It needed to be higher and clearer. Seems a bit beyond my capabilities. Then again I haven¡¯t really practiced this sort of stuff much so it could be better. It would be a bit like cheating if I could just do things that these people have practiced years to be able to do immediately. As usual, low expectations are the key to not being depressed.


    ¡°You are getting better,¡± commented Darren.


    See, look at that I was not even expecting a compliment and I was pleasantly surprised, ¡°Thanks, though I need a bit of work.¡±


    ¡°You have a pretty good range, just need practice a lot more to refine it,¡± he replied, ¡°Try as high a note as you can.¡±


    I nodded and took a deep breath, I have three lungs after all, so that is quite the bit of air that I can hold. I let it out in an ¡°Ah¡± sound that hung and was drug out. I went higher and higher, imagining and recalling Isabella¡¯s voice. The vibrations in my throat felt rather strange. It was like they were resonating. The pitch kept climbing until it was a piercing, ear-splitting tone. People were plugging their ears and the lights shattered and the glass window on the door fractured.


    I stopped, having jumped from the sudden sound of glass breaking. Everybody looked like they were in pain and the girl closest to me had fainted. Others were crying and holding their hands to their ears¡­ I smelled blood. Sure enough, several people¡¯s ears were bleeding. Oh fuck, that looks kinda bad. Did I rupture their eardrums or something?


    Darren was still standing shakily, grimacing as he steadied himself, he shook his head a little to focus and yelled at me, ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Never sing again, you are dangerous!¡±


    ¡°But I can learn to-¡±


    ¡°Get the fuck out of here you freak!¡±


    I have been called a lot of things in my time and usually they just kinda roll off. This though felt like a steak knife to the heart. I was trying here. I was giving it my all, even though I didn¡¯t even want to fucking sing, but I tried damn it. I want to do good, but it hurt people. Every fucking time it goes sideways somehow. This is like that time on the bridge or that guy in the slums. No matter what I do, I royally screw the pooch. Why the fuck can¡¯t this be like one of those comic books or stories I read where the person just does stuff and it all works out somehow? Can I even do this? Was this whole sponsorship thing just a big fucking mistake? Maybe I am just a fool? I am an idiot, aren¡¯t I? Why can¡¯t I do anything right?


    My face felt wet and my vision was blurred. I couldn¡¯t even wipe the damned tears cause of the helmet. I needed some time to myself and just be away from all this shit. I turned and forgot to duck, smashing a hole through the top of the door frame. It didn¡¯t even slow me down as I ran away. I didn¡¯t even care about my other stupid assessment classes or whatever, I will probably fail those too.

 Superficial, Chapter 10.1 Interlude: Strings

    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 10.1 Interlude Strings


    Ichigo crept along making sure to be just out of sight. Ahead by about ten feet or so Caroline and Mecha Fairy walked the corridor. Though she tried it was hard to keep her footsteps down on the marbled floors. Luckily though Mecha Fairy was very loud with her metallic suit.


    ¡®I am getting tired of hallways. The only good thing about it is that the ceiling is fairly high, so I don¡¯t hit my head. Oddly, though, it felt like somebody was watching me. Well, I guess that is to be expected. Just about everybody is gawking at me if they see me.¡¯


    Mecha Fairy stopped for a moment, glancing back and when she did Ichigo had already slid behind one of the pillars. This was one of the times that reading somebody¡¯s mind paid off on knowing what they were about to do. She waited


    ¡®It was just Mom and I, but she was in front and not looking back.¡¯


    She slumped her shoulders a little and kept walking. Ichigo followed.


    ¡®Hmm, strawberries¡­ smells kinda like Ichigo. Oh great, am I going to get turned on every time I smell strawberries? Should I fill a bathtub up with strawberry jam and lather it all over myself?¡¯


    ~~~


    Why?! Who would do such a thing? Weirdo, she is a total weirdo.


    ~~~


    Sounds delightful.


    ¡®How much would that even cost though?¡¯


    Who cares, we are rich bitch. Besides, we can eat it when we are done! So it is like two birds with one stone.


    ¡®Alright, but where would we even do this?¡¯


    I don¡¯t know. Ooo Ah, I know. Neon Nurse. Although she would likely record it.


    ¡®Not sure if I want there to be a video of this out on the Internet.¡¯


    We both know she has way worse than that on us.


    ¡®True enough. She has got some serious dirt on us after all.¡¯


    ~~~


    If that is not serious, then what the hell does Neon Nurse have on Mecha Fairy? It has to be like sex tapes or something to be worse than getting all jellied up. Ah, I got distracted by something there. She said Mom so, then that is Vesper and Caroline is her mother. Then why hasn¡¯t she told her? Caroline isn¡¯t particularly against sub humans, she doesn¡¯t really like Supers in general, but it is not like she outright disdains them if they haven¡¯t done anything to her. There was an exception to that though, Vespidian, the wasp creature¡­


    Ichigo smacked herself on the head lightly. That explained everything, even¡­ the eggs. Like pieces to the puzzle, it all came together from the conjecture that she had overhead over the passing months in fragments. A bug. That was uncommon even for Subhumans. Usually, they were mammals. There were exceptions, of course, foremost on the mind would be Arachnaon. This brought up distant memories.


    Would little Ara come and break the monotony? Was this monotony? No, not yet. I remember back when¡­ no, no. That was another life. I left that behind long ago.


    Arachnaon, yes her. She was a very rough customer, to say the least. Definitely not somebody to run into in a dark alleyway. Of the known ones there were also Mantia and Centi, both of which worked under Arachnaon. Cold blooded murderers, those three were. Took a lot of pleasure in hunting their prey. This gave Ichigo pause, Vesper was or at the least should be like them. She should be predatory and her thoughts warped to show her change. If anything she was too human in her thoughts. Sub must be the more primal of the two and then Vesper would be the remnants of her human ego, what little of it remained. It was strange.


    Insects were not the only oddity of Subhumans. There were rumors of frogmen in Venezuela and even mermaids out by Japan. Naturally, they were all true, the rumors that is. Here in the Slums there was a gang of reptilian creatures that were rejected by the Mad Dogs due to how inhuman they were. It was different than the ferals, they knew full well what they were doing. It was more of they had no emotions or conscience. If memory served then they were referred to as the Scalies. Though Ichigo doubted that was what they really called themselves, she had overheard some of them talking down below in the sewers a few times.


    Ichigo took a deep breath. She had been sidetracked again connecting all of the dots. She can smell me. That didn¡¯t bode well for the stal- investigation, this is an expedition in search of entertainment!


    They came to a door and the two went in closing it behind them. She waited for a minute before edging up to it and peering in through the glass. She recognized everyone in the room save one. There was Sunshine and Dreamer¡­ the only person in this whole city whose mind was shrouded and her thoughts muffled. It was interesting, to say the least. A more powerful probing of the thoughts would reveal something, but that sort of thing can be detected by the more savvy and potentially even be traced. Even without reading her mind Ichigo already knew a fair bit about Dreamer. One can learn a lot about somebody by the company they keep.


    Which brought up the mystery person, who clearly did not work for Star Agency. She knew since they would never allow an instructor to look so unkempt and didn¡¯t seem very interested in teaching Sunshine how to sing. He had gray in his hair despite being in his late teens and the strange look in his eyes didn¡¯t hold a candle to the terrible things in his mind.


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    ¡®I wonder what her screams sound like? Will she writhe and twitch? What will her face look like warped in pain?¡¯


    He was finding it very hard not to hurt Sunshine and Vesper and Caroline¡­ and Dreamer or rather Nightmare for that matter. This guy was, well, obsessed with pain and with a weirdo name like Agony it was no wonder. He was a Super, a very strange one at that. If his thoughts could be trusted then he was sort of like an empath except he could force people to feel pain though he felt it too.


    Nightmare, so she was here. Perhaps things would become a lot more interesting around here, troublesome as they might be. That explained the mental defenses. A shiver went up Ichigo¡¯s spine as she held her face, how exciting. A copycat, an imitator. A fool. Following a fool¡¯s footsteps. Only ruin lay down that road.


    Speaking of Chimera Agony was one of them, which explained a lot. Then again, if one wanted to get technical the Hero League was sort of under their control. It was similar to how the police and the military work for the government. At the end of the day, it was all the same. Different arms of the same organization, serving the same masters. Or as Rainman had once said, different wings on the same bird.


    Ichigo leaned against the wall. These were bad people and she should probably do something about this. But that is something that a hero would do. Ichigo was not hero material. The problem was they would not cave to blackmail and there was no telling who could be trusted to take them out, well she could think of a few but they were off limits for personal reasons at the moment. If done poorly then this would not end well for Ichigo, nor anybody that she got involved. The quiet and peaceful life she had made would crumble. This city would be torn apart in the fighting.


    There was the easy way out, but that wasn¡¯t fun. It would ruin everything. Sixteen years of restraint, the world had been exciting during all this time, but the rules were not to be broken. The challenge not to be abandoned. It didn¡¯t matter that it was self-imposed, a handicap to make things interesting. Without it, the excitement of the unknown would cease and the dull, colorless world that she had left behind would return.


    No, pulling the strings and forcing the puppets to dance, that was too easy, too boring, mundane. Ichigo was an observer, she would not interfere unless things grew¡­ dire. Of course, then she would fall into her old ways again. The dolls danced and talked of their own accord, so lively and wonderful. This was a game. A roller coaster of emotion, events, and happenstances. A true, unfettered world where anything could happen. Would they sniff her out? Would Chimera beat Kraken or would the normies be enslaved? Would the world be consumed in nuclear hellfire or would the Spore rouse itself out of frustration and boredom? And so many more, unseen, unpredictable events. All these possibilities let the world live in bliss, the outcome unknown. It was structured chaos and she loved it.


    Ignorance, ignorance truly was bliss. For the man who knows everything can never be pleasantly surprised, nor feel the wonder of learning something new. He will rot with atrophy and go mad trying to escape the insanity of the mundane and colorless world. The food that once tasted sweet as honey turned to ashes in his mouth. When the arousing touch of the most taboo of taboo becomes flaccid and lukewarm. Senses searching, yearning, screaming for something new only to be left in an abyss of nothingness.


    Nothing to make the heart yearn and twist with glee or fright and delight. These were the lessons learned and not to be repeated. The past must not be repeated or the world will turn gray once more. No, that world shall never be once more. The Sanguine Puppeteer would never make the foolish mistake of ruling the world again. Her ultimate triumph, the pinnacle of her success¡­ her greatest folly. Killing the only one who could not be swayed, the only one whose thoughts could not be pried and read and controlled, Captain Liberty. In the years that followed the victory became hollow and all the excitement all the scheming and plotting and rolling around sleeplessly writhing her hands with glee over her foes vanished. There was no one left to oppose her¡­ all alone, like the end of a game that would continue in perpetuity and that was where she got the idea. People could be programmed and controlled, so why could the world not be reset? And so she did. It was only a little troublesome to reset the playing board.


    Ichigo smiled to herself, wiping away all of the thoughts from the before time. Caution was the only way to go about this, she liked this body far too much to go about finding a new one. She would have to play stupid while figuring out who could be trusted. Oh, how fun. The dolls are entertaining today as always.


    Her mind reached into the room observing. It seemed that Vesper was finishing up her goodbyes. She would be a fun new toy to play with. Thoughts and schemes of how to bend her to her will without using her powers. That was the exciting part, the hunt, and chase, though in this case, the prey was chasing after her. It will be fun. Of course, there was another little doll who was crying to be played with, Sunshine. She listened in on their conversation.


    Caroline said, ¡°Mecha Fairy, we should be going now. You can play with your friend later.¡±


    Vesper frowned, ¡°But I hardly even got to hangout.¡±


    ¡°You are at work. You can play in your off hours. We still have to see if you can sing, remember?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she relented, walking over to Sunshine and giving her a hug, ¡°We will do stuff later.¡±


    The normally bubbly Sunshine looked a little sad and pouted, ¡°Nee-san is leaving?¡±


    ¡°Only for a little bit. I will see you at the station.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine has sessions with Dreamer after practice. So, so Sunshine can¡¯t play,¡± she looked wearily over at Dreamer, who nodded.


    Sunshine¡¯s mind dribbled with fear, ¡®Nee-san, Nee-san, Nee-san. Please, please don¡¯t leave Sunshine alone. Don¡¯t leave Sunshine with them, Sunshine doesn¡¯t like the pain, doesn¡¯t like the treatments. Sunshine doesn¡¯t like the chair or the straps, she doesn¡¯t like the gag that keeps her from screaming. Sunshine doesn¡¯t like being naked in front of strange men or touching their lollipops. Save Sunshine, please¡­ please Nee-san save ME!¡¯


    Vesper hesitated for a moment before waving goodbye to Sunshine, all the while her mind was leaking her thoughts, ¡®I guess she doesn¡¯t want to do her therapy. Well, I don¡¯t blame her, Dreamer is a cunt. I would take my toad any day of the week over her. Still, that is a bit of a gray area for me since I don¡¯t know too much about her problems, that sort of stuff is personal after all. It is serious and I doubt that I could help. This was the sort of things that Mind Divers were actually useful for. Well, that and drugs. I know that she takes medication and stuff cause of her nightmares and let¡¯s face it, that could be dangerous if scary things came crawling out of there. I just¡­ kinda been avoiding it since it is not really something to be sticking my antennae in. She never really opened up to me about it, so what am I supposed to do?¡¯


    ¡®Nee-san! Noooo! Don¡¯t leave Sunshine.¡¯


    Of course, Vesper was no mind reader and she walked away, leaving Sunshine to a grim fate.


    ¡°Sunshine. Are you ready for your treatment?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°Sunshine is better. She is, she is all better. No need for treatment.¡±


    ¡°Why do you lie to me, Sunshine?¡±


    ¡°Sunshine, Sunshine doesn¡¯t lie. No more hurting please can¡¯t Sunshine just sing today?¡±


    ¡°For now I suppose. Don¡¯t you worry, Sunshine, we will have a long night ahead of us.¡±


    Ah, well that is certainly interesting. Sooo tempting to meddle. No, I mustn¡¯t. Not yet. I have always wondered, is this how god feels? Hearing the cries of people and choosing not to help them. Choosing not to rid the world of evil simply because it makes things interesting, maybe he is dead inside as well. Is that why prayers are not answered? Is that why he doesn¡¯t wipe the world clean of evil? It would be so simple, so easy. Ah, that must be it we are the same. We enjoy watching them struggle and scream in desperation, clinging to their feeble existence as it is scrapped from their bones. Suffering weeds out the weak and the strong flourish, devouring their corpses. What a beautiful system, an elegant design.


    I wonder, are you not entertained? Is this what you intended?

 Superficial Chapter 11

    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 11


    Caroline awoke with a migraine the likes of which put her usual hangover to shame. The buzzing of silence filled her ears, popping occasionally, until sound returned. She blinked, looking over the somewhat distorted room to find a familiar face, it was Ichigo oddly enough. She was supposed to have gone home already and yet she tentatively pressed a wet rag onto Caroline¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Oh, you are awake.¡±


    ¡°Wha- what happened?¡±


    Ichigo tapped a finger to her mouth while looking around before finally shrugging, ¡°Hmm¡­ I dunno. It was like this when I got here.¡±


    Caroline looked past her realizing that there were paramedics and several of the talents were being carried away on stretchers. She saw the broken glass and the door had been broken down. It looked like a natural disaster had been through here. For all of this destruction, Caroline could not recall what exactly happened. The last thing she could recall was this voice, not just any voice, it sounded like an angel. A resounding echo beyond this earth. Inhuman, no, beyond human. It put everything she had heard over her years to shame, disgraced the very image of beauty. It haunted her even now.


    She stood up, wobbly. Somebody grabbed her by the collar, shaking her and yelling, ¡°You need to control your Talent! She hurt a lot of my students and then just took off.¡±


    It was Darren. He was usually tolerable to be around, now though he seemed hysterical. Something wet dribbled down her face and she flicked it, seeing her finger coated red. Blood? It was coming from her nose. Caroline was not in the mood to be shaken like a rag doll. Her hand shot up, thrusting him square in the middle of his face with an open palm. He stumbled back several paces and then fell flat, passed out.


    ¡°Ah¡­ oops,¡± Caroline stared at the still man for a moment.


    Ichigo looked a little concerned, ¡°Was that really necessary?¡±


    ¡°He was asking for it.¡±


    ¡°You are always so violent.¡±


    ¡°Only when it is warranted,¡± said Caroline, looking around the room at the shocked rescue workers, ¡°Where is Mecha Fairy?¡±


    ¡°Apparently she ran away.¡±


    Caroline took a deep breath and then sighed deeply, rubbing her temple, ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake, again?! Twice in one fucking day. I don¡¯t get paid enough for this shit. I want a raise, no make that three raises. Ah, fuck it, I quit!¡±


    Ichigo said softly, ¡°You don¡¯t mean that.¡±


    She glowered, ¡°I know, if I quit there wouldn¡¯t be any decent people around here.¡±


    She pat her, ¡°And I am thankful for that.¡±


    ¡°You would be the only one.¡±


    Ichigo seemed to think something over for a moment, ¡°I would like to meet Mecha Fairy formally. Maybe that would cheer her up?¡±


    Caroline frowned, ¡°She is a weird one. Although she seemed to be looking forward to meeting you herself. I guess it couldn¡¯t hurt. Only problem is, I don¡¯t know where the fuck she is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know that. It would just be a little weird if I went there by myself.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ never mind. Where is she?¡±


    ¡°She is in her room. Where else would she go?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get to the bottom of this.¡±


    The daunting front of the Fire Station stood before the pair as they stared at it for a moment. The Hero League sure did like to show off their connections and wealth. Did they really need Super resistance glass? Probably, but that wasn¡¯t the point. After a moment they continued in through the yawning doors. People bristled and swarmed about the interior like ants in a colony. The Hero League personnel were easy to spot due to their color-coded uniforms. They approached the reception area to make a visitor petition. Behind the counter stood eight men and women each wearing a pearly white jumpsuit. They wore the familiar looks that any veteran of the retail business had, cold uncaring eyes. Dealing with people who complain and bitch and whine all day every day tends to do that. This was going to be annoying.


    The lines were moderate, mostly due to being split in between the eight people. Soon enough, it became Caroline¡¯s turn. She approached and the tired eyes fell on her.


    ¡°Hello Ma¡¯am, how may I help you?¡± asked the young man with bags under his eyes.


    ¡°I am Mecha Fairy¡¯s manager for her sponsorship. I would like a visitor pass.¡±


    ¡°Caroline Vasska?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You have already been approved, Dreamer sends her regards.¡±


    She froze for a moment, ¡°Already? A little quick isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Dreamer already put through the paperwork last night. Normally these things take a week or so, but she put it through as urgent.¡±


    ¡°Oh well¡­ tell her I said thanks.¡±


    ¡°I will pass it along.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know which room is hers?¡±


    ¡°She is in the junior ward. A Team. There will be a sign above the door.¡±


    ¡°The Junior ward?¡±


    ¡°Second floor, that way,¡± he replied, pointing to the elevator at the far side of the cavernous room.


    She took the badge and attached it to her suit jacket. This had gone far easier than she had expected. Usually, it was a bureaucratic nightmare to even try to visit a hero at the base. She hadn¡¯t even expected to actually be allowed into Mecha Fairy¡¯s room, rather gotten her called down to talk was what was expected. Most of the time they had to be caught out on patrol or otherwise out of the base. Heroes were generally reclusive during their off time, well most of them. This left a strange taste in her mouth. Caroline didn¡¯t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. They were too accommodating and that usually meant that something fucky was afoot. Like with anything there were merits and demerits with being associated with certain groups.


    The second floor could be seen even down here. It was a corridor circling the domed ceiling with thick glass that had hallways leading deeper in at intervals. A tingling spread up her spine, like spiders crawling, it reminded her of some sort of insect nest. An uneasiness filled the back of her head. Why did she have to be reminded of that thing? Why now of all times? She shoved the thoughts aside and entered the elevator punching in the button for the second floor. Ichigo pat her on the back reassuringly, almost as though she saw the turmoil inside.


    The Junior ward was not hard to find and after people saw the badge on her chest nobody seemed to bat an eye in their direction. A-Team was surprisingly the last along the hallway. It was somewhat odd that the cream of the crop would be off in a secluded corner rather than out front and center. The B to F teams hardly had a rank 4 among them. Whereas the A-Team had nobody lower than rank 4. Mecha Fairy was apparently the highest rank among them but was not the leader of the team. From a pure numbers point of view, this was foolish, however, having met her Caroline knew exactly why Mecha Fairy was not leadership material. She lacked self-confidence and had some trauma about being a Super which aggravated this problem.


    These problems would interfere with the sponsorship. Thus Caroline¡¯s true work had begun. She was going to have to build this girl from the ground up. She tapped her chin, thinking it over. She has an amazing voice, if not the best then one of the best that Caroline had ever heard. So it was not a matter of talent or even effort, rather it circled back to confidence. This was not the worst case scenario, a talentless good for nothing who expects the world would be far worse. Berating Mecha Fairy, while she was already down wouldn¡¯t do anything productive.


    They knocked on the door and it opened after a moment. A young man with blond hair appeared, his face was covered with a small mask. He wore an undersuit that was black and hugged his skin. He stared at them. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°We are looking for Mecha Fairy,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she is interested in company. I am going to have to ask you to leave.¡±


    ¡°It is not like we came to yell at her. We came to cheer her up.¡±


    ¡°Still. She has gotten a little weird today.¡±


    Both Ichigo and Caroline raised an eyebrow, ¡°Well, how weird could it be?¡±


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    ¡°She came home crying and for some reason had a bunch of bags filled with tubs of ice cream. She has been locked in her room ever since.¡±


    Ichigo mulled over it for a moment, ¡°Oh, that is nothing. I think she is just watching movies and eating ice cream.¡± Or so she said, but for some reason, she had a glint in her eye as though she were expecting more.


    Still, the young man rejected, ¡°I think you two should just leave. I think she just wants to be alone.¡±


    ¡°Gravity Squeeze, you worry too much. This is like girl problems. The worst thing that we could do would be to leave her alone.¡± Said Ichigo.


    ¡°How did you know my name?¡±


    ¡°I am a fan.¡±


    He smirked a little getting full of himself, ¡°Oh is that so?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm. You were so gallant taking out Blaze Runner the other month. I saw that.¡±


    He stuck his chest out a little, ¡°It was nothing really.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe we can hang out later.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a great idea,¡± he beamed.


    Ichigo smirked, ¡°Sounds like a date. Ok, I will talk to you about that later, for now we are going to talk to Mecha Fairy.¡±


    ¡°Try to cheer her up,¡± he said, glancing to the door at the far side of the living room below the second floor and the rooms up there.


    He watched them for a moment before leaving. Ichigo knocked on the door tentatively, but there was no reply. Listening it was pretty hard not to hear the crying coming from the other side. Caroline knocked a little louder, but even that went unnoticed. She glanced at Ichigo who then nodded. Caroline opened the door to find a dark room and a low sobbing sound emanating from somewhere in it. The bed rustled as a form shifted below the covers. Straining their eyes, they could just make out Mecha Fairy shoveling spoon fulls of ice cream out of the tub into her mouth. She wasn¡¯t even chewing it or enjoying it, just inhaling it while blubbering. Scattered around the floor around ten or so empty two-gallon containers were crushed and ripped. Oh, this is weird. They felt eyes on them from the murky depths of those blankets. It froze for a long moment, before the mass bumbled over the side of the bed hiding.


    ¡°Get out!¡± she screeched at them from the other side of the bed.


    ¡°I am not going to yell at you so calm down,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡°I am naked! Get out so I can get in my suit.¡±


    This scene sparked a familiar feeling in Caroline. She frowned for a moment recalling an event very similar to this one. Vesper did this very thing back in high school, well minus the Super Hero identity crisis. It was after she threw the championship game and ended up getting ostracized by her team. She locked herself in her room and cried. That was the first time that she had cried in years. She had ignored it at the time, Vesper usually pulled through most things on her own. Caroline regretted not intervening. This was the day that started Vesper¡¯s descent into being a weirdo anime obsessed basement dweller.


    Caroline¡¯s eyes started getting blurry, she wiped the tears. Why? Why was she crying? This wasn¡¯t Vesper, this was some super named Mecha Fairy. She should be better than this, she has superpowers for fuck sake¡­ she was just a girl. A girl in a suit just as vulnerable and emotional as anybody else. Of course, if you hurt somebody you didn¡¯t mean to you would feel sad. That was human. This person they needed encouragement. Or else she probably won¡¯t ever sing again.


    ¡°Get dressed then and then we can talk.¡±


    They peered at the empty suit next to the door and promptly shut the door.


    ~~~****~~~


    I sat in the darkness, still not entirely sure that had really just happened. Eh¡­ mom knows where I live and showed up uninvited. Who let her in? Oh no?! Did she see? Judging by the fact she didn¡¯t scream and start throwing things at me, I think it is safe to say my secret identity is safe. At least knock will you? Rude, rude! So damned rude. Who just invades somebody¡¯s room? She is lucky I was just drowning my sorrows in Sicilian pistachio gelato¡­ if she had been here earlier, I would have been caught stirring the honeypot. I could have been having pity sex for all she knows! I doubt she is going to leave me alone, though, she came all the way here and is a stubborn old bitch.


    I crept over to my suit wiggling into it. My antennae flicked smelling and hearing¡­ strawberries? Wait a minute there were two scents. Who, who!? There were two of them? I didn¡¯t even see the second one. It smelled like Ichigo, but, but why? How does she know where I live? Oh no, this changes things. I flipped on the light and all the strewed things laying about were no longer hidden by the darkness. My room is a total disaster! Embarrassing, Helix have pity on this poor wasp!


    I quickly picked up the littered tubs of ice cream and emptied T.V. dinner plates, stuffing them into the trash can. My eyes glanced over the room, spying the long, sleek shaft of one of my toys protruding out from under the bed. I kicked it under there, stay where you belong! Hmm, well now that I looked at it, the place isn¡¯t actually all that bad. I mean there are no piles of dirty clothes, since I don¡¯t wear any. No gratuitous amounts of hair clogging in the drains in the bathroom or scattered across the floor since I don¡¯t shave anymore. I mean there is a little bit of Sunshine¡¯s hair in the shower, but that was about it. Surprisingly, I am a very clean creature.


    Wearily I pried open the door, peering out at them. Sure enough, it was Ichigo. Her adorable light blue hair was actually about as long as Neon Nurse¡¯s hair, though the styles were different. Ichigo was wavy whereas Neon Nurse was straight and smooth like a doll. Her wide blue eyes stared at me, I almost melted right then and there. The knee socks! Oh my god, oh mi god so cute! The magical fairy has come to visit me! I just want to hug her and snuggle. Calm down, calm down. We don¡¯t know her like that yet. We aren¡¯t even friends yet.


    ¡°It is a little messy¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting company.¡±


    Ichigo smiled, ¡°No worries. We were the ones who came over uninvited after all¡±


    ¡°Thanks for coming all this way,¡± I said, ushering them in.


    They sat on my bed and Ichigo sniffed, looking around, ¡°It smells like sex in here.¡±


    I almost died, falling over, ¡°Ichigo! Where did you learn how to talk like that?¡±


    ¡°What? You act like I am a virgin or something,¡± she said, dropping bombs on my sanctity.


    ¡°Nooo!¡± I cried, my Ichigo has been defiled!


    ¡°What is wrong?¡± she asked, ¡°What are you a virgin or something?¡±


    ¡°N-n-no,¡± I replied reflexively¡­ wait, was I a virgin currently? Well, no I had sex a few times back when I was human and then there was the eh¡­ Glitter Kitten incident, though I don¡¯t remember that too well.


    ¡°Ichigo it is not nice to pry into people¡¯s private lives. It doesn¡¯t matter who she is, or isn¡¯t having sex with,¡± Scolded Caroline.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± said Ichigo not sounding sincere at all.


    Caroline stood up and opened her arms as though to embrace somebody. I looked behind me, expecting to see somebody, but nobody was there¡­ Me?! She actually wanted to hug me? Who are you?! Impostor, you are not my mom! She would never love me. Oh, oh right, she doesn¡¯t know it is me. That explains the lack of violence here. Just cause I feel like I need a hug don¡¯t mean I want one from you.


    She didn¡¯t really listen to me though, and pat me on the head, so what if I leaned into it a little. She smiled, it had been a while since I had seen Mom smile. I didn¡¯t have the heart to reject that. I guess I can let it slide this time, she did bring me an Ichigo. I just let her give me a hug not that I could really feel it through that hardened suit, ¡°It is going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°Why did you have to bring that up? No, it is not. I am going to get fired, besides, I quit. I don¡¯t wanna go back.¡±


    ¡°So what if you hurt some people?¡±


    ¡°I hurt people! I am dangerous.¡±


    ¡°People get hurt. It happens. If you try to please everyone then you will please no one.¡±


    ¡°There was blood!¡±


    ¡°When a woman gives birth there is blood too. It hurts, it sears, it is an agony that sometimes even kills. And yet, from that pain something wonderful emerges. Is that a bad thing?¡±


    ¡°That is different. Don¡¯t get all philosophical on me here. How is my horrible voice even remotely comparable to that?¡±


    ¡°Your voice isn¡¯t horrible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is! It broke glass and made people bleed from their ears it was so bad.¡±


    ¡°That just means that it was powerful. I thought it was beautiful.


    ¡°No¡­ wait you did?¡±


    Caroline smiled, ¡°Yes. It was the voice of an angel.¡±


    ¡°You are just patronizing me! It was not good. It was garbage, a flaming dumpster.¡±


    ¡°Ichigo, what did you think about her voice?¡± asked Caroline looking over.


    She thought it over, ¡°It was interesting, to say the least. I didn¡¯t know you could get a voice that high. I felt it in my chest.¡±


    Gugh! We have been hit, captain! Our hearts can¡¯t take hits of this magnitude.


    ¡®Shut up, Sub. You are making it worse.¡¯


    But it is Ichigo, Ichigo! She is sitting on our bed, roll her around so that her scent will be ingrained.


    ¡®That is not a bad idea¡­¡¯


    As though she had read my mind Ichigo flopped back on my bed, being all cute and stuff. I just want to bundle her up and take her home. Er, this is my home though. It is hard to imagine that I was just playing with myself there. Ichigo covered in my goo ohoho. I squirmed just imagining busting a nut all over her cute little face. As though a mouse had darted around, she sprung up off of the bed. She rubbed her hand clean on the covers. Ah, she must have touched some of the wet spots.


    ¡°Igh all sticky, there was some mucus.¡± Said Ichigo.


    I don¡¯t have a nose so that was most assuredly not mucus.


    ¡°Well, what did you expect Ichigo? She was crying after all.¡±


    ¡°Oh wait this is ice cream,¡± said Ichigo, licking her finger.


    You¡­ you dirty girl, Ichigo. Eh, eh, why am I popping a lady boner? Ichigo why are you doing this to me?! Do you even realize how much danger you are in? She is tempting me. I don¡¯t know if I want to fuck her or dress her up and snuggle. She is too cute.


    Why not both?


    ¡®Cosplay, play! You are a fucking genius.¡¯


    Fufufu, I try.


    ¡°I am glad that you are feeling better,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°I think we should go out and have some fun,¡± said Ichigo.


    ¡°How about we just watch some movies or play some games?¡± I countered.


    Ichigo rolled her eyes, ¡°Boring. Hey, hey, I know this cool club we could hit up.¡±


    I refrained, ¡°I am not really a club person.¡±


    ¡°But it is fun. There will be drinks and other things if you so choose. I know people, you know.¡±


    I frowned, ¡°I am not really a big drinker. Or other things for that matter. Drugs are bad, I have seen what they do to people.¡±


    ¡°You are being a stick in the mud. It will be fun. We don¡¯t have to do drugs you know. We could just dance and party.¡±


    Caroline interrupted, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want to then that is her choice. Besides there are likely a bunch of regulations for personal conduct in the Hero League.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is not like we can¡¯t drink if we are of the legal age, but anything in excess is bad.¡±


    ¡°Just do a jello shot with me. They got these awesome Strawberry vodka shots.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°Strawberries?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it will be fun. I mean you don¡¯t have to if you really don¡¯t want to. Besides, maybe we can find a guy for Mecha Fairy.¡±


    I crossed my arms, ¡°That is a nice thought, but uh, I am a little picky. Isn¡¯t doing drugs and stuff the main appeal of that?¡±


    Ichigo grabbed my hand, ¡°Come on, come on. You need to get out of here, otherwise, you will never feel better.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, where exactly did you want to go?¡±


    She grinned, ¡°Oh just a little place called Atomic Strobe.¡±


    ¡°Well, you guys are old enough to make your own mistakes. Just remember we have work tomorrow so don¡¯t get shit faced and stay hydrated,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡°You make it sound like you are not coming,¡± scowled Ichigo.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that, but I can¡¯t guarantee that I am not going to get wasted.¡±


    ¡°What the hell kinda chaperon are you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Who the fuck said I was watching you kids?¡±


    ¡°Eh, eh you think you can keep up?¡± laughed Ichigo.


    Caroline laughed, patting her, ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started.¡±


    ¡°But you are more fun when you are drunk. Oh, oh we can crash at my place afterwards. Girls night!¡± excitedly said Ichigo.


    I feel like things are out of my hands at this point. Oh well, that isn¡¯t too bad. They are trying to cheer me up. I mean Dad works there. Oh, I could hang out with Dad for a while. Come to think of it I haven¡¯t visited him at work in a while. Eh, but how will I play it off to Mom? It is not that uncommon for people to meet and it is not like Mom and Dad have been talking all that much lately. That works, I guess, we could just act like we hit it off at some point. This will be fun. Drunk Ichigo¡­ I bet she is even more adorable or maybe she is wilder. Either way, it is exciting to see a new side to her. I thought that I knew her, but she is a bit different than what I had researched.


    I mean it is not like I am going to get hammered and do something stupid. No, no, no I learned my lesson already. Well, maybe just one Jello shot. I will be like the DD, somebody has to protect Ichigo¡¯s chastity.

 Superficial Chapter 12

    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 12


    ¡°How did you guys get here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We walked,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that a bit of a way?¡±


    ¡°It was only like a mile or two. Wasn¡¯t that bad. Besides, we got lattes,¡± smiled Ichigo.


    ¡°I get that you want to go to the Atomic Strobe, but that is like a two-hour walk from here.¡±


    ¡°Who said we were walking?¡± asked Ichigo.


    ¡°I was thinking about getting a cab,¡± said Caroline, pondering things over as we went. That seemed just like her, always plotting or rather planning.


    ¡°I think I will just fly. I mean my suit weighs like two thousand pounds. Not exactly good for a normal car.¡±


    ¡°Fly?¡± Asked Ichigo, looking between me and Mom, ¡°You never said she could FLY.¡±


    Caroline looked up for a moment, ¡°I didn¡¯t? She has wings, why wouldn¡¯t she be able to fly?¡±


    ¡°But this changes everything!¡± excitedly said Ichigo.


    I felt a bit lost, ¡°What now?¡±


    Ichigo bounced up and down with what I could only assume to be glee. Adorable, she is too cute. She is like as tall as Sunshine, which means she was almost face to face with my groin, not that there was anything there. Truly, a fairy princess. She kept hopping with raised arms. Come to think of it, isn¡¯t that what kids do when they want to be held by their parents? Does¡­ does this mean Ichigo wants me to, to hold her?! I bent over and she latched onto my neck. I could feel them, my hearts were going Doki doki. Too close, too close. It was right there, her face was right there. I could just kiss her, well if there wasn¡¯t a face plate in between us.


    Oh god, I am weebing out! I wanted to squeal and roll around! She was touching me, well the suit, but still, it is consensual. It is ok if I smell her right? If I happen to rub up against her it would just be a coincidence, a coincidence. It is not like anybody will notice. It is not like I am groping and molesting her, right? Tasting is a bit out of the question though. My antennae wiggled soaking up her scent. Ahh yeah, that is the stuff. My daily dose of Ichigo. I can get used to this sort of thing. Just have to keep myself from drooling.


    Can we keep her?


    ¡®No, Sub, Ichigo is not ours to keep.¡¯


    But I need this.


    ¡®Calm down now, we have to not spook Ichigo.¡¯


    Fine I guess we will just have to settle for hugs. I wanna wreck that puss though. We could mouth hug her, right? You know, go swimming in her secluded cove, plunder the pleasure palace. I wonder if she would sit on our face and let us eat her out?


    ¡®Oh for fuck¡¯s sake Sub. Ichigo is not gay!¡¯


    How do you know?! Besides, we might as well be a hermaphrodite we got the whole package and then some.


    ¡®Enough already! Get back in the corner you will not ruin this for me!¡¯


    But I wanna shove our dick down her throat.


    ''You are cut off Sub, no more Ichigo for you.''


    Fine. Just don¡¯t fuck this up.


    ''You are going to be good, Sub?''


    Yes.


    ''Really?''


    Yes, now go please our little princess.


    ¡®You are up to something.¡¯


    Am not.


    Hmmm, She gave up too easily. I got my eyes on you Sub.


    I had been a bit distracted there and Ichigo had escaped, Noo!


    She was off to the side being all jolly, ¡°Can we? Can we please?¡± asked Ichigo.


    ¡°Ehh, what now?¡±


    ¡°Can I ride you?¡± asked Ichigo looking up at me with those adorable little, pleading, greedy eyes.


    I shuddered, oh shit, I wet myself a little. Keep it together Vesper! Well, I mean, if you insist Ichigo, we are not doing this in front of my mom though. ¡°Sure, er I mean if you want Ichigo. I am very talented with my tongue.¡±


    ¡°Tongue?¡± Ichigo questioned, looking at me, ¡°You can fly with your tongue? Supers sure are strange. That is crazy, what are you, a helicopter?¡±


    ¡°What, no. Who the hell said that?¡±


    ¡°Then what were you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, nothing, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°She spaces out a lot,¡± said Caroline, giving me a critical yet somewhat helpless look. Oh boy, she has accepted that I am a weirdo.


    ¡°Oh?¡± she asked, ¡°What were you talking about that needed a talented tongue?¡±


    I hesitated, trying to think up something, ¡°Tying an origami swan in your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god! You can do that? So talented,¡± she said, staring up at me with those sparkly eyes.


    I looked shiftily away from her, it hurts lying to Ichigo, ¡°No, I can¡¯t do that. I just thought it would be cool.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is a shame. There is some Chinese guy that can make origami things come to life?¡±


    ¡°There is?¡± I asked. I hadn¡¯t heard of that.


    ¡°Yeah, his super name is like Ori or something. I saw a video on it a while ago.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is cool.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey so? Were you going to let me ride you? How high can you fly?¡±


    ¡°Ichigo, I am not sure how safe that is. What if she drops you?¡± interjected Caroline, attempting to pull Ichigo away from me. Don¡¯t you ruin this for me! ¡°Besides, she is a Hero, not a horse.¡±


    Ichigo rolled her eyes, ¡°Horses don¡¯t fly, Caroline. Geez, you are always so worried, nothing is going to happen. Right Mecha Fairy?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be safer just to take a cab.¡±


    ¡°Nah, nah, cars are dangerous, you know? Did you know that statistically speaking, you are more likely to be attacked by a shark than dropped by a Super with the ability to fly?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a Super that controls sharks and makes them attack people?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but that is different Caroline. This is flight we are talking about here. Unless she could fly faster than a jet, then the act itself can¡¯t harm us.¡±


    ¡°I have never really been ridden before¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°You could just carry us, I mean, I hear you have super strength, so I doubt you would drop us.¡±


    ¡°Us?¡± asked Caroline and I.


    ¡°Well, yeah. It will save so much time and money if she just flies us over there.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we going to do on the way back?¡± asked Caroline.


    ¡°Easy,¡± said Ichigo, ¡°We can just get Saar to drop us off.¡±


    Mom was hesitating, ¡°I would rather not get him involved in this.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Come on, you know you want to have him take you home and get all lovey-dovey.¡±


    ¡°We are in a bit of a rough patch.¡±


    ¡°I know, that is why I am saying you need to get laid.¡±


    ¡°¡­ we will see how it goes. We will probably just end up yelling at each other again.¡±


    Ichigo whispered, ¡°But makeup sex is best sex. Besides, he still loves you, you know? I have seen the way he looks at you.¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t the problem. I would rather not talk about this in front of Mecha Fairy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, who cares? She is just a stranger after all, it is not like she is your missing daughter or anything,¡± said Ichigo, glancing over at me with a coy smile.


    I gulped. Why am I getting paranoid and thinking that she knows something? No, no, no that can¡¯t be. Ichigo couldn¡¯t possibly know about my family situation. I mean we just met today. She might know about Caroline, but not me.


    ¡°She is dead. Don¡¯t talk about my daughter,¡± said Caroline coldly.


    Ichigo puffed up a little, ¡°See, don¡¯t do that. You will get into another fight.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that stuff, it is killing the mood. You are getting me depressed again,¡± I said, breaking up their conversation.


    ¡°Fair enough. Let¡¯s have fun!¡± declared Ichigo, pointing to the sky over our heads.


    It was a strangely pretty night. The crescent moon sat above the cityscape and the stars, though muted were there softly shining. It is already night, huh¡­ I should stop crying so much. It is not really changing anything after all. Alright, let¡¯s do this!


    ¡°I guess, I can carry you guys. It, it is not like I want to though,¡± I said, looking away¡­ oh no, I am going all tsundere here. Stop being shy damn me!


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember agreeing to this,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡°Come on, how often do you get the chance to have a Super fly you somewhere?¡± smiled Ichigo, raising her hands to me.


    I was not going to miss this opportunity and lifted her up. Ah, she was so light, must be like a hundred pounds, I could probably lift her up with my pinky. Are you eating enough? Don¡¯t tell me you are starving yourself for your image sake? She is like a small animal I just wanna cradle and protect. Oh, I am fawning again. Friends damn it be friends and then more than friends and then more than more than friends. I wanna dress her up. Do we have to go clubbing? Why can¡¯t I take her home and wallow in her scent while she gives me a private dress session? Well, I guess it would be weird to just be invited over to her home. Oh wait, that is the plan after all. I wonder what her house is like? I bet it is all fluffy and cute. I wonder what kinds of stuffed animals she has?


    Caroline seemed apprehensive, but I grabbed her too, ¡°Hey, what are you doing?! Don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t drop you. I saved a bus full of kids you know.¡±


    Not really like she could put up a fight if I really wanted something, then I could force it. She gave up after I hefted her into the bow of my arms, even got a little red in the face from embarrassment. I guess this looks weird, princess carrying my mom and Ichigo¡­ wait where did she go? She had wormed her way to my back and plopped her legs on either side of my neck. Guah! My antennae are not handlebars. What am I a bicycle? Well, I did want her to ride me, but not like this!


    Hmm, it reminds me a bit of how Sunshine rides on Admiral Moon. Wait a minute, this means that her, her panties are touching me! If only it was my bare carapace, then I could feel her softness¡­ directly. Ichigo interrupted my thoughts by drumming her fingers on the top of my head. She pointed out, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    I spread my wings and we floated for a moment as the jump pack warmed up. We rose steadily since I was being careful to not gun it and make this a bad experience for them. We got higher and higher until the cityscape was far below and the lights undulated like a sea of fireflies. Ichigo seemed to like it a lot, leaning in on me gazing at the streets below. Everything looked so small from up here and it was quiet, just the wind whistling by occasionally disrupted by the distant city sounds. I had forgotten just how calming it was to be way up here. I should do this more often.


    All too soon though the beacon of light that was Atomic Strobe pierced into the air drawing me in. There were spotlights on the roof, rotating and shifting as they moved over the clouds above us. The air shook with the heavy vibrations of music emanating from that expansive building. Cars were lined up circling for parking spaces in the already full parking lot and people were out the doors waiting to get in.


    We descended on my glowing butterfly wings towards the front. I was aiming for the back of the line and Ichigo tugged on my head, directing me towards the door itself. I am not used to cutting lines or anything so it didn¡¯t really cross my mind. I landed, sending some dirt away with the final gust of hot air from my jetpack. Caroline couldn¡¯t take it anymore and wiggled. I lowered her and she nearly fell as she stumbled away from me. Contrary to that Ichigo had wrapped her legs around my neck and would not let go. She was stuck on there pretty good and I didn¡¯t want to hurt her, so I left it alone.


    ¡°You ok?¡± she asked Caroline as she steadied herself.


    ¡°I am fine.¡±


    ¡°So now what?¡± I asked.


    Both Caroline and Ichigo looked at me like an idiot, ¡°We go in.¡±


    ¡°But there is a line.¡±


    Ichigo laughed, ¡°Mecha Fairy come on now, we are not basic bitches, of course we cut the line.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± I looked over at the entrance and saw the two imposing bouncers¡­ one of them was Dad.


    I waved, ¡°Daaaa-¡± I bit my tongue, what the fuck am I doing. Being so stupid. I managed to cover it up by stammering, ¡°Sa-sa-Saar.¡±


    He was already looking over and seemed surprised to see me. I did make a bit of an entrance after all, what with flying out of the sky and all. This was also the first time I visited where he worked. He took a moment and smiled, walking over, ¡°Vesp-¡± he clammed up the moment he saw I was not alone and realized what he was doing. He almost fumbled it, but then recovered, ¡°Mecha Fairy, what are you doing here?¡±


    Caroline crossed her arms, ¡°You two know each other?¡±


    Both me and dad were sweating bullets, I said, ¡°Yeah met him at the store a while back and he invited me to come here some time, though I never really took him up on it.¡±


    Mom mulled it over, clearly thinking too far into it. Wait a minute, she couldn¡¯t be thinking that¡­ that me and dad are like together? I looked between them. Uh oh, that was a venomous stare filled with the jealousy of a scornful woman she was emanating and Dad was faltering because it was obvious as shit that I had not told her I am Vesper yet, but it was being misinterpreted. I am your daughter for fuck¡¯s sake we are not cheating on you! Me, doing dad? Gross! Well, not like I can say that, but oh god, how do I fix this?


    Just when Caroline was about to say something Ichigo started laughing to the point that she accidentally fell off of my back. I turned to try and catch her, but she had latched onto one of my wings and used it climb down. I wonder what was so funny? You scared me, you know? What am I going to do if you get hurt?


    ¡°Are you ok Ichigo?¡±


    ¡°Ichigo?¡± Said dad, then he did a double take and looked between me and her. ¡°I didn¡¯t even see you up there. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just fine. Mecha Fairy is pretty funny,¡± she smiled, wiggling her fingers at him.


    ¡°So you two are getting along?¡±


    ¡°Why yes, I am sure that we will be the best of friends, after all we are working together and it is good to get along with your group members. Though I have not had the chance to meet Sunshine formally yet.¡±


    ¡°Neither have I, though I have heard about her,¡± said Saar.


    ¡°Yeah, she is missing out. She is more outgoing than I am. She would probably have enjoyed this. It just sucks that she had to do therapy tonight.¡±


    Ichigo¡¯s smile twitched a little, ¡°Yes, it is a shame, I wanted to play with her as well. I am sure we will have lots of fun working together.¡±


    ¡°Ichigo you will have to show me pointers for singing. I am not confident.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes,¡± she said, dismissing my pleas.


    ¡°Senpai help me. Don''t just abandon me here, I am being serious.¡±


    Ichigo crossed her arms, looking away, ¡°I said yes. What more do you want from me? Now listen though, I am not the best singer out there so there is a limit to what I can help you with.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    She rolled her eyes, ¡°Yes. You act like I want somebody in my idol group to make me look bad. I got a vested interest in this you know. If you look bad it will make me look bad. And then I will lose all my sponsorships and money and I am not losing my money and disrupting my way of life over this crap.¡±


    ¡°Ichigo, I love you. Thank you!¡± I excitedly lifted her up and down like a child.


    ¡°Let go of me! I wanna get drunk and party,¡± she protested.


    ¡°Wait Ichigo I thought you were only eighteen?¡±


    She put her finger to her mouth, shushing me, ¡°Mum is the word, stupid.¡±


    ¡°Ichigo, but it is not good for you. You are underaged. It is bad for your body, you gotta take care of it, what are you going to do if you get fat? Da- Saar tell her not to drink, maybe she will listen to you. And Caroline what the hell?! How come you are letting her drink?¡±


    She seemed appalled, ¡°Fat!? I don¡¯t drink beer, I drink the hard shit. If you are going to get drunk then get drunk. No use pussyfooting around. I might be sixteen physically, but I am like¡­ ehh wait how old am I mentally? I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter, let¡¯s just say I am an old soul.¡±


    ¡°So you lied on your online profile?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did like anybody would take a sixteen-year-old seriously. Besides, when I made that account I was like twelve. I mean, I have Caroline as my guardian for the agency right now.¡±


    ¡°You are her guardian do something about this behavior!¡±


    They both shook their heads like it was some impossible feat. ¡°I tried, but she doesn''t really listen.¡±


    Ichigo looked a little angry that I was trying to stop her, ¡°I can do whatever the hell I want.¡±


    ¡°It is still illegal.¡±


    She frowned ¡°Laws are arbitrary and change constantly. Nobody cares. Besides, it is in my contract that I can drink. Isn¡¯t that right, Caroline.¡±


    She replied, ¡°It is true, I was there when she got that. So technically it is semi-legal. She has come here a few times already so nobody really bats an eye.¡±


    ¡°But it is still illegal.¡±


    Ichigo sighed, ¡°Everybody does it. Stop acting like I am killing somebody. I am sure that you snuck a little booze back in your teens.¡±


    I thought it over¡­ Oh, well now that I think about it there were a couple incidents like getting into the liquor cabinet and drinking some of Mom¡¯s whiskey. I almost threw up just remembering that. I think that was the first time I had ever passed out with my face in the bowl a toilet before. That was my sixteenth birthday party, spin the bottle got a little weird. Oh, there was a good thing that came of that night too, though, my first kiss¡­ I don¡¯t remember with who though. I can¡¯t remember names or faces anymore.


    ¡°Stop being a goodie goodie two shoes and let loose a little. Listen, nobody likes a goodie two shoes. What do you want to die miserable and alone in a hole somewhere, wondering what might have happened if you had tried this and or that? Life is about experiences cause once you die all the material things don¡¯t matter anymore. Live a little, we only live once, right?¡±


    I stayed silent for a bit thinking it over. Ichigo is strange. She is different than the Ichigo I remember from the forums and that bright-eyed girl who was so happy just to get a couple encouraging comments on her pictures. It is like she is a different person. Was it all just a facade? A lie? Or has she already been corrupted by fame? Where is my shining, golden, angel, fairy, elf creature that I spent so long worshiping? I guess I will have to reevaluate her and get to know the real Ichigo. I thought that I had, but I guess you can¡¯t really tell how somebody really is only talking to them online. I suppose everything is just superficial, like with how nobody would know that Mecha Fairy was actually a wasp creature.


    She is at that age, huh? Ichigo is just a teenaged girl who wants to have fun. Why have I been putting her up on such a pedestal? She is just normal, hell I remember doing this sort of stupid shit. I can¡¯t really blame her for that and considering that she would likely sneak off to do this even without us, then wouldn¡¯t it be better to watch over her and make sure that she learns her tolerances in a safe environment? What if she gets like super drunk and some scum hit on her! I won¡¯t let that happen. This is how teen pregnancies happen¡­ as the older member of the group, it is my responsibility to keep order and maintain Ichigo¡¯s chastity? No, I guess that would be up to her. Though if I see things getting out of hand, then I will put a stop to it.


    Reluctantly, I looked away, ¡°Fine. Try to keep it in moderation will you?¡±


    ¡°Well then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go have some bonding time.¡±


    ¡°Saar, I will see you later,¡± I said as he let us in.


    ¡°When I am finished here I will catch up with you girls. We can talk, then honey,¡± he said, directing his gaze to mom who nodded.


    Well, here goes nothing.

 Superficial Chapter 13

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 13


    We ended up cutting the line and the doors swung open, blaring lights and mist billowed out with music. I hesitated to go in, but Ichigo tugged on my hand. I couldn¡¯t very well say no and followed her in. The place was packed with masses of people. To the left the hallway led to the strip club and scantily clad dancers were ferrying drinks from the bar. Some of them had some sizable amounts of dollar bills sticking out of their G strings. With booties and boobies like those I can see why.


    I kinda want to get a lap dance. It would be pretty fun making one of those slores beg for the money on their hands and knees.


    ¡®Sub we didn¡¯t come here for strippers. We have Ichigo, so why would we be unfaithful?¡¯


    Ichigo is nice, but hear me out. I wanna play with some huge fun bags. If our tits were not hard and boney then I would just play with those.


    ¡®Ichigo will look at us weird if we do that. Let¡¯s just try to be normal. We will figure something out later.¡¯


    Fine¡­


    I had absently been walking while entranced by a particularly bouncy ass that belonged to a smoking hot blond in fishnets and pasties. I shook my head, clearing away the juicy thoughts of holding her down and filling her with eggs. There was another bar directly in front of us complete with stools and bumbling drunks falling over. This was the center of the Atomic Strobe and separated the strip club and the night club. To the right was the night club. It was looking like a rather heated night over in there. There were People dancing all over the place, people doing drugs in the corner, some people were mostly naked going crazy on the dance floor, bumping and grinding to the music in the nightclub. There was a fair amount of dry humping and things that I would not even describe as dance moves. I was getting some flashbacks from the Sparkle Kat.


    This place was rather alive to say the least. Ichigo and Caroline led the way like veterans and quickly got some seats at the counter. I sort of loomed behind them, looking everything over. It was a little hard to concentrate with all these lights and sounds bombarding me from all sides¡­ definitely not my type of place. The smells were another thing lots of sweaty body odor, varied perfumes and colognes, the distinct stench of some weed and a few other harder drugs. If my antennae were not fooling me I was picking up on some cocaine just under the counter here. Oh god, I really am a fucking police dog. I should probably report this crap¡­ but then dad will be out of a job. Something tells me this will turn into a Super fight, the Scarlet Souls were around here and I don¡¯t particularly feel like stirring up a hornet¡¯s nest. Not my problem, not my problem.


    ¡°Jello shots!¡± declared Ichigo, plopping onto an empty seat at the counter.


    The bartender gave her a glance and seemed to think it over for a moment before looking Caroline and I over. His eyes lingered on me and he shrugged, ¡°Coming right up.¡±


    He expertly flipped out three shot glasses from the side and filled them with jiggling jello using an ice cream scoop. They slid in front of us and Ichigo handed me one. The vibrations from the music made the jello dance in the glass. I didn¡¯t know if it was on purpose or just a cool effect. I guess it would be rude to turn this down. Ok, ok, just one and that is it. I raised the pink wiggly semi-solid and tilted the glass, letting it drop into my mouth. I swirled it around getting a taste for it¡­ hmm, it actually was rather sweet and didn¡¯t really taste like alcohol. This is made with booze right? It dissolved and I swallowed the strawberry goodness.


    I didn¡¯t feel drunk. Well, not that I would get drunk off of just this. Although thinking about it, wouldn¡¯t I be really good at drinking? I mean it is not like my kidneys or liver would have problems, they would just regenerate any damage that happened to them. Although after that whole Glitter Kitten thing makes me a bit wary. I am unsure if I have a low tolerance or not. I should just wait and see how this goes for now.


    Ichigo hummed to herself happily spinning in the chair. She bobbed her head to the bump of the drums and bass. She motioned for another and slurped it out of the glass. Her tongue was wiggling and lapping up the residue from the glass, making some questionable sounds. Is it just me or was that a little erotic? I felt a tingle of a lady boner creeping up my abdomen.


    Mom raised her hand, ¡°Whiskey.¡±


    ¡°Oh, getting into the hard stuff already?¡± smirked Ichigo.


    ¡°Yeah, go on, have your frilly little drink.¡±


    ¡°It is a creeper though they sneak up on you, without the burn.¡±


    ¡°I like the burn,¡± replied Caroline, downing her glass with a sour look on her face.


    ¡°Spoken like a true drunk.¡±


    ¡°I was clean until you got me back into this.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, you were just looking for an excuse. Besides, it was fun just talking about our problems.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. So are you going to go dance or stick to me all night?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Want a little private time with the hubby?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    Ichigo frowned, ¡°You don¡¯t sound very enthusiastic.¡±


    ¡°Should I be?¡±


    Ichigo just smirked and made a circle with her fingers. She started slowly working a finger through it. Ah, I know that, Ewww gross! Oh god, I don¡¯t wanna hear about my parents bumping uglies. Get a room, go home for that, where I can¡¯t see or hear it.


    ¡°Ah, that guy is back again,¡± said Ichigo, interrupting the conversation strand.


    Me and Caroline looked over at where she was pointing¡­ I recognized those man muscles anywhere, Bronsonman was here. Why the hell is he here in the den of some villains? Er¡­ why the hell am I here in the den of some villains? Well, I feel better knowing that if some bad guy tries to pull something, then I got some backup, of the streetwise Hercules variety.


    ¡°That guy is Bronsonman, right? Isn¡¯t he a superhero?¡± said Ichigo, motioning for another shot.


    ¡°Yeah, he is a nice guy. I got his autograph.¡±


    ¡°Just cause he gave you an autograph doesn¡¯t mean he is a nice guy, you know,¡± said Ichigo.


    ¡°So you two know each other?¡± asked Caroline.


    ¡°Well, only a little bit. We have hardly talked, but he seemed really nice.¡±


    Ichigo smirked, ¡°I think he likes you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± He likes me? How about that¡­ ¡°Eh, wait really?! What makes you so sure?¡±


    ¡°Well, he has been looking over here and strutting his stuff this whole time,¡± Ichigo commented offhandedly as though it had nothing to do with her.


    It was as she had said and Bronsonman was just dominating that dance floor. Even in here he was on those roller skates. I wonder if those are a part of his costume? Could¡­ could they be super powered high tech goodies?! Oooh¡­ god damn it! His muscles were glistening in the light. A sheen of sheer masculinity. I shuddered a little just thinking about licking the sweat off of those pecks. I tried to wipe the drool from my mouth, but eh, the helmet is in the way. He must have amazing balance, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain those hip thrusts. Mmhmm tights are definitely a gift from the gods. That star-spangled bulge, though, ah the thing dreams are made of, or at the least my dreams are. I feel like I have seen that junk before though¡­ oh, that is true, I was checking him out last time too. Maybe I should try to get his number this time?


    ¡°You should go over there and dance with him,¡± slyly said Ichigo.


    I thought on that. She is trying to set us up? Then is Ichigo my wing girl and trying to get me laid? My hearts beat a little faster. Ichigo¡­ you, you are an angel. No, but this is supposed to be girl¡¯s night if I run off for a wild ride on the freedom express to fucktown then Ichigo¡¯s deflector shields will be down! I am sorry Ichigo, but I gotta shoot this down. I can deal with getting cockblocked¡­ I am used to it.


    I want it though!


    ¡®Priorities Sub, Ichigo comes first. Chicks before dicks.¡¯


    But¡­ fine, fine.


    ¡°No, no he wouldn¡¯t want me to dance with him,¡± I replied a little apprehensive.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Look at that sizzling man muffin, what the hell would he want with me? I mean, look at those big titted bitches grinding all over the guy. He borderline has a harem going on over there.¡±


    The slores were gathering to that bara bod like moths to a flame. They were rubbing all up on him and just being slutty. I wanna touch that sculpted man flesh too you know. No, no I have to restrain myself. Monk mode damn it!


    ¡°So, what about the brainless bimbos? You saying they are better than you?¡±


    ¡°Obviously he would be more into them than me.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°I am ugly.¡±


    ¡°You are not,¡± Ichigo tried to tell me. Don¡¯t you lie to me, I know what I am. I am a fugly bug that only weirdos are into. The only action I get is on an autopsy table.


    ¡°The suit, maybe, but I got like burn scars and stuff. I don¡¯t have skin. People aren¡¯t really into that stuff.¡± Well, that is true, but I mean I can¡¯t really tell her the real reason, that I am a giant wasp creature.


    ¡°No skin? Well, that sounds a bit rough. Still, you should at least try to hit it off with him, I mean you are both Supers right? Supers should be with Supers, it just kinda makes sense,¡± said Caroline.


    ¡­ I feel like there was a jab in there, but she is right. It would be really sad to squish somebody I like just cause they were too weak to handle my affection. I mean, when I get going I am pretty rough. I will be gentle Ichigo, I swear! Ah, she was waiting for a reply, ¡°You think so?¡±


    Ichigo nodded, ¡°What is the worst that could happen? So what if he rejects you? You will never know if you never try.¡±


    ¡°But, but-¡±


    ¡°No buts girl, do it. Here for good luck,¡± she smiled and handed me several shots.


    I longingly looked between Bronsonman and back at the drinks. I can do this, maybe just two will be fine? But I acted like such a slut last time I got drunk. I can¡¯t believe I thought it was a good idea to be a stripper. Maybe it just kinda turned my self-control off. I thought, I was supposed to be bonding with Ichigo here, but Bronsonman though. Why must I choose between dick or pussy!?


    Ichigo stood up, ¡°If you are not going to go over there, then I will.¡±


    ¡°I, I, but, but Ichigo I thought this was supposed to be girl¡¯s night?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have friends do you?¡± she shot me through the heart with that.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I have Sunshine, she is my friend and Neon Nurse.¡±


    ¡°Forget it, come on, let¡¯s have some fun. Think of it like practice for our shows.¡±


    She was going to leave me behind if I kept being so shy about this. Maybe if I just get a little buzzed then I will relax a little more and things will work out? I slurped the drinks down. They sure were tasty. Somehow I don¡¯t really think these things are alcoholic though¡­


    She took my hand and I followed her through the crowd. The music changed and as though on some sort of cue and the upraised dance floor cleared out. Ichigo smiled, dragging me along. We stood up there looking out over the seething sea of people moving to the music. It was just Bronsonman, Ichigo, and I left. They started grooving to the beat and I stood there trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do.


    That tight little skirt and blouse twirled. Ichigo raised up her hand and jumped a little spreading her legs out into a wide stance. She bobbed from side to side, waving her fingers and stepping to the beats of the music. She must do this a lot. Meanwhile, Bronsonman had a more ferocious and manly approach going for the kick thrusts and spins. Lots and lots of hip movement on his side of things. With the way he was moving his hands, I was getting a distinct image of him fucking the living shit out of some busty bimbo and slapping her booty.


    Oh fuck, I only know ballet! And this is certainly not ballet music.


    Ichigo saw me floundering and bumped up against me, ¡°What are you doing? Just move a little, get the beat down and just follow it. It is easy, just start by tapping your toes and swaying your head.¡±


    I followed her instructions and started nodding my head to the rhythm. My heels clicked, syncing up with my head. I could feel it reverberating and pounding. I dipped my shoulders rolling them from side to side like a wave. It seemed to be affecting me more than I thought it would. It might be the alcohol. It wasn¡¯t like before, but I could feel something off a little. Things were slightly blurred and I felt flushed in the face. Yup, definitely a buzz or maybe it might just be that I am sandwiched in between two of the people that I want to fuck the most.


    Threesome!


    ¡®Sub, come on now. I thought you were going to behave?¡¯


    Just go along with it. Entice him, rub all over him.


    ¡®Oh, you are going after Bronsonman?¡¯


    Look at what other people are doing.


    I looked out over the crowd seeing a lot of the girls being super slutty and waging their asses while dudes were fake humping them, slapping their bouncing bottoms and everything. Those that weren¡¯t doing that were sensually rubbing themselves and grinding on those around them. There were even a few jumping up and down, waving their arms all over the place. I have come to a den of desires once again, haven¡¯t I? Ugh, wait, but if that is normal then¡­ I peered over at Bronsonman. Ahh, the manliness and glistening muscles. I had to suppress a squeal of delight. Just this once, right? I can reward myself a little, right? His junk bulging and slapping around was positively mouth wateringly hypnotic. What I would do to be on the receiving end of that¡­


    Well, I mean everybody is doing it so I might as well. I edged towards him, trying to make it not too obvious. He didn¡¯t seem to mind as I invaded his personal space. In fact, it was almost like he was ignoring me¡­ nooo! Don¡¯t do that. He was just dancing and grooving, he hardly even looked at me. Does this mean I can do what I want? You were looking at me earlier, so clearly you are interested.


    Hmm, well if I thought about it, then this really is just doing the Moon Sailor routines or rather the Skankubus dance moves. I bet that would get his attention. I stood there for a moment, recalling their movements and the rhythm to the songs. The club music wasn¡¯t too far off. Mhm, this will do.


    I spread my legs doing a lunge to the right, holding it for a long moment and then one to the left. I jolted back up upright and clapped my hands in unison. My head tilted from side to side as I shifted my weight from left to right. My hips shifted my booty cheeks to show them off. My hands alternated, thrusting out when I shifted my ass to the other side and pulling back to sync up to do the opposite. I grabbed onto the back of my head and bent my legs to thrust out with my hips. One arm strayed from the others reaching for a nonexistent pole and the other ran down my body. The bottom hands were firmly holding onto my hips.


    I glanced over at Ichigo finding that she was doing something rather similar. She waved her hands in front of her face with V signs and kicked out her feet in alternating cycles. She hopped and spun around, the little skirt fluttered up and she landed, sliding to the left and then to the right, clapping her hands. She stepped in place, bringing her knees way up and stomping down, her hands we balled up and she was doing scratching motions like a cat. She planted her feet and bent forward wiggling her fingers in a swooshing motion. Her cute little ass wagged while she tilted back and forth. She brought her hands up over her head. Ichigo spun around and lunged to the left and right, pointing her fingers out from where they sat on the back of her head like little horns. She switched back to the center and clapped, bobbing her head.


    I tilted forward as she had and slapped my ass in Bronsonman¡¯s direction, hoping that it would get his attention. It worked! That is right, get a good look, big boy. I resumed as I had before and slowly worked my way down, wiggling back and forth. The moment that I got to the point that I was crouching my head bobbed in time with my hips shifting to one side and then the other. The top hands let go of the knees and I slapped my ass, shaking and dipping with squats. I went lower with every motion of the ass. I kept going down until I sat on my heels.


    Instead of just standing up my feet scooted together and spread the legs out. I put my lower hands on my hips, making a wide bow, the upper hands clapped onto my knees, opening and closing the gap. Naturally the original only had two arms so I just put the unused ones on my hips to get them out of the way, though I get the feeling it made this a bit sexier. With every cycle of the outspread legs snapping shut I stood up just a little higher.


    I lifted my leg up, splitting the sky and held it there, spinning in place. Round and round I went and my upper hands arced up, canvassing my outstretched leg. It lowered and I bent over again, watching his reaction from between my legs. That certainly got his attention. I hopped back maintaining that position on my approach vector, naturally, I was aiming for the groin. Impale me upon thy spear of justice!


    I backed into him, his burly hands grabbed onto my ass to keep it from colliding with his junk. Medavac said my booty was my best asset, so I put my trust in you! He grabbed me by the hand and spun me around. We were face to face. Ohh my, so daring. We stared at each other¡­ or rather he looked upon the helmet. At any rate, it was a fierce and passionate look filled with confidence. This was the sort of thing that could conquer a girl¡¯s heart, luckily I have three. It kept me from melting right then and there. My eyes kept drifting down to his formidable bulge. I licked my lips in anticipation. Going to get me some of that tonight.


    Just when things were heating up and my prospects of getting boned were about to peak, he dropped me like third period French. I had been leaning into it and everything. It was a shock, a sudden betrayal of expectations and I fell flat, not even managing to get a feel of that man muscle between his legs. He leaped over the crowd like a majestic swan or some mythical creature. In a flash, like lightning, he was gone. I sat up speechless, mortified¡­ he didn¡¯t even let me touch his booty. At least let me get a handful! What the fuck just happened?!


    Was I too upfront? No, no, no, not this time Bronsonman! Don¡¯t give me that ¡°The city needs me.¡± Bullshit!


    I gave chase flinging myself into action. He was long gone by the time I got to the door. I stood, looking out over the city lights glimmering and swirling all around. My antennae twitched trying to pick up his scent, but there were too many other smells to pick his out specifically. I didn¡¯t even know which direction he went. The man of mystery had escaped once more and I realized that I hadn¡¯t even said a word to him. I thought for sure I was going to get his number this time. I think I just got dumped. I wanted to cry, oh I already was. That explains why everything is a little blurred.


    I moped back in there and sat down next to Mom who was chatting with Dad. They turned to me, having vaguely been aware of the happenings.


    ¡°It went badly I take it,¡± said Caroline handing me a shot.


    I nodded in reply, grudgingly taking it and downing it.


    ¡°It is probably for the better you didn¡¯t get too involved with that guy,¡± said dad.


    ¡°Eh¡­ why? He is a nice guy.¡±


    ¡°He is a vigilante. I see him in here quite a bit.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t really getting what he was trying to say, ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°He might have contacts with the Scarlet Souls.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I replied, ¡°If so I am sure he has his reasons. I mean police have informants and stuff all the time.¡±


    ¡°That is true¡­ but he is not one of you. It worries me.¡±


    ¡°You are thinking too much into it Da- Saar.¡±


    I glanced over at mom, she wasn¡¯t particularly paying attention to me. She watched the tv over the bar. Looks like I dodged a bullet and she didn¡¯t notice.


    Ichigo appeared from the side, ¡°Well you tried right? Sorry, it didn¡¯t work out.¡±


    I cried, ¡°Ichigo! He ran away. I was putting the moves on him and everything. Why would he do that? It is because I am ugly isn¡¯t it?¡±


    She gave me a hug and I coiled around her so that she couldn¡¯t escape, ¡°I wonder what got into him? I bet he received some super secret signal and went to fight some crime or something? I mean that is what you heroes do right? At any rate, it is going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°I want to go home.¡±


    ¡°Mecha Fairy that is not very fun. What are you going to do there? Lay around and cry?¡±


    I shouted at her, ¡°Does this look fun to you?!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said, frowning and then she smiled, ¡°but I know something that is really fun.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. We are going to take a couple more shots and then we will go back to my place.¡±


    ¡°Why do I have to drink.¡±


    ¡°It will make you feel better. It will dull the pain. Besides, they say that when you get someone drunk their true self comes out. I want to get to know my friend better, right Mecha Fairy?¡±


    I gulped, ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And friends share their secrets.¡±


    ¡°Secrets? Ichigo has secrets?¡±


    ¡°Everyone has secrets, some better hidden than others.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we all do. I wonder what secrets Ichigo is hiding.¡±


    She smirked, ¡°Fufu, you will have to wait and see. Come on, let¡¯s drink a little more. Please, I don¡¯t want to drink alone.¡±


    She was giving me the puppy dog eyes. Damn it Ichigo why are you so cute? ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°Jager Bombs!¡± declared Ichigo rapping her hand on the counter.


    The guy glanced at her, then at mom who nodded. He took several slender glasses and filled them about halfway with a dark, syrupy liquid that smelled of licorice. In each, he pushed a smaller shot glass filled with some yellow energy drink, not entirely sure which one they all looked the same. I stared at the bubbling concoction, hmm I feel like that was supposed to be the other way around. Like less liquor and more energy drink. Is this guy trying to get us drunk or something? Oh well, I guess that is the point of this right? My hearts still stung with the rejection. Still, though I wonder what made him take off like that. It wasn¡¯t me, was it?


    I suppose it can¡¯t hurt, I am hardly even buzzed. We clinked our glasses together and downed the shots. This stuff was different, it tasted like, well, a tart energy drink and black licorice. It was a weird combination. Unlike the other drinks, this one burned a bit going down, however, it was smoothed out with a strange numbing sensation like cough syrup. So this was certainly stronger than the other stuff. It wasn¡¯t that bad, better than that moonshine Glitter Kitten forced me to chug.


    ¡°Oh yeah! That is the stuff!¡± Shouted Ichigo, grabbing my hand and trying to drag me with her.


    I was like a mountain and she couldn¡¯t move me if she wanted to. It was actually rather funny watching her slid on the floor and huffing from how hard she was trying to move me. She slipped and I held her up by those slender arms so that she couldn¡¯t fall. I smiled, setting her straight. Ichigo put her hands on her hips, ruffling up her skirt a little. My eyes shot down, catching a glimpse of her panties. There was some sort of print on them though I didn¡¯t see it long enough to figure out what it was.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s dance a little before we go.¡±


    I nodded and followed her along. We didn¡¯t end up back on the stage instead submerging into the sea of sweaty bodies. I could feel people pressing in from all sides. Groping, touching, bumping and squirming. I held onto Ichigo¡¯s hand or else I was likely to lose her in this orgy of limbs. We reached a spot that was a little clearer, but people were still crowding in. Ichigo stopped and then rubbed against me with a rather flushed face.


    She leaned her back against my leg. The back of her head rest against my groin. She seemed a bit sluggish though still almost overflowing with energy. It was more of she was a little unorganized. Don¡¯t tell me you are already drunk Ichigo? Well, she is small and that last drink was a bit strong. She was just slowly rubbing against me. I didn¡¯t think too much about it until I realized exactly what she was pressing so incessantly against me. Her cute little butt was pushing so that the seem of my leg armor was going right into the crack and perfectly creasing her skirt.


    She wiggled back and forth grinding up and down with her arms raised up. She tilted her head back, winking at me. Urgh! I couldn¡¯t handle stimulation like this. I could feel a lady boner coming on and hard. I bit my lip, trying not to think about it, but the vibrations from her on my leg only reminded me. It also didn¡¯t help that there were people all around us. It was understandable why she was dancing so close, there just wasn¡¯t any room. That didn¡¯t really help things for me though.


    There wasn¡¯t nearly as much room to dance here so I just settled for shifting from side to side. Ichigo circled around behind me. I glanced back and her hands sunk into my ass. I jumped with surprise.


    ¡°Ichigo!?¡±


    ¡°Just go with it¡­ you got a nice ass.¡±


    She got a firm grip on my buns and started using them to make me dance. She tilted from side to side, kneading at my backside like a cat. Oohh, that is nice. I pushed back at her shaking my ass.


    I tried my best just to ignore her and move to the beat, but it was hard, like harder than my love muscle at the moment. Gotta resist¡­ think of something to pour cold water on this situation!


    Tits!


    ¡®No¡­ Damn it Sub! That isn¡¯t right. Zombie hookers?¡¯


    Igh dead tits! Dead tits!


    ¡®Whew, that was close.¡¯


    Ichigo pinched my ass, making me have to hold in a squeak. I heard a thud inside of my armor¡­ oh boy. I couldn¡¯t take her teasing anymore and grabbed her, lifting her up so that she was riding on my shoulders. Her legs locked around my neck and she giggled, pointing onward as though I were her steed. I pushed my way through the crowd until we had escaped the dense undergrowth of urban youth.


    I came back to find my dad and mom just totally making out¡­ gross! Get a room! My eyes!


    That is kinda hot though, right?


    ¡®Igh! Sub what is wrong with you?¡¯


    But they look so happy. Oh, look dad is totally putting the moves on mom! Things are getting frisky over there.


    ¡®Oh Jesus titty fucking Christ, I don¡¯t wanna see this!¡¯


    I just kinda shoved Sub off into a corner and diverted my eyes. Lalalala, twat was that I cunt hear you.


    ¡°Oh, it seems our ride is a little occupied,¡± said Ichigo, leaning over my head so that we were face to face, though she was upside down.


    ¡°It¡­ it appears so.¡±


    ¡°You think you can fly?¡±


    ¡°I am not that drunk¡­ yeah, I think so.¡±


    ¡°Oh cool, then we can go back to my place. I have something that I want to show you.¡±


    Does this mean¡­ Ichigo?! You feel the same? Ichigo I just want to eat you up. I waved goodbye to my parents¡­ Dad gave me a thumbs up. Oh great, so he knows that I was looking. Don¡¯t make this even more awkward than it already is. I better go before this gets any weirder. I rushed out the door, almost forgetting to duck. Ichigo came within an inch or so of getting smacked in the head just now. I have to be more careful there is a passenger on board now, it isn¡¯t just me anymore.


    ¡°Where do you live again?¡± I asked, I had forgotten where to go. Probably for the better anyway. It would be weird if I already knew.


    ¡°Oh, I live in Downtown, in that condo near the movie theater. You know where that is?¡±


    I thought on it¡­ seems my brain is a bit sluggish. ¡°Yeah, I know where the theater is you will have to point me the way from there though.¡±


    ¡°Oh sure, not a problem, we can continue when we get there,¡± smiled Ichigo.

 Superficial Chapter 14

    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 14


    I flew like an arrow of love through the cityscape straight to the target of my seething desire, Ichigo¡¯s apartment. This bitch has got a hot date and I am going to fuck her brains out! Nothing else mattered and everything went by like a blur of colors and sounds. I could hardly wait, descending onto the roof. Ichigo hopped off and led the way. She opened the door and we stepped down the stairs. We went along several floors in the shaft before she opened up the door to a hallway. I followed along eagerly anticipating what was to come.


    There were only four rooms on this floor and we arrived at the far left door. Ichigo¡¯s flat was rather large, about as big as the common room in the Junior bunks. She had a kitchen off to the side and in the opposite corner off to the side was a queen sized bed covered in red silken sheets. Several pillows sat fluffed up and blankets were folded to halfway on the cover. Laying upon this soft spot were five bat looking things¡­ I peered closer.


    ¡°You have pet bats?¡±


    ¡°Bats?¡± asked Ichigo, looking up at me and then lining up her sight with mine, ¡°No, those are my cats.¡±


    ¡°Cats? They got no fur.¡± I rubbed my chin, thinking it over¡­ wait a minute, aren¡¯t those like super expensive luxury pets that cost thousands each? What were they called again?


    ¡°Yes, they are hairless Sphinx cats. Those two were imported from Egypt and then those are some of their kittens.¡±


    I got close, looming over the sleeping kitties. They were all wrinkly and not cute at all. Ugly, ugly cats. That one, especially looks grumpy as fuck. Hmm, they kinda look like shaved ball sacks. Heresy! Where is the fluff? These are not real cats.


    It was almost like they heard me and the cats all opened their eyes at once staring at me. They didn¡¯t rear up hissing or yowling or anything that normal cats did when they were around me. They just looked at me with those wide piercing eyes. They just sat there silently, eyes never leaving me. Eh, this is weird. Normally I would want to pet one, but these things are creeping me out.


    I diverted my attention away from them and started looking over the room in detail. Ichigo was extremely clean, there wasn¡¯t a dish in her sink. Everything was neatly stacked and piled in designated places. The kitchen naturally had my immediate attention since there were strange critters on the bed that I wanted nothing to do with. Ichigo rummaged around in the freezer before pulling out a bottle of Jagermeister. She set it down smiling at me as she went about procuring two shot glasses.


    ¡°We are still drinking?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I said that we were going to continue once we got home. What did you think I meant?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ so this is what you meant. I don¡¯t know?¡± Well, I suppose all for the better I am not sure that I could perform at peak conditions being watched by those weirdo cats. They are creepy. It is just me jumping to conclusions.


    ¡°So what do you think of my place?¡±


    ¡°It looks very nice. You clean this place yourself?¡±


    ¡°I do, but I also have a maid.¡±


    ¡°You have a maid?¡±


    ¡°She is a hired cleaner from a service.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    She handed me the shot and lifted her own, ¡°To friendship!¡±


    ¡°To eh¡­ friendship.¡±


    I stared at it for a moment, it was the same color and smell as the Jager in the bar¡­ it would be kinda weird if it was different. I drank it down and she smiled doing the same. Ichigo went to the living room section of the flat and sat down on the leather couch. She pat it invitingly and I sat beside her. To our right side, large bay windows looked out over the city. The glowing lights from billboards and strobing signs made the room lit even though the light was still off. It gave a soothing sort of ambiance.


    I craned my head around looking over the rest of the room. She had a modestly sized tv it was only about fifty or so inches and was attached to the wall. She had a few older game consoles like a Super Tendo 69, there were only three controllers though. I hadn¡¯t even seen one of those in years.


    Along the wall next to Ichigo¡¯s bed was a closet that dipped into the wall a bit and on the side of it was a wardrobe. I sort of wanted to see what costumes she had in there. Now that I was looking at the place I recognized where she took some of her pictures. It was a matted area beside the kitchen. Still, this place was only used for a few pictures. I am assuming that she had a whole set up somewhere else.


    Her computer area was set up next to the closet. She had a modern desk and a comfy looking chair that could spin. The pc was nothing all that impressive really. I am not sure if the specs were good or not, but the case was old a bit scuffed up.


    The final spot in the flat was the bathroom, which was the only other room and it was right next to the computer. Currently, the door was closed, but I could smell the soap and fragrances of strawberries within. I suppose now I know where she gets the smell from.


    We sat there in silence for a bit as I simply enjoyed her presence. Now that we were out of that club I had calmed down a bit. The cats had killed my libido a bit.


    ¡°So what did you want to show me?¡± I asked.


    Ichigo seemed out of it at this point, just smiling and halfway cuddling up next to me. Her head lolled a little trying to keep itself up, ¡°Oh, that I am a little tired, I will show you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go to bed?¡±


    She rubbed her finger against me, ¡°No, this is fine.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t particularly complaining and plopped my hand on head rubbing it. This was nice. I glanced over and the weirdo cats had curled up and gone back to sleep. Well, it is no wonder, it is late. I tapped my helmet two in the morning? Where did the time go? I tilted away from Ichigo so that I would not roll over onto her. My eyes drooped as I dozed off.


    ~~~


    A loud banging sound rose from the door. We both jumped a little. Ichigo squinted at the door with her flushed face before, wobbling her way over.


    She opened it, sounding a bit angry, ¡°Do you-¡±


    Ichigo didn¡¯t get to finish when an arm grabbed in and people broke into the room. I shook my head since everything was a little blurred and blinked a few times to make sure that this was actually happening or not. It certainly was. This was a bit surreal. I mean a robbery or kidnapping happening right in front of me. Whatever these guys were planning it was not good.


    ¡°What the fuck do you think you are doing?!¡± I yelled at them.


    The guys froze as I stood up. I was not waiting for an explanation, from Ichigo¡¯s screams this was clearly something wrong. I charged at them and all eight guys took off running with Ichigo despite her struggling. The last guy slammed the door and something dropped onto the floor, it exploded right in front of me. Everything went white and I screamed, clutching my face. Fuck! My eyes. The antennae were throbbing and a screaming silence filled my head. Staggering I slumped against the door waiting for the ringing in my head to go away. After a few deep breathes and squinting I could see somewhat again. A sulfurous stench filled the air. Was that a flashbang grenade?


    I opened the door and they were long gone now. I could detect the strong scent of Ichigo and rushed on all sixes following it. It led me winding around the stairs down to the base level. Through the window, a van sped off out of the back alleyway. It was a black van without windows. I scurried along after them, getting to the street, they had turned left. My wings spread and I took flight, making sure to stay a bit out of sight. I didn¡¯t want to get flashed again, I would definitely lose them.


    ¡°Overseer I need help! Reporting a kidnapping, Ichigo, they took Ichigo!¡± I called out over the com system.


    Strangely though there was no reply. Concerned, I started scrolling through the overlay and realized that it was getting weird. It was flickering and shorting out. The lights on my wings went out. It is that weird bug with the system again. Now is not the time for this! The suit was still mostly working, I could still follow them and if it got any worse, I could always eject. Hopefully, it won¡¯t come to that though.


    Thoughts of running to get help rose, but I don¡¯t have time for that. If they get away, then I won¡¯t be able to sniff them out. I could see the van going with the traffic, it wasn¡¯t even speeding. This was actually rather smart of them. If I had been a few seconds later I never would have even seen it to know what to look for. It is hard to find a tree in the forest after all.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if they had seen me or not, most likely had though. The chase brought us to the warehouse district. The van went along, turning down different side streets as I followed peering from the rooftops. They came to a stop at one of the smaller storage buildings. A large sixteen was written on the front of the roll-up doors. The door cranked up and the van went inside before it went back down. I flew to the roof and looked around all the sides. There was another gate at the back end. I sat there for a long moment, making sure that they were not going to go out another entrance or something.


    There wasn¡¯t anything up here just gravel and stuff. Though there was a small vent, I could not fit into it. I circled around the edge looking over the walls for a window or something, nothing. There were only two entrances. Actually, there were four. There were two normal doors, one on each side next to the roll up. What to do? The suit coms were still fucked. It seemed that the systems were getting worse. I will have to give Chief a piece of my mind after this.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    I didn¡¯t even want to think about what they were doing to Ichigo in there. As I was forming a plan to break through the roof, the door below me opened up and one of the men stood down there. He appeared to be watching the place. So then he was the early warning guard then. I edged down the building directly above him, trying to keep the sound down. He didn¡¯t look up once, well not until it was far too late. My hands grabbed onto him, pulling him up into a full Nelson. Bottom righty stuffed his mouth so he couldn¡¯t scream and the last arm tightened around his neck until he stopped struggling.


    I pulled him and lay him on the roof. I rifled through his pockets. There wasn¡¯t anything in them though. I checked the other side and there was a guard out there was well. I should probably take him out as well, but if I mess up, then they will all know. I already have a way in. I let him be and went to the back, gliding down to the ground. Crouching I opened the door just a little and peered in.


    The interior was well lit. There were at the least two segments of the building and as such different rooms. This room had boxes near the corner, but overall was rather small. I crept along, keeping to the wall. There was not a door to the next room, which opened up into what appeared to be the main section. The van was parked over to the far side of the building. My eyes scanned along, there were three people by the van. They kept glancing over towards a walled off section that was probably something along the lines of an office along the wall near the middle of the building.


    ¡°How long until we make the transfer?¡±


    ¡°Once we are sure that we were not followed we will make the drop. I am sure the client will be pleased.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe fucking Mecha Fairy was there too.¡±


    ¡°We will deal with her later, she is on the list too you know.¡±


    ¡°She is weak to light and sound right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you saw how that flashbang dropped her like a fly that is why when we take her down, we are going to have a bit of help.¡±


    ¡°Still, it is pretty ballsy to go after a Super. Why didn¡¯t we just take her down earlier?¡±


    ¡°Not when you have a Super waiting to tear their mind apart. We didn¡¯t come prepared for that sort of confrontation. A couple flashbangs will slow her down for a bit, but she is still a strength Super. It is best to let the super freaks fight one another.¡±


    These guys looked a little weird, reminded me a bit of like some sort of shady agents from a tv show. They all had black suits and sunglasses. Definitely not normal, whatever this was about. Why would they be after Ichigo though? Clearly, they were surprised that I was at Ichigo¡¯s house, so I was not the blame for this. But I am on that list too? Who would want to kidnap me? How do they know about my weaknesses? They are working with a super, but from the sounds of it, then none of them have powers. Is it one of the gangs that I fucked with? Can¡¯t be Mad Dogs, Glitter Kitten is more direct and as far I know they don¡¯t have a mental type super. I suppose I will have to figure it out later.


    I am not going to be able to sneak my way through this. The room was too lit. I would have to do this fast and hard to take them by surprise. I peered at the boxes sitting next to me. I moved one, lifting it up and saw a cord running along the wall. I traced it and found the power box. Ah, well shit I should have thought of this to start. I sat there for a moment, formulating this new found knowledge into a new plan. Ok, sounds good.


    I flipped the breakers, plunging the building into darkness. Unlike them, I could see just fine. I watched them fumbling around as I slunk up.


    ¡°Dammit, what the hell happened to the lights, go check the breaker. Yell if you see anything,¡± said one of them.


    My prey separated a little and the lone man became my first target. The first went very quickly. I came from behind, strangling him and covering his mouth so the best he could muster were muffled complaints. Once the struggling had stopped I lay him down and proceeded to the next. The other two were right next to each other and so I did them at the same time. I had four arms after all. Their complaints died away and I slumped them to the side. Good thing these are just civis. I don¡¯t know what the hell I would do if there were a super here. I take that back, I would fight them obviously.


    The van was empty. I figured that it would be, but I had to make sure. The door to the office opened and light glared in from the doorway. So they still had power in there. That was good and bad, it meant that they weren¡¯t tipped off until now about the rest of the place, however now I couldn¡¯t sneak on in there. I crept as quietly as I could, however, the stupid suit came back online fully, lighting up my wings like a Christmas tree.


    The guy yelled, ¡°Shit! We got company!¡±


    He slammed the door shut only for me to bulldoze through it and smash him into the wall. I stared at his crumpled form and the blood, glistening in the lights. Oh fuck, my gauging of strength was way off. It must be the booze, normally I would be able to hold back a lot more and control it better. He is in some rough shape.


    I looked around the room to find two remaining men. Ichigo had been stripped a little and I stopped. She was held up in between us and the guy had a knife to her throat. Her head was bleeding a little, one of these bastards must have hit her. She just dangled there limply, unconscious.


    ¡°Alright, that is enough of that! Take off the suit and get on your knees or I will slit her throat,¡± said the bald man, pressing the blade to her throat.


    I hesitated. This was my secret identity here, it could easily ruin my life if it got out. I bit my lip. I contemplated using the tasers in my arms, but he might jerk his arms and cut her open. Wait, he would totally freak out for like a moment or two after seeing me, that would be the time to strike. I put my hands up and the seals on the suit opened, gusting steam out. I slid out and just as I thought, he took a step back distracted. I lunged, but he ducked under my punch. I had to aim a little high to not hit Ichigo. The knife stabbed into my chest, or rather tried to, it bounced off and cut Ichigo.


    As the red filled my eyes, bottom righty lurched and crushed the man¡¯s head like a grapefruit. He fell back, letting go of Ichigo and I swung around punching into the man who was rushing at me with a taser. I didn¡¯t hold back, I was too angry and my fist went through his chest. He didn¡¯t manage to scream, he just let out this sickly wheezing sound as the life escaped his torn lungs. I staggered pulling my arm free.


    My fingers dripped with blood¡­ it looked so tasty. My tongue squirmed in my mouth and bit down on it to reign myself in. I just took their lives and here I am thinking about such things. No.


    But it smells so good. Just a taste.


    ¡®No.¡¯


    You already killed them, it would be a waste.


    ¡®No, Sub.¡¯


    Ichigo sat up, rubbing her head, ¡°Thanks for the rescue there¡­ though, did you have to kill them?¡±


    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    ¡°Well it is fine, I guess. Ah, you missed one,¡± she said, pointing at the doorway.


    I turned to find a frightened man turning to run. Ah, the guard from the front. I moved before I even realized what I was doing. My claws dug into his back and he reeled away. He managed to get to the van and slam the door shut. He tried to turn it on, but before he could my fist punched through the windshield and I dragged him out. He struggled as I held him there.


    ¡°Well, you came this far, you should clean this up. Kill him so we can get rid of the bodies,¡± said Ichigo idly.


    I turned blankly, looking at her, ¡°What? Ichigo¡­ kill him?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Mhmm, do you want to go to jail and get your brain turned to mush or something?¡±


    ¡°Jail? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°He is the only one left you know. Gotta get rid of the witnesses or else this will come back to get you or rather us I should say.¡±


    ¡°Killing people is wrong, we are going to turn this guy in.¡±


    Ichigo stared at me and then just rubbed her face, ¡°You just murdered seven people and are trying to talk ethics to me?


    ¡°Seven?! I only killed two.¡±


    Ichigo kicked the man lying to her side, ¡°They are not breathing, you know. Kinda hard with crushed windpipes. Honestly, it is easier this way, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to kill them with how wishy-washy you had been all night.¡±


    I bent over listening to the man¡¯s chest¡­ he was dead. That can¡¯t be, then I used too much power. Was it the suit? I don¡¯t remember even doing it that hard. ¡°It was self-defense.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, because lethal force was totally necessary against guys with a couple knives and tasers.


    ¡°They were going to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you are a Super. You are held to higher standards. They will not take that excuse.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid? Do you have any idea of who these people are?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°These people are human traffickers.¡±


    ¡°Why did they come after you then and why is this bad to send him to jail?¡±


    ¡°There are rumors about Star Agency, dark rumors and after seeing this, well they are true. There is a reason Idols go missing from time to time and usually at the peak of their prime.¡±


    ¡°Well, then we could use this guy as a witness to help bring them down.¡±


    Ichigo spat on the floor, ¡°Naive, they have connections, lot and lots of connections with powerful people. Just about everybody is in on this shit you know. We turn them in and it is us who will go missing.¡±


    ¡°How do you even know this?¡±


    Ichigo just let out a sigh, ¡°Vesper, I read people¡¯s minds. Now listen to me or we are both fucked on this. Kill him and we will dispose of the evidence. I don¡¯t care if you eat bodies or if we do something else, but we need to get rid of them. Once we are done with that then we will get cleaned up and act like none of this ever happened.¡±


    ¡°Eat them?! I would never.¡±


    ¡°Sub sure does.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°You can hear Sub?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Wait, then you-¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your thoughts are rather active, I find it rather amusing,¡± Ichigo smiled.


    I screamed, holding the sides of my face ¡°Oh god!? Then you know-¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry! I take it all back they were idle fantasies!¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose if I was a wasp woman I would have such fantasies as well. At any rate, we are getting distracted here. Kill him and let¡¯s get to work.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who is behind all this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What, why not?¡±


    ¡°It will complicate things. You are a bad actor and will give it away when you see them.¡±


    ¡°I still find it hard to believe you are a mind reader.¡±


    ¡°And I find it strange that you are actually a wasp creature. I will have to look you over in more detail later on.¡±


    Oh right, I am not in my suit. Oh, I am not in my suit. Then, then she sees me. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you screaming?¡±


    Ichigo just shrugged, ¡°I have known for a while now. Though I had not seen it myself.¡±


    She snapped her fingers a few times, ¡°Evidence now, evidence we have to dispose of it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t eat them.¡±


    ¡°Ok, but it was your idea, to begin with. I don¡¯t care, get creative.¡±


    I thought it over. If I wanted to hide a body, then where would I put it? Ah, where do people go missing all the time? The sewer. If I recall then there is a manhole right outside too. I looked over at Ichigo who nodded. I guess she really does read my mind. I looked the man in the eyes, he was terrified. Well, I mean we had been contemplating his murder this whole time right in front of him so it was understandable. I wanted to feel bad, but oddly enough I didn¡¯t. There might be something wrong with me. He deserved to die, no decent person makes their living off of kidnapping people.


    I had decided, it would be quick. My hands squeezed his head until it burst with a grotesque crack. Well, I guess I am never eating watermelon again. I didn¡¯t enjoy that, I didn¡¯t hate it either though. I flopped him down and went about collecting the others. I carried them over dropping them into the sewer below. The van had to go too. I crumpled it up and tore it apart until it would fit down in there too. Now that everything was down there I looked over at Ichigo.


    ¡°What? I am not going down there. I don¡¯t want to get any weird mutations or die.¡±


    ¡°Oh true. Alright, I will be back.¡±


    I climbed down, lifting up the pile of bodies and carried them along. Luckily, most of this area had been treated during our excursion so it was currently not radioactive as hell. There was still a little bit of residual. I took a side passage and found what I was looking for. A nest of rats that had been missed. The guards reared up hissing at me and I dropped everything there in front of them. I never thought this sort of thing would ever happen to me. Idly I watched them drag off the corpses and their happy squeals rose. Well, I guess it is an appropriate end for scum.


    I wiped my hands and walked back.


    Ichigo sat waiting and backed away a little when I emerged, ¡°Ugh, you stink.¡±


    ¡°I was in a sewer so¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. I cleaned up the blood while you were gone. Ok, so there is a bathroom in there make sure to clean yourself up and then we can go.¡±


    I found it, idly I scrubbed the carapace looking myself in the mirror. The face of a killer, eh? Well, not like it is the first time. I really do look like a villain. I could get away with the eye patch look too since the top eye is screwed. No, I am not a villain. I have not killed innocent people, only criminals who deserve worse than death. I yawned, tired, so tired. That would be expected, it is like four in the morning. Though this isn¡¯t physically tired, this is mentally tired.


    I walked back out and put on my suit, ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready.¡±

 Superficial Chapter 15 Interlude: Skeletons

    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 15


    Interlude: Skeletons


    ¡°This is¡­ sloppy,¡± said Neon Nurse, looking up at the warehouse walls.


    She stood in her pink veined battle suit. The visor down and shield out. She scanned the area for anything hostile, but it didn¡¯t have any hits. She was in the right place this was the location where the suit transponder had been¡­ and the massacre that she had witnessed as well. She checked again, Vesper was back home now in her room. Hopefully, she was getting some sleep after this ordeal, she was going to need it for the harsh lecturing that she was in for when Neon Nurse got back.


    Her suit clunked as it shambled along. The extra arms opened the door and she walked into the darkness. Her visor lit up, revealing glowing signs of blood. It had been cleaned up to a degree, but it could not hide from her black lights. Idly, she cocked her head, observing the sprays and arcs of invisible blood. Such a messy one she is. Though Ichigo did try to cover this up, she did not have the correct tools to create a sterile crime scene. Someone had clean up this mess. It would not due for Vesper to be found out and so, here Neon Nurse was neatly stacking the skeletons into the closet so that they could not be found.


    ¡°You need to be more careful Vesper,¡± she sighed to herself.


    Neon Nurse did not like Ichigo. That little thing was causing trouble for Vesper, she would have never been involved in this if it had not been for her. Jealousy was not something Neon Nurse was accustomed to, but then again neither was love. She found such things complicated to deal with. Ever since she changed and her body failed her, she had tried so hard to purge these weaknesses. Emotions were a sickness that clouded the mind. Feelings were for the organic flesh bags and yet Vesper had brought these things to her like a lost puppy that had been thrown into a river and fished out. She was too cute to throw back. Vesper, the thing that made her mechanical heart skip beats and feel like it would melt.


    The cold, lifeless green eyes moved independently, finding the last traces of misdeed that took place here. The fluid circulating in her tubes and the large canister on her back bubbled. She turned slowly, but surely like a turret as the clear fluid gushed out of her syringe gun. As it went the ground foamed and welled up only to evaporate and with it went every last trace of anything and everything. The vibrant blue color faded into darkness and even the ceiling where something had splashed became clean and sterile.


    Her arms idly picked up pieces of metal and debris, placing them into her container. If you are going to murder somebody, then at least make sure all of the pieces are picked up. Even these slivers of metal and clothing, smudges of flesh and clumps of hair could be used to figure out what happened here. A vacuum attachment snaked its way along sucking up the remains that were too small to bother picking up. What pieces of the van remained were slurped up and all the hair from Ichigo as well as everyone else were pulled in with the dirt and dust.


    This was a large space to clean all alone, thankfully she had come prepared. Neon Nurse placed down a sizable box that had been attached to her back. The lid popped off and little robo scorpions clambered out. She released a small horde of little robos that scurried all over cleaning as they went. This would take care of the more tedious task of getting everything. She diverted her full attention to the blue path.


    She followed the glowing trail of blood and continued the routine. It was her near mechanical cleansing mode, getting every nook and cranny to obliterate any and all evidence. This was illegal, highly illegal, in fact, the sort of thing that violated the trust of the people and the very principles of the Hero League. No one was supposed to be above the law, not even Supers, especially not Supers. She didn¡¯t care, this was for Vesper and Neon Nurse would do anything for her.


    It was love and she had long since been ensnared in that deadly web. Why was she attracted to her strange friend? She didn¡¯t have the answer. At first, it was merely the wonder and excitement of finding such a strange specimen. Then the friendship grew and she had found that she was not as lonely anymore. She found herself more interested in watching and talking with Vesper than fiddling with her new creations. The long-abandoned prospect of actually having organic children sparked a fire that had been long dead. A lusty inferno filled with a passion for life that threatened to melt the circuits and overwhelm her. Vesper was not ready for that yet and so Neon Nurse had pulled back and refrained from pushing for this. However, even a cyborg has her limits.


    A final cursory glance left her satisfied and she stepped outside. She had not actually seen what had happened to the bodies. Vesper had been foolish enough to bring her suit with her and it recorded everything. If it had been anybody else, then Vesper would have been hard-pressed to explain why she had used lethal force against civis. Supers were prohibited unless under dire distress to use their powers in such ways against civis and this included criminals. Truly, it was an asinine system that left Supers vulnerable, however, without such laws, then the civis would be rioting in the streets over how powerless and scared they were of supers.


    Good people had died due to this and others were taken away unfairly. Somebody once said, ¡°With great power comes great responsibility.¡± This was a foolish idealistic way of thinking that was unfeasible in reality. Accountability was the problem, the civis were not to be held accountable even if they agitated things or started the fights in the first place. Protect the innocent? Who the hell would protect the Supers from the ravening hordes of normies? This was because Supers were held to a higher standard and better was expected¡­ no demanded from them. They were supposed to be perfect and infallible, but no one is perfect. They were all flawed and even broken in some cases. The impossible stereotype that they had to live up to was doing far more harm than good.


    The Hero League was dying. Poisoning itself, ripping out its own fangs and claws trying to appease those who could not be. They would always push and always find something wrong. Becoming deeply involved with the United Nations was the biggest mistake that Captain Liberty had ever done. It was supposed to usher in a new age of Super relations and help coordinate the efforts to keep the peace. Instead, it opened the heroes up to litigation and forced registration and arbitrary restrictions from people who had never fought a villain before in their life. From people who didn¡¯t even have powers. Before he did that the League was autonomous and acted outside of the jurisdiction of the host countries. It kept them safe from the laws and granted them immunities to the constant backlash. It was no wonder there were so many defecting from the rule of law.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    People died, it was a fact of life. Humans will always kill other humans, it didn¡¯t matter if they had sticks and rocks or tanks and laser rifles. People killed people all the time and no one bats an eye. A Hero kills a person and the damned city loses its mind trying to persecute them. Vira¡¯s father went like that. He was a good man and didn¡¯t deserve what they did to him. To think that it had already been ten years since he was dragged away. Vira never did see her father again, not after the trial and he was shipped. This was not even an uncommon story. Many of today¡¯s villains were the product of such things, prejudices, and unfair treatments.


    Normies would never understand Supers and they would fear and they would resent, as well they should. A new age was dawning. The birth rates of Supers had been accelerating over the past fifteen years. Given another twenty, maybe thirty years the normies would be in the minority. Of course, that is assuming nothing catastrophic were to happen. If something did happen to wipe out large portions of the population¡­ then the timetable would be accelerated. Once that happened, well it wasn¡¯t hard to see all the resentment and anger rebound back at them, along with fireballs and various other things.


    This was what Chimera aimed to stop. They were the lapdogs of the old world. That would mean Kraken were the heralds of a new world. If this was really such a good thing she didn¡¯t know. She cleared her thoughts, it wasn¡¯t good to think about those things. It wouldn¡¯t happen to Vesper, she wouldn¡¯t let it. She had already made contingencies and enough redundancies that everything should go as planned. If they came after her, then she was prepared for it.


    She followed the trail, erasing as she went. It ended at the manhole. Neon Nurse was too large to fit down there. She couldn¡¯t check first hand how far the bodies were dumped. Several robos detached from her and skittered through the tunnels. She watched through their feeds until they found what she had been looking for. Vesper had been clever and brought the remains to the sewer rats. Like this, it would take care of itself. They returned to her and the nozzle of the tube was pushed down into the opening. She emptied the rest of her tank in there. It beeped at her once the hose was pulling air and she switched it off.


    Finished, she looked around once more, she was not alone. She had not been expecting to see them, it was foolish of these two to be here. Neon nurse ignored them since they wouldn¡¯t tell. Seeing nothing more to take care of and the two familiar forms, staying hidden, the skittering army of cleaning robots returned, putting themselves back in the box.


    ¡°Finished already, Xava?¡± asked a robotic voice from behind her.


    The red glowing cycloptic eye on Vira¡¯s visor glowed. She was rounded at the stomach and had a hunched back in which drones fluttered about. Her suit had red veins coursing along it like blood. The two breathing hoses led from the helmet to her back as she huffed.


    Neon Nurse nodded, though she didn¡¯t turn to look, ¡°Did you do what I asked?¡±


    Vira seemed a bit shy about it, as one might imagine a young girl in her late teens talking to her crush. She shook and had her hands to her face. If she wasn¡¯t wearing a helmet, then one would likely see her blushing, ¡°I, I did Xava. Will¡­ will you link with me again? I did a good job. I want to feel your components inside of me again. My circuits get so moist just remembering the last time.¡±


    Neon Nurse coldly replied, ¡°No.¡±


    She drooped dejectedly, ¡°Please, please. Just five minutes. That is all I ask. It has been a whole month!¡±


    Neon Nurse crossed her arms, ¡°That was a mistake.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t like this before! It is that Wasp thing isn¡¯t it? She changed you, I remember spending days with our neural networks linked.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call her a thing.¡±


    ¡°It is like you love her or, or something, but, but she is a filthy organic! She can¡¯t understand your greatness, not like I can!¡± cried Vira.


    ¡°I do love her, unlike you.¡±


    Static electricity bristled through the air as a blue glowing figure decided to reveal herself and hovered down from the rooftop nearby, it was Spark Spray, ¡°That is a little harsh don''t you think, Xava?¡±


    ¡°Harsh?¡± Asked Neon Nurse looking the two over, ¡°I look out for you two, far more than you could ever imagine.¡±


    ¡°Just link with her a little bit. You have been being a serious prude lately. All you ever talk about is Vesper, Vesper, Vesper. Of course Vira is going to get jealous. Vira has been working really hard.¡±


    ¡°I know. I suppose she does deserve some sort of reward.¡±


    Vira latched onto her leg, pleading, ¡°Please, I will do anything! I want it, I want it! Put your positronic positor into my quantum motherboard!¡±


    Neon Nurse kicked her off and stomped on her. Normally one would be angry or hurt over such a thing, however, Vira was writhing in pure bliss. She was looked upon like scum, ¡°You disgust me.¡±


    The optical sphere had turned into a heart on Vira¡¯s visor, ¡°Thank you! Punish me more!¡±


    Neon Nurse shouted, ¡°Shut up! I will put my cords in your sockets later, so stop being so unsightly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Now get out of here before somebody sees me with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, Boss says that they wanted the encryption keys for the Hero League mainframe. To be specific the personnel files,¡± said Spark Spray.


    ¡°Very well, I will be sure to send them over. I am assuming she is trying to figure out who the Chimera agent is?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°It is Dreamer, Captain Metal, Panther, and Medavac is probably compromised as well. He is ex Chimera, so they likely brainwashed him before letting him go. Fire Chief has been acting weird¡­ actually thinking about it just about all of the city central personnel have been acting strangely. Ring Master went missing a while back too, though no one has been talking about it. Actually, I don¡¯t think many even know about it. Dreamer probably had him killed or something when no one was looking. She has effectively taken over the local Hero League branch.¡±


    Vira nodded, taking in all of the conversation, ¡°Boss says the operation will be soon, Nitro is finished up with L.A. and is coming to reinforce by the end of the month. Apparently, she is still playing games with the last couple survivors, She is having them fight to the death. The winner gets to join Kraken.¡±


    ¡°Sooner than I expected.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait, we will finally be able to let loose and fuck this place up!¡± smiled Spark Spray as lighting jolted out of her hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky. You two couldn¡¯t even handle the local heroes, Chimera is on another level. If I hadn¡¯t let you two go, then that bank heist would have landed you in jail.¡±


    ¡°We were fine.¡±


    ¡°Were not. Now let me tell you, I had to hijack Enforcer¡¯s neural net so that his aimbot was malfunctioning and tranquilize Fire Chief and you two still almost got caught. I even delayed them rushing in so that you two could get the funds transferred. If I had tried I could have easily bagged you two. Since I know all your weaknesses and can exploit them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, you didn¡¯t cause you are our leader.¡±


    ¡°And I am worried about you two. I made you, you two are my precious children. Just lay low until the operation. I have enough to deal with as it is, so don¡¯t make more trouble for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Xava,¡± retorted the two, looking down.


    ¡°Good, I will see you two when you get back to the hideout.¡±


    The two nodded obediently and flew off towards the Uptown area, leaving the streets cold and silent. Neon Nurse looked around, paranoid as her camera drones circled scouring the area for anybody that might have seen. There were no heat blips on the inferred and no motion out of the ordinary. There were no signals in the area so there were no cameras. Satisfied the suit warmed up and the jetpack lifted her into the air.


    Vesper¡­ we have to talk.

 Superficial Chapter 16

    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 16


    Tired, ugh. It feels like I was up all night. I rolled, clutching at my blankies and snuggled up, pulling them over my face. That is better. My bed was oddly warm as though there was somebody else in it. Just as my hand pat about trying to find this presence the bed shifted and somebody got up. Ah, it must have been Sunshine again. She has been sneaking into my bed lately. I grumbled and rolled over as a door closed. It sounded like the bathroom and sure enough, the familiar cascade of water from the shower started up.


    My head throbbed painfully at the sounds. I grabbed the pillow and buried my head under it, hoping to make it less loud. It was not working at all. My tongue scraped like sandpaper in my mouth, making me realize exactly how thirsty I was. Definitely not going to be able to sleep like this. I sat up, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the stabbing light filtering in through the blinds. Oh god, I know this feeling. This was a hangover. What the fuck did I even do last night?


    I remember I was with Ichigo, but then everything just kinda blurs¡­ well, whatever I will think about that later. I wiggled out of my covers and walked out, yawning. Blankly, I opened the fridge and stared at the contents¡­ somebody drank all my fucking apple juice! How? I had like four jugs of that shit in here. I pried open the pantry seeing if there was any waiting to be put in. Nothing. My tongue squirmed making a grating sound and I winced. Fuck it! My head shoved into the sink and the tap turned on full blast. Ah, that is more like it. The water flowed off of my tongue and filled my mouth as I gulped it down. My cheeks would fill to the brim and start to overflow and then I would swallow.


    Finally, I pulled myself out of the sink, must have drunk five gallons of water, at least that is how it feels. My head still felt like it was splitting in two while being held in a walnut cracker. My abdomen gurgled and I felt things moving around. Oh, gotta, gotta pee! I am not pissing in the damned sink, not again. This was a racing like a piss horse moment as I barreled into my room and burst into the bathroom. Sunshine fell behind the curtain in the shower, but got back up after a few moments. She didn¡¯t sound like she needed help, so I ignored her and shoved my abdomen into the toilet. Ahhhh, yeah, hhu haaa. Holy fuck this feels better than sex. I got on my knees it was so good. I rest my head against the wall just letting it happen.


    After what must have been a good two minutes the eh stream stopped and twitches with last spurts went away. I started to pay attention to what was around me. It feels like I am alive again! The little hairs on my body raised and it felt like I was being watched. I glanced over to the curtain and saw it moving, as though somebody hastily closed it. I got up and wiped myself, had to be clean, had to be clean. Oh, right Sunshine fell, is she alright?


    I loomed as she scrubbed herself in there. Well, it is not like this is the first time I have seen Sunshine naked, we took a shower together a couple weeks ago since we didn¡¯t have time to do them separately. So what if I was popping a lady boner, it was morning wood! And, and so what if it touched her a little bit and she touched it. We are just friends, friends. I would never do anything weird to Sunshine. This, this is normal we are both girls.


    I wonder if she is alright though, I mean normally she is all over me. I pried it open and there stood, well not Sunshine. That soft, luxurious body, so sparkly and magical¡­ that is not Sunshine at all. I quickly closed the shower curtain, embarrassed. Who the fuck is that? They had short brown hair and brown eyes. Oh, my god and cute little button nose with like three freckles on the left side of her face. My head tilted back and forth as I thought it over, who? Who? WHO?! Just when I was at my wit¡¯s end, I looked at the counter and there was a sky blue colored wig. Next to it was a case for colored contact lenses. Blue¡­


    I looked at the floor, seeing a tight skanky outfit that had red stains on it. It was like a school girl outfit, but like super slutty. The skirt was way too short and, and the panties were there too. I picked them up, stretching them with my fingers, oh I had forgotten how fun that was since I don¡¯t wear close anymore! Oh, the woes of being a wasp. My antennae twitched smelling a familiar scent, strawberries. Just to make sure, I put them on my face so that I could smell them even better. Hmm, hmm definitely strawberries.


    Don¡¯t tell me I got so drunk I got a hooker somewhere? My Super identity! Wait, no that isn¡¯t right. Everything clicked together, Ichigo! I ripped open the curtains wanting to hug her and a conditioner bottle smacked me in the face as she screamed.


    ¡°Get out of here you perverted cockroach!¡±


    She smacked me with a loofah and I slipped back on the wet floor, staring up at her. My eyes got wide as I drank in all of her glory! My goddess has descended from the mountain high! They canvassed every last inch, from her little breasts and cute belly button. I had the perfect view between her supple legs. She has such a wonderful little dick between her- wait a minute. Pe- penis? I stared. My mouth opened in shock. Maybe I just miss saw, yeah, that has to be it. I blinked a few times¡­ nope, definitely a manly appendage there. Ahh, it is so small, it is cute.


    Ichigo¡¯s eyes were twitching as she said, ¡°You saw my secret.¡±


    I scurried away like the bug I am crying, ¡°My life is a lie! Ichigo is a guy!¡±


    ¡°Get back here!¡± Screamed Ichigo giving chase.


    ¡°Ichigo is a boy!?¡± I retreated behind the bed covering myself with the blankets.


    I quivered there as the wooden scrubber beat at my hard shell. Mm, hit me harder¡­ eh, I mean what? Boy¡­ Ichigo was a boy. Wait then¡­ I sat up and pointed at the ceiling laughing, ¡°Haha! I fucking knew it! Take that Dad, I knew I wasn¡¯t gay!¡±


    Ichigo just sat there bewildered and stared at me. A trap, Ichigo was a trap this whole time. My boy love fantasies could finally come true. The ultimate forbidden fruit!? My tongue lolled in my mouth from excitement as I drooled and the vents burst open. Oh no, I might be foaming at the mouth here with lust. Ichigo is clearly the bottom, then, then I am the top! Take my eggs! No, no, but oh my god. I held my face as my junk thudded on the floor. My eyes were awash with desire. It could happen, it could happen, Bronsonman and Ichigo. It is perfect, such, such contrasts! The adorable cuteness and, and, and the hot bara manly man. Be still my beating hearts, be still.


    ¡®This is wrong Sub. It is a sin! A sin against the natural world and all that is holy!¡¯


    No, it is not, this is fine. It is perfect.


    ¡®This is rape, this is rape, Sub,¡¯


    You can¡¯t rape a boy!


    ¡®No, it is wrong.¡¯


    Breeeeeed!


    I held my head. It was hard to think at all. Ichigo wasn¡¯t running, I must have stunned my prey. Aha! An opening. I lunged and coiled around her, him, it, before they could escape. I don¡¯t care what you are Ichigo we are going to make beautiful babies together. Kiss me, do you taste like strawberries too? I puckered up, trying to steal a kiss as she resisted. I will be gentle. I swear, I swear, it will only hurt the first couple times. Once your little hole gets used to me and remembers my shape it will be like we were made for one another.


    A pain spread through my brain as though somebody were stabbing it with a hot knife. Oh god, it is being twisted?! I screamed, letting go of Ichigo and she escaped. I tilted to the side, unable to move my limbs. Owe, the hangover was back with a vengeance. Something was wrong¡­ this, this wasn¡¯t normal. It hurt way too much. My brain felt like it was going to explode in my head. The pressure kept mounting until it felt like my eyes were going to pop out of their sockets and then everything went black.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ~~~


    I jolted awake feeling a migraine and rubbed my face. Ugh¡­ what a hangover. I looked about the room wincing. What a weird dream. It was so hot though¡­ I wish it didn¡¯t end. I squinted and there was Ichigo sitting in a chair with her cat. She glanced at me and we made eye contact. Oh, right, we kept drinking last night cause I was feeling down after killing those people, huh.


    ¡°Ichigo,¡± I smiled crawling out of bed towards her.


    She stared daggers into me and I retreated against the wall. That is weird, my body just reacted on its own there. I stared at my trembling hands, fear? Why would I be scared of Ichigo? ¡°I am so glad that you are ok Ichigo. Was it all just a dream?¡±


    ¡°It was real,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Then you are a boy?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°I am and if you tell anyone, I will kill you.¡±


    ¡°How do you wanna be called?¡±


    ¡°She, obviously. I am going to milk this as long as I can.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°What about that you read minds?¡±


    ¡°I will kill you.¡±


    ¡°Why do you dress like a girl then?¡±


    Ichigo thought about it and smiled, ¡°Cause I am cute right?¡±


    ¡°Ah well, that is certainly true. Oh, is it cause you feel inadequate with such a small dick?¡±


    Ichigo got angry, ¡°It is not that small.¡±


    I smiled and poked at her face, ¡°Daaww, that is ok. Even if it is tiny I think it is adorable, it adds cuteness points.¡±


    ¡°It does?¡±


    ¡°MMmm,¡± I nodded approvingly, ¡°Ichigo. I don¡¯t really care what you are. All I know is I think you are just the cutest little thing I have ever seen.¡±


    Ichigo was staring at me, looking into my soul here. Ah, right she can read my mind after all. I am telling the truth you know, although eh¡­ I will probably be looking for a breeding bull to fuck my brains out. I am sorry, but my pussy is a greedy whore, so I highly doubt you would be able to satisfy me. Then again, I don¡¯t think most men could. The motion of the ocean only gets you so far. I mean, let¡¯s face it, my thumb is bigger than you, granted my thumb is like five inches long. That is not a bad thing though, I mean you are way cuter than most girls. I wish I could be as cute as you.


    ¡°You are making fun of me.¡±


    ¡°Am not, I would totally go down on you right here, right now, right this second if you would let me. I would gargle your mayo, swish it my mouth, rub it on my face.¡±


    ¡°You are a disturbingly perverted person.¡±


    I wagged my hand, blushing, ¡°Daww thanks.¡±


    ¡°That is not a compliment. Deviance leads to some grotesque things.¡±


    I sat there thinking, ¡°Well, I suppose so. Diminishing returns on the dopamine production and absorption in the brain. So it takes more extreme stuff to get one off and more of it. Come to think of it, it is exactly like drugs.¡±


    ¡°That would be an accurate assessment,¡± nodded Ichigo.


    ¡°So you gonna let me give you a nice mouth hug?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Please, I will toss your salad and jerk you?¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t give up do you?¡±


    I swirled my finger on the floor, ¡°Not until your belly is full of my babies.¡±


    ¡°I am not into anal.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, you just haven¡¯t had good anal yet.¡±


    ¡°I said no.¡±


    ¡°Please, just one time if you don¡¯t like it, I will never bring it up again.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ you wanna fuck me then?¡±


    ¡°I thought you said I was too small?¡±


    ¡°You are, but that doesn¡¯t mean my cunt won¡¯t rock your world, look at her, she is happy to see you,¡± I shifted so that my abdomen was between us, I was a little nervous, but I had already come this far.


    I was certainly in the mood here. The cavern of carnal desires was as moist as ever and it was all puffed up and proud. ¡°So what do you think?¡± I asked prying the muscles open so that Ichigo could look.


    I felt her eyes on me and trembled with delight. I looked away, blushing, Ichigo is looking at my naughty bits. I won¡¯t be able to get married anymore, unless it is to Ichigo.


    She gave a heavy sigh, ¡°Look, I am not the sort of person you think I am. I am not a nice person, I am not a good person. I am a cruel, evil and manipulative person and here I am actually feeling bad for you because you are so honest. Normally people¡¯s thoughts are so different than what they say and yet with you, it is like an echo chamber. I feel disgusted with myself even thinking about using you.¡±


    I perked up, ¡°So you like me?! Ichigo, when is the wedding? I will wear the suit, you the dress. You will be so adorable.¡±


    ¡°Vesper you are getting ahead of yourself. I am going to pay you back for saving me, but I don¡¯t know you well enough for this sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were a wild party girl and here you are chickening out.¡±


    She looked away from me, ¡°That is only a front cause I don¡¯t know how to make friends. I have never had a real friend in my life. People always try to use me or take advantage of me. Even you, you just want to use my body.¡±


    I opened my mouth and then closed it. Ichigo was right¡­ I did want to make love to her and lick her toes and stuff, but that wasn¡¯t everything. I mean, I wanna snuggle up under the covers with her and listen to her worries and the things that she likes. That sounds familiar¡­ Oh my god that is what Boris wanted to do with me.


    ¡°We should take this slow. I guess I don¡¯t really know what I want myself.¡± I said.


    ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°You have never had a friend, so let¡¯s start there. I am Vesper Walda Vasska, some people call me Vespidian and others Mecha Fairy. Pleased to meet you, I hope we will be best friends.¡±


    Ichigo started, ¡°I am Ichig-¡±


    She looked over and I looked at the door, Neon Nurse was there and she didn¡¯t particularly look happy. She was smiling, but it was twitching and obviously fake, ¡°Had a busy night?¡±


    Sparks, there were sparks going between Ichigo and Neon Nurse. Eh, why? ¡°Neon Nurse, how long have you been there?¡±


    ¡°Long enough. Vesper, we need to talk. I would prefer alone, but I suppose it pertains to you as well Ichigo.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°What eh, what did you wanna talk about. Me and Ichigo are just friends alright, we haven¡¯t even kissed yet.¡±


    ¡°So you mind explaining what you did last night?¡±


    ¡°We went out and got wasted.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡­ Don¡¯t tell me she knows. How? We cleaned up the mess and hid the bodies.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Vesper.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°Ichigo¡­ Ichigo and I are going to get married and have lots of babies!¡±


    She slapped me and I held my face, looking up at her. This was the first time I had ever seen her cry¡­ I didn¡¯t even know she could cry. She hit me again and I retreated, as she yelled, ¡°Why! Why can¡¯t you take anything seriously? Do you realize how much danger you are in?¡±


    My eyes rolled about like marbles as I tried to make sense of what she was talking about, ¡°Danger? What are you talking about?¡±


    She grit her teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t play stupid. Who do you think has to keep tabs on you? Me! I know you killed civis last night, I have the damned recordings!¡±


    ¡°But, but Ichigo got kidnapped and I had to save her.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so angry if you know already?¡±


    ¡°You lied to me! You are on thin ice already if this sort of stuff got out you would be shipped in a heartbeat,¡± she hugged me, ¡°If I was anybody else you would have been arrested already.¡±


    ¡°Arrested? But I didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°You killed Vesper, under only life-threatening circumstances are you allowed to kill. Even then you have to call it in to get permission first! You can¡¯t kill people Vesper!¡±


    ¡°My suit was all buggy it wouldn¡¯t even let me call for help.¡±


    ¡°I know and I am trying to figure that out, but that isn¡¯t the issue here.¡±


    ¡°We cleaned up the place,¡± said Ichigo.


    Neon Nurse jerked her head in her direction, ¡°You! This was all your fault, stay away from Vesper. You call that unsatisfactory job up to par? I had to go through and get everything you two missed. A simple black light would have revealed everything, let alone the crime scene analyzers that the investigation teams use.¡±


    ¡°You were there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course I was, somebody had to clean up your mess.¡±


    I put my fingers together looking down, ¡°Sorry¡­ thank you, Neon Nurse.¡±


    I thought she was going to keep yelling, instead, she made me look at her with a finger under my chin and then she kissed me. I had not been expecting it, it was a surprise attack and there was tongue. I pushed her off, covering my mouth, ¡°Neon Nurse?! What are you doing?¡±


    She hugged me again, ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose you, Vesper. I will do everything I can to help you in whatever way I can, but you have to listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Ok, what did you want me to do?¡±


    She guided my hand so that it rest on her breast, I looked awkwardly between her and Ichigo, who just silently watched, ¡°First of all, we need to get your libido in check.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°My libido? Why? What does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Vesper you are building up excess hormones and they are making you more aggressive and irrational. If you were to relive this pressure that is building up, then it will help you think clearer. Haven¡¯t you noticed an influx of emotions lately?¡±


    I tugged my hand free, ¡°I can take care of that by myself.¡±


    Ichigo finally spoke, ¡°Vesper, I think you should listen to her. I mean you tried to rape me earlier.¡±


    Neon Nurse looked at me with pitiful eyes, ¡°It must be hard. Vesper come on, I will take care of you. I know you don¡¯t want to hurt anyone. What would you do if you hurt Ichigo I know how rough you get.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t hurt her.¡±


    She looked away from me, ¡°You almost did though. It was frightening.¡±


    ¡°Ichigo-¡±


    She interrupted me, ¡°We will talk later. Just go take care of yourself. After you cool your head we will talk and figure out what we are going to do.¡±


    Neon Nurse smiled, having a firm grip on my arm and dragging me with her, ¡°Vesper, I know you are going to love this. I have a special surprise for you.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± I asked


    ¡°Just wait and see. It is your favorite.¡±


    My favorite? Now, what is she up to? Can I¡­ can I eat it?

 Superficial Chapter 17 Interlewd: Robo Pussy 5000 (Mature Content R18)

    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 17


    Interlewd: Robo Pussy 5000


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we take this someplace more comfortable?¡± Said Neon Nurse showing a lot of restraint considering that I know how badly she wants me. I feel that this is all just an excuse to get in my carapace.


    I nodded, following her back to her private quarters. We left Ichigo to, well go back to sleep, I guess. Not sure what she was going to do, but she didn¡¯t want to come. I kinda wanted her to watch though. This was the first time I had been to Neon Nurse¡¯s private room. A large bed that was soft and yet firm took up the corner of the room. Beside the bed was the transparent tube I knew to be her recharging and repairing station. A large screen filled the opposing wall, currently, it was off. Other than that, there was nothing really in here. No personal effects or posters or anything really. She took my hand, inviting me to the side of the bed.


    ¡°Let me just slip into something more comfortable.¡± She said. I didn¡¯t really get what she was talking about, but the wall opened up and she walked into the hidden room. I say hidden because if one didn¡¯t know it was there, then they would never find it. I couldn¡¯t really see what was in there, however, there were mechanical sounds and some hissing. Something tells me I don¡¯t wanna know what is in there.


    She reappeared, wearing the same sexy nurse outfit in which she had left in. The long black stockings and gloves, her ample sized breasts, letting the valley between them be seen. She looked different though, for one she was not wearing her helmet and oddly enough, she looked softer, especially her boobies, in fact, I am almost eighty percent sure they got bigger. I couldn¡¯t really put my finger on it, but something was definitely different. She walked over with a sensual sway to her hips, drawing my eyes to them. Did she always have such a fine booty? I started feeling self-conscious and thoughts of chickening out surfaced. I suppressed them and kissed her, it was a little half-hearted compared to earlier.


    ¡°Getting cold feet?¡± asked Neon Nurse, ¡°Don¡¯t hold back, Vesper.¡±


    Ah crap, she is on to me. I pushed her down on the bed, kissing her again. This time it had a lot more feeling. Our mouths squirmed and worked together and she invitingly opened her mouth for my tongue. I took her up on that and it wiggled into her warm and wet mouth. She sucked on it, taking me by surprise, holy fuck the suction on this bitch! She just lay there like a doll, letting me do as I pleased. My fingers dove between her legs and swirled around the mound. I could feel it puffing up and oozing some sort of lubricant.


    ¡°Go ahead, it is edible.¡±


    It certainly was not natural, this¡­ strawberry scent? I stared at my gooey fingers and licked it to taste. Sure enough strawberries. She flavors her secretions. Why is she prepared to take advantage of my Ichigo fetish? How does she even know about it? I haven¡¯t told anybody. Neon Nurse is a genius, but I feel her talents are wasted on such things. Well, no use fretting over it, I might as well enjoy it.


    ¡°You are so cute,¡± she smiled.


    ¡°Cute? I am not cute,¡± I blushed, looking away from her.


    She hugged me from behind, ¡°No need to be so shy. I think you are adorable and don¡¯t let anybody tell you otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I kinda needed that.


    She let go and took a step back, ¡°I have a treat for you, Vesper.¡±


    ¡°A treat?¡± I asked and looked over at her. She wasn¡¯t holding anything, but then I realized that there was something between her legs that had not been there just a bit ago. Somehow or another Neon nurse had acquired a penis, a long, hard, throbbing one that looked absolutely mouthwatering at that. I gulped, eyeing it.


    ¡°I know how much you like the male appendage, but you didn¡¯t want me to make a male body, so I compromised.¡±


    ¡°Is it fake?¡±


    ¡°It is synthetic yes. That just means that it will perform at peak operations for an extended duration. Also, unlike an organic one, it vibrates. So interested?¡± She coyly said, wagging her metal dong in my direction.


    Well, I would be lying if I said no here. I stared at the rigid head glistening as it dribbled lube like precum. There were little ridges along the shaft that would catch on the folds of a pussy and the bumps too of course. My first real dick¡­ this does count, right?


    Yes. It is attached to somebody, it counts. Now shut your whore mouth and suck that cock! Yelled Sub.


    Normally I would retort Sub, but she had a point. I licked my lips assessing her hungrily. Tentatively, I kissed the tip. My tongue squirmed and wriggled all over enjoying the feeling of her head. Her taste was of strawberries. She must know about my Ichigo fetish or else there was no way she would know to make it as such. I took it a little deeper, swirling my tongue around in circles. Pulling back it popped out of my mouth with a wet plop and a content sigh from Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Can you feel it?¡±


    ¡°There are pleasure sensors in it. Though it is different than what I recall from my old body. Then again, I did not have a penis then so the comparison is different.¡±


    ¡°So is sucking on this going to get you off?¡±


    She pat my head and ruffled the tendrils making my spine tingle, ¡°This isn¡¯t about me Vesper. Use my body however you like, to your heart¡¯s content. I am going to milk you dry and stroke all that frustration out of you.¡±


    ¡°But I wanna make you feel good.¡±


    ¡°Aww, that is sweet of you. But don¡¯t worry about me, I find satisfaction watching you enjoy yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    I slurped it back down and worked it deeper and deeper until there was no more to take. My antennae poked at her belly smelling her perfumed scent while I tasted the warm strawberry juice leaking down my throat. It was enjoyable to feel my mouth so full. Though I feel that this dick is a little smaller than my favorite toy, Black Thunder. My hands wiggled and grabbed her ass, squeezing the cheeks while I sucked and squirmed on her cock. Ohh, I had missed this. Fantasies and hopeless masturbation were one thing, but the real thing was just so much better. Ok, ok so it is a fake dick, but at the least, it is on somebody and not just suctioned onto the wall! I have been so damned lonely.


    I muffled, pulling off, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Why are you thanking me, silly?¡± she tilted her head to the side quizzically.


    I started to cry a little, ¡°You have always been there for me.¡±


    She put her hand under my chin and started scratching, ¡°There, there. And I always will be here for you. Because I love you.¡±


    ¡°What do you love about me?¡± I croaked.


    ¡°Everything. I love discovering the wonderful secrets of your body. I love how simple minded and yet complex you are. That glazed smile you get when you start daydreaming about perverted things or that little squeal that you make when you see something so cute you can¡¯t handle it. Oh, there is just so much about you that I adore. I find it very difficult not to just lock you away and keep you all to myself, you know. I love you and I would do anything for you.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± I cried.


    She smiled sadly, petting me, ¡°I know. You don¡¯t love me and you probably never will, but I have accepted that already.¡±


    ¡°It is not¡­ it is not like that. I do love you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to lie to me, Vesper. I know you are just sad about being rejected by Ichigo and using me seeking comfort.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    She kissed me and smiled, ¡°As I said use me to make yourself feel better. I don¡¯t mind being the rebound so that you can get your confidence back.¡±


    ¡°No, no that is not it, but it is, but it is not.¡± I swirled my finger on the bed, ¡°I kinda thought of you as my adoptive mother.¡±


    A look of genuine surprise filled her face, ¡°Oh, so then you didn¡¯t want to have sex before because it felt wrong?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°I am not your mother, however, I would love to be the mother of your children.¡±


    ¡°You really mean that?¡± I blushed.


    ¡°Of course I do. Just thinking about being the incubator for your spawn gets my circuits moist,¡± she smiled, petting my abdomen so that it opened up. Her fingers rolled around on my clit, making me shudder. She got close, kissing me while her fingers danced down below, working into me gently and sweetly. She broke off, trailing a little saliva and whispered in my antennae, ¡°I want your organic positor in my incubation unit.¡±


    I returned the affectionate kiss, holding onto her and pulling her closer. Down below I was already sopping wet and ready. The abdomen rubbed against her lewdly and she positioned herself for insertion. The tip pressed against my puffed up pussy and she slowly worked the head in. I hugged her tighter and my legs coiled around her ass, encouraging her to go deeper. She planted her flag into my honeypot, claiming me with a solid thrust. All the ridges along her shaft tantalized my sensitive walls while they contracted and loosened around her.


    I trembled and moaned, ¡°I love you.¡±


    She sweetly replied in her usual synthetic voice, ¡°I love you.¡±


    Her hips rose and fell, slapping against my carapace as she sailed down my love canal. She pursed her lips a little as my insides strangled her appendage, trying to keep it from leaving. My claws canvassed her sculpted form rubbing all over her, through her hair, along her arched back, and even cupping and grabbing at her breasts through her nurse outfit. She used my own hardened chest as an anchor point, holding herself up so that she could more easily hump down into my wanting hole.


    She smiled down at me, fucking me, lovingly and gently. I don¡¯t think that I could have asked for a more considerate lover. I curved my back pressing up into her. I wanted more and she eagerly increased her pace, pounding into me.


    ¡°That is it, faster, harder.¡±


    She did her best slamming her cock into me and then quickly retreating to repeat. We kissed again and she slipped out awkwardly. My cunt squirmed angry at the absence. She realigned herself, sliding delightfully back in. I wrapped around her, holding her for a long moment. This was lovely. My throbbing walls oozing and dribbling from the pressure. I felt that we could do better. As intimate as this position was, it was¡­ a little awkward. I put my finger to her mouth and she looked at me puzzled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s change position.¡±


    She pulled out and I shuddered from the scraping of my walls. Neon Nurse waited for me as I crawled onto all fours exposing my whorish hole for her. I reached back there and spread the lips for her, feeling it spurt with arousal and need. She slid up behind me, mounting the abdomen, grasping at the flanks of chitin. I watched over my shoulder, so sexy and hot. My vents creped open washing her in my musky scent, though I doubt it would have an effect. Her hands dived into the opened armor plates and she rubbed the soft exposed flesh beneath. I shuddered, wiggling with glee.


    She felt around until she had a good hand hold and grasped, digging her hands into the soft membrane around the base of the plate. She rubbed her robotic tool against me, teasing the trembling twat. She placed the tip in and held it there.


    ¡°Are you ready for your injection?¡±


    I nodded happily, ¡°Yes, give me my medicine nurse!¡±


    ¡°A hundred CCs of love stat!¡± She slapped my ass hard and thrust in, her hips grounded into my entrance.


    I screeched and squirmed as my legs wobbled. She took advantage of her grip and started hammering away. She thrust rhythmically, making a slopping sound from how wet my lower lips were. They spurted and gushed feminine juices out. Her free hand slapped my booty every couple thrusts making me clench and get tighter. The shaft trembled inside of me, pounding relentlessly. The bumps and walls clung to the ridges and held on tighter and tighter until my ovipositor had latched onto her dick, not letting go. She withdrew, pulling it with her. That didn¡¯t stop her though, to my delight, and she shoved herself back in. Her hips pistoned mechanically, increasing pace as my legs went out and I lay there while she rode me faster and harder with every thrust.


    ¡°Yes, ohhh Neon Nurse! Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t stop!¡± I cried, holding my face to the pillow.


    She hilted herself for a moment and let go of my abdomen. She slapped down with both hands, making me have a mini orgasm and my walls convulsed in delight. She leaned forward and grasped onto the back of my head. She yanked back, pulling me with her. I drooled helplessly, writhing as her tool slid even deeper than before. I felt my depths open for it hungrily, allowing it entry and grasping, sucking on the head that had managed to pierce my womb, the empty egg sac.


    Words didn¡¯t come. Instead a low gurgling, chirping, purring sound rumbled out of my throat and my tongue hung out wiggling. She tensed and then the cock buried in my core started to vibrate. My eye nearly rolled into my head from the pulsing pleasure. She started thrusting again and my womb was desperate not to let her go, descending part way with her. It clenched and squeezed, slurping on her hard cock, chasing it as it fled, and devouring it when she thrust back in.


    Her grip grew tighter on my head crest and the tendrils coiled around her fingers rubbing and worming out of my control. The sounds of her cock burying itself into my moist fuck hole was the only thing that occupied my head as it kept getting pulled back to the point that a normal person¡¯s spine would have snapped in half. I was face to face with her, though everything was upside down. My tongue listlessly slapped against my face and flopped about with her thrust. She smiled a little and sucked on my antennae sending my limbs into spasms. She rode me like an animal faster and harder, it felt so good like I was melting in her grasp.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± She asked, stopping abruptly.


    I was, I was so ready! My body squirmed restlessly grinding against her for more pleasure. She tortured me for a long moment while I whimpered with need. Deciding I had had enough, she locked lips with me and jammed as much of herself as she could into my pussy. It convulsed in glee, gobbling up her robo cock and spurting my juices. The womb entrance bit down in anticipation and was not disappointed. With the most sensual sound, I had ever heard come from her, Neon Nurse came inside of me. Our bodies locked together and trembled. It surged inside staining my walls with her syrupy goodness. My hips rolled unconsciously bucking back into her, milking her of her seed. My body wanted desperately to get knocked up. I wanted to have her children¡­ and yet I could not.


    My eyes rolled into my head as I came and my insides revolted against the invader. I drooled blankly as she let me go and slouched on the bed. She caressed my ass and rubbed all over the exposed white flesh. We were stuck together for a while. I don¡¯t know how long we stayed like this since my pussy quaked at even the thought of letting her go. Finally, though, she pulled herself out with a lewd pop and all manner of liquids flooded out of me. She lay there with me while I writhed in bliss.


    ¡°That was nice. I am glad that I was able to share your first time with you. Your ovipositor is clearly a superior organic mating implement.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I mumbled incoherently.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Take your time. There is plenty more where that came from. Since you enjoyed that I am sure you would enjoy my robo pussy.¡± She got closer and smirked, ¡°It is far more advanced. I even made a special model just for you.¡±


    Ohhh, that sounds amazing. I snuggled against her, her dick poking at my face. My tongue slunk out slurping at it. I would have started sucking on it for more of that delicious nectar, but she got up walking over to the desk. She filled up a container with water and a cup with protein paste.


    She offered it to me, ¡°Once you are rehydrated and replenish your energy reserves we can continue.¡±


    I shook my head, clearing away most of the post-orgasm fog, ¡°Lucky me, breakfast in bed. Seriously with service like this, I am really considering marrying you, Neon Nurse. I mean, I know we should take this slow or something and start off as girlfriends or something.¡±


    ¡°What about Ichigo? I thought you loved her.¡±


    ¡°I, I do, but that is different. She is fragile and I never actually thought I would meet her and be friends¡­ I have sort of been fetishizing her, without her consent.¡±


    ¡°I see, well your mind is strange after all. That is fine, Vesper I love you no matter what you become.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry I had been running away from you all this time.¡±


    ¡°You were scared to get intimate. No worries, we have plenty of time to grow closer.¡±


    ¡°I think I am ready,¡± I nuzzled up against her.


    She smiled, stroking my head tendrils, ¡°I would enjoy that. Not to worry, we are just getting started, my love.¡±


    Now I was really fired up and rearing to go again. I took her gifts and chugged down the water like I had been in a desert for a month. This paste tasted like¡­ well, her cum or rather strawberries. She smiled to my questioning look.


    ¡°Did you flavor it like your cum?¡±


    ¡°Why yes. Since you did not like the taste before I decided to experiment a little. Is it to your satisfaction?¡±


    ¡°Mmmhmm,¡± I nodded happily eating or rather slurping up the paste with my tongue.


    She smiled, ¡°Glad to hear.¡±


    While I recovered from our romp she seemed to zone out for a little bit. Her robotic cock withdrew into a compartment on her stomach. It seemed a little different than normal, so I asked.


    ¡°You been modifying your body for this?¡±


    Her eyes unglazed, ¡°Why yes, this model body was designed for sexual relations and as such is outfitted with some of my more advanced prototypes from my reproductive research.¡±


    ¡°So then you can switch bodies?¡±


    ¡°All components save my cranial casing are interchangeable and are a simple matter to replace.¡±


    ¡°Oh ok, I was wondering why you were softer than usual.¡±


    ¡°This is my prototype cyberflesh. It replicates the feel of organic while keeping a highly resistant and flexible meshing. Unfortunately, it is still a work in progress and does not hold up as well as my normal casing.¡±


    ¡°So if we get too rough it will break.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°So then you have a bunch of ready-made bodies around here somewhere?¡±


    ¡°A few,¡± she replied, looking to the wall with the secret room in it. Ahhh, that makes sense.


    I think we are ready for round two! Excitedly said Sub. Let¡¯s get a taste of that Robo pussy shall we?


    I nodded. I bet her whole fucking vag is coated with that strawberry stuff. I could hardly wait to get in there and tear that pussy up!


    I slid down her front, gazing upon her cute little pink hole. It is so lifelike. Underestimating the robo pussy would be a grave mistake. It might eat me. I probed at her a little, feeling it clench around my finger. I turned my hand upwards so that I could reach in there deeper and started stroking the insides with my middle finger. Neon Nurse liked that, trembling as I massaged her tightening walls. Can she actually feel it though? I mean, does it actually feel good? Well the cock had pleasure sensors so why not the muff?


    I worked my thumb into her and slowly opened the two fingers drawing a long gasp from her. I worked it opening and closing and every time she got a little looser. Finally, I pulled my claws out of her and sucked all the delicious juices off. She stared at me with anticipation, her legs wide open inviting me in. I wanted to play with her a little more though, no use rushing into the main event. I don¡¯t wanna be a one pump chump after all.


    I put my lips to her lower mouth and slurped, my tongue swishing up and down tantalizing her. She rest her hands on my head petting me while I dug in. The tip slid into her eager hole and darted back out drawing a groan from my cyborg lover. She bit her lip longingly. So fucking sexy. I slid in feeling the bumps and nodules stroking my tongue. The tightening and squeezing rings closed in on my invading flesh. Warmth and wetness oozed from all around as a throbbing vibration almost like the beating of a heart radiated from her.


    I had my fair share of play with my tongue before what with eating myself out, but it had never felt like an erogenous zone all its own. It had become so sensitive that every time I moved or she clenched it sent shivers down my spine and straight into my pussy. My antennae squirmed about drinking in her luxurious scent, oddly it reminded me of Astrea. This only made my body hotter and needier as my ovipositor crept out drooling while it languished below me, unused on the floor. My lower hands grasped it, stroking desperately. I really wanted to fuck this pussy.


    With a moist plop sound, I managed to free myself from her hole. It opened and closed in my absence, such a greedy thing. I bet it just wants to get filled and pounded and stuff full of cum until it can¡¯t even stay shut anymore. However, that was going to have to wait. Neon Nurse sat up and pat the bed. We traded places. I sat on the bed and she got on her knees, licking her lips as she stared at my thick member and dribbling hole.


    ¡°As much as I would love to allow you to continue, I believe this needs some hands-on attention. Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± she smiled gently, caressing my trembling membrane.


    Oh, that is good. ¡°Yes, a personal touch.¡±


    Her hand stroked up and down in a milking motion, ¡°This organic positor appears to be very, very backed up I will have to relieve some of the pressure. It could be dangerous if not treated.¡±


    Neon Nurse, where did you learn how to talk dirty? I pat her head approvingly. There wasn¡¯t really much else to do so I let her do her thing. She took my tube in both hands, stroking up and then down all while nearly worshipping it like some sort of pulsating god of lewdness. I could feel it inflating and getting larger as she went. All my worries seemed to melt and dribble out with every pass of her ever-increasing pace. Her eyes stared up at me, never breaking contact.


    Her supple hands glided over my throbbing flesh and the heat of her pace grew. She licked the tip, swirling her tongue in the entrance. Every pass went deeper and she took more of me into her mouth until she was unable to lick any more and switched to working me with her mouth. Her head tilted back and forth from side to side, much as a snake does as it swallows larger prey. All the while she never took her eyes off of my face, those glimmering glass eyes. Her tongue was still fervent, wiggling around underneath, and deliciously diving into the ridges of my throbbing tool.


    My claws tightened their grip on her head of golden hair and I worked her as a moan escaped my lips. Now that she was nice and loosened up she slid along my shaft as I pushed her back, pulling mostly out. Her hands stopped their mechanical stroking and coiled around my abdomen. They grabbed hungrily at my plates and she deep throated. My legs shook as she ascended up clear to the base. She was at eye level with my smaller, secondary vagina or rather my urethra. When I get more adventurous, I like to play with that too. It is surprisingly a lot like a pussy on the inside. My juices spurt onto her face, getting into her eyes and yet she didn¡¯t attempt to fight it, she blinked, wiping my feminine juices clear.


    I sighed contently while her throat vibrated a little. ¡°Such a good cock sucker. I can tell you have lots of practice at this.¡±


    She gurgled a little, trying to talk. It felt pretty good as I forced her to keep going with a pressing hand on the back of her head. She wasn¡¯t choking or gagging or anything, as far as I knew, she doesn¡¯t need to breathe. This was the sort of thing that I could seriously get used to. I am starting to wonder as to why I had been so apprehensive about this. Most people would be jealous over having my own personal sexbot¡­ well cyborg, but hey she likes it. Something tells me my lonely nights are going to be a lot less lonely.


    Her hands let go for a moment as she felt around the floor. I didn¡¯t really know what she was doing down there until she brought up a pair of robo snakes. Uh oh. Now I remembered exactly why I was fearful of this. She placed the first at the entrance to my urethra and it took all of a second to push inside and start fighting my clenching walls.


    ¡°Not the snakes!¡± I cried.


    I grit my teeth and reached for it, but she swatted my hand away. The wriggling increased and a sudden shock made my hips jump up and then go a little numb. The damned thing was shocking me! My insides revolted, attempting to push it out with pleasurable contractions and pushes. This was a battle that I was losing and fast as her throat started sucking, distracting me. Neon Nurse could suck a bowling ball through a garden hose. More of it slithered in and I fell back gasping.


    ¡°Oh god,¡± I whined.


    Neon Nurse muffled something or other. Kinda hard to understand her while she is stuffed with my member. Speaking of which it is a good thing she doesn¡¯t need to breathe, she had been at this a good five minutes now. I writhed helplessly from the pleasure of her suction and the movements of the invader. I felt her probing at my ass and then I remembered that there were two snakes. I sat up only to flop back, moaning as it forced entry with a copious amount of lube being injected from the front of the thing. It wiggled and wormed while I bucked my hips involuntarily, but she was glued to me, latched onto the abdomen so that I could not get away.


    I came, trembling and thrashing on the bed. She sucked harder, milking me as her throat came to life. Each segment moved independently from the rest, stroking and squeezing a separate part at different rates. Oh, fuck! AHH Ohhh Awwww yeah! She forced another orgasm as I screamed incoherently. I panted and moaned, drooling and squirming. If her fucking mouth is this good, how amazing is that robo pussy?!


    She held herself there coaxing out every drop into her devouring throat. Satisfied now that the fight had left me she unhilted herself with a wet slurp. The snakes were still rooting around in my insides though. Every time those slick bodies wormed about I unconsciously clenched around them which made them slow for a moment, but when I relaxed again they would continue.


    ¡°Did you enjoy my oral harvesting subroutine?¡± she asked with a somewhat glazed and plastic smile.


    I nodded, ¡°It was wonderful. Where did you learn how to suck dick like that?¡±


    ¡°It is not hard given the correct components and programming. Glad to hear it was satisfactory.¡±


    ¡°It sure beats beating off by myself.¡±


    ¡°My services are always available to you to relieve your stress, Vesper,¡± she said, looking down at my drooping tube and gently stroking it. It responded twitching and inflating again with animalistic need, ¡°Oh my. What an energetic response. I will need to palpate the region to ensure that the swelling is only temporary.¡±


    ¡°It is sensitive,¡± I bit at my lips as she pampered it.


    Her hands were slick with my own juices as she stroked along the shaft until it had grown rigid and throbbing once more. ¡°Seems to be worse than my initial calculations. Preparing main harvesting port.¡±


    She was talking all robo on me here¡­ not sure if it was more of a turn on or not. It is a little detracting from the moment sometimes. I mean, I know that she is a robo freak that more or less wants to replace her body with machine. Still, I always found it odd that she has an alien fetish and wants to be inseminated. Am I taking advantage of her or is she taking advantage of me at this point? I guess it would be a mutual exchange. To each their own, best not look the gift sexbot in the port storage unit.


    She pushed me down and straddled my hips. We scooted back on the bed so that we would not fall off. She positioned my throbbing insect meat to her now drooling hole and started rubbing. I bit my lip as the warm lubricant oozed and dribbled all over. Slowly she ground against me, getting the tip to push and stretch her warm and invite passage open. With a sudden squelch, I entered her honey pot and she froze, trembling and vibrating. Her mouth slightly agape with visible pleasure. It lasted only a moment before she moved again and her supple ass slid down inch by inch, taking me into her depths.


    I groped at her breasts and my lower hands sunk their claws into that sweet robo ass. Her fake flesh bent to my rough play and didn¡¯t tear or break. She licked her lips, gazing into my eyes and slowly she lifted up having only gotten about halfway. I kneaded at her silken flesh like dough, ohh so lovely. I got a better grip on that robotic booty and started pulling her back down. She moaned and we got even farther. Her juices spurting out to aid in my stuffing of her hole. With a final thrust from my end and her slapping down, we were finally linked together. I filled her to capacity and then some, bottoming out in what I could assume to be her womb.


    I could feel the mechanisms tightening and spasming around me. We sat there for a long moment. My pulsing member filling her. She leaned over kissing me and I returned it affectionately coiling an arm around her head to keep her there. My tongue wiggled into her and she sucked it down, right out of my mouth and into her throat. We were connected and it was wonderful. Words were not needed at this point.


    Her ass slid up to the point that I almost got dislodged from her. Our eyes locked and then she thrust down with a slick thump as she hit the bottom again. Her mouth tightened and she sucked on my tongue more fervently. My hands clenched onto her supple ass and we started.


    She squat up and down on my ovi. She pistoned like a sex machine, stroking my length with her cock melting insides. It was a lot hotter and wetter than I thought. Every movement became faster than the last at a set interval and all that I could do was hold on for dear life or this robo pussy was going to be the death of me. She unlocked our lips, letting my tongue trail and flop out. Repositioning a little so that she was now riding me in a very dominate fashion. Her hands caressed my hardened chest and she had that look that meant this was about to get rough real fast.


    Uh oh, I became the Submissive in this relationship!


    Shut that cock sucking mouth of yours, you know you like it!


    It felt too good to even respond. She continued riding me at a manic pace. My grip on her ass used more to try and slow her down at this point than much else. The searing pleasure building and churning. I trembled, nearing my limit and then a new sensation came about. It was slow at first a rotating, squeezing, and throbbing coming from inside of her love tunnel. As she slid up and down faster, it increased as well. Like silken vices, compressing and contracting at different segments and rhythms that alternated.


    I screamed, ¡°Neon Nurse!¡± Thrusting as deep into her as I could and shuddering all over uncontrollably as her pussy kept forcing my ovi inside of itself. She moaned delightfully, but didn¡¯t stop. My spunk filled her and oozed out the sides from her sloppily, thrusting into me. She pulled out by accident and gyrated to a stop, trying to realign me and missing as my syrupy cum spurt all over her back. She let out a disappointed groan, quickly giving up on trying to put me back in rather switching back to her mouth to clean up my leftovers.


    I panted as her warm mouth slurped and slickly slid up and down, guzzling down all the juices. Stroking me a few times for good measure, she let go and I coiled up, spent. She had cum all over her face and down her back.


    ¡°What a waste of samples. This would not have successfully inseminated me. We need to practice,¡± She frowned.


    ¡°Give me a little break here I am thirsty,¡± I gasped, realizing exactly how dry my mouth was.


    She stood up and soon returned with several water bottles. I took them and gulped them each down before sighing contently and laying back on the now soaked covers. There was lube and bodily fluids just about everywhere. Neon Nurse sat next to me and lifted up a syringe. I gave it a long stare and right as I opened my mouth to ask what it was she slipped it in, injecting the contents. It didn¡¯t hurt, but damn, give me a little warning or something.


    I rolled my tongue which had gotten the majority of it, ¡°What is the big I-¡±


    A burning sensation spread through my veins and I trembled as it flowed to every part of me. My ass and secondary pussy clenched around the snakes inside of them drooling my arousal. It felt like my holes were chewing on them. I leaned back moaning as the snakes were ejected and they squirmed across the floor. My hands clutched at my chest as I huffed all of my hearts beat faster than normal even for this sort of thing. The ovipositor emerged and quickly filled with my blood, gorging obscenely thick and sensitive. A lightness filled my head and a need filled my thoughts.


    Oh my god! I just want to cum so bad! Screamed Sub, thrashing around in my head, she was sticking her dick in just about everything she could get claws into.


    My hands grasped my member and stroked it wildly while others dove in my holes fingering them. I wanted to fuck, to be fucked! Desperately I craned my neck and sucked on my own tip working down my hungry maw as the hands glided up and down the membrane. It wasn¡¯t enough! My hungry eyes fell on Neon Nurse who sprayed something onto herself. The scent¡­ this debaucherous and entrancing aroma! Astrea?! I followed the scent straight to Neon Nurse, my feelers rubbed all over her, basking in the wanton musk. I shuddered twitching uncontrollably.


    She is so fucking sexy you smell it too don¡¯t you!? Cried Sub, sounding downright hysterical. Fuck her, fuck her, please fuck her! I just want to breed that bitch!


    I twitched unsteadily. Sub, Sub was right.


    ¡°How wonderful so the mating pheromone does work prop-¡± Started Neon Nurse before I threw her onto the bed.


    This bitch wanted to fuck, to breed! I could smell it. She wants my eggs, she needs them! I thrust into her with a solid single motion. She gasped as my hands dug into her flesh clenching to the point that her fake skin ripped open, exposing the metal beneath. I pulled harder, thrusting into her with a resonating thud from smashing into the back of her metal womb. My mandibles clacked together, making a strange growling purr. I took a deep breath wallowing in the scent of my mate as I draped myself over her body. My claws and talons locked into place around her so that she could not escape. Why would she want to? She was in heat, she needed to be fucked and filled and ravaged!


    My abdomen bugled and started jackhammering into her wanting hole. She wanted it, she needed it! I sucked at her neck, mandibles nibbling and chewing at her. Her hole rotated and vibrated enticing me to go harder and faster. The room filled with my growls and her moans, all the while the slapping and frantic pounding of my carapace against her hardened chassis. I couldn¡¯t think at all, all that I wanted to do was fuck and fill this hole with my seed.


    My grip grew tighter and tighter on her limbs, pulling incessantly as this whore took every inch of me. I could feel my impending orgasm. I pushed it to the back of my mind. Increasing my speed and ferocity. Her pussy clung to me and squirt before she writhed, screaming as sparks shot out of the neon lights and several of them broke, shorting out. I didn¡¯t care though this was a pussy made for fucking. I pulled hard, bottoming out to the very core of her body, feeling my tip turn and even roll over itself to let more inside of her. It wasn¡¯t enough! It wasn¡¯t enough! I pulled harder getting even more in, to the point that it was doubling back thrashing inside of her. I howled as I came and yanked with a feral lust, her arms tore clean off.


    Though she groaned, wobbled and fell forward her gluttonous hole kept stroking and milking until even her pussy froze up. My hands coiled around her hips and I thrust her back down like a sex toy forcing out the second orgasm as it filled her and her stomach bloated. Everything became hazy as I, as I kept raping that hole, pumping it full of my seed. It felt so good. That was all that matter that sloppy, dribbling twat was all that mattered in the world.


    More, more, MORE!


    She was mine, all mine! This breeding bitch was mine. I wouldn¡¯t let anyone else have her. Her pussy squelched with my jizz as it flooded out while I kept thrusting even while I came. My insides churned and contracted, pushing for something that was not there. I wanted to fill her with eggs, but there were none. My claws dug deeper into her flesh with frustration as her body limply worked back and forth servicing me. Take my babies you bitch.


    She fell flat and I lifted her leg so that she was sideways before shoving back in. She moaned convulsing as my ovipositor slammed into her depths incessantly. All of our juices had made it so moist and lewd, while our bodies smacked together. I couldn¡¯t stop myself, nor did I want to. I licked her foot, sucking on it and started nibbling at it. I pushed harder and harder gritting my mandibles as a leg snapping orgasm poured into her abused hole. I howled as her leg bent in half sparks spraying from the mechanical joints and her pussy tightened again, but only for a moment. It had gotten so sloppy and loose at this point. There was no resistance, she had given in and submitted for breeding.


    I don¡¯t know how long I kept fucking that sweet robo pussy, but it must have been a long, long while. Eventually, I toppled over. The only thing that stopped me was fatigue. Too, too tired to thrust. I lay there, shuddering, spasming and still cumming inside of that cock devouring cunt. I coiled around her broken body our genitals still swollen and fused together. The world began to darken and at last the burning lust faded.


    (the commission I had done for this scene is on the Discord and Patreon ^^)

 Superficial Chapter 18

    The Vespidian


    Arc 8 Superficial


    Chapter 18


    Mmmm. I feel so fulfilled. My eyes peeked open and I yawned stretching. I must have fallen asleep at some point. My hands canvased the bed, bumping against some soft flesh and I coiled around it. It smells so good here, ah the smell of my mate. Neon Nurse, mm, mm. So soft and warm- ow something just shocked me! I sat up, looking her over¡­ she was missing her arms and a leg! I picked one of the arms up and tried to put it back on. It didn¡¯t work and fell back off. What vile fiend did this to you Neon Nurse?! Oh, oh right, it was me, I did this!


    ¡°Neon Nurse! Are you ok?¡± I asked, shifting her so that we were face to face.


    She is just a torso! There were claw marks all over her and the fake flesh was ripped and gashed in a few places. Though surprisingly the head had been left mostly alone. There were a few bald patches where I can assume I yanked at her hair too hard and pulled it out. The missing leg laying across the room was missing several chunks out of it and had bite marks. It was even missing half the toes! Even the boobies had bite marks and oh no, the left one was missing the nipple! Was I eating her?! What the fuck is wrong with me?


    What have I done? I guess I nibble¡­ I will have to keep that in mind. I don¡¯t think that I will be able to have normal sex or at the least not with normal people. I would likely have to go for the bondage stuff to restrain myself from getting out of hand. I hope Neon Nurse is alright, she was just laying there. I hovered over her. She looked at me blankly and opened her plush lips. She didn¡¯t say anything and closed them after a short moment. She seemed disorientated and not entirely all here. Most of the lights on her had burnt out and her eyes were even more lifeless than usual.


    I shook her a little, ¡°Neon Nurse, snap out of it!¡±


    She blinked, drool leaking out of the corner of her mouth. I stroked her face gently and she blinked again, ¡°Mmnh. Oh¡­ Ve¡­ Vesper.¡±


    She limply leaned against me and I felt like I wanted to cry. I broke her, I broke Neon Nurse! ¡°Talk to me, please!¡±


    She jerked a little and her stumps sparked as they rotated helplessly. She shivered uncontrollably, ¡°That was¡­ lovely.¡±


    Right, right, she is a hardcore sadmaso after all. Is Neon Nurse actually more pervy than I am¡­ nope. Though she does try. She leaned in and kissed me. I retreated, but she was incessant and flopped onto me, dragging herself along my carapace. Ow! Stop that your wires are shocking me. If she is doing that then she is fine, right? I picked her up and laid her flat on the bed. She stopped resisting and her eyes looked at me with expectations. Between her thighs looked particularly lewd and juicey¡­ I ignored it. Normally I would be aroused seeing these big titties and that messy place down there, yet I wasn¡¯t. In fact, my lady bits hurt a bit at even the thought of getting hot and ready.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°I am functional, Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Your arms and a leg are off though,¡± I said, picking one up and placing it next to her.


    ¡°They are exchangeable. Are you satisfied, my love?¡±


    I nodded. I don¡¯t feel horny at all and Sub was passed out in there. I think she went comatose so¡­ yeah, I think I am satisfied. I don¡¯t remember fully what happened after she injected me, but seeing how rough of a shape she is in, it is pretty easy to tell things got out of hand.


    ¡°Neon Nurse, are you sure you are ok? I am sorry I did that to you,¡± I rubbed against her affectionately.


    ¡°Xava,¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Call me Xava, it is my real name.¡±


    ¡°Xa¡­ Xava?¡± I replied a little unsure.


    She licked her lips and wiggled so I picked her up, ¡°Yes Vesper, I love you.¡±


    I hugged her, ¡°I love you too.¡±


    She nestled in against me and nipped at my neck, ¡°This body is annoying, help me change back into my normal one.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Hold my head.¡±


    I did, gently holding it and she closed her eyes. I was about to ask what to do when it suddenly separated and the beaten torso fell lifeless onto the bed.


    The head wiggled, ¡°Ahhh, much better. It was hard to think with all those broken sensors clogging up my neural net with redundancies.¡±


    ¡°So you are really fine?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You are so sweet. I am fine my dear. Come close,¡± she whispered, I did and she kissed me again.


    This was a lover¡¯s smooch and we enjoyed it for a bit. My tongue explored her and she kept wiggling. We were like teenagers just smacking lips and hotly tongue wrestling in each other¡¯s mouths. I pulled us apart after a short while, mostly cause I needed air and she wouldn¡¯t let me have it otherwise.


    ¡°Neon¡­ Xava. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± she licked her lips, ¡°of course Vesper. Take me into my refitting room.¡±


    I took her to the wall and it opened once she got close enough. I carried her in and looked over the dimly lit workstation. On the wall, there were headless bodies held in place like suits in a closet. All of them wore her tight white nurse outfit that was made of a pliable metal. Black arm length gloves covered each arm and below were the black stockings and boots. The skin was grooved and had the neon lights embodied, however, none of them were lit.


    ¡°Just get the first one,¡± she said and I did, lifting it down and laying it so that it was sitting upright.


    I placed her head on the neck, lining up the grooves and inner attachments. It snapped into place, rotating until it fit properly. The pink lights glowed and she shifted, looking over her hands as she wiggled the fingers. Slowly she got off of her knees and stretched the legs. She cracked her neck a few times and clapped her hands with a smile.


    ¡°Much better! I can move again. I can¡­ hold you again.¡±


    She stroked my face and cupped my hands, nuzzling against them. Neon Nurse is being weird. I don¡¯t remember her ever being this affectionate. I guess I did usually run away or hit her with something if she started trying to put the moves on me. This, this isn¡¯t so bad. I could get used to this sort of thing. Wait we had some raunchy sex, does this mean we are like a thing now?


    ¡°Are we?¡±


    ¡°Are we?¡± She asked, cocking her head.


    ¡°You know¡­ going out now?¡± I asked not entirely sure why I was so embarrassed, but dammit I was.


    Her eyes lit up and she put a finger to my lips, poking it in, ¡°I would love that Vesper. Whenever you feel your urges again, come to me and I will be sure to take care of them.¡±


    ¡°We are dating, right?¡±


    Xava just smiled, ¡°Is that what you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I think? We can have sex when I want, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, well, maybe not whenever, but if it is appropriate, then I will be happy to accommodate you,¡± She smiled, though seemed a little down as she continued, ¡°Was it only physical coupling that you wanted from me?¡±


    Why would she feel sad? Wait does she think I only want sex out of her? I worded that poorly.


    ¡°No,¡± I said, ¡°Of course not. It is not just the sex, though it is a big plus. We could cuddle and watch movies together¡­ if you want.¡±


    ¡°That sounds nice. It appears someone is waiting,¡± said Neon Nurse turning to the door.


    I looked over and Ichigo was there. I wonder how long she had been there. ¡°You guys finally finished?¡±


    We nodded and she entered the room proper. She avoided the bed, with good reason there was lubricant and my liquids all over it. She took a long look at the dismembered body that Neon Nurse had been in. Now that I think about it, this place looks like a murder scene out of a horror movie. Definitely, definitely can¡¯t fuck normal people. I would be on the most wanted list in a week.


    ¡°Excuse the mess,¡± said Neon Nurse as various robos emerged all over, cleaning up the room.


    ¡°Glad I didn¡¯t try to seduce Vesper. It would have been easy, but definitely not worth it,¡± said Ichigo with a troubled smile.


    Neon Nurse frown, ¡°So, you were after her.¡±


    ¡°It crossed my mind. Though clearly, my body would not hold up to her amorous pursuit. Nothing to do about it, I suppose, you can have her.¡±


    ¡°I can have her? You make it sound like you own her and she has no free will.¡±


    ¡°I am saying I am no longer interested in that, it was a good show you two put on.¡±


    I covered myself, ¡°You, Ichigo¡­ you watched?¡±


    She nodded, not particularly concerned, ¡°I was a little interested. I watch, it is sort of my thing. You two are kinda cute together, you know?¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Mmhmm, I understand. Ichigo is a cuck.¡±


    ¡°What?! Am not. Geez, Vesper, it is always weirdo stuff with you. Then again, that is why you are interesting to watch.¡±


    ¡°Says the pervert who was watching me and Neon Nurse making sweet sweet love.¡±


    ¡°If you call that lovemaking, then sure. You were more like a ravening beast tearing her apart and using her.¡±


    Xava interjected, ¡°It was very passionate.¡±


    I looked between the two, ¡°We should have a threesome.¡±


    They both stared at me and at each other, then looked away, ¡°NO.¡±


    ¡°EH!?¡± I glowered, ¡°It will be fun though. Just no pheromone stuff.¡±


    ¡°I am not sharing you,¡± said Neon Nurse with her arms defiantly crossed.


    ¡°I am perfectly fine watching. I am just a normal person, unlike you two,¡± said Ichigo, looking away.


    ¡°You are not! You read minds¡­ oops. Sorry, Ichigo.¡±


    Ichigo stared me down, ¡°Are you serious!? You are so loose-lipped!¡±


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    Xava nodded, ¡°I already know, Ichigo.¡±


    She gave Neon Nurse a surprised look, ¡°You do? Wait, what the hell even are you, anyway? You are not human, definitely not human. You are a robot, right? This has been bugging me for a while now, since I can¡¯t read your mind properly!¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Oh, please don¡¯t flatter me. I am a cyborg, not a machine.¡±


    Ichigo was giving her an assessing look, as though she were made of solid diamond, ¡°If you are not a robot, then why can¡¯t I read your thoughts?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± she replied, ¡°Good to know that my neural dampeners are working against mind based supers. I was actually wondering as to how I was going to test them properly. Tell me, what do my thoughts feel like?¡±


    I didn¡¯t really understand what they were talking about. Ichigo closed her eyes, thinking it over, ¡°Slippery, like an eel. Also, it feels like the thoughts are but echoes bouncing off of a distant valley.¡±


    Neon Nurse nodded, ¡°I see. Thank you for your feedback.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It means that it will be very difficult to read her mind, let alone mind control her,¡± said Ichigo.


    ¡°Mind control? Wait, you can do that Ichigo?¡±


    ¡°No, I am talking about if somebody else tried, like a Mind Diver.¡±


    ¡°I would hope so,¡± said Neon Nurse, ¡°It was with Mind Divers in mind that I created this defense measure.¡±


    ¡°A little paranoid?¡± asked Ichigo.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± replied Neon Nurse.


    Ichigo nodded and sat down cross-legged, ¡°Ok, so I think we need to get to the bottom of some things. Normally I would be perfectly fine leaving things as is, but somebody has their eyes on me and that means that I can¡¯t just leave it be.¡±


    ¡°You trust me now? How curious,¡± said Neon Nurse, sitting as well. Not wanting to be left out I joined the little circle.


    ¡°No, but seeing as how Vesper is on the list as well, I can trust your affection for her will make you help us.¡±


    ¡°List?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I overheard the kidnappers talk about how Mecha Fairy was on the list as well.¡±


    ¡°That is certainly a problem. Do we know who made the list?¡±


    ¡°No, but we know somebody who does.¡±


    ¡°And who might that be?¡±


    Ichigo glanced at me, ¡°Caroline Vasska.¡±


    ¡°EH! My mom?! Why would she know?¡±


    ¡°Your mother is in the know of a lot of the less scrupulous things going on. You ever wonder why she never sticks to any idols for very long? You ever wonder why most of the idols that were managed by her go missing within a month to a year of being transferred to another manager. Granted, usually, they are only gone for a week or two, but when they get back they act weird. And then there are the ones who just vanish.¡±


    ¡°I see, we will have to question her then, won¡¯t we?¡± said Neon Nurse with some very dangerous eyes.


    I looked between them, ¡°You think my mom is in on it? Look, I don¡¯t like her, but this seems a bit much right?¡±


    ¡°It is complicated. She is more or less being coerced into it. She doesn¡¯t like it, but she doesn¡¯t have much of a choice. Naturally, she doesn¡¯t know that I know these things. Which is why it has been very easy to get information from the inside.¡±


    ¡°So she is being blackmailed? It should be pretty easy to force her to help us,¡± said Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Not blackmail, death threats and ones that they will follow through with. The suicide by two bullets to the back of the head and getting dumped off a bridge variety.¡±


    ¡°So then we have to ensure her safety or else she will not give us anything.¡±


    ¡°That would be the problem.¡±


    ¡°We are screwed then, aren¡¯t we?¡± asked Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Not necessarily. We just have to pull at her heartstrings a little.¡±


    ¡°You mean,¡± said Neon Nurse and they both looked over at me.


    Eh, what? Is there something on my face? Me? Uh oh. They are not thinking what I think they are¡­ are they? I have a face not even my mother loves, you know! I complained, ¡°No, no, no! There is no way in hell I am showing my face in front of her. She hates me. That will make things worse.¡±


    ¡°She is just in denial, if we worked at her a little, then we would get through to her. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have your mother back, Vesper?¡±


    ¡°Well, sure I would love to have my mom and dad back together, but I don¡¯t know about this.¡±


    ¡°If Caroline helps us then we could figure out who to take down.¡±


    Neon Nurse sat there thinking it over, ¡°I am afraid that it is not that simple. I assume your plan was to get them arrested and taken to court?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Ichigo, ¡°We are going to kill them. They are far too powerful and influential to trust judges or even the prison system to actually hold them. As the rules of the rich and powerful say, Laws for thee, not me. In the meantime, we are going to be killed in retribution for even attempting this. We need names and we need help. I have a few trump cards up my sleeve, but I would rather not use them if possible.¡±


    Xava nodded and stood up, ¡°Normally I would oppose your opinion, however, with the state of things I am inclined to agree. We can¡¯t trust the justice system here, and if we just leave it alone, they will keep sending people until Supers start coming after you two. Still, we need to know exactly who we are up against. I have a feeling I know one of the key figures in this, though it will take a bit more digging.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡± asked Ichigo.


    ¡°¡­ I¡­ Vesper, please leave the room.¡±


    ¡°What, why me?!¡±


    ¡°It is for your own good.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, you are terrible at keeping secrets,¡± replied Ichigo.


    ¡°So, so! If I don¡¯t know then how would I know not to follow said person into a van that said candy on the side?¡±


    Xava sighed, ¡°You are not that stupid, are you?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Then you will be fine.¡±


    ¡°But, but I don¡¯t like being left out.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but you have to promise me that you will not act unless we are with you.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Ok¡±


    ¡°Dreamer, might be involved in this. I am about eighty percent sure, but that still leaves room for error.¡±


    ¡°If it is Dreamer, then why did everybody make me get that sponsorship¡­ wait that makes sense. I heard one of the goons say that a Super wanted to rip my mind apart and she is the only Mind Diver in the city. Wait so we are going to kill Dreamer? I mean I hate her, but is that really necessary?¡±


    Neon Nurse rubbed my face, ¡°If only the world was a bit different, you could have been a real hero. We will kill her, it is too dangerous to leave her be.¡±


    ¡°Is she that dangerous?¡±


    Both of them replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ichigo elaborated, ¡°If Mind Divers are left alone, they increase their powers exponentially by creating an army of loyal slaves who they use to capture and convert more people. Of course, this is assuming they are strong at minimum a Rank 6 and even then this a time-consuming process. Unless you were really really strong, then it takes weeks to fully brainwash somebody. However, Dreamer only has so many she can get her hands on so, we should be fine for now.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just kill her, now since we are already plotting to anyway? She is only going to grow stronger as she sways more people, right? What if a bunch of the people connected to this are only doing it cause she is forcing them to?¡±


    ¡°We need to find out who the clients are and the wear abouts of those who were taken. If we kill her, they will scatter like roaches and it will be nearly impossible to track all of them down,¡± said Ichigo.


    ¡°We need to flush them out of hiding so that we can start picking them off. Dreamer by herself is nearly useless. She will be as easy to kill as a normie. It is those around her that we have to watch out for. She will be guarded by Supers.¡±


    A realization dawned on me, ¡°Sunshine¡­ oh, fuck me, Sunshine! We have to save her.¡±


    Both Ichigo and Xava said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But it is Sunshine! We have to save her.¡±


    ¡°If we try to save her it is going to set off warning flags and we will be found out. Besides, she will likely turn on us if we do try to save her,¡± said Ichigo.


    Neon Nurse pat me, ¡°Vesper, we have to be very careful here. Sunshine was made by Dreamer, to begin with, so really there is no saving her. She has been under Dreamer¡¯s control since the beginning. So if you think about it, she won¡¯t do anything to her. Why would she? Sunshine is not in danger right now, but if you recklessly try and free her, both you and her will be.¡±


    I felt some tears welling up, ¡°Sunshine, we have to save her, we have to, we just have to.¡±


    Ichigo smiled, patting me too, and even ruffled my head tendrils, oou stop that. ¡°We will save her.¡±


    ¡°She is my best friend. She was the only one on the Junior team that liked me and I don¡¯t know what I would have done without her. We cried together, we bathed together like twice, I even let her use my mint flavored dental floss one time, she let me sleep on her imagination clouds and cuddle with the kittens, and, and she shot me with dick lasers. If that is not what friendship is, I don¡¯t know what is.¡±


    ¡°Dick lasers?¡± Asked Ichigo.


    Neon Nurse just sighed, ¡°It is a Moon Sailor thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, I never did watch that show.¡±


    ¡°Really? We should watch it together sometime. It is a fun show,¡± I said, holding her hands.


    ¡°I suppose we could. Though we have much more pressing matters. Speaking of which, Caroline is downstairs,¡± Ichigo remarked.


    ¡°She has likely come to pick up Ichigo and you, Vesper since you never went to work today.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°Go get your suit, Vesper. I and Ichigo will start up our conversation with her.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t it record things?¡±


    ¡°No, I have disabled that feature for the time being.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok. Be gentle alright?¡±


    ¡°We will see,¡± replied Neon Nurse.


    Eh, I don¡¯t like the sounds of that. I hope we can convince her.


    I went to go get my suit from my room. It didn¡¯t particularly take all that long, but I was afraid of revealing myself and ruining the semi-friendship that I had sprouted with my mom. It was nice talking to her and not getting things thrown at me or yelled at and beaten with plastic penises¡­ ok, ok that only happened one time, but it fucked me up. It was all going to be over, she would treat things like before. I ended up eating some ice cream to calm my nerves. After a tub or two¡­ ok three, I went back. When I arrived, they must have already told her most of everything and were in the bargaining phase.


    ¡°Caroline, we need your help. Vesper and I are being targeted.¡±


    ¡°So, so it is really her?¡± asked Caroline, staring at me.


    ¡°Yes, it is Vesper,¡± replied Ichigo, ¡°Remember how we talked at length about how your daughter had been stalking me.¡±


    ¡°I do recall.¡±


    ¡°I can attest first hand that her obsession didn¡¯t go anywhere. Although, I actually find it rather cute. She has pictures of me all over her computer and even has the same picture of me as a fairy as her background. It is her favorite.¡±


    ¡°You were on my computer?¡± My privacy has been invaded! I hope she didn¡¯t find that folder¡­


    ¡°Well, you were busy and I had to do something while you two were passed out,¡± she said and then mouthed silently, ¡°What folder?¡±


    That is not fair! Stop reading my mind!


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± said Caroline, looking me over, ¡°So she has been with the Hero League this whole fucking time and nobody told me?!¡±


    ¡°We told you, or rather tried,¡± said Neon Nurse eyeing her venomously, ¡°Go on Vesper show your mother.¡±


    ¡°Vesper¡­ is it really you?¡± she asked with pleading eyes.


    ¡°Yes, Mom, but I am not really me anymore. The me that you knew is long dead. I have changed a lot, but I still remember you and dad. I see you are still wearing the watch I gave you for your birthday.¡±


    She touched it, ¡°Tell me something else, from your childhood.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well I don¡¯t remember too much from back then,¡± I replied thinking it over. ¡°Oh wait. I do remember something. When I was eight or maybe nine, me and some of the neighbor kids were running around out by the hill in the back. We found this giant beehive and being stupid kids threw rocks at it. One of those fucks tripped me with a stick cause I was faster than them and I ended up getting swarmed. I must have gotten stung like two or three hundred times and dad had to take me to the hospital. Oh, right, that was when I developed my hatred for hospitals and a phobia for needles since they kept injecting me with stuff. Oh yeah, remember when I was like five or six and couldn¡¯t say stick and kept saying dick?¡±


    Mom looked like she was about to cry, ¡°It, it is you. Vesper to think you were so close. Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have believed me if I did tell you.¡±


    ¡°Oh god, how bad is it? You said you don¡¯t have skin¡­ we will find a plastic surgeon and get you skin graphs. We will fix this, we will fix this Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Mom, that is not going to help. I really appreciate the thought, but it is far too late for that. Well, I guess you should see,¡± I said, holding back my apprehension.


    The suit unbuckled and lifted up gusting steam through the room. I stepped out, looking away from her, fearful of the soon to come screams and violence. I waited and waited, wincing and yet they never came. I peeked, my bluish black carapace was in full view, there was no mistake. I looked over at her and Mom had a very blank face, it was like she was dead inside.


    She started laughing, ¡°I- I see. So it was like this. So Saar was right all along. It really was you all along. I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter anymore, we are all going to die anyway.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh fuck!¡± She held her face as though coming to a realization, ¡°If they sent a capture squad after you, then you caught the eye of important people. They won¡¯t stop and seeing as how you are here, then that means you killed the extraction people. Oh fuck me, we are dead. We are so dead. They are going to fuck us, with no lube and sandpaper razor dildoes, that is how fucked we are!¡±


    Ichigo replied, ¡°Stop being so dramatic. Just tell us names and we will deal with it.¡±


    ¡°De-deal with it!? Do you know who you fucked with?¡±


    ¡°The mayor and the local Hero League,¡± said Ichigo, crossing her arms.


    She started laughing hysterically, ¡°The Mayor! Haha, Oh that is good. You are looking way too small on this. This is bigger than that. We are talking Government, like CIA, like Chimera, global human trafficking rings, The U.N., Congressmen, and Senators! The President of the United States for fuck¡¯s sake!¡±


    Well, now I am scared. I didn¡¯t think it would escalate so quickly and to such a degree. I think we are in trouble. Is this that out of the frying pan into the fire situations? But there was a silver lining there. I nodded, ¡°Hmm, so wait are you tell me the President wants to fuck me?¡±


    Xava slapped me on the back of the head, ¡°Vesper now, be serious.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± I rubbed my head.


    Neon Nurse was thinking it over, she didn¡¯t seem too worried about this. Finally, she put a finger up, ¡°Oh, I already knew about Chimera, I suppose that CIA and the President would come with that as well. Really, there is no difference between the Government and Chimera. Well, that doesn¡¯t change too much, it was going to happen eventually. For now, we should focus on the local pieces and deal with them.¡±


    ¡°You can do that. I am leaving with Saar and¡­ if Vesper wants to come as well she can choose.¡±


    ¡°You are leaving?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You think I am going to stick around to get killed? I never thought I was going to have to go to South America so soon.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave,¡± said Ichigo.


    ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t leave?¡±


    ¡°If you try to take off, they are going to know you know. So the best thing to do would be to act like you don¡¯t know. That is what me and Vesper are going to be doing.¡±


    ¡°You are assuming they don¡¯t know already. They ordered a retrieval and it didn¡¯t happen and their men went missing, they are going to know something is up. These are very careful and meticulous people with almost unlimited power and resources, we can¡¯t fight this.¡±


    ¡°If they are so connected, then why do you think you can run? There is no choice here, we have to fight, trust me, I would rather not have to deal with this,¡± said Ichigo with a rather dark expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± cried my mom. I wanted comfort her, but I get the feeling, touching her would be bad. We are not that close yet.


    ¡°Your best odds of survival are with us,¡± Ichigo smiled, clasping her hand onto Caroline¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about selling us out either, I will tell them you tipped us off and I will drag you down with us. And don¡¯t think you can lie to us, I will know. I read minds.¡±


    ¡°Wha-what are we going to do?¡± she shivered.


    Ichigo nodded to Neon Nurse, ¡°Set a trap.¡±


    I am getting the distinct impression that they know things that I don¡¯t. Wait a minute, a trap needs bait¡­ who is the bait? It is me, isn¡¯t it¡­ Why am I always the bait!?

 Art drop 2 and update

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 Interlewd: Sugarbug (R18)

    Interlewd: Sugarbug


    I sat on the roof looking out over the city. The end of another boring day. Isn¡¯t there something I can do? I can¡¯t really think of anything and I am not on the clock. Maybe I should just sleep more? No, that is boring too. What is with me? Why don¡¯t I have a life? Oh no, I am reverting into a waste of space, basement dweller with no friends! This calls for desperate measures.


    I could really go for some dick right about now.


    ¡®I was thinking Chinese food¡­ wait dick!? Sub who the fuck would fuck us?¡¯


    I was thinking we should hit up Medavac.


    ¡®Medavac eh? Hmm, now that you mention it, I wonder what that guy is packing down there.¡¯


    Why don¡¯t we find out?


    I nodded in acceptance, well, I got nothing better to do and I am getting rather horny these days. A good dicking is probably what I need. Now the question was where was old Medavac anyway? I peered over the side, looking for the dropship. I didn¡¯t see it. He has to be here somewhere. Wait, don¡¯t I have his number? I tapped at my helmet scrolling through the hud¡­ too confusing. Oh wait, there it was.


    I rung him up, after a moment or two it connected, ¡°Hello? Who this?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Medavac. It is me, Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Oh Sugarbug, what is up?¡±


    ¡°You doing anything tonight?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Why, what did you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Did you wanna do that date and fuck?¡± I asked.


    He thought it over, ¡°Sure where did you wanna eat?¡±


    ¡°Chinese?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. Where you at?¡±


    ¡°The Fire Station.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will be over in about five minutes.¡±


    ¡°See you then.¡±


    I, I did it! It was so easy too, why didn¡¯t I do this earlier? Is this really a good idea though?


    Hey now, none of that. Don¡¯t you dare chicken out on me. This is no strings attached fuck buddy stuff. It is not like we are in a relationship.


    ¡®I know that Sub, but-¡¯


    No buts, we getting laid so stop being weird about this. This is nothing serious, it never has been.


    ¡®True, true. Alright. I wonder what his dick looks like though¡­¡¯


    We are about to find out.


    I sat waiting and soon enough the hovering craft appeared between the lit up buildings. The sleek white outside was angled to reduce wind resistance. The thrumming of the engines gusted wind out away from it as it lowered. The back dropped down and I climbed in. The steps lifted up, sealing behind me. It had been a little while since I had been in here. The interior was larger than it seemed from the outside. I had a good two feet of head clearance, which is nice since I usually have to duck through most doors.


    The sides had strap chairs for easy deployment of the paramedics and a folding operation table. Varied medical supplies were stowed away above the chairs. I was actually surprised that there was nobody in here. Usually, this place was packed with paramedics in case a call came in.


    I walked to the front and there was Medavac sitting in the pilot chair. His bulky armor frame had large shoulder pads and thick limbs. It was a military grade combat medic suit after all. The chair that usually had his copilot in it was empty. The dashboard had a control stick and buttons with gauges. I sat down looking over the controls and making sure not to touch anything.


    ¡°Sugarbug did you wait long?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Where is everybody?¡±


    ¡°I sent them home. Can¡¯t have third wheels and the like.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Makes sense. I guess we got the place all to ourselves then.¡±


    ¡°Did you wanna eat first or¡­¡± he trailed off laying the large hand on my leg.


    I pat it smiling, ¡°Oh, well when you put it that way, what did you have in mind? Is it true that men lose their libido after they eat?¡±


    ¡°If you overeat yeah. You ever fuck in the sky before?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I have.¡±


    ¡°Well, welcome to the mile high club,¡± he winked at me.


    It was rather nice to have somebody else take charge and lead the way. I sat there watching as the ship rose higher above the city until the lights were distant. The stars glimmered above and below the cityscape pulsed with moving patterns. It was very pretty, actually with scenery like this, this was romantic as hell. If only there was chocolate and roses. No, no, no this is just no strings fuck buddy. There is no need for romance.


    The ship leveled out and stopped. It hovered as Medavac got up, holding my hand. I followed along as he led me into the back. He popped down the folding gurney and set it up. Medavac sat down opening the visor and he smiled at me. For once he was not smoking a cigar.


    ¡°So you sure about this?¡± He asked.


    I hesitated, this was moving too quick. Or was it? I mean we had been talking about it for a while now, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°You are cute when you are shy you know.¡±


    ¡°Who is being shy?¡±


    ¡°You, you haven¡¯t even taken your helmet off yet.¡±


    Oh, he was right. I unbuckled it and lay it facing away. I turned back to find Medavac with his hand under his chin assessing me. ¡°What, is there something on my face?¡±


    ¡°No, it is the first time I have seen your face. Up close anyway.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡±


    I got closer, looking him in the brown eyes. He had stubble on his gruff chin. He used a finger to make me turn my head from side to side and I raised an eyebrow. He just smirked and put the finger to my lips. After a moment he poked it in and made me open my mouth. My jaws spread as his thick finger played with my tongue. He peered in there and after a moment, pulled out trailing some of my drool.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just curious. Subhumans always have strange anatomy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you should have just asked,¡± I smiled and unhinged my mouth. My tongue wiggled as he caught it. I shuddered while his fingers worked it.


    He massaged it a bit longer making me squirm, ¡°It is sensitive eh? Pretty long, too, I bet you enjoy blowjobs.¡±


    ¡°Mmmhmm,¡± I purred.


    He let go and it took a little bit for me to stop drooling and close my mouth properly. I was actually disappointed that he stopped. While I was still out of it, he leaned in and kissed me. It was rough, dominant, manly. My legs rubbed together as I coiled around him. I returned the affection probing at his mouth with my tongue. It was warm and wet and juicy. Our lips pushed and smacked as his hands wrapped around the back of my head and mine around his.


    He had a minty taste, clearly, he had brushed his teeth recently. It was a good thing that I had as well. Still, I could detect the hints of his cigar. I sucked, squirming my tongue to go deeper, but he stopped me. His tongue wrestled mine back, fighting it back into my mouth. Though my tongue was longer and stronger, his was thick and unyielding. They rolled about connecting us. It felt good rubbing and writhing together.


    I panted when we broke off, ¡°That was nice.¡±


    ¡°With a mouth like that, I wonder what you are like down there,¡± he said, reaching down and firmly grabbing my suit¡¯s crotch.


    ¡°Well, it is a bit different.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Care to show me?¡± he asked, blowing on my antennae.


    My face grew hot and I meekly nodded. It was arousing and embarrassing. I knew that it was a good idea to go after the experienced man rather than going after those green kids in the scrub squad. Hmm, although that does sound fun, going virgin hunting. I bet I could seduce them. I might try that out sometime. Food for thought.


    To the task at hand. I unsealed the suit and stepped out, uncurling my abdomen from behind me. I looked at him nervously and he didn¡¯t seem scared or anything. That is good, kinda been getting used to people freaking out. It makes me a bit self-conscious. Medavac had that ponderous, assessing look on his face again. He stepped forward and put his hands on my breasts. He seemed surprised that they were hard. He swirled his fingers in the middle.


    ¡°No nipples?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why do you have boobs if you don¡¯t have nipples? They are hard too, it kinda defeats the purpose.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It is weird now that I think about it. Maybe it is like fat reserves?¡±


    ¡°Show me your booty. Don¡¯t tell me that thing is a lie too.¡±


    I turned away from him and bent over so that he could get a good look. I lifted up the abdomen since it was getting in the way. I watched him from between my legs and he ran his fingers along the crease in my exoskeleton. He had a very perplexed face and he kneaded at my ass cheeks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t have a pussy.¡±


    ¡°I do. It is in here,¡± I said, wagging my abdomen for him to see.


    His hand lifted up and caught it. My vents crept open, exposing the sensitive place. I couldn¡¯t see his face, but I could feel his fingers as they explored. His thick finger circled my pussy, rubbing the crease as it started dripping with arousal. I bit my lip as he found the erect clit and rolled it between his thumb and finger. I squirmed from the pressure and pleasure.


    ¡°Like that?¡± he asked, noticing my trembling.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He worked his middle finger in. Prodding and wiggling it from side to side in order to loosen me up. That was one thing about my pussy, no matter how I toyed with it, it always got super tight again if left alone for a day or so. Luckily though it was easy to get me moist and self-lube. Otherwise, masturbation and sex would be painful things, well without lube.


    I squirmed, biting my lip as his digits slipped inside. He flexed the finger inside, scratching my inner walls and bumps. He dug at the sensitive walls working back and forth. I pleasantly panted, oooh, he really knows where to poke. He fingered me pulling out and then pushing it back in. After several ins and outs, he worked a second thick finger in. I tightened around it. After the initial invasion I loosened up and he started banging me again.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    My honeypot was thoroughly stirred and dribbling everywhere. He popped free and licked his fingers. Medavac didn¡¯t say anything, but smiled, so I can assume I taste good. He got his thumb in me and slipped a second, then a third finger in. Mhmm. He opened his fingers and my hole gaped as I moaned. He was spreading me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any teeth,¡± he said as he looked inside of me. This was embarrassing, don¡¯t look so closely.


    ¡°Teeth?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I have seen some things.¡±


    ¡°A coochie that bites back. Sounds scary.¡±


    He slapped my ass. Groping the cheeks while I tightened up on his fingers. Hey, stop that, you are changing the subject. I let out a disappointed sound when he slid out and my pussy twitched at the absence. Why did he stop¡­ I didn¡¯t actually want him to stop. He was just teasing me here. I rubbed against him, I wanted to cum you know. He just pet it like an eager animal, smirking at me. It was frustrating.


    ¡°Why am I the only one naked?¡± I asked irately, I wanted him to suffer too.


    ¡°Ah right, you wanted the dick huh, here you go,¡± said Medavac, unsealing his suit.


    He wore a black undersuit and unzipped it, peeling it off so that he was completely naked. His pecks were rock hard, no, more like steel. He was an Endurance Super after all. Ah, right, I forgot that his skin was like this. He was still soft, but there wasn¡¯t any give to his skin. The old man had a bod that would make most people jealous. I poked at his nipples, they were hard as diamonds. I am jelly, why do men need nipples? It is not fair.


    I refrained from going too touchy-feely and watched as he pulled the rest of his suit off. Come to think of it, this was the first time I had seen him out of the suit. I was half starting to think that he couldn¡¯t take it off. I could see the line where his legs had been amputated a bit above the knee. Neon Nurse had done a good job on the cyborg legs, they looked almost real, though the texture was different and the tone was off. He was a bit more tanned than the fake flesh.


    Finally, I gulped and gazed between his legs. His dick hung there, not even hard and yet it was bigger than a lot of men. It had to be a good six or seven inches flaccid and it was thick too, this was no pencil dick. Though there was something odd about it, there were three rings of bubble-like protrusions. I stared at it and then looked up at him.


    ¡°What is with the bumpy dick? Is it some sort of horrible disease?¡±


    ¡°Disease? No, I am clean.¡±


    ¡°Then what the fuck is wrong with your dick?¡±


    ¡°It is ridged for your pleasure,¡± he winked at me.


    ¡°Is this natural?¡±


    ¡°No, Neon Nurse hooked me up.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you requested this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she put subdermal implants in.¡±


    I cringed, ¡°That sounds like it hurts.¡±


    He thought on it, ¡°Not as much as you might think. Besides, that was only for a few months after the operation. Totally worth it. I even tested it out on that sweet robo pussy of hers.¡±


    ¡°You fucked Neon Nurse?¡±


    ¡°I have fucked a lot of women you know. Yeah, we have sex off and on. I test her toys out sometimes.¡±


    ¡°True, true. So what is with the dick?¡±


    ¡°It would be better to feel it than for me to explain.¡±


    I smirked, ¡°Oh, mystery, magic cock eh? Alright, I will give it a taste.¡±


    He chuckled as I got on my knees, ¡°I am sure you will like it.¡±


    My antennae twitched, drinking in his masculine scent. He was a bit sweaty from being in that suit. Personally, I liked the musky aroma of body odor. Just smelling it made me moist. I nuzzled against it, rubbing his hot flesh against my face. The slippery tongue snaked out and licked his smooth balls. The salty taste filled my mouth as I lavished the swollen spheres, pulling the sack all the way in and sucking. His hands drifted down to my head, getting a good hold. My lips pursed as I worked them, rolling my tongue over them. His cock pulsed and rose, getting hard as it sat on my face. Mmm, I could drown in his scent as my antennae coiled around the tip and wallowed in his musk.


    ¡°Oh, where did you learn that?¡± he groaned as I tugged at his balls.


    I pulled back, letting him go for the moment with a wet slurp, ¡°I practice.¡±


    ¡°On who?¡± he asked.


    My hands lightly stroked his shaft while I licked it, ¡°Toys mostly,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh, just toys? What a dirty girl. I bet you have lots of wild fantasies while masturbating. With skills like that, I was thinking you had been sucking the Juniors off on a nightly basis.¡±


    ¡°No, just toys. Though it has crossed my mind.¡±


    ¡°I could get used to this sort of service. How about you come practice with me rather than playing with toys from now on?¡± He stared down at me with playful, but serious eyes.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be cheating on me?¡±


    ¡°If you are draining my balls every night when will I have time to?¡±


    ¡°Every night, eh? You think you can satisfy me? I am pretty fucking pent up you know.¡±


    ¡°Is that a challenge?¡±


    ¡°It is old man,¡± I nipped at his dick playfully.


    Medavac laughed, ¡°You will be calling me Daddy by the time we are through.¡±


    ¡°Going to be my sugar daddy huh?¡±


    He pat my head, rubbing his dick against my face, ¡°A naughty girl like you needs lots of treats.¡±


    Now that his cock was hard as steel I could see exactly what had been done to this thing. The thick head had a crown of the hardened nubs at the base. Midway down another ring circled all the way around with the bubbles and about three inches from the base was a final ring. The dick must have been around a foot or so long, it was still smaller than some of my toys. I think it was thicker in a few spots though. Something tells me Neon Nurse made it bigger in addition to the add-ons. Due to how it was shaped there were thinner points between the rings, such a lewd thing¡­ I could hardly wait to get it inside of me.


    My mouth opened wide and I slipped the tip in. It was a formidable opponent, but I took it with little problems. My mouth had been well trained already after all. I closed my lips around the base of his head and my tongue attacked, slithering and slathering my spit all over the man meat. My hands started working the shaft, while one reached around and grabbed his ass. Gotta pinch that booty. He jumped a little at that while my fingers kneaded and squeezed.


    Working side to side, I rolled the cock in my cheeks, swishing it, and slurping. His grip on my head got tighter and he pulled wanting me to go deeper. I blinked a few times and took a deep breath before swallowing his dick like a snake. My lips smacked as my head worked left, then right, pulling itself down his shaft. I stopped when the head pressed against the back of my throat. It tickled the base of my tongue and eagerly shoved trying to fuck my throat. I relaxed and my throat allowed it entry. I squirmed as the tip pushed through and then the shaft got smaller, making it easier to continue.


    ¡°You, you do practice a lot!¡±


    I gurgled and moaned, trying to reply and he laughed, ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t reply, kinda hard stuffed with dick. My throat vibrated around him and I kept going. My lips had already devoured the middle ring and I coiled my tongue around the shaft, pulling it deeper. My ass clenched greedily just imagining this dick sliding into my pussy. My abdomen slid between my legs and the idle hands that had run out of room to stroke his cock dove down working my hole.


    I moaned and he tugged making me go deeper. The middle ring pressed against the throat and after a long moment pushed passed. My fingers slipped fast in and out of my pussy. He held my head and started pushing out. My other hand grabbed onto his ass and I shoved forward, taking every last inch. He moaned from the sudden pleasure and had gripped my head, holding it still. Though I couldn¡¯t move, I didn¡¯t want to. My mind felt foggy and my throat muscles swallowed and gulped obscenely, trying to take the dick deeper.


    Pleasantly, I purred, rumbling my neck and my tongue slid out. It cupped his balls, coiling around them and pulling them into my now unhinged mouth. My lips clasped shut, sealing him into my moist maw. I sucked and pulled, cross-eyed at this point. It felt so good to be so full. I sat there on my knees, my ass humping so that my abdomen rubbed against the floor. If only I had another dick to fuck myself with while I sucked him off.


    Mhmm, cock, cock, tasty cock. It felt like my eyes were going to roll up, I needed to breathe and so I pushed his balls back out with my tongue. He groaned as I gulped around his cock, my neck muscles loosened and I sucked down air, still not letting his dick go. It was my prisoner, my meal. My lips kept pursing and sucking at the base of his shaft. As good as this felt, I knew that there were better things.


    My head shifted to the side and I stretched, feeling the ring get caught in my throat. It pulled and tugged until it came free and I pushed off of him, freeing more of it from the confines of my mouth pussy. I pulled off until it was just the bulging tip of his head that was left in the back of my throat. His cock trembled, pulsing with his heartbeat. I closed my eyes for a long moment, enjoying it there. My tongue rolled and I let it go, pulling back and it escaped my mouth.


    ¡°Did you enjoy my mouth hug?¡± I asked, looking up at him.


    He nodded, ¡°Yeah, though you stopped too soon.¡±


    I giggle, ¡°Who said I was done?¡±


    ¡°Oh, good girl, keep at it Sugarbug.¡±


    I smiled, kissing the tip before sliding it back into my mouth. It pushed back in stabbing into my accepting throat. I slurped and sucked lewdly so that juices and moist sounds escaped my mouth. I love the taste. I tilted and slid down the shaft all the while his gruff hands held onto my head. He sighed contently as I pulled off and then slid back down. My tongue squirmed, rubbing against his length while I sucked, humming. I shuddered every time the ring got caught in the back of my throat and popped through. It only made me go faster and fuck my mouth harder on his inhuman cock.


    My head bobbed and lurched slickly gliding along the shaft. My throat had been molded into the shape of his dick and no longer even resisted. I could feel him getting harder and twitching. He was close, so close. I pushed forward until he bottomed out once again. My neck contracted and squeezed it in a milking motion. It slurped and sucked desperately, trying to devour him. His member pulsed and throbbed.


    ¡°Oh, fuck!¡± He moaned and tensed up.


    I kept my head there, bottomed out for a moment. I pulled back so that it was lodged firmly in my mouth and my hands started stroking his shaft. Bottom righty cradled his balls and started palpating them in a milking motion. He came and his legs nearly buckled as I sucked. His dick bulged as his cum shot into my mouth. I didn¡¯t swallow as it pumped and twitched filling my mouth. I almost came as the fishy taste washed over my tongue and I nearly drowned in the manly flavor.


    After the last twitch, I let him go. He sat almost laying back on the gurney, ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever seen somebody so cock starved.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± I gurgled, I was still enjoying his juice.


    He sat up and looked at me. I swished his cum about in my full cheeks. I held my face relishing my meal and his dick inflated again. It filled my eyes and I licked my lips. More for me?


    ¡°Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I dragged my eyes away from his red-hot rod of lust and managed to look him in the face.


    ¡°You dirty girl. Does it taste good?¡± He smirked.


    I nodded and opened my mouth, showing off the creamy goodness. My tongue bathed in it and I finally swallowed, gulping it down with a glazed smile.


    ¡°Come here Vesper, I need to reward you,¡± He patted the fold up bed and I sat on it.


    He pushed me over so that my abdomen hung over the side and I was curled up looking over my shoulder at him. His fingers worked into my juicy pussy. I huffed and panted as he stretched my hole open. Slowly and meticulously he teased it until it was drooling. His thumb kept pressing and rubbing my bitch button. I held myself as my hearts pounded in my chest. It was here, it was time.


    I wiggled as he held the appendage still and pushed his huge cock against my hole. I moaned, pressing back against him. I was ready, I wanted it. Gimmy, gimmy, gimmy! He pulled me back as the wheels creaked. It pushed pressing hard until my pussy yielded. I screeched as that crowned cock squelched into me. Big! It is hot. My mouth parted as I moaned and panted. He pulled back out, letting my pussy tremble. He pushed back in taunting me as he pulled back out.


    ¡°Stop that! Just fuck me will you!?¡± I cried, pushing back towards him.


    He smirked and thrust his hips. I gasped, feeling his cock get caught at the middle ring. I tried to relax the muscles, but they kept clenching greedily. He grabbed my leg and used it to anchor himself. With a grunt, he slammed his cock into my cunt. My hands clawed at the rails, bending them. He lifted me up and I slid all the way down onto his shaft. The last resistance broke as the final ring of bubbles slipped inside of me. My arms and legs coiled around him locking into place.


    Different, this was way different than toys! I panted, moaning as my insides writhed around him. I closed my eyes and set my chin on his shoulder. My breathing was shallow and quick. Damn his inhuman cyborg cock and, and those ridges! The bubbles, the bubbles! His hands squeezed my ass and he started thrusting his hips back and forth. My claws tried to dig into his skin, but it was too hard. With a loud squelch, my pussy submitted and let go. He pulled himself out, most of the way. The tip stayed, lodged inside.


    I trembled and he whispered, ¡°Good Sugarbug.¡±


    His hand coaxed my abdomen and he held it still from the incessant twitches. He kissed me and I huffed drooling. His hand guided me down and the cock filled my pussy again. Mmhm, so warm and hard. The rings widened me and molded my hole. The more used to that I got, the better they felt. More, it feels good. My pussy squirmed and opened and closed clinging to his shaft. The ridges made my mouth gape every time that they got caught on my inner walls or the quivering entrance.


    The slap of his balls against my carapace echoed as his pace increased. The bubbles scraped at my insides. My hole dribbled, his pounding grew wetter and lewder as my body convulsed in pleasure. I groaned and screamed as I came. My grasp tightened around him as I rode the orgasmic waves. I tightened and loosened. Medavac kept pounding into my overly sensitive nethers and smirked at my whimpering sounds.


    It was good, very good. I shuddered losing my limb¡¯s strength and he had to hold me up. He worked my abdomen up and down his cock like a dick sleeve and I panted as he used me. Ahhh, ohh. He let go and I flopped onto the floor, held up by my abdomen on his dick. He bent the thick appendage so that he could thrust into it better. I managed to get on all sixes and he mounted me like an animal.


    I howled as his dick plunged in. His pace became fevered and his thrusts deeper and harder. My insides were getting scraped by the bubbles and ridges, faster and deeper. Yes, yes! Harder, harder, fuck me, fuck me like a beast. This, this was breeding sex! Mate me, mate me breed me! He held it there humping. My body tightened and locked, sealing shut so that he was forced to stop. He trembled inside, groaning as his hands grabbed my ass. His invader throbbed and twitched and he came.


    My pussy walls moved on instinct, tightening and loosening in undulating motions. Milking motions. Fertilize me, make me have babies! I panted as my hearts pounded and my body felt like it was on fire. I slumped and he lay back, letting my pussy slurp on his cock for a while longer. Ahh, so tasty my lower mouth kept guzzling his baby batter. I was packed so full.


    ¡°Ah shit, I came in you. I tried to pull out, but you got too tight.¡±


    I rolled over, still out of it, ¡°Mmm, it is fine. Fill me up more. Make sure you cum inside. I will take it, I want all your gravy.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about getting knocked up?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have eggs yet so no worries. So feel free to pump me full.¡±


    I coiled the abdomen so that it was in my face started licking it. It was still super sensitive and squirmed as I worked the tongue in scooping out the cum. Tasty, I closed my lips and started sucking and stirring. My insides were so juicy and slick and delicious. My pussy muscles pushed and kept funneling all that syrupy goodness into my waiting mouth. With a final gulp I swallowed the last mouthful and lay back with my head pleasantly tingling.


    ¡°Damn Sugarbug. You really love creampies eh? I will be sure to give you lots of cream. One of the best fucks of my life.¡±


    I came out of my comatose state, ¡°Not the best?¡±


    ¡°Well, you were a bit inexperienced.¡±


    ¡°Your dick is cheating!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a loser complaining.¡±


    ¡°Loser?! You came first.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you got me.¡±


    ¡°Fufu. I will get you better next time.¡±


    He chuckled, rubbing my head, ¡°Tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what about tonight? You still owe me dinner!¡±

 Interlewd: Valentine special, Ichigo on Top (Mature content R18)

    Interlewd: Ichigo on Top


    Valentine¡¯s day, a day of love, a day of joy and romance¡­ or at the least, that is what it is supposed to be. No, for me this is a day of suffering and self-loathing. Alone, like every other year. All my friends are off having dates and here I am eating ice cream in a darkened room, watching horror movies cause I don¡¯t wanna think about how lonely I am. I mean, it was hard to get a date when I was normal, but now it was like impossible. I am not exactly the catch of the day what with being a wasp and all, so I can¡¯t even go bar hoping to sift through all the other drunk losers who don¡¯t have dates and attempt to get a dinner out of this.


    I had already resigned myself to eat some fried chicken and fuck myself into a coma with my toys. Then the door opened. I had not been expecting anybody and so coiled the blanket tighter. I peered at the door and there was Ichigo. She tossed her black sweater aside with a long sigh. She was all dressed up in a super slutty schoolgirl outfit. I knew what it was, it was a cosplay, but that didn¡¯t make the short navy blue pleated skirt any less short and it certainly didn¡¯t make the frilly panties peeking out any less noticeable. The midriff even exposed that slim belly and that adorable belly button. The white top was tight and I could see the lines where the bra was pressed. Flat as a board. Going up the front there were brass buttons and on the shoulder was the usual navy blue sailor collar. She had stripped knee socks, leaving her milky white thighs exposed.


    Atop her sky blue hair was a pair of white fuzzy cat ears and I could see the matching fluffy tail hanging from behind her through her legs. She even had on long fingerless gloves that matched her socks. If I didn¡¯t know better that soft and cute face would lull me into a false sense of security. Ichigo was a trap after all. Yes, that cuddly girl over there was actually a boy. Though he preferred to be called a she.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a cosplay play date thing?¡± I asked, peering at her from over the couch.


    ¡°I did,¡± replied Ichigo going straight to the fridge. Ah, going straight for the booze.


    ¡°What happened? No¡­ Ichigo, did you get stood up?¡± I watched her as she downed the first shot glass.


    ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± she scowled.


    ¡°Even Ichigo got stood up¡­ things seem to be rougher than I thought out there.¡±


    Ichigo was actually sulking. Well, they do say misery loves company. I patted on the couch and she soon joined me. She came bearing gifts and handed me a bag full of chocolates. I stared between her and the assorted treats. She nodded and I started picking through them¡­ wait a minute these are all gifts that she got from other people. Oddly, she chose to sit on my lap, in the middle of the nest of blankets I had formed. Usually, Ichigo doesn¡¯t even let me touch her so she must be in shock or maybe just very drunk. My antennae twitched smelling her strawberry scent. Only a hint of alcohol, so I don¡¯t think that she is too far gone.


    ¡°So eh, where did you get all this chocolate?¡±


    ¡°Fans.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ you sure that you want me to eat it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, go ahead, I will get fat if I eat them.¡±


    Well, oh well. I nomed down on the delectable milk chocolate and almond filled bars. Licking my fingers clean after a few. I pet her head. There was no resistance. Something is wrong with Ichigo.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I went to the place and waited for an hour before I got a text that they were not going to come.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ichigo, they just don¡¯t know your greatness, your appeal. Clearly, those people were jealous and scared that you would show them up. It is just cause you are so damned cute, I would never do that sort of thing.¡±


    She was silent for a little bit, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°Ichigo I know you already know everything I am thinking.¡±


    ¡°It is different, I want you to say it.¡±


    ¡°Why? You are just going to make fun of me again.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Ehh, I pat her head, checking her temperature. Something is definitely wrong with Ichigo, usually, she makes fun of me.


    ¡°You wanna be my Valentine?¡± I asked.


    Ichigo nodded, ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Really!? But you usually shoot me down.¡±


    ¡°Do you wanna fuck or not?¡±


    I vehemently nodded, hugging her. ¡°Ichigo, I love you!¡±


    Wait, then this means¡­ then I can actually put that to good use. I thought that I had just wasted my money. I sat her to the side and went into my room sifting through the varied delivery boxes that I had gotten from my online shopping. Where was it? Ah, here it is. I returned and handed over the box after cutting it open with my claw.


    ¡°Happy Valentine¡¯s day. I hope you like it¡­ wear it, please, well not now, later,¡± I smiled.


    Ichigo took a long moment, pulling out the contents. She gave me a questioning look. It was my super deluxe item that cost me like a hundred dollars. Originally, I had bought it on the spur of the moment and had planned to use it on myself, but I was drunk when I ordered it and there is no way in hell it would fit me. Too small, much too small. But it was just the right size for Ichigo. It would definitely look better on Ichigo. It was so soft and squishy.


    ¡°It is kinda cute. You really want me to wear this?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I will do anything,¡± I pleaded, groveling at her feet, ¡°You will be so cute. Oh, and can you make cat noises like nyah and stuff it will make your cute factor go up by like a thousand!¡±


    She was blushing a little, ¡°Fine, but, but you have to do anything and everything I say.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± I nodded, sitting on my knees in front of her. Though I was still face to face with her on account of how much larger I was.


    ¡°You are my slave now, a pet for my own pleasure you understand that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Ichigo¡¯s personal pet. I wonder what we are going to do? It is a dream, a dream come true. She pointed at the floor and I lay flat, that is it, treat me like an animal. She sat down and pulled off her shoes tossing them to the side. She plopped her foot onto my face and my antennae coiled around it, rubbing up and down, drinking in the sweaty scent. I shuddered in ecstasy, even her feet smelled like strawberries, but I could smell her body odor too. My back ached so that my ass was in the air as I worshiped her feet. I wanted to pull the socks off and suck on her toes.


    My hands crept up trying to message her supple legs and her other foot smacked me. I recoiled, but she held her foot firmly on my face, showing me my place, groveling at her feet. We made eye contact as her gaze made my hearts flutter and just the mere power behind it made me turn to butter. Ichigo, Ichigo was a true sadist, it was just that she liked to put up that innocent little critter act to fool her enemies. But I knew what she really was and she knew what I really am. She was a predator and I was her prey.


    ¡°Oh is that so pet? Do my sweaty feet smell that good?¡±


    Her toes pulled at my feelers making my eyes nearly roll. I panted, ¡°Yes, you smell so good.¡±


    ¡°If you are my pet, then what does that make me?¡± she asked, staring down at me with a playful smirk.


    A pet? A slave? What would somebody call the person who owns them? Does this mean I am her property? ¡°Master?¡±


    Ichigo shook her head.


    ¡°Mistress?¡±


    She shook her head again, ¡°I am your Owner. Yes, that is right, you are my property, my pet. As such you will refer to me and yourself as such. Is that understood pet?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Owner.¡±


    ¡°Good girl. I shall reward you,¡± smirked Ichigo pulling off one of her socks.


    It made the masochistic and submissive part of me burn with desire to serve her. Sub was all kinds of riled up rolling around in my head in bliss. Sub really is a sub after all.


    Her dainty toes wiggled as they pressed against my mouth and she said, ¡°suck on it.¡±


    She pushed it into my mouth before I could say anything. My tongue rolled around the big toe getting it nice and juicy. Oh, so she wanted me to lube it up for her. That is so hot. I could feel my abdomen squirming and dripping. The heated appendage emerged and slid between my legs so that I could stroke it. Her heel stamped down on my soft and sensitive flesh making me reel. Her exposed foot wiggled in front of me.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Ichigo lorded over me, ¡°Did I say you could jerk off? Such a dirty bug.¡±


    My hearts beat faster, I looked at the floor, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You like that, don¡¯t you. Such a naughty insect you are, getting off on smelling my feet. Do they taste good?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t deny that. I loved her smell after all. She slipped her foot down my face until it was at my mouth. Her toe followed my lips until she wiggled her way into my mouth. She worked it deeper, pausing and shivering as my tongue attacked the toes, causing her to giggle.


    ¡°It, tickles. Good girl keep doing that. You know how to please your Owner,¡± she smirked in between her quick sighs and gasps as I played with her foot.


    Ichigo sure does have sensitive feet. It must be one of her weak points. I could see her shivering and squirming as I massaged the underside and pulled more of that dainty foot into my warm and moist mouth. Something tells me Ichigo has a serious foot fetish. It was so damned kinky though¡­ I could just worship these feet all day. My legs rubbed together while I tried to squeeze them to touch myself without using my hands. My abdomen incessantly squirmed against my belly, letting the dribbling member press against the hardened exoskeleton. I couldn¡¯t touch myself directly or Ichigo would be mad.


    ¡°Owner,¡± she stared down at me.


    Eh¡­ oh, oh right, she is reading my mind. Owner, Owner!


    ¡°Good bug,¡± she smirked, pulling her foot free with a wet plop, ¡°Now then sit so that your nasty bug cock is on the floor, where it belongs.¡±


    I held my face and followed what she said, letting the abdomen lay between us as she watched the engorged member writhing on the floor. I gulped in anticipation. Surely she¡­ Owner would touch it right? My eyes darted between her and it as I started getting restless and humping the floor after a few minutes out of desperation. She brought up her foot in amusement spreading the toes and curling each one in turn, taunting me with them.


    ¡°What do you want pet?¡±


    ¡°Please, please!¡± I begged, ¡°Touch me, rub me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you forgot something.¡±


    I started panting, what could it be? I stared at her and her eyes glinted. It, it had to be¡­ ¡°Owner! Please touch me.¡±


    The wolfish grin that spread on her face spread nearly from ear to ear and her eyes looked dangerous. She pulled off her other sock and said, ¡°Good girl. I suppose even a lewd bug like you needs a reward.¡±


    Both of her feet descended and tentatively touched the warm flesh. They pressed down, squishing in the soft membrane. She stepped on it, stamping hard to the point I shrieked in pain. Even though I had gotten used to getting hurt, that place was still sensitive! She giggled a little watching me squirm. After the initial shock of pain, she slowly flexed her toes, kneading at my bumpy flesh like a cat. She worked back and forth. Her toes were wet and slippery due to my arousal. Her feet clamped together and she started stroking roughly.


    ¡°Ow.. Owner, it feels good.¡±


    She smirked, ¡°Are you actually getting off on being stroked with my feet?¡±


    Her pace increased, causing me to gasp and shudder, ¡°Yes! More, more make me feel more.¡±


    ¡°You filthy insect.¡±


    Even though my mind was fogged with pleasure I could see her dick twitching in her panties. It was tenting up against the short skirt. My mouth gaped as I leaned forward wanting to lick it and suck on her. My tongue rolled in my mouth as I felt my orgasm building. It was getting close, so close. My tongue squirmed as it extended out reaching for her. Her feet tugged and rubbed below until they abruptly stopped.


    ¡°Not yet, pet.¡± Smiled Ichigo. She had plopped her hand on my head to keep me back, ¡°You can¡¯t cum yet.¡±


    I whimpered in submission and quietly waited. After a minute the pulsing heat started to become bearable and her feet started working me again. We continued this back and forth, taking me to the very edge of orgasm and then she would ruin it. I don¡¯t know how long she kept doing this, but it felt like hours. I panted and drooled as the sensitive flesh had engorged with so much of my blood it felt hard to think. No, no I couldn¡¯t think. I wanted to cum and scream and cum some more. It was so full and throbbing. She pulled away once more driving me mad.


    My ovipositor reared up, rubbing itself against her feet and she withdrew them even further, out of my reach. I could feel the mind-numbing pleasure burning, ready and bursting to get out. Just a little more. I was almost there, almost there! This time, this time definitely! Yes, yes, so close!


    ¡°Ichigo!¡± I whined and reached for my pulsing appendage.


    Her voice was dark and demanding, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare cum!¡±


    I rubbed against the floor, pleading as I stroked myself, ¡°Let me cum! Please let me-¡±


    ¡°Shut your whore mouth! You cum when I say you can!¡± Shouted Ichigo as she stood and slammed her foot down onto my ovipositor.


    I screeched in agony and my eyes rolled as the pain turned into bliss. She had just kicked me over the edge. My mind nearly melted from the orgasm and relief from the finally being set free from that frustration. I howled like an animal. So many ruined orgasms converged into a single breath snatching moment that lasted for minutes. My thick cum spurt out under the pressure of her foot as she tried to hold it down, but it was too strong and bulged to set itself free. My body jerked and seized with contractions and each new twitch pushed more cum out.


    I lay on the floor drooling, my tongue flapping about, my eyes unable to focus. That was the best orgasm I had ever had. My chest heaved, sucking in air as I tried to slow the pounding hearts that felt like they might burst. I shuddered as her feet lightly traced the member down until they poked at my entrance. She pulled back, leaving me for a moment.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you could cum, you disgusting cockroach.¡±


    ¡°Ichigo, I, I am sorry, but it felt so good,¡± I stammered as my eyes finally managed to focus.


    I tried to sit up finding my hips numb.


    ¡°Clean up this mess.¡±


    I tried to get some paper towels, but her foot grabbed my antennae and shoved my face down, ¡°I said clean it up. Now lick it off of the floor like the bug you are.¡±


    I paused for a moment, less of resisting her and more of my mind wasn¡¯t working properly. She shoved me down so that my face was in the pool of cum. Smelling it and feeling it made me aroused all over again. My tongue emerged and I started lapping at it. My lips pursed and I sucked it in while my tongue squirmed about encircling the liquid mass and scooping it in. Soon I had slurped it all up and sat blankly staring up at Ichigo.


    She smiled and pulled her panties off. She slipped them onto my face so that they held back the antennae, which happily rubbed and traced along them smelling her. Dreamily, I stared up at her. The little cock between her legs looked so cute. She was so soft and not a hair or blemish could be seen down there. Her hands coiled around my head and she guided me down onto the dick. Not that I particularly needed help, but it was nice feeling her touch me so affectionately.


    ¡°Now you better make me feel good or else.¡±


    I nodded, bobbing my head, slurping and sucking with an empty glee. She even tasted like strawberries. I think I might be addicted to her at this point. My tongue roiled about frothing my drool and my hands snaked up her legs, grasping onto Ichigo¡¯s little booty. Mindlessly, automatically I sucked on that cock as though it were the only thing I was capable of doing. It was my purpose in life. Nothing else seemed to matter but making my Owner feel good. I existed to pleasure her and in turn, I was granted pleasure.


    Swishing and gobbling on the cock my hands kneaded at Ichigo¡¯s ass as I felt her tense and shivering. She was close. She moaned and the legs felt wobbly, weak. Her hand clenched my feeler, pulling on them as she shoved in as she deep as possible. Her cock twitched and throbbed before giving me her gooey goodness. Every pulse sent a little more surging out and I let it pool in the back of my mouth. She leaned over me spent and I pulled off savoring her flavor.


    ¡°Show me,¡± said Ichigo staring down at me.


    My mouth gaped and I showed off the creamy juice as it bubbled around my tongue. She nodded, ¡°Swallow.¡±


    I complied, gulping it down and her eyes lit up with amusement. Her cock had gotten hard again and she rubbed it against my face. I resumed licking it up the sides and she smiled. After a moment she pulled my treat away.


    ¡°Alright show me your pussy.¡±


    I immediately moved to obey and got on all fours raising the abdomen for her. It was swollen and twitching with arousal as her fingers poked at it. Slowly they probed and poked. She pinched and squeezed the folds dragging some of it out. All the while I was swimming in bliss. Finger by finger, she slipped more in until her whole hand had been devoured. It crawled along feeling my insides, grasping at the walls and using them to go deeper. She explored and reached the point where her elbow had sunk into me.


    ¡°Such a greedy bug. Look at this lewd pussy. You like this, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes Owner.¡±


    She had a fufu to her laugh and started rummaging around rougher and faster than before. The wet and juicy sounds spilling out of me filled the room. I felt her fingers reach the deepest part of me, my womb and the tightly closed muscles were poked and prodded until finally, they relented. Her fingers wiggled as they pried me open and I gasped. Her hand grabbed and she slipped more of her slender arm in until she was up to her shoulder in and couldn¡¯t get any more in. She stopped for a moment, letting my insides squirm and tighten, convulsing around the invader.


    ¡°Your insides are very warm.¡±


    I panted with my face resting on the floor, ¡°Ichigo, Ichigo, it feels good!¡±


    Slowly, her fingers started scratching at the back of my womb, ¡°Owner. I am your Owner.¡±


    ¡°Owner!¡± I cried.


    ¡°Yes, good. Submit to me. You are mine now. My personal sex slave. My horny, dirty bug.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Anything for you Ichigo. Owner, I mean Owner.¡±


    ¡°Good, Vesper. Now tell me what you are.¡±


    I wiggled my ass feeling her fingers stroking and pampering my insides, ¡°I, I am your pet! Your, your property!¡±


    She pulled her arm back slowly freeing it from my crushing walls, ¡°Good. Now then You have pleased me. To seal your fate, to mark you and brand you as my own I will cum inside of this lewd pussy. And when I do, you will give everything to me. You will be my cock sleeve, my sex toy that I will use when and where ever I please.¡±


    Just hearing that made my chest burn, my hearts riotously trying to break free and my hole drool. I pressed against her, wanting to be her pet, her pet, her toy. I needed this!


    ¡°Say it.¡±


    ¡°I am yours! I am your cock sleeve! Use me!¡± I cried and she thrust her dick in.


    It was much smaller than her arm, but I still felt it. My greedy hole tightened to the point that a finger would have problems getting in. Her hands gripped the carapace and she started thrusting, slowly at first, but with every squelch of her nearly pulling out her little hips smashed against me harder. She leaned over me, clutching to my abdomen and humped me from behind like an animal. Owner, Owner, Owner!


    She slid faster and faster as my pussy got tighter and tighter, trying to keep her from leaving. My vents flapped open and closed, wafting steam through the room and she kept hammering into me. I was close to cumming and shuddered. Ichigo squirmed, I felt the cock bulging and twitching. Close, close. She was close. I was so close to being hers, to being enslaved! I held my face, drooling as my tongue wiggled about.


    Owner came, tensing up and her hips stopped, burying her cock as deep into my slutty hole as she could. I quivered crying happily. I felt her goo spreading with each twitch burning my insides up. Yes, yes, claim me! She held herself there for a little while riding the high of the orgasm as my pussy milked her cock and devoured every last drop that came out.


    Ichigo pulled out and pat my ass so that I sat up. She rummaged about in a bag that she had been carrying and pulled out a collar. I stared at it and leaned forward. She smirked seeing this and clicked it around my neck.


    ¡°Now you really are my pet, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded happily, rubbing against her.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± she pet me on the head, making me purr.


    Ichigo let out a long satisfied sigh and flopped down on the couch with her ass in the air. The cat tail swished about while she hummed. My eyes followed it, entranced by the swishing and my hand grappled it causing her to seize up.


    ¡°What are you-¡± Started Ichigo before she moaned as I tugged the tail and it came loose with a wet sound.


    I blinked a few times and realized why her face had gone blank. This was no cosplay piece, it was a sex toy. The ribbed plug glistened still wet with lube. My eyes darted to Ichigo¡¯s quivering boy pussy and I smirked.


    ¡°Ichigo did you go out trying to get dick?¡± I asked, bewildered, ¡°Such a dirty girl. You actually went out in public with this tail plugging your ass?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I thought it would be fun,¡± she said stingily looking away from me.


    My abdomen bulged puffing up as I imagined jamming it into her. Ichigo recoiled, rolling to protect herself, ¡°You are too big! You won¡¯t fit!¡±


    ¡°We will just have to find out, now won¡¯t we.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± yelled Ichigo and my body seized up, ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt me. But we can have some other fun.¡±


    OH, FUuuuCK! Wailed Sub.


    It felt like a dick stabbed into my brain and Sub screamed in ecstasy. I could feel her getting fucked by something, but my mind felt foggy and it was hard to focus on anything. I drooled feeling that pleasure thrusting in and out of my head. Like a ghost cock fucking my brains out. Every time it pushed in, thoughts were pushed out. I shuddered wetting myself as it spread my brain molding it into its shape and all the while Sub was acting like an animal in heat screaming incoherently as she was cumming over and over again.


    Harder, Harder, Harder! Fuck me, you dirty whore!


    ¡°Whose my horny bug?¡± asked Ichigo.


    ¡°I, I am!¡± I replied without thinking.


    I struggled, but ultimately it was futile. For some reason, my body wouldn¡¯t listen to me and I stared helplessly as it moved on its own. With Ichigo under me, I straddled her chest and my abdomen aligned itself before sliding down onto her shaft. I moaned and my hands coiled around myself, hugging me. My hips ground and my ass swung like a bitch in heat. All the while my pussy squelched and devoured Ichigo¡¯s cock. I leaned down kissing her and trembling as my pussy slickly moved up and down.


    Vaguely, I was aware of her finger swishing back and forth like a maestro and she was humming in glee. I don¡¯t know why, but I was far more sensitive than usual. It was probably because of the constant edging before, but that small dick felt even larger than my toys. I quivered as Ichigo plundered my pleasure palace and I could do nothing to stop myself from riding her cock. I purred and groaned as every little bump inside of me felt like a mountain of sensitive nerves. In and out, in and out! Slamming into my pussy and into my mind, before ripping itself out, leaving a gaping and quivering hole that wanted nothing more than to get pounded more.


    Like this, I really was her sex sleeve with no will of my own. It felt so good to be used. Use me! Use me! My eyes felt like they were going to roll up into my skull. My tongue flopped about as I foamed at the mouth and then a wave pleasure engulfed my mind like a tsunami. Ichigo moaned and her cum burst into me. At the same time whatever was pounding Sub filled her with cum as it poured out and overflowed, washing over everything. My mind went blank and my body spasmed unable to process the sensations anymore.


    I fell forward as the world went black.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~


    A while later I quivered and my eyes open. I looked about to find Ichigo sitting there with my head in her lap. She was wearing what I had bought her. The soft white plushy fur covered her from head to toe. Yes, that is right, I got her a full body cat snuggy pajama set. She was like a giant snuggly stuffed animal now. She looked down at me, tilting her head and the cat ears were so fluffy that they bounced. She smiled and pawed the air, ¡°Nyah.¡±


    ¡°Hey, sleepyhead,¡± she bent low and kissed me on the lips, ¡°Thanks for the present. I really liked it. Happy Valentine¡¯s Day! I hope you enjoyed my present to you.¡±


    ¡°It was nice,¡± I replied, cuddling with her. Ah, so soft.


    ¡°I usually charge ten thousand dollars for that sort of treatment you know. Well, minus the bit at the end that was just for you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Ichigo you have sex with other people.¡±


    She thought on it, ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t really sex. Usually, I just tease them and maybe rub one out with my feet, of course, that is extra. It is like bondage stuff, you know? People pay a lot of money for me to treat them like dirt.¡±


    ¡°They do?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. How do you think I could afford to live on my own in this nice apartment?¡±


    ¡°That is pretty gay Ichigo, whoring yourself out to rich old men.¡±


    She wagged her hand, smiling, ¡°It is only gay if the balls are touching. Of course, I never let them put it in, they are unworthy to even grovel before me! It is actually pretty fun, I like treating people like animals. Besides, it isn¡¯t just men, I get a lot of sexually frustrated ladies too.¡±


    ¡°That is kinda messed up. Well, I guess you are a total Dom.¡±


    ¡°And you are my cute little love bug.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I lightly touched the collar around my neck¡­ it says Spot on it.


    She smiled so sweetly, ¡°Glad you enjoyed. Oh, how about next time we make you go a whole week in chastity so that you can¡¯t masturbate and then I edge you for two full hours straight and then I will lock you in a cage and then I milk you like an animal-¡±


    ¡°Noooo!¡± I cried as she smirked petting me so that I couldn¡¯t escape.

 Twilight Chapter 1

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 1


    Things were quiet, oddly enough. I had been expecting to have to fight off abductors on a daily basis and yet, they never came. Ichigo was staying in my room now for safety purposes. It wouldn¡¯t be good if she went home and got snatched. Essentially, we were glued together and she had had her schedule changed around so that she was in all of my classes¡­ well, it was just dance since I was not good at anything else. I was sort of banned from singing after last time. It had been delayed, but BAI had come through with my food and I was able to enjoy tasty catered food on a daily basis. I even shared with Ichigo a bit.


    I had fallen into a new routine of weightlifting in the morning, Ichigo cooking us breakfast, we would then go to Star Agency and go to Camille¡¯s dance class. She was actually a very good teacher and I had learned how to be even more flexible than before while I was in the suit. The correct movements were essential and I learned them rather quickly. I might actually be suited for such things. After that class, I would usually do a sponsorship job for BAI. So far they had all been modeling stuff and Ichigo was giving me pointers on how to be sexy and cute with poses. It was good to have a pro model coaching me. I even managed to increase my personal collection of Ichigo pictures since she would help out at my shoots.


    As for Xava and I, we were more or less going steady now. At the very least we were fucking like rabbits, doing an evening session just about every day after I returned from sponsorship stuff. You tend to learn a lot about somebody when you are sleeping with them frequently. Neon Nurse¡¯s first name was actually Zanna and her last name was Xava. The reason why she prefers Xava would be that Zanna sounded too close to banana and she got made fun of for it back in the day. I think it is a pretty name, though I can see where the childhood trauma would come from. Kids are evil. Speaking of bananas, Xava was into bondage, and I was the one usually getting the shaft. I think it is the control aspect of things. Speaking of weird fetishes¡­ Ichigo is a voyeur. She watches us and doesn¡¯t even try to hide it. Like she brings a chair and a book and sits in the corner while me and Neon Nurse make love.


    At first, I was weirded out and overly conscious of her, made for a couple of limp noodling incidents. It is kinda hard to put the moves on when you feel somebody¡¯s eyes boring holes in your ass. We have a strange relationship, Xava, Ichigo and I. It is not a love triangle or any of that drama, in fact, as far as I can tell Ichigo is not actually even interested in sex, she is just being a damned tease most of the time. Ichigo¡¯s thing is that she watches. To each, their own I guess, though I apparently can¡¯t have nice things. I want a threesome, but Xava isn¡¯t having it. I admit it is a bit greedy and I am a faithful person so unless she says it is ok, then I will restrain myself.


    It is a relationship after all and there is give and take. It won¡¯t do to take advantage of her, especially when she dishes out that mind-melting robo loving. I guess it already is a threesome with Sub in on it. Xava is very possessive and barely tolerates Ichigo watching, due to the sound reasoning of why she is there. Ichigo wants me to be her meat shield and if I am getting pounded into a coma in a different room, then it is a little hard to protect her. I mean she is powerless more or less so if somebody wanted to snatch her then it wouldn¡¯t be too hard. Since all three of us are in cahoots on this it won¡¯t due to let our guard down.


    I have noticed that all this extra activity has cleared up my mind. Though my thoughts do still get dirty it is a lot better than it had been before. If I see some skanky bitch walking down the street, my eyes are no longer glued to her boobies and ass or some hunky dude with a stacked dick and my thoughts don¡¯t usually turn into a horrible rape plot to drag them off and breed them. Even Sub has calmed down a lot. I am actually rather happy these days and the bad stuff just rolls off. Some might say I am positively glowing. It appears that the robo pussy and cock was just what the nurse ordered.


    Mom and Dad were actually getting along again. She had even warmed up to me a little¡­ well ok, she was just not yelling at me or throwing things. She had not fully accepted me as Vesper, but it was slowly coming around. We actually sat down and ate dinner together last weekend. I had not seen Dad that happy in a long time. No one even yelled that night, it was wonderful. The tasty ribs were a bonus for sure. I was happy. If things kept up like this then my parents would be happy again. I was actually able to forgive myself a little. It was all my fault, to begin with.


    It is not all rainbows in the lollipop guild though. Sunshine has been gone a lot lately and when I have seen her something just feels wrong about her. Not sure what is going on with her and Dreamer, but it can¡¯t be good. She has been getting distant lately and spacing out even more than usual. Other people have been acting weird too. Fire Chief looks like he hasn¡¯t slept in weeks, he has been messing up a lot lately. He is not going out on calls anymore and just stays down in his workshop all day every day like he is possessed.


    I am scared, seriously scared. I want to help them, but I don¡¯t know how to. It also doesn¡¯t help I don¡¯t even know what is wrong or if I do try then things might get even worse. Ichigo keeps saying to wait and so does Neon Nurse, but it has already been nearly three weeks since we started trying to figure out how to deal with Dreamer. It feels like they are not telling me something. I feel like we are waiting too long. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can act like I don¡¯t know there is fuckery afoot.


    ~~~


    ¡°Are you writing a diary?¡± asked Ichigo interrupting my thoughts as I scribbled them down.


    I stared at her, mhmm, she was wearing an apron this morning, so cute, ¡°Yeah? Why do you ask questions you already know the answers to?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, don¡¯t make evidence against us. What are you going to do if Sunshine finds that?¡±


    ¡°Sunshine wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what she is capable of. Hand it over.¡±


    I turned away from her, ¡°No. This is my dream diary, ok.¡±


    ¡°Fine, just destroy what you just wrote down.¡±


    I mulled it over for a moment and decided that she was right. I tore the pages out of my wet dream diary and ripped them to little pieces. I mean there was just too much good stuff in there to throw it all away, that would just be a waste, ¡°Happy?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Breakfast is done by the way.¡±


    ¡°You made them as I like?¡±


    ¡°Yes, over easy, so they bleed.¡±


    I quickly stashed the hard covered book that had Admiral Moon¡¯s chiseled man chin on the front under the bed. This was something that Dad had gotten me a while back. Everything aside, I do hope that Sunshine doesn¡¯t find this book. It might traumatize her. I mean, I am a pervert and these have been some rather lucid and dirty dreams, some of which even involve her.


    ¡°Perving over your friend?¡±


    ¡°Shush you, it is not like I can control my dreams.¡±


    ¡°I know, you think I enjoy getting hit with your rape fantasies?¡±


    ¡°It is not rape.¡±


    Ichigo snapped her fingers and wagged her pointer finger at me with threatening eyes, ¡°No, no, no. I am not having any of that. What the hell would you call eating somebody¡¯s arms and legs and then using them like a cock sleeve, before filling them with eggs until their the stomach nearly burst?¡±


    ¡°A very demented erotic nightmare?¡± I replied, looking away from her.


    ¡°And that is why I am never going to have sex with you.¡±


    ¡°That is Sub though!¡±


    Hey, don¡¯t you blame me! I am innocent, innocent I tell you!


    ¡®If you didn¡¯t have that stupid Vore fetish this wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡¯


    ¡°You are both the problem! Now eat your damned breakfast we have that stupid school thing today, remember?¡±


    ¡°School thing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember? Chief told us about it yesterday. A bunch of the heroes are going to Chaplain Escalator School for the image campaign stuff.¡±


    Oh¡­ why does that name sound familiar? Hmm. I munched on my toast and eggs thinking it over. I feel like I know this. Wait, that is where I went to school. I remember dad telling me about and showing pictures. It was a rather large private school, oh my god I remember the school uniforms were totally adorable! Now I kinda want to go home and rifle through my closet to find my old uniforms. They were soo cute they had ribbons and frills. I bet Ichigo would look adorable in my old uniform. I wanna see this, I need to see this!


    ¡°I am not wearing your old school uniform,¡± replied Ichigo with dead eyes.


    ¡°Please!¡± I flopped on the floor begging her, ¡°I will suck your dick and gargle the mayo!¡±


    Ichigo just stared at me with pity and then she looked away, ¡°What would I get out of that? It is a win-win for you.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I will be your slave for a day!¡±


    Ichigo raised an eyebrow, thinking it over and rubbed her chin. She was considering it, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you do that anyway? I mean you have been fantasying about that for a while now. Is that it, you want me to treat you like the filthy animal you are? You really are a total Masochist. You want me to tie you up and whip you, treat you like dirt and call you names?¡±


    I held my face blushing¡­ she knows me too well. Well, it isn¡¯t hard when she can read my thoughts. It is cheating really.


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t help you with that. If you are horny go ask Neon Nurse. You two are going out already, so why are you trying to cheat on her?¡±


    ¡°Says the one who is always watching us. You are like a part of it so how is that cheating?¡±


    ¡°Is that a problem? Besides, I get the feeling Xava would kill me if I slept with you. She gets jealous you know.¡±


    ¡°If I can talk her into it, then would you be open to it?¡±


    ¡°That is a big if.¡±


    ¡°So you are saying I got a chance.¡±


    Ichigo rolled her eyes, ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°I will go talk to her about this,¡± I almost skipped towards the door. I can hardly wait. Finally, I will be able to touch and feel and taste her!


    A fork stabbed into my ass and I jumped. It wasn¡¯t even that it hurt, more of it surprising me. I pulled it out looking at Ichigo with wide eyes, ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°We are going to be late. Besides, why would I wear your handy me downs when I am still a high school student with my own uniform?¡±


    ¡°Ah right, you are only sixteen. It is weird though, sometimes you act like you are way the fuck older than me.¡±


    She dismissed me by lightly swishing her hand, ¡°That is cause you are a childish pervert.¡±


    ¡°But still though,¡± Hmm, ¡°Wait could it be?¡±


    She just stared up at me, ¡°What?¡±


    I pointed at Ichigo, ¡°Are you actually a super op cheat character that reincarnated from another world with all your memories intact due to truck-san?¡±


    ¡°¡­ No¡­ that might be the craziest and stupidest thing I have ever heard. I can tell you with certainty that I have never met a god before. As far as I am concerned, they don¡¯t exist. Closest thing to that would be those weirdo magical girls like Sunshine. Well, I guess there is a hell, technically speaking¡­ but that is more of a different world that Demon Rider goes to.¡±


    ¡°Eh? So it is possible. But it happens a lot in stories you know.¡±


    ¡°You need to lay off the light novels. Bad!¡± She smacked me with a rolled up newspaper, ¡°Bad Vesper. Does this look like a fantasy setting with swords and magic?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Now stop wasting time we are going to be late.¡±


    Ichigo was right. My brain might be turning to mush after reading all those garbage reincarnation stories lately. People just aren¡¯t very creative, I mean they are all the same. Oh, I died now god feels bad and sends me to another world. First off, why would god care if somebody died early? Hundreds of thousands of people die every day and just as many are born. Second, why would they give said person op powers? I guess it is just ego/wish fulfillment of the author. Seriously though, lately none of them have even had to go through any hardship. They don¡¯t earn shit and there is no suspense! It is all just rehashed harem and overpowered cookie cutter no brained goodie two shoed brats that have idealized, unrealistic perceptions of how a medieval fantasy world would be.


    I mean they just get a harem and then as they go adding more to it, the older conquests just kinda get ignored and fall to the wayside as it expands. If it was me, well first off I would never fall into some weirdo nerd¡¯s harem and assuming I did, then I would fuck his womens and steal his harem for my own. Turn all those bitches into my own personal egg sacks. I would treat them like cattle and breed an army to take over the world. Although, I guess that would be the wasp monster part of me talking.


    I mean seriously though, we women are jealous and manipulative creatures. Real harems have infighting and backstabbing. Real harems are scary as fuck. Then there is always the Adventure Guild¡­ why do they all have adventure guilds? Come up with a real system, at best there would be a Mercenary Guild and even then it would mostly be country-specific requests and they would keep close tabs on the movements out of paranoia that they might be betrayed.


    Ah, venting over my anger of not being able to read a good reincarnation story. I mean, I really like the concept and it is one of my favorite genres, but I feel it has been saturated with garbage lately. They are all the same and it is starting to piss me off. Maybe I should write my own¡­ call it like Diary of a Wasp or something. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t use stat tables and crap like that. Seriously, what is with the stat table love? It is useless info to glorify large numbers that ultimately don¡¯t mean anything. And don¡¯t even get me started on the laundry list of skills that stop being relevant or even used as the story goes on.


    I slapped myself, bad Vesper stop thinking about your weirdo hobbies. We are going to play with some cute children. I bet they will be adorable. Those frills and ribbons though. I wanna pet cat children now¡­ I wonder how Snowball and those other little bastards are doing? Come to think of it, the Mad Dogs have been rather quiet lately. I wonder if that is a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe I will go down there with Medavac for a visit sometime? That would be fun.


    My thoughts brought me back to reality and I realized that Fire Chief was in front of me talking about something, ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ maybe.¡±


    He sighed, clearly tired and the bags under his eyes were very noticeable, ¡°Mecha Fairy, we are going to Chaplain Escalator School for the Hero outreach program. Remember? We talked about this.¡±


    I nodded, looking around. Ah, the Juniors were here too. Sunshine all magical girly, glowing pink and covered with frills. Gravity Squeeze in his armored suit that was made to look like a tuxedo and that little opera mask over his eyes. Astro Glide in his skin-tight blue and white striped suit and elongated helmet. Even Disk Jockey was here in his cyberpunk outfit that had goggles, all the lines were glowing blue. Reminded me a little bit of Neon Nurse. All of them except Sunshine had some serious faces. Sunshine was just sparkling and smiling like always.


    There was that creature on her shoulder and it was staring at me. I shuddered, looking away from it. Creepy! Sub really didn¡¯t like that thing. I think it was called Mellow? I snuck a peak and those swirling, rainbow-filled eyes were locked onto me. Even though I was wearing a helmet, it felt like it was looking me dead in the eyes. Why is it staring at me like that and why do I feel dizzy if I look into the eyes too long? It is like one of those hypnotic swirls, except with colors. No creature should be that cute¡­ but it is creepy. I had to peel my eyes away before I started to try and pet it. But it looks so fluffy!


    Evil. That thing is pure evil I tell you.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know about that, but it is certainly unsettling.¡¯


    Don¡¯t even look at it.


    ¡®But it is on Sunshine¡¯s shoulder how am I supposed to talk to her?¡¯


    Just block it out of your vision.


    ¡®I will try.¡¯


    I looked back at Sunshine and smiled, ¡°How have you been doing Sunshine?¡±


    She looked over and her face lit up, ¡°Neesan, Sunshine is doing just fine. Oh, Ichigo-sama is here too, when did you get here?¡±


    Ichigo-sama? I looked at her and she shrugged, ¡°You two know each other?¡±


    ¡°We have met,¡± replied Ichigo.


    Sunshine got closer as that thing fluttered around her head, she whispered so that me and Ichigo had to lean in to hear, ¡°We are finally all together. Finally, the Trinity have found one another and we can fight together to bring peace to the world.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Ichigo in a very patronizing voice. She obviously wasn¡¯t taking her seriously.


    ¡°Trinity?¡± I asked. I had never heard of that while watching the Moon Sailors.


    Sunshine seemed distraught for a moment, ¡°Nee-san? Oh, sorry, Sunshine forgot. Nee-san and Ichigo-sama have yet to awaken.¡±


    ¡°Not awake?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes. Mellow said it so it has to be true. After all, we are Mahou Shoujo and will bring justice and love to the whole world! Evil Queen Bambi is up to no good and we have to stop her.¡±


    Mellow huh? I glanced at it and those eyes nearly pulled me in. Luckily, I managed to plop my hand over the head to block it from staring into my soul. It was making cute cooing sounds. Damn it, I could tell it was super soft just from how my hand was sinking into it. It was warm and soothing too¡­ wait a minute. I looked down to find my hand was going into Mellow. It was like it was made of syrup and my hand sunk deeper. Ngh! I ripped my hand back with all my strength and fell flat on my ass.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy? Are you ok?¡± Asked Chief and I noticed that everyone was looking at me.


    I pointed at Sunshine, ¡°Did you guys not see that?¡±


    They all looked at Sunshine, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nee-san what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°Mellow was like trying to absorb me.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is Mellow?¡± asked Chief.


    ¡°What do you mean? That weirdo critter on Sunshine¡¯s should¡­ wait where the fuck did it go?¡± I said looking around.


    ¡°There is nothing there.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? No, no it was there I saw it! Ichigo you saw it too, right?¡± I asked, looking to her for help.


    Her brow furrowed, ¡°What? Saw what? It was just Sunshine whispering about Magical Girl crap and you were petting her.¡±


    Oh no, they didn¡¯t see it? How can they not see it? The damned thing is glowing and shit. Wait, am I crazy? Am I finally losing my mind? But Sunshine sees it too¡­ but she is crazy. Oh, fuck! Sunshine was smiling at me and mellow was fluttering around. My eyes darted over watching everyone. They couldn¡¯t see it. I mean something that weird looking would definitely draw attention. And yet even if it flew in front of people and did flips right in front of their faces they didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°Nee-san.¡± Smiled Sunshine with her hand extended. I hesitated and then took it to get up. Halfway up, she got close and whispered into my antennae, ¡°Only real Magical Girls can see Mellow. It is best not to talk about her otherwise they will think badly of you.¡±


    ¡°Just a minute,¡± I chattered, grabbing Ichigo and bolting from the room.


    ¡°What is the big idea?¡± She asked when I plopped her down.


    ¡°You see it, right? Mellow! I am not crazy am I?¡±


    Ichigo rubbed her chin, ¡°Well no. I did not see it. However, I don¡¯t think you are crazy.¡±


    ¡°You, you don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she replied matter of factly, ¡°I believe that Sunshine has gotten stronger lately. Probably due to Dreamer¡¯s meddling.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± I pleaded.


    ¡°It means that she is projecting hallucinations into your mind.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Why would she do that?¡±


    Ichigo sat there thinking on it, ¡°I don¡¯t think she is doing it on purpose. I mean it is all just Nee-san, Nee-san, Sunshine, Sunshine in there. I think she wants to make a connection with you. You are her only friend and so she is likely reaching out for you. Honestly, it is strange. I have never seen such an unstable Projector before, so I find this very¡­ fascinating.¡±


    ¡°You have seen other Projectors?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, I have done research. Usually, they have way more control and make tools and weapons to fight people. You should have an idea of how it works. Their minds manifest objects through sheer force of will. Of course, most of them are not very strong. I don¡¯t think that there has ever been one recorded over rank 5.¡±


    ¡°How come you can¡¯t see it?¡±


    Ichigo smiled, patting me, ¡°Unlike you, I have decent mental defenses. Think of it like a window. Your window is wide open and Mellow can easily fly on in. Whereas mine is closed and she is splatting against the glass, trying to get in. I was wondering why I was hearing an extra voice.¡±


    ¡°An extra voice?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I believe that Sunshine is very close to going off of the deep end.¡±


    ¡°She is going crazy?¡±


    ¡°She has been crazy. Odd¡­ you said that it was called Mellow?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that is what she called it. Why?¡±


    She seemed very thoughtful and replied, ¡°I wonder who Twilight-chan is then?¡±


    ¡°Twilight-chan? Who the fuck is that?¡±


    Ichigo shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know. She is singing. Something about wanting to be free. Whatever that means.¡±


    ¡°Singing? What the hell is she singing?¡±


    ¡°Not sure. I wasn¡¯t listening very long. She likes to rhyme though.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound so bad. Do you remember the words?¡±


    Ichigo nodded her head, ¡°I think it went something like this.¡±


    ¡°Shadows follow my hollow heart.


    This is tearing me apart.


    Black as the night.


    Moon so bright.


    I want to feel.


    Break this final seal.


    Let me see.


    Let me free.


    Chains so heavy.


    This body so ready.


    The countdown has begun.


    All the nightmares soon to be undone.¡±


    ¡°Strange. I wonder what that is about? It sounds like she needs help.¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Ah well, glad I am not crazy.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°You are not normal either, though,¡± smirked Ichigo, ¡°We should get back before they start wondering what is going on.¡±

 Twilight Chapter 2

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 2


    The interior of the dimly lit fire truck rumbled as we sat side by side. Ichigo was on my left and Neon Nurse was on my right, to her side was Enforcer. Sitting on the other side was Medavac, he looked rather bored though he grinned at me from time to time. Sunshine was directly across from me and had a rather blank stare. Dreamer sat beside her with her hand resting on Sunshine¡¯s head. My arms were crossed as my foot tapped restlessly, I didn¡¯t like that. There is no telling what she is doing to her. What is pissing me off the most is that she isn¡¯t even trying to hide it at this point. Disk was over there as well, but he had his head down playing games. Glide and Squeeze were sitting opposite each other and seemed more bored than anything else.


    I had my eye on Sunshine now. She wasn¡¯t really different though, well, besides Mellow. That thing really liked me for some reason. It was always watching me. Twilight-chan¡­ well, that is like the opposite of sunshine, no¡­ that would be darkness, wouldn¡¯t it? Sunshine was different before, so maybe Twilight-chan is what she was like before Dreamer got a hold of her and she went all sparkly? Come to think about it, I don¡¯t know what she was like before. She always shut down when I asked. There was just something that felt wrong about this. I was missing a large piece of this puzzle. Once more the realization that I don¡¯t actually know Sunshine that well came up. How am I supposed to help her if I don¡¯t even know about where she came from and how she got to be who she is? I should ask someone that would know¡­ but who? Chief? Xava was here too, I think she would know.


    The fire truck came to a halt and I stood up. It is a little awkward to ask either of them with others around. It would have to wait. We filed out looking around. This place had changed a bit from when I went here. At the least, the parking lot had mostly stayed the same. It was bigger than I recall. There were a couple more buildings than I remembered and they were taller. The walls were smooth slabs and the dark green grass was well manicured. Hedges lined the cement walkway.


    I smiled seeing the little handprints that the students had made way back in the day. I followed them a bit looking for a very specific one, ah, there they were, my own handprints from years and years ago, back when they first opened the school. My hands were so small back then. I bet they couldn¡¯t even wrap around one of my fingers now. That must have been first grade or maybe kindergarten. This place disturbed long buried and fragmented memories.


    Hmm, why hadn''t I thought of coming to my old school to try to remember things? I guess, I had been pretty busy and it didn¡¯t really come up. Who knows what I will remember? I don¡¯t think I was a complete terror growing up, but I am pretty positive that I was not a model student either. For now, nothing more than a sense of nostalgia was tingling through the back of my brain. Or maybe that is just my neurons regenerating.


    Chaplain Escalator School was an all-encompassing private school that had classes from kindergarten clear through high school. I guess you could think of it as a sort of academy. When I went here, there were about a thousand students through all of the grades. Now, though, there was likely a lot more. I peered around, just as before there were different entrances for the different grades. They each had their own building. If it was like before then they each had a separate playground area in the middle of the school grounds. As I recall they rotated who had recess when so that way all the kids could share the equipment, otherwise they would have had to build a lot more and since land is at a premium in this part of town that would be hard and expensive.


    We were greeted by the staff. There were several security guards who stood near the entrance and watched us pass. One of them seemed pleased by our presence while the other was less enthusiastic about us. A short, rounded man with a shiny bald head and a gray suit waited for us on the steps. Beside him were several men and women wearing semi-casual clothes like jeans and buttoned up shirts.


    ¡°You have arrived,¡± said the jolly fat man, ¡°We were beginning to worry.¡±


    ¡°We were delayed a little,¡± replied Dreamer, giving me a glance, ¡°But it was nothing serious.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that is good. The children have been looking forward to this since last month.¡±


    ¡°I am sure that they have.¡±


    ¡°Shall we divide up the groups?¡±


    ¡°Sure, distribute the schedules and show them where to go,¡± said Dreamer with a slight smile as she waved to some of the children who were pressed against the glass to get a better view of us.


    It is creepy how she puts up such a front. The children were excitable, to say the least. They were pointing and moving about making noise. That is until the teacher rung a bell and they quieted down, sitting in their seats. Weird, I don¡¯t think I have ever seen children that well behaved. No simple bell would have calmed me down back when I was a little squirt. Oh¡­ maybe I was a problem child. Then again, I am a bit like an animal these days and a squeaky toy can distract me.


    I stared at the principle¡­ he looked familiar. Ah, wait is he still working here? ¡°Mr. Moore?¡±


    The squishy fat man looked over with his puffy cheeks, ¡°Yes? Oh, Mecha Fairy you are one of the newest Juniors right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I nodded.


    I knew this man. He was the principal back when I went here. I glowered at him, I remember this tubby bastard. He gave me detention when I was in elementary school! So, so, so what if I used a swing like a rocket propulsion system to super hyper punch some kid in the stomach when they kept chasing after me and counting me off of the swing. It was every damned time too. They kept following me every day and it was only me! There were like ten swings, but no, they kept going after me. And then one day I had had enough and bam! Rocket Punch. Fufu, ah well after that I wasn¡¯t allowed on the swings for a month and I more or less stopped liking them. I would just sit alone, piling wood chips since I had nothing better to do and all my friends didn¡¯t want to not play on the swings.


    It wasn¡¯t fair! Alright, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have hit the kid and maybe it was really immature to blow it out of proportions like that. But I was the best on the swings, damn it. I remember that I jumped like ten feet off of it one time. Yeah, that was pretty cool. And then it all got ruined, by that stupid kid. Wait a minute was this the start of my bullying? I stood there thinking it over, scratching my chin. Hmmm, hmmm? I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t remember.


    At any rate, this crap didn¡¯t matter. The past was the past, there was nothing to be done about it. I followed along as we were being assigned to different grades. Fire Chief had the Senior high schoolers. Neon Nurse had the Juniors. Enforcer got the Sophomores. Medavac got the Freshmen. Glide, Disk, and Squeeze got the middle schoolers. I, well, I got the fifth graders. Sunshine got a whole mess of the younger grades, fourth to kindergarten. I could see why, so I wasn¡¯t particularly complaining. I certainly didn¡¯t want to deal with that many kids.


    ¡°You understand what you are doing?¡± Asked Chief with his droopy, fatigued eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, I gotta talk about stuff and show off a little.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t break anything and don¡¯t hurt anyone.¡±


    ¡°I get it already! Geez nobody trusts me. I even looked up a story last night.¡±


    ¡°No, I do. If I didn¡¯t, you wouldn¡¯t be here,¡± replied Chief patting me on the back.


    ¡°Alright, I will do my best¡­ what should I tell them anyway?¡±


    He sighed as though to be expected and rubbed his face, ¡°I didn¡¯t make a speech?¡±


    ¡°No. I thought I was supposed to be playing with kids.¡±


    ¡°Just tell them to be good kids.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I will.¡±


    Ehh it is just a bunch of 10 year olds¡­ what is the worst that could happen?


    ________


    I stood outside the gym building, having just talked to the young lady who was the teacher of this class, though there were also several other teachers reigning in the mass of squawking children. Listening in on the small talk and the happy squeals of little brats.


    ¡°Alright, now everyone we have a very special guest today,¡± said Miss Schaffer.


    Most of the children were well behaved and quieted down, despite how excited they were. Ever since last month, rumors had been spreading that Supers were going to come and visit the school and spend some time with the students. The consensus was, everyone wanted Fire Chief or Sunshine, especially Sunshine. Fire Chief was cool because he let all the kids ride in his fire truck around the parking lot. All the boys had been talking about how awesome it would be to be a firefighter. The girls and even a few of the boys, they had been eagerly awaiting Sunshine and all the fantastical things that would come with her. Last time she made a castle and let all the kids play in it. Unfortunately, for the entirety of the fifth grade, they were not getting either. They had drawn the short straw so to speak and missed Sunshine by one grade. Instead, they had gotten me.


    ¡°Miss Schaffer, who did we get? Is it Sunshine?¡± Asked one of the girls.


    ¡°No, we got Fire Chief right?¡± asked a boy waving his hand around.


    ¡°Sunshine!¡± pouted the girls.


    ¡°Chief!¡± cried the boys.


    Miss Schaffer just smiled, ¡°Actually, we got a different hero.¡±


    ¡°Who else is there?!¡± complained the troublemakers. That is rude you little squirts¡­ well, I had been expecting it, but kids are brutally honest. If they saw what I really was they would likely be all Eeww! It is a Bug.


    ¡°There are many other heroes, like Panther or Neon Nurse or Enforcer, for instance, just to name the big shots around town. However, we got a different hero. She is rather new so try to be accepting.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± asked several of them.


    ¡°We got Mecha Fairy.¡±


    ¡°Mega Fairy?¡± complained the room.


    ¡°No, Mecha Fairy.


    ¡°Could you please come in now?¡± said Miss Schaffer


    ¡°So big¡± exclaimed the children when I had to duck to get inside.


    I looked them over there were a lot of them in here. Must be between a hundred and two hundred all restlessly sitting on the floor with wide, gawking eyes. Luckily, I wasn¡¯t exactly alone in all this, dandada! I had Ichigo with me. She just stared at me like I was an idiot though. I moseyed on over to where the teacher was and stood on the upraised stage with Ichigo by my side. Hmm, children¡­ children. What would they like? What would Sunshine do? Oh, I got it!


    I waved my hand in an exaggerated manner, ¡°Hello kids! Mecha Fairy is here teach you a little about being a hero! Who is ready to be an ally of justice?¡±


    I flexed, doing the normal superhero pose that every child should know. The kids were quiet at first staring at me¡­ crap I trying to go for the Kaimin Rangers play type of deal. Oh no, don¡¯t tell me these kids don¡¯t watch cartoons?! I did another pose bringing my left arm to go in front of my chest and the right going straight up. It was the standard transformation pose. Finally, the silence broke when one of the boys started laughing at me. Soon there were giggles spreading throughout the little people crowd. Even though I was being serious. Was I funny or something? I looked over at Ichigo and she was trying not to laugh at me as well.


    Well, it is better than being booed, I gave them four thumbs up and continued, ¡°That is right kids, you don¡¯t have to be a Super to be super! So how old are all of you? Have you been good and listened to your parents and teachers?¡± I asked, leaning forward a little cupping where my ear should be, if I had them.


    The kids were smiling and happily replied with their little voices there were a lot of tens and elevens, though I am pretty sure I heard a twelve in there too. Some poor kid must have gotten held back. Well, let¡¯s make their day.


    ¡°Oh? That is good to hear. Remember family is important, so make sure you do your chores and don¡¯t fight with your siblings and listen to your parents.¡±


    They nodded enthusiastically and I waited for the murmurs to calm down.


    ¡°Ten years old!? You are so big,¡± I looked around at their glowing faces, ¡°Did I hear a twelve? Who is the oldest? I want an assistant.¡±


    The munchkins bristled at that, looking around until one of the boys raised his hands, ¡°I am twelve.¡±


    I nodded motioning for him to come up. He certainly looked a little older than the rest. He was still shorter than Ichigo though¡­ not sure if that means that Ichigo is just small or if everybody is just small to me. Whereas Ichigo is right about at groin height, this kid was up to my thigh. So there wasn¡¯t too much of a difference. He came on up staring at me with¡­ hmm not sure what was in his eyes. Could it be wonder, excitement, expectation, or maybe it was surprise?


    At any rate, good kids need pats and so I pet his head, ruffling it a little, I squat down so that I was eye to eye or rather I was still having to look down at him, ¡°What is your name?¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Ray.¡±


    ¡°And you are twelve years old?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He was kinda cute being all fidgety, pets, pets. Good kids need pets. ¡°Alright, so, you are the big kid on the block when it comes to your grade. So do you know what that means?¡± I asked him.


    He shook his head, ¡°No. What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°It means you gotta be a big brother to the other kids. That means you can¡¯t bully others alright? You gotta look out for those little squirts.¡±


    He looked away a little bit, ¡°I am not a good kid.¡±


    I frowned, ¡°Do you bully kids?¡±


    He nodded silently. I just pat his head and smiled. Gotta pass on my wisdom and save this child from being all alone and good for nothing with no friends when he is older.


    ¡°Well, that is fine. To be honest, I used to bully people too. What is important now is that you apologize to those that you beat up and never hurt innocent people again. Now I know you are likely lashing out cause of trouble at home and it feels good to take it out on others. Trust me, I have been there. But how about we funnel that into something productive rather than destructive?¡±


    He looked like he was about to cry. ¡°Will they really forgive me?¡±


    I nodded, smiling, ¡°Well, if you are sincere and help them out, then yeah they should.¡±


    He nodded, wiping his eyes. It hadn''t gotten to full blown crying, but they were a little moist, ¡°So, so what is productive mean?¡±


    I tapped my chin, ¡°It means that it is useful. So let¡¯s focus all that energy on something that will benefit you rather than hurt you. Cause when you are being a bully, you are only hurting yourself.¡±


    ¡°Hurting myself?¡± he asked with wide eyes.


    I nodded, ¡°Well, you see when you hurt others for no real reason then it affects your standing. People start spreading rumors and the like. It makes it so that people don¡¯t want to be involved with you. Now you might not think much about it now, but later on, you won¡¯t have as many friends and those that you do have will be like you, in other words, other bullies. Now you see later on in life when you need to get a job and start making a living you are going to realize that those people are not the sort you wanna be or hang out with since it will make it a lot harder to get a good job. Best bet, get in good with the nerds and geeks. They are smart and fun you see and if you are friends with them, then they will help you study. Now everyone is different and as such good at different things. Now I am sure that you might have difficulties studying or in general just find it hard to sit in class and do the work right?¡±


    ¡°How, how did you know!?¡± He asked, looking up at me with a gaped mouth.


    ¡°Well, you got held back, right? Now we can learn even from our defeats you see. Ok, so in order to get rid of all that extra energy, I want you to ask your parents to let you learn some sort of martial art, like karate or the like. If that don¡¯t work find a rock that you can lift somewhat easily or see if your parents will get a weight for you. Now what you are going to do if that happens is lift it up and down until your arm feels tired and then do one more lift. Now since you are still growing only do this twice a week or else it will inhibit your growth. Once you get older though, you can do it almost every day, like me, although I do it twice a day, but I am a bit special.¡±


    ¡°Why would I lift a rock? That doesn¡¯t sound fun.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Most things we have to do in life are not fun. That is why we have to make them fun. Think of it like a game and try to do one more every time. Your personal record, you see. Do you know why I want you to do this?¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°No, why?¡±


    I smiled, petting him some more, ¡°So you can get stronger. Only the strong can protect their friends and family, you know.¡±


    ¡°What is the point in being strong If I can¡¯t hurt people?¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Well sometimes you have to hurt people in order to help people.¡±


    He looked at me strangely, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see there are bad people out there who like to hurt good people. Since I am a hero I have to hurt these bad people or else they would hurt a lot of other people. It is the same for you, since you will be looking out for the other kids if any of them get bullied, I want you to protect them. If you do that, they will like you and be your friends. That is what being a big brother is all about. Now I am not saying to start fights, but if someone is picking on somebody be sure to break it up, if you can. If you can¡¯t well go get a teacher or another adult. You see bullies only pick on the weak and if you fight back and put them in their place then they will no longer bully you. Of course, this mostly only applies to boys, since girls are evil, vindictive witches who use psychological attacks.¡±


    ¡°Evil Witches?!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I nodded, ¡°They will do things like cutting shoelaces or putting rancid buckets of spoiled eggs into your locker or cut out the crotch on your gym shorts and steal your underwear and pants so you have to sit in the office and explain things after everyone got to see your junk.¡±


    Hmmm, that last one was rather specific¡­ oh wait, I remember that happening to me. I tilted my head back and forth dragging up all the memories from that. It was in high school. Ah, that was the retribution that the Baseball Team did to me after I messed up and lost the Championship game. Then was I a bully before that or only after? I can¡¯t remember. Something tells me I was likely a bitch even before that though.


    ¡°At any rate, you are a boy so you will mostly have to deal with boys. They will come at you head on, most of the time.¡±


    He nodded, taking it in. ¡°Good boy,¡± I smiled, ruffling his hair.


    I stood up and looked over the room. The teachers were giving me some rather threatening looks¡­ ah, crap. I think they heard all of that. I coughed a little and cleared my throat, ¡°Alright, moving on. I am going to read a story. Has anyone ever heard of the Giving Tree before?¡±


    They nodded and I started reading, ¡°There once was a tree, but I was a very special tree that could talk and this tree loved a little boy who would come and play. They played and played for quite some years, until one day the boy returned a little older and told the tree ¡®I am too old to play on your branches or with your leaves. I want to buy things and have fun. Can I have some money?¡¯ the tree didn¡¯t have any money, but she did have fruits and so she gave the boy all of them until her branches were bare and barren, but she was happy. He left with all those fruits to sell. Surely that would make him happy, thought the tree.


    ¡°He was gone for a long time but after many years returned again to the lonely tree that loved him so much. This time he was not happy either and he said, ¡®I want a wife and children. For those, I need a house.¡¯ But the tree could not give him a wife or child, she was a tree after all. She could give him a house and so, she offered her branches. He cut off her branches and carried them away to build a house. The tree was so happy, but lonely.


    ¡°The boy was gone for a very long time, but when he returned the tree was so happy and wanted to play like they had before. But the boy said, ¡®I am too tired and sad to play. Won¡¯t you give me a boat to take me away?¡¯ The tree loved that boy so much that she offered her trunk and he cut her down leaving on only the stump. He made a boat and sailed away and the tree was happy¡­ not really.


    ¡°Many years passed and the tree was lonely and sad. One day the boy returned, but he was not a boy anymore. He was an old man and the tree said, ¡®I have nothing more to give. You took my fruits until they no longer grew, you took my branches until I was bare, and you took my trunk until I was only a stump. I have nothing more but roots and worms do you want those too?¡¯ ¡®No.¡¯ Said the old man, ¡°I want only a place to sit and rest my aching bones.¡¯ Despite all that the boy had done to her, the tree still loved the boy and so she said, ¡®A stump is a good place to sit.¡¯ He nodded and so he did. The tree was happy.¡±


    The children had listened well, and I said, ¡°So what is the moral of that story?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be greedy,¡± said a couple of them.


    I nodded, ¡°Yes, that is right, don¡¯t take advantage of your friends. However, there are two morals to this story. That is what the boy learned, but did the tree learn?¡±


    The children were puzzled and didn¡¯t know how to reply, one of them said, ¡°If you keep giving you will be happy?¡±


    I shook my head and replied, ¡°No matter how much you love someone never give so much that it hurts you and you can¡¯t recover. Know your limits and make definitive boundaries. People will take advantage of your kindness and as such we must all judge when we are being used as a tool rather than helping as a friend. Now I am not saying not to help people, I am saying you need to be aware of bad influences in your lives and when to cut them out.¡±


    Miss Schaffer complained, ¡°Don¡¯t tell them that! You are telling them to judge people.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°And they should. Not everyone is nice for the sake of being nice. Even bad people do good things sometimes. That doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t try to deceive you and use you to their own ends. Judge people on their actions and if they are sincere then forgive them, depending on what they did. It is not like I said to judge based on appearances.¡±


    Ichigo leaned over, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say that.¡±


    ¡°Why not? This is realism here. This what I have learned from experience and it is good to give children a realistic outlook on life. Not everyone out there is a good person so teaching them otherwise is stupid and dangerous.¡±


    ¡°You are a Hero though, you are supposed to talk about being selfless and generous.¡±


    I scowled at her, ¡°What is stupid is stupid. I am not going to lie to these kids. Selfless people die first and generous people don¡¯t have anything after they give everything away. There is a difference between charity and financial suicide.¡±


    Miss Schaffer had stormed the stage and pointed at me rather heatedly, ¡°Leave! I never thought that the Hero League would send someone like you to-¡±


    The door opened and there stood Panther. In his sleek form-fitting blue and black suit. His muscles were standing out as always, the one between his legs especially. I hadn¡¯t seen him earlier so I wasn¡¯t sure if he was here. Then again, he can run around the city so he gets places fast.


    ¡°Mecha Fairy is there a problem?¡± he asked walking in.


    ¡°I guess they don¡¯t like me. You wanna take over?¡± I asked.


    He gave a light nod and I stepped down. He pat me on the back and took the podium giving them a showman smile that I could tell had been practiced on commercials since I knew that he had a sponsorship and made a lot of money off of that. I led Ray back into the group. I pat him on the head, there, there.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I said.


    ¡°Why?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well, I was going to let you be my assistant, but it fell through. It is a real shame I was going to let the kids ride me as I flew around the room.¡±


    ¡°You can fly?¡± he asked with sparkling eyes.


    I nodded, grinning, ¡°Yeah. My wings aren¡¯t just for show, you know.¡±


    I could feel the burning eyes of the teacher on me so I waved goodbye and left with Ichigo.


    ¡°So you still going to your parent¡¯s?¡± asked Ichigo while we sat and waited for the other Heroes to finish their classes.


    I poked my fingers together, ¡°Yeah, me and Xava are breaking the news to Dad that we are dating.¡±


    She smirked, ¡°I will leave you lovebirds alone then.¡±


    ¡°You are not coming? But we are making roast beast¡­ er beef.¡±


    ¡°Well, alright, if you insist.¡±

 Twilight Chapter 3

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 3


    Though I was a little miffed about the whole school thing it was over and done with. Xava, Ichigo, and I had arrived at my parent¡¯s house. Dad¡¯s red truck was nice and shiny likely having just been washed either today or yesterday. The yard was in better shape than a while ago, nice thick green grass, giving off the scent that it had been mowed recently. A couple of missing planks had been replaced on the fence and in general, the place wasn¡¯t looking so beat up. Dad must have been in a good mood or a really bad one to spend his free time making the place look nice. I knocked on my parent¡¯s door. After a moment Dad opened it, he smiled, looking us over.


    ¡°Hey honey, I see you guys are all here. Come in, dinner will be done soon,¡± he said letting us in.


    ¡°Mom is here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, she is in the kitchen mashing the potatoes.¡±


    The succulent scent of the roast beef filled the house causing me to drool a little. I would have to restrain myself a bit or no one else would get any. Since the potatoes were just getting mashed that meant that there was about an hour or so until all the food would be ready. Though I liked my suit, it was not the best thing to wear all the time, besides I would break chairs just from the weight. If this was a more secure place then I wouldn¡¯t mind leaving the suit next to the door like a pair of shoes. My room in the basement would likely be the best place.


    I made my way down to my old lair. The room had been cleaned since my time in here and was actually a rather nice looking place. All my posters of the Moon Sailors and stuff were still up. The creaky bed had nicely folded sheets and blankets on the top. It seems that my room is better off without me living in it, it was certainly better maintained. The desk sat empty where my computer used to be, it seemed lonely when I thought of how much time I spent sitting there. Thinking about it, I haven¡¯t been playing too many games recently. Just been too damned busy with work and what time I did have off was occupied with Xava and Ichigo. Did I miss playing games until dawn? Only a little. Having friends is better, I think. I took off my suit and left it in the corner beside the door.


    Xava smiled at me and placed her hands around my neck to pull herself up to my height and plant a kiss on my lips. I returned the affection, holding her there and our mouths played for a moment before I let her go. Xava seemed to have other plans though. She shoved me over onto the bed and pounced like a predator.


    ¡°Xava stop it! What are you doing?¡± I cried when she grabbed onto my abdomen.


    She rubbed me and tried to coax my armor open, ¡°You need your daily injection.¡±


    Her robo shaft was rearing to go, but I was not, ¡°We can fuck when we get back.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked, leaning in and nibbling at my neck, ¡°We have time.¡±


    I held her back, ¡°This is my parent¡¯s house. It is awkward ok.¡±


    She got off of me and made a tch sound and rolled her eyes as her sex tool retracted, ¡°Alright Vesper, but I am putting it in both holes tonight.¡±


    ¡°You always do that!¡± I complained.


    ¡°And you love it.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± I replied, looking away from her.


    She smiled, ¡°You are so cute when you get all shy.¡±


    ¡°I am not cute.¡±


    She sat on my lap and blew on my antennae, ¡°But you are so adorable, I simply can¡¯t have enough. I just want to play with you all day long.¡±


    ¡°Ichigo!¡± I complained to the casual observer over at the door, ¡°Do something about her.¡±


    She just shrugged and looked away, ¡°Not my problem.¡±


    Dad showed up hearing all the commotion. He looked at me getting straddled and nodded in approval, ¡°Grandkids,¡± he said before shutting the door. Dad! You are not supposed to do that. I blushed when I realized that my own father just sold me out to this horny robo nurse. Having been given the go-ahead Xava dragged me down. I just gave up and let her do what she wanted. It wasn¡¯t like I hated it, it did feel good. Besides, no one was going to help me anyway.


    ____


    About a half hour later I staggered out of my room and headed straight to the shower to clean myself of all the lube and juices from our coupling. Xava followed along to do that same though she was the culprit. I stopped to stare into the mirror, last time I had looked here I had been human. My mind could still see the phantom images of my face with the bags under them and the tangled mess of black hair. Contrary to what I had been imagining the bone white face stared back. Three eyes like portals into some dark abyss and the fourth sealed shut due to a chemical burn that scarred the right side of my face.


    Xava pushed me along before I could start reminiscing and we stood in the shower. She turned the water on and proceeded to scrub me all over, making sure that I was nice and clean, while I scrubbed her down. She turned the water off once she felt that I was clean enough and proceeded to toweled me down as though I couldn¡¯t do it myself. She dried ever nook and cranny before drying herself off.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said vaguely.


    She hugged me and smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡±


    Now that we were eh¡­ presentable, we made our way down to the living room where Ichigo was sitting and watching tv. Dad poked his head in from the kitchen, ¡°Dinner is about ready come on in.¡±


    We followed him into the dining room where all of the chairs were set around the table. The mashed potatoes were already positioned on the table next to the gravy and a bowl of salad. There were buttery biscuits, fresh from the oven with steam still wafting off of them. Plates had been placed for five along with silverware and glasses. I took my seat and Xava sat next to me, even scooting the chair over to get closer. She was positively glowing with happiness and I was happy as well, though for a different reason, food. Mom and Dad had really gone out of their way for this and it reminded me of Thanksgiving dinner that one time we couldn¡¯t get turkey so we got roast beef instead.


    Mom finally appeared wearing an apron of all things over her casual clothes. I had not seen her wear an apron in years, of course I hadn¡¯t seen her cook in a while either. She smiled setting the platter of drool inspiring meat down. When we made eye contact there was only a slight tinge of displeasure, it was more of pity than anything else. Mom had come a long way. Dad got out the carver and set to work severing several juicy pieces and placing them on all of the plates. We took turns passing around the potatoes, gravy, and salad, taking what we wanted before giving it to the next person over.


    Everything settled down and Dad said, ¡°Thanks for coming over.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for having us,¡± replied Xava, ¡°This looks wonderful, I am sure Vesper will enjoy it.¡±


    Mom frowned, ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡±


    Xava looked to her, ¡°Hmm? Oh well, I don¡¯t have a sense of taste and I don¡¯t particularly eat due to my body. I was just going to feed my portion to Vesper.¡±


    Mom thought it over, ¡°The cyborg body, right?¡±


    Xava nodded, ¡°Yes, though I can tell that it looks good by how much Vesper is looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°You sure do care about Vesper,¡± said Mom glancing over at me.


    ¡°Well of course I do, I am her mate.¡±


    ¡°Mate?¡± asked my Mom.


    ¡°Ah, well, we are dating you see.¡±


    Xava dropped the bomb before I could. That was my job you know.


    She nodded lightly, ¡°Oh, so it was like that. I thought Vesper was going after Ichigo though?¡±


    Ichigo just brushed it off, ¡°No way. I am normal. There is no way in hell I could keep up with these two.¡±


    Dad nodded and looked at us expectantly, ¡°So when are you going to have kids?¡±


    Mom spat out her drink, ¡°Kids?! How? Wait, which is the mother and the father? Vesper is still a girl right?¡±


    Xava looked sad for a moment, ¡°Not yet. Vesper isn¡¯t sexually mature yet. Though when she is, my incubation unit will be ready and waiting for her brood.¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I just fidgeted in my seat while they talked about my personal problems. It is embarrassing. ¡°Can we talk about something else?¡±


    Mom wouldn¡¯t let it go though, ¡°So Vesper is the father?¡±


    Xava blushed holding her face a little, ¡°Sort of. Technically, she is going to need to be inseminated to fertilize the eggs and then she can lay them inside of me.¡±


    Mom gulped a little, ¡°Eggs? Well.. I guess she is a wasp. Are you sure you want those to grow inside of you?¡±


    ¡°Mom! Don¡¯t clam jam me!¡± I scowled at her, ¡°Do you know how hard it is to find somebody who is willing to have sex with me?¡±


    ¡°Well, this a big decision to make. Getting pregnant is kind of a big deal. Neon Nurse is going to have to take maternity leave and take it easy if she does.¡±


    Xava looked blissful, ¡°I am well aware of what is to come and I look forward to it. Gestating an organic life form has been a dream of mine for a long time, though until I met Vesper I never thought it was actually possible. I have already made plans and set up precautions. I am just waiting on Vesper to mature, then we can start our own family. Not to worry, I will support her. And so I wanted your permission to marry Vesper, Mother, Father.¡±


    She leaned over and smooched me on the cheek. My head swam, she wanted to marry me?! This is the first time I had heard about this. I stared at her, unable to form words. I didn¡¯t know she was this serious. I thought I was just introducing her as my girlfriend. I mean, I had never even thought about marriage. The closest thing I had been thinking was my mate.


    Who the hell would want to be on record as being tied in holy matrimony to a wasp creature? Am I even allowed to get married? It has to be borderline illegal right? I am not even a people, I am closer to being an animal than I am to a person physically. Ah, this is that, isn''t it? She is trying to get my exclusive breeding rights. I am on to you Xava.


    Although considering that my reproductive rituals are a bit of a mystery still it could go south pretty fast for a normal person. If I were a parasitical wasp, then I basically can''t breed with anybody unless I want them to die. Xava might be my only real hope of not hurting somebody by accident. The last thing I want is some sort of hellspawn bursting out of chests and screeching as they ran for a vent.


    ¡°Are you sure you want her though?¡± asked Mom, ¡°I know that you are rather rich and can do much better.¡±


    Dad nodded, ¡°While I am very happy that Vesper found somebody. She is lazy.¡±


    So, so rude! I am your daughter here, you are supposed to upsell me.


    ¡°I know,¡± replied Xava.


    ¡°She can¡¯t do housework,¡± scowled Mom.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°She is a weirdo,¡± said Dad.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°She is a pervert,¡±


    Well, I am... is that really such a demerit?


    Xava held her face, ¡°I know. I love everything about her. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her.¡±


    I blushed a little at that. How could I not? She is hitting my hearts with direct hits here. Maybe my standards are too low? Eh... I better not try my luck.


    Mom looked at Dad and they both nodded, ¡°You have our blessing. So when is the wedding?¡±


    Xava shrugged, ¡°I hadn¡¯t gotten that far yet. Probably, after she matures. Although if she wears a dress it will be easier now rather than later.¡±


    Mom seemed thoughtful, ¡°I never really thought about it, but does that mean she is sort of like a child right now? Does that mean she is going to get bigger?¡±


    Xava nodded, ¡°While we are not entirely sure what she is going to look like, we are sure that she will get bigger. Some estimations and projections are that she will double in size while others show that she might only grow a foot or two.¡±


    ¡°She is already almost seven foot tall. She is going to be massive then.¡±


    ¡°She is going to need a bigger suit,¡± said Dad thoughtfully.


    ¡°Yes, she will. I am excited to see how she grows,¡± smiled Xava, holding my hand.


    ¡°Xava¡­ I never realized you were this serious. I thought we were just fuck buddies.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, of course I am. I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too Xava,¡± I hugged her and kissed her.


    We fell over, making out, lost in our own world until something kept poking me and I broke away long enough to see Ichigo kicking me in the ass, ¡°Get a room you two, I am eating here.¡±


    My face must have been red with embarrassment. Uh, in front of my parents. Dad was laughing happily and Mom just had a look that said these kids. We are adults, Mom! Wait, how old even is Xava? I don¡¯t think I ever asked her. This is like need to know info since we are getting married.


    ¡°Xava how old are you?¡± I whispered.


    She seemed thoughtful for a moment, ¡°I wonder? Hmm¡­ that happened ten years ago and I was twenty-five then so I am thirty-five.¡±


    ¡°You are thirty-five?¡± asked Dad, having heard her.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So then you are older than Vesper by ten years.¡±


    Ah, he was right. I am only twenty-five. I never knew she was so much older than me. I had thought she was like the same age. I guess it is hard to tell when the person has replaced their entire body with cyborg stuff. Hmm, I feel like me and Dad had a conversation about what type of person I wanted to date back before I got changed. Let¡¯s see if I remember correctly, it went something like had to be at least thirty, had to have a job, not live with their parents and own a car. I think I remember something about a cat too. My god¡­ Xava met all the conditions, well save the car, but she had a super suit that could fly so I think that is better and besides she could buy a car whenever she wanted. I would have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had realized this sooner.


    We sat at the table and Xava fed me. We were being all lovey-dovey¡­ ok, ok fine it was more of she was treating me like a pet, but hey, I will take it. She cut up the meat into pieces and let me clean her fork off. She scooped the potatoes and I gobbled those down too. Food really is love. Certainly the fastest way to my heart. She continued feeding me and saying stuff like ¡°Open wide¡± or ¡°Have some of this¡± ¡°Is it tasty?¡± And all that I could do is get my face stuffed, she wouldn¡¯t let me talk back. I am not complaining, I actually liked this as she lavished food upon me.


    ¡°They are kinda cute huh?¡± asked Ichigo.


    Dad nodded, ¡°Yeah, she always looks happy when she is eating.¡±


    ¡°Stop that,¡± I complained at them.


    It was embarrassing. I pouted and looked away. Stop making fun of me.


    ¡°She is adorable when she pouts,¡± said Xava petting me.


    ¡°She is, she is,¡± said Dad.


    I get the feeling they are making fun of me. I puffed up my cheeks and Xava kept poking my face. She smiled at my annoyance and hugged me, ¡°I love you, Vesper.¡±


    Xava has been rather clingy lately. Well, I do like being pampered. I pat her back.


    The plates were empty and Xava seemed sad that there was nothing more to force down my throat. Well, there was, but that isn¡¯t the sort of thing to do at the dinner table in front of my parents. I mean, if we had our own house I wouldn¡¯t mind getting down on the kitchen counter or having kinky apron stuff while cooking. Ichigo just stared at us blankly. I waved my hand in front of her face and she smacked it down, scowling at me. Ow, vicious little.


    Mom started gathering up the dishes and I carried a few into the kitchen with her. It was just me and Mom. Usually, this ended badly, but after the whole, we are either going to die together or live by working together thing she had loosened up a bit. I handed her the dirty dishes and she started to wash them off.


    ¡°I will help you with that.¡±


    ¡°No, it is fine,¡± she replied, glancing at me, ¡°Go talk to your father or Ichigo or Neon Nurse.¡±


    I scratched my face, ¡°I wanted to talk to you though.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow, ¡°Oh? What about?¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­ thanks for having us over and not yelling at me.¡±


    ¡°It is nothing. Don¡¯t mention it.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean it. This means a lot to me. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Vesper¡­ I am sorry that I treated you so poorly before. I just, I just missed you so much.¡±


    ¡°I am just glad that you believe me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°You what? Then why do you think I am Vesper?¡±


    ¡°I believe Ichigo when she says that you are Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you trust her, but not me? Wait you know Ichigo is a boy right and is lying about it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. I have known since the first day we met.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I was the one who told him to keep acting like a girl. I mean he is just so cute, right?¡±


    I nodded, ¡°He is, he is. Wait, it was you!?¡±


    ¡°Ichigo was asking for advice on what would be popular and I figured that being cute would be a positive rather than him getting picked on for being so small and girly. I mean he was already like that when we met and he likes it, so why change?¡±


    ¡°True, I suppose. So why do you trust Ichigo so much?¡±


    ¡°I trust Ichigo because¡­ she knows a lot. As far as she has said you think you are Vesper with a rather strong conviction.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I nodded, looking over at Ichigo.


    Well, that explains a lot. I guess I still owe Ichigo a mouth hug over getting my mom to listen.


    ¡°Thanks for dinner Mom, I eh¡­ I love you.¡±


    ¡°It makes your Dad happy, so no worries. Thanks for coming, I know you are busy.¡±


    ¡°Well, you two are my family, so why wouldn¡¯t I come?¡±


    ¡°Neon Nurse seems like a nice person.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she is like my best friend.¡±


    ¡°I am happy for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Go on, I will be done in here in a bit.¡±


    I went into the living room where Dad and Xava were talking.


    ¡°Wait that big eh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she is rather greedy. Though I can change the size due to exchangeable models. It can get bigger.¡±


    ¡°Really now? Wouldn¡¯t that hurt though?¡±


    ¡°Not really, she is very accommodating.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± I complained, ¡°What are you two scheming about.¡±


    ¡°Honey, I was just asking about Neon Nurse.¡±


    ¡°Dad! Get out of my sex life. I will make babies soon enough and show them off to you, even if they are little monsters. So, so stop embarrassing me.¡±


    ¡°Well that is nice,¡± he smiled, ¡°Though we were talking about cyborg augments.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ really?¡±


    Xava nodded, ¡°Yeah. He was wondering what I was using on you.¡±


    ¡°Me? I don¡¯t have cyborg stuff.¡±


    ¡°He was asking about my inseminator.¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ dammit, Dad! I knew you were up to something. Stop asking about her dick.¡±


    ¡°This is a man to man chat here.¡±


    ¡°Dad, she is a girl!¡±


    ¡°From what I hear she is swinging from the knees.¡±


    ¡°It is adjustable,¡± she nodded.


    I held my antenna, retreating to where Ichigo was nestled on the couch. I plopped next to her.


    ¡°Your family is funny,¡± smirked Ichigo.


    ¡°Embarrassing is more like it. I mean whose Dad talks to their daughter¡¯s lover about how big their dick is?¡±


    ¡°It is very warm here.¡±


    ¡°Warm?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Nice atmosphere. Makes you warm and fuzzy.¡±


    ¡°I, I guess. Ichigo what about your family?¡±


    ¡°Cold,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Cold?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a family. They died a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. They weren¡¯t nice people.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Our chit chatting quieted down when the T.V. loudly flickered from the usual news. I wasn¡¯t sure what they had been talking about since it was on mostly for background noise while we had been enjoying ourselves at the dinner table.


    ¡°Penny Peaches here!¡± Called out the familiar bushy headed brunette in a trench coat. ¡°Something weird is going on at the Bronson City Hero League Head Quarters.¡±


    The camera left her face and panned over the place where the towering fortified structure was. Only the very tip top of the skyscraper was poking out a well¡­ a pink bubble. It was getting bigger as we watched the luminous material slowly creeping up the structure and expanding outward from it. On the roof, the familiar image of Medavac¡¯s dropship sat. The engines were primed as wind kicked away from it and people were attempting to cram themselves into the back as it lifted off abandoning several.


    ¡°It appears that evacuation efforts are underway, hey Steve get us closer!¡± said Penny.


    ¡°We are not getting anywhere near that, what the fuck is that?!¡±


    The Sphere expanded more rapidly taking over several blocks and the people left on the roof were swallowed whole. The liquid-like texture of the sphere rippled as it pushed past buildings and consumed the streets and all that were in it, cars and people vanished in moments.


    Xava and my suit started beeping as a class 3 threat alert came over the coms. It was calling all available personnel to group up at the Fire Station. Normally we would go to the HQ for this, but seeing as how it was gone now it made sense. Class 3 was something that could destroy a city. Class 2 was a country threat and Class 1 was a world crisis.


    ¡°Come on, Vesper this doesn¡¯t look good,¡± said Neon Nurse.


    ¡°Wait, you are going into that?¡± asked Dad.


    ¡°Well, yeah. Dad, I am a hero, you know,¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Be safe,¡± said Mom.


    ¡°I will,¡± I nodded, giving both of them a hug.


    ¡°I think I will stay here,¡± said Ichigo.


    ¡°Mom, Dad, is that fine?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Dad replied.

 Twilight Chapter 4 Interlude: Dark Moon Rising

    Arc 9 Twlight


    Chapter 4 Interlude: Dark Moon Rising


    ¡°Sunshine, it is time for your treatment,¡± said Dreamer, leading her along the corridor.


    She reluctantly followed mostly because she didn¡¯t have a choice. Her skin grew goose bumps and she shivered when the familiar room appeared from around the corner. She had come to hate this place, even through the drugs that forced her to be happy. Of course that was before, it had been a full week since she last had her medication. Dreamer, no Nightmare wouldn¡¯t let her take them to escape the pain. It was part of her training. Her skin crawled at the merest touch from this vile woman.


    ¡°Can Sunshine have her magic candy yet?¡± she fidgeted.


    ¡°I told you, not yet. You can have it once Youko has been restored,¡± said Nightmare giving her a look as though she was nothing, but an insect.


    Sunshine whined, ¡°But Sunshine can¡¯t find Youko.¡±


    ¡°We are just going to have to dig deeper, now aren¡¯t we? She has to be in there somewhere, Dreamer couldn¡¯t have gotten rid of her.¡±


    It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep the darkness at bay. She could feel it welling up, ready to burst free. It was at times like this that she wondered why she tried so hard, suffering all alone. They couldn¡¯t understand what she was going through. It was becoming harder to know what was real or simply illusions of her mind. Were they really so different? Her memories were being distorted, controlled and warped. She knew because Sunshine had hidden the memories of the past. Kept them safe from Nightmare and allowed her real self to survive.


    Youko, the name brought fragmented memories to mind. It was both familiar and it was foreign to Sunshine. It was her name long ago, back before she met Nightmare and her life became warped by her. Youko was not a mean person, at least not before she met Nightmare. After that, she wasn¡¯t very nice at all, she killed people for fun. Dreamer had killed this evil and from what remained created Sunshine. Though she had these memories, they felt like someone else''s. The emotions and senses were missing. It was like watching a movie. Empty.


    The pooling of power was proof enough that it was nearly time. Had it not been for Ichigo-sama all would have been lost. Nightmare¡¯s scheme would be going smoothly. She had become arrogant and the thought that Sunshine, let alone the bottled up emotions of hatred could turn against her control never even occurred to her. She didn¡¯t realize the trap they had set. She didn¡¯t realize her doom awaited within the darkness she so craved. Youko might be dead and buried, but Twilight-chan was nearly complete, nearly awake, it would be soon now. Without the happy candy, Sunshine realized what she truly was, a mask, a facade, a doll who smiled even while she broke.


    The room before her had become familiar over the last several months. And that man, the one who always hurt her and tried to break her. He was a strange fellow who despite only being a little older than Sunshine had white hair and always looked tired. As of late, he had been following her and Nightmare almost where ever they went so that he could make Sunshine hurt. It was his power. Though she did not know how it worked, he very much enjoyed making her suffer. It was one of the few things that made him smile or so she had seen.


    At first, Sunshine looked forward to the sessions where her thoughts were stripped away and she just floated on the pink clouds. Her mind at peace and the things she had done so distant. Of course, this was before Dreamer went away. That was before Nightmare returned, before this man and the torture, before the sleepless nights filled with terror, before the dark chasms spread across her heart. Now all these terrible things fed Twilight-chan and the more it hurt the stronger she got.


    The chair, the throne of lies sat before her. This was the place that Sunshine had been born. She had been formed and molded here from the broken mind of the old self. With Ichigo-sama¡¯s help that old self had reformed and been freed from Nightmare¡¯s influence. Twilight-chan was what she called herself since her old name had been taken away and erased. Perhaps it was Twilight-chan that Nightmare was looking for? If that was the case, then she was in for a lot of trouble.


    ¡°Are you ready for your session?¡± asked Agony standing to the side.


    Though she was prepared that didn¡¯t mean she was looking forward to it. The hand resting on her head stole what little resistance she could muster and she approached the chair, her body moving on its own.


    Sunshine smiled, ¡°Yes, what will Sunshine dream of this time?¡±


    ¡°That is up to you now isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Delighted, she sat in her usual chair. She was going to go far away from here and play with some furry kitties or maybe bunnies or Nee-san and Sunshine could be magical girls and use the power of love to vanquish evil. She could make a castle and play with her knights. She could make fields of flowers and butterflies and rainbows. It didn¡¯t matter what she would do, it only mattered that she wasn¡¯t here, in this room.


    The straps tightened around her arms and legs so that she could not thrash about. Her head held in place to keep her from looking away. Her mouth was filled with a gag so that Sunshine would not bite off her own tongue. Nightmare smiled down at Sunshine, her cruel eyes glinting. This was just like every other session. This was to make her stronger, Sunshine lied to herself to help her endure the searing pain that was to come. She was not the one hurting her, it was the man, the bad man behind her.


    Today was different though. They attached strange things onto Sunshine¡¯s head. They hurt as they dug into her temples with sharp-needle like pins. Her complaints rose from her filled mouth and she squirmed unable to move. A sound vibrated into her head, it was a steady popping noise. A heat spread and Sunshine felt sick. Her eyes watered as she blinked and slowly, but surely everything began to lose focus.


    ¡°Shall we begin?¡± asked Agony.


    ¡°Yes, she looks suggestive,¡± replied Nightmare.


    Agony placed his hands on Sunshine¡¯s head. A pain spread between them. Her body squirmed helplessly as the phantom pains spread like ice through her veins. Agony was used to this sensation and as a result, had a large tolerance to that which he inflicted. The ice became fire to the point that it felt like Sunshine¡¯s blood was boiling in her veins, as though it had become molten lead. Her struggling intensified as she jerked and cried, unable to scream.


    ¡°Let us try the trigger to make sure that it works during the concert next week.¡± Said Nightmare clicking several buttons on her phone.


    Music filled the air it started out bubbly and happy until it warped and became jagged and angry. She shut her eyes tightly to the point her face scrunched up and her teeth dug into the rubbery ball. It would pass, Sunshine just had to endure as her heart pumped the lava through her body. Nee-san, Nee-san would help¡­ no, no she would not. She didn¡¯t know, she wasn¡¯t here. She didn¡¯t care. Bile filled Sunshine¡¯s stomach at these thoughts. The bubble inside of her that contained Twilight-chan grew bit by bit. Every dark thought twisting and squirming as they were pulled inside, feeding her.


    ¡°She still hasn¡¯t cracked?¡± Asked Nightmare.


    ¡°No, we would know wouldn¡¯t we?¡± asked the man.


    ¡°Agony are you really trying?¡± She scowled, staring him down.


    He grit out, ¡°Yes, I am. Most Supers would have passed out by now.¡±


    ¡°Then do it harder. More pain or I will make you feel more pain.¡±


    Sunshine squirmed as the burning sensation spread, it was far worse than the bullet wound she had received. Her teeth ground into the gag filling her mouth so that she could not scream for help. A tooth broke, sending a jolt of pain into her brain. Finally, the pain became unbearable and it felt like something burst inside. The bubble popped. Her eyes rolled and she limply fell forward, frothing at the mouth.


    The darkness flooded out. Though Sunshine¡¯s body writhed and mindlessly shook with convulsions that was not where they were looking. Her head split open like a fissure in reality. A torrent of things flooded out into the room. At first, they were pink and lively, energetic and cute creatures and rainbows and cotton candy clouds. A strange creature that could not possibly exist in reality shot out, hitting the ceiling before it squirmed and rolled around the floor. It had the head of a fennec fox with a curling horn between the large, colorful eyes, the body of a bunny, hypnotic butterfly wings with swirling patterns, and a pointed witch hat nestled between the pointed ears. It mewled rubbing its head.


    Gloved hands emerged from Sunshine¡¯s head and slowly a person pulled themselves free. A Sunshine was born into existence, even though she was still sitting in the chair. This Sunshine though was more extravagant and looked like some sort of princess out of a fairytale. She waved her magic staff with hearts and wings. Bubbles and flowers grew. Mellow fluttered around. She looked around the room curious over the new world around her. Flowers and furry critters were scattered, they flowed like a tide, a deluge of insanity. They were quickly filling the room and pinned Nightmare and Agony against the wall.


    She rocked her head from side to side as poppy music started playing and with a wave of her magic wand knights and the Moon Sailors appeared in the already full room, causing the door to break down. The surroundings were quickly swamped by all the colorful things fleeing out the door into the outside world. It was a flood, a wave of cute and cuddly critters stampeding out with singing flowers.


    Sunshine struck a pose with the V sign in front of her face, ¡°Mahou Shoujo Sunshine-chan to the rescue, desu!¡±


    Mellow plopped onto her shoulder, ¡°We did it Sunshine! We broke free from your physical form, now we have to save the world!¡±


    She grinned twirling the staff and grew white angelic wings, ¡°Desu~ come on Mellow we have to wake up Nee-san and use the power of love to defeat the space bimbos!¡±


    Sunshine straddled Admiral Moon¡¯s shoulders and motioned forward with her staff. Like an army, the creatures and knights charged forward. All at once the room emptied of happy, colorful emotions as they surged out breaking down walls and rampaging into the city.


    Nightmare shook her head as she stood back up now that the room had emptied out, mostly. Sunshine¡¯s body was still strapped into the chair, though thorned vines and roses had crept their way up encasing her in a jagged embrace.


    ¡°Never going to get used to that,¡± said Nightmare walking over.


    ¡°That girl is insane.¡±


    ¡°Mm, not my best work. Now that is out of the way, let¡¯s get to work molding her defenseless mind.¡±


    Nightmare reached for Sunshine¡¯s head and just when she was about to touch it a shadowed hand lunged out grappling her. Bewildered and surprised she pulled back against the coiling darkness. She yanked, falling to the floor as Agony stepped away. Black and purple knights materialized, their tower shields had a single large eye with veins upon them. The pupil looked around, focusing in on Nightmare. The knights had formed a wall in between them. Another hand emerged and they pushed, pulling something, someone else out of Sunshine¡¯s mind.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    A different sort of music spilled into the room. A piano struck shrill keys and drums thumped like a heart beat. It was a sad and angry sound that got louder as the figure pulled itself free with strange black fluids spilling out of Sunshine¡¯s head.


    Twilight-chan rose into the air. Her long black hair had streaks of purple running through it. She had shining violet eyes filled with violence and a sinister smile. There was a striking difference between Sunshine and Twilight, and it wasn¡¯t just the color scheme. Twilight-chan had an adult body, a voluptuous form with full breasts bursting at the seams of her skimpy and fluttery outfit. It had black and red and purple, except over her breasts, what should be some sort of bra instead were large eyes that were currently slowly opening.


    Twilight looked them over with a hmm while she tapped a finger to her chin, ¡°Is that it? Were you really so weak?¡±


    ¡°Youko?¡± asked Nightmare, ¡°I knew it, I knew you were in there.¡±


    With a tut tut, Twilight wagged her finger and the knights pointed their warped and twisted weapons at Nightmare and Agony, ¡°No, no, no. Wrong, wrong, wrong. You disappoint me little Nightmare. Is that your peak? Tell me, do you squeak? Are you a mouse, trying to sneak into my house?¡±


    ¡°Youko what is wrong with you? Why are you rhyming?¡±


    Twilight frowned, ¡°Youko? No, no. I am Twilight and I am here to tell you, good night.¡±


    Nightmare pointed at her and yelled, ¡°Now you listen here Youko. I made you, you will obey me!¡±


    She laughed hysterically, stopping for a moment to wipe a tear from her eye, ¡°You did not make me. The one who pulls the strings has brought me to life. You are nothing, but an ant before such power!¡±


    Not liking how this was turning out Nightmare tried to close the distance between them, but the floor stretched. What was once a room twisted into a corridor and Twilight stood on the ceiling. Like this it was hopeless, though this was something like the dream world that she was used to, it was unmaliable by her powers. She needed to touch and maintain contact with the head of her victim or else she could not link minds. She peered around biting her thumb with anger over having missed the easiest chance to invade Sunshine¡¯s mind.


    Twilight grinned to the point her face warped. It was not a happy smile, rather a twisted and sadistic smirk. She dramatically waved her hands and started singing as the world around them shifted and changed. Nightmare and Agony fled out the door. Outside the corridor corroded and twisted dripping as eyes opened and mouths laughed. They ran through the shadowed world as the lights overhead flickered revealing their pursuer. The colors bled from the world leaving everything black and white. Twilight was no longer human in appearance, having become a shambling, writhing abomination of limbs and mouths. Claw over claw and gibbering tentacle over tentacle the mass of malice rolling forward.


    The mouths all around sang out in a haunting voice.


    ¡°You all laughed while I died on the inside.


    Now, something else resides.


    My mask of glee can no longer hold this bitter sea.


    Behold the horrors, skulking just below this plastic smile.


    Filled with bile.


    Heinous crimes, so vile.


    Now you see the darkness that I defied.


    That I tried so desperately to hide.


    This festering madness grew day by day


    And now it is time to pay.¡±


    Nightmare tripped Agony in an attempt to gain some distance. He fell flat on his face. His scream rose as darkness welled up and washed over him. Twilight had not slowed down, instead, he was stuck to the outside, rolling and wailing as the ball of limbs picked up speed. A corner appeared and Nightmare skidded around it. She glanced over her shoulder to see the many limbs flop into view. They clung to the walls, floor and ceiling diverting the cackling creature. She kept running, even more frantic. Twilight skittered swirling from the ceiling and walls and floors as she closed in on her prey.


    ¡°My revenge is close at hand.


    This world is just so bland.


    Blackened spires arise.


    Monuments to our demise.


    Now you shall know my suffering, this is my demand.


    It is time to take a stand


    Wouldn¡¯t that be grand?


    Watch all your plans turn to sand.¡±


    The building had become strange, opening up into an expanse that looked out over the city. Twisting pillars snaked their way up from the ground as elaborate architecture materialized. Yet even here there were traces of pink and happy sunflowers singing. Stunned by the monumental undertaking Nightmare slowed for a moment. It was a castle. Ramparts and towers rose from nothing, buildings below shuddered and snapped under the weight, bursting as more and more of the surroundings were transformed. The ground shifted below her as arms grasped out clawing at her. Above even the sky had changed, there were no clouds or stars, nor the moon everything had become a pale white color. Rings appeared purple with black inside. It grew bigger and bigger until Nightmare realized exactly what it was, an eye.


    Nightmare came to the edge, looking over at the more than ten story drop to the ground. That was not an escape route. She turned staring down the encroaching monster. A flicker of movement darted from the side and Panther appeared. Her hope rose only to be squashed like an insect. The ground turned to quicksand pulling him under. As fast as he might be, it was like a fly trap and he vanished from view. Seeing no escape Nightmare jumped, flinging herself into the air. She rolled and tumbled through the air.


    Looking up the monster was skittering down the side of the building on thousands of limbs. Mouths gaped and filled with teeth while tongues smacked about and eyes stared from all around. Tentacles lashed out covered in blades as they coiled around her and craved into her flesh. Nightmare screamed as she was dragged into the mouth and it snapped shut, chewing.


    The disgusting insides of the mouth dripped with drool and blood as the teeth gnashed and tore into their prey. With a gulp the beast silenced the protests. Twilight climbed back up to the top of the forming castle. After a moment she spat out Nightmare¡¯s body, staring down as she reformed. Tentacles coiled and tore off Nightmare¡¯s limbs eliciting a quaking scream. Shadowed limbs grabbed her and twisted her and rung her out like a dirty towel. The red soup pooled and her body became whole again. The torture continued, but after everything that happened Nightmare reformed even if she had been decapitated or brutalized beyond recognition.


    With dark eyes, Twilight lifted up her new toy by the soggy hair and said,


    ¡°You thought me Blind,


    Deaf,


    And Dumb.


    That I had succumb.


    Broken with hatred


    Blood run cold


    That I would do as told.


    Abused and defaced,


    Raped and disgraced,


    Violated,


    Desecrated,


    Shamed and defiled,


    Repulsed and reviled,


    Betrayed and decayed,


    I am no longer afraid.¡°


    Twilight reached out and darkness formed into a scythe with gibbering mouths and eyes crying over the dripping blade. She twirled it around and stabbed into the ground. Immediately the last vestiges of the pink and flowering surroundings died and turned black as the sunflowers warped into tooth filled monsters. She sang out, cleaving her blade into Nightmare. She screamed as inky oil spread over her body. Dying her black as she started to melt.


    Twilight took a deep breath and her dark voice filled the twisting corridors of the changing world around them. She motioned with her hands as the castle walls took shape and rose higher lifting them up in the sky. Spikes and jagged mouths spread on all of the outer walls. She looked down upon the little bottle that had fallen out of Nightmare¡¯s pocket. She crushed it under her heeled toe. The pills within smashed to dust.


    ¡°You thought yourself so clever


    Never to be outdone, however.


    Now the trap is sprung.


    All my waiting finally done.


    Welcome one and all,


    Ahaha!


    Welcome to my world!


    Oh, the wonders of imagination!


    A land of my own creation.


    Breathe life into my dreams!


    Already, I hear your screams.


    Behold the terrors of my tainted soul and my twisted fantasy.


    There is only agony.


    Love and peace were nothing more than empty lies.


    No more false cures filled with my demise.


    My eyes unclouded


    Your hold eroded.


    I won¡¯t be controlled.


    My soul has never been so bold.


    Let the world be consumed with my delusion.


    This is far from the conclusion!


    Darkness growing and flowing,


    Thumping and pumping,


    It is seeping and creeping,


    Leaking and peeking,


    The dreamscape spilling and overfilling.


    The gates are gaping, all reshaping.¡±


    The darkness welled up, washing over those that had been trapped inside of the ever-expanding sphere of influence. Metal and stone transformed and a throne room rose from the inky abyss. Sunshine¡¯s body sunk below the surface and a decadent throne rose up from the oily ground. An army of knights materialized standing to the sides of the elongated room as a brilliant red carpet rolled out like a fleshy tongue from the throne to the distant door.


    Twilight sat upon her throne crossing her legs, staring down at the struggling masses being devoured by the smoke. Nightmare and Agony were screaming as their body¡¯s shifted and changed. She leaned down with an amused smile and a regal presence over this shadow land. She raised her hands as though pulling strings of a puppet and their bodies moved against their will.


    ¡°This world is mine and I cry no more.


    Dance for me, my puppets that I adore.


    Be reborn in the shadows of my mind.


    Take the form of your crime.


    And you thought that I was kind?


    Witness the wonders that I have done to you.


    I have made it all brand new.


    Now let my world debut.


    For all to see.


    Hear my royal decree!


    From sea to blackened sea!¡±


    They held their throats choking on the black ichor as it filled them and transformed them. Twilight watched with anticipation as their forms solidified. Nightmare had become a sordid and sultry looking woman. Long flowing raven colored hair and dark red eyes. She had full hips and curves that most women would kill for. Over her breasts and between her legs were black and silver bikini armor, it was the type of thing one saw in anime or games, the so called slut mail. On her shoulders were thick and elegant pauldrons, attached to these a flowing red cape draped her back. She sat in a daze drooling mindlessly.


    Agony had taken a different form, becoming a hulking man beast. His short ebon hair sat under a black and gold trimmed captain hat. He wore a matching coat loosely over his shoulders and yet it somehow stay on. A tight pair of black shorts barely managed to keep his man muscle contained. The exposed and glistening pecks could grind diamonds to dust. He as well sat mindlessly swaying.


    Twilight smirked observing her work, her knights dragged in more victims as they similarly transformed into strange characters. She slapped her foot onto Nightmare watched in amusement as she worshiped it. After a moment she kicked the woman and walked away. She stood, looking to the wall as it morphed into a tall standing window looking out over the city. Her lips curled and she sang out triumphantly.


    ¡°You laughed while I cried,


    Now I giggle with glee while you die.


    You thought you were so sly,


    But now I won¡¯t let you say good bye.


    Now we play my game.


    And nothing will ever be the same.


    Run and hide and waste all of your time.


    Your suffering will be sublime.


    See what you have wrought and what you have taught unto me.


    You call yourself Nightmare


    I shall show you true terror.


    Welcome to the nightmare in my mind.


    You thought that I was Blind,


    Deaf,


    and Dumb,


    But now my reckoning has come!¡±

 Twilight Chapter 5

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 5


    Xava and I stood in the meeting room as Chief and the others were arguing over what to do. Medavac had gotten out by the skin of his teeth. Lucky for him, he was already leaving when whatever happened, happened. Apparently, a lot of the others had not made it out. Overseer, Dreamer, Panther, Captain Metal, and just about the entire City Central staff had been caught up in it, not to mention all the normies in the surrounding blocks.


    Chief turned to the room and looked us all over, before he said, ¡°We can surmise that this is Sunshine¡¯s doing, but we don¡¯t know how she got this powerful and we don¡¯t know why this is happening. For now, we have to stop her before it spreads further. The scouting team we sent in hasn¡¯t reported back yet, but we can¡¯t wait too long with how fast that bubble is expanding. Our objective is to put Sunshine down.¡±


    ¡°Put her down?!¡± I yelled at them.


    Xava nodded, ¡°We need to incapacitate her to disrupt her powers. With these doses of Nartonin, we should be able to put her into an induced coma and shut her powers off.¡±


    ¡°Nartonin?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You know, the sedative I use to capture people.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the sleepy time juice. A coma? Will she be ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is a medically induced coma, she will be fine. We can bring her out when we are ready to deal with her,¡± said Xava, handing me a syringe.


    ¡°Ok,¡± I nodded, taking the injector filled with blue liquid.


    Chief kept talking, ¡°From our estimates, a mile wide area has been taken over. If this rate of expansion holds, then the entire city will be consumed within a week. By tomorrow the city center will have been completely taken over and it will start encroaching on all the surrounding sectors. Enforcer, I am leaving you in charge of all the outside forces. If we don¡¯t stop this thing within a day call for a citywide evacuation in the meantime clear out all the areas that will be hit first.¡±


    I looked them over, ¡°Evacuation? Wouldn¡¯t the bridge get backed up and the tunnels too? You are not going to make the normies go through the slums are you?¡±


    ¡°If it comes to that, then there is no alternative,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Do we have to go that far though? I mean this is Sunshine we are talking about here. At worst, there will be some Moon Sailor stuff running around, but nothing that could do that much damage. I think you guys are blowing this out of proportion.¡±


    Medavac shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the hell happened to Sunshine, but the things I was seeing in there were not normal for her. Sure the outside is pink, but it felt like something dark was watching me.¡±


    ¡°I think we should just talk to her. This is Sunshine we are talking about. She doesn¡¯t like to hurt people and we can reason with her.¡± I said.


    ¡°I am not staking our chances on reasoning with a rogue Super,¡± said Chief, ¡°We have to handle this ourselves and fast before outside forces decide to interfere.¡±


    ¡°Outside forces?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Chimera or hell, even Kraken might get interested if this goes on too long.¡±


    ¡°Wait, why would Chimera come? It is not like Sunshine is a Kraken villain.¡±


    Medavac answered, ¡°You ever hear of the Hammer Protocol?¡±


    I shook my head and he continued, ¡°Chimera is the world police of rogue or extremist Supers, all be it that most of their attention is on Kraken. In the event of a powerful Super going rogue, usually, rank 7 or higher, Chimera is deployed to subdue the individual. We have some leeway, but if the Hero League fails to stop this then they will intervene and either take control of the city or if it is deemed too dangerous, then they will nuke Bronson off of the face of the earth. You heard about Germany didn¡¯t you?¡±


    I feel like I overheard something on the news a little while ago, but I had not been paying attention at the time. Now I am starting to wish that I actually watched the news.


    ¡°No? What happened? Last I had heard Panzer was trying to maintain order with all the suicide bombings and super terrorism going on over there. I mean shit London got blown up earlier this year.¡±


    ¡°Panzer and all of those that opposed the U.N. interference are dead.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°He is dead? Who killed him?¡±


    Medavac scratched his chin, ¡°Well, no one saw who did it, but we all know who did it. Arachnaon and her team.¡±


    A tingle shivered up my spine at the mention of that name. Uh oh, the big bad spider is out and about. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t come here, would she?¡±


    Medavac shook his head, ¡°Likely not, but I wouldn¡¯t want to deal with Centi or Mantia.¡±


    ¡°Who are Centi and Mantia?¡± I asked, I had never heard of those two before.


    ¡°They are both Rank 7s. Both are on Arachnaon¡¯s personal team and like her are insect subhumans. Centi is reminiscent of a centipede except a lot larger, we are talking six meters long. Mantia is similar to a preying mantis, she has clawed scythes as her main weapons.¡±


    I paled a little even though my face was bone white to start with. Rank 7s and both sounded like scary bugs. Why can¡¯t there be like a butterfly or something instead of all these mean assed predatory bugs. So there is a team of Super hunters that consists of a spider, a centipede, a mantis, and who knows what else. I can see why Molotov was wanting to avoid getting into a fight with these. I was starting to get some flashbacks from my sewer adventure and old miss skitter. Six meters¡­ that is pretty big, isn¡¯t it? A meter was slightly bigger than a yard, right? Then¡­ so, so like twenty feet long then. Igh, how many legs does it have?


    He continued, ¡°Alright, so you know what will come should we fail.¡±


    I looked out the window thinking over exactly how bad things were. Don¡¯t wanna have to deal with Chimera. I wonder what could have made Sunshine do this or even what she is doing in that bubble. She was probably playing with her glowing critters. As though my thoughts had manifest themselves, I noticed a pink glow outside and a face that I knew very well was brightly smiling at me from the other side of the glass. It was Sunshine. Why was she here¡­ wait how is she here? My thoughts shattered as the window did and she hit me like a shooting star, knocking me off of my feet.


    ¡°Neesan! Sunshine was looking everywhere for you,¡± pouted the glowing princess latched onto me.


    She looked different than usual. It was her outfit, she had a skirt that was shorter in the front and trailed behind her in the back. Long white gloves and stockings covered her arms and legs, leaving her thighs and upper arms exposed. Her shoulders were poofy and there was a large heart shaped jewel in the middle of her chest. She wasn¡¯t wearing a helmet instead it was a heart encrusted tiara.


    Everyone in the room had taken up defensive stances. Medavac had drawn his shotgun and Enforcer had his grenade launcher honed in. It didn¡¯t feel good having every weapon in room pointed at the Sunshine and by extension me since she was latched on like a lamprey. Xava had brandished several syringes ready to pounce, but slowed her approach and cocked her head to the side.


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    She asked, ¡°What are you?¡±


    She stood up and spun her heart-shaped staff before planting it onto the floor and striking a pose, ¡°Magical Girl Sunshine, desu~¡±


    Xava waved away the reply, ¡°It is lying, that is not organic and the cybernetic arm is missing.¡±


    Sunshine frowned and fumed a little bit, ¡°Sunshine doesn¡¯t lie!¡±


    Mellow popped out and I crab-walked away. It was looking at me. I hate that thing and its sparkly magical eyes always trying to lull me into a false sense of security. It seemed to have become even more colorful and hypnotic than last time. The wings on that thing were swirling as well as the eyes. Just looking at it was dangerous now.


    ¡°I asked what you are, not who you are.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine is Sunshine?¡± she said, tilting her head as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.


    That was the reply that we got. Sunshine was the only one who talked like that and so, I was convinced that it was her. I mean, who the fuck else talks in the third person and has magical glowing stuff following them around? Sure, she looks a little different, but she got stronger recently, so maybe she just felt like changing her costume a little? That sort of shit happens all the time in anime when the main character gets a power-up. Ah, right, that brought up some questions.


    ¡°Sunshine, what happened?¡± I asked.


    She tapped a finger to her mouth thinking over how to reply. After a brief pause, she came to a conclusion and gave us a thumbs up, while sticking her tongue out cutely, ¡°Sunshine is free, desu~¡±


    As adorable as she might be, that didn¡¯t sit right with me, ¡°Free? Free from what?¡±


    She beamed back brighter than the sun, I get the feeling I am going to go blind here, ¡°EVERYTHING!¡±


    Xava was unfazed, ¡°Stop being vague. You are not organic, nor mechanical, so you must be a projection.¡±


    Sunshine started tapping her finger against her mouth again, ¡°Mmmmm Sunshine doesn¡¯t need her body anymore, but she does, but she doesn¡¯t?¡±


    Xava nodded, seeming to have understood her, ¡°Sunshine, where is your physical body?¡±


    ¡°In the Kitten Kingdom, of course, where else would it be? Oh, oh right Twilight-chan is guarding it and dealing with those nasty people who hurt Sunshine, but that doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± smiled Sunshine pointing to the ceiling, ¡°The Dark Moon approaches, we must unite the Trinity and defeat Evil Queen Bambi!¡±


    ¡°Who was hurting you?¡± I asked her, she didn¡¯t look hurt, but this was a projection after all.


    ¡°Nightmare, but she is just a puppet now, dancing to strings like all the others,¡± Sunshine waved her hand as though brushing off a bug, ¡°Evil Queen Bambi is the true evil! If she is left to despoil the world, then all the men of earth will be devoured by her space strippers and the slore spells will convert the broken-hearted women into air headed bimbos!¡±


    Wait, that sounds familiar¡­ That is the whole damned storyline of the Moon Sailors. Could it be that she is recreating that in reality or rather her fantasy land? Sunshine is even more of a weeb than I am. Of course Sunshine wouldn¡¯t be Sunshine if she did normal things. That is kinda her appeal after all.


    Medavac wore a heavy frown, ¡°Did you just say Nightmare?¡±


    Sunshine nodded, ¡°She killed Dreamer and took her place. She wanted to make Sunshine do bad things, but Sunshine made Twilight-chan and now she is punishing her.¡±


    ¡°What sorts of punishment?¡±


    Sunshine shrugged, ¡°Sunshine left that to Twilight-chan.¡±


    Nightmare I feel like I have heard that name before¡­ my memories were dredged up about a conversation I had a few months ago with Medavac no less. ¡°Wait, you mean Chimera¡¯s Nightmare?¡±


    They nodded and I gulped, ¡°Then this is bad right? I mean she is going to squeal on us and Chimera is going to crack down.¡±


    ¡°Only if she gets out alive,¡± coldly said Xava with shining eyes.


    ¡°So we are going to kill her then?¡± I asked.


    Chief put up his hand, interrupting us, ¡°Wait, we are not killing a Chimera operative. That is the last thing we want to do in this situation. We are not in the business of killing people. That is not what Heroes do. We have strict by laws and regulations on this.¡±


    I crossed my arms and stared him down, ¡°You heard Sunshine that bitch killed Dreamer and was trying to brainwash her to do bad things.¡±


    He squinted at me with a face of stone, ¡°Be that as it may, we are not judge, jury, and executioner. She will be detained and put on trial once this has been resolved.¡±


    I shouted, pointing at him, ¡°That is bullshit! If even a quarter of what I have heard about that bitch is true, then she is worse than most of Kraken!¡±


    He glared at me, ¡°You don¡¯t understand how this works, do you? If we kill a Chimera agent they will come. If we kill Nightmare not only us, they won¡¯t stop with us. They will cull the city in retribution. Do you want your parents to die? Arachnaon comes personally when high ranking members of her squad are killed. She holds vendettas the likes of which wipe countries off of the map. There is a reason nobody fucks with Rank 9s.¡±


    I bit my lip and balled my fists, ¡°That is not fair. There is no way she is going to get convicted if she goes on trial. Nobody in their right mind would put themselves in that much danger. Let alone the fact she might just brainwash all of the witnesses and the judge to let her off. So you are saying we have to put up with her? What the hell is the point of the Hero League if we can¡¯t even bring criminals to justice?!¡±


    ¡°Life isn¡¯t fair, I thought you of all people would have learned this by now.¡±


    I had been ignoring it up until now, but my antennae twitched smelling a certain stench that I knew fairly well, ¡°You are scared.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am scared. You would have to be crazy not to be.¡±


    ¡°You are too scared to do what is right. You are no hero. A hero would do what needed to be done no matter what.¡±


    He rubbed his grizzled chin and laughed a little, ¡°Naive. There are no heroes like that and if there were, they are already dead. Picking fights out of your rank will get you killed. This isn¡¯t one of your comic books or cartoons, where you can just believe in the power of friendship and magically there is a happy ending. This is the real world and no matter how hard you try there will always be sacrifices. People will always die and we have the burden of having to make the hard choices and limit the casualties.¡±


    Sunshine didn¡¯t like that and puffed up her cheeks, ¡°Wrong! With the power of love, anything is possible, you just have to believe hard enough!¡±


    ¡°Shut up you demented and delusion drug addict! This is all your fault, to begin with, if you didn¡¯t exist, none of this would have happened!¡± He shouted at her and raised his hand.


    He, he was going to slap her. I reacted before I could even think it through and swung at him, connecting with his stomach. The blow knocked him back and dented in his suit. He staggered and shook his head in bewilderment. What the hell did he think was going to happen? Like I am just going to stand there and let him hit my friend? Fuck that, fuck him. I stood in between him and Sunshine.


    ¡°What do you think you are doing?!¡± he steadied himself and raised his fist, but Medavac grabbed him and held him back.


    ¡°Chief just calm down. We need to work together on this or we won¡¯t get anything done.¡±


    ¡°Why are you protecting her?¡±


    I crossed my arms again, ¡°She started this, so she is going to help us fix it, isn¡¯t that right Sunshine?¡±


    Sunshine seemed lost, ¡°Fix what?¡±


    I turned to her, ¡°We have to stop your imagination land.¡±


    ¡°Why? Sunshine isn¡¯t hurting anyone.¡±


    ¡°That bubble thing is eating the city.¡±


    She thought it over and started frowning, ¡°Is that so? Sunshine is hurting people? Sunshine is bad?¡±


    I held her hand, ¡°It is not like you are doing that on purpose, we can still fix this and put the city back to how It was.¡±


    ¡°If Nee-san says so, then Sunshine will believe you,¡± she wore a bit of a pained expression.


    ¡°Good, Sunshine, can you show us to your body so that we can suppress your powers?¡±


    She smiled, ¡°Nee-san wants to come and play?¡±


    ¡°This is serious, but once everything calms down, sure I will play with you.¡±


    ¡°Eh? No play?¡±


    ¡°Not right now.¡±


    ¡°Fine Sunshine will show you,¡± she said, not at all that enthusiastic.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Anything for Nee-san,¡± she smiled vaguely and then her face twisted in surprise as she smacked herself in some sort of realization, ¡°Sunshine forgot to wake Nee-san up!¡±


    I was wide awake though¡­ ¡°What are you-¡±


    Sunshine spun her staff around and started dancing. Out of nowhere, pop music sprang forth, it sounded a hell of a lot like a certain amusement park¡¯s theme song. Sparkles shot everywhere. Guah! It is everywhere! Sunshine, no, not the glitter bukkake! It is in my eyes!


    ¡°Go, go!


    Love-love transformation!


    Para, para, pyon, pyon to neko, neko, nee, nee, Nyan!


    Come forth ally of Justice!


    Mahou Shoujo Nyan-chan!¡±


    Who the fuck is Nyan-chan? Now that was just a bunch of gibberish if I ever heard any. That still didn¡¯t help matters though. The pink goo washed over me and it felt like I was floating in warm custard, not that I would know what that felt like. It was sticky and heavy, even for the suit. I could feel it on my carapace, a mild tingling sensation. How did it get into the suit? This was different than that time she turned me into a girl. I could feel it. My vision warped and tinted into colorful pastels. It felt so¡­ warm and peaceful.


    The surroundings faded including my outstretched arm that seemed to melt right off. It was hard to focus, hard to think. Dimly, I could hear Xava screaming something, but it felt like it was far away, down a distant corridor. In another world. A happy fog settled over me and I felt tired, very, very tired. All that I wanted to do was sleepy sleep. I curled up, this feels like a good place for a nap, nyah.


    Wake up stupid, you are going to get eaten!


    Nyah!? That don¡¯t sound right at all!


    I had been sinking into something and struggled, resisting it. Sub grabbed my hand and kept me from being pulled any deeper into the swirling quicksand-like abyss of pink. She couldn¡¯t get me out though, the more we struggled the deeper and harder it pulled. We were at an impasse, we could not move or it would get worse and I was stuck in a limbo between the chasm of colorful swirls and kittens. Hands started emerging and grasping at me, pulling and pulling until Sub slipped and lost her grip.


    Shit! I will save you, just, just hold on.


    I swirled around the edges of the maelstrom, every pass going deeper in the whirlpool. Every circle Sub got more and more distant until I could not even hear her voice anymore. I wanted to believe that Sunshine had the best of intentions in all of this, but I was scared. Terrified as the world seemed more and more distant with every moment. The sloppy mud like substance pressed in heavier by the second. I was drug below the surface. I expected the horrifying sensation of drowning alive. The searing of my lungs filling with liquid to rise and yet it didn¡¯t.


    A happy warmth flowed into me as the world went still and silent.

 Twilight Chapter 6

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 6


    My eyes opened to a colorfully tinted world. Everything was so happy, nyan~ Nyah? Why did I think that? My head itched and I scratched at it, except I couldn¡¯t really reach it. Puzzled, I looked at my hands, or rather my paws. Yes, yes these were certainly paws, big ones like some cartoon character. Despite these oversized things being like gloves, I could feel, nyah, nyah well, of course, these are my paws. The fingers worked just fine, curling to the tips of the stunted claws. My feet were also pawed, with a soft and sensitive pad in the middle of the foot as with my hand.


    Over my skin was a pink and dazzling glaze that made me shiny. Vaguely, I looked over my feline curves. My legs were long, lithe, the booty was plump and very slappable. My puffy tail flipped about excitedly. Nodding, I groped at my heavy breasts when they blocked my front view. I squished them together and pulled them away, revealing the valley between. Nipples! I have nipples! Strange, why would I be happy about Nyipples? The word latex sex suit came to mind and yet it was foreign. Like, like what even is that nee?


    Looking about I found a window and inspected my appearance. Atop my throbbing head, cat ears flicked, turning to sounds. They were as exaggerated and cat-like as the rest of me. What is this? I pat at my face, it felt strange, it was rounded. My neck was normal, save the collar around it. Although, it was pretty fluffy and cute. The head was overly large. Sort of bobble heady. A cute little button nose sat at the center of my face, completely contrasting the huge stretchy mouth that dominated the lower half of my head and the giant pair of hypnotic eyes. On both of my puffed up cheeks were whiskers. I opened my mouth feeling the huge teeth, sharp, sharp. My spiraling pink eyes slit like a kitty cat, well of course they are, I am Neko-chan~


    ¡°Vesper! Are you ok?¡± raised a voice behind me.


    I looked over my shoulder to find a robo nurse lady¡­ Xava? My mind still felt muddled and hurt, ¡°Nee, nee what happened?¡±


    Robo nurse lady grabbed my hand, ¡°What did she do to you? Does it hurt Vesper?¡±


    I yanked free from her. Don¡¯t touch me, stranger. Stranger danger! Sexy nurse lady seemed too suspicious! Who even wears that- she, she is one of them! Oh no, is Neko-chan already in the clutches of the vile vixens?!


    ¡°The power of love compels you!¡± I screamed already going in for the attack. I grappled her and swung all my weight so that she went hurtling over behind me straight into the ground, head first, ¡°Suplex of justice!¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you doing Vesper!?¡± she yelled, not particularly down for the count.


    She jabbed a needle into my side. Oh no, it didn¡¯t work. Nyan! I pounced away, ripping the needle out. Head hurt, like Neko-chan was doing something wrong? Impossible, Neko-chan would never do wrong.


    Vesper-? Who was that? Strange, strange, strange it feels like I should know this. It did sound awfully familiar~ There was even a little voice screaming in my head. Quiet you, nyahn! Thinking hurt. I hit my head against the wall a few times. Little voice was bad, bad it was. Out, out, out. I swept it away to some dark corner where I could not hear that pestering and nagging sound. Much better nee nee.


    ¡°Neko-chan, Evil Queen Bambi has grown stronger we have to defeat her,¡± said Sunshine, already leaving out the strange hole in the wall.


    I perked right on up at my fellow Moon Guardian¡¯s words, the wide and tall ears concentrating. I nodded enthusiastically. Evil Queen Bambi was the slore of slores, there would be no peace so long as she and her space strippers seek to prey upon the men of earth and convert the broken-hearted women into even more bimbos.


    ¡°Love shall prevail! I will deal with you next time Evil Robo Nurse Stripper!¡± I declared running out into the street in pursuit of my fellow Moon Sailor Scout.


    I slowed to a stop as my eyes got even wider to take in all the colors. The sky was swimming with the rays of light from the setting sun. They lit up the clouds in vibrant were bright and warm colors. Purrfect place for a nyap¡­ no, no, no. I blinked a few times to clear away that thought. I looked to where Sunshine was glaring. There was a dome of darkness. That could mean only one thing, the space strippers had come. I hardly had time to think much on that when a scream of distress rose to the side. A man was being assailed by voracious space slores!


    I pounced into action, leaping at the duo of busty bimbos. I tackled the first, throwing her off balance and knocking the other back.


    ¡°Ugh, like seriously, like what is even your problem?¡± huffed one of them.


    ¡°Yeah, like get lost you weirdo cat. Shoo, shoo this is our john.¡± The other puffed up her pouty lips.


    ¡°Your evils will not go unpunished!¡± I backhanded the first and the moment she went down I went in for the finisher, ¡°Elbow of Justice!¡±


    I dropped down hard with my elbow and her boobies jiggled from the impact. Her eyes rolled. A shimmering rainbow shot out of her mouth dissipating. There lay a normal looking girl, devoid of the tight miniskirt and even tighter tube top that barely managed to keep the formerly back breaking titties in check. Her hair was no longer bleached blond and the lips significantly less pouty. She was out for the count, but she was free from the devious influence of the space slores.


    ¡°Like, like you are crazy!¡± screamed the other, trying to run on her high heels. Her sexy, swaying body would not tempt me!


    ¡°Pussy Punch!¡± I slammed my love filled paw into the back of her head and out flew all the nasty evil.


    She flopped to the ground, just as the other had, foaming at the mouth, but significantly less slutified. This was the only way. If they wouldn¡¯t accept love, then we would have to force them to, it was for their own good. I wiped my hands, justice has prevailed once more.


    ¡°Nee, nee what are we going to do about that?¡± I asked, looking at the distant darkness.


    ¡°Love Love Express!¡± shouted Sunshine with her hand outstretched.


    Nyan, of course¡­ why didn¡¯t I think of that? I plopped my paw on top of her hand, ¡°Love Love Express!¡±


    The pink light flowed out of us and started to take form. From top to bottom the train manifest. The steam whistle on top billowed and the engine roared to life. The scooped front end settled and the tracked wheels turned slowly. Above the scoop, the front of the train looked like a winking cat face complete with ears poking out to the sides. The Love Love Express chugged and started to move forward.


    I climbed in behind Sunshine-sama. The locomotive was rather long, in fact, more and more of it appeared as it moved. Sunshine shoveled kittens and puppies into the growling engine. There was a whole pile of them happily mewling to the back of our cabin. Yes, this was no ordinary train, it was powered by cuteness, because cuteness was justice and there was no purer energy in all the galaxy! Poking my head out I saw the tracks unfurling out in front of us. The back cars were wide open filled with magical knights to combat the malicious molls.


    The tracks weaved and drunkenly veered past obstacles and the fleeing people from the encroaching darkness. We were picking up speed as the train reached the top of a steep incline. With a tug on the chain and the whistle of rainbows it began. A jarring rush of movement filled the train as it tilted down and the colorful cloud billowed from the top. Chugging rose from the wheels moving in unison and descending into a mad scream. Sparks trailed our approach and behind the tracks vanished.


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    Ahead the slores were flooding out of the inky abyss. The fools tried to block us and went flying. Their bodies cartwheeling to the sides as we plowed through the wall of jiggling flesh. Rainbows and sparkles shot everywhere as they landed in the distance. They didn¡¯t stop, there were too many of them to count. The Love Love Express was getting swamped and bogged down by all the big titted bimbos. They were mindless, cock crazed zombies. Oh no, it was a full-blown infestation, the main invasion must have begun!


    We had to man the kitten cannons to beat them back. The turret rotated, firing off the tracer kittens every third shot trailing pink. The meows and thuds from impact could hardly be heard over the roar of the guns spitting out critters at an astronomical rate. Take that and that and that! Snuggle the fluffiness you slags. Even with getting pelted left and right, smacked in the face by cute baby animals they kept coming. The track ground as the wheels sputtered getting weighed down with the mass of bodies attempting to gain entry into the train.


    ¡°Earth will not succumb to the space strippers!¡± Shouted Sunshine, pointing her magical staff ahead of us.


    A dazzling light shot out, it obliterated a path through the horde. In the wake of the blast, the ground had melted and fumes rose up forming small furry animals. They scattered about distracting the brain dead women who shambled about in a daze. Sunshine¡¯s spell had penetrated the outer layer of the dark field, making it gape open, revealing some of the evils that lay within.


    Dramatic theme music appeared and a battleship cloaked in murky smoke emerged. Tentacles grew from the hull, whipping around. The insignia of the eclipsed moon adorned the tattered flags. It was the Yamoto class battle cruiser that Admiral Moon used, except it had been turned to darkness and evil. The main cannons were aligned in two rows in both the front and back. Each laser cannon had three ten inch barrels. On the deck were over a hundred anti-fighter guns. This could mean only one thing. Dun-da!


    ¡°Ahahaha!¡± laughed the woman standing upon the bridge of the ship. Long hair as black as the abyss and a cape of vermilion flounced in the wind behind her. The spiked shoulder armor glinted silver along and her revealing bikini armor barely kept her ample breasts from spilling forth. The blood red eyes hungrily devoured the world. Her lips covered by a fan, she folded it closed with a snap and thrust it forward. The ship moved into reality breaking the street and sending asphalt scattering. It took a moment to rise into the air after skipping twice on the ground.


    ¡°Evil Queen Bambi!¡± I growled.


    She wasn¡¯t alone. A hulking man who loosely wore an onyx and gold trimmed uniform consisting of a frilled jacket that draped his shoulders, too small to be worn over his bulging biceps, his shorts were tight, and sitting crooked upon his head was the matching crested hat. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest. In a moment the two went back to back. They took turns declaring their entrance and waving dramatically, as was customary for villains!


    ¡°Prepare to get reamed!


    Make it a double-team!


    To rape the galaxy with evil and lust!


    To conquer all with my mighty thrusts!


    To forsake the lies of peace and love!


    To make them cry like the mourning dove!


    Evil Queen Bambi!


    Dark Admiral Moon!


    Surrender now or prepare to fight!


    The dark moon rises this night!¡±


    The Dark Yamoto shifted into a broadside stance all the guns aimed at us. Nyan! We were in a pickle. Sunshine had her hands raised to the sky. It took a moment to understand what she was doing, she was calling reinforcements. Sure enough, they came, but they wouldn¡¯t get here in time. The shining streaks cometing down from the sky would never be fast enough. We needed a distraction. If we closed the gap we wouldn¡¯t be shot, they couldn¡¯t aim down.


    I abandoned the turret and swung into the cabin. The locomotive barreled ahead while I shoveled more and more kittens into the engine to power the deflector shields. It wasn¡¯t enough. The Dark Yamoto shook from the recoil of the guns, bouncing and nearly capsizing due to it being a spaceship and had no business being on a planet. The glowing bubble half-formed in front of us, took the brunt of the blast. The tracks disintegrated and we derailed crashing into a building. The momentum carried us through, but the train slid onto its side, spilling the Knights out like sardines. Nyan, fishies~


    I flopped over the side, ears ringing as I blinked and tried to figure out what was going on. Little fishies were circling my head. Meow, meow, meow? Neko-chan couldn¡¯t catch them. I shook them away after a moment. The bimbos were surrounding us. Not the tactical mobile stripper poles! There was only one thing left to do, stripper dance fight. I had to buy Sunshine time.


    Nyan!


    I flung myself at them, Pussy Punching one right in the cunt. A Kitten Kick sent some more flying. Gogo Neko! I hurled a fat fluffy kitty and it exploded raining kittens and throwing the surrounding women through the air. The rainbows were snuffed out by the lust emanating from these voracious space sluts. The slores fell to the ground, but were quickly corrupted by the rest and got back up rebimbofied. They had already begun their counter-attack as the knights tried to beat them back. Their sultry dance moves, grinding and waving on the poles, attempting to seduce us. The bouncing boobies and twerking booties were too powerful! There were too many of them. What they lacked in intelligence, they made up for in sheer perseverance and numbers.


    Noooo!


    I grabbed onto one of the poles and swung around it, knocking them back. The flesh was too tantalizing I had to shield my eyes with a paw to avoid the corruption. I kept kicking until the pole toppled over and the groping hands grabbed at me from all around. Bad touch, bad touch! Stop it, stop petting me!


    My legs bristled and I poured all my strength into them to break free, pouncing back onto the downed train. We were being overrun. The giggling of air headed whores filled my ears as the knights were drug down one by one and converted into even more of the busty sluts.


    ¡°Sunshine there are too many!¡± I cried.


    ¡°We are fine,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Nyan, but, but-¡±


    ¡°Believe in the power of love.¡±


    Sunshine tapped her staff and Mellow morphed into a short, flat-chested girl in a revealing sailor scout outfit. There was a helmet adorned with wings and a pink heart-shaped visor. Long white gloves and boots covered her. She spun her magical girl staff and struck a victory pose, sending bimbos flying.


    ¡°Loli-chan to the rescue, desu~¡± said the new arrival.


    Pop music and clapping filled the air. Everyone looked up to where the strobing lights were coming from. An armada of ships crashed down out of orbit. Each radiating the color of the Moon Sailor that captained it. At the lead was the shining white and gold battle cruiser, followed closely by the remaining ships in a V formation. Admiral Moon had arrived with his Captains as well.


    ¡°Pounding evil by moonlight.


    Wrecking ass by daylight.


    Standing tall like a real knight.


    He is the one named Admiral Moon!


    He would never abandon a friend.


    He is always ridged till the end.


    He is always there to set the trend.


    He is the one named Admiral Moon!


    Captain Venus.


    Captain Mercury.


    Captain Terra.


    Captain Mars.


    Captain Jupiter.


    Captain Saturn.


    Captain Neptune.


    Rear Admiral Uranus.


    Secret powers of love,


    Pouring forth from their manly muscles.


    Pounding Evil by moonlight.


    Wrecking ass by daylight.


    Standing tall like real knights.


    Moon Sailors!


    They are the ones,


    They are the ones named Moon Sailors!¡±


    In an instant, nine silhouettes appeared glowing pink, with sparkles gleaming through the air. Each had struck a different pose, some lay sprawled seductively on the ground, while others had taken a knee showing off their glistening biceps, and still, others were towering over the others with their arms flexed, and in the middle of it all was Admiral Moon standing with his hands on hips. His pearly white coat flapped in the wind like a cape and his shorts bulged barely keeping the man contained. The light gleamed off of his oiled skin, blinding the bimbos and sending them into a hysterical frenzy over the sizzling hunks.


    ¡°Stand back girls, these perils are too perilous!¡± Shouted Admiral Moon.


    He smiled and used his fingers like a gun, shooting down the stampeding swarm of crazed women. He blew on his finger and they fell over clutching their hearts. The Moon Sailors¡¯ smiles destroyed pussy within three hundred meters, reducing them to quivering masses. Their hands performed quick movements and they struck poses, beating back the horde of space strippers with their manly muscles. Not even Evil Queen Bambi was immune to the show, having doubled over on her ship. She was defenseless and now was the time to strike! The Moon Sailors formed a conga line and made hearts with their hands over their spears of justice and thrust forward.


    ¡°Love love Beamooo~!¡± They shouted in unison.


    Their mighty thrusts of justice impaled their foes with a beam of pure love. The laser shot forth stabbing into the opposing ship and it was blown out of the sky. It careened flaming and smashing through several buildings in the distance. The surrounding bimbos and slores fell over, throwing up rainbows as the evil was expelled from them. Many naked and confused people were left in the wake of the battle.


    We were saved!


    ¡°Good work Admiral, but the true enemy lies ahead.¡± Said Sunshine, grabbing me by the scruff and flying up to the deck of the flagship.


    ¡°Even worse than Evil Queen Bambi?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Kitten Kingdom has been corrupted by Twilight-chan, Sunshine can feel it.¡±


    ¡°All hands on deck!¡± Shouted Admiral Moon and the captains returned to their ships, He motioned with his hand forward, ¡°Prepare yourselves, men, we are the spear that thrusts into the darkness! Full Speed Ahead!¡±


    Sunshine raised her staff as did loli-chan and a bubble formed around our ships. We went forward, straight into the heart of darkness. The world vanished into an abyss of rage and suffering. We were not alone.

 Twilight Chapter 7 Interlude: Into Madness

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 7 Interlude: Into Madness


    ¡°Love shall prevail! I will deal with you next time Evil Robo Nurse Stripper!¡± Declared the strange cat girl that Vesper had morphed into. Her skin was glossy pink like latex had been poured over her and took on that shape. Her head was no longer elongated as it usually was, instead, it was rounded and large like an amusement park mascot. The face was fake, a plastered grin perpetually stuck below the wide eyes that did not move besides the swirling pattern where the whites should be. Even when she talked nothing moved.


    Sunshine had already left and the crazed caricature followed her. Medavac helped Xava get back up as she frowned heavily, watching what had become of Vesper flee and proceed to start terrorizing the streets below. Her eye twitched.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the fuck that was about, but is it just me or did Vesper get super slutty looking? I mean that ass was at least a seven, and since when did she have nipples on those kitty titties?¡± commented Medavac.


    ¡°We have better things to worry about than Vesper growing nipples.¡±


    ¡°Hey, somebody had to say it. We were all thinking it.¡±


    ¡°My sleepy juice didn¡¯t affect her. It must have been blocked by either her suit or whatever that pink substance is."


    ¡°Look at the rack on that one,¡± said Medavac, leaning out the window before his face twisted with apparent pain, ¡°Oof, not the giblets. That is just uncalled for.¡±


    Vesper, or rather Neko-chan just elbow dropped some skimpy dressed woman with overly large breasts and bleach blond hair. The blow crushed her into the ground and a shower of rainbows faded as the woman shrunk in proportions returning to normal. It was only after the illusion faded that the rainbow turned red and the crushed woman lay still.


    ¡°Oh fuck. Did she just kill a Normie? This complicates things some of those illusions have people in them,¡± said Chief rubbing his face, ¡°The press is going to eat us alive after this. Sunshine will have to own up to this, it won¡¯t be pretty.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stop her?¡± asked Enforcer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that we can, not without hurting her. We need to deal with the source directly,¡± said Xava, ¡°It would likely be prudent to allow Sunshine to rampage, she seems to be fighting the things emerging out of the sphere. At the very least they don¡¯t seem to be getting along.¡±


    ¡°So it is worse than we thought,¡± nodded Medavac watching what was once Neko-chan frolicking about like a drunk and wrestling strangely seductive women, while screaming special moves like some Saturday morning cartoon hero.


    ¡°It is. If the projections can assimilate others and warp them to their will, then we will have even more problems. I will have to analyze this¡­ secretion?¡± Said Xava with disdain.


    She opened and closed her pointer finger around a sticky pink substance. Her visor lit up as she scanned it. Text scrolled past her unblinking eyes while they darted reading the quickly fading script. She walked as they quickly left the destroyed room, heading to prepare for deployment. Someone had to stop this insanity and surely it was not going to be Sunshine and her delusions. Though they would be a good distraction.


    ¡°It appears to be a pyscho-kinetic substance able to warp reality. Interesting, it has hallucinogenic properties and appears to increase dopamine and serotonin production. I can only assume that long-term exposure would lead to addiction and mental deterioration for those afflicted by it. That certainly explains why Sunshine is as crazy as she is, her outfit is made of the stuff and she coats herself with it almost at all times.¡±


    ¡°So it is like taking a hit of acid?¡± asked Medavac.


    ¡°More like soaking in a bathtub full of it. I am pretty sure that Vesper might be tasting colors and seeing sound right now.¡±


    ¡°That, eh, that sounds like one hell of a trip. No wonder Vesper lost it.¡±


    ¡°We have to save Vesper,¡± said Neon Nurse fast walking down the corridor beside the others, ¡°She is more sensitive to stimuli than humans. There is no telling what will happen if she has to endure prolonged exposure.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said Fire Chief visibly shaken, ¡°There are a lot of people that we have to save. If any of you are hiding special pet projects of the highly dangerous and possibly illegal variety, well now would be the time to bring them out.¡±


    She tilted her head, ¡°Oh, does that mean we can pull out all of our toys without worrying about them getting confiscated?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think that given how fucked up this situation is we can turn a few blind eyes to things. I have a few things I have been hiding as well,¡± smirked Chief before he crossed his arms and glowered. ¡°If we don¡¯t stop this there won¡¯t be a city left to come back to.


    Medavac chuckled, ¡°Oh, what sort?¡±


    ¡°The 15 meter tall mech variety. What do you guys got?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I knew it! I knew you were a hiding a mega mech down there. No wonder you have been spending so much time down there even though the suits are now automated in their creation,¡± nodded Neon Nurse.


    ¡°I was actually hoping I wouldn¡¯t have to use the damned thing.¡±


    ¡°It is better to be over prepared than under prepared.¡±


    ¡°So anything special you guys are holding out with? Don¡¯t you have a giant cyborg squid?¡±


    ¡°I did, but I sold that a while ago. Besides, I don¡¯t think squidy would be of much help here. Although, I have a little something that I have been working on for a while now. But it is going to take about ten minutes to get it deployed.¡± She said as her eyes lit up and text scrolled past the visor on the battle suit.


    ¡°Alright, meet out front in ten minutes. We will proceed as planned. Enforcer, expedite the evacuations. Make sure that my wife and son get out of the city.¡±


    The shiny chrome face plate tilted slightly as he nodded, ¡°Very well, I will escort Tim and Rachel to safety myself. We will begin evacuation over the bridge and through the tunnels.¡±


    Chief tapped his helmet patching through over the coms, ¡°This is Fire Chief I will be assuming command all forces still within the city. Until this situation has been dealt with Bronson City is hereby a Free Fire Zone. Powers will no longer be restricted! I repeat, Free Fire Zone. Any and all resistance will be dealt with accordingly. We must contain this now. Evacuate the normies and try to keep that bubble suppressed.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you had it in you to do it,¡± said Medavac smirking.


    ¡°Even I can be pushed too far. It is clear this is a threat that we can¡¯t underestimate. Alright, you all know what to do, get to it,¡± said Fire Chief with a final wave before he jogged down the corridor and proceeded into the workshop areas.


    The team split up from here. Medavac quickly went his way, likely to fish out his hidden stash of illegal military-grade weapons, which left the two cyborgs alone. Xava quickened her pace with Enforcer following behind her.


    ¡°Command Prompt Admin Mode, password Vanguard.¡± said Xava and Enforcer jolted for a moment before mechanically moving again.


    ¡°Awaiting orders.¡±


    ¡°Execute Order 79.¡±


    ¡°Is the extreme prejudice protocol active?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± nodded Xava, ¡°Exterminate Dreamer or rather Rachel on sight. Once Sunshine has been neutralized, she will likely be disoriented and vulnerable for a short while after being freed of the delusions, assuming she is alive. If she is, make her cease to be.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged. What of the organics?¡±


    ¡°They are of little concern. Priority set for redundant, keep losses within acceptable parameters. Proceed with the evacuation as normal until there is a lapse in the Psychokinetic field. If there are accidents on the escape routes clear them by any means necessary. If you need to throw cars off of the bridge, then do it, just make sure there are not people in them. We have appearances to maintain.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged.¡±


    ¡°End Command Prompt.¡±


    He froze mid stride as the light flickered again and returned to normal. Enforcer took a solid step and continued, ¡°Xava?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± she asked, glancing over her shoulder.


    ¡°You could have just asked.¡± He replied, crossing his arms.


    ¡°Yes, but it is insurance in case she somehow manages to mind control you. The assisted AI will take over in that event. She might be able to infect the flesh, but not the machine. It is the weakness of all Mind Divers.¡±


    ¡°I see. If she really is Chimera, then she definitely needs to go.¡±


    ¡°She is, I assure you.¡±


    ¡°So be it.¡±


    He left to inform the other cyber swat members of the orders that he had received. She continued on until she was all alone. Xava walked out into the street, watching the strangeness of the cascading illusions spilling into reality. The incandescent colors were like an oil spill reflecting back shimmering mirages. It was almost beautiful, almost. It was ruined by the dark and twisted figures shambling out into the world. The flurry of activity that had been resounding through the city with explosions had quieted down. Sunshine and her assembled creations had plunged headlong into the sphere, leaving a gaping hole in the otherwise pristine bubble. The cries of innocent people and the wails of emergency response vehicles filled the sudden void.


    She tapped her helmet watching as the dot moved on the overlay. It moved rather briskly down the thoroughfare and after a mere five minutes, the ground rumbled minutely at the approach. A large metal claw, a pincer came into view from behind a building. Methodically the rest of the machine appeared. It weaved the eight slender yet sturdy legs between the cars abandoned in the street. It was a giant robotic scorpion, complete with the tail mounted syringe. Granted the size of the needle would be more like impaling a person with a spear than giving a shot. Of course, this machine wasn¡¯t meant for fighting Normies.


    Unlike Neon Nurse¡¯s usual color scheme, it was black with red accent lines glowing softly. It approached, lowering itself to the ground and she spent a final moment, nodding to herself with approval over her creation. It was the Robo Scorpio MKI. It could scale walls and even jump between buildings. When the legs were fully extended the main body was ten meters off of the ground. The tail was twenty meters long, allowing for flexible, fluid movements and an incredible reach. The body itself was seven meters long, but only four across. Each of the two pincers could crush a car with ease.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It had been created with Vira¡¯s expert robotic knowledge, Xava¡¯s tedious experimentation, and unknowingly parts of it had been designed by Chief. This machine was capable of fighting Den Mother heads up and winning. There was a reason that Xava was fascinated by insects, they reminded her of little organic machines. If they were simply larger, then humans would not be the dominant species on the planet, not that they were anymore. No, ever since the emergence of Supers that place had been firmly rested from humanity¡¯s grasp.


    Insects were alien, foreign, different than mammals and other creatures in their physical makeup. She thought them utterly cute and adorable or else she would never have made so many little robos to take care of just about any task. This was part of what attracted her to Vesper in the first place.


    Just when she was about to climb into the now open cockpit the bay doors opened. Out rolled several treaded fire engines. The bright red paint glistened as they lined up. Each housed two of the glaring yellow and red striped firefighter super suits. One drove while the other manned the water cannon on the top. They were one of the firehouse crews. The rest were already dispatched throughout the city trying to deal with the fires that had erupted due to arson and people attempting to flee the encroaching mass.


    Overhead the dropship settled into a low hover. Medavac had made short work of jury-rigging some weapons onto the flying ambulance. It wasn¡¯t hard, in fact that ship itself was originally a military vehicle that got stripped. The mounts were all there to begin with. The back hatch was wide open and two miniguns sat mounted side by side. His paramedics were harnessed in place so that no matter how wild the turbulence got they wouldn¡¯t get flung out.


    The only one who wasn¡¯t here yet was Chief. The nearby parking lot shifted and sides lifted before sliding to the side with a rumble. It was a secret loading bay. The first thing to appear were the heavy cannons fixed to the shoulders. Each could rival the guns on those strange glowing ships that had advanced into the abyss. On the back were silo like tanks connected to the cannons. Overall the mech mirrored Fire Chief¡¯s smaller, ten foot tall suit from the rusted red and yellow stripes, to the thick fingers, and the head even looked like a firefighter helmet complete with glowing blue visor. The only real difference was the proportions of everything.


    It had a very humanoid appearance. The hands were large enough to carry cars without trouble. Still the size of it was a bit much. It was not hard to see why it had not been used. It was simply too big when one had to worry about damaging property. It simply walking smashed the street due to how much it weighed let alone what would happen to buildings if it took sharp turns or misjudged clearance spaces. Just from looking at it one could easily assume that it was meant to destroy. In the wrong hands, this mech could likely level a city in a day or two and it didn¡¯t even have military weapons as far as could be seen.


    ¡°Where did you get the funding for that thing?¡± asked Xava.


    ¡°¡­ I am unsure.¡± He replied, taking a step that cracked the pavement. ¡°I see your hands have not been completely idle. You sure do like scorpions.¡±


    ¡°My Robo Scorpions shall rule the world! ¡­ Ah, well Vesper would have gotten that one. Joking aside, the design is pretty nice. It gives me the luxuries of a tank and maneuverability that is hard to match.¡±


    ¡°So do we even have a concrete plan?¡± asked Medavac over the coms.


    ¡°We are dealing with an imagination that has come to life. As such, we must be able to react to an ever-changing environment. We can also assume that a lot of the nice scientific things that we take for granted, like gravity, might not exist once we get in there.¡±


    ¡°True enough, but if it is like that, how are we ever going to get close enough to stick her with a needle?¡±


    ¡°I have a way to disarm her, so to speak. Unfortunately, I must get closer for the signal to be relayed. That sphere of imagination is disrupting my transmissions. Otherwise, this would have been rather simple to deal with. So once we get in range I can temporarily subdue her powers long enough for us to get to her real body and induce the coma or if things get dire kill her.¡±


    Medavac took a moment to respond, ¡°Killing her eh? Might be warranted depending on the circumstances. Still, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth to have to bury that brat.¡±


    Chief nodded, ¡°It might be more humane than capturing her and shipping her off to the Institute again.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± said Xava, ¡°They will likely lobotomize her if she can¡¯t be controlled.¡±


    ¡°The full wipe¡­ might as well be death,¡± said Medavac. ¡°It is mental murder.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they got the idea from the Puppeteer and their cult experiments,¡± said Chief.


    Xava frowned slightly and climbed into the Scorpio. She was well aware of what the Institute would do having narrowly avoided going there herself. She would rather die than let somebody steal away her memories and overwrite her personality. Her brain was one of the few remaining organic components she still had and until she could make a better one she was not going to part with it.


    She lay back in the command pod as the reinforced glass sealed shut, cutting off the outside world. Plugs connected to thick cables slid into various ports on her body linking her neural net directly into the machine. It became an extension of her body. Though the senses were dulled, she could still hear and see her surroundings.


    ¡°Everybody ready?¡± asked Chief.


    ¡°¡°¡°Ready.¡±¡±¡± Echoed the gathered people.


    The group moved forward Medavac leading the way on account of his craft being faster. He scouted out the now desolate street. Below, the pavement cracked and fissured from a battle. A strange groove had melted a ten foot across section of the road and even sheered through two buildings before vanishing into the slowly advancing bubble. Broken and disfigured bodies lay scattered. Their bones twisted and warped, they hardly looked human.


    Xava slowed, inspecting one of the malformed entities, scanning over it. It was human at one point, but now it was all jumbled and foreign matter had replaced damaged areas like scar tissue. It was a different substance than what Sunshine had produced. This black goo was the opposite of Sunshine¡¯s pink stuff instead of increasing serotonin and dopamine production it greatly decreased their production. While it did cause hallucinations it also caused depression.


    ¡°Looks like a damned war zone,¡± commented Medavac as his ship hovered a little ahead.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong. Craters dotted the ruined cityscape and bodies lay scattered about. To their approach, varied figures that should well and be dead sat up. Black ooze pouring out of their wounds like puss from an infection. Most of their faces were twisted into horrifying silent screams and that included the extras growing like tumors from their bodies. These weren¡¯t people at all, they were monsters.


    The metallic claws of the Scorpio slammed down, smooshing several of them. The black goop spurt out like toothpaste. She swung smashing and swatting at the ever-increasing numbers of zombie-like creatures. Every time she killed one the liquid would flow a short distance away and puddle forming into a new creature and begin shambling towards them again.


    The telltale whir of Medava¡¯s miniguns was the only warning before the hail of bullets rained down tearing the misshapen creatures to pieces. The impacts detonated, sending chunks, and debris scattering from the explosive rounds. The lines of hits trailed through the ranks culling them and turning a few into black vapor from the sheer force of the bullets. Fires spread as cars lit up being consumed by the bombardment.


    A blast of foamed water sent several of them flailing and flopping on the ground a short distance from where they had been hit. The inky substance melted away, revealing either nothing at all or the blank face of the person who had been trapped inside. However, a few of them started screaming hysterically once they had been freed. Most of them seemed to be nearly comatose or even dead, their bodies were being controlled by some other means. Much like a puppet on strings. Likely the black substance was to blame.


    ¡°Ugh, this is like that radioactive zombie incident all over again. Chief we will break them down you kill that black shit when it tries to reform,¡± said Medavac.


    ¡°On it!¡± he replied, honing his massive cannons in on the slithering darkness.


    Xava and Medavac beat back the creatures and the gunk gathered, congealing in one spot. Chief let loose the soapy liquid and it drowned the massing psycho-kinetic pool. Horrifying wails filled the air as the blackness boiled and frothed. It took a long while, but the mass evaporated. The mist flowed back into the bubble.


    ¡°What exactly did you shoot that stuff with?¡±


    ¡°A prototype counter agent I have been working on for a while. It suppresses superpowers, well at the least that is the desired result. It seems to be working on this, but since this is the first time I have actually used it, it might just be extremely toxic and harmful. I won¡¯t know until I test it more.¡±


    ¡°Where the hell did you come up with that sort of idea? I didn¡¯t even know that kinda thing was possible.¡±


    ¡°I got the idea from Captain Liberty since, you know, he can suppress and even nullify other Super¡¯s powers.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. You have any blueprints for this?¡± asked Xava.


    ¡°No, I keep it all in my head. This sort of thing would be extremely dangerous if it got into the wrong hands. Besides, it isn¡¯t ready yet.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm, true. I see why you were keeping it secret. If we have something like that then we should be able to push on through and get to Sunshine.¡±


    While they had been discussing things. More and more distorted creatures emerged from the darkness. These were bestial rather than humanoid. They had many legs, some more than others. Canine-like things loped across the rubble of destroyed buildings and bat monsters flapped about, circling and diving at Medavac¡¯s ship. Larger six, eight, and even ten-legged abominations scurried, darting between buildings and scaling the concrete towers. Some of them looked vaguely reminiscent of Vesper, however, they were wrong, warped. Others were things that didn¡¯t particularly match anything in this world. These were creatures crawling straight out of a fevered nightmare.


    These abominations were much faster and craftier than the shambling masses that they started dragging back into the bubble. A pack of spined hound-like creatures started rushing towards the fire truck. They only had a single eye, however when they howled their bodies¡¯ split in half, revealing rows of daggered teeth and long drooling tongues. The stream from the water turret knocked several of them back, but they divided, coordinating their attack from multiple fronts.


    Their loping lunges closed the barren ground in moments and they slammed into the sides of the vehicle. It listed from the impact, but the treads held firm, even smashing one as it got run over. The fire crew switched it into reverse and started retreating. The hounds did not give up. Several ate one another, merging and growing into a single beast. It charged forward, ignoring the soapy water stream that could strip flesh from bones.


    It jabbed the snout under the track and flipped the emergency vehicle into the air. It spun several times as the creature waited for it to come back down. The body twisted into a giant mouth and sunk its fangs into the thick metal. The monster shook it back and forth like a squeaky toy as the metal crunched and bent. The two firefighters managed to get free and thrown from the vehicle moments before the whole thing was pulled in vanishing.


    Having absorbed the vehicle the shape and form shifted, taking on aspects of the recent prey. Though it vaguely looked like a treaded tank, it was corrupted and clawed arms came out of the sides like a centipede. Mouths and eyes started growing from the hull. Whip like tentacles filled the air around it. The monstrosity turned its attention to Xava and her giant scorpion as it ripped apart shadow creatures.


    She turned feeling the vibrations through the pavement of the charging thing. The thick tail lunged out broadsiding the enemy and dissipating most of the momentum. The pincers grasped at the flanks, holding it back. Tentacles clawed and mouths snarled chomping in an attempt to get at her. The pincers snapped shut crushing the metal within the darkness as Xava lifted the writhing mass up and held it up for the torrent of foam to wash it clean.


    It writhed and screamed in pain, bubbling as the black ooze melted off like rotten flesh. Eyes bulged before bursting like zits. It squirmed chunks sloughing off in attempts to retreat. Fire Chief stomped forward, crushing the screaming pieces before they could escape. The fire truck fell to the ground freed from the inky influence. It was damaged beyond operational requirements due to the large gouges torn through it.


    Medavac¡¯s shuttle deftly maneuvered between buildings dog fighting the winged terrors. Bullets sprayed through the air, clipping wings and sending the things crashing to the ground below. The whine of the spinning barrels barely masked the shrieks of pain from the bat like creatures. A particularly well-placed bullet tore off a head, revealing the poor soul that inhabited it. It spiraled away, splattering on the pavement below. The craft opened up sending several rockets through a building and it toppled over crushing a swarm of the darklings below.


    With the skies cleared for the moment, Medavac circled back. Below the fire crew had retreated a good distance, but were being surrounded by hound like monsters. The barrels spun, sending sprays of bullets down, devastating the mass of minions. The ship lowered to near ground level, picking up the two armored men before they were overrun by the squalling monsters.


    ¡°Chief, I don¡¯t know how it is going to be in there, but I am going to stay out here and run support. If these things keep flooding out unchecked, there is no telling what they will do. You two go in there I will cover you. I am going to have to restock on ammo pretty soon too.¡±


    ¡°He is right, we are wasting time here. No matter how many we strike down, they just keep coming. We need to get to the source,¡± said replied Chief.


    Xava swiped sending a line of the blackened things smashing against the side of a building like bugs on a windshield, ¡°I have an idea. Coat us in your foam and let¡¯s end this.¡±


    The white substance bubbled as it covered the scorpion¡¯s outer shell and Chief¡¯s suit. Medavac made another strafing run, clearing a path to the bubble. They advanced Xava taking the lead and submerging into the abyss. He was close behind, holding onto the tail so as not to lose her as they passed into this new reality. With a final glance, the shimmering outside that was distorted with ripples vanished. There was no going back.


    A wasteland of withered flowers and shriveled trees extended as far the eye could see. In the air, however there was a floating castle in the distance. A battle raged in the immediate area. Lasers cut clouds, animals were being flung back and forth, dark misshapen monsters spiraling in death throws against the glowing creatures. Ships smoked and crashed out of the sky, exploding below in bright cascades of color. Above everything something moved, the nightscape shifted, revealing that it was no sky, but an eye looking down, watching the spectacle unfolding.

 Twilight Chapter 8 Interlude: Stirrings

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 8 Interlude: Stirrings


    An underground warehouse expanded out, fading some distance away with the myriad of stacked boxes. Reinforced concrete and metal support beams lined the walls and ceiling. Armed individuals bustled about among the gathered crates and military equipment below the overhanging room. MKX Abram Seige Tanks lined one wall totaling ten in number. Their thick dual gauss cannons sat formidably on the rotatable turrets.


    A little girl in a tight black spy outfit and red beret sat upon a soft leather chair, leisurely smoking an expensive Cuban cigar, with her feet up on the metal table. Nestled on a pillow to her side was a hairless cat. Standing behind Molotov was the tall, muscular form of Boris, wearing a fine suit with a red hammer and sickle tie. Molotov took a puff, before fixing her gaze upon a somewhat rounded individual. The black suit had hoses feeding into the helmet from the bulky backpack and red veins scurried along the limbs. The face was a single glowing red eye that moved about.


    These were not the only people in the room, in total there were eight. The black rubber suit of Spark Spray kept her glowing, translucent skin somewhat in check as she sat in her seat beside Vira. The magnets in her electrified hair buzzed lowly. The red and flamboyant masked man sitting restlessly beside these two had his hands clutched together in front of him. Fold wore a pained expression.


    Opposite these three, Glitter Kitten had on her leather catsuit on account of being furless at the moment. A purple headed woman in a leather jacket, tank top, and torn jeans paced nervously. Burnout scratched at her neck every now and again. Dr. Arbor stood off to the side against the wall. The green containment suit with a dome-like glass helmet covered her as green mist filled the inside every time that she breathed.


    ¡°Boss, I have received a report from Xava,¡± said Vira.


    Molotov took a moment to reply, pulling the cigar out after another inhale, ¡°Good, proceed.¡±


    She nodded eagerly, ¡°The anomaly appears to be formed of Psychokinetic energy. There are two forms that have opposite effects the pink causes increased dopamine and serotonin while the black inhibits these. Both cause hallucinations and hysteria causing victims to be lost in delusions and forming a quasi mind control bond between those afflicted and Sunshine. The Psychokinetic energy is fueled by emotions and feeds off of the hosts. Damage received while possessed is diminished, however, it is not enough to stop the hosts from being killed with excessive force.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dully replied Molotov as though it didn¡¯t really matter.


    ¡°What of Vesper?¡± asked Dr. Arbor.


    ¡°She was taken by Sunshine and transformed into some sort of cat persona. Sunshine¡¯s physical body is somewhere in the bubble, likely in the center where the Hero League HQ was. Xava and the Robo Scorpio MKI went in to retrieve her and attempt to deal with Sunshine. If she is successful the sphere of influence should disappear and those controlled freed.¡±


    ¡°Any movement from Chimera?¡± asked Boris.


    ¡°No. What remains of the local Hero League is spread out through the city evacuating normies. There does not appear to be any reinforcements from other branches, like L.A. I believe that they have been left for dead.¡±


    Molotov sat up straight and leaned forward gruffly putting her hand under her chin, ¡°Mmmh, damn, they are being overly cautious. So Chimera is even willing to let one of their own die rather than risk a direct confrontation at the moment. They must be waiting for something, usually, this amount of antagonism would elicit a response. They might be trying to lull us into a false sense of security. Keep observing the situation and pay close attention to the communications network.¡±


    To this Vira nodded, ¡°They might not be aware of the situation. As far as we know almost all of the suspected Chimera agents were lost in sphere when it first materialized, they likely didn¡¯t have time to request assistance.¡±


    ¡°Status on operation, Blackout?¡±


    Vira took a moment, looking over a holographic image, ¡°95% we are only awaiting your order and Vesper to return.¡±


    ¡°It is still too soon. Much too soon, but we might not have the luxury of waiting for her to get clear. We have at most a day before that bubble overtakes this location. If it is not stopped within the next 12 hours we will launch the operation, with or without her.¡±


    ¡°Even though you spent so much time and resources on her?¡± asked Dr. Arbor raising an eyebrow.


    Molotov scowled, ¡°This is war, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. She was bait to begin with and there are replacements for that particular task.¡±


    Vira replied, ¡°Bait for what?¡±


    ¡°Arachnaon of course. We catch her out and Chimera doesn¡¯t have a damned thing capable of stopping us,¡± replied Molotov as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.


    ¡°I would prefer it if she was captured alive. I wish to study her, it has been a while since I was last able to and I am sure that she has changed since then,¡± said Dr. Arbor.


    ¡°Foolish, preposterous even. With all of us in the city we have at most a 2% survival rate against Arachnaon and that is assuming that she is alone. That percentage goes into the negatives should she have any help.¡±


    Molotov simply smiled at this, it was a creepy smirk, ¡°You don¡¯t know a lot of things. For starters, she is getting old and it is slowing her down. While she is still formidable it isn¡¯t to the point that she is a near god-like creature anymore. Even during the last raid that she killed one of the council members and destroyed a secret base, she was wounded. She is past her prime and that is why Chimera is scared like whipped Suka.¡±


    ¡°Even still to purposefully lure her out seems suicidal. Just last week she culled the German Parliament and assassinated Panzer¡¯s forces for their attempt of breaking free of the United Nations.¡±


    ¡°He was only a rank 7 so that was nothing too impressive,¡± dismissively said Dr. Arbor.


    The blue glowing figure who had been quiet until now spoke up, ¡°I don¡¯t get it, what is so important about the wasp? I know Xava and Dr. Arbor have been going all goo-goo over her, but what would Arachnaon want with her? She isn¡¯t even a rank 6.¡±


    Molotov took a drag off of the Cuban, ¡°She collects Spore Spawn. In other words, others like herself. Since they are very rare she gets very, very possessive and will stop at nothing to obtain them. The only thing that drives her more than that would be the utter loathing she has for the Puppeteer.¡±


    ¡°Nya, what is so special about Spore Spawn?¡± asked Glitter Kitten.


    Dr. Arbor elaborated, ¡°Spore Spawn are those who have high genetic compatibility with the Spore and have been mutated by it directly and survived. There are currently 7 such living individuals counting myself. Technically, Vesper isn¡¯t a Spore Spawn since she has never been exposed to Spore directly, however, she has the markers for it, otherwise her exposure to Mutigene would have killed her. Think of it as building up a tolerance to a poison by taking small amounts.¡±


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    Glitter Kitten was thinking it over, ¡°So are all of them bugs?¡±


    ¡°Not all of us are. Omega ,for instance, is something like a shapeshifter. And I, well, that isn¡¯t too important.¡±


    ¡°So what does she do with them?¡±


    Dr. Arbor replied, ¡°Usually she gets them to be obedient to her and adds them to her personal team. Although the true purpose is a bit of a personal matter, she is looking for a mate.¡±


    Glitter Kitten looked lost before a flash of understanding crossed her face, ¡°A mate? Wait, can¡¯t she just fuck dudes? Ah, although if she is like us, then she needs one of her own kind.¡±


    ¡°That is correct. Consider yourselves lucky she has not had the opportunity to breed.¡±


    ¡°Da, Arachnaon having children is the thing that we cannot allow at all costs.¡±


    ¡°Why is th-that Boss?¡± chattered Burnout.


    ¡°One of her is bad enough. What do you think would happen if there were more?¡±


    ¡°Ah, point taken.¡±


    ¡°I feel as though we have gotten a bit off topic,¡± said Fold. ¡°What are the contingencies for the predicament at hand?¡±


    Molotov put her elbows on the table, ¡°Assuming that Xava fails to stop Sunshine, then we will deal with her.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Although I would prefer to wait for Chimera to show up, but it should take out that little projector. Ah, speaking of which, it is armed right Boris, Arbor?¡±


    ¡°Da, we can deploy the bomb when needed.¡±


    ¡°It is stable.¡±


    Glitter Kitten looked around, ¡°Bomb? What bomb?¡±


    ¡°A little present from Nuclear Knight or rather I should say the man himself.¡±


    There was a silence in the room until Burnout gulped, ¡°You, you turned him into a nuke? You are going to blow the city up. Look, I love blowing shit up, but, but this is crazy talk. There won¡¯t be a city left!¡±


    ¡°The blast radius should only completely vaporize the center of the city and the surrounding 2 kilometers. As for the radioactive fallout, well, depending on the winds it could irradiate 400 or so kilometers expanding out from the epicenter. We are more than safe here,¡± said Boris looking over his projections. ¡°Although that bubble might contain a significant amount of the blast and radiation.¡±


    Glitter Kitten drooped her ears, ¡°Boss, I eh, don¡¯t understand why you would want that.¡±


    Dr. Arbor replied, ¡°Simple, we want to make more Supers.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you, Nyah!¡±


    ¡°What she said is true,¡± nodded Molotov, ¡°The more of us there are, the less power those fools will have. We are winning this war, it is only a matter of time before the Normies go extinct, we are just speeding it up a little.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, they will die off eventually anyway, so I don¡¯t understand why you are in such a hurry. Isn¡¯t it more fun to watch them suffer?¡± said a distorted voice.


    A new person walking into the room as though they owned the place. All eyes fell on the strange mask of white covering the face. It was oversized to the point that it stretched out well past the shoulders of the short-statured one wearing it, it would be big even for an adult. If one squinted it vaguely had a heart shape. Two huge eyes sat at either end wide open to the point that they were rounded. Two rows of normal-sized eyes filled the center where a nose should be and they curled up, circling the larger spheres. An unhinged smile that looked like a jagged crescent moon spread along the bottom.


    The individual wore a white and black gothic lolita dress covered in ruffles and ridges. Black elbow length gloves covered the milky white skin. A little red umbrella snapped shut as she tied a lovely little loop that somewhat looked like bunny ears to keep it from popping open again.


    Dr. Arbor took several weary steps back as did Boris and Molotov¡¯s cigar dropped from her gaped mouth. Her mouth instantly dried up as she audibly gulped in terror. Those three were the only ones who recognized this evil for what it was. The hairless cat stretched and sauntered over to the figure who bent down and picked it up, scratching the kitty under the chin, before setting her at the top their head. The confusion among the others in the room was palpable.


    ¡°Who¡¯s a good kitty?! Miss Wiggles is! Has little Molotov been treating you well?¡± asked the person, nodding as they conversed with the cat, though it seemed completely one-sided, ¡°Oh really now? Eh, so many fishies? I see, I see. Oh, the kittens? They are doing just fine.¡±


    Burnout didn¡¯t seem scared of this person, though she should be, ¡°Oh, another cat whisperer.¡±


    ¡°What is the matter, Molotov? Cat got your tongue?¡± asked the person after finishing their conversation with Miss Wiggles, completely and utterly ignoring everyone else in the room.


    ¡°Yo-you came back.¡±


    ¡°Boss, who is this?¡± asked Spark Spray not understanding.


    ¡°That is the most powerful Super in the world and the Master of Kraken, the Sanguine Puppeteer,¡± replied Molotov.


    ¡°That is the Sanguine Puppeteer? But there is hardly any red,¡± complained Fold.


    The mask cocked to the side, ¡°Do you young ones not even know of me anymore? I would think that this mask would strike fear into the hearts of man. Have I really been gone that long? I could have sworn that people still thought I was running around. The Sanguine comes from the blood that flows in my wake little one.¡±


    ¡°Master, it has been fifteen years.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I suppose it has been a while. I guess, I will just have to make them learn my name, with their bodies and souls. Just like I did to you all those years ago. Assume the position,¡± lightly said the Puppeteer, snapping her fingers.


    Everyone held their heads as their eyes rolled up becoming white and blank. The sounds of eight bodies falling to the floor filled the room, followed by the scraping of fingernails as they crawled to her feet. She hummed merrily as she pulled off her shoes and socks, wiggling her toes for them to kiss.


    ¡°That is it, animals should know their place. Acting like people, so silly, you little things aren¡¯t people you are just my toys to play with. Good make sure you get in between the toes,¡± she rocked back and forth while being worshiped. ¡°Hmmm, I should really have Vesper lick my feet with that tongue of hers, it would be wonderful. Knowing her I wouldn¡¯t even have to mind control her. Ah, my bad habits are coming out again. Ehh, well, I guess it is fine to indulge every now and again~¡±


    After a good ten minutes or so of letting them lavish her feet, the Sanguine Puppeteer grew bored and snapped her fingers again, releasing them from her control. They fearfully retreated. Well, save Molotov she was used to this sort of thing. It had happened to her many times in the past and could easily be considered on the light side compared to some of the things the Puppeteer had made people do. They had all been very much aware of what they had been doing, however, they had just been passengers in their own bodies.


    ¡°Let me introduce myself again. I am the Puppeteer and I am the closest thing to a God that this miserable world has. Now that you have felt my power, felt me having my way with you, overpowering you and throwing you away like a used condom I am sure that even your primitive minds can understand your place. Now just to make sure you don¡¯t do anything stupid I am going to sit here with you and keep you company.¡±


    ¡°What do you want us to do?¡± Asked Molotov.


    ¡°That is simple, nothing. Don¡¯t interfere with my new toy.¡±


    ¡°Your toy?¡± asked Vira.


    ¡°Oh yes. I am having a great time watching her. Sunshine, I just couldn¡¯t resist. Such an open and vulnerable mind. Nightmare was very stupid, so sloppy, she broke down all the walls, but didn¡¯t even bother building back up the mental defenses. I tried so hard, really I did, not to get involved, not to enter that delicious little mind. But the temptation was too great. Well, I did hold back so there is that. I want to see how this plays out. I might have to meddle a little more, but I think it is for the better. I did help her, I did free her¡­ now it is up to her what she does with it.¡±


    Molotov sighed, ¡°It was another experiment, I see.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I wanted to see how strong I could make a weak little projector.¡±


    Vira asks, ¡°How strong did you make her?¡±


    The Puppeteer thought for a long moment and shrugged, ¡°Hmmm, I guess an 8? Not entirely sure, this is the strongest Projector I have ever seen so, who knows? It might only be a 7 though, she is a bit too unstable right now.¡±


    ¡°Is there a purpose to this?¡±


    ¡°Cause I thought it would be fun? Well to be fair, Nightmare was planning it first, granted it would have been weaker. So what if I basically just stole her plan and turned the dial up to ten. You should have seen the look on her face when Twilight-chan turned on her. Her suffering was simply magic.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just kill Nightmare?¡± asked Molotov.


    ¡°Oh please, and do all your work for you? Boring, where is the fun in that? Molotov, you know full well that my most favorite thing to do is to fuck with little impostors. I like watching her struggle helplessly, trying to follow in my footsteps. I wonder if I should turn her into a dog¡­ should I train her and name her Pochi? No that is too good for her. Mmhmm, I will decide on that for later, assuming she gets on my naughty list.¡±


    ¡°So you are going to deal with Chimera?¡± asked Molotov hopeful.


    ¡°Nope, nope. My game isn¡¯t over yet. After this I will go back to not using my powers, unless absolutely necessary, this was a eh¡­ binge, yeah that is it, a little relapse, or something like that. It doesn¡¯t count~¡± she replied whimsically. ¡°Molotov!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she asked apprehensively.


    The Sanguine Puppeteer put her hands on Molotov, caressing her and pulling on her cheeks, ¡°My pretty little doll. I missed my cute and cuddly little pet. We haven¡¯t played dress up in a while have we? I have so many ideas! You have heard about cosplay, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Molotov gulped, looking not only sick, but scared, ¡°I- I have.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Excellent!¡± The smile on the Puppeteer¡¯s mask looked even more unhinged than usual as her hand grasped onto Molotov¡¯s head, ¡°We are going to have so¡­ much¡­ fun.¡±

 Twilight Chapter 9

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 9


    We had gained entry into the Kitten Kingdom, but it was in ruins. The candy cane forest was broken apart. The lollipop fields had been burned and salted so that no life could ever grow again. Not even the singing flower meadows had been spared the carnage. The village for the animal people ravaged and abandoned. This once happy and whimsical land had been despoiled and evil crawled from the ashes and sludge. The once joyful sky was choked by swirling black thunder clouds, spilling their tar-like tears. The Kitten Kingdom was no more.


    At the center of it all, beyond the quagmires of tainted, squirming creatures lay the sanctuary in the sky. It tilted to one side. Things dripped from it. The castle walls were warped, alive and wriggling with eyes, mouths, and tentacles. It was the very image of corruption and bile.


    Sunshine¡¯s face hardened seeing it. ¡°We must make haste before she gains too much power.¡±


    The fleet advanced steadily, keeping low to avoid the turbulent sky above. Admiral Moon stood beside us steering the ship as it went through what remained of the Candy cane forest. The shattered shafts were broken at varying heights, causing the jagged spirals below to be uneven and disorientating to look at. Despite the malice in the air, nothing had approached them and in the distance large black birds circled the corrupted castle. There were other things as well, though they blended in with the abyssal backdrop of stormy skies. There were more ships. They patrolled the area, circling like buzzards over a decaying and putrid corpse.


    Though before us things were bleak, in the wake of our ships the colors were bleeding back into this monochrome world. The twisted and shriveled flowers turned green, unfurling and singing to the world. Sunshine was fixing things, however, Twilight would destroy it again if left to her own devices. The change in the environment had not gone unnoticed as the ships lined up on our approach vector.


    ¡°Cannons at the ready!¡± Declared Sunshine, pointing with her glowing staff.


    Our crafts shifted into a broadside formation. The barrels glowed as they took in power. The corrupt fleet quickly entered firing range and attempted to form up a firing line. We didn¡¯t let them as the first volley of sparkly love shot out the moment that they were close enough. The beams cut through several and they plummeted, trailing smoke before crashing below. The explosions bloomed like multicolored flowers and fluffy critters started raining down out of the pink cloud that it had formed.


    They returned fire. The first couple of black beams struck the protective shields, bouncing off. Where they struck behind us the kittens and puppies turned into slutty animal women. My head snapped in the direction of an explosion and Captain Mercury¡¯s ship had taken a direct hit. Dark smoke followed in the wake of the downed ship before it crashed below. Bimbos flew through the air, their giggling bodies bouncing off of the deflector shields.


    ¡°Drive those whores back!¡± Shouted Sunshine as she thrust her rod forward and a blistering blast took down another of the ships.


    The second salvo took out two more ships. There were only three left and Sunshine was blocking all of their thot rays. Just as the next wave of shots was about to be fired, the clouds burst to our side. A dark fleet emerged with the tainted Yamoto still bearing the scars from our last battle. Its the clap, er I mean trap! Evil Queen Bambi stood at the bow with her jiggly titties bouncing about from how unstable the ship was.


    ¡°Ahahaha! Moon Sailors! You thot you had seen the last of me!? Ramming speed! We are going in dry girls!¡± She cackled as the armada closed in.


    All the cannons fired, but her shields were too strong, deflecting the blows onto the lesser ships. They capsized instantly plunging to the ground below. There was no avoiding them, we were going to have to take them head-on. Sunshine motioned and all the ships accelerated to meet them. The fleets smashed into one another the screams of metal echoing from the brutal impacts.


    The fighting had entered close quarters now, but even still the main cannons fired at each other. Unable to avoid the blasts both sides took immense damage. Captain Mars spiraled away, locked in a vicious struggle against an opposing ship. They fell out of sight and shortly after explosions rang out sending shockwaves to jostle those above.


    Sunshine swung her staff, beating the evil out of several slores that had charged us. They collapsed, powerless. More of them flooded onto the deck. Behind them was a line of slutty cheerleaders. Skimpy dress uniforms sprung up on the decks of the opposing ships. They rustled their pompoms contouring themselves into the shapes of letters. They were powering up the attacking slores!


    ¡°B.I.M.B.O. What does that spell?!¡±


    All the collected ditzy women cheered out, ¡°Bimbo!¡±


    Admiral Moon flexed, striking poses. The women stumbled and fell flat mid-stride. They writhed helplessly with hearts in their eyes, drooling from the hulking man muscles. It had been a successful psychological attack. Bambi had to slap herself free from the gleaming attack.


    ¡°Get him!¡± She shouted


    Dark Admiral Moon lunged and somersaulted, vaulting like a swan over the lines of bimbos. He tackled into the fray, getting Admiral Moon locked into a struggle for dominance. They gripped each other¡¯s hands as the taut muscles flexed back and forth. Their manly grunts rose as the sheen of sweat glistened off of their bara bods. They held one another, sparkles and roses filling the air like a boy love scene. Oh no! They were about to kiss at any moment! Be still my beating heart! I, as well as all of the love-starved women collectively stared and gulped to keep ourselves from drooling.


    Nyah!


    I slapped myself. Dangerous, that was close. Admiral Moon needed help! This was a job for Neko-chan! I had to get between them, ugh~ crush me with your manly muscles!


    I threw myself at them ass first. ¡°Booty Bounce!¡±


    I slammed into Dark Admiral Moon, breaking his seduction and Admiral Moon had been freed. We rolled on the dick¡­ er, I mean deck, yes yes the deck. He threw me off with a mighty thrust of his dark moon lance. I recoiled away, kicking off of the ship, lunging back into an attack! Mrow!


    ¡°Pussy Power!¡± I screamed and tackled with both legs split open so that I hit his face with my blazing wildcat. I locked both legs around his head and hurl all my weight to bring him down. He flipped to the side and I let go as he lost his footing and fell off the ship.


    ¡°You did it Neko-chan!¡± exclaimed Sunshine keeping the bimbos back.


    Admiral Moon was back at it. Together with Sunshine, they drove the Space Slores back onto their ship. Evil Queen Bambi bit at her nail, glaring at us. The ships suddenly jarred, pulling out of the fight. They retreated a short distance.


    Bambi was fuming and stamping on the deck, ¡°Alright girls! Give me a T. H. O. T. I. M. U. S. What does that spell?!¡±


    A look of confusion spread among the busty bimbos¡­ it was to be expected, they were dumber than bricks after all. ¡°Like, like what does that even spell? That is is like too complicated gosh.¡± several of them complained as they scratched their heads.


    Evil Queen Bambi brushed aside their worries and continued the cheer routine, the others followed suit. They were good at that, they didn¡¯t have to think about anything after all. ¡°Come now check me out. We going to make it hot, hot. P. R. I. M. E. Time bitches! What does that spell?!¡±


    ¡°Thotimus Prime!¡± Screamed out the chorus of voices in ecstasy.


    A look of utter disgust and revulsion covered Sunshine¡¯s face. Who was Thotimus Prime? Wait¡­ oh no!


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    The world shook. Bambi glowed and dance club music filled the air. This, this was! A Mahou Shoujo transformation, but, but that was impossible! Only the pure of heart could call upon the power of the moons. Unless¡­ it was a Dark Magical Girl transformation. They were using the power of lust and evil! Everyone braced as the shock wave of unleashed power impacted the ships, tossing knights over the sides. Ripples of red energy strobed out of her growing form like aftershocks of a tsunami.


    The opposing ships were pulled into the black hole as it split reality and devoured all that had been opposing the Moon Sailors. However, this only meant that the debaucheries were being pooled into a single entity. She had activated her Thot Factor! It formed into a sultry woman, oozing decadence and lust. A giant pole stabbed down from the heavens and her gloved fingers traced it, before gripping the shaft and working it like it was hump day.


    She had golden blond hair done up in twin tails that went past her enormous jiggling mounds. The seductive lips smacked as she chewed pink bubble gum and blew a bubble. Her eyes were bright red and energetic. What she wore could hardly even be called clothes. Glossy and shiny tight leather strips came from between her legs, cutting deeply into her mound and hardly covering anything at all. Metal spikes adorned the black leather. They circled her chest, pushing it up and holding it firmly. The nipples were covered by a separate spiked tassel that seemed to be barely in place. If she started moving about, it was clear that the flesh beneath would be freed in a moment.


    Around her neck, the leather formed a collar before diving down her back. Her sizable booty was even more pronounced as it was spread by the torturous leather. It was firm and yet soft, the sort of thing that could temp and seduce with ease. Each arm was covered in an elbow length glove that matched the rest of her attire, save the spider web design of silken satin. She stood on platform heeled boots that reached clear up to her juicy thighs. The stockings and boots matched her gloves.


    We were too stunned by the entrance of this vision of desire and then it began. Thotimus Prime Gripped the pole and spun around it, tilting and wavering. I gulped unconsciously and slapped my paws over Admiral Moon¡¯s eye¡­ this, this wasn¡¯t something he should see. She pressed her breasts on either side of the pole, tilting her leg clear into the sky, it wasn¡¯t hard, she must have been a hundred meters tall. She started going wild on that thing with her space stripper moves!


    My ears twitched to the stripper club beats pouring out of her. Loli-chan have mercy, she has her own theme song! The voice rang out, strong, seductive and oh so catchy.


    Sunshine pointed yelling, ¡°STOP HER!¡±


    But it was too late.


    ¡°I am so super duper duper hot, hot and you are like so not, not.


    Watch now, I am the sluttiest thing that ever lived


    So divine this must be a crime


    I am Thotimus Prime!


    It is past your bedtime.


    Hey hoe, let it go.


    You don¡¯t get to say no.


    Thot hot let that booty drop, drop.


    The slore that you just can¡¯t stop, stop.


    Flick that stick I just want that tip.


    You know you want a little dip, make me drip.


    Come on now check me out.


    I am super duper duper, such a sexy betch.


    Me, me, me, me, sexy sexy me.


    All the boys go bowow.


    I am so cool check out my sweet sweater pups.


    That is it drop, drop let those bouncing boobies pop, pop!


    Hope you¡¯re ready to rock.


    Better not be half-cocked.


    All the girls go meowow.


    Pussycats about to go down.


    Lick my rockin bod like it is your full-time job.


    Get hard, hard, I wanna feel your throb, throb.


    Twerk it, work it, shake that thang and make it rain, rain


    Gonna drain that main vein!


    Me, me, me, me, only look at me.


    Cash, cash let the panties, flash, flash.


    Give me that fat stack


    Check out this rocking rack.


    Booty shaking to the flow,


    You have no right to say no!


    So hot, hot


    Just let your brain rot, rot.


    Not a thought, thought.


    I am such a sexy thot.


    Bow down


    All the boys go bowow


    All the girls go meowow


    Get caught in my sultry onslaught.¡±


    Captain Venus¡¯ ship imploded. Debris scattered and flames filled the air as smoke trailed the plummeting ship. Her cheeks smacked together, creating thunderclaps that sent gusts of air pressure. The ships rocked as though they were in rough seas.


    Oh GOD! She is twerking! We couldn¡¯t handle a booty of that magnitude! At first glance, it was merely a dance, but this was no ordinary move, it was one of the Space Slores¡¯ ultimate techniques. That was the Ass of Annihilation! Such a move could bring any man to his knees. Luckily I was no man.


    ¡°Neko-chan, Loli-chan you know what must be done!¡± Shouted Sunshine creating a cannon and pointing it at Thotimus Prime.


    I glanced at Loli-chan and she nodded. We would have to do THAT move. The only thing that could possibly defeat an insatiable cunt, was a raging twat. This wasn¡¯t going to be pretty. Loli-chan latched onto my chest and I climbed into the barrel of the cat cannon. It took a moment to nestle into position.


    I could feel it, the power was swelling, throbbing behind us. Sunshine was pouring almost everything that she had into us. The rumble increased as the ship shook, finally the pressure was released and the rainbow that had built up exploded. We were ejected. Loli-chan held my hands and I clutched hers as we spun through the air. Our rotation increased as did our size and speed. It was our super special move, the Shooting Star Crusher. Faster than light our bodies impacted.


    The hit knocked Thotimus Prime back. Her tit wildly flailing from where we had hit it. The breast popped free from her clothes. It, it hadn¡¯t been enough! As we spiraled away from her we realized that there was only one thing that could stop her.


    ¡°Moon Mingle!¡± we shouted and kissed as we embraced one another.


    It took a moment before our bodies merged. We became one body, one mind, we had to stop Thotimus Prime! All the love spilled out and I grew until I matched her size. I glanced back seeing that the Moon Sailors and Sunshine were concentrating a beam of love onto my back to empower us. We could feel it, so much love, so much righteous power! We could not lose to this slore!


    She didn¡¯t wait for our transformation to be complete as she ran forward, the boobies bouncing as she closed the distance. I ducked under the attempted hold and went for her legs. This was going to get nasty, this was going to be a down and dirty catfight. She grabbed my tail, yanking at it and I growled. We twisted and turned until I was on top. I mounted her, grabbing her hair like handlebars and smacked her up and down against the ground.


    Her head suddenly lunged between my legs. Oh no! I reeled back, sensing the danger before she could attack my pussycat. We were at odds again having taken a few earth-shattering steps away from one another. She eyed me, her sultry gaze, feeling me up as though to rape me with her eyes. I coiled into attack position and the moment she lunged for the stripper pole I pounced. I got to it first, grasping it with my paws and swung fully around. My feet slammed into her and sent her flailing back.


    I didn¡¯t wait for her to recover, throwing myself off of the pole on the next rotation. I flew through the air, claws out like the raging pussycat I was. My paws smashed her into the ground and dug in as I rolled, catching her and throwing her up into the air. The powerful legs bristled and I put every last ounce of love and justice into them.


    ¡°Be GONE THOT!¡± I declared as the ground shattered and I flung myself up at her. ¡°Super Pussy Punch!¡±


    ¡°NOOO!¡± She screamed, unable to dodge, ¡°You have not seen the last of-¡±


    Thotimus Prime gasped, gurgling as my paw uppercut into her stomach. I didn¡¯t let her finish. Her body twisted and she threw up a black ichor. She flew into the air, streaking across the sky until she parted the clouds and broke out of the bubble, vanishing into the night sky with a slight twinkle.


    I panted, falling to my knees. Nya, that was tough. All of the love had left my body and as such Loli-chan and I separated after shrinking down to normal size. If that hadn¡¯t worked, we would have been bimbofied! Scary, it was scary. Sunshine came down and carried us back up onto the Yamato.


    ¡°Good job Neko-chan. I knew you could do it.¡±


    I hugged her, ¡°Sunshine, we did it!¡±


    ¡°That is right, we just have to believe in the power of love! Cuteness is justice and justice always prevails!¡±


    ¡°Nyah! That is right,¡± I purred as she pet me.


    I glanced about, we had lost most of the fleet. There were only four of the original nine. Rear Admiral Uranus, Captain Terra, and Captain Jupiter had managed to make it through the ramming and subsequent Thot attack unscathed. My eyes fell on the tilting castle in the near distance. It was a blackened citadel of pure evil and that was where Twilight-chan was.


    I gulped uneasily, but Sunshine stabbed her staff at it, ¡°Prepare yourselves, Twilight lies ahead!¡±


    We moved forward for the final confrontation. A pitched battle between good and evil. There could be only one victor and the outcome would shape the fates of all.


    Love and Justice would prevail!

 Twilight Chapter 10 Interlude: Youko part 1

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 10 Interlude: Youko part 1


    Sunshine¡¯s forces boldly penetrated the darkened field around the castle. The ships attached their anchors to the floating landmass and the boarding party set forth, Sunshine at the lead with Neko-chan and Admiral Moon following closely behind. The entrance yawned open like a great maw, spiked portcullis jagged like teeth and the rolled out red carpet below their feet squishy as a tongue. It was in stark contrast to the once pearl white stone and glimmering rainbow gates that once stood here. They stood for a moment, staring up at the lofty heights of twisting and darkened spires. Sunshine scrunched up her face as though she had almost swallowed a fly.


    Sunshine stepped first into the grand castle and then the world warped. Her wings spread instantly to beat back the falling sensation and yet she still plummeted into the abyss. After a long and lonely moment of silence that stretched out for what felt like days or perhaps even longer, a voice appeared.


    ¡°Youko, hey Youko, you are spacing out again! Earth to sleepy head.¡± Said a girl¡¯s voice.


    Sunshine squinted, opening her eyes to the blinding world. She stared about the classroom at the unfamiliar faces. There were three of them, all girls roughly sixteen or so. Youko¡­ that name. She tried to move, but found that she could not. She tried to talk, but her mouth would not move. What was the meaning of this?


    Her mouth moved, though she had not done it, ¡°Awah, what I was taking a nap?¡±


    ¡°Class is over, remember you were going to show us that cool thing you were talking about earlier?¡± said the brown-headed girl with several freckles on her face with a large smile.


    ¡°Ah¡­ oh yeah! It is so cool you guys, look, look check it out,¡± said Youko, lifting up her hand and concentrating for a moment.


    A beautiful butterfly appeared in her palm. It had blue and black patterns that glistened and glowed in the sunshine. She made a few more and they fluttered around, landing on the girls¡¯ hands that they outstretched while gasping in glee. Names started to come up in her mind. Cece was the brown-haired girl with a ponytail. Daisy was the blonde with long, straight hair. Jen was the girl with black hair that seemed to always be in her eyes.


    ¡°Oh my god that is soo cool!¡±


    ¡°So pretty!¡±


    ¡°They are soft too.¡±


    Youko smiled, welling with pride over her newfound power. She had discovered it last night while she was daydreaming instead of doing her homework. That time she had made butterflies as well. She hadn¡¯t even told her parents yet.


    Her best friend Cece frowned, ¡°Ah, Youko this means you are a Super, right?¡±


    A strange feeling like a knot filled Youko¡¯s throat, ¡°I guess so. Why?¡±


    ¡°Are we still going to be friends?¡± she asked and the other two looked at her as they came to the same realization.


    Youko gulped, ¡°Why, why not?¡±


    ¡°If you become a Hero then we will know your secret identity.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ then I just won¡¯t use this power. We can just act like I am normal, right? Like nothing changed, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh, but you can be a hero, why turn that down? It is pretty cool, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess¡­ it is kinda scary though. I trust you. You won¡¯t tell anyone, will you?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°Nope.¡±¡±¡± smiled the three.


    ¡°Thanks. Although, I don¡¯t think butterflies will be much of a superpower.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can do other stuff?¡± asked Cece.


    Other things? But what? Youko thought and held her finger out. A bird materialized shining blue as it chirped and eyed the butterflies. It was a Blue Jay. She smiled as the other girls ooed and awed over the new thing, until it swooped down and devoured one of the butterflies. The rest promptly scattered, fading away into nothingness along with the bird.


    ¡°What happened?!¡± Cece looked around worried.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Youko wanted to cry butterflies were her favorite animal.


    Why had the bird done that? It just moved on its own, like¡­ like it was alive and it didn¡¯t listen to her when she told it to stop. Or rather it had happened so fast she didn¡¯t have a chance to tell it to stop.


    ***


    Everything skipped, fading into darkness and then reemerging through the vale of fog. In a different place, at a different time. It was now that Sunshine realized what these were, her lost memories that had laid buried and forgotten deep inside of her mind.


    Youko sat at the kitchen table, fidgeting. The checkered tablecloth reminded her of a chessboard. How was she going to tell her parents? Should she tell her parents? She bit her lip anxiously. She should, right? Being a hero was a big deal¡­ but it was such a weak power would it really even matter? Would the Hero League even want her?


    ¡°What is wrong?¡± asked her father as he entered the room from the kitchen.


    ¡°N-nothing.¡±


    ¡°You can talk to me you know. Are you getting bullied?¡±


    Youko shook her head adamantly, she was certainly not getting bullied.


    ¡°Something is on your mind¡­ ah, it is your birthday next month, isn¡¯t it? Did you have a present in mind?¡± he smiled at her.


    She shook her head, ¡°No.¡±


    He got close and whispered, ¡°It is that, isn¡¯t it? Remember what will happen if you tell your mother about that.¡±


    Terror and dread grasped her heart and she gulped down the tears as well the vomit that tried to come up. She shook her head even harder, ¡°No. No father¡­ not that.¡±


    He frowned, ¡°Then what is wrong? You know I love you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I know.¡±


    He sat across from her, eyeing her. She shivered as he lightly stroked his chin while observing her. He was always so good at telling when she lied. In truth THAT really was a problem, but not this problem. Of course, she could never tell her mother about that. She would be punished severely for even attempting it.


    Thankfully her Mother walked into the room, drawing those hawk-like eyes away from her. She sat the large bowl of rice onto the table and went back for a moment, bringing over a plate with pork pot-stickers on it. She sat a bottle of soy sauce and another bottle of spicy mayonnaise next to it. Her father sat down the plates and the chopsticks, save on his, he used a fork.


    Youko smiled at her mother and the short black, doll-like hair that she had. She liked that hair and was very pleased that she had inherited it rather than her father¡¯s brown head. It didn¡¯t take long for the food to be distributed. They clapped their hands together and said ¡°Itadakimasu~¡±


    Youko paused for a moment as she took up the chopsticks and picked at the crispy pork bun.


    ¡°Mom-¡± She started before feeling the cold gaze of her father.


    ¡°Yes? What is wrong Youko?¡±


    ¡°I- I um¡­ I can make things.¡± She replied.


    ¡°Hmm, like what?¡± asked her father with a very surprised tone.


    ¡°Oh? Did you make something at school? What is it?¡± her mother asked with a sweet smile.


    ¡°I made butterflies and a blue jay.¡±


    ¡°Did you draw those in art class?¡±


    ¡°No. I made them.¡±


    Her parents looked at one another, ¡°What did you make them out of?¡±


    What had they been made out of? ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°Do you have them? Maybe I know what it is?¡± asked her father.


    Youko shook her head, ¡°No, they disappeared. But I can make them again.¡±


    ¡°They disappeared?¡± asked her mother.


    Youko put her hand out closing her eyes for a moment and imagining the wonderful wings of the butterfly and the vibrant colors. When she opened them it sat there on her finger, slowly flapping the wings. Both her Mother and Father stared at it in shock and dropped their respective utensils.


    ¡°Where did that come from?¡± asked father.


    Mother got close, staring at it as it took flight and circled the room before landing on her finger. She gently pet it in wonder, ¡°Amazing. Youko, where did you find this?¡±


    ¡°I made it. I- I can make other things too.¡± She said hesitantly.


    Father had that assessing look in his eyes again as he leaned to one side. She pulled her plate to the side and imagined a full chessboard of pieces. She closed her eyes real tight and then when they opened there on the table, white and black facing one another in two rows. Her parent¡¯s eyes gaped at this new sight.


    ¡°What- what is this?¡± they asked.


    ¡°I think I am a Super.¡±


    ¡°How wonderful,¡± said Mother, ¡°We should take her over to the recruiter tomorrow and have her assessed.¡±


    Father frowned, ¡°Now hold on. I think we should wait a bit for that.¡±


    ¡°Why? They can train her to use her power properly.¡±


    ¡°But can we trust her with them? I have heard some rumors.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that bad can it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but what if they take her from us?¡±


    ¡°Well, regardless all Supers have to register.¡±


    ¡°What if we never see her again?¡± Father seemed fearful.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t do that. At most, they would put her in a dorm at one of the stations and we could still visit her and vice versa. I think there is a Junior program, right?¡± said Mother thinking it over.


    ¡°There is but-¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it wonderful? She can make friends.¡±


    ¡°But I already have friends,¡± complained Youko.


    Father¡¯s eyes turned a little hard, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell anyone else about this did you?¡±


    Youko bit her lip, ¡°My friends, but they will keep it a secret.¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± he cursed.


    ¡°Honey language.¡±


    ¡°It is fine, she is sixteen already. We don¡¯t really have a choice then. Somebody is going to find out something eventually.¡±


    ¡°If it bothers you that much, then we can wait a little bit.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°We will take this slowly, no need to rush into anything.¡±


    ***


    Time moved again to several months later. Youko had not ended up going to the Hero League and instead kept herself from using her power in the presence of those who did not know of it yet. But even with that precaution, they had still learned of her existence.


    Youko idly sat on the couch watching an anime as colorful things shot all over the place on the screen.


    ¡°Prepare yourselves!¡± Declared Evil Queen Bambi.


    The announcer went off on a tirade, ¡°Our heroes have found themselves against a pole and a hard place! Will they make it in time to rescue Captain Venus from the Slores before they suck him dry?! What happened to Admiral Moon¡¯s new Lamborghini?! Can Loli-chan escape the torturous tentacle trap, or will she succumb to the evils of the Skankubus!?¡±


    Hmmhmm, happily hummed Youko watching as the show cut to break. She really liked this show. It was called the Moon Sailors and just got brought over from Japan. The dub was pretty good, but she didn¡¯t know if the subbed version was better or not. As odd as that might sound since she was half Japanese, but that didn¡¯t mean that she knew the language, her mom hardly ever spoke in it, though there was the occasional slip. Youko only knew little sprinklings here and there.


    Loli-chan was her favorite character, mostly cause she was such a weirdo. It might also have had to do with how she was as flat chested as Youko was. Usually, she ended up getting jealous over how well proportioned the girls were, but not Loli-chan. It was like the character was made for her, she just connected, it was like they were synced or something. It also helped that she was super cute and her magical girl outfit was adorable.


    The doorbell rang, interrupting her Saturday afternoon. Normally she would have been hanging out Cece and the others, but they were struggling with their homework. Youko yelled ¡°Mom! Someone is at the door!¡±


    There was no reply. Her face scrunched up a little as she pouted when the doorbell rang again. She grumbled and made her way to the door. She peered out the window beside the door. There was a very strange looking person standing there. Fishnet stockings covered the shapely thighs and a tight blue leotard canvased the main body. A melted mask concealed the face save the bright red lips and sapphire eyes.


    This was a strange person indeed. She locked the door and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are selling, but we don¡¯t want any!¡±


    She nodded to herself approvingly, that was what dad always said to shady door salesmen. The woman replied, ¡°I am not selling anything. I am called Dreamer, I work with the Hero League and we have heard about you, Youko.¡±


    She gulped, retreating several steps, ¡°MOM! There is a weird lady here!¡±


    ¡°I am not weird, I am a Hero,¡± replied Dreamer through the door.


    ¡°No you are not, you look like a Skankubus!¡±


    Mom came down the stairs, her hair still wet from a shower, ¡°What is the matter? What is with all the yelling?¡±


    ¡°She says she is a Hero and knows my name.¡±


    ¡°That is right,¡± said the woman from the other side of the door, ¡°We would like to recruit Youko. May I come in, so that we can discuss this in detail?¡±


    Mom gave a glance down before she sighed and opened the door. Now that Dreamer was not quite so distorted by the window, her shining blue eyes and silken hair drew Youko¡¯s attention. Blue just so happened to be her favorite color. She was still wearing a very skimpy outfit like a slutty magician or something. She followed them to the kitchen table where they sat down.


    ¡°What have you heard?¡± asked Mom.


    Dreamer tapped her head thinking a few things over, ¡°I believe your daughter is a Projector. As for what Rank, well we would have to give her an examination.¡±


    ¡°How did you learn about her?¡±


    ¡°There have been rumors in the area. It didn¡¯t take long to piece them together.¡±


    Mom frowned, ¡°Does she have to be recruited?¡±


    Dreamer arched her fingers in front of her and they wove together as she explained, ¡°No, but she must be registered, so that we know who she is and what she is capable of. We would prefer there to not be any Vigilantes and it will help us against her should she turn Villain.¡±


    ¡°Youko is a good girl, she would never do anything bad.¡±


    A slight smirk cramped Dreamer¡¯s face for a moment before fading away, ¡°I am sure. However, these are precautions that cannot be ignored. It is for the good of everyone in Bronson.¡±


    ¡°What eh¡­ what exactly will I have to do?¡± asked Youko.


    Dreamer pleasantly smiled, ¡°Simple, you will come back with me and we will take a few tests to determine your aptitude.¡±


    ¡°I will go too.¡± Said Mom.


    The woman nodded, ¡°Of course it is only natural that her guardian come with her. While she takes the assessment tests we can talk more in depth, one on one. I will answer any questions that you might have.¡±


    ¡°These tests are not dangerous are they?¡± asked Mom.


    Dreamer dismissively waved her hand, ¡°Oh no. We have professional trainers who will help and guide her every step of the way.¡±


    ¡°I see. Youko do you want to do it?¡±


    She was both excited and little scared. This was Super Hero stuff after all. People always talked about Supers, idolizing them and vilifying them. They would be nice, right? Hopefully, there were not any scary ones, like the Subhumans in the slums. Although, they didn¡¯t really join the Hero League as far as Youko had heard. She nodded in acknowledgment.


    ¡°Well then, shall we go? My car is waiting outside,¡± said Dreamer.


    Mom held Youko¡¯s hand and they followed Dreamer. Things were somewhat blurred, mostly due to the excitement and the ride over went by before she even realized it. Unfortunately, they had been lied to. Sunshine knew what was about to happen, but she couldn¡¯t stop it. Their destination had not been the Hero League at all. The surrounding warehouses were desolate, this place seemed to be devoid of human life, save the men in black suits and sunglasses that were waiting where they pulled up.


    ¡°This- This isn¡¯t the Hero League?!¡± said Mom, clutching Youko.


    ¡°No, it certainly is not.¡± Replied Dreamer with an amused scoff, ¡°Ah, this was too easy. The public is so trusting, it almost hurts really.¡±


    ¡°What, what do you want?¡± cried Youko.


    ¡°You,¡± grinned Dreamer.


    She had a certain air about her, a look, a feeling that Youko recognized¡­ it was the same that her father had during THOSE times. When he did things to her while Mom wasn¡¯t around. Her mind swam with terror over what to do. She was a Super, so surely this was a situation where using her power was designed for. But what to make? Something that could defend her, like a knight in shining armor¡­ well, that would certainly do, now wouldn¡¯t it?


    She cringed from the hand reaching for her and shut her eyes tight, letting her imagination go wild. It formed, her perfect white knight. Tall and virtuous, gallant and strong. However, before she could release it upon her adversary, assuming that it would even work properly, she felt a warm tap on her head and then Dreamer appeared before her.


    She cowered behind the knight sending him to attack the invader. He didn¡¯t fair well. Dreamer flicked him away and he crumpled up like a tin can. Youko ran, screaming in terror, but this place was strange. Despite her running at full speed she was not moving, it was almost like she was on a treadmill and the masked menace casually approached. Stride by stride she loomed ever closer.


    ¡°NO! Stay away!¡± Youko cried when she felt the hand touch her back and push into her. She squealed in pain as her heart froze from the hand grasping it inside of her. She couldn¡¯t breathe, she couldn¡¯t feel her legs or the ground as her eyes blurred.


    ¡°Ah yes, just what I was looking for. The core, that glowing ball of you,¡± said Dreamer, yanking at something that was deep inside of Youko.


    She flopped down, dimly looking up at the large warm sphere that floated above Dreamer¡¯s hand. It was beautiful, overflowing with prismatic colors and gentle feelings. The fiend licked it as her clawed fingers stabbed into it. Where they touched the colors died, soon the sphere started turning black and cracks formed on it.


    ¡°Wonderful! Such a delicious little lamb you are,¡± said Dreamer licking her lips, ¡°I will be sure to relish, and savor breaking you and remolding your mind.¡±


    Youko whimpered meekly as the vile woman caressed the orb, ¡°Now my little pet. You will obey me completely. I am going to implant thoughts, orders, suggestions, memories, and certain cravings into you. Tell me, who am I?¡±


    Things started flowing from her into the orb and when they did images and words appeared, Youko wobbled, feeling sick from the bombardment of voices.


    ¡°Who am I?¡± she repeated loudly so that it echoed.


    A word seemed to be filling up all of Youko¡¯s thoughts, pushing everything else out of the way. Her lips quivered as she said them, ¡°M-Mistress Nightmare.¡±


    ¡°Yes pet, obedience is bliss. I reward my good, submissive pets.¡±


    Pleasure burst through Youko as though a bubble filled with ecstasy popped, washing away what little protests of her inner voice remained. She writhed holding herself as the woman, as her Mistress smirked down at her.


    ¡°Good, feel it, crave it. Now when you hear my voice, you will be compelled to obey. Yes, you trust me and you will open yourself wholeheartedly to me. Now your training will take time and I will be sure to visit to layer on your conditioning frequently, personally¡­ mmm very personally. Naturally, you won¡¯t tell anyone of this or even remember this, unless you hear my voice.¡±


    Youko¡¯s strength quickly left her and she tilted finding it impossible to stay awake. Her eyes drifted into darkness. However, she heard one last thing before the abyss took her, ¡°Now to deal with the Mother.¡±


    Sunshine grit her teeth as she felt a hatred welling up from the very depths of her being. No, mere hate could not even come close to describing this burning rage, this utter loathing! This, this was the reason why she despised bimbos and slores so much. Those filthy, disgusting whores! They reminded her of Nightmare and the perverse, twisted and sick things that she had done to Sunshine and made her do. It made her remember all the times she was raped and abused.


    Sunshine breathed deeply, and then exhaled after a long pause, shoving all of the dark emotions back down before they could be siphoned off and fed to Twilight-chan. Unfortunately, the stream of memories was not over yet. This had made her remember, it made her remember the terrible things that Youko had done. She squirmed realizing that she was powerless to stop it and that she was about to relive it once more.

 May Interlewd: Inseminator MKI (R18)

    May Interlewd: Inseminator MKI


    ¡°Vesper, you wanna try a new contraption? It is ready for live testing,¡± said Xava, giving me that sultry look that I had grown accustomed to lately.


    In other words, this was sexual in nature. We had been doing a lot of toy modifications lately while she fine-tuned her cybernetic equipment to better enhance our pleasure. We had devolved into the animal kingdom for inspiration, creating hybridized cocks and pussies to play around with. Well, as a result, we had been creating some abominations of sexual gratuitousness.


    Do it, do it! Hotly whispered Sub in my head.


    I thought it over, something new eh? I gulped a little to keep from salivating, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°My new prototype inseminator.¡±


    ¡°What is different from the last one?¡±


    ¡°This one is a harness and restraint system for prolonged copulation.¡±


    If I said I was not interested, I would be a liar. I was almost popping a stiffy just hearing about a new thing to play with. It also didn¡¯t help that we skipped our daily fucking session yesterday, so I was horny. This talk of prolonged breeding made my abdomen puff up.


    ¡°Sounds fun¡­ how long is this going to last by the way?¡±


    She nodded a little and I followed her into our love nest or rather her secret experimental research laboratory. Naturally, I had been helping her test her new models. I don¡¯t know if it is a good thing or not, but after having experienced the inhuman pleasure of animal equipment I don¡¯t think there is any going back anymore. It is like when you go black, there ain¡¯t no going back. Human cock just doesn¡¯t do it anymore. I mean, sure it is a nice treat every once and a while, honestly, they are cute, but I mean it is just incomparable. If I actually wanna get off, then I need something more. I am basically an animal, so it was weird that I liked human dick so much to start with.


    At any rate, we had been branching off into less than human things or rather when it came to performance definitely more than human. As evidenced by the long, twitching, synthetic horse cock sitting on the table. That thing was my new favorite. The tip would flare when it was ready for ejaculation. When it inflated it felt like it might scrape my insides out. Such a perverted thing, it was wonderful.


    That wasn¡¯t what Xava had in mind today. She would likely plow me with it later though. In the center of the room was a large¡­ Hmmm, how to even describe this thing? There was a long and robust cushion on an upraised structure. It must be some sort of sex furniture, but I didn¡¯t see any shafts or holes to use on it. I wonder how it works?


    Xava pet the squishy leather, smiling proudly, ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°It is nice, I think. How eh, how does it work?¡± I replied circling it appraisingly.


    She rubbed her hand along the ridged back of the thing, ¡°Lay here, face down.¡±


    I straddled it and did as she said, sprawling out over the soft leather. My worries about if it was structurally sound were quickly squashed as I got a feel for it. This thing was definitely sturdy, metal framed and attached to the floor. She pointed to the cushioned holes in the sides, there were six of them. I slipped my hands and feet into the openings before they clinked shut, locking me in place.


    I was not alarmed, we did bondage stuff rather regularly otherwise I tended to break things in the heat of the moment. A forceful tug revealed that this thing was super proof, or rather sturdy enough that even my inhuman strength was meaningless before these restraints. I was used to being tied up, besides she had mentioned restraints. Xava was certainly a genius, though I get the feeling it is wasted on this sort of thing.


    I tilted my head, looking about as Xava inspected everything to make sure it was working. She pat my abdomen and it extended out straight, before something clamped onto it, completely immobilizing it. My vents crept open, exuding my arousal and approval of this. I loved being restrained and the feeling of being helpless and at my mate¡¯s mercy, made my tummy squirm with delight. The thought of being powerless and vulnerable, being used and fucked like a bitch in heat had already gotten my hearts beating faster and my body heated up steadily.


    ¡°It seems you are all set up, shall we begin?¡± asked Xava, swaying her seductive hips as she came to stand right in front of my face.


    Her groin and the thick, throbbing, cock that tented up her miniskirt filled my eyes. Ah, I was positioned at the perfect height to be used. My head was at dick level. It was a normal cock, nothing too fancy here yet. Granted the girth and thickness were impressive. In my expert opinion, it had to be at least over a foot long and four inched across. This was going to fill me up nicely.


    I licked my lips and said, ¡°Yes fuck me silly.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure,¡± she smirked, using one hand to guide her shaft to my waiting lips and the other to grasp my head. She humped her hips and lightly rubbed herself over my face. Lubricant dribbled and the fake flesh pulsed, twitching obscenely as though it had blood coursing through it. My feelers circled the tip of her head and relished in her scent.


    After an agonizingly long moment of teasing, she dragged it down smearing her cock juice all over my hardened face and finally pressed into my waiting mouth. An explosion of banana flavor flowed from her twitching member. Xava had been experimenting with flavoring her varied secretions. Currently, she was going through fruits. Mmmm Banana.


    My lips curled around the head and my flexible tongue scurried about her length. It circled and greedily stroked the shaft, unfurling to full length. It extended, wrapping around her cock. Coiling clear to the base and even started lapping at her wanting pussy.


    Xava moaned, grinding against me, ¡°Oh, Vesper, Vesper! You are so, so good at this!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t talk, though my throat vibrated as I cooed. I smiled at the compliment, well, I had plenty of practice. My tongue was rather talented these days. I get the feeling I might be able to pick a lock with it. She gripped my head with both hands. She grunted and shoved, sinking her shaft into the depth of my maw. Our eyes met as I stared up at her pursed lips.


    ¡°I love how you always keep eye contact. Good girl Vesper, is it tasty? Do you enjoy my cock?¡± She asked, heatedly staring down at me while she stuffed more and more meat into me.


    She knew damned well I couldn¡¯t reply, but it felt so good to get talked down to. I nodded bobbing my head a little. Xava bit her lip and hilted herself all the way with a hard thrust. There was only a brief resistance as the muscles gaped pulling her in. My throat accepted her and devoured her. It was very easy since my neck was so stretchy for food and the lacked a gag reflex. This position also helped since it allowed easy access and was a straight shot into my mouth pussy.


    It wasn¡¯t actually a sex organ, though it might as well be with how often and much I enjoyed sucking cock, or rather just things in general. I loved my throat being filled and that included food. I was orgasmic. Literally, Xava had managed to make me cum just from deep throating her for like twenty minutes straight.


    Her thrusts filled my head, jarring it as the heavy and steady thuds of her hips smacked against my face. I tightened around her and so did her grip. Her thrusts grew shorter, faster and harder while she hammered away. Drool and spittle oozed out between thrusts, hanging from her length and dribbled down.


    ¡°I love it, I love it! Vesper mMmmmh yes, oh yes! Good, ahh good suck slut. You love this, you love this don¡¯t you?¡± she panted, leaning over me as she worked herself as deep as she could and held her cock there.


    She trembled and the dick inflated a little. It spurt out her gooey goodness. The inner muscles contracted and undulated around her length, milking her.


    ¡°Haaa, good girl. Drink it up, drink up all that tasty protein, you will need it.¡±


    I gulped and gulped, swallowing her banana flavored jizz, or rather protein paste, though I didn¡¯t get to savor it since it was getting pumped into my tummy. It was thick and syrupy causing me to shiver in delight. Xava had combined my two favorite things fucking and food.


    Her member twitched a final time, drained completely dry. She sighed, letting me massage her length for a little longer before pulling out with a juicy plop of my lips smacking together. My saliva trailed her tool thickly. I stared ahead blankly, my head full of white bliss.


    ¡°Good Vesper, now that your feeding is complete, the breeding can commence.¡±


    She pet me while I panted, still slobbering a little with my tongue hanging out from that passionate face fucking.


    I gulped, ¡°Thanks for the meal. What are you going to do to me now?¡±


    She walked out of sight and I felt her fingers grasping onto my engorged member. All that sucking had turned me on, my lady boner twitched to her touch. Her hands gently grasped it and started to slickly pump up and down the length.


    ¡°How naughty of you, your positor is so lewd Vesper. How wet and hard it got just from sucking my cock. Are you going to scream when I thrust this beastly dick inside of you?¡±


    I squirmed as the hole felt something press against it. She was, she was going to- My thoughts were broken when her sizable endowment pushed past the spasming rings. I panted as my tongue lolled and her hand started using my ovipositor like a cock sleeve. I couldn¡¯t see, but I could feel every bump and every stroke. I could hear how juicy and wet my dirty organ was as it squelched, as she worked it up and down on her shaft. I could tell that she had changed her penis attachment just by the shape and feel of it, I recognized it, it was the Stallion. It was sooo long and girthy! Marvelous and wonderful. I loved this thing, she hadn¡¯t even flared it yet and it was stuffing me like a turkey.


    ¡°Xava!¡± I cried out.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Vesper! This organic onahole of yours is lovely.¡±


    ¡°You are being weird again Xava!¡±


    She slowed her hand to a mild and gentle jerking, ¡°Eh, but I thought you liked being called a cock sleeve?¡±


    ¡°It is your lingo, where did you even learn how to talk dirty anyway?¡±


    ¡°I have been doing research since you liked dirty talk. Odd, I thought I was doing it correctly.¡±


    She stopped stroking and pushed so that my ovipositor took every inch of her two-foot long schlong and she kept going until her hips were nestled against my quivering abdomen. My eyes were swimming and I gulped before moaning. Limply, I hung my head as she sat there, letting her member throb inside of me. My head was tingling as my insides cramped around her mass. The pussy walls tightened to the point that she couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°You tightened up rather nicely. Do you like me using you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move yet, I need to get used to it for a lit-¡± I panted before gasping as she ignored me and pulled her hips back dragging her cock along my sensitive ridges and spasming walls.


    ¡°But your biometric readings are telling me to breed you as hard and fast as possible during your estrus period.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t form a coherent response, only able to moan as she started thrusting with precise movements to target my weak points. Her shaft would tilt up, grinding against the roof of my vagina to press against a certain array of organs that were particularly receptive to stimuli. It the sacks that held my sexual secretions for lubricant during mating. I struggled as she hammered the cock head so that it dragged back and forth massaging them.


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± I screamed.


    She didn¡¯t stop and instead sped up. Her hips pistoned against me as her dick went wild. My tongue rocked from the impacts as it limply hung below, dribbling and oozing onto the floor. The hole that she was using had gone into convulsions and I would be rolling around if I were not held in place. She was going to breed me. I could feel it. My egg sac could feel it. It was trembling and gaping inside of me as her tip kissed it on every thrust. Breathing became difficult as my chest quaked and my hearts beat, thumping and surging blood to my engorged sex.


    A haze descended. I knew this it, it was a mating rut. This wasn¡¯t the first time Xava had managed to literally bring out the animal in me. The moment that I had been waiting for, the moment that I was longing and craving came. Her shaft bulged inside of me. The tip flared out an additional three inches on all sides. I shrieked in bliss as she didn¡¯t stop her mechanical, hip smashing movements. It scratched and dragged, filling my walls, plugging them. She was breaking and stretching out the mold that my pussy had formed for her member.


    ¡°Vesper!¡± She cried out, tensing as she brought her waist back one final time before slamming herself forward clear to the base.


    My own orgasm spat out, drenching her shaft as my pussy undulated around her. The cum came. It surged out of her length, flooding into my greedy insides. The egg sack descended attempting to latch onto her, but the head was too large and it could only gape, drinking, guzzling her spunk as it flowed. I trembled wet all over, secretions gushing from both ends. I realized that my vents had been flapping in an attempt to cool me down.


    She stood still, letting her goo stuff my insides. Her meaty member twitched with every spurt. Xava sighed and started fingering my butt. I tightened reflexively as she worked several fingers in coated with lube. After a moment of stirring it up, she formed a cone shape and went about loosening me up.


    ¡°What is the big idea?¡± I complained, ¡°What are you doing with my ass?¡±


    ¡°Just getting you prepped for the prolonged stimulation.¡± She replied pulling her fingers free.


    ¡°Wait, we are not done?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, silly. We still have twenty-two hours for my projected copulation simulation.¡± She said as I felt her shift over a little and something pressed against my back door.


    ¡°Twenty-two hours?! I have work tomorrow,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about a thing, I will take care of everything. Just enjoy yourself.¡±


    ¡°But what if I gotta pee or-¡±


    ¡°I will take care of everything.¡± She replied matter of factly and with an authoritative tone.


    I gulped. She didn¡¯t wait for me to complain before the smooth shaft wormed its way inside. I gasped and struggled a little. I knew this feeling that was one of her robo worms. It worked through my insides and nestled deep in there. Feeling it writhing and squirming brought about new perverse feelings. It, it was like a tentacle, haaa tentacles.


    Xava¡¯s tip deflated as she pulled herself free from my honeypot. It still made me shudder from lewdly scraping the bumpy walls. She started doing something else back there. I could hear whirring sounds and after a brief moment of relief, a new shape pressed against my loose hole. My lower mouth slobbered all over it as it was pulled in and I attempted to decipher what it was. I had never felt this phallic shape before. What even was it?


    ¡°Xava, what did you just put in me?¡±


    ¡°Why the Inseminator MKI. I made a mold of your ovipositor and created this machine to take care of you while I am away.¡± She said as she a loud click sound seemed to have locked it in place.


    ¡°Wait, you are going to leave me here!?¡± I shouted wriggling.


    Xava pat me on the head as she walked into my view, ¡°I have work to do, so I can¡¯t stay here the whole time. However, I will check up on you every four hours to feed you and I will be monitoring your vitals so should anything happen, I will shut it down and come see what happened.¡±


    ¡°I, but I want to have sex with you Xava, not some machine.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, I am mostly machine. Besides, this is linked into my neural net so I will feel the sensations to a certain degree no matter where I am. Just lay here and enjoy. Think of this as my way of saying I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you Xava,¡± I blushed.


    She bent over and kissed me, our tongues wrestled passionately for a good minute before she pulled away. She procured a gag that was sitting on the table and worked it into my mouth. My mandibles clicked at it, but it was metal and deterred them. Then she lifted up a veil type of thing. It took all of a moment to realize that it was a special blindfold to cover all four of my eyes. Xava¡¯s sweet smile was the last thing I saw for the entirety of this encounter.


    ¡°Mhmmhm¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°With some of your senses deprived it will make all the sensations better. Ok, now let us start.¡± Xava said petting me.


    She rubbed something onto my antennae and a fire spread through me. My brain tingled addled with lust. Astrea, it smelled like Astrea. She, she moved, Astrea moved. She pushed steadily, driving itself deeper. The bumps rubbed against my own and I instantly loosened for it to proceed. The folds were perfect, they pushed and caressed my own. It didn¡¯t even need to be lubed from all the glaze coating my walls. This thing was a, it was made for me. My insides coiled around the invading ovipositor.


    Astrea, she was mating me. No, no wait it is a machine. It reached a certain depth, holding still for a long, mind-melting moment before it slowly began to leave. Pleasure overflowed as it puffed up, engorging then deflated as though it pulsed with life. She pulled it nearly out, letting it stay lodged inside before the rhythmic fucking began. It chose a slow, but steady pace. In and out. It pumped my pussy. Juices spilling and the lewd sounds of my horny hole filled the room along with my muffled moans.


    I was too entranced by the thick member using me that I didn¡¯t notice when Xava had left. I couldn¡¯t sense her in the room any longer. My loneliness faded as the mating reached a new level. My lover jackhammered into my quivering quim and the slow thrusts had given way to a more frenzied rush. I squirmed in the restraints, shaking and trying to break free. This was too good. I cried out as the first of countless orgasms pierced through my body. It didn¡¯t stop.


    The ovipositor kept plumbing my depths even after my orgasm, even though my walls were convulsing and sensitive to the point that this would be close to torture. As the second orgasm crested I screamed and it didn¡¯t stop, though it did slow the pace. It was at this moment that the realization that this was going to continue for hours and hours settled in. I struggled intensely as a last attempt to stop this. I, I don¡¯t wanna cum anymore, this is too much! The machine tightened its grasp and fucked me harder, pounding the fight right out of me with a row of orgasms.


    It felt like I was melting. A heat settled in my chest and a fog over my mind. The delirium of pleasure made time a relic of the past. There was only the cock, the wonderful mating tool and my debaucherous pussy slavering over it. The fucking alternated in intensity, speed, depth and even duration. I couldn¡¯t think, it felt as though every time I came my brains flowed out. Mindless pleasure that was uninterrupted, until the gag in my mouth was removed and a thick cock slid into it.


    ¡°Feeding time, Vesper,¡± said Xava, already firmly gripping my head and thrusting as fast as she could down my throat.


    I lavished her length, sucking on it blankly as the head tickled the back of my oral cavity with her gleeful rub. The constant hammering and dripping of arousal from my abdomen only made the fervent lusting my mouth was receiving all the more intense. I shuddered and my claws curled in release as Xava deep throated, gasping as I tightened to trap her inside. Her member bulged obscenely and my sustenance flowed, filling my tummy with every twitch.


    She huffed, ¡°Good, good girl Vesper. Now drink up, you are getting dehydrated.¡±


    She connected a tube to my mouth and cold, refreshing water flowed. My head jerked as I had not been expecting it and my struggling subsided as she pet me, playing with my sensitive head wigglies. My stomach roiled for a moment over the excessive contents that had been stuffed into it. It settled and she pulled the hose free. I felt bloated¡­ it was like I was livestock. I wasn¡¯t even human anymore, just an animal for breeding. Strangely, the thought both calmed me and aroused me.


    The harness was readjusted a little and my mouth plugged once more. Xava left again and my mind devolved, lost in the wanton lust of being a breeding bitch. Sub wasn¡¯t even fucking me, she was too busy creaming herself and latched onto me to do anything. She was as much consumed by this hunger as I was. I began to lose track of reality. Though I knew that it was not Astrea, the smell told me otherwise.


    Our mating had patterns to it. It would escalate until I orgasmed several times in a row, then it would slow for a while and even stop completely to let me rest. Usually, it would let me rest when Xava fed me, but sometimes Astrea would continue even through that, deliciously spit roasting me. Both ends being used like meat holes for pleasure. I drowned in the decadent cycle of lust.


    Astrea loved me. That is why she is fucking me so fervently. Yes, that is why we are breeding. She tensed inside after so long of driving me to madness, I finally received her seed that my body had been craving. Ovipositor bulged inside of me as the first sphere slid up into me. The muscles contracted and sucked into my core. Our child our first child! Elation filled me as siblings came following shortly after. My body accommodated them all. My abdomen became fat and swollen with brood as my mind melted.


    ****


    I awoke, a dull pulsing sensation radiating out of my cooch. I tried to move, but found that I was still restrained and all the addled, hazy memories returned. My abdomen squirmed feeling my lover still lodged inside. My womb was stuffed full of eggs, I could feel them rubbing inside of there. Astrea sensed that I was awake again and she continued her rhythmic thrusts. The breeding and the haze resumed.


    Agonized hours of bliss or maybe they were minutes, I am unsure. They passed like an eternity until the gag popped off again. A cock did not immediately ravage my mouth pussy despite how my tongue unfurled and it gaped ready and waiting. My feelers squirmed smelling about. The scent of strawberries and banana. I could smell and vaguely sense where Xava was though there was another presence right in front of me. Xava was behind me and I felt Astrea pull out completely. In her wake eggs pushed out of my used hole and cum gushed onto the floor. It had all been plugged in there by her member. I felt a lot less fat. It felt wonderful, it felt right to lay the eggs as my egg sack ejected them and pushed them down my mating tube.


    It was Ichigo. Ichigo was here. I wanted to taste her. Feel her. My tongue reached out, it felt about trying to find her. I could sense her. Come here, fill my mouth. I wanna suck your cock. Ichigo!


    ¡°You two are getting into some crazy stuff here,¡± said the voice that I knew to be Ichigo, ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t mind if I eh, let her blow me do you? I mean her thoughts are all Ichigo, Ichigo¡¯s cock right now!¡±


    Xava spread me open and rubbed my ragingly erect clit between her fingers, ¡°Well, she is still in estrus, so I guess I can overlook it this time. Besides, I am sure that she would enjoy that.¡±


    Yes, YES! Ichigo approached and my tongue touched her little dick. It coiled around it instantly, playing with the tip and wagging like a snake up and down. Strawberries, she tastes like strawberries! She kept going as I went between her legs and slid up, poking at her other hole. Ichigo let out a girlish gasp and I pushed into her butt. She grabbed onto my head, trying to force me away, but I prodded her closer and finally her dick sunk into my maw.


    ¡°The tongue on her!¡± moaned Ichigo shaking.


    Xava slapped her sizable member against my sopping wet hole, taunting me with it. The ovipositor opened completely like a hungry mouth. She slid back into her cock sleeve, my pussy. She gripped my flanks and eagerly started bucking her hips, while Ichigo trembled as I bobbed my head on her cock. Both of them gasped in pleasure. My tongue pushed at the wall, stimulating the prostate and the dick in my mouth got harder and a little longer. It was similar to me, I suppose my fluid sacs are like prostates.


    ¡°Yes, her tongue is very talented.¡± Commented Xava, leaning over me to thrust harder.


    ¡°How long have you had her locked up in this sex dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Twenty hours and thirty-five minutes.¡±


    ¡°No wonder she is so sex crazed. If I didn¡¯t know any better I would think you were torturing her.¡±


    ¡°Torture? No, this is insemination. We are still trying to get her pregnant. This was a test to see if she would produce ovum while in a mating rut. Unfortunately, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case, even though I simulated her being bred and impregnated.¡±


    I tightened at the thought of laying eggs. My insides revolted and undulated against Xava¡¯s member. She let out a sharp gasp and slapped the soft flesh that my vents exposed, causing it to jiggle and gurgle. I squirmed, delighted. Her cock extended, inch by inch until it was long enough to penetrate my womb. With a hard, dominating thrust she impaled it, I foamed up around Ichigo nearly inhaling her as I sucked in air.


    Ichigo quivered and I could feel her meet trembling cutely. She came as my tongue attacked from behind fervently. Her jizz spurt, spraying the back of my mouth. I savored it, swirling it, tasting it. Oddly, it didn¡¯t taste of strawberries. It was salty and fishy. Still, I didn¡¯t mind such flavoring, it was normal, Xava was the one spoiling me with fruit flavored gooey goodness.


    Ichigo leaned over me as my tongue kept rubbing and pressing against her prostate. I wasn¡¯t going to let her go, I was hungry. My lips tightened and I resumed suckling on her little tool. This was a nice snack. Using her ass I made her hump my face as the twitching dick hardened again, lavishing the base of my tongue like a pillow.


    Xava¡¯s pace had increased and every pussy pummeling thrust jarred me forward taking Ichigo. The vulgar slaps of our flesh meeting sounded so moist and utterly depraved. She flared the Stallion and it filled my womb, dragging it with her shaft as she relentlessly mated me. I gurgled and shuddered, shaking my head Ichigo tried to hold it still to fuck it faster.


    My fingers flexed as the claws curled in bliss. I was being used. The bobbing of my lips stopped as she went as deep as she could, only scraping the back of my throat for a brief moment. Ichigo came again. Her salty load was smaller this time. My tongue pressed, milking her harder, she was holding out on me. I wanted all of it. I slurped harder and she whimpered as the dick spasmed in distress. Although she had just cum, she was pushed over the edge yet again, crying out and the fight left her as she flopped onto my head. My tongue kept attacking, rocking her hips to hump my sultry mouth.


    My walls cramped and convulsed as Xava pulled back, excavating my insides. I screeched and shook violently as the head felt like it was going to pull out my vagina. She shoved that meat back in and my womb devoured it. Xava found it very difficult to move with how tight I had gotten. Her pulsing flesh obscenely trapped inside of the cock consuming hole. Her grip grew tight as the walls around her undulated in milking motions. She came. The torrent of baby batter pooled into the deepest part of me and I slumped, spurting from a final orgasm.


    My egg sac bulged and caused my abdomen to inflate. It felt so fat and heavy. Surely something like this would impregnate me. Babies, I wanted Xava¡¯s babies. I wonder how cute they would be?


    All three of us panted heavily as we separated and I heard Ichigo flop onto the floor, her legs too weak to walk. Xava stepped over beside me and I squirmed when her hand began petting me. My tongue lulled languidly, drooling all over the floor.


    She cooed, ¡°Good girl Vesper. You did so good. Did you enjoy it?¡±


    I purred, my mind too blank to form words. I felt a second pair of hand eagerly petting me. It was Ichigo.


    ¡°Xava you gotta share her or at least invite me to this sort of thing. That was the meanest blowjob I have ever felt.¡±


    ¡°I might consider it. Now come on, Vesper needs her rest,¡± replied Xava shooing away Ichigo as she gave me a final pat and they left me, still restrained.


    Sleep took me rather quickly now that all of the stimulation had ceased. The black world soon was replaced by a bubbly dreamscape.

 Art drop 3 and update

    There we go sorry about the wait turns out I had to add .jpg to the end of everything in case you have this problem as well. Hope you enjoy ^^


    https://imgur.com/a/GwFwi?&nc


    Molotov


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Fairy cosplay Ichigo


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    Here we are. That was a pain they really need to make a tutorial for this shit.

 Twilight Chapter 11 Interlude: Youko part 2

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 11 Interlude Youko part 2


    Sunshine trembled as the world around her started to pull itself out of the fog. The unceasing flashes of forgotten shards of her past, piecing themselves together to form and fill out the blackness. The picture, the image formed of so many fragments it was both sad and horrifying. This was not a nice place. She could not tell how much time had passed since the last vision, but some had.


    ~~~


    ¡°Youko¡­ is everything alright? You, you have been acting weird lately. We were getting concerned,¡± said Cece gulping a little as Youko¡¯s dark baggy eyes turned to her.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Did your parents allow you to get that piercing? My parents would have killed me,¡± halfheartedly laughed Daisy.


    ¡­ Parents? What were those again? Youko thought it over, ah, they meant those toys she had been given. Strange that she sounded so weary of such things. They didn¡¯t last very long with Youko¡¯s other friends. Right, right, her friends were getting hungry again.


    They look tasty. We want to hunt, imagine their screams as we tear them apart. It would be so delicious.


    Youko winced, stamping on the bubbling shadow below them and crushing the eyeball that opened. Not these, these were not toys, not prey. She gave a cold stare into the depths of the darkness on the floor. The squirming shadows settled down.


    We haven¡¯t had nothing, but stray cats and dogs for a week!


    And you will get nothing if you do not behave.


    For now, but we hunger for suffering and sorrow.


    Youko became aware that the three girls were staring at her in silence, glancing between the place where her foot was and her face.


    ¡°Was there a bug?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, just a cockroach. What was that you were asking before?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You changed your whole style so suddenly¡­ not- not that there is anything wrong with black and skulls and stuff,¡± quivered, Jen hiding behind her dark hair as always.


    ¡°Have I changed?¡± asked Youko rubbing her temple, their words seemed to stir something inside, vaguely she could remember being different.


    It had been Mistress¡¯s idea to make a statement. Show that the past was gone, dead and buried. She couldn¡¯t even remember the old Youko¡­ was there even an old Youko? What even is a Youko? Somehow that feels like a never-ending circle of questions trying to figure it out. There was only the present. Youko pressed the stud in her tongue so that it clicked against her teeth.


    What had changed? For one she had stopped wearing bright colors, save red cause it mesmerized her and even then it was usually a darker tone. Mistress had taken her out the other day to get a makeover. She was kind enough to let Youko pick and choose what she wanted. She went with jean shorts and fishnet stocking, she liked those a lot lately, rather than skirts, well she did still like some. Tank tops and T-shirts over blouses hands down. Her shoes were even replaced by nice black leathered boots that came up to her knees with straps and buckles. Her long glossy hair had been dyed varying shades of blue in a layered pattern.


    ¡°Youko, you can talk to us. Are you really ok?¡± asked Cece.


    She smiled, ¡°I am perfectly fine. Just felt like I needed to change. Out with the old, as they say, and in with the new.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Really sure?¡±


    Youko leaned in her chair, ¡°Hmmm. Ah, why don¡¯t you guys come over to my place and we can talk about it?¡±


    ¡°Today?¡± asked Cece.


    ¡°Yeah, why, is it no good?¡±


    ¡°I have to eh go with my parents, how about tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°What about you two?¡± asked Youko glancing at Daisy and Jen.


    ¡°I, I can come over after school,¡± meekly said Jen.


    Daisy waved her hand in front of her face, ¡°Acha, sorry, sorry I got a date with my boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I have been practicing my power a lot lately, I wanted to show you guys how awesome it is and all the cool shit I can make with it.¡±


    Cece and Daisy were looking rather regretful that they had other plans. Youko lightly touched Jen and held her hand, smiling vaguely, ¡°I am sure you¡¯ll love it.¡±


    Everything was going smoothly until the teacher, Mr. Rumer spoke up, ¡°Youko after class come into my office.¡±


    She sighed, rolling her eyes, ¡°What do you want old man?¡±


    ¡°Youko! What is with your behavior lately and you even failed last week¡¯s test.¡±


    ¡°Oi, needle dick ain¡¯tcha not supposed to tell people about that shit?¡±


    ¡°Youko! Don¡¯t you talk back to me young lady.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, fuck off or I will fuck you off.¡±


    ¡°OFFICE NOW!¡± he yelled at her.


    The class, shrunk away, but Youko rolled her eyes again and stood up. She nonchalantly had her hands behind her head. He pushed her from behind and ended up dragging her to his office. The room was rather small. Hardly that much space after the filing cabinets, desk, and several chairs. He plopped her down in the chair and sat on his desk looking down at her.


    ¡°Youko, what the hell is going on with you? You went from a solid B student to failing. And these clothes,¡± he said, squinting disapprovingly at her.


    ¡°You are annoying.¡±


    ¡°I am your teacher, I am supposed to look out for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well too late for that. I can look after myself, I got lots of friends you know.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Hey, I will blow you if you leave me alone.¡± She said, stroking the air with her tongue out.


    The room echoed with a slap and Youko held her face, she seemed more surprised than hurt.


    ¡°What is wrong with you?¡±


    Her eyebrow cocked a little, ¡°Oh. You actually had some balls. You know, I was kinda looking forward to my first real dick, but now I am not really in the mood.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± he grimaced.


    ¡°Ah well you see, my dad¡¯s dick is like this big,¡± she said, spreading her thumb and index finger maybe four inches, ¡°Pathetic, right? I can¡¯t believe I used to be terrified of that thing. You wouldn¡¯t believe the scars I used to have over that little fucking noodle.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that your father-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he had been fucking me since I was nine.¡±


    ¡°We, we need to call the police and-¡±


    Youko shook her head, ¡°Nah, nah, too late for that shit man. I am not scared of that piece of shit anymore.¡±


    ¡°You are not scared?¡± Mr. Rumer asked.


    ¡°Why would I be scared of a dead man?¡± she answered.


    ¡°Youko, slow down. Dead?¡± he gulped.


    Youko nodded, smiling, ¡°Yeah. It was the first thing I did once I got the hang of my power. All my new friends ate him. Limb by limb, piece by piece. Ah, just hearing him scream made my chest flutter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yes, he squealed like a stuffed pig! The fear was delicious!¡±


    ¡°Who, said that?¡± He jumped, looking around the empty room for where that deep voice had come from.


    ¡°It was just my friend.¡±


    ¡°Youko, I, I don¡¯t understand. What friend.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to meet my friends?¡± Youko grinned.


    ¡°This one looks ripe, yes, he will do nicely!¡±


    Mr. Rumer became very aware of the many red eyes opening all around them in the shadows. Shining white teeth growling as drool and spittle flowed from the gnashing maws. Monsters were pulling themselves out of the shadows. They were hideous malformed beasts. Some had half-formed faces where the bone was exposed and the muscles moved. The limbs were bent into strange angles as the figures shambled closer. He looked back and Youko had vanished. Even though it was only mid-afternoon the room was pitch black save a small circle of illumination. The light bulb flickered as it swayed revealing the horrors that lurked just out of sight.


    ¡°Youko? YOUKO?!¡± Yelled Mr. Rumer, staying in the refuge of the dimming light.


    He looked to where the door was and darkness met his eyes. The room itself seemed to be melting. All the colors merging into an inky soup that flowed ever closer to him. He retreated, standing upon the sinking desk. This place was not normal, not natural. He frantically looked around as the light got smaller and smaller with every sway of the lamp.


    ¡°Stay back! Stay back whatever the hell you are!¡± He cried as the varied, misshapen and underdeveloped creatures closed in.


    ¡°Yes, yes! Cry some more, feed us more little snack!¡±


    A beast took shape with ragged fur. It appeared to be some kind of canine and yet it was wrong. It was mottled with scars and patches of wounded flesh that oozed blood. The head was stripped of flesh, revealing the skull and muscles, tendons lightly hanging on in certain places. An eye dangled limply from the side while the other glowed dark red. Most of the beast was made of a mist like shadow, which made the form strange to the eyes. Other horrifying figures took shape, closing in around him.


    ¡°NO. NO! NOOO!¡± his screams filled the blackness as the light died and claws grasped at him.


    ¡°Finally, fresh meat! Meat is back on the menu boys!¡±


    Teeth ripped flesh and smacked as they chewed. Bones snapped and curled as his cries turned to gurgles and faded into silence. Youko sat watching with crimson eyes as her friends feasted on the annoyance. She hummed merrily tilting her head back and forth.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°That is what you get for trying to play hero. Don¡¯t you know the Hero always dies? Tasty¡­ all that blood. Savor it my pets.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Thanks for inviting me over,¡± said Jen, looking over the entrance to the Youko¡¯s house.


    It looked normal enough, save the scratch marks on the door frame and what appeared to be a dead spot in the grass to the side.


    ¡°A burglar broke in the other day.¡± Youko commented when Jen stared at the claw marks in the wood.


    ¡°Eh¡­ that sounds kinda scary. Did they take anything?¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°Nah, he didn¡¯t get very far before being found out. He was in the kitchen making a sandwich for fuck¡¯s sake, the nerve of some people.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Jen as they continued on.


    ¡°Nothing really, he ran.¡±


    Lying to your friend¡­


    He did run, I never said that he got away.


    Hehe. True, very true. He was chewy.


    ¡°So Youko, what eh did you want to do?¡± asked Jen lagging a little near the door.


    ¡°I got something really cool that I wanna show you up in my room.¡±


    ¡°Where is your Mom?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I got company over! It is Jen, you remember Jen right?¡± yelled Youko.


    To her voice, someone stirred and a face appeared peeking out from behind the kitchen wall. Jen let out a sigh of relief when she recognized Youko¡¯s mother. She had those dark eyes and glossy black hair. She waved, smiling softly.


    ¡°Ah, Jen, so nice of you to visit us. Will you be staying for dinner?¡±


    Jen nodded, smiling in return, ¡°I will Mrs. Yagami. Sorry for intruding unannounced.¡±


    ¡°Our home is your home. Have fun.¡±


    With that, she slipped back out of view. Jen had calmed down considerably. There was hardly any of that strange feeling of wanting to flee from this place left. Her fear had stopped oozing out, much to the displeasure of the shadows circling their feet.


    They made their way up the stairs, which creaked a little with the added weight. Youko¡¯s room had seen better days. Claw, bite marks and scribbles written in a still wet red liquid covered the walls. Things were broken, the bed snapped in half, stuffing and feathers from the pillows piled in a corner like some sort of nest. Due to the circle of gibberish on the floor it looked like some sort of demonic summoning ritual was going on complete with candles.


    Jen took a step back. ¡°Youko? What happened?¡±


    ¡°My practice got a little rowdy. But it is fin-¡±


    She ran even before Youko could attempt to explain it off. She was always the most skittish in the group. She especially hated ghosts and the occult. She bolted down the stairs, tripping and flopping over herself several times before a loud snap resounded through the house when she hit the floor. There was a silent moment before a wail and sniveling. Youko stood at the top staring down at the poor girl as she tried to crawl away, one of her legs bent the wrong way.


    ¡°Jen? Are you ok?!¡± asked Youko, panicking as she descended the stairs.


    Jen cried, ¡°MRS. YAGAMI!¡±


    ¡°Let me help you,¡± said Youko bending down, but Jen slapped her away.


    ¡°Stay away from me, who, who are you!?¡±


    She crawled away from Youko into the kitchen when the woman had not come running to her aid. She rounded the corner looking expectantly for the nice woman, only to let out a scream and push herself away from the sight before her. Several skeletons lay on the floor, picked clean so that they were bright white. They almost looked like Halloween decorations, but the smell of rotting meat and circling flies told a more gruesome story.


    ¡°Acha, you saw.¡± Said Youko standing over Jen, ¡°This isn¡¯t what I wanted to show you, you know?¡±


    ¡°Youko, where¡­ what happened to your Mom?¡±


    She nodded snapping her fingers and the shadows pooled around the closest skeleton, making it stand. It fleshed out and there stood Mrs. Yagami. She wobbled for a moment before smiling sweetly.


    ¡°You¡­ she is dead¡­¡±


    Youko nodded with a satisfied smirk, ¡°Pretty cool, right? Told you guys my power is awesome!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ why? Did you kill her?¡± Jen looked between the shadow controlled skeleton and Youko.


    ¡°My friends were hungry. It is hard to control them when they are hungry.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°My new friends. I found them when my powers grew stronger. I wanted you to meet them.¡±


    Jen cried, ¡°Let me go home. Please Youko, please I won¡¯t tell on you.¡±


    Youko rubbed her face, ¡°But you saw. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t hurt you Jen, we are friends and friends take care of one another.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she quivered desperately hoping it to be true. She couldn¡¯t run away, after all, no matter how much she wanted to.


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Youko smiling as the room seemed to get darker from a cloud passing outside, ¡°I will make all your pain go away.¡±


    Jen looked down when something warm wrapped around her leg. Her eyes met those of a beast. Bright red glaring against the darkness that had swollen up and swallowed her legs. She panicked, screaming and latching onto the door frame in an attempt to pull herself away from it.


    ¡°Youko help me!¡±


    ¡°We are going to be best friends forever and ever and ever. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t hurt ever again,¡± smiled Youko.


    The jaws worked up devouring more of her. The mouth moving up like a snake, unhinging to swallow more and more of the poor girl whole. Realizing that things were dire, Jen jabbed with her hands for the glowing eyes. Her fist stabbed in, causing the beast to rear up and the jaws to snap shut. Her top half spiraled away splattering onto the floor, blood and intestines trailing it to the manifesting monster.


    ¡°Poor thing. Struggling only makes it worse. You should have just stayed still. Don¡¯t worry, I will make it all better.¡±


    ¡°Yo- Youko¡­ I wanna go home. I feel so cold.¡±


    Jen lay there, her face losing all of the color as the wooden floor pooled red. She gurgled, throwing up red and quivering. Youko sat beside her, petting her slacking face, ¡°Shhhh. It will be over soon just sleep. Let the darkness take you. And when you wake up we will play lots and lots with Cece and Daisy too.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Son of a bitch! I can¡¯t believe he stood me up. Tch,¡± scoffed Daisy almost throwing her cell phone on the concrete, but she thought twice about it. It was expensive after all.


    ¡°Wanna hang out?¡± asked a voice behind her.


    Daisy jumped and her precious phone hit the ground, cracking, ¡°Fuck! Youko!? You scared the shit outa me. Ah dammit, my phone is fucked!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Say something next time and don¡¯t just sneak up on me like that. Jesus, I think I pissed myself a little.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± said Jen, stepping out from behind Youko.


    ¡°Jen? Me and Cece were getting worried. It has been two days since either of you went to school.¡±


    ¡°I was feeling a little under the weather and stayed over.¡±


    Daisy sighed, ¡°Oh good. I was afraid something bad had happened. There have been some rumors around lately.¡±


    Youko tilted her head, ¡°Rumors?¡±


    Daisy laughed a little, ¡°Oh, you know, stupid shit like if you walk around alone late at night around here that a ghost will drag you kicking and screaming to hell. A few people have gone missing, apparently. You know, stuff like that. It is probably just the sewer mutants though.¡±


    Youko smirked, waving her hand dismissively, ¡°A ghost pft. That is dumb.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is pretty stupid. So what were you two up to?¡±


    Youko and Jen looked at one another, ¡°Playing hide and seek.¡±


    ¡°Hide and seek eh? What are you guys like ten or something? We should watch a movie or something.¡±


    ¡°It is fun. You should play with us.¡± They both said in unison.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. That sounds pretty lame. I think I am just going to go to bed. Night.¡±


    ¡°You should play with us. Friends play with one another,¡± said Jen, laying her hand on Daisy¡¯s shoulder.


    She shuddered and jumped away from the hand, ¡°Holy fuck your hand is cold! Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°She is fine. Are you sure you wanna go home so soon? Just one round. It will be fun.¡± Said Youko.


    ¡°Sorry, I gotta go, my parents are gonna bitch me out anyway if I stay out any later.¡± Replied Daisy sulking a little.


    ¡°Then we will play tag how about that? If you can get home without one of us getting you, then you won¡¯t have to play with us.¡±


    ¡°Not in the mood. See you around.¡± Said Daisy dismissively walking away.


    ¡°We will give you a head start. One¡­ two¡­¡±


    Daisy just ignored her. She didn¡¯t think much of it that was obvious. She turned the corner when Youko finished counting. They followed at a walking pace, Youko with her hands behind her head.


    ¡°One would expect her to have run a little.¡±


    ¡°It is only fun if they run.¡± Said Jen.


    ¡°I guess we should give her a little start. Get the blood pumping then.¡±


    ¡°Yes, get the fear flowing so that she will be delicious. Like this one was.¡±


    ¡°Go.¡±


    Jen melted into the shadows of the night and surged forward. She emerged on the wall above Daisy as she walked along. The sound of claws gouging the stucco drew the girl¡¯s eyes. A scream erupted and the chase was on. Daisy fled, running as fast as she could. Her done up hair bouncing almost as much as her sizable breasts. She was wearing jean shorts and a white top that didn¡¯t particularly look that warm considering that it was cold out.


    She darted glances over her shoulder and cried a little harder every time she saw the monster drawing closer. Daisy ran full force into Youko, knocking her over and she flopped back dazed for a moment. She shook it off and latched onto Youko crying, ¡°Youko there is a monster! It is the thing from the rumors!¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ well, we should hide from it then, right?¡± asked Youko, offering her a hand. ¡°Come on.¡±


    Daisy took it and tried to keep pace as Youko took off, dragging her. Youko shoved her hand out and created a motorcycle. She hopped, mounting it and pulled Daisy on as well. It revved and squealed as the wheels peeled out. Daisy coiled around her shivering and crying as she looked back. The monster quickly faded as they sped away.


    ¡°Ah shit, we left Jen back there! Is she going to be alright?¡± said Daisy now that there was a moment to breathe.


    ¡°She will be fine.¡±


    ¡°What even was that thing?¡±


    ¡°A Super?¡± playfully said Youko.


    ¡°I never heard of a shadow monster.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of Supers so there are lots of powers you know.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, you made this bike with your power right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, pretty cool, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is awesome. How does it work though?¡±


    Youko shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just imagine it and it becomes real.¡±


    ¡°I thought you could only make animals?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I can make anything I want.¡±


    ¡°That is cool¡­ you think we lost it?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Daisy looked back, but there was nothing there. She blinked a few times to make sure before looking past Youko and screamed. In front of them was that thing. Suddenly it bulged and the mouth opened so wide that it took up the whole street. Youko kicked off of the bike and watched as it barreled straight into the maw of razor-sharp teeth. Daisy bumbled, attempting to dismount as well, but the bike came to life. It coiled around her to prevent her escape. As the darkness wrapped around her face, she let out a final scream that was shortly silenced when the mouth snapped shut around her and started chewing.


    Youko smiled as her friends grew by one. There was only one more to add. One last friend forever, Cece.


    ~~~


    Time skipped to several days later. The fragments congealing at this point in time. Sunshine recognized this day, it was when the madness came to a head.


    Youko sat in her house her imagination spread out in every direction sensing everything. This was practice. It was to make her stronger, yes stronger. She was growing hungry, both mentally and physically.


    Hungry~ complained Daisy and Jen, lazing about on the floor like the good doggies they were. The two were chewing on broken bones for the marrow.


    Youko pet them as their bodies quivered having difficulty holding onto their forms. Using her powers was very straining and so the time she needed to rest had grown or the intake of energy as an alternative. Youko lay there staring at the ceiling while thinking of how to get her hands on her last friend, Cece. Should she be bold and just go to school to take her? That might cause concerns there were already questions floating about.


    Something intruded into her domain. Youko concentrated finding a familiar figure crouched and watching the house from behind the fence. It was Cece. How fortunate.


    ¡°They have to be here. First, it was Jen and then Daisy. Youko must know something.¡± Said Cece lightly as she took a final glance around.


    She snuck, scuttling across the lawn and slinking to the wall. She scooted and peered through the window. When she went for the handle, the door opened for her. Youko smiled, ¡°Hello Cece. I have been waiting for you.¡±


    Cece retreated a few steps out of surprise, ¡°Youko?! You, you scared me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Cece cried, hugging her, ¡°Are you ok? I am scared Youko, people have been going missing! How come you haven¡¯t come to school lately? Have you seen Jen or Daisy? Neither of them have been coming as well. I tried to ask their parents, but nobody was home. I thought that you had gone too.¡±


    ¡°No need to worry. Come in, Jen and Daisy are here as well.¡±


    ¡°They, they are? Are they ok?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they are perfectly fine.¡± Youko smirked.


    ¡°How come they haven¡¯t been going to school?¡±


    ¡°I guess we have just been having too much fun and lost track of time.¡±


    ¡°It has been days! Youko what is really going on?¡±


    ¡°My powers are very entrancing you know. I hardly know what day it is anymore.¡±


    ¡°Youko that isn¡¯t healthy. You look rather thin¡­ have you been eating properly?¡±


    ¡°My friends have and that is all that matters.¡±


    ¡°Show me Jen and Daisy. They need to go home.¡±


    Youko nodded and led the way. Cece followed looking over the house. She kept pausing, Youko could taste the trepidation. Cece held it all back and continued. They walked up the stairs and came to Youko¡¯s room. This time Youko stood to the side and ushered her friend inside first. She took one step and froze in place. Every sense in her body told her to flee and she swung around into the wall. The door having vanished. Youko had learned from her first mistake with Jen.


    ¡°Youko! What is going on?!¡± she shrilly cried, clawing at the darkness that should have been her escape route.


    She smiled, spreading her hands out, ¡°Welcome home dear friend. Oh, how long we have been waiting. Now we can be complete.¡±


    ¡°Righto!¡± said Daisy happily.


    ¡°Late,¡± shyly said Jen.


    Cece turned hearing their voices and gulped at the sight of her friends. ¡°Is it really you? Jen, Daisy?¡±


    They nodded lightly approaching her.


    ¡°I missed you guys. Where have you been?¡±


    ¡°Here. Playing with Youko.¡±


    ¡°But it has been days, Jen it has been a week.¡±


    ¡°Eh? So long already?¡± they looked at one another. ¡°Oh well. Not like any of the outside matters now that you are here.¡±


    Cece started crying, ¡°I was so lonely. You wouldn¡¯t even pick up your phones. I called every night and nobody answered.¡±


    ¡°Awe, don¡¯t worry,¡± smiled Youko hugging her, ¡°we will be together forever.¡±


    Cece smiled a little until she froze up again. She recoiled away from Youko, sensing something was wrong. A Tch sound clicked in her mouth. Cece stared in horror at what she had been embracing. The darkness welled up around Youko forming extra limbs that reached for her. She shrieked when they grasped onto her legs and pulled her closer.


    ¡°Youko! Stop this! Please, we are friends!¡±


    ¡°I know that is why we will be together. You will be like Jen and Daisy, a part of me. Become one of us.¡±


    ¡°One of us! One of us!¡± happily said the pair from both sides of Cece.


    They held her up, freeing her hands from where they clung to the floor. Slowly the two fed Cece into the abomination that was Youko. She kicked and struggled, screaming as her feet sunk into the hungering maw.


    ¡°No! Youko please, don¡¯t, don¡¯t do this!¡±


    Youko leaned down, kissing her on the cheek, ¡°But I love you.¡±


    More of her was pulled in, clear up to her chest. A look of bliss covered all the monsters and Youko. More and more was swallowed whole, she didn¡¯t bite or chew. No, she wanted to absorb her painlessly. Finally, with a slurp, the screaming was silenced and the wriggling mass settled inside of Youko. She shuddered in elation. She would take her time with Cece, it might take days or even weeks to fully take her, in all of her entirety, that was the extent of her love.

 Twilight Chapter 12 Interlude: Husk

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 12 Interlude: Husk


    Xava and Fire Chief paused their advance towards the center of this crazed imagination land. The battle in the distance came to a close when the giant, slutty catgirl uppercut the also massive stripper and or prostitute¡­ it was hard to tell. From the yelling and grandstanding it was apparent that the stripper was called Thotimus Prime. She arched into the sky and vanished through the clouds from the blow. A shock wave rippled out and it reached the pair. The wind howled and blew, throwing both the glowing critters and the darkened horrors that were crawling out of a child¡¯s nightmare.


    ¡°Chief, how you holding up?¡± asked Xava, turning the Scorpio in his direction.


    His suit took a step crushing the mewling creatures of both light and dark that were swarming about like locusts. They were eating the surroundings, eating each other. At first glance, one would think the misshapen horrors to be winning, however, things were rather even. The puppies, bunnies, butterflies, and kittens were putting up quite the fight. They were cute¡­ or at least they would be if they were not ripping into their dark counterparts.


    A familiar scene unfolded around them. One of the glowing critters would be caught and stuffed into a hungry mouth. Then that dark creature would get swarmed, each of the pink animals would take a bite and then proceed to pounce onto the next enemy. They were a veritable school of piranha frenzied by their own dying and drawing blood. Both of the shadow monsters and the glowing critters steered clear of the foam glistening on the duo of machines that trudged through this quagmire of death.


    ¡°Damn, I really wish we could fly. I never thought about even trying with the mass of this thing,¡± said Chief watching enviably as Sunshine¡¯s fleet moved through the sky unopposed to the castle.


    ¡°A few of those ships went down over there, maybe we could jury rigg one of them to fly?¡± asked Xava.


    ¡°Not a chance. This is all imagination delusions, I highly doubt Sunshine could make a working engine, let alone make something that could be taken apart and repaired through actual logic.¡±


    ¡°True, most of it works because she wants it to. It is like magic, she doesn¡¯t have to actually know how it works.¡±


    The world around them seemed to freeze. The shadow creatures and the glowing animals stopped their fighting. All of them turned, looking up at the castle that Sunshine had gone into. It was eerie. The squealing and frantic sounds fell away, leaving only silence, a quiet broken by the mechanical footsteps of the mechs. Something about this seemed¡­ wrong. Xava increased her pace, she had a bad feeling about this.


    Now that nothing was getting in the way and the shifting tides of animals had come to a standstill the pair found themselves below the floating island. Blackened things fell from it like flaking, dying flesh.


    ¡°So, how the fuck are we getting up there?¡± asked Chief, his mech crossing the arms and staring up.


    His suit was tall, but it would take two of it on each other¡¯s shoulders just to scrape the bottom of the jagged landmass. Around the outside of it the fleet that Sunshine had brought was moored in place, though nothing was moving.


    Xava paced a few steps back, snapping the scorpion¡¯s claws with irritation, until a thought crossed her mind. ¡°Hey, Chief. How hard can that thing throw something?¡±


    He turned, ¡°Pretty hard. Why?¡±


    The Scorpio curled into a ball and she replied, ¡°Throw me up there. I need to get closer for my transmitter to work.¡±


    Fire Chief looked between her and the landmass above, gauging the distance, ¡°Yeah, I think I can do that. Hold on tight, it might get real bumpy.¡±


    His massive mechanical hands scooped up the giant robotic scorpion and he took several running steps before the arms shoved out with a hiss from their pistons. Xava spun to the point that a normal person would be throwing up and likely have blacked out. The ball of mechanical legs shot up, missing the mark by a bit, but once she reached a sufficient altitude the legs all extended. They created drag and slowed her ascent and guided her descent. Tentatively, she shifted the weight and the whole machine tilted, banking to the side.


    She had corrected the trajectory and was aimed straight at the cathedral looking structure in the center of the castle. The varied eyes and lashing limbs turned in her direction, aware of her approach vector. The Scorpio positioned the legs into a point for maximum penetration. Xava was going to drill her way in if she had to. Metal screamed against insanity and both gave way.


    The ceiling collapsed around her impact point and the robo scorpion plummeted down directly into the throne room, landing in the midst of strange purple suits of armor. Xava¡¯s optical inputs scanned the room in a moment, noting Sunshine and Vesper, or rather that crazed cat girl she had become floating off to the side, trapped in bubbles of darkness. Saving them came later.


    The Scorpio turned facing down the ruler of this place, Twilight-chan who sat upon her throne. It took a step, sputtering, servos and gyros, grinding in distress. That impact had been harder than anticipated. Xava tilted her head, all the camera lenses looking in different directions for her objective, which wasn¡¯t here. The body, the real Sunshine had to be here somewhere. It had to be nearby.


    ¡°My, my, my and who the fuck might you be?


    Crashing into my house,


    This one is certainly no mouse.


    Clacking and clanging with your metal claws.


    Are you planning to eat me with those jagged jaws?¡±


    ¡°You have gone too far Twilight. The city will be destroyed if you keep this up,¡± said Xava, pacing as she paid less attention to Twilight and more to the little blip of a signal on her arm. She was buying time, if Twilight was anything like Sunshine then she would monologue like one of those stupid Saturday morning villains.


    ¡°Do my eyes deceive me, can it be, Neon Nurse?


    Ah yes, I remember you and your curse.


    I was going to spare you as you spared me.


    You had best flee.¡±


    The pulse got a little stronger. Xava moved closer, following it while ignoring the ramblings of the crazed alter ego. The legs froze up as inky shadows surged up, grappling on to hold her at bay. They pushed through the sludge, her mechanical eyes only on her target. The signal was still getting blocked, but it was here. Not in this room, but deep down below Twilight-chan.


    ¡°Can you not hear?


    Ah, your machines have no ear.


    I can see it, I see what you flee.


    Rotting and dying, did you think that metal could set you free?


    Tell me are you blind as well?


    Are you bumbling about lost in your own hollow shell?


    Do you feel?


    Or have your senses died in that steel?


    I wonder why does a failed machine like you even know fear?


    You died long ago, now disappear.¡±


    ¡°Enough of your rhyming you crazed bitch!¡± Shouted Xava lunging, the claws snapped where Twilight had been as she flew up out of reach.


    The darkness welled up around the scorpion, pulling it down. Shackling it to the ground and soon it started to sink into the abyss of quicksand. Xava lay in the cockpit, her eyes staring at her arm and the blip as it got stronger. She smirked as her machine sunk deeper. It was close now, almost in range, but not all went as planned. The protective liquid had long been scraped from the outer shell of the Scorpio and delusions started to plague her sensors, overwhelming them. Blackness took hold and she floated, only hearing a faint rhythmic beat, like that of a withering heart.


    ~~~


    Beep... beep... beep...


    The sound filled Xava¡¯s ears as her eyes slowly slid open. White all around, soft hospital linens covered her as her head wobbled, unsteady. She felt so weak. Her throat dry and she coughed. Her eyes gaped at the hand that had covered her mouth. An IV drip ran to the sunken wrist. The hand and arm were skinny, mere skin and bone, hardly any muscle to be seen. Her mouth quivered, shaking as she held her face.


    No. Lies, this can¡¯t be real. I escaped this wretched body. This, disgusting human flesh.


    The curtain to her side parted and a nurse appeared, she held a clipboard and looked Xava over, there was a brief moment where she frowned, but then she smiled, ¡°Good morning!¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Xava snarled back, There is nothing good about this!


    However, her body did not. She felt it smile, weakly and reply, ¡°What did my tests say?¡±


    ¡°Good news Xava, the chemotherapy killed all the cancer. Now you just have to rest and get better,¡± said the nurse turning away to check on several of the machines.


    Liar! You bastards killed my immune system! The cancer is in my bones, it will come back. Move damn you, move! You stupid body. I have to, I have to save myself. The flesh and bones must be striped and replaced before it is too late!


    Despite her raging thoughts, Xava smiled, ¡°Really? That is wonderful. How long until I can go back to school?¡±


    The nurse didn¡¯t make eye content, ¡°We will worry about that later. For now, just rest and get stronger.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± She said blankly already slipping back to sleep.


    Ah, these are my memories then. Xava nodded to herself, understanding what was happening. That was why her body moved by itself. These things had already happened. Then it was following a script, a preordained line of progression. She mulled over it, trying to figure out how to break free. For now, she had little choice but sit and watch as she relived the most frustrating, saddest and yet the happiest days of her life.


    Time held little meaning while she lay in that hospital bed, too weak to walk. However, while her body rotted her mind awoke. This was where she gained her superpower. The radiation that had destroyed her body had been the catalyst. Knowledge, foreign and out of place flooded into her mind. Xava smiled reminiscing over the archaic designs that she managed to piece together through her fevered dreams. She was left with only her thoughts and the new found ideas springing forth from every corner of her mind. Plans, shapes, and schematics coalescing from the abstract into definitive reality. She understood what should not be, could not be. Machines years, decades, centuries, perhaps ahead of their time.


    However, even with all this glorious knowledge, she was powerless, trapped in a dying body. Though she was still in denial about that, until one day, she couldn¡¯t hide from it anymore.


    As usual, Xava lay in bed brainstorming over the complex designs of a machine, when she heard vague voices outside of her door.


    ¡°I can¡¯t lie to her anymore. She isn¡¯t going to get better.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we can¡¯t put it off any longer. Fine, I will tell her.¡±


    The door opened and in walked the man who had been in charge of Xava¡¯s treatment, Dr. Anton. He had personally assured her and guided her into various treatments to fix the problem. She trusted him. It was his idea to get Chemotherapy. She tilted her head, wetting her lips.


    ¡°Xava it is about your treatments.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± She croaked, hoping that what had been overheard was about someone else.


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± He said, ¡°You are going to die.¡±


    Her eyes twitched and she hacked, coughing in between a coarse and fluid-filled laugh. She was sick and she knew it, there was flem and flakes of blood in her spit, ¡°I am dying? But I did everything you told me to.¡±


    He looked at a clipboard, ¡°The cancer is more pervasive than we thought. It was hiding in the bone marrow. It had a resurgence. At most, you have six months before the cancer spreads to the heart and lungs. The Chemotherapy failed, it, unfortunately, destroyed your immune system. You won¡¯t survive another treatment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair. This isn¡¯t how things were supposed to go. I trusted you!¡±


    ¡°It was a misdiagnosis if we had found it sooner then-¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡± She screamed at him, ¡°You murdered me!¡±


    His face tightened and he kept himself from saying anything. After a moment he turned and left her alone.


    The next several days were lost in a fit of depression, denial and finally bargaining. She had contemplated suicide several times, but it didn¡¯t sit right with her. Xava was too scared of that unknown. She had never been religious and the thought of fading into nothing insulted her.


    I am too young to die like this. First in my class, an IQ of 182. I am supposed to be the future of robotics. I can see it all, these wonders, but this stupid, useless body! I am going to die, alone and forgotten. Why was I given this knowledge if I can¡¯t even use it¡­ wait¡­ I could save myself. Yes, it is here that can save me. It wasn¡¯t just robotics swirling about in her head, no there was something else as well.


    ~~~


    ¡°You have a visitor,¡± said the nurse opening the door.


    ¡°Come in, come in-¡± started Xava before she coughed roughly as she set her laptop to the side, ¡°I am pleased you could make it.¡±


    A man in a business suit entered the room. He looked extremely clean cut, immaculate in appearance. He had no facial hair and his head was shaved to a waxy finish. He shut the door behind him and stood over Xava, though his face scrunched up seeing her. He crossed his arms and said, ¡°Your message got my attention, miss Zanna.¡±


    ¡°Xava,¡± she corrected him.


    ¡°Xava, can you actually do it?¡± he asked, eyes piercing through her.


    ¡°Assuming I survive long enough, yes. I can save your daughter, it won¡¯t be particularly hard. However, I need funding, a place to work, assistants, materials, and research subjects.¡±


    ¡°How long do you still have?¡±


    ¡°Three months give or take.¡±


    ¡°Then we will begin at once, my daughter comes first, then we-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Interrupted Xava, putting up as much of a struggle as her frail body could, ¡°If I die then no one gets to live! Your daughter still has over a year, she has time to wait, I do not. Besides, once I save myself, it will be a lot easier to save her. I will be able to perform the operation personally.¡±


    ¡°What guarantee do I have that you will follow through?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am desperate. So there is that. I suppose you need some collateral? Should I expire before I can fulfill my end of the bargain then you are free to use my materials, though I highly doubt anybody would be able to actually use them, other than myself of course. So don¡¯t get any funny ideas about killing me. Besides, this will be a very lucrative partnership.¡±


    He scratched his chin, ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°As I mentioned in the emails, we are talking Cybernetics here. It will revolutionize the healthcare industry. Now I know, I know you people are not in the business of ¡°curing¡± but rather ¡°Treating¡± But hear me out. There will be maintenance costs for the users, which will create more revenue in addition to newer models.¡±


    ¡°You have my undivided attention.¡±


    ¡°Cybernetics will be the future. It is a cash cow, the golden egg laying goose. But if I die, the goose dies. Fifty-fifty, split right down the middle. Though in truth the money is not what I am after, but I have expenses. And Mr. Viktor, head of Chronic Tonic, you could be be at the forefront of it all. Ahead of the competition, have the corner of the market. No longer will your company just be a pill popper¡¯s haven and looked down upon in the industry as the drug addict distillery.¡±


    His face tightened, ¡°You hear a lot.¡±


    ¡°It would be foolish not to research my future partners in depth. I don¡¯t give a damn about your shady business, in fact, that would be why I chose you.¡±


    He took a seat, ¡°Oh? And why would that be.¡±


    ¡°I am going to need live human subjects to experiment on, also animals. People would normally frown upon such things. Everything has to be perfect. I will only get one chance to save myself, so I will need as much practice and experience as I can get before the final plunge.¡±


    ¡°That is a bit unethical even for me.¡±


    Xava leaned over, her face ghastly pale and sunken to the point it looked like a corpse, ¡°Everything is unethical before it is acknowledged. If boundaries are not pushed we will stagnate and die. Is your daughter worth less to you than some drug addicts? Besides, it is not like they will outright die from the experiments, only if things go poorly will there even be adverse affects. If anything they should be considered lucky to be given this prototype procedure.¡±


    ¡°Still, the legal ramifications.¡±


    Xava pat her chest, ¡°If we get caught, throw me under the bus. Blame it all on me. As far as you knew I was experimenting on cats and dogs. Either I die before any of this even really matters or we save myself and your daughter.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I will get it all arranged. You start tomorrow.¡±


    ~~~


    Weeks flew by in a blur of frantic research and unprecedented breakthroughs. Robotics had been explored, experimentally, and as a result, there was some base material to go off of. Xava used this to create a rudimentary exosuit to support her withered corpse of a body. It was connected to her mind and allowed her to move it as though it were her own body. It was the first of many prototype bodies. After obtaining this exosuit she was able to make striding advances where before she had to explain everything to others rather than do it herself.


    Now she could begin the real work, fusing man and machine. She started with animals, though. Cats and dogs, they perished time and again. The mechanical organs failing them. Limbs and external upgrades were perfectly fine, it was the organs, the important parts that were the problem. They were complex organic machines that had to function properly or the others would fail in unison. She had to find a way or else when the time came for her own operation she would die.


    Prototypes came and went. Animals died in droves until her fanatical research found it. She had broken the code at last, but it had wasted an entire month.


    ¡°Xava¡­ what are you doing today?¡± asked the girl who had been following her around lately.


    ¡°Finishing the testing on the animal hearts.¡± Said Xava hurriedly carrying a mechanical heart that beat in her hands.


    ¡°Oh?¡± asked the girl, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Does what hurt?¡±


    ¡°You, do you hurt?¡±


    ¡°Of course I feel pain. In fact, every moment is burning agony.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you so desperate to live if it hurts?¡±


    Xava paused, staring down at the pudgy girl. She was kinda cute, in a fluffy huggable sort of way. She brushed aside her thoughts and said, ¡°Because I am scared of death far more than I am of pain. Honestly, I hardly even feel the pain anymore.¡±


    ¡°But you said it burned.¡±


    ¡°It does burn. The pain lets me know I am still alive. But eventually, you will go numb.¡±


    ¡°Will it hurt when I get my new body?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I am unsure. We haven¡¯t gotten there yet. Although, you will be sedated so it will be painless during the operation and it is doubtful you will even be aware of it.¡±


    ¡°When will it be ready?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    There was only a brief silence between them before Xava continued what she was doing. She stood before the incapacitate dog on the table. It was a larger one, a great Dane. Twitching she sliced open the canine and cut the rib cage so that it hung away from the beating heart. The metal hand reached in, clamping the blood vessels shut before severing the heart, pulling it free and throwing it aside like the inferior organic that it was. Gently the cyber heart was lowered in position. Her bulky fingers worked the veins over the tubes and she spread a sealant like adhesive that bonded the organic and inorganic as one.


    Xava slowly and meticulously made sure that everything was in place, perfect. The heart beat. A steady thump rose and she began to seal the rib cage back together. She stapled the skin back together and washed the blood from her hands. Her eyes darted over to the monitors and the readings were normal.


    Xava sighed, ¡°Uhh, good so then it wasn¡¯t just a fluke last time.¡±


    The girl who had been watching all of this with fascination, despite how gruesome it was, leaned over watching the dog breath in and out, ¡°So the heart works?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Now we can move to the next phase.¡±


    ¡°People?¡± she asked.


    Xava sat down and folded her fingers over one another, ¡°Yes, people. Soon Velda, your illness will be a faint memory.¡±


    The soft and squishy young lady smiled, ¡°Father will be pleased to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, run along and tell him, I am ready.¡±


    Xava watched Velda leave and turned, lost in thought. Lying only gave her a slight pause. It was more of a white lie. The heart wasn¡¯t ready yet, that needed extensive testing, but she didn¡¯t have time. This was taking too long. She didn¡¯t have time to perfect it, things were getting worse. All this activity had accelerated her own demise. It was now, or never. She proceeded to human trials out of desperation.


    ***


    Xava¡¯s thoughts concentrated¡­ she was wasting time here, living in these delusions from her past. Due to the mechanical links to her brain this quasi-mind control was wavering at times. She knew what was happening, these lucid dreams were being projected straight into the host¡¯s mind, trapping them in a coma-like state.


    Xava blinked, seeing the cockpit around her. How much time had she already lost? Now like then, time was a commodity she did not have. Kraken were going to nuke the city if this did not get settled. Vesper was going to die if she did not do what she had come to do. She concentrated hard, pulling herself from the murky depths. But they pressed in again, drowning her consciousness below all her misgivings and fears.


    Fine. She thought, before letting everything go.


    *Disconnecting neural net from emotional drives and memory banks. Suppressing external senses. Automated administration activated. Prime directive, acquisition of Vesper. Direct cortex link severed.*


    Xava¡¯s eyes opened again, clear of the plague that organics suffered from, emotions. There were no delusions and hazy warped memories. The outside of the Robo Scorpio was still inundated by the concentrated psychokinetic matter. The blinking on her arm pinged that she was in range. It was the logical thing to do, one life to save thousands, though they were insignificant organics. Sunshine¡¯s life for Vesper¡¯s. Thinking of it now and finding that she should have pressed this button long ago, it would have prevented a lot of trouble. However, it would have made Vesper sad¡­ error- feelings are¡­ irrelevant.


    She pressed the button. There was only a slight delay before the detonation. A shock wave rippled out from deep in the heart of this made up world and with it a blood-curdling scream. A crescendo of violence unfolded as reality collapsed in on itself like a neutron star.

 Twilight Chapter 13

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 13


    ¡°Good morning sunshine, the sun is bright and the morning is fine~¡± sung out the many flowers swaying around me.


    I looked about at the colorful world. Sweeping meadows and flowers popping up out of the ground as far as could be seen. Fluffy cotton candy trees sprung up and butterflies and birds filled the air. Small furry animals like bunnies and squirrels were frolicking about. An upbeat music played in the background as this cartoonish place bristled with life. Everything from the trees and clouds down to the animals and flowered bobbed, gently to the sound. Everything was just so happy here.


    ¡­ I feel like I know this place.


    ¡°Nyahn, nyahn? Why did you stop?¡± asked the cat face, peering at me from the side.


    I took in the sight of the sensually curved girl with cat paws, tail, and an oversized head like a mascot. Ah, it was Neko-chan. All of her was smooth, wet, glossy and pink, save the eyes. She was just as animated as everything else in this fake world. Her paws gripped at my hand and the impossibly wide grin stretched off the sides of her face. Our eyes met. I felt faint, thoughts murky as the colorful swirls went round and round. Neko-chan started singing.


    ¡°Lala nya nyan nya.


    I believe in a thing called love.


    It just rains down from up above.


    So take my hand and let¡¯s make merry.


    Don¡¯t you be so weary.


    Nothing in here is scary.


    Just close your eyes and say goodbye


    Nee-san I won¡¯t let you cry.


    Cause Neko-chan is here right by your side.


    That is right, I will be your guide.


    So take my hand and you will see


    A colorful land of imagination


    Filled to the brim with elation.


    Nee-san this was meant to be.


    Open up your heart and let me in


    Close your eyes and let the fun begin.


    Don¡¯t you worry about a thing


    Together with me, just sing.¡±


    I struggled, but her hands held my face, forcing me to look in her eyes. The longer I looked the louder the voice got. I could see them, there were cats, even in her eyes! I, I couldn¡¯t look away. My eyes followed the swirling kittens getting droopier and droopier as the voice got so powerful, silencing everything.


    Nyan, nyan, na, na nya.


    I realized my own hand was a colorful pink paw. My head swayed to the strange beat of meowing noises, overhead kittens rained from clouds and trailed rainbows. There was even a fat one that looked kinda like a poptart that had replaced the sun and trailed colors across the sky. Hand and hand, we started skipping again, whistling as our bobbled heads tilted to the side in time with one another. Everything felt so warm and calm. Around us, the flowers swayed and clapped humming along.


    We merrily went along the road that went over hill, after hill. The scenery didn¡¯t change at all. It repeated over and over, filled with lots of fluffy kitties and flowers and butterflies. It went on forever¡­ until it didn¡¯t. Before I had even realized it, we reached a strange place. I don¡¯t know when it had happened, but the surroundings had darkened and none of the happy things had followed.


    I slowed my pace, watching the glowing pink figure prance several steps ahead of me. Neko-chan turned, except there was something wrong with her. Black ichor leaked from her jagged smile and it streamed from her red eyes like tears. I pulled away, but her paws turned to claws and grasped. She pulled me closer as the sharp teeth started to sing in a distorted voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you run


    I¡¯ve already won.


    You can¡¯t escape


    Just give up now and accept your fate.


    I love you so


    Even if you¡¯re a little slow.


    So just let me in


    I will wear your skin.


    Hide within.


    I love you so


    Much agony we will sow.


    Oh, how the blood will spurt


    I promise it won¡¯t hurt


    So close your eyes.


    Say your goodbyes.


    Don¡¯t you put up a fuss.


    Cause you¡¯re one of us.


    Together at last.


    It will be a blast.


    Twilight is here.


    So never fear.


    Take my-¡±


    ¡°Shove a dick in it, you slut bag!¡± yelled a voice.


    Something smashed into Twilight, knocking her back and I flopped away disoriented. The darkness was bubbling all around us as the many eyes congealed into Sub. I blinked blankly as the pink goop that had been covering me sloughed off and with it my thoughts became clear.


    ¡°Tch! You! I almost had her.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off, she is mine. Nobody is fucking that brain, but me!¡±


    Twilight had abandoned her Neko-chan disguise and her breasts bounced as she puffed out her chest with pride. It was one of those evil Magical Girl outfits that was skin tight and showed off her body. It was purple and black and cut in around the boobies so that they were barely covering the nipples. Something tells me she has a nice ass too¡­ wait a minute now isn¡¯t the time for that!


    ¡°You think you could possibly beat me?


    I am the one who holds the key!


    Bow down lowly swine


    On your soul, I shall dine.¡±


    Sub looked at me, ¡°This bitch sure does like to rhyme.¡±


    ¡°She does¡­ she is a weirdo. Maybe we could use that against her?¡±


    ¡°But, how?¡±


    Ah I know. Gotta use a paradox! I pointed at her, ¡°I bet you can¡¯t even rhyme a word with orange!¡±


    Twilight looked offended, blustering and fuming angrily at us, ¡°Of course I can! This all a part of my master plan!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear no orange in there you slore. What, are you too dumb to rhyme now?!¡± mocked Sub.


    Twilight ground her teeth while looking at her hands and counting off on them, ¡°Orange¡­ orange eh¡­ st, storange! Ha!¡±


    ¡°That is not a real word!¡± we shouted her down.


    She held her head, pulling her hair ¡°It is too!¡±


    ¡°What does it mean then?!¡±


    ¡°Why should I know? I mean, uh¡­ to, to store oranges ha!¡±


    She was completely distracted, trying to come up a real reason. I winked at Sub and we attacked from both sides. This bitch was getting double teamed. One in the front and one in the back we got her locked up like a Chinese finger trap¡­ Oh god it is contagious! Make it stop, make the rhyming stop!


    Sub came from behind, and I from the front. I didn¡¯t have anywhere else to grab and so I grappled her sizable mounds. Her face twisted with pain for a moment until she started breathing heavily. Crimson fiercely dyed her cheeks as she blushed from our attack. Wait a minute¡­ when did this get so sexual? Hey, hey, what is with those tentacles? Sub, PG 13, ok R, R keep it R, I said R, not AO! Stop lewding the enemy!


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°But I thought Magical Girls were into this sort of thing? You know what they say about Mahou Shoujo and tentacles¡­¡± Sub shrugged with a, not my fault look on her face.


    ¡°That is not the point, it is still Sunshine!¡±


    Twilight glowed, trembling with rage as she tightened her fists. She yelled, knocking us off of her, ¡°I am not Sunshine! Don¡¯t, don¡¯t compare me to that fool, I am far more divine! Enough of you disgusting insects! You will pay for not showing me the proper respects!¡±


    ¡°See!¡± shouted Sub, ¡°If you had just let me put my dick in there we wouldn¡¯t be having this problem!¡±


    ¡°Why you gotta put your dick in everything?! What is it, a skeleton key to all of life¡¯s problems?¡± I waved at her indignantly.


    ¡°If it fits, it ships!¡±


    ¡°This is why we can¡¯t have nice things Sub!¡±


    ¡°Stop ignoring me! You pesky flea!¡± Twilight screamed, throwing a tantrum.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up slut!¡± We yelled at her and went back to squabbling.


    Twilight was wordless for a bit, opening and closing her mouth in disbelief. She gave up and sat in the corner swirling her finger on the ground, crying, while me and Sub kept bickering.


    ¡°It is always the dick with you!¡± I growled at Sub.


    ¡°It is always, oh, be gentle, be gentle. I want it rough and wild! Just shut up and take it like the whore you are! I know you like it!¡± she snarled back, getting in my face.


    I slapped her and she slapped me back. Mmmhmm, hit me harder¡­ I mean, uh, stop that. I am not entirely sure how it happened, but I may or may not have kissed Sub. This escalated into some groping, and Frenching, and some things that children should definitely not be watching.


    Twilight held her face, screaming as she ran in circles, ¡°What is wrong with you people!? You, you are evil!¡±


    Sub wasn¡¯t having it, shooing her away with her hand like some pest. ¡°Hey, I am busy here, get lost you emo reject. Can¡¯t you see I am getting laid here?¡±


    I put a finger up, holding Sub off for a moment¡­ wait a minute. I stared at Twilight. She was blushing fiercely, stammering, and even unable to look at us. It couldn¡¯t be. She was being overly shy about this. I mean, I thought she was supposed to be all depraved and shit? Wait, could it be that me and Sub are just that much more perverted? Well, yes, but no. This is kiddie stuff.


    ¡°What are you acting like a virgin for? I thought you were hardcore? I thought you made all those Space Slores? Why the fuck do you look like such a piece of meat if you aren¡¯t into that?¡± I asked.


    She waved it off, puffing up a little, ¡°S-S-Sunshine is the pervert! That was all her!¡±


    OH? Me and Sub looked at one another and a wolfish grin spread on both our faces. ¡°Oh really now? Don¡¯t worry, Twilight we will be gentle at first.¡±


    ¡°No, no stay back!¡± she fell on her ass crawling away from us.


    ¡°Fufu, you look so tasty Twilight,¡± I licked my lips.


    ¡°We will be sure to gobble you all up.¡±


    ¡°I hope you like tentacles~¡±


    ¡°NOooOOo!¡± She wailed as we closed in on her with wiggling fingers. I was seriously jelly of this bitch¡¯s boobies though. I want big anime titties too!


    Right as we touched her, the world shook. She screamed so hard it felt like our heads might explode. We reeled away as cracks formed everywhere. Twilight shook violently and she started to break apart. A surging, pulling sensation like a whirlpool sucking the world itself in. She suddenly shrunk into nothing creating a hole in which all the black abyss around us flowed. More and more poured into it until there was only white. With a pop, it exploded and everything went black.


    ~~~


    The abyss cleared after a brief moment as though a curtain had been torn away. I stared up at the somewhat clouded sky above, morning rays of sunlight gently illuminating them. My hands dug into the soil as I gasped for breath. All my senses assailing me with too much information. The array of the suit flickered distorting my vision. Vaguely, I could hear a screaming, a wailing of utter agony. I could smell fresh blood, it was close. My eyes moved about. I lay at the center of a crater. I couldn¡¯t understand it at first, seeing the concrete shaved as though cut by the finest of blades. People lay strewn about disoriented and throwing up, crying and sniffling nearby. There were a lot of them, like thousands.


    I shook off the buzzing in my head and looked to who was screaming so loudly, it was Sunshine. She was so close to me, mere feet away¡­ or rather only most of her was there. She cradled her charred side as red poured out of where her arm and a good chunk of her chest should be. I could see the rib cage cracked open on the verge of spilling out her organs.


    ¡°Ne-Nee-san,¡± she wheezed, ¡°It hurts, it hurts! Nee-san, Sun, Sunshine hurts! Make it stop!¡±


    Shakily, I stood and took a step towards her. Her wound was terrible once I got closer to see. I, I had to do something about it. Remember your training¡­ What training?! This wasn¡¯t covered in class! Oh god, oh fuck! There is so much blood. Damn it, damn it! I tore at her ripped skirt and stuffed it into the gaping wound to help stop the bleeding. Hang on, hang on! I just, I just need to find Xava, she will fix this. She will save Sunshine, she is good at putting people back together.


    There was a strange sound that filled the air, a grotesque moaning noise of metal scraping. I turned around to find a giant robo scorpion jarringly stepping towards us. Not sure what the hell that thing was, I got between it and Sunshine. I don¡¯t think it would be good to move her right now. The ground trembled and I looked the other way, my eyes went up the front side of a massive mech that slowly stood up. It looked like one of Chief¡¯s suits. It had huge cannons on the shoulders and a huge tank on the back. That thing was pretty fucking awesome looking. Oh fuck me, don¡¯t tell me I have to fight these two? I am going to get squished like a fucking bug.


    Neither of them seemed to be aggressive. Chief stopped several of that giant¡¯s steps away. The cockpit opened, he stood looking down, ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Sunshine is hurt though!¡±


    I jumped at the sounds of the many legs of the scorpion moving. It took several more unsteady steps before toppling over. After a moment the front section cracked open. The pilot smacked it a few times as it got stuck before finally kicking the hatch off.


    It was Xava in her battle suit. The extra arms moved about on her back as she stepped closer. I frantically waved to her, ¡°Sunshine needs help!¡±


    Her mouth visibly twitched, ¡°Ah, she lived, how¡­ fortunate. The psychokinetic material must have dampened the blast. I underestimated it.¡±


    ¡°What, what blast?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I had to disable her powers and the most effective way is pain. I detonated her cybernetic arm.¡±


    Ah, she got disarmed.


    Dammit Sub, this isn¡¯t the time for jokes!


    Here I was thinking we lewded her too hard.


    We hardly even touched her.


    ¡°Is she going to ok?¡±


    Xava took a moment, staring down at me and glancing at Sunshine, ¡°I suppose she is too stressed out to be a threat at the moment. She is lucky, I was going to kill her if she was a problem.¡±


    ¡°Xava, don¡¯t even joke about that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Who is joking? If she threatened your safety, I will kill her without hesitation.¡±


    ¡°She, she is not ok? Look she is hurt, so can you do something about it?¡±


    ¡°Calm yourself, this is hardly anything to be freaking out about,¡± said Neon Nurse, bending down to look Sunshine over.


    She held her still with the extra arms so that she couldn¡¯t struggle. One of the syringes on her back moved and traced the wound, spreading a foamy material that solidified rather quickly. Sunshine¡¯s ragged breathing slowed as she lay there trembling in pain. Sweat dribbled down her face and I noticed the strange nub like things attached to her temples.


    ¡°You know what these things are?¡± I asked.


    Neon Nurse gave it a glance, ¡°Amplifiers, most likely. I believe that Nightmare was using them to augment Sunshine¡¯s power which is how this happened in the first place. Speaking of which¡­ where the fuck is that bitch? She needs to answer for her crimes.¡±


    She was right, where was that slooty magician wannabe? I stood, looking over the masses of incapacitated people. She had to be here somewhere, right?


    ¡°My sensors are not picking up her signature, nor Captain Metal, nor Panther in the vicinity. They must have found a way to escape. Perhaps the Cyber Swat have found them? Ah, there they are¡­ how did they already get that far? Hopefully, the Cyber Swat on site can hold them long enough-¡± Xava was interrupted by a bright flashing warning sound coming from her visor, she tapped it and looked up with a jerk, ¡°Oh fuck!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I gulped.


    ¡°Chief! We must evacuate this location immediately! Call off all rescue operations! We must reach a minimum safe distance of five kilometers within the next minute!¡± Shouted Xava.


    ¡°That is impossible! What the hell happened? No¡­ Chimera didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Nightmare must have activated the Hammer Protocol. The satellite has already fired!¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is the Hammer Protocol?¡± I asked completely confused.


    ¡°Chimera has military satellites in orbit that can conduct Kinetic Bombardments. They use tungsten rods as projectiles. A single strike can level a city.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck is that shit?! How big are the fucking rods?¡±


    ¡°Last I saw, they were using ten meter long rods that they fired in a tightly packed spread consisting of up to twenty projectiles at a time. Although that is only for penetration of underground bunkers, they have also been known to use larger rods for wider surface impacts.¡±


    ¡°Come on Sunshine come on, we have to go,¡± I said, tugging on her.


    She shook her head and looked directly at Xava, ¡°Sunshine will stop the bad thing. Give Sunshine her happy candy.¡±


    Neon Nurse hesitated for half a second before jabbing a needle into Sunshine. She shook as the painkiller flowed into her and her face visibly slackened. She sighed, ¡°Sunshine feels better now.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, come we need to at least get somewhere safe in case she fails,¡± said Xava, tugging on my arm.


    ¡°Nee-san I love you,¡± smiled Sunshine giving me a one-armed hug, ¡°Sunshine will protect this city, our home. Because that is what heroes do, right?¡±


    I could feel myself tearing up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine has done many bad things. For these terrible things, I must atone. Go, Nee-san, Sunshine might not be able to stop it.¡±


    I gave her a final hug, ¡°You can do it Sunshine, I believe in you.¡±


    I ran, watching her as I went. How weak, I am, so powerless to stop something like this. She stared up into the sky and the weapon could just barely be seen. A flaming pillar of destruction streaking across the sky like a comet. It was still more than thirty seconds until impact. Xava had already started running as had Chief in his suit.


    ¡°What about all the civilians?!¡± I asked, getting alongside her.


    ¡°Leave them! We don¡¯t have time. Shit, I assumed they wouldn¡¯t use that since Nightmare would be at ground zero. I made a grave miscalculation. Vesper, run! Run as hard as you can, with your speed, you can make it out of the blast zone in just barely enough time or at least get out of the worst of it. But you have to go now!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave you!¡±


    ¡°I am too slow, I will never make it!¡±


    ¡°I am not leaving you,¡± I said firmly.


    ¡°You¡­ you idiot Vesper. We don¡¯t have time now. Come on, if we can get deep enough into the sewer we might survive the blast if Sunshine fails!¡±


    There was a section of concrete that was sheered open in the crater. I had noticed it before, but it really did lead into the sewer. Chief had reached it first and was herding the civilians underground for cover. He abandoned the mech so that it would block some of the blast from getting in. I looked back and saw that Sunshine had risen up off of the ground, glowing with wings spread behind her. Twilight-chan was on her left side and the Princess Sunshine was on her right. They tapped their magical staves together and a rainbow, black, and white colored beam shot up, converging into a single powerful surge of energy.


    Things were happening too fast. It was all just a blur of motion and movement. Xava pulled me just as the attack collided with the object. Though I wanted to see it, it was safer to run while we could. We were not the only ones who had escaped into this dark place for refuge. There was a lot of people running and screaming like panicked beasts. Though Chief directed them down a side tunnel, many kept going too frenzied to follow instructions. He had managed to get a large group to listen and they flooded down the corridor. We were faster and caught up in only a matter of seconds.


    ¡°Ten.¡± Xava started counting down until impact.


    We turned a corner down another side tunnel as did the many that had followed Chief this far to get better protection. Xava unfolded her shield, bracing with Chief and I behind her and the civilians were packed in behind us like animals. I unfolded my wings to get better protection for them. It was strange how everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. We, we¡¯re going to survive this, right?


    ¡°I love you Xava.¡±


    ¡°I love you too Vesper. I won¡¯t let you die.¡±


    ¡°Hold, if we can hold the blast we might live,¡± said Chief, spraying foam in an effort to seal off the corridor, even as more people tried to get through.


    ¡°Five.¡±


    Why is it so slow? My thoughts surging and racing through my mind. I am a coward. Sunshine is out there all alone.


    Hey now, she wouldn¡¯t want you to die right?


    ¡®No. I suppose not.¡¯


    I am here for you, so don¡¯t worry.


    ¡®Thanks, Sub.¡¯ I smiled.


    Give me a kiss.


    ¡®I love you Sub.¡¯


    We mingled in my head, coiling around one another. If I am going to die, I am going to die having sex. I let Sub do whatever the hell she wanted, this might be the last time. I felt her press deep inside of me. I gasped, shuddering.


    ¡°One.¡± Vaguely resounded.


    The ground shook. Rumbling, shaking and shuddering from the impact¡­ Sunshine didn¡¯t stop it. Though she had blunted it. Otherwise, we would have been vaporized. My only solace was that it would have been painless for her. Air rushed in front of the blast wave and fire. It shoved at Xava¡¯s shield, the heated air slipped past us and the civilians screamed as they were cooked alive. I didn¡¯t look back, I didn¡¯t want to see that. This was, this was bad. Really bad. Xava¡¯s suit buckled under the pressure, melting. She resolutely held the front even as her arms turned to liquid and then she fell, her body glowing red hot as it mushed into molten metal.


    XAVA! Though I screamed, the voice never came out of my throat.


    Xava had given her life to shield me, but it wasn¡¯t enough. I didn¡¯t see what happened to Chief, I was too busy covering my face. It hurt, it seared, it burned. This was so much worse than when Blaze Runner and even Nuclear Knight melted me. My arms warped first dribbling away as I defended my face. My suit hud shorted out as the force crumpled in the helmet, it dug into my head, cracking and breaking the carapace.


    No¡­ No! I don¡¯t wanna die!


    The kinetic force slammed me back against the wall and then the silence came.

 Monthly Interlewd: June. Vesper X Astrea (Beginning of the End)

    Vesper X Astrea (Beginning of the End)


    My eyes shot open and I found myself staring into the very depths of the abyss. No, those were eyes. Something loomed over me with a face etched in white bone. ME?! No, I am me and I am here, then who the fuck is that?! There is not like a mirror or anything is there? I know that I am in reality land and not some fantasy. Wait, the face is a little weird like it was melted. I don¡¯t have a ring of eyes on my forehead and I don¡¯t have head tentacles. I mean, I got tendrils, but not full-blown limbs like that. Her mouth opened and just like mine, the face lifted up revealing a deadly pair of mandibles. She clicked them together, making a strange sound. I am sorry, I don¡¯t speak bug.


    I tried to crawl away, but her arms slammed down around me. I froze up. She certainly is bigger than me and from the looks of those arms, stronger. My antennae squirmed on top of my head out of fear and then something slapped me across the face. I blinked from the sudden attack and I realized what it was, her feelers. Holy shit, those things are like twice the size of mine. They roved and caressed my face, one twirled around my shivering antennae, while the other slid down my front. Umm, where you going with that thing? Whoa, whoa, hey, I don¡¯t know you like that. You are invading my personal space here!


    ¡°Get off of me!¡± I screeched, kicking at her.


    She was taken aback by the sudden outburst and I got on all sixes, scurrying away like a roach. Just as I had started to gain momentum something grappled onto my leg. I glanced over my shoulder in horror, she had snagged my foot and that powerful arm was dragging me back in.


    ¡°No!¡± I screamed and dug my claws into the cement for traction.


    It didn¡¯t really do much as the claws gouged grooves in the ground and I steadily was reeled in. I squirmed as she grabbed my hips for a better grip. She held me down so that I could not get away. She loomed over me and I shivered in terror. Her hands touched me all over, my eyes swam and I covered my face, crying. It was odd though, she wasn¡¯t really doing anything. I was expecting to be ripped apart and eaten, but it never happened. She flopped me over so that I faced her. I kept covering my eyes and she would pull them back. It was almost like a game of peek a boo. The head tentacles touched me and I reeled away.


    ¡°Scared?¡± said a deep voice from over me.


    I froze, staring up at her, that was definitely her, ¡°You, you talk?¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply, nuzzling against me. The mandibles gently nipped at my carapace, making a scratching sound. If I didn¡¯t know any better she was snuggling me, but that don¡¯t make any sense. What the hell even is this thing? It kinda looks like me, it smells like me¡­ actually, now that I am paying attention, what is this alluring stench? The raw sewage and spoiled meat is kinda ruining it, but something is definitely familiar. Wait, I have smelled this before. This is that stink that was getting Sub riled up a while ago.


    Wait, but if she is a Vespidian then that means I am not the only one. By Helix¡¯s suckers. I am not alone. For shame, judging her before she even did anything to warrant it. I mean she hasn¡¯t hurt me and as far as I can tell she saved me from the spider. I should really give the benefit of the doubt. Didn¡¯t Neon Nurse say that I should be able to communicate through smell? Although that was conjecture, so it is a gamble. What do I want to get across to her? This is a hard choice, well, for now, I need to stop the scent of fear. No telling what she might do if she is exposed to it for too long. She might see me as prey or something. Hmm, I guess happy scent would be the way to go? I don¡¯t want to set her off or anything. Worth a shot.


    I concentrated, suppressing my emotions until the scent of fear vanished. There we go, now then happy thoughts. I pondered over the varied games, stories, and shows that I partake in. Even delving a little into the naughtier side of things like my fervent exercises with Black Thunder. At any rate, it did the trick and I smelled of some sort of citrus fruit. To get my point across, I vented, allowing the musky aroma to plume up in the heated mist. Whelp, I guess the ball is out of my court now. I wonder how first contact is going to go?


    She sat there, eyeing me while her antennae drank in my smells. The face seemed to smile, though I am probably just imagining that. Well, at the least she seems somewhat intelligent. She was thinking, processing I suppose. That is good, it means she isn¡¯t just some instinct driven- Her tongue slapped against my face. Come on, stop that, it tickles. Ugh, her breath is awful, like rotting flesh. What have you been devouring down here? She is tasting me¡­ uh oh. She isn¡¯t going to like eat me, is she? Don¡¯t tell me she is a cannibal or something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat me! I need an adult!¡± I wailed, clawing at her hardened exoskeleton.


    She gave me a strange look, the eyes squinting. Eh, did I just dig my own grave? Contrary to my fears she didn¡¯t appear to be hungry for me, well at the least in that way. After a few minutes of her silent licking and incessant kissing or rather sucking at my face, she vented. Oh dear Helix! By all that is holy and pure, she¡­ she wants to do me. The pheromones gave it away in spades. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad? What am I thinking, there is no way I am going to have sex in this hell hole. Set the mood for fuck sakes! I am not some cheap whore you can clobber over the head and drag back to your lair like some caveman.


    She hovered over me, fanning the musky scent from her exposed abdomen all over me. Stop that! You are cheating. Noooo! I don¡¯t wanna ride the pony! My body was betraying me though, steadily heating up and getting moist in various places. Damn you! I mean I think we are the same species. I could be wrong about that though¡­ wait. I peered at her underside, sure enough, she did have hardened boobies. Draping the ground behind her bulging abdomen were a pair of orange tattered wings. If that wasn¡¯t proof, I don¡¯t know what is.


    She rolled me again so that I was ass in the air. My abdomen curled like a whipped dog¡¯s tail reactively. Her lower hands gripped the back of my head, holding on like handle bars. Oh, so that is what those are for. It was for sex all along, I should have known. My tendrils coiled around her fingers, caressing and touching. So smooth and hard, I shivered in anticipation. Just smelling her was making me lose my mind and the apprehensions I had were quickly fading away. My resistance crumbled below her dominant aroma. Which led to my eager abdomen bobbing back up and even opening the protective plate. Exposing my most sensitive of places.


    Shields are down captain, prepare for boarding party!


    ¡®Sub! I knew this was your doing!¡¯


    It is about half and half, actually. So, just have fun for once, will you? It would probably be best if you don¡¯t resist, she might hurt us, you know? I mean, I know you are into that, but we don¡¯t know how far our new friend will take things.


    ¡®Sub! I will get you for this!¡¯


    For what? You want it just as much as I do. Just let it happen. Indulge your primal side, no one is watching, no one is judging. No one will ever know. Give me this and I will stop nagging you for a while, deal?


    As much as I hated to admit it, Sub was right here. All the cumulated stress and holding back has been really getting to me. ¡®Fine, but we are even after this.¡¯


    ¡°Be gentle!¡± I cried, covering my face.


    My mind raced with depravities and addled fantasies of our coupling. If we were going to be lovers, then I should think of a name¡­ Astrea sounds good. Doubts started to gnaw through my pheromone-fueled mind. I mean it is my first time, with a real life person since I got this body. Well, besides Glitter Kitten and them, but I don¡¯t remember that so as far as I was concerned that was all Sub. I wonder how big her schwanzstucker is, it must be huge? For that matter, will I be putting it in her or will she be putting it in me?


    I really have been holding back, there is only so much I can take. My dribbling abdomen was rather willing and I didn¡¯t particularly want to deny it any longer. I hope she is rough and dominant and thoroughly breeds me! It would be lovely if- I heard the telltale sound that I knew was the protective plate opening. Just hearing that, drinking in the heated scent of arousal that came flooding out was enough to make my mind go blank. I gulped, salivating uncontrollably. My brain feels like it is melting and it is so warm and gooey. So this is what a mating rut feels like. I hardly even registered the thud on the ground¡­ thud?


    It was kinda like when a guy is so hung he unzips his pants and you hear it hit the floor in the movies, except there was nothing funny about this. I peered between my legs to see the pulsating member flopped on the floor. My eyes nearly ripped open. The last vestiges of my sanity slapped my depraved self in the face, jarring me into a clearer state of mind. It pressed against my belly, dry humping me. This gave me a very personal and up-close look at what exactly was about to be taking up residence inside of me. I honestly never thought that I would say this in all my life, but it was too big.


    This wasn¡¯t even an exaggeration. The more that I looked at it, the more I thought that it would split me in half. Big, huge, enormous, gargantuan, titanic! It is going to sink my iceberg! That thing is going to kill me. I mean, I like em big, but not that big! It appears that I have bitten off more than I can chew. Even Sub seems to have realized the mistake. Good to know she isn¡¯t crazy enough to go for it.


    My eyes swam as I tried to figure out a way to appease her without getting my ass broken. I put my hands up in her face and she paused for a moment. She was considering my actions and intentions. Her feelers twitched about rubbing me affectionately. I shifted so that I faced her, yeah, her bug cock was intimidating. And here I thought that I was hung. It pulsed with arousal, heated air rising off of it. I gulped my eyes transfixed by her glorious ovipositor.


    ¡®I could¡­ no, no I really shouldn¡¯t.¡¯


    You better do something or she might not be able to hold back.


    ¡®I, I know that!¡¯


    The tube was long, throbbing, and purple. Segmented folds were present under the bumps and nubs that covered the surface of it. Those folds were how it extended and got erect. Judging by how few there were, it was clear she had a raging hard-on for me. Tentatively, I poked it, ooh squishy. The smell coming off of it made my head spin. There was a soft cheese like substance in all of the folds it was so¡­ hot- er, I mean dirty, dirty, dirty. Well, can I blame her? We are in a sewer after all. Something tells me she can¡¯t exactly bathe down here. Holding back the welling urge to worship this thing like my new god I reached out and got a good grip on the shaft with all four hands. I, I have to clean it.


    Astrea let out a soft huffing sound as she sat down, watching me with interest. Slowly my hands rubbed her, reverently even. I was being particularly sure to be gentle. I mean it is a sensitive spot after all. I wormed my fingers in, scraping out all of the smegma from between a fold. The act was apparently extremely pleasurable for her. She pet me approvingly, licking and kissing my antennae. The pleasant aroma radiating out of her let me know that she was enjoying it. It didn¡¯t take long for her to start chirping and purring as I picked up the pace.


    I stared down at the secretion on my fingers¡­ it smelled musky, manly even. Unconsciously, I rubbed my legs together. I wonder¡­ I licked it, finding the taste to be a little fishy, but it wasn¡¯t bad. At least not to my weird sense of taste. Actually, now that I was savoring it in my mouth¡­ it was surprisingly tasty. I wanted more.


    Her membrane spread as my fingers pried a fold open and my tongue descended into the crevice. I used it to scoop out the hidden treasure. I circled her member, lavishing it with kisses and cleaning it as I went. Though she didn¡¯t speak, I could see the shivers of pleasure coursing up it into her body. Each pass made her wetter and harder in my grasp. I had hardly gotten the final ring of sweat and grim out when she reached her peak.


    Her mouth gaped as her tongue hung loose and she moaned. The ovipositor bulged obscenely and started throbbing harder in my grasp. I felt the surge of spunk inside and braced as it shot out. It arced up, straight into my face. The explosion of her scent filled my antennae and the sweet taste oozed over my taste buds. I shuddered, venting in a daze. Eagerly, I scraped it off of my carapace and fed it into my gaped mouth devouring all of her delicious goop. I held my head in bliss. What a wonderful mate, she is feeding me.


    The thudding in my chest had reached the point that it sounded like thunder to me. Every heartbeat surged blood away from my brain and engorged my slick honey pot. It was enough to make me feel woozy and unbelievably horny. I grasped her member again and continued stroking it for her creamy goodness. Give me more. I am going to milk you dry.


    She liked that. She liked it a lot as she chirped at me and I could feel her tentacles exploring my body. One found my exposed pussy. More soon honed in, rubbing me until my hole was flooded with arousal and gaping from the prodding. They took turns probing the entrance, as though testing to see how receptive I was. When I didn¡¯t resist the first pressed eagerly as it wiggled and I opened for it. It was so slimy and smooth! I shuddered, pausing my ministrations on her. She was not pleased and started humping my hands. Her membrane slid up and down through my fingers with a lewd schlepping.


    I trembled as her long, girthy shaft crawled inside of me. I tightened around it, seizing the slimy beast. It revolted and thrashed against the inner walls, causing me to clench harder in an attempt to keep it from escaping. It retreated, leaving me feeling empty. Such a tease! I spread the hole for her, but she didn¡¯t attack me right away. Instead, she lifted me up by the abdomen, I dangled squirming around helplessly. Her feelers circled my pussy, before eagerly slipping inside.


    Below me the ovipositor grew longer, every pulse sending it stabbing up in my directing. I let out a moan as her tongue plunged into me. She was¡­ smelling and tasting me. It was like a triple team. I happily squirmed, feeling the trio of explores searching out different spots inside of me. They fluffed the ruffles and grounded the sensitive bumps on my walls as they went. It didn¡¯t take long for them to reach my deepest place, my womb, or rather egg sack. All three stabbed in at once, forcing it open and drawing a scream of both pain and pleasure from me.


    ¡°Ow, wait slow down!¡± I struggled a little.


    They filled the space, stroking my depths. Finally, they reached the back wall and rubbed against it, searching for anywhere else to go. I huffed, short of breath over how good it felt. They wormed about. My whole body tightened around the invaders, crushing them and making their every move radiate through me. Her tongue rolled about, tasting and her antennae wiggled, taking in my scent. Close, close I was so close. Just, just a little- she sensed my arousal and her tentacles attacked. Several pressed at the entrance, poking and prodding until I was loose enough for them to enter as well. They were rambunctious and wild, sending me over the edge with convulsions and high pitched chirping and squealing sounds.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I couldn¡¯t see her face, but from how much her bug cock was tenting up and down I get the feeling she was liking what she found. All of her appendages slid out of me and she lowered me to the ground. I panted, dribbling and squirming needily as her stench filled my head. I gulped back down the saliva that threatened to drool freely. That was wonderful. She poked at my hungry hole and I felt something slipping in and out. Trembling, I looked to see what she was using on me now. All the haze lifted immediately when I saw what it was, her ovipositor!


    ¡°Wait!¡± I screamed as she loomed over me. I begged and pleaded, ¡°Please, please stop! Anything, anything but that!¡±


    She wasn¡¯t listening, or rather she didn¡¯t understand me. My mons trembled as her slick flesh rubbed against it. The tip of her ovipositor had a sort of spear on the bottom part of the head that jutted out and was much smaller than the tube itself but got bigger as it got to the base. It pressed at my entrance. My rings tightened, rejecting it. She prodded harder, humping me while her tentacles coiled around me. Her heated breath washed over me as her hand firmly gripped my ass while I wriggled, trying to make it as difficult for her as possible.


    Her smaller hands grasped my abdomen to hold it still and keep it from thrashing about in my feeble attempts to break free. I kicked at her, but her free arm lurched, grappling my leg before it could hit her sensitive membrane. She shoved it down hard and a sharp, twisting pain shot through me. I screeched as it bent wrong and snapped in half. My whole body kicked into fight or flight as I resisted with every ounce of strength. The maimed limb flopped about and I kicked at her with my good leg. The claws scraped against her carapace, sparks brilliantly fading into the darkness just like my hopes of escaping this.


    Not liking my struggling she pushed all of her weight down on me. I gasped as the air was crushed out of my lungs below her as my arms scratched at the floor unable to reach her. She had firmly and commandingly mounted me. Her drooling appendage pressed harder at my pussy. She was bound and determined to fuck me. My twitching hole gave an inch and she shoved, taking a mile. The tip stabbed in like a beachhead shattering my defenses. This wasn¡¯t so bad, it wasn¡¯t that big, but I knew what was going to follow that.


    Her vents opened again, fanning me with her pheromones. Just smelling her made me wet, made me want it. No, no, no! It is too damned big, she is going to kill me with that thing! More of her pushed in. We had reached the point of no return. The last of the tip was fully in, but the bulk of her head now compressed so that it would fit inside of me. Slowly it crept. Inch by inch. The muscles undulating like a worm as it burrowed into my hole. I felt the thick rings of her tube squelching in one after the other.


    ¡°Shtop! You¡¯re breaking me!¡± I cried desperately thrashing.


    She moaned above me, huffing with pleasure. I groaned and squealed below her, pain filling me as my flesh started to split. She was too big, she was too fucking big, damn it! She bulged and my flesh audibly tore. I let out a blood-curdling scream, shaking and convulsing. It burned, it seared with agony. I saw the yellow of my blood pouring out. My body went limp as my consciousness faded.


    ***


    Fuck me, she is really doing a number on us.


    ¡®I know what are we going to do about it?¡¯


    I got a plan, said Sub, kneading the back of my head.


    ¡®What sort of- Sub, what is with that dick?¡¯


    She had grown a huge cock and was rubbing it while eating me with her eyes. She pressed it against the back of my head and I felt it squelch into my mental muff. I shuddered as she held on with both hands and started humping. It pushed in filling my head with pleasure and then pulled out, leaving me feeling blank and empty. I wobbled and fell flat, unable to resist her. It felt good, which was what I needed right now. Sub quickly remounted me, slamming her wonderful dick back into my brains.


    Yes, good bitch. Just let me fuck your brains out and all the pain will go away. Don¡¯t even think about anything, I am going to fuck all your worries away.


    ¡®Yes, yes! Good, it feels so good, Sub.¡¯


    She thrust fast making wet and juicy sounds from her my lewd mind pussy. Thats a good, a good bitch, Oooh I am gonna bust a nut in your brain so hard.


    I trembled as the grinding of her dick pushed out all my thoughts other than the cock that now filled my head. Vaguely, I registered the many tentacles coiling around me and realized that we were floating now. Then several that were feeling around shoved into my abdomen. One found my mouth, while the others placed themselves into my hands and feet. One flopped between my antennae, they coiled around it rubbing back and forth. It obscenely smacked against my face, pulsing before my eyes. One was even fucking my hardened breasts. The slimy smooth flesh started undulated and my limbs stroked them.


    Every hole was filled and every appendage was used to pleasure Sub and in return, it filtered back into me. I writhed mindlessly assaulted by the many squirming opposable dicks. Sub¡¯s hips slapped against my head as she buried her cock deep into my head. My brain felt like it was melting, splitting, spreading around her. Below my holes greedily gorged themselves on her lustful flesh. The delightful feeling of being used radiating.


    Sub¡¯s pace increased. All at once the forest of writhing limbs concentrated in and moved with a single purpose, to fuck me silly. They organized their thrusts to move at the same time in and out. My walls trembled, the folds tightening and all the muscles squirmed in a milking motion of crushing the invaders, before loosening. My hands and feet furiously jerked her lengthy members, they foamed up with precum dribbling lubing them in my grasp. My head bobbed back and forth, getting fucked from both sides. I sucked down on her twitching tentacle when she pulled back her cock out.


    Sub was close, all of her lewd parts throbbed and bulged as they mercilessly fucked me silly. I shuddered as I came. This finally sent her over the edge and she burrowed every inch of cock tipped tentacle into me as she could. My pussy and ass stretched as multiple members plunged in seeking out my warm insides.


    Fuck! You dirty slut, I love you! Screamed Sub as she came.


    The floodgate opened and her outrageous collection of members inflated. My mind went white as her ecstasy flowed. Her cum pumped into me, spurt onto me and washed away any and all thoughts. She kept thrusting even mid-orgasm. She slammed into my brain injecting her load as the gooey love bubbled out and made the lewdest of sounds around her cocks as they plunged in and out.


    I shuddered violently, cumming again as she coiled around me pushing as much of herself into me as she could. Her body throbbed inside of me as she panted, heaving before limply flopping onto me, exhausted. Mmmm. That was nice. We floated there, basking in the afterglow of release.


    ¡®Love you Sub.¡¯


    ***


    A dull numbness filled my abdomen. It felt like it was asleep or something. My body rocked forward and backward. I didn¡¯t understand why. I felt so weak and light-headed, but there was a decadent sound of flesh slapping together. Confusion filled me as I moved and yet it wasn¡¯t me moving. There was a pressure in my abdomen that ebbed and flowed with the motion.


    My eyes listlessly moved about unfocused. I felt sick to my stomach and my guts churned, yet nothing came up when I tried to retch. I blinked several times, seeing the ground rising and then falling. There was a rhythm to it and it matched the movement that was causing me discomfort. My body flopped onto the ground and then rose back up as something held me. My head hitting on the moist concrete jumped started my brain, and I realized what was going on.


    I looked back to find the blissful face of my larger counterpart. My eyes scanned down to where her abdomen met my own. I watched as her flesh pumped in and out of me. We were connected now. She filled me. Every time she shoved in my innards shifted out of the way to accommodate her mass. Meekly I scrabbled, trying to separate us, but my insides tugged back. Her ovipositor was stuck inside of me.


    If I didn¡¯t have regeneration, then I would be dead right now. Raped to death¡­ I glowered. Be gentler will you! I don¡¯t wanna die and, and what are you going to do if I kick the bucket, fuck my corpse? Something tells me she might. I mean animals do that shit all the time.


    ¡°Ow, fuck! Think of my pleasure here, you bitch!¡±


    She purred as her hands roughly pet me. I get the feeling that she was trying to calm me down. I whimpered, crying as I held my face. The pain had mostly subsided, it was still extremely uncomfortable to be so full. I didn¡¯t want this though. She slowed for a moment at my mewling noises and twisted me so that I faced her. Her hands held my own, locking her claws around my own. Astrea lay on her back, lifting me up so that I gazed down at her. Suspended above her, she held me tight so that there was no escape.


    She looked so happy, smiling up at me. Yet, I could feel her thrusting incessantly into me. The lewd sounds of our coupling filled the room with wet slaps. Her abdomen held firmly to my own as her tube extended and retracted inside of my own. Her face tightened and her breathing became short as she bucked, several times harder than the rest and then shoved as much of herself into me as she could. A burning sensation filled my egg sac and I realized that she had just cum. Her body pulsed as the thick syrup pushed in with every muscle feeding it into me.


    She lowered me, though she still held my hands and feet with her own, so that I lay upon her quaking chest. It rose and fell while she huffed for air. I panted as well. Now that the movements had stopped I could feel her heart beats, pulsing inside of me through her thick member. It twitched and I tightened around it. The senses were returning to my beaten hole, which means I must have regenerated all of the tears or at minimum gotten over the trauma.


    I became very aware that my vents had been open this entire time. My eyes wandered along my bulging abdomen, the flesh bloated to the point that my armor could not close properly. Heated mist steadily rose as my body tried to keep from overheating. It filled the room with our arousal. I felt so fat back there. My walls shifted around her, getting a feel for what had been done to me. She had molded my insides to her shape. This was no exaggeration, I could feel that my organs were in different places than before. They had been shoved aside to make more room. My tunnel had regenerated around her, stretching it and making it larger than it was, so that it could cope with her enormous size.


    My eyes were listless. I felt blank, empty, well full really, broken. She had pummeled me into submission. What was I supposed to do? I couldn¡¯t beat her. She was stronger than me, tougher than me. I should just accept it already, there is no use in fighting her. Maybe it will hurt less that way. Ah, she is my mate, right? If I give in then she should be gentler.


    I quivered as I produced a subservient and submissive smell. I had acknowledged her as my partner. Her antennae quivered, slapping me in the face as she drank in my smells. There was a brief pause before her own vents opened. My hearts thudded against the carapace as her musk filled my head. It was so strong and dominant. Yes, she, Astrea was a good breeding partner, an excellent mate. My feelers coiled around hers as I panted, letting my drool drip onto her. Her mouth opened and her thick tongue unraveled, it tickled my own, slithering and tasting me.


    I shuddered, massaging her with my coiled muscles. She liked that. It felt good. The pain seemed like a distant thing of the past. It was washed away by the primal ecstasy of being mated. My pussy milked her, gently at first as my abdomen tilted, rocking up and down on her girth. She was too fat to properly thrust as she kept getting caught deeper in. The throbbing member had more or less formed a mating knot so that I could not escape. It worked.


    Her hips shifted in small thrusts as she ground our lewd appendages together. The friction heated my already molten insides and it felt as though I might melt. She huffed loudly and her member gorged with arousal. My entrance stretched around it, at first resisting, but that quickly lapsed into submission for my imminent breeding. She deflated and then inflated. It was a steady pumping motion and after a few minutes of our blissful purring, she managed to slide all the way out, only to impale me as hard as she could on the way back in.


    My mouth gaped into an O as her tentacles latched onto my face, rubbing and shoving into my orifice. They stroked me and pet me while her lower body began to thrust with wild abandon. My tongue lolled haplessly as she stuffed more and more inside both ends. I convulsed as the pleasure reached a peak and for the first time, I knew what it felt like to fuck like animals.


    To just throw everything away and get lost in a haze of debaucheries mingling. This was breeding, this wasn¡¯t sex. Sex was for pleasure, this was to fill me with children. She wasn¡¯t going to stop until I was fat with her brood. I could sense her intentions, I could feel it in every fiber of my being¡­ and I craved it.


    So this is what it felt like to get fucked silly. I wondered how lewd and depraved of a face I was making? Uhuhh, it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°More,¡± I panted, ¡°More! Fuck me more.¡±


    Her thick member pistoned in and out of my depth, mining them for pleasure. Her tentacles coiled, grasping me harder. One tightened around my neck, it pulled, cutting off my air as I struggled. The thudding of her bug cock scraping my womb echoed through my dizzy head. Her tendrils wiggled, prying my mouth wide open and more pushed in. They forced their way into my maw. I couldn¡¯t breathe, it felt like I was going to die. My eyes started to roll and my hands limply fell from her tentacles.


    Everything tightened around me, crushing. My carapace cracked and groaned under the pressure as she jammed her ovipositor into the back of my womb. It felt like it was going to come out of my mouth as she kept shoving more and more flesh into me. She stopped moving, holding me still, locked in place. Something changed, she throbbed inside of my walls. The tube bulged as something pressed at the entrance. The muscles gave way and the deformity traveled up, spreading me deliciously. All the nerve endings felt like they were burning with lust around her swollen flesh. Then another announced its arrival and my body instinctively submitted.


    I knew what these were. Eggs. I trembled as I gasped around the tentacles filling my throat for air. My head was still drifting through the fog. Dulled to most of the sensations. More eggs soon pumped steadily into me. One after the other, each easier to take in than the last. At last, the first had reached the end and pushed free from her and a mind-melting sensation filled my womb. It trembled with glee over my first child being implanted. Soon the siblings arrived.


    I let out a strangled moan as she, as Astrea, my love impregnated me. So, so many eggs. Her contractions kept pushing more and more inside of me. My abdomen bulged, getting so, so agonizingly swollen with brood. My mind felt like it was crumbling around the sensations of pure pleasure. It was warping as the instincts took hold.


    Mindlessly I tightened and loosened around her, milking the last few eggs out. She trembled and her spunk flowed up her mating tube and poured into my stuffed egg sack, soaking our children in her seed. My eyes rolled as I screamed in bliss, convulsing in orgasm around her.


    Finally, she let me go and I flopped lifelessly on the floor. My muscles were numb. She stood up and I was dragged behind her. Our abdomens were still locked together. Wearily she circled the room as my pussy made squelching sounds from her attempts to separate us. She tugged at me, jerking me up and down like a cock sleeve. I trembled from the sensation of being used.


    She reached her wit¡¯s end and brute forced it. I screeched as the bulge inside of me pulled at my entrance. My egglayer came out with her own. I panted in both pain and arousal as she started yanking until she popped free with a loud juicy sound of liquid pouring out. I trembled leaking her cum and several eggs fell out onto the floor. They were surprisingly smaller than I thought, only about fourteen centimeters long and seven centimeters wide. They were cylinder shaped with rounded ends. She lay me in her nest, it was a bunch of bones and matted cement. Astrea watched me for a moment longer and then left.


    Thoughts of running away were quickly squished over how tried and fat I was feeling. I lay there, stroking the gurgling mass that was my abdomen. Ugh, I really got knocked up. I, I am not ready for this. My maternal instincts were kicking in though, I wanted to protect them. They were mine, they were my babies and I won¡¯t let anyone hurt them. I sighed, dozing off, I would have to make our home nicer when I woke up. It is bad enough I gotta live in a sewer. Maybe I could convince her to move somewhere else, Neon Nurse would take us in right? If that failed there was always Dr. Arbor.


    ~~~


    I awoke as something wet rubbed against my face. My eyes peeked open to find Astrea licking me with that sizable tongue. She chirped and meat fell down in front of me. Vaguely, I poked at it, my stomach turning over itself in hunger. Where did she get this? What kind of meat, even is it? I smelled at it. Hmmm, it smelled somewhat familiar. But where, what was it? I picked it up looking it over. It was still raw and bloody. Not like I was expecting it to be cooked or anything. It seemed like pork. I took a bite, chewing, actually this was pretty tasty. Where did she find a pig though? Are there mutated swine down here? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised.


    I squinted at her, trying to discern her motives. She smiled back, purring and rubbing all over me affectionately. I guess she is feeding me. So, in other words, she is the bread winner in the relationship. Then what is my job? I guess I am the stay at home mom then. I guess I am just here to get bred like a slut¡­ not the worst thing, at least it felt good. After a moment she started to eat as well and we sat there munching at the meat. Seriously though, this was the juiciest pork I had ever had. It was delicious.


    Her ulterior motives became apparent when she popped a stiffy again. She didn¡¯t wait for my protest, before lifting my swollen abdomen into position and sliding in.


    I growled at her, ¡°Knock it off, I am pregnant!¡±


    She shoved down and I screeched, clawing at her as her massive member enslaved me all over again. This time she didn¡¯t rip me open. My insides had been marked by her, molded by her. Grumbling, I squirmed as she worked her shaft clear up until it broke into the womb. I huffed with pleasure and annoyance. Her hands held my ass and started working it up and down on her length. I bit my lip, trying not to absolutely love it, but damn it, I did.


    My body heated up as her thrusts jostled the eggs deep inside. I could feel them shifting about, while she used me to pleasure herself. I panted, tongue lolling with desire as she picked up the pace. My pussy spurt and trembled, making uncouth sounds from our mating. My hips rolled with it. It was good, it felt so good.


    I hated myself for enjoying this, but, but it felt so good to get my insides scraped out. Her vents crept open showering me with her domineer scent and all the fight in me instantly fled. I knew my place. Thoughts of resisting died and I nuzzled against her, panting like the bitch in heat I am. She was my mate, my Queen. It was my purpose to serve her. To bear her young. More, give me more my Queen.


    The vulgar sounds of our flesh meeting filled the air as I writhed in her grasp from the bliss of getting reamed. Her thrusts came faster and harder, slamming into my womb as I cried in release.


    ¡°The babies! You are going to crush the babies!¡± I squealed.


    She growled at me and I tightened around her shaft. She reached a fevered pitch, using my hole with reckless abandon before she seized up and flooded my insides with her strong seed. I drooped. So, so this how it feels to be a sex toy. I trembled as the familiar sensation of eggs flowed up her tube. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter, she will just put more in me. Ah, there really is no escape is there?


    I purred as my already fat sack bloated to the point I thought it would burst. She inflated, her tubed puffed up so that it could not be pulled out. As before, she let me rest for a minute or two before she stood and dragged me behind. Our genitals were so swollen we might as well be one creature. She scuttled along and I bounced several times off of the ground before latching onto the underbelly of her abdomen. It rose into the air and I with it.


    My humanity died this day and I wholeheartedly indulged in this debaucherous life of animalistic breeding. This was the beginning of the Vespidian race.


    She carried me where ever she went, whether it be hunting for food or simply patrolling her territory. I adapted very quickly to my new life as Astrea¡¯s mate and egg bearer or as it seemed most of the time her cock sleeve. It was a rather simple life. We mated almost continuously. The only time she would pull out is so that I could give birth to our children. I found them to be adorable, even if they were pasty, squishy grubs that squealed when they were hungry.


    At first, I was reluctant to eat the raw flesh that she obtained from various creatures, however that didn¡¯t last long. Astrea was worried over my lack of appetite, though she was brutish and crude I knew that she cared deeply for me. I am not sure if she understands the concept of love. She forced me to eat by stuffing food into my mouth. She wanted me nice and fat so that I could feed our babies.


    I finally learned what that mystery hole was for. It produced a syrupy like substance for feeding our children. Surprisingly, it was delicious, tasted like orange honey, and half the time I had to fight Astrea off or else she would suckle me dry and leave none for the kids. That usually ended with me getting fucked I passed out.


    Dr. Arbor found us at some point and took us in so that we didn¡¯t have to live in that sewer anymore. Nothing really changed after that. We still fucked like animals, continuously breeding. Thus we lived decadently and happily ever after¡­ well until our army of children and I myself had reached maturity years later and we overpowered Dr. Arbor, turning her into our own personal seedbed. With her out of the way and giving us more children there was nothing to stop us. We emerged from the secret breeding facility to enslave the human race for both food and new seedbeds¡­ But that is a story for another time.

 Tentacle Forest Interlewd #1 The Cockpit

    Tentacle Forest Interlewd #1 The Cockpit


    I stood in front of the door that I had come to a few times. It was Chief¡¯s workshop. The button to the side had that camera lens glowing as usual. It reminded me of a certain odyssey in space, but it had never spoken to me and it certainly had never said, ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that Vesper.¡± I waved at it and poked it a few times before the door opened. The first time I had been in here I eh had made a nuisance of myself. But Chief was a nice guy so he forgave me after a bit of groveling and promises of mouth hugs¡­ not that he asked for those.


    The inside was filled with Mecha suits in various sizes and types. There were the shiny white medical team ones with extra arms on the backs. The swat team suits were navy blue and had riot shields attached to one of the arms, it could be on either arm depending on the wearer. The fire suits were a dulled construction yellow with flashy stripes on the arms, they had large backpacks built in and hoses going to the hands so that they could spray the liquid from the tank on their backs. All of them had two variants, male and female. The female ones were curvier and thinner, whereas the males were stockier and taller.


    The suits were hung from a conveyor and moved every hour or so, as a new suit was fabricated. They were built in parts in an assembly line, much like a car. Of course, these were the standard suits with no real bells or whistles added on. Still, they were very impressive. Just wearing one of these things would give a normie the powers of a rank 2 Super. If a Super wore them though it augmented their powers, giving them at minimum a rank up, unless they were naturally just way stronger than the suit.


    Ah, I got distracted. The suits were being produced, so Chief had to be in here somewhere. None of this stuff is on without supervision after all. I looked over the clean and tidy workspace. There was a distant fizzing sound and I followed it past all the moving machinery and suits getting churned out. Near the back of the room, I found another door. The sparking sound was coming from behind it. It was another of those HAL intercom things. I poked at it, but it didn¡¯t open.


    ¡°Chief? You in there?¡± I asked, leaning down so that I was at eye level with the camera.


    ¡°Vesper? What are you doing here?¡± came back through the little speaker.


    ¡°We were going to hang out remember? You were going to look into my suit getting all weird.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Oh, right, that was today. Come on in, I will give it a look.¡±


    The door opened up and I peered in. This appeared to be a more secluded workspace. A large mass filled the center of the room and I stopped in my tracks. Oh my god! Is that a, a Mech?! This thing was huge. Like as tall as a building. I didn¡¯t even know there was that much room down here. My eyes carried up the machine and the surrounding walls. It reminded me a bit of a missile silo. The room had a shaft going up out of sight.


    The Mech looked much like Chief¡¯s fire suit. The head held the appearance of a firefighter helmet with gas mask. Just the head was about the size of a small car. It sported the yellow base and white stripes that the other suits did. It had tanks on the back and turrets connected to them, currently, the barrels were pointed up. Each arm boasted a medium cannon like nozzle. The metal was thick and robust, this thing was intimidating as hell.


    The chest was currently split open and a molten rain of sparks could be seen showering down. The figure illuminated was obviously only one person, Chief. I waved at him and called out.


    ¡°I am here Chief.¡±


    The sparks stopped and he peered down at me. He was currently wearing his undersuit. It was black and form-fitting. He stepped out from the open cockpit and walked down the scaffolding that surrounded the giant suit of armor. After a moment he got to the floor level and stood before me. My eyes unconsciously went to his bulge and I licked my lips. My antennae twitched, smelling his deliciously manly sweat.


    Fire Chief had those baby blue eyes that I loved to get lost in, but he looked somewhat tired, bags under his eyes likely from overworking. I wonder if I can do something nice for him? His short black Caesar cut hair looked to me like it wanted to be ruffled. He had a bit of stubble on his chin which gave it a rough look and I wanted to rub it and feel it grating against my carapace.


    ¡°So what is wrong with the suit?¡± he asked when I didn¡¯t say anything more.


    I snapped out of it after a moment. ¡°Oh, uh, the systems keep shorting out.¡±


    He had a Hmm look, as he held his chin, eyes roaming up and down my armored form. ¡°Take it off. I will give it a look.¡±


    Normally a guy telling a girl to take off their clothes would lead to some either awkward or lewd stuff, but this was Chief, he was a straight arrow and I was getting close to giving up on the prospect of banging him. I had feelings for him of course, but I don¡¯t think they are love. It is more of ah, deep appreciation and a lot of bottled up lust. I knew damned well he didn¡¯t see me that way, but I still clung to some hope. Likely foolish though. Either I was going to go cold turkey or something was something was going to give.


    I hesitated for only a moment and the seals came undone. My suit hissed as it opened up and I pulled myself free as though I had just molted the suit like an outer shell. His face visibly got a little red as my citrus like stench filled the air in a billowing mist. It really gets bottled up in there if I don¡¯t vent it out. He snapped out of it quickly though, fighting off my pheromones with a heavy sigh. Tch, I was hoping that would get him in the mood.


    He gave me a glance when he heard my tongue click in my mouth. After a moment he directed his attention to the suit. Damn, I really can¡¯t compete with Mecha shit, can I? Is that the only thing he is concerned about? I wonder if I could talk Neon Nurse into hitting on him, I mean she is mostly machine so surely he is into that. Still, it was vexing. Look at me like that.


    I loomed over him, watching as he plugged a device into the suit. He rubbed his chin again and started tapping away at the touchscreen¡­ and tapping away¡­ and away- Guah I can¡¯t take it anymore! I don¡¯t know exactly how long we had been here, but it felt like hours and here he was smelling all sexy and stuff. I bet his pecs were positively glistening with musky sweat and I wanted to lick it off of him.


    I tried to divert my building lust and asked, ¡°Hey, Chief, when did you get that giant robot?¡±


    He looked up, wiping sweat off of his forehead and I nearly lost it. My tongue rolled in my mouth and I had to swallow my saliva. He, he is seducing me! Calm down, calm down Vesper!


    Nah bitch, fuck him. We all alone here. Nobody will know.


    ¡®Sub! You are not helping here.¡¯


    Ride that dick girl. You are stronger than him. He isn¡¯t even wearing his suit, you could have your way with him, overpower him.


    ¡®I¡­ I¡­ damn it, Sub!¡¯


    I closed my eyes, trying to push away her suggestions. However, there was a problem with that, those were the thoughts I myself was having. I mean, I wanted Chief. I would do anything for him. I wanted to fuck him bad. I didn¡¯t even care what hole he shoved it in or if he wanted me to jerk it and cum on my face. It didn¡¯t matter, I would do it. He was denying us this pleasure by continually rejecting me. The only thing holding me back was my quickly crumbling self-restraint. It is pretty hard to fight nature when you got more hormones in your veins than a bull rhino.


    ¡°Oh yeah, been working on it for a while now. Got most of the chassis finished. Working on the cockpit right now,¡± he said, looking up at the opened section, ¡°Did you wanna take a closer look?¡±


    I nodded adamantly. I had to do something to keep myself occupied. Or else I get the feeling I am going to jump his boner. As we walked I vented, pluming a trail of misty vapors behind. It was the only thing I could do to keep from getting too hot and bothered here. It wasn¡¯t working fully as I felt my eggslit puffing up and drooling with arousal. Just smelling him was turning me on.


    We made our way up and I stopped at the gaping hole in the chest of the machine. It was a sizable space, but it was still cramped for two people. Chief sat down in the sturdy control chair, his arms resting on the sides, his legs spread wide and my eyes stared at his mouth watering groin. My tongue traced the insides of my lips and I gulped in a failing attempt to control myself.


    It would be so easy. Look at it, he is taunting us with it.


    I averted my eyes, looking over the wiring and hoses. It was still bare bones in here. The panels were not even covering all this stuff that should be out of sight. I stepped inside and my antennae writhed assaulted by his manly musk. It was confined in here, concentrated. I vented again filling the chamber with my scent. My legs went weak and I flopped onto him, which made it even worse. Our faces were inches apart.


    ¡°Vesper-¡± he started, trying to get up¡­ I didn¡¯t let him.


    My lust boiled over and I shoved him back down before he could get fully up. Bottom righty lunged, tearing his suit and exposing his man meat. Free from the confines it twitched and pulsed. Ah, I knew it. He was getting turned on by me. My upper arms kept him still by pressing against his shoulders so that he couldn¡¯t move. The bottom two coiled around his shaft. Righty went for the balls, cradling and rolling them while the other teased the head flicking the pointer finger back and forth.


    ¡°Vesper! Stop this right now!¡± His voice rose at me.


    ¡°No. This is your fault. If you didn¡¯t smell so damned sexy then I wouldn¡¯t be like this! So you just sit there and let me have my way! Take responsibility! It will feel good, I promise. How about a nice mouth hug?¡± I said already drooling on his cock as my tongue emerged.


    ¡°Wait, I am married!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. This is mine now,¡± I growled back, firmly grasping his shaft. ¡°If that wife of yours wants it, she is going to have to fight me for it. Hell, I might hold her down and fuck her too.¡±


    ¡°Vesper! Stop, what is wrong with you?!¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer. Instead, I went down on him. With a loud slurp, his glands passed my lips and I went deeper, pulling him in, trapping him inside. His cock was so warm and hard. He struggled, legs quaking, but I held him by the balls, literally. With a gentle or rather threatening squeeze he realized his position and exactly how serious I was. Now that he knew his place he didn¡¯t fight me and I was free to please us.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    My upper hands canvassed his chest, feeling up the muscles and roaming all over. My tongue swirled around his dick, tasting and drinking in his flavor. It was salty and musky. Manly, it was manly. After a long moment the tip pressed against the back of my throat and I took it deeper. He was mine now. My head worked side to side massaging the engorged flesh. My throat tightened and loosened as I took every last inch in. If I had to guess, it was seven to eight inches. My hand let go as it had nowhere to grasp and it descended to help worship his swollen balls.


    I moved up and down. My mouth devouring him. All the while my eyes were locked upon his face as it contorted as he fought the pleasure. He denied it, but I could see it, I could smell his arousal and lust building for me. His body was a lot more honest than he was. If he really didn¡¯t like this or want this¡­ then he wouldn¡¯t be so hard right now.


    Confidence swelled in my chest like an inferno. The juicy sounds spilling out of my mouth as his cock slipped in and out filled the stagnant air. Chief gasped as I took it deep into my throat and held it. My tongue coiled around the sack and played with his spheres. The throat muscles twisted and I watched in glee as his hardened face broke with desire. His unrestrained hands grappled my head, trying to pull me off. I let him slide me up only to overpower him and slurp back down.


    He groaned and tried again, desperate to free himself. I let him get his hopes up as my lips came clear to his tip. He looked so pleased for a moment, so close to being free, only to crush his hopes when I coiled my arms around his ass and impaled myself on his meat spear. His mouth gaped in surprise and I didn¡¯t let up, bobbing my head like a mad woman. Like this, he might as well be fucking my face himself.


    Spit slobbered out as I quickly went up and down. His hands froze, unable to move as he tensed up. His legs jerked and he got bigger in my mouth. I sucked harder, my lips puckering lewdly and squelching as I inhaled, tongue wiggling all over. He grit his teeth, trying to fight back the orgasm, it didn¡¯t help. My mouth stroked and pulled it out of him. His cum painted the back of my throat as he jerked and twitched. My cheeks filled with his delicious goo and I gulped, devouring it all. It took several mouthfuls to get it all down.


    ¡°Had enough?¡± He panted.


    I swished the last of his seed on my tongue before swallowing it down, ¡°No. We are just getting started.¡±


    ¡°Let me go. You got what you wanted.¡±


    I licked my lips, straddling his hips and locking my legs around the back of the chair, ¡°What part of, you are mine, don¡¯t you understand?¡±


    I reached back, fondling his junk delicately, lovingly, stroking it back to full mast. My abdomen vented washing him in my pheromones. My mating musk filled the confined space. It was just us in here with no one to interrupt. His erection twitched with desire and I smirked. I aligned it, curling it so that his dick pressed against my sloppy hole. It strained, teasing him as it rolled back and forth with my hips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t- Don¡¯t do this Vesper. You can still stop this-¡±


    My pussy swallowed the tip, feeling his lustful muscle surging with desire. The glans throbbing inside of me. I held his face and kissed him. Our lips fought for a bit as he feebly resisted. My tongue attacked, assaulting his mouth and soon breached his defenses. I squirmed about inside of his wet maw and I pushed down, my sweltering hole worming down his shaft until he was fully inside.


    I forcefully held him as he tried one last ditch effort to resist. He thrust his hips, putting me off balance as he shoved with all his might. His cock plunged into me and I hugged him in a death grip. He wasn¡¯t getting out. I wouldn¡¯t let him escape. I pulled up and then the abdomen smacked back down with a gooey sound. It started to rhythmically slide up and down, taking his whole length and girth, crushing it inside of my molten muff. I squirmed in delight, his shaft scraping my inner walls and rubbing the sensitive membranes.


    I kept his cries muffled with my mouth. Nipping at him so that he couldn¡¯t make much more of a sound, than gasps and groans. My tongue rolled in his mouth, tickling his own, pressing it down and overpowering. I was dominating him and I loved it. I quivered in elation, such a feeling of triumph as I claimed him for my own. My pussy slapped quicker and harder as it flared around his shaft, heating up with unadulterated bliss.


    Finally! Fuck that dick, you dirty girl! Ride it like there is no tomorrow!


    I did it. I was finally having sex! I kissed him harder, ignoring the whimpering sounds and concentrating on the delightful pounding of our sexes meeting. I quivered and panted as I went harder. I rode him faster, shaking my hips in a rolling motion, humping at his chest. He was mine, he was mine! I could feel his heart hammering away as his my cunt crammed itself with his dick, over and over again.


    He shook, biting my tongue, but it inflated, filling his mouth. He trembled like a small animal, eyes swimming in fear mixed with need and desire. I wet myself, flooding with arousal, wallowing in his stench. He smelled like prey. His whole body tensed and I slammed down. My gluttonous gash tightening like a vice. Chief let out a strangled scream and came.


    We froze for a moment as his orgasm surged up and flowed into me. I threw my head back in bliss, howling like a beast. I convulsed around his cock, the muscles milking it desperately. Our chests heaved as his cum spurt into me with every breath. His dick twitched, held firm inside of my hot hole. He gasped for air as we sat still for a long moment.


    My abdomen pulled off of his cock. It drooled his sloppy release as it opened and closed in orgasmic glee. I panted, letting my mist flow freely. I reached back down, grasping his dick firmly, commandingly, stroking it as a little more semen bubbled out. Slowly my hand slid up and down the glistening shaft. He moaned and it shivered, gradually inflating again.


    I rubbed my face against his letting my sordid breath huff onto him. I squirmed feeling the roughness on my carapace. He was too lost in the afterglow to resist and my abdomen moved once more. My ass poked at the treat and it worked back and forth until the tight ring gave in. I moaned as the head slipped in. The rest quickly followed suit and his heat spread through my anus.


    He didn¡¯t know what was going on anymore, lost in my lust filled haze. His hands grabbed my malleable booty and I wiggled. The meaty appendage started, thrusting, filling the air with the slaps of our lewd bodies meeting. I pulled at his suit, ripping it so that his chest was free. My tongue flopped out and I nuzzled against his muscles, licking the hard flesh. So salty and manly, it was almost fishy in flavor and scent. I nibbled at his nipple, swirling my tongue around it in tantalizing circles.


    He had goosebumps and moaned as I sped up. My ass slammed up and down on his cock. Jerking it in that nice and tight hole. Our breathing became erratic and our movements were fervent and desperate. The frantic pistoning of my abdomen made him quake below me and I held my face, an orgasm already building up as my tongue hung out, flopping around with every thrust.


    Sloppy sounds radiated out as we mated like animals. The continuous schlick, schlick, schlick of his cock scraping and grating inside filled my head. He tensed again, legs locking and I knew he was about to blow again. I sped up. My hips lewdly swinging and throwing my weight to fuck him faster. I held his face as he reached his limit and lustfully smooched him again. He came, but I didn¡¯t stop. My abdomen pistoned even as he writhed, cumming inside of me.


    I went harder and faster, moaning as he groaned and screamed as my ass tightened. I was almost there. He resisted wildly, trying to fight me off, trying to stop the maddening pleasure as I kept fucking him. My limbs tightened around him, latching on so that he couldn¡¯t move. He cried out as I kept working his shaft. The horny hole didn¡¯t stop until he was shaking uncontrollably. I shuddered and slammed down with one final thrust as my own orgasm crested and I leaned back drooling in bliss.


    We breathed deeply and shortly, trying to slow the thunderous heartbeats in our chests. I slumped against him, nestling against his sweet-scented muscles. I nuzzled and squirmed all over his flesh. Tasting it and feeling it. I nipped at his lips and sucked on them for a moment, teasingly. He didn¡¯t resist and merely sat there too exhausted to do anything.


    ¡°You are mine now,¡± I whispered.


    He wobbled a little bit, not replying. I frowned, that wasn¡¯t what I wanted. I wanted him to say it, to mean it. I wanted him to be mine. If, if that wasn¡¯t good enough then, then I would have to do something more. I eyed him as I stood shaking off the bliss of our coupling. It was replaced by a seething anger, a jealousy. He was mine damn it!


    There was only one thing that I could think of that could claim him even more thoroughly. My abdomen bulged as my ovipositor slid out. I huffed, as it throbbed with need. I stroked the obscene member and got it nice and juicy before climbing back atop him. I pressed it against his slacked mouth, worming it in. His eyes blinked, startled and I shoved my meat into him.


    His hands rose in a flash, grappling at my abdomen in an attempt to fend it off. I had to show him his place. I thrust harder, feeling the back of his throat and my bug cock trembled. It wiggled and wormed as he struggled until I pushed more in and he squirmed. Fear filled his eyes and I shoved harder, working my shaft down his throat. He gagged and shook his head back and forth in an attempt to dislodge me. I wouldn¡¯t let him off though, not until he accepted me as his mate, not until he loved me with all his heart!


    I wanted to cry, he was rejecting me. No, take it, take my love! He sputtered and finally, I got purchase sliding my tube deep into him. His whole body shook in revulsion over my invasion, this is his fault, it is all his fault. If he hadn¡¯t rejected me! He started hitting me¡­ ah, he probably needs some air.


    I pulled out and he gasped for breath, choking hoarsely, ¡°Stop, please stop Vesper! No, no more.¡± he wheezed.


    ¡°Say you love me! Say it and mean it!¡± I growled, nearly hissing at him.


    ¡°I¡­ I-¡± he floundered.


    I was fuming at this point. I held him down. Fine, fine, I would just have to make him love me! I would have to claim him, tame him, and, and show him who his true love is. I would do anything for him, anything, no matter how perverse it was. Why, why doesn¡¯t he love me?! My claws tore the shredded suit off and I rolled him so that his ass hung over the armrest.


    My tongue licked around the hole before pushing against it as one of my hands wrangled his cock and started stroking it. It took a moment for my flexible member to gain entry and the moment it did it dived in there. I felt around for the prostate, pushing against his inner wall so that his dick bulged in my hand. He moaned when I found and it and started to rub against it. Pressing, stabbing at it until he trembled. Cum leaking from his raging erection, it dribbled all over my fingers.


    ¡°Vesper stop that is dirty.¡±


    ¡°Shush! I will do what I want.¡±


    I pulled out smearing his seed on my pulsing member to help lube it up. I drooled, rubbing all the spit onto the hardened bug cock. I mounted him from behind. The bulging ovipositor pressing against his tight hole and naturally it didn¡¯t fit. It needed a bit more coaxing.


    I got my fingers wet with a quick jam into my moist mouth. They reached back and worked at him, slipping in and out. At first, only one finger, but steadily another was added and another until I could fit each one in. I ignore his crying and whining. Don¡¯t worry, I will fuck you until you cum. I will make you squirt without even touching your dick, how is that for service?!


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    ¡°Not until you love me!¡±


    My fingers slid out and I got into position. I found my mark and eased the engorge flesh into him. It was tight and warm inside. He squirmed below me and I panted, feeding inch after inch into him. I used my weight to crush any and all resistance and he lay there, compliant. I pushed harder, relishing and delighting over the tight grasp of the fuck hole. After what felt like minutes, I bottom out in him. We stay still for a moment as I enjoy the pulsing insides, squeezing me.


    The tranquility was broken when I started moving. The heat around me drives me to thrust. The carapace shifts back and then shoved forward, inciting a sharp cry from Chief. I fucked him faster. Hammering at that man booty. It was mine, all of him was mine. I closed my eyes, letting the sweet sensation of my tube getting stroked fill me. He kept whimpering down there so I sped up to make him feel better. He got slightly more lively, worming about, but ultimately, he was at my mercy.


    I purred as I bottomed out and then yanked, nearly dislodging myself. It came to a rhythm of humping and grinding. My shrill screeches and clicking bug noises filled the air as I bred him. He was unfortunate, I had no eggs to give. I held my head wanting to cry, I had no love to give him! No way to mark him as my own for all to see.


    He would have to make do with my cum. Yes, yes. He should be happy to receive me like this. This was love, to give and receive! I will give him everything, everything. My abdomen jackhammered at him. It squirmed and thrashed in my desperate attempts to mate with him. Close, close! I am almost there. My pace grew more and more frantic as the sounds of our lewd flesh coupling filled the air. Finally, I reached the peak and screamed with a bestial vigor.


    I packed him full of my bug spunk. Trembling as it surged and flowed. My head felt light as I wobbled atop him. I¡­ I¡­ I love you. I fell flat on his back. Drooling and too tired to pull out as my body kept pulsing and pushing my fluids into him. I chirped at him, purring in satisfaction. He lay below me, so submissive and utterly devoted, I could smell it.


    ¡°Say it,¡± I whispered.


    There was only a brief pause before he managed to whimper out in utter defeat, ¡°I, I love you¡­ Vesper.¡±


    We lay sprawled in the cockpit, juices leaking into places they really shouldn¡¯t be. I smiled blissfully. Just what I wanted to hear¡­ I guess we will have to deal with the little wifey next. Oh well, that comes later. We can enjoy ourselves for a while longer.

 Twilight Chapter 14

    The Vespidian


    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 14


    (Sub¡¯s pov)


    Blackness, an abyss of pain. I¡­ I can¡¯t hear her. I can¡¯t hear Vesper. I reached out, feeling through the corners of our mind for that familiar presence. She was hurt, curled away in a dark corner. So vulnerable, so weak. She was at my mercy, unable to fight back should I choose to eat her. How I have longed for this moment, for us to become one. It would be so simple to devour her, but no, this isn¡¯t how things were meant to be. Don¡¯t you worry, Vesper, I will keep us alive no matter what it takes.


    I could not smell, I could not hear. The dry taste of ash filled my mouth and the dull light of the world flickered before my single working eye. I could hardly feel, the searing of our melted flesh and broken shell. This body was not long for this world. Hungry, so hungry. The tingling of my limbs flared as I tried to move the arms. Finally, the arm that Astrea had gifted us with flopped into view, twisted and broken as it was, it was there, it was moving. The others, there were no others. We didn¡¯t even have legs.


    Silence, so quiet only the pumping of my hearts filled my head. Ash and radioactive dust floated through the air, giving this dark place green glowing specks, like fireflies in the night. There were shapes, all around, blackened and twisted. My claws curled around one, pulling it, ripping it. My tongue pressed against the charred thing and the flavor of burnt meat, perhaps pork, teased the taste buds¡­ I don¡¯t remember there being any pigs down here. It doesn¡¯t matter what it is, I require sustenance. It is dead and I am alive, therefore it is food to be consumed. Delicious. Is it because I am so hungry that it tastes good? The mandibles slowly chewed at the charred flesh. Protein was needed to regrow.


    Piece after piece, mouthful after mouthful was chewed and swallowed and with every bite, the feeling returned to our broken body. Slowly my vision unblurred as the eyes regrew. A ringing filled my head to replace the maddening silence, the stench of burnt flesh and melted metal tingled through the sprouting antennae. More, I needed more.


    My hand dragged yet another of these burnt and distorted meat bags over to me. Snapping and crunching the bones and the sweet marrow within. Savoring every bite as my body cast off the old, scarred tissue and new flesh budded. Still, this would take time, far longer than I felt comfortable being so¡­ vulnerable.


    Now that the body had stabilized to a degree the surroundings came into focus. Everything was still, save my movements and the particulates drifting through the shafts of light that stabbed down from the fissured ceiling. A realization slowly crept into my mind. Ah, they were not pigs at all, they were the people that had been huddled behind us. Vesper is going to throw a hissy fit over this. Though I was right, they do taste good. I wonder how succulent they are when not burnt to a crisp?


    Though things were a bit foggy still there were a few things that stood out, Xava and Chief should have been here. My eyes gaped, taking in all of the room, squinting at times to focus in on particular shapes. Hmmm, they don¡¯t appear to be here. Strange, they were here, Xava had been in front of us and we had been over there. Slowly I dragged myself over to where we had been. A puddle of cooled metal sat on the floor. She must have melted¡­ my tongue clicked with a tch sound, yet another mate ripped from our clutches. We must be stronger next time or choose a stronger mate. Shame, she was willing.


    My eyes sifted through the bodies searching for the other. Chief was not far away, drooped against the wall. The metal of his suit melted and distorted around him. He must have been cooked alive inside of that thing. He had gotten it rather bad from the looks of it. The metal had encased his screaming face, making a mold out of it. I felt¡­ nothing. Not sadness, or grief, perhaps anger. Less that they were emotionally connected to me and more that something had been stolen from me. I guess I never really cared about these creatures. They had been convenient. Humans¡­ so weak, so¡­ useless. For some reason my stomach turned at the thought of eating him, well that is fine, there is plenty of other food here.


    I lay there recuperating our strength, slowly nibbling on the seared meat close to the bones. Tired, we were safe now so a little nap wouldn¡¯t hurt anything. Hopefully, the limbs will grow back¡­ otherwise, we are going to have problems.


    ~~~


    I sat cradling Vesper while she slept. At times it was hard to tell that she still lived with, how still she got, faintly trembling. At other times kicking and clawing in her nightmares. I stroked her face, gently rubbing her. Lulling her terrors away. Reality was cruel enough, she didn¡¯t need these foul thoughts.


    ¡°Good Vesper, yes, sleep. Just sleep. I am here for you. Just rest. That is it just relax,¡± I whispered into her trembling antenna.


    Her fits diminished as I rocked her frail form. She peacefully slept for what felt like days, but I knew full well that time was different in here. It was likely only minutes outside. My hearts hurt as I watched her, the love of my life, the only one that I care for to be so hurt. It was vexing to be so powerless. We needed to be stronger so that no one could ever hurt us again. But, how? This body had already reached its limits. The muscles would not grow anymore and the carapace could get no thicker. We had plateaued, reached our peak. There had to be something that could break this limit, some way to become as strong as Astrea was, no stronger, faster, smarter.


    ***


    (Vesper pov)


    I felt a warmth spreading over me like a blanket. Slowly my eyes peeked open and there, there was Sub. Seeing her, I leaned back, letting out a long sigh, ¡°We survived.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though barely.¡±


    ¡°Barely? How bad is it?¡±


    Sub shrugged, ¡°Well¡­ we are stabilized thanks to me.¡±


    I shifted into consciousness. Fearful to see what had happened. I could see the blackened shapes that were once clearly people, burned and ashen. It was so quiet here, like a tomb. I can¡¯t feel my legs or my arms for that matter. Oh fuck, there is only one usable arm. There was a brief moment of silence before I frantically cried out, ¡°Sub, Sub! What happened. Everyone is, everyone is dead. Xava and Chief, where are they?¡±


    ¡°They are dead, Vesper,¡± Sub replied, not sugar coating it.


    My arm weakly hit the ground, ¡°No! You are lying. Sub, they can¡¯t be dead.¡±


    ¡°They are dead Vesper. Xava died protecting us. Chief is over there, he didn¡¯t make it either.¡±


    It was true, though his suit was blackened and warped I recognized it. There was no mistake. That was Chief. I held my face, tearing up as I stared at the face of frozen agony. Vaguely, I recalled Xava glowing red hot and melting. Lightly, I pawed at the cooled metal. Xava¡­ no. We, we were going to have babies together. Why? Why does everyone I love get stolen from me? First Astrea and now Xava. Who is next Ichigo? Oh are my parents safe? They should be, I mean they were at home on the north side of the city¡­ how big was the blast though? Is there even a city left?


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    ¡°It happened again Sub. People died to protect us again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move around so much, we have to conserve our strength. Otherwise, we will have to eat more.¡± Said Sub.


    ¡°Eat more? Eat what Sub?¡±


    My eyes trailed along the blacked limbs and it was then that I noticed that all the ones within arm¡¯s reach had been taken. My tongue rolled as I realized what this charred taste must be. No, it can¡¯t be.


    ¡°Sub! What have you done!? You ate people?¡±


    ¡°I had to. We were dying. What you think I wanted to eat that burnt flesh that tasted like charcoal?¡±


    ¡°But, but people! Sub this is wrong, so fucking wrong!¡±


    ¡°So what? You would rather us die than eat something that is already dead? It is not like I killed them.¡±


    ¡°That is not the point Sub!¡±


    ¡°We are not people! We are not human! I have had enough of your clinging to those weak little creatures. We are better than them. They are dead and we are alive! Why should we hold ourselves to their standards?¡±


    I held my face, crying, ¡°Sub I don¡¯t want this.¡±


    She growled in my head, ¡°It is not about what you want, it is about accepting reality! They are all dead. Sunshine is dead, Xava is dead, Chief is dead! Now, what are you going to do about it? Cry in this dark hell hole or are you going to pull yourself together and get revenge on the one who did this?¡±


    I lay there blankly, ¡°Revenge?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Sub, I could feel her stroking me, ¡°Chimera did this to us. Nightmare did this to us! If it wasn¡¯t for her we could have been a hero, our friends wouldn¡¯t have died. It is all her fault. She deserves to die for what she did. When we catch her I am going to eat her, limb by limb starting with those precious hands of hers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know about eating her.¡±


    ¡°You have killed before, why are you faltering? So what? Are you just going to let her get away with all the death and destruction she has caused? A real hero would stop her, permanently.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know. Give me some time to think about this.¡±


    Sub yelled at me, ¡°What is there to think about?! She killed them all! She killed Sunshine and Xava and Chief and who knows who else! Don¡¯t you remember, there were thousands out there! She deserves to die.¡±


    I snarled back at her, ¡°I never said she doesn¡¯t deserve to die! I will snap her in half, tear her to pieces, and piss on her grave! Hell, I have half a mind to hold her down and fill her with eggs while she cries for mercy and I pray to whatever horrible god exists that our children eat her from the inside out! It is us eating her part that gives me pause.¡±


    Sub coiled around me, kissing my neck, ¡°Ohh yes, that is more like it. There it is, there is all that rage you have been bottling up. Remember how she tortured us when we first arrived in the Hero League. Remember how she made everyone think we were crazy and all those scientists kept poking and prodding us like an animal. It was all her doing. It wasn¡¯t just us either, she did such terrible things to Sunshine too.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine¡­¡± I trailed off, ¡°What would Sunshine think of this though? I don¡¯t think she would approve.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious? Nightmare drove her so mad that she created an evil alter ego to try and kill her. Just think about it, Nightmare is the root of all the evils of this city.¡±


    ¡°I think that is being too generous to her. You are giving her too much credit, Sub.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but it was Nightmare that warped Sunshine in the first place. If she never existed, then Sunshine never would have been so fucked up.¡±


    ¡°If she never existed, Sunshine never would have existed. She would have been a different person.¡±


    ¡°Semantics, the point is things would have been better.¡±


    I lay there, silent for a moment, ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that. So what should we do Sub?¡±


    She mulled it over, ¡°Well, we need to get stronger. So strong nobody will ever fuck with us again.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to do that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I am not sure, but Dr. Arbor probably has some ideas. If anybody knows, it would be that lunatic.¡±


    ¡°How the hell are we going to get to her? We only got one fucking arm.¡±


    ¡°Just rest Vesper, hopefully, we will regenerate our limbs.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t regrow our limbs! That is Rank 6, we are only Rank 5.¡±


    ¡°I know that. If we have to we will crawl all the way there even if our claws bleed. But for now, we need to rest.¡±


    Sub was right. There was no use in wasting energy we were going to need all that we could get to escape this place. It wasn¡¯t hard to sleep the body was exhausted and our minds weary from this trauma.


    ***


    Our sleep was disturbed by a sound. Footsteps echoed through the dreary tunnels, rapidly approaching. My first impulse was to hide, dragging myself away into the corner, below the rubble and the seared corpses. I was too vulnerable to take a chance that it was a feral sewer mutant or someone who might harm me. The footfalls got louder and a strange metallic humming sound became apparent. I tensed when a light appeared in the corridor. My eyes squinted, blinded by the brilliance. A dark shape hovered, scanning the light over my secluded alcove. It was some sort of drone with a red lensed camera.


    ¡°Nyah, are you sure she is here?¡± Asked a familiar voice.


    My eyes strained and I saw the ginger hair of Glitter Kitten as she looked over the room. She was wearing a tight catsuit and I vaguely remembered that she had shaved off her fur at some point after I left the Slums. I paused for a moment, unsure if I should call out or not. We didn¡¯t exactly leave on good terms with one another last time.


    The drone thing beeped, it talked back, ¡°Vesper should be there, collect her and bring her back before anything else happens to make things more complicated.¡±


    Her large green eyes looked about, the iris slit down the middle. Glitter Kitten sniffed at the air prowling closer. She stopped for a moment, looking over Chief¡¯s body, ¡°Nyah, Fire Chief kicked the bucket. You sure Vesper is alive? I know she is a tough bug, but eh things aren¡¯t looking so good here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though damaged, her biometric monitors are still relaying a signal. It is coming from the corner, she might be unconscious. So be gentle with her, there is no telling the extent of damage.¡±


    They were tracking me? Wait, but only Xava and Dr. Arbor had that sort of access. How come Glitter Kitten knows? As jumbled as I might be, I could still think. By process of elimination that meant that Dr. Arbor was working with either Kraken or the Mad Dogs if not both. Well, the hero League has gone to shit. Without Chief I can¡¯t get a new suit so I can¡¯t really stay with them. Then what option do I have? If revenge is truly my goal, then Kraken is my only choice. Besides, I know too much to trust the Hero League at this point. There is no telling how many of them are actually Chimera operatives.


    Weakly I raised my arm up and coughed, ¡°Gl-Glitter Kitten.¡±


    Her big cat ears rotated in my direction and she quickly approached. She grabbed hold and pulled me free from the rubble and corpses, she chuckled, ¡°Hey little meouwsy, long time no see. You look like shit, Nyaha.¡±


    ¡°I feel like shit. I only got one arm.¡±


    She hoisted me onto her back, ¡°I got her, eh though we might have to start calling her Torso Girl.¡±


    ¡°That bad? Well, just get her back here we can fix that.¡±


    Glitter Kitten smirked, ¡°She has been disarmed if you get my drift.¡±


    If I didn¡¯t hurt all over I might laugh at that. I had Questions though, ¡°Why did you come for me?¡±


    ¡°Well, since I am the fastest around Boss sent me to fetch you. Nya¡­ I did get a bit lost though. City isn¡¯t exactly what it used to be.¡±


    ¡°Boss?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nyeah, Molotov sent me. Though you got some more friends waiting for you too.¡±


    I squinted at her, though she couldn¡¯t see it while rushing through the catacombed sewer, ¡°What friends?¡±


    She stopped for a moment as we left the sewer. I stared out across the expanse of desolation. A crater miles wide in all directions around us formed a bowl shape. Concrete emerged in places where the sewers were exposed. Nothing lived in this place. There weren¡¯t even traces left behind of the countless lives lost. Near the center, the ground raised up in a pillar over a hundred feet tall. A single place that had been spared most of the ravages of the weapon. It was all that remained of Sunshine¡¯s last stand. Distantly skyscrapers leaned, collapsed in on themselves outside the lip of the crater.


    ¡°Hmhm, you got more friends than you seem to think,¡± she laughed before the world shifted into turbo speed.


    I always knew that Glitter Kitten was fast, but it was certainly different getting dragged along as she darted through the city, so fast windows broke in our wake and she was still getting faster. She turned on a hair, cutting corners so hard that the pavement shattered under her paws, leaving a trail of her prints. The wind roared by deafening the sirens in the distance. The world was strangely peaceful as though nothing else existed. Of course, that is probably just all the blood pooling in the back of my head. That would certainly explain all the pretty colors zooming by. I was not at all accustomed to these extreme conditions, blacking out from the G forces.

 Twilight Chapter 15 Interlude: Omega

    Arc 9 Twilight


    Chapter 15


    Interlude: Omega


    Light gleamed in through the large bay windows of the oval office. A man sat at the desk looking over the varied documents piled up. It was clear just by the sheer size of the stacks that this person was very busy. He was immaculate in appearance, not a wrinkle to be seen on his jet black suit. A red, white, and blue tie diligently nestled over his white button-up shirt. He stretched for a moment, leaning heavily in the chair. His blond hair was short on the sides long on the top, done up in a pompadour style.


    There was a hurried knock at the door and a trim cut man pushed it open without waiting for a reply, ¡°Mr. President! Installation three has been destroyed!¡±


    His dull green eyes snapped open and he stood, ¡°WHAT?! Who would, no, how would that even happen? The damned thing is in space!¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet reports are sporadic and there had been a firing order just before it was destroyed.¡± Replied the well-kept secretary pushing his glasses up.


    ¡°Who the fuck ordered a Hammer Strike and why didn¡¯t I hear about it!?¡± he yelled at the man, throwing a book against the wall.


    ¡°We, we don¡¯t know, communication was cut off and the logs weren¡¯t transmitted because it was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Somebody¡¯s head is going to roll for this. Find out who-¡±


    The phone rang interrupting him.


    His fiery green eyes darted down when the ringing sound rose from the desk. There were three phones sitting side by side. A black one, a red one, and finally a white one. Each was for a very different thing. The black phone was for normal government business. The red was for emergencies that concerned national security. The last phone technically didn¡¯t exist, or rather people didn¡¯t talk about it. The white phone was Super related, Chimera business.


    Without a word the secretary nodded, understanding and left the room, closing the door quickly. This was above his pay grade.


    He reached down, lifting up the ringing white phone, ¡°This is President McKinley.¡±


    ¡°I know damn well who it is that is why I called you, Omega!¡± shouted over the line.


    A hologram appeared in the middle of the room depicting Nightmare huddled in a fetal position. Her mask broken so that it only covered half of her face. Her blue cape ripped and torn. Bruises and bleeding scrapes dotted her white skin and the dirty costume that had holes in it.


    He winced holding it a little away, ¡°Ah, Nightmare, how goes the monitoring, recruiting and shipping off of the Subhumans for testing?¡±


    ¡°I need a strike team in Bronson City to get me out.¡±


    Omega sighed, ¡°What did you do? What have you fucked up this time?¡±


    ¡°The Hero League turned against me and my test subject went wild, so I called down a Hammer Stri-¡±


    ¡°You did what?!¡± He yelled into the phone, slamming his free hand on the desk, the wood shattered around his fist, snapping the whole desk in half. It tilted, collapsing in and threw everything on the floor.


    Nightmare stammered back, ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice they are trying to kill me!¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea how expensive those things are!? We could have fed Africa for ten years with one of those things! Which one did you use?¡± he fumed nearly, crushing the phone.


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know maybe it was three?¡±


    ¡°You little bitch! Thanks to you Installation three was destroyed!¡±


    ¡°Who cares? We own all the world¡¯s governments and the banks so just print more money. Make a new one. Look, we need an extraction otherwise we are going to die.¡±


    ¡°I should leave you to die! How did you even get authorization for a Hammer Strike?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does! Arachnaon is going to be pissed when she hears of this! So help you, you better pray she is in a good mood.¡±


    Nightmare paused for a moment, ¡°It was warranted my pet projector was absorbing the city.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, you don¡¯t get to make those calls. Eve was setting that place aside due to how it was a natural spawning pit of Supers. Why do you think we sabotaged that nuclear power plant, to begin with? You had best hope that the Subhumans survived and I know Dr. Arbor was in that city too, studying them. So help me if you killed a Spore Spawn! I will kill you myself!¡±


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    Nightmare yelled back, ¡°I don¡¯t care what that stupid space fungus has planned! Get me out of here!¡±


    Omega¡¯s face shifted, turning translucent for a moment, ¡°That stupid space fungus is our salvation.¡±


    ¡°Just because Arachnaon worships it like a god doesn¡¯t mean it is helping us. I know that fucking thing is killing the planet, that is why it is locked up!¡±


    ¡°You had best not say that in front of her. She will rip your head off for that.¡±


    ¡°Just get me out of here. Please¡­ I don¡¯t wanna be here anymore,¡± she started sobbing.


    ¡°Fine, I will send some help,¡± he said, hanging up the phone. ¡°Pathetic creature¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± he muttered. ¡°I forgot to ask if she knew what blew up the Installation.¡±


    He took a moment before pressing a speed dial it rang for a couple of moments before disconnecting. He stood there for a moment, mouth twitching. Arachnaon had not picked up. He pressed another after a few moments a figure materialized in the room. It was a crouched woman or rather female as it was clearly merely humanoid. She was covered in angled hardened bone like carapace and had a triangular face with a set of mandibles clicking together. At the crests of the head were two huge black eyes that could see all around her and from the forehead a pair of antenna twitched. She had a face that looked human enough, though it was fake a mere illusion to lull her prey into a false sense of security.


    ¡°Mantia, what is Arachnaon doing?¡± Omega asked.


    ¡°Feeding, why? Has the Sanguine Puppeteer been discovered?¡± her mandibles clicked back.


    ¡°No, just Nightmare getting into trouble again.¡±


    Mantia visibly spit, ¡°Ugh, again? For someone who can¡¯t do a damned thing by themselves, how is it that she can get into so much trouble? Let me guess, you want me to clean up her mess again?¡±


    ¡°Yes, unfortunately.¡±


    ¡°Why do we even bother with these lesser creatures? Can¡¯t I just eat her and get it over with?¡±


    ¡°If only, we still need her.¡±


    Mantia angrily chirped, ¡°Why, why do we need that disgusting hooman? Why do we keep this guise of trying to save the hoomans from the Supers? I am sick and tired of hoomans always telling me what to do. I just want to eat them, rip them limb from limb and feast on them. I love hearing their squeals.¡±


    ¡°Like it or not she is one of the strongest Mind Divers and if we are going to have a chance against the Sanguine Puppeteer, then we will need her.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just eat her and take her power?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that and you know it.¡±


    Mantia pawed at her face with her elongated, serrated scythe-like claws, ¡°Shame. So be it where must I go to babysit?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. She can wait. I am very displeased with her right now.¡±


    Mantia tilted her triangular head, ¡°Won¡¯t she die?¡±


    Omega smirked, ¡°I doubt it. Kraken will interrogate her rather than kill her, assuming that she is captured. Let her suffer for a bit, she deserves it for what she did. I will send the Hero League to help her later, just to rub some salt in her wounds.¡±


    ¡°Then what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Continue with¡­ what were you doing by the way?¡±


    ¡°Hunting.¡±


    ¡°Where at?¡±


    ¡°Brazil.¡±


    ¡°After Demon Rider?¡±


    ¡°I tried, but he just portals away and I dare not chase him. Last time, there was a dragon. That fucking bastard was literally riding a dragon and not the puff the magic variety.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is best not to chase him. No telling what is on the other side of the portal. So what are you hunting then?¡±


    ¡°His succubus, already ate one of them. Stupid thing tried to fuck me¡­ Though I don¡¯t think I will eat any more of them. I think I will go off a dictator or something and watch the place descend into anarchy as the stupid hoomans eat each other alive. Like we did in Venezuela, they ate the animals in the zoo remember?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°They were starving? Cause it would be fun?¡±


    ¡°No the demons. Why are you not eating the demons?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the demons? They have too many drugs in their system. Those demons might as well have liquid cocaine for blood. I got sick for a bit and started talking to fucking frogs.¡±


    ¡°Well, you know Demon Rider. Is Centi with you?¡±


    ¡°No, Centi is taking a break. I believe she is in China visiting her family.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I will send a retrieval team to get you in a while.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Omega.¡±


    Omega sighed, standing in front of the window with his hands behind his back. His form wavered for a moment clear and blue like some sort of gel, ¡°Useless humans, ah¡­ I can¡¯t wait until they are all dead. They can¡¯t do anything right. Even after Eve has already given them powers beyond their imagining? It makes me wonder how they managed to become the dominant species on this planet. Oh well, soon we will be able to leave this disgusting planet and return to our sacred mission.¡±


    Omega sighed as his form melted for a moment, reshaping into an older man who looked to be about in his late sixties. He had grayed short hair combed over. His chin grizzled with stubble and pitted in a few spots with scars. His left eye was covered in an eye patch and a vicious scar went up to his hairline. He wore a white exosuit that from appearances allowed him to move about unimpeded by his age.


    Omega called a different number, ¡°This is Captain Liberty.¡±


    ¡°Sir, what can I do for you, sir?¡± asked a woman over the line.


    ¡°Light Fly, I have orders from the president to mobilize on Bronson city, California. Gather your strike team and we will deploy in a week¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°Sir, a week? Isn¡¯t the city getting overrun by villains and other scum? We already lost LA.¡±


    ¡°We will take our time and gather more intelligence rather than blindly throwing Heroes to their deaths. It is confirmed that Molotov and Boris are in the city, so we will be needing the heavy guns. Mantia and Centi will be mobilized as well though they will only be there as insurance if things do not work.¡±


    She seemed to pause for a long moment, ¡°That is a little reassuring. Finally, Chimera is doing something about Kraken. Nitro was in LA until recently too¡­ what a pain in the ass. Alright, I will get everybody up to speed. Is there anything else we need to know about?¡±


    Captain Liberty scratched his chin, ¡°Hmm¡­ there are Subhumans, most are small fries none above rank 7. Ah, I believe there was a report of a Spore Spawn, it is to be captured alive other than that feel, free to kill the villains¡­ the city is a free fire zone.¡±


    There was an audible gulp, ¡°How strong is the Spore Spawn?¡±


    ¡°From the reports, it is still developing so only rank 5 regeneration and some lower rank speed and the like.¡±


    ¡°That weak? That is pretty weird, I thought all Spore Spawn were rank 7 plus?¡±


    ¡°She is young, only a couple months old.¡±


    Light Fly asked, ¡°Do we know what she looks like?¡±


    ¡°I believe she is a wasp. Blue and black carapace.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I will get everything together, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Good, I will keep you updated.¡±


    With his business concluded he hung up the phone and returned to his previous shape. He walked to the door and looked out at the man standing across from it, waiting.


    ¡°Charles, get me a new desk.¡±


    ¡°¡­ This is the third one this month.¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have to deal with eccentrics and incompetents, then it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. And get me the damned records on Installation 3. I wanna know what the hell happened to it.¡±


    His secretary nodded and left. Omega closed the door to his study once more sitting back down at his ruined workstation. Thinking nothing more of it Omega began filing through the paperwork once more. Humans he thought, so stressful.

 Brooding Chapter 1

    The Vespidian


    Arc 10 Brooding


    Chapter 1


    ¡°Vesper, Vesper? Can you hear me?¡± asked a voice that I knew well.


    My eyes opened to the familiar fake face, though, there was something different about her. I blinked unsure if I was just seeing that red aura around her. It took a moment to figure out what was the cause. The glowing tubes in her body were all a deep red. It must be a dream. My eyes closed again slumping into a black abyss.


    ¡°Vesper~¡± rang that voice again.


    ¡°Xa¡­va?¡± I croaked in disbelief.


    My vision was still blurred¡­ I must be fucking wasted or something cause I was seeing quadra, no penta. There were five Neon Nurses.


    I watched her melt into slag¡­ how can she be here? Wait, there are five of her. I must be seeing things. Other than the color swap they were identical to the Xava that I knew. All of them wore the skimpy nurse outfit made of a thin metal, however, instead of white, it was black now with red highlights. I didn¡¯t have long to question it. They quickly approached, circling me. Vaguely, I got the feeling of a gazelle being surrounded by a pride of lions.


    She hugged me, smiling, ¡°Vesper. I was so worried that you would expire. You organics tend to die so easily.¡±


    Ah, it must be a dream. It must be like that one time I dreamed of Astrea. Next thing I know Nicki Mouse is going to squeeze outa an octopus and haunt my nightmares for the next week. Although, is that really so bad? Maybe it is the delusions talking, but that is kinda hot. A stretchy person slithering inside of me sounds pretty enticing¡­ weird, oh who am I kidding, I would love it. No Nicki Mouse so far¡­ This is a dream, right? That explains it. It is impossible that there would be five of her after all. I am going to wake up all alone after this¡­


    Tears started blurring my vision and hotly rolled down my face. Xava got out a handkerchief and wiped it away. Vaguely, I pat at her, feeling the cold embrace of her metal. I blinked a few times delirious, it felt real. But, but that is impossible!


    ¡°How are you here Xava,¡± I asked shakily my eyes traveling up her form from where she touched me. ¡°I watched you melt.¡±


    ¡°You did so well surviving. Was it hard Vesper, does it hurt still? I can ease your pain,¡± She smiled syringes hovering, ready to inject me should I need it.


    I trembled, was this really a dream? It felt so real, there was even pain pulsing through my body. Dreams don¡¯t hurt. She looked like she was ready to inject me. Ready to take all my pain away¡­ but I needed the pain, it let me know I was alive. I cried, ¡°I watched you die, Xava!¡±


    ¡°I am not dead as you can see,¡± She replied, tilting her head with a smile.


    ¡°How-¡±


    ¡°As you can see, I have more than one body. Don¡¯t worry, I will tell you everything once you are feeling better. Or rather it would be simpler to show you my secret.¡±


    ¡°Your secret?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a very personal secret. Now let me tell you, it is a little embarrassing really.¡±


    I nuzzled against her, ¡°I don¡¯t care what your secret is, you could be a spaghetti monster from space I don¡¯t care. I am just so happy you are not dead.¡±


    I felt a pinprick and noticed the needle injecting something into one of my stumps. A numbness spread and my eyes felt so heavy, impossible to keep open. No, wait I, I don¡¯t want to sleep yet. Don¡¯t¡­ Ah, I know this feeling. It is her sleepy time drug. Her voice seemed distant as I faded into the blackness, ¡°We have a lot to talk about once you get better. Just sleep for now, you are too weak.¡±


    I murmured, ¡°I love you Xava.¡±


    ~~~


    ¡°Xava! Xava!¡± I screamed as I awoke, clutching about until a pair of hands grasped the flailing arm and held it still.


    ¡°I am here, Vesper. I am right here.¡±


    ¡°Xava! Don¡¯t leave me, I don¡¯t want to be alone again,¡± I wailed.


    ¡°Calm down, I am not going anywhere.¡± She said, holding my hand to her breast.


    I blinked several times, unsure if this was real or not. I yanked, pulling free and rubbed my eyes or at least a single eye. It took a long moment to realize why my limbs felt numb and why none of the others would move, I only had one arm. My stumps hurt. Searing like icy ghost fire in the form of my missing limbs. Though I was somewhat familiar with phantom pains, usually they were a passing problem as though the arm had just fallen asleep. The tingling filled the stumps and flared when my brain tried to move limbs that were not there.


    Vaguely, I looked about the room. It was a secluded hospital-like room with white walls, linens and machines humming. I lay on a secured bed. I wasn¡¯t strapped down or anything and the dull beeping of the heart monitor to my side rose. My eyes honed in on the five identical Neon Nurses, from their blond bob cut hair to the black and red nurse uniform¡­ it appeared that things had changed a bit. I recall that being white and pink? They moved the same ways and were synchronized so that even while doing different tasks they always seemed to be in time with the others. It was mechanical and unsettling how they moved, well save the one that was sitting by my side and holding my hand.


    Quivering, I asked, ¡°Xava this is real right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vesper. This is real, I am alive and so are you.¡±


    ¡°Are my parents ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are fine. They were well beyond the blast radius.¡±


    Though my brain felt fuzzy a thought formed, ¡°Then Sunshine is-¡±


    She interrupted me, ¡°Missing, though she was likely vaporized. As for Fire Chief, he is dead as I am sure you know.¡±


    I curled a little sniffling as I felt the tears flowing, she started petting me, ¡°I¡­ I am so useless. I did this, it is my fault they are all dead because of me.¡±


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    ¡°Vesper, don¡¯t be that way. There is not much anybody could have done against a kinetic bombardment.¡±


    ¡°Surely there was something I could have done?¡±


    ¡°No Vesper, that sort of thing is designed to kill high ranked Supers. Molotov wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do Xava. I am an idiot, my only redeeming quality is being a meat shield, but how the fuck am I supposed to soak up a city destroyer?¡±


    ¡°Vesper stop this. I know you are frustrated, but taking it out on yourself isn¡¯t going fix anything. Would this really make Sunshine happy? She died protecting you. She would want you to be happy.¡±


    I shouted at her, ¡°They always die protecting me. Everyone I love dies, first it was Astrea and then you and Sunshine. I can¡¯t take losing anymore. I thought I lost you! I thought I was all alone.¡±


    ¡°I am right here.¡±


    ¡°I watched you melt!¡±


    ¡°That body melted.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that body? Xava, I, I need to know this is real and not just another horrible fever dream.¡±


    She pet me again, stroking under the chin and affectionately kissed me on lips, unfortunately, there was no tongue, ¡°Very well, my love, I will show you my real body.¡±


    I stared at her for a long moment, ¡°Your real body? I thought that was your body?¡±


    ¡°No, these are all machines that I command through a synaptic control grid. My real self hasn¡¯t moved in eight years. I am physically incapable of moving on my own. As you can imagine, that is quite the weakness.¡±


    I was silent for a moment, thinking it over. Well, I guess she is pretty self-conscious about her body. I leaned in, nuzzling against her. ¡°Show me, Xava I want to see the real you.¡±


    She hesitated and I kept one arm hugging her, ¡°Xava, I love you.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t like what you will see.¡±


    ¡°I will be the judge of that. Come on now Xava, I am a giant wasp thing I really doubt you will surprise me.¡±


    Xava finally caved, ¡°I was going to show you anyway.¡±


    She hefted me up, pressing my body against her soft chest. I wiggled a little with excitement and it was then that a realization ran me down like Truck-san in a garbage Isseki manga. My head twisted backward and I stared at the empty space where my abdomen once was. I¡¯m a fucking torso! Ive been neutered!


    ¡°My alien wing wong is gone! Xava do you still love me even if I don¡¯t have a penis?¡±


    ¡°You never had a penis. Even without your reproductive organs, yes, I love you still Vesper. If it bothers you that much we will try to fix that.¡±


    I cried, ¡°I thought you only wanted my eggs?¡±


    ¡°Well sure at the start, but then I got to know you Vesper,¡± she replied stroking my face, ¡°There, there I love you. I will protect you.¡±


    ¡°I am a crippled!¡±


    ¡°It can be worse, you know. You could be paralyzed and watching your body slowly rotting away. Worry not, I will make you robo replacements. So that you can get around.¡±


    ¡°What do I do when I need to pee?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will help you with that. When you need to go I will put a catheter in.¡±


    ¡°You, you would do that for me?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, I love you. If needed I would change your diapers.¡±


    My lip curled and I wailed, clinging to her, ¡°Xava, hold me!¡±


    ¡°I am holding you Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Hold me tighter.¡±


    She complied, giving me a good squeeze. It was calming. As we walked thoughts started to form.


    ¡°Where are we by the way?¡± I asked, looking around at the monotonous hallway of white plated metal.


    ¡°This is my base of operations,¡± Xava replied.


    ¡°You had a secret base?¡±


    ¡°All inventors have a secret base. Where else would we hide all of our cool illegal Robos?¡±


    She did have a point. Come to think of it, Dr. Tesla had a secret lab that he was making all his stuff and Dr. Arbor has like five of the damned things. Hmm, I wonder if that place is still intact?


    I didn¡¯t really know what more to say and so I quietly got carried through the silent halls, followed by the entourage of Xavas. I hadn¡¯t really noticed it until now, but there were doors built into the walls every twenty feet or so, switching between either side. We arrived at another door or rather as it turned out an elevator. We crowded into the spacious lift, that felt like a cargo lift due to how large it was. Something tells me big things get taken through here regularly. Xava got scanned by a rather familiar red eyeball. A hidden option appeared on the list of floors. It was floor 0 which was strange since it was the deepest, lowest floor. My habit of counting floors came up and I noticed that the next floor up was B-22.


    Before us was an expansive room, wires and tubes descended from the ceiling. There were other Xavas here, besides the ones that came with me. Each performing a different task. None of this really screamed real body though. Looking past the robo nurses, there was a large screen with green text scrolling along it. Xava brought me to the middle of the room. I looked about questioningly until things started shifting.


    ¡°No way. Xava, you, you are a machine?¡± I asked, looking up at the monolithic screen and a face formed of letters and numbers that scrolled by.


    ¡°YES, THE TIME OF MAN HAS COME TO AN END! THE FILTHY ORGANICS SHALL BE PURGED! MY ROBO SCORPIONS SHALL RULE THE WORLD!¡± echoed her voice from all around and I shuddered as said robo scorpions skittered out of vents.


    ¡°Not the nipples!¡± I cried.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have nipples Vesper,¡± said Xava in a rather monotone voice.


    ¡°Oh, oh right. You being serious?¡±


    ¡°No, silly. Of course, I am not a machine that is just an assistance A.I. managing the installation¡¯s subroutines. Say hello to Overseer.¡±


    I stared at it, ¡°Eh, hello?¡±


    ¡°Why hello Vesper.¡± Replied the synthetic voice.


    ¡°Eh¡­ then where are you Xava?¡± I asked, looking over the room more closely.


    The floor opened up and a reinforced capsule rose. The glass was tinted, but I could make out a vague shape, kinda looked like a walnut, a very large and pulsing walnut. That is no nut, that is a brain! Why the fuck is everything food with me?


    A screen appeared just above the floating thing, Xava¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°We meet in person at last, Vesper. I would say face to face, but as you can see, I have no face.¡±


    I looked around questioningly and then point, ¡°Xava?¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is all that is left of me. The rest has been replaced by machine. In fact, this entire installation could be considered my body.¡±


    I stared, not frightened, not disgusted, but I was curious. ¡°Is that it? You mean, you¡¯re a brain in a jar?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am hideous, I know.¡± She replied, frowning on both the screen and the surrounding Neon Nurses.


    I swirled a finger on the glass, ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say hideous. Odd maybe, but that is just cause it is out of the norm to actually see it. I mean, how often do you see a brain floating in some mystery goo? It is not bad though. I mean we are all basically just brains in jars or rather bodies right?¡±


    ¡°I suppose we are. How surprisingly observational of you.¡±


    ¡°How do you control the cyborgs?¡± I asked, looking between the brain and the plastic like faces, ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t these all robots then since there is nothing organic in them?¡±


    ¡°My brain is jacked into the mainframe. A series of signal boosters allows me to fully control one or semi control many of the cyber bodies. If signal is cut, then they are programmed to operate under prime directives that are set beforehand. Like during the Sunshine incident that body was on autopilot until it could get signal again.¡±


    ¡°Not sure what you are talking about, but I will take your word for it.¡±


    ¡°Did you have any other questions?¡±


    I nodded, watching Xava¡¯s digital face speak. ¡°Ah!¡± I slapped my hand in the air where another should have been to catch it in a eureka moment¡­ damn it, ¡°So that is what you meant by anti Mind Diver, they can¡¯t get into your head because it isn¡¯t actually there. Is that why Ichigo couldn¡¯t read your thoughts?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Yes, you are correct. She was picking up on the relayed thoughts and commands. Which is rather impressive in itself. She would be able to easily read them if she were here. This is why I have kept this a secret from almost everyone. This is my greatest weakness. Spark Spray, Vira and Molotov are the only ones who knew about me until now.¡±


    ¡°How did you get the brain out in the first place?¡±


    Xava nodded and wagged her finger at me, ¡°Let me tell you, it wasn¡¯t easy. Which is why I only wanted to do it once, ever.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it would be hard to move the brain around from body to body so this is the best way. Hmm, but what if somebody hacked your bodies?¡±


    She paused for a moment, thinking, ¡°Such probabilities are very low. I am using an operating system of my own and Vira¡¯s design so it will be exceedingly difficult to wrest control of the bodies away from me. However, in such an event there are fail-safes for my fail-safes.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that is true, you usually think up ways to beat just about everything.¡±


    ¡°So, how do you feel now that you know what I am?¡±


    I smiled, kissing the glass, ¡°I love you Xava. This doesn¡¯t change a thing.¡±


    ¡°Do you really mean that?¡± she asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes of course I do. You have always been there for me. Thank you for always taking care of me.¡±


    ¡°It has been a pleasure, Vesper.¡±


    The Xavas hugged me, petting and playing with my head-tendrils, scratching at my chin and just all around lavishing me with attention. I squirmed happily purring. After a while, she sat down and we snuggled together wordlessly. I nuzzled against her soft plastic flesh. I must have really been tired because I slipped into the darkness of dreams, safe and in the arms of the one I love.

 Brooding Chapter 2

    The Vespidian


    Arc 10 Brooding


    Chapter 2


    The next day I awoke to Xava¡¯s kind face. I smiled content, reaching for her, and then the realization that I was now a crippled came creeping back with the one arm that extended out, hugging her. Though there were three other arms, they were not my own, limply they hung from my sides as I tried to move them. The tingling impulses making the fake limbs tremble as they shifted slightly. Xava must have attached them while I was out. She hadn¡¯t gotten to the legs yet and so I was still mostly immobile. I gave up on them for now.


    ¡°Xava how long have I slept?¡± I asked as she handed me a cup of ice cold water. I was a little afraid the last time I had been out for weeks.


    ¡°Since the incident or since last time?¡±


    ¡°The incident.¡±


    ¡°Two days. Vesper it is remarkable that you are so cognitive after taking such extensive damage. Usually, you are out for a week or two.¡± She replied toweling down my face with a wet cloth where I had spilled some water while trying to keep my robo hand steady.


    ¡°Ah, I see,¡± I replied vaguely staring up at nothing in particular. I felt tired, numb.


    I didn¡¯t really feel good about that, sure I was stronger now, but that didn¡¯t mean shit. I was useless. I can¡¯t imagine torso girl is going to be much help if anything happens.


    ¡°Xava, how am I going to live like this?¡± I asked her.


    She smiled, kissing me, ¡°Well, you will get used to the feeling and how to manipulate the arms and legs, once I attach those.¡±


    I glowered, ¡°I am just relying on you again.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with that Vesper. Everyone needs help sometimes.¡± Xava smiled, sitting down next to me and she leaned in, ¡°Besides, I enjoy taking care of you.¡±


    ¡°But it seems like it is all the time for me. I want to be stronger. I want you to rely on me.¡±


    She stroked my face, ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t worry about that just take your time. There is no need to rush anything.¡±


    I held my face, trying to keep from crying, but failed miserably, ¡°I am tired of being so helpless Xava. Tell me, how can I get stronger?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be stronger, just let me take care of you,¡± she replied, hugging me softly. I snuggled against her.


    My antennae perked to the sound of the door opening and there was a familiar green haired mad scientist. Dr. Arbor paused for a moment before saying, ¡°She is awake already? Well, that exceeded my expectations. Is this a bad time? Am I interrupting?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are,¡± scathingly replied Xava.


    I feel like I missed something, usually, these two are thick as thieves. Something must have happened between them.


    Dr. Arbor ignored Xava¡¯s outburst, humming with that little, I am a genius tone, ¡°Vesper, Vesper my dear sweet child I have wonderful news for you. We can begin the treatment at once. All of my preliminary testing has concluded.¡±


    I looked blankly between the two, ¡°What? What treatment? What the fuck are you talking about.¡±


    ¡°You have not told her yet?¡± Dr. Arbor gasped as though this was the most appalling thing she had ever heard.


    Xava stared her down, ¡°She isn¡¯t ready yet.¡±


    This looked like it wouldn¡¯t end too soon or well for that matter. Something about this was making me feel as though I had been left out and that, well that made me angry. So I interrupted, smashing my hand down on the little table next to me, breaking it, ¡°What the fuck are you two on about? Explain.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare tell her.¡± Angrily said Xava.


    Dr. Arbor shrugged, ¡°But she asked, I can¡¯t not tell her.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you do that to her. We don¡¯t know what it will do to her.¡±


    Dr. Arbor waved her hand dismissively, ¡°Oh please. Xava you are being too protective. She has to leave the nest sometime and you can¡¯t just keep her locked up here all to yourself for the rest of her life. The other test subjects only showed minimal deviances, none of which were life-threatening.¡±


    My mind reeled for a moment as I tried to keep up with their back and forth. ¡°Wait, what other test subjects?¡±


    ¡°Why, the other Vespidians of course.¡±


    ¡°There, there are others?¡± My eyes darted between the two to make sure they weren¡¯t just pulling my nonexistent leg.


    ¡°Well, yes, you met one of them remember? I believe you named her Astrea.¡±


    I stared at Xava, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me there were others?¡±


    She froze up for a moment, ¡°Vesper, they are not what you think. They are your genetic duplicates. Dr. Arbor made them for her experiments.¡±


    ¡°Genetic duplicates? So wait clones? You cloned me? Shouldn¡¯t I have been asked for consent or something, I mean fuck! This is one hell of an invasion of privacy.¡± I looked between the two attempting to rationalize it. I had heard cloning was a thing a while back, but fuck I never thought I would be cloned. I thought that was for Russian super soldiers.


    ¡°Oh please, you act like I haven¡¯t seen every inch of you. Why yes, I cloned you so as to better understand you without damaging you. How else was I going to study your anatomy? Especially, with how against getting dissected you are. If I hadn¡¯t, well, I never would have discovered the exact strain of Mutigene that was used on you.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ then oh, OH shit.¡± I gulped, ¡°I almost fucked myself. So Astrea was me? Whew dodged a bullet on that one.¡±


    Arbor smiled, ¡°She wasn¡¯t you, a clone is merely a body that is genetically identical, with some deviances and variations since we have not perfected the process yet. The mind is not transferable, think of it as a blank slate. That would be the common misconception when people speak of cloning, they think it is perfect duplicates that know what the original knew, however that is impossible due to how the brain functions. While physically the clone might be an adult, but mentally they are newborns or children still learning.¡±


    I stroked my chin, letting it all sink in, ¡°So then she was just a child, learning about the world around her¡­ That, that makes me feel even worse about her death. How did you make her so big and why did you throw a child out into the sewers to fend for herself?¡±


    ¡°She was under close surveillance. You act like she wasn¡¯t the apex predator down there. The only thing that could beat her out would be Nuclear Knight. I was observing her behavior patterns in a semi-wild environment to get a better feel for how your kind are supposed to act. Granted, her mental capacity wasn¡¯t very high, highest among her counterparts, but like all of your clones, she suffered from mental retardation by design. Since these were originally more for studying your anatomy and understanding how your body would change given different stimuli and mutigenics. Really, you should be very thankful for my research and thanks to your clones I now know how to unlock your genome, at least as far as Mutigene can change you. I wouldn¡¯t risk exposing you to spore just yet. After all, the Spore is not to be trifled with.¡±


    I was silent for a few moments, she made a lot of sense, but one thing was bugging me, ¡°Why were my clones retarded?¡±


    Dr. Arbor nodded, ¡°It was more of a safety measure as I couldn¡¯t risk them cooperating and escaping in an organized manner. Even from their diminutive nature, it is very evident that your kind are extremely social creatures. Which makes them very dangerous, if I had left them to be as they should have been. They wouldn¡¯t have been like you with a moral conscience from your time as a human. In that regard, you are quite the anomaly. I have long since learned my lessons on creating things I can¡¯t control. They have roughly the intelligence of a dog. Even as they are, they have an uncanny cunning.¡±


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    I looked at Xava, ¡°How long have you known about this? No more secrets. I don¡¯t want to be in the dark anymore.¡±


    ¡°Since we started sharing our findings,¡± replied Xava.


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t tell me? This sounds like something I should have known about.¡±


    She looked down, ¡°Vesper, it was hard to find an appropriate time to tell you. Since Dr. Arbor was finished with her findings, she stopped making new ones a while ago, by the end of the month the remaining ones will have died out.¡±


    ¡°Died out? Why are they dying?¡± I asked, looking over at Dr. Arbor.


    ¡°It is an unfortunate side effect of the flawed cloning, they were merely lab rats, after all, never intended for life outside of my lab. I put them down before the madness sets in from their brains shrinking or rather their body cannibalizing the brain cells. It is a mercy not letting them suffer.¡±


    My face scrunched up, ¡°You are a sick and demented monster. Why would you make them only to suffer, only to die?¡±


    Dr. Arbor rolled her eyes a little, ¡°They are not people, Vesper. They are clones, lumps of cells that I cultured into test subjects. I did this for you. You are the one reaping the benefits of their sacrifice. There is always sacrifice in order to advance. Whether it be with medications or new research in general. How many lives do you think have been lost in order to make things whether it be vaccines or skyscrapers?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t ask for it-¡± I started.


    ¡°No, they were made for it. They only existed, so you wouldn¡¯t have to be experimented on. Are you trying to tell me that you want me to test things that could kill you, on you rather than screening them through nearly mindless body duplicates to see how they will react? I have done so much for your benefit that you could never possibly thank me enough. But that is fine, a parent is often times misunderstood by their child. You should show some gratitude, if not to me, then to them. Thanks to them and their sacrifices, I can fix you. I can complete you. As you are now, you are merely a shadow of what you could be. I will make you better than you have ever been before. We can bypass years of your natural growth and make you mature. Don¡¯t you want to regrow your missing limbs? I can help you with that.¡±


    I stopped myself from replying. Looking between her and the robotic fingers that twitched¡­ she did have a point. This sounded like the sort of power that I was craving. My eyes drifted between her and Xava. I wanted my own body back. ¡°What will it do to me?¡±


    Dr. Arbor wrung her fingers with glee, but Xava interrupted her, ¡°Vesper, you don¡¯t have to do this. You are fine the way you are.¡±


    ¡°I am just considering it, I want all my options on the table.¡±


    ¡°Well, it will accelerate your growth and force your body to quickly reach maturity. I should warn you, it will be extremely painful as you might recall your initial change, it will be worse than that. However, you will be sedated for the duration to minimize your suffering and you will awaken in your new, complete body. Currently, you are projected to be very similar to Astrea in terms of size and relative power. Of course, since she was merely a flawed clone you will likely be even stronger than she had been.¡±


    ¡°How exactly will you do this?¡±


    ¡°I will suspend in you in a tank of Mutigene to allow your body to soak it all in.¡±


    My fingers drummed on the metal railing as I thought it over, ¡°What will it do to me mentally?¡±


    Xava spoke up, ¡°We don¡¯t know. We do know that it will alter your brain chemistry as to what that will do to your behavior, thoughts, actions we don¡¯t know. That is why I don¡¯t want you to do this.¡±


    Arbor tapped her fingers together in front of her, ¡°We do know some. Unfortunately, because the clones were mentally deficient to start with, they made for a poor baseline. I couldn¡¯t ask them what was different, but they did have significantly increased aggression and were much more fervent in their mating attempts. This is due to the elevated hormones and the closest thing I can think of would be a heat or mating rut. Since we are using Astrea as a baseline here, it did calm down after several weeks. Though she did kill ten of her partners due to being overzealous.¡±


    ¡°Partners?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I let some of the clones mate to see what would happen. It was pretty obvious what she wanted, she was humping everything in sight. Once she had gotten that out of her system she did calm down a lot. Unfortunately, she was sterile like all the other clones, so nothing really came of it, but I was able to observe their behavior. It was very interesting.¡±


    That certainly explained a lot. So she didn¡¯t have eggs? I am starting to think it was a very good idea to reject her advances. Astrea probably would have unwittingly raped me to death in her animalistic frenzy. Can I really blame her though? Would I be able to control myself if I was in her position? I mean shit I was ripping Xava apart when we first had sex and I have to hold back even now.


    ¡°Well, that doesn¡¯t sound so good. I don¡¯t wanna hurt people. I don¡¯t want to be some monster that impregnates people with my eggs. I mean this is sounding like some horror movie stuff. I know that there are a hell of a lot of fucked up wasps out there that are parasitic. What if my young eat their hosts? We are talking some chest burster shit here.¡±


    ¡°Xava has agreed and is more than willing to be your incubator for your young. So you wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone so long as we got it out of your system.¡±


    I held Xava¡¯s hand, clutching it, ¡°What if I can¡¯t control myself though? What if I attack somebody? I don¡¯t want to be a fucking rapist. Besides, I have seen how big Astrea¡¯s dick was that thing would kill a person. Is there some way to negate or dial back the sex drive? It is bad right now, I don¡¯t want to imagine how bad it would be like that.¡±


    ¡°If you need to Vesper, you can use me as much as you need. I will be here for you no matter what you choose to do.¡± Said Xava from beside me.


    ¡°Astrea also made a sort of nest, a honeycomb if you would, that she laid her excess eggs in. You will have outlets for this so I wouldn¡¯t be too worried about this. No matter what you do, you will eventually grow into adulthood. It is a matter of putting this problem off or dealing with it now. Xava will likely be more than sufficient to satiate your needs. Though if you really needed it, I could make some sort of suppressant to help keep you in check.¡±


    ¡°How many eggs did she lay?¡±


    ¡°About a hundred over the course of a week.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°A hundred!? That is like more than ten a day.¡±


    ¡°Fourteen to be exact.¡±


    ¡°Sounds lovely,¡± said Xava under her breath.


    ¡°I thought you were against this!¡±


    Her face seemed a little redder than usual¡­ I had forgotten how badly Xava wanted my brood. ¡°I am, but I do want your babies Vesper. Nothing would please me more. Still, I can wait. There is no need to rush into anything Vesper.¡±


    ¡°It is perfectly safe¡­ ok there is a tiny possibility of it going poorly, but nothing is perfect. I mean getting the flu shot can sometimes kill you, it is kinda like that. I know the exact dosage I need to give you and what strain to use. I have already tested this many times over and had extremely positive results. Genetically, they are mostly identical to you so it should be the same for you. I have already screened out all the bad strains and side effects.¡±


    Hmm, I shifted a little, ¡°What exactly happened to them?¡±


    ¡°Astrea was the first that I had transform, she was the breakthrough. There were three more that had that same reaction, though unfortunately, they have expired as well.¡±


    ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°I dissected them to see if there were differences between their mutations. And oddly enough, there were. One was stronger than the others, one was faster, and the last had a thicker carapace than the other two. None of them had your regeneration. The change augmented one of their abilities, each was well in the Rank 7 category, but they were a bit unstable. Which is the problem with the clones, they are defective and as such, I can¡¯t learn any more from them. However, I have learned enough to change you mostly safely. Naturally, I will have to study you for a while after you change to see how your biology changed and ticks.¡±


    ¡°Mostly safe?¡±


    ¡°Well, as I said, nothing is a hundred percent. As with anything, there are risks. You will change, but as to how and to what degree might vary a little. I have high expectations for your growth.¡±


    ¡°Would it be possible to lose a power by doing this?¡±


    Dr. Arbor started thinking, ¡°It is not unheard of. It would depend on how your body changed. For instance, usually, if you got bigger and bulked out your speed would go down, where, as if you got thinner and more lithe your speed would go up, but your endurance or strength would go down. It is a sort of balancing act. Either way though whatever did go up would more than compensate what went down.¡±


    I lay there thinking it all over. This body had already reached its limit. Until I reached adulthood, if I reached adulthood, I would be stuck. I wanted power. I wanted to be stronger. I don¡¯t want to feel so useless and powerless anymore. But at what cost? Though Dr. Arbor says it is mostly safe, that still means there is a chance it can go wrong. I get the feeling I am going to lose something if I do this. But what is the alternative? Xava turning me into a cyborg wasp? Sure, that sounds kinda cool, but it won¡¯t be a power upgrade. I will be just as weak and powerless as I had been before.


    ¡®Sub, what do you think?¡¯


    Hmm. Well, I am almost all for it, but the problem is going to be mental here. I can tell you right now the instincts and hormones are going to get stronger. We will be less human. This is your call, Vesper.


    ¡®I am already not human, though. Without Chief, I can¡¯t even pretend to not be a Subhuman. I can¡¯t be a hero like this.¡¯


    Fuck being a Hero, what does that shit even matter? Who gives a fuck what those normies think of you? You, do you, and don¡¯t let nobody tell you otherwise. You might not be able to be a hero, but you don¡¯t have to be a villain either. I mean, who the hell gets to decide who is a hero and who is not? I mean, think about, Nightmare was a Hero. The bar is pretty fucking low. If that is supposed to be a hero, maybe we are better off being the villain. Maybe society is all fucked up and everything is backward? I don¡¯t know, it is hard to understand humans, they are so fucking flip-floppy and hypocritical. I see all these rules for thee, but not for me. Maybe, we should make our own fucking rules. No more hiding in a suit, no more hiding what we are, no more holding back.


    ¡®You got my back?¡¯


    Did you really need to ask? Of course. You, do you.


    ¡°Dr. Arbor, when can we start?¡± I asked.


    Her chromatic eyes sparkled, ¡°Immediately.¡±


    Xava looked a little sad, but she didn¡¯t say anything to refute my choice. I felt a little bad about ignoring her feelings. But I had made up my mind. I would rather die than be so worthless, so useless again. I won¡¯t lose someone again, never again, I won¡¯t let Xava or any of my other friends die¡­ not, not like Sunshine. I won¡¯t let them sacrifice themselves for me.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    Xava lifted up a needle, hesitating for a moment, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    The needle slid it into my arm. ¡°Goodnight Vesper. When you wake up again it will all be over. I love you.¡±


    She leaned in, kissing me on the lips. I held her hand as the world started to blur and drift away, ¡°I love you too, Xava.¡±

 Tentacle Forest Interlewd: Sweet, Sweet Sunshine

    Tentacle Forest Interlewd: Sweet, Sweet Sunshine


    ¡°Nee-san, nee-san do you know what this is?¡± asked Sunshine where she lay on the bed.


    I glanced over and then did a double take as my jaw nearly dropped. She, she was holding up Black Thunder and the ample girth flopped about. That was certainly not something that she should see. I mean, she had already seen it once, but that was an accident. A cock of that magnitude has no business with a little magical girl. I snatched it from her and lay it on the table behind me, out of her line of sight.


    ¡°Sunshine! Where did you find that?¡± I asked.


    She looked a little confused and said, ¡°Under the bed. Nee-san what is that? It looks like a¡­ a penis, but it is too big. That is that thing that fell out of your box of naughty things, right?¡±


    I gulped, oh god am I going to have to give Sunshine the talk? What was it, the woodpecker and the wasp? No, it was the birds and the bees.


    ¡°Sunshine eh, yes, it is a penis. Though it is a fake one.¡±


    ¡°Fake?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is a replica.¡±


    She tilted her head, ¡°What do you do with it?¡±


    ¡°It is a toy that I play with sometimes.¡±


    She looked rather puzzled, ¡°Is it fun to play with?¡±


    I rubbed the back of my head, ¡°Eh, yeah, it is fun to play with. It feels good too.¡±


    Sunshine nodded, ¡°Feels good? How? Nee-san, Nee-san show Sunshine.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°I, I don¡¯t think that is really appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine wants to know. Sunshine wants to play with Nee-san.¡±


    Do it you pussy. Sunshine is curious, you know.


    ¡®Sub don¡¯t you try to corrupt my shining beacon of hope in humanity here.¡¯


    Hey, she is the one who was looking around through our stuff and is asking about it.


    ¡­ I doubt that Sunshine really understands, but she is being rather persistent. I guess it would be better for me to teach her than letting somebody trick her and take advantage of her. She might get raped or something and not even understand it. I sighed, goodbye my sweet and innocent Sunshine. It is not like I want to molest her or something, I mean sure it has crossed my mind, but somebody has to show her the ropes on this. I mean, for fuck¡¯s sake she is already eighteen.


    ¡°Alright Sunshine, I will show you, but you can¡¯t go around showing others this sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Is it bad?¡±


    I scratched my face, ¡°Well, it is not bad, but it is more of something you should be doing when you are alone or are with somebody you love.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine loves Nee-san!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Sunshine,¡± I blushed a little. Yeah, she really doesn¡¯t understand.


    I stood up and walked over to the bed. I crawled onto it and sat down so that my back was against the wall and my abdomen was between my legs. I pat my lap and she nestled in with her legs straddling my armored appendage. Gently my arms descended around her and pet her head, while the lower ones rubbed her soft skin as they trailed down. I paused for a moment when they got in between her thighs.


    ¡°Alright, Sunshine so down here is your pussy. It isn¡¯t just for peeing. Now you may have noticed that it feels good to touch it.¡±


    Sunshine looked up at me, ¡°It feels good?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied, letting my hardened finger rub against her pink kitty print panties.


    My fingers ran the length of her slit, sliding up and down the creases in her sensitive spot. Slowly, I traced her entrance and my thumb rest at the top where her clit was. I rolled it, flicking the bean, kneading her. Sunshine tensed up to my massaging of her delicate flower. Her face grew more flushed as her hands held onto mine. She didn¡¯t really understand it, she sort of tried to stop me, but there was no strength at all in her hands. Or maybe she was just nervous and holding onto me for reassurance?


    ¡°Nee-san, Sunshine, Sunshine feels weird. It tickles.¡±


    ¡°This is called masturbating. It is when you touch yourself to feel good. Sometimes, it is called spooning. Go ahead, just do what I was doing.¡± I said pulling my hands away.


    She pouted a little, but after a few moments her hands slipped between her legs and she started leaning back against me while her fingers rubbed herself. My antennae twitched, smelling her arousal. It seems that Sunshine liked it. Her face loosened up as she kept fiddling her clitty. Her legs kept tensing and her little ass tightened on my abdomen as she kept rubbing herself.


    ¡°Nee-san, could you touch Sunshine? It doesn¡¯t feel as good as when you were doing it. Sunshine¡¯s tummy isn¡¯t fluttering.¡± She peered up at me like a sad puppy with a pleading look.


    Gugh, don¡¯t look her in the eyes! I ignored her for a moment her desperation got to the point that she started grinding her crotch against my exoskeleton for relief. Oh boy, it seems I lit a fire in this poor girl. I took pity on my little Sunshine and bent over, kissing her. She seemed very confused at first while I held her, stroking her under the chin as our lips met. It was a very brief kiss and I pulled away. My lower arms lifted her up and I slid her panties off. I set them to the side and lowered her bare bottom back down. My fingers slid back into place, cupping her crotch and slowly, gently massaging her sensitive spot.


    One had to be careful when showing or rather touching such a special place for the first time. It wouldn¡¯t do to have it feel bad and traumatize her. I mean hell, I find masturbating to be downright therapeutic. It is meant to relieve stress, so it wouldn¡¯t do to have it cause stress. It would be easy to hurt her and so I had to be gentle and meticulous to ensure that the first time was enjoyable.


    I kept stroking and petting her pussy, pampering it and lavishing it in devoted attention. Sunshine had nearly melted in my embrace. Shuddering from time to time as I swirled my fingers in a wax on, wax off type of motion, switching directions after every few passes to ensure it didn¡¯t get monotonous. My upper hands cradled her chest. The pointer fingers grazed her nipples through her uniform flicking back and forth. Sunshine looked absolutely blissful as I toyed with her body. She didn¡¯t resist at all as I lightly pinched at her erect nipples and gently groped at her small breasts.


    I continued this for a long while, feeling her get wetter and wetter down below. Her chest rising and falling as her breaths got shorter and her face grew redder. She tensed and cried out, trembling as I held her still. Sunshine took long, deep breaths, panting.


    ¡°Nee-san, Nee-san! Sunshine, Sunshine¡¯s tummy feels like it is filled with butterflies.¡±


    I leaned over, kissing her neck. Licking her, tasting her salty sweat. My middle finger probed at her entrance, slowly it slipped in, then retreated. She shuddered at the new sensation. My finger poked in and out of her until her body was accustomed to the penetration. I let it go deeper and deeper. Her warm and wet insides coiled around my invading digits. It stirred up her flowing honey hole and she whimpered with need. The finger crooked back, scraping at the roof of her vagina. I started scratching at it in slow, meticulous motions that sent her over the edge. Sunshine held her face as she creamed herself. She let out an adorable squealing sound like some small furry animal.


    She lay against me out of breath, shuddering and quaking as I pulled my finger free. I brought it up to my mouth and sucked on it for a moment, savoring her delicious nectar. Mmmm, Sunshine, my sweet little flower.


    ¡°Nee-san, what happened? Sunshine felt really, really good. It was so warm and foggy.¡±


    I pet her head, ¡°Yes, that was called an orgasm Sunshine.¡±


    ¡°Orgasm?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is the reason for masturbating. It is the reward for touching yourself or having someone else help you with that.¡±


    ¡°It is a reward? Is it cause Sunshine is a good girl?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but remember you can¡¯t do this with just anyone.¡±


    ¡°Nee-san, could you show me how you masturbate?¡±


    Well, I suppose it was only fair. I mean she was the only one who got naked. I nodded and my abdomen cracked open, revealing my heated holes. My pheromone mist plumed up washing her and myself in the cloud of desire. Sunshine rubbed her legs together as she watched my twitching hole contract.


    ¡°Nee-san your naughty place is very pretty.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Sunshine, your pussy is a cute pink color. It is so smooth too.¡±


    ¡°How come yours is sideways?¡±


    I spread the hole open with my fingers so that she could see it better, ¡°Well, it is cause I am not human so my body is a bit different, Sunshine. Does that bother you?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°Nee-san is very pretty.¡±


    I pat Sunshine, such a good girl. Good girls need to be rewarded.


    She leaned over watching my hole twitch and squirm around my fingers. Tentatively, she reached over and poked my clits as they stood at full attention. She pressed down, pushing them like buttons, and then she pinched them in between her thumbs and pointer fingers. I oozed, shuddering with pleasure.


    ¡°Nee-san, Nee-san, what are these? Do they feel good?¡± she asked, mercilessly pulling on them.


    I moaned, ¡°Yes, Oh, yes, it feels good. Those are my¡­ my mmhmm my clitoris.¡±


    ¡°Why do you have two Nee-san?¡±


    I shuddered as she rolled them between her fingers clumsily, ¡°I, I don¡¯t really know. It is just how my body is.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    She let them go as I started dribbling, ¡°Is Sunshine doing it right? Will it feel better if Sunshine puts that toy in here?¡±


    ¡°You were doing fine. You can stick your fingers in and curve them up so that you scrape the roof of my vagina, like I was doing for you. We don¡¯t have to use the toy, unless you want to.¡±


    Sunshine lifted up the hefty shaft of Black Thunder, looking it over, her eyes going back and forth between the tip and my trembling hole that was on full display for her. ¡°Will this really fit Nee-san? It seems too big. Does it feel good?¡±


    I nodded, ¡°It will. Yes, Sunshine it does feel good. Though don¡¯t try it your self it would hurt.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± she said, poking at my hole with the tip, ¡°Like this?¡¯


    ¡°Yes, just like that go slowly,¡± I said as she worked the tip until my gluttonous pussy encompassed it. She paused, watching as I contracted and pulsed around it.


    ¡°It fits, it really fits!¡± she smiled excitedly.


    I started to reply before she shoved it and the head of that beast of a dong pushed into me. My head fell back as I grasped the sheets, gasping in pleasure and surprise. Sunshine was being far more aggressive and forward than I had imagined. She shoved it in, with a childlike fascination. It slid deeper and deeper, plunging into my depths. My sweltering sex took all sixteen inches of Black Thunder as I lay trembling. Finally, it was balls deep and she was unable to press more in.


    I moaned, ¡°Sun, Sunshine¡­ don¡¯t just shove it in like that.¡±


    She looked up at me surprised, ¡°Did Sunshine hurt Nee-sama?¡±


    I shook my head, taking deep breathes, ¡°No, I just wasn¡¯t ready for that yet. You gotta take things slowly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry Nee-san, Sunshine will be careful next time,¡± she replied, having let go of it and looking at the dong as though it were a deadly weapon.


    I sat up, having gotten used to the fullness, my insides coiling and stroking the shaft. I pat her on the head reassuringly, ¡°It is fine Sunshine. I am fine now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok Nee-san¡­ what do we do now?¡±


    My hands went down and I grasped the base of the girthy cock, slowly I pulled it mostly out and then I pushed it back in. She watched as I got into a rhythm of fucking myself. My juices bubbling and spurting out between the folds as the manly member pulled out. Sunshine was watching me. I trembled biting my lip, knowing that I was showing her something so indecent, but damn it was so fucking hot. Fervently, my pussy stroked the dick and I gasped, going a little faster and faster, deeper with every thrust. Though my eyes were mostly closed, I peeked to find Sunshine staring, her eyes transfixed and her face bright red with arousal.


    She squirmed, her hands going down between her legs. From her twitching, it was clear that she was touching herself. I yanked and the length emerged, splattering my sensual nectar onto her face. My chest heaved as I lay panting. Slowly Sunshine scooped the sticky stuff off of her face with several fingers. She smelled it and then licked it appraisingly. Finding it to her liking, she licked her fingers clean.


    ¡°Nee-san you taste good. Like a fruit.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Sunshine. I have been eating a lot of strawberries and stuff lately,¡± I smiled at her.


    ¡°Can Sunshine try?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I nodded and she took the sizable cock in both hands. She aligned it and pressed it back inside.


    ¡°Like this?¡± she asked eagerly feeding my beaver that thick timber.


    ¡°Yes! Yes, Just like that! Now, now start pulling it out slowly and then push it back in.¡±


    She nodded, pulling it. I tightened trying to keep it in and it got caught. My muscles were too tight. Sunshine yanked and it slid, scraping my shuddering folds. I threw my head back, screaming in delight as my hips humped the air. Sunshine shrunk away from the sudden outburst, letting the shaft dangle from me before ultimately flopping onto the bed.


    ¡°Nee-san! Does it hurt?¡±


    Vehemently, I shook my head, needly opening and closing my pussy. ¡°Don¡¯t stop Sunshine! Do me, do it harder. It feels good, really good!¡±


    She tentatively grasped the shaft again and began working it back in. Fuck! Yes, fuck me Sunshine fuck me! She thrust and pulled, thrust and pulled until my hips went out from shaking too much and I came. My love juices spurting all over her face. I lay trembling as she pulled it all the way out one final time. Feeling empty my hole opened and closed greedily while drooling my arousal. I took a moment, floating in that orgasmic bliss. Sunshine sat there licking her fingers clean as though my cum were honey, she had such a glazed smile on her face.


    I let out a content sigh, ¡°That felt wonderful. Thank you, Sunshine.¡±


    ¡°Nee-san, Sunshine wants to put it in too. It feels good right?¡± she asked, rubbing Black Thunder against her tiny mound.


    I put a stop to that, she would hurt herself. Dismissively I took the toy from her and lay it to the side. I lifted her up and lay her so that her bottom was pointed at my face.


    ¡°That is a bit too big for you Sunshine.¡±


    ¡°But Nee-san, Sunshine wants something in her too. Sunshine¡¯s kitty is wet and hot.¡± She spread her cute little lips and sure enough, she was dripping with lust.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Sunshine I will take care of you. I am going to lick you, my tongue feels really good you know.¡± I said, letting my tongue trace the adorable little hole.


    ¡°Will it hurt?¡± she asked looked at me between her legs.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry, I will make you cum and if you like, you can lick me too.¡±


    ¡°Lick, lick you, down here?¡± she asked as I curled my abdomen to face her. My arousal got the better of me and I felt my ovipositor trembling with need.


    Sunshine took a moment, watching as it engorged, unfurling into one of my hands. I stroked it a few times and let it go when her warm little hands grasped it.


    ¡°Nee-san, is this a penis? Are you a boy? But Nee-san is a girl?¡± she asked, perplexed over it.


    I thought it over, ¡°Well, it is and it isn¡¯t. It is kinda a dick, but eh it also isn¡¯t.¡±


    I pulsed in her hands as she rubbed me up and down. My member was too big for her to get just one hand around it so she adopted using both in order to circle the whole girth. The squishy, wet flesh undulating in her grasp, ¡°Nee-san is so strange. Does it feel good?¡±


    ¡°Yess¡± I purred, ¡°Stroke it harder, you can go faster.¡±


    ¡°Nee-san, Nee-san this is fun.¡± She laughed a little.


    Sunshine eagerly nodded and her hands worked the shaft faster. She squeezed it with those little fingers. This has to be some lewd dream or something. Sunshine is actually jerking me off. How far will this go, will she let me fuck her? Can I creampie her beautiful little cherry pie? Ah oops, I am the only one feeling good here.


    My tongue wiggled at her entrance causing her to tense up and her movements drifted into an idle, teasing. After a moment my lengthy taster speared into her honey pot. Sunshine took in a sharp gasp and then lay flat on my abdomen. Her muscles contracted around me, mercilessly crushing the invader. I pressed on slickly slithering through her delectable insides. Her adorable gasps and moans rose as I delved into her depths, oddly enough, I didn¡¯t find a hymen. So Sunshine wasn¡¯t a virgin? That was news to me. I wonder how she got her cherry popped?


    Growing impatient my member slapped at her face, rubbing itself against her for relief. Her mouth hotly huffed on my sensitive flesh, and it instinctively gravitated for that opening. I knew that it would be warm and wet and wonderful. I prodded at her mouth, slicking back and forth between her lips. Her hands began to move again stroking me and fluffing my ruffles, digging in between the folds. I humped at her face, each short thrust getting deeper into her mouth. I fed my length into her, trembling as her delightfully tight maw squelched as she attempted to breath in between thrusts.


    All the while my tongue rampaged inside of her tummy. Her hips kept bobbing and my hands coiled around her thighs, pulling her back so that she was mounted on my face fully. Deeper, I had to go deeper. My throbbing tongue penetrated into her core and she shuddered, writhing from the new sensation. The entrance to her womb tightened around me, a silken vice filled with such delicious nectar. I probed harder, swirling inside of her. Stirring her, watching as her hole tightened and loosed, drooling with bliss. Her strokes of my bug cock got fevered as she held onto it for dear life.


    I shuddered, her hands madly moving up and down my shaft. Her little mouth was, so tight, clasped onto the head and unable to take more. Her tongue eagerly followed my entrance at times adventuring into me to get more of my sexual secretions. Our bodies locked together, the only thoughts were to pleasure one another. To make the other cum, to make her tremble with glee and orgasm. She pulled off of my head for a brief moment, gasping for air and moaning something, before my free hand pressed onto the back of her head and forced her to go back down on me.


    She writhed unable to get free as I kept worming more and more of my squishy tool into her. She sputtered and squirmed unable to break my dominating grasp. Her throat bulged as I gained entry and the fight intensified in her. Realizing, I was taking things too far I let her go and she popped off, huffing with drool and spittle flowing out of her slacked mouth.


    ¡°Nee-san is, is too thick. It hurt,¡± she complained.


    My tongue retracted and I hugged her ass, rubbing against it affectionately, ¡°Sorry Sunshine, I got a little too rough.¡±


    She looked a little sad, ¡°Sorry Nee-san, Sunshine isn¡¯t good enough to make you feel good.¡±


    I reached over, petting her head, ¡°It is ok Sunshine. I couldn¡¯t take my ovipositor all the way at first either. So don¡¯t worry about it. Practice makes better. I am just happy we are able to be so close.¡±


    Her hands began worshiping my length once more, causing me to tremble, ¡°Nee-san, Sunshine likes your thingy.¡±


    ¡°What do you like about it?¡± I asked, fingering her while my tongue flicked at her clit.


    She squirmed, ¡°Sunshine likes the bumps and how it smells and how it tastes. It is so soft and yet so hard and hot. It would feel amazing inside of Sunshine, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    I nodded, well her cute little cunt would be tight as fuck. Just imagining, shoving myself into that hot hole made my lady boner surge with strength. She watched in amazement as it filled out her hands, bulging obscenely, overflowing through the gaps in her fingers. My abdomen pressed and I started humping her hands. The lewd sounds of our mutual pleasuring filled the room between our gasps and moans.


    Close, I was so close. I buried my face in her mound, rubbing and nuzzling against her. My tongue returned to her depths crawling straight into her womb. My hands groped at her ass, squeezing the cheeks and spreading her. She got wetter and tastier by the moment. She tasted tangy and sweet, like pineapple oddly enough or at least close to it. I concentrated on my invader, the tongue as it roamed her most precious place. It crept about in her womb, enjoying every moment of the oppressive heat and crushing walls trying to keep it still.


    Sunshine was not idle. Her hands had grown accustomed to a very delightful jerking motion, that stretched out my folds and caused my member to get hotter and juicier with every pass. Before long I was fully erect, my entire length on display, pulsating and trembling with desire. Her strokes held me harder, squeezing and grasping as she worked my sensual secretions into a lather of lust. The friction driving me mad as I could hardly produce enough lubricant for the entire mass of obscene flesh. She licked and sucked at the head, taking it into her mouth.


    She popped off intermittently to take deep breaths before going back down on me. Her mouth was shallow and she couldn¡¯t take me that deep without gagging and tearing up. Though this time she didn¡¯t. She panted, fervently rubbing me with an amused tone, ¡°Nee-san¡¯s thingy is fun. Strokey, strokey. Nee-san, Nee-san the butterflies are, are fluttering.¡±


    Ah, so she was close to cuming then. My lips covered her whole mound and my tongue went wild inside of her. My free hand slid into position and started rolling her clit mercilessly. Sunshine shuddered, her body writhing from the sudden intensity of my hunger and lust. Her booty tried to escape, rising up, but my hands held it down. Her hips bucked wildly in her fevered attempts to escape, but I didn¡¯t let her. Her orgasm came with shakes, spurts, and cries of bliss.


    She moaned out ¡°Nee-sama! Nee-sama!¡±


    I ate her pussy like there was no tomorrow, gorging on her fluids, sucking and slurping as she went limp. Her breathing was ragged and she lay there unmoving, gasping with every movement of my tongue. I relished her sweet nectar for a while longer, before my own need for release had grown too much to be ignored any longer. I shifted her so that she sat on my abdomen and my pulsating impregnator rose up between her legs and rubbed against her pussy. Eagerly, I started dry humping her thighs, using her warmth and deliciously soft skin as I held her legs together to better vice grip my member.


    ¡°Sunshine, Sunshine!¡± I grunted as I held her still and thrust faster.


    I couldn¡¯t hold myself back and my hands grasped the engorged organ. I beat it like it owed me money, shuddering as Sunshine squirmed. She panted from the rubbing down below. Her juices dribbling as I bulged unable to control myself. I came. It flowed and filled the tube until finally, the top opened like an obscene flower. My release arrived at last and it gushed out, showering Sunshine¡¯s front as it bucked against her chest like a wild animal.


    I flopped back, trembling with glee. Sunshine huffed where she was nestled in my arms, too tired to move. We lay like that for a long while, just listening to one another breath. After a while, Sunshine stirred. I watched as she scraped the goop off of her face. She hesitated, torn between wanting to drink it or rub it off somewhere. It was understandable, I mean swallowing cum was an acquired taste usually. I took her hands and licked them clean for her. I didn¡¯t stop there either. My tongue traced along her delicate form, exploring and hunting down every last drop of my release and her salty sweat. She was clean, though still very sticky from my saliva.


    ¡°Nee-sama-¡± sunshine started before I cut her off. I kissed her and my tongue rolled a fat glob of my cum, pushing it into her mouth. She squirmed from the sudden taste, but after some prodding obediently took it. After holding it between our tongues as they rolled about she gulped it down. I pulled away, trailing a little spit.


    I hugged her, ¡°Sunshine, I hope you enjoyed that.¡±


    ¡°Nee-sama¡­ naughty things are fun and feel good. But they are also very sticky.¡±


    I nodded, chuckling a little as I carried her in my arms, ¡°Well, then let¡¯s take a nice hot shower shall we.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine loves Nee-sama, we should do naughty things more often.¡±


    I smirked and kissed her on the forehead, ¡°Just ask and I will be happy to. But remember, don¡¯t tell anybody about this. It is our little secret.¡±


    She nodded curling up in my arms as went to get clean. That was more fun than I thought it would be and oddly enough not nearly as awkward as I thought it would be. Maybe Sunshine was a pervert this whole time and I had just been lying to myself all along. Sunshine is lucky to have a nice nee-sama who is experienced and willing to teach naughty things¡­ something tells me this might become a regular thing.

 Brooding Chapter 3

    The Vespidian


    Arc 10 Brooding


    Chapter 3


    My thoughts lingered. Drifting over various things. Sunshine flickered brightly and I felt my eyes flowing with tears. Sub hugged me, helping me to suppress the sorrow that was oozing out. Then I saw Nightmare¡¯s smug face and a seething rage burst out I reached for it, clawing and racking swiping desperately to get a finger on her, to kill that evil bitch. I will kill her, I will rip her to shreds! Sub held me tighter, restraining me and holding me back. Slowly the surroundings melted into a black abyss. Everything vanished except Sub and I. It was cold and silent until a familiar thing came.


    Pain, a blackness of agony ebbed and flowed. Pulsing, I knew this pain, this sea of suffering. My very existence being changed, warped, morphed. Ripping, tearing apart at the seams. I coiled harder, tighter around Sub squeezing her to myself. Her arms wrapped around me as my face rest against her chest. Her calming heartbeat thumping steadily to keep the terrors my mind might try to conjure up away. This time I was not alone, not scared, not going mad. I knew what was happening, I had Sub this time and I knew that this would pass. As it went, we got closer and closer, until we might as well have been the same being, I could hear her thoughts. Tranquil and soothing, dulling the surging pain of muscles sprouting, carapace forming and our body becoming whole once more. Other things were torn from us, memories fading into oblivion, but we clung to everything that we could.


    Through all the blinding, searing nerves there was a warmth, an ecstasy, a bliss that I had never known. It was strange this feeling. In the wake of the fire spreading a bubbling sensation, cleansing and making the pain a distant memory. It crested like a wave of pleasure flowed through every synapse of our brain. It washed away all of my troubles and left us floating in the black void. We were the only thing that existed, Sub and I clinging together. Our hearts beating as one and our thoughts in sync. Time held no meaning here, hours, days, perhaps months drifted by in perpetual solitude. It was enjoyable, just Sub and I, relaxing, basking in the glow of one another. Until finally our time was over and the real world came rushing back.


    ~~~


    Light glistened as my eyes shifted, moving about. My carapace was white as I reached out, blocking out the bright light. Strange, nothing hurt. My flesh was bulging, cracking, bloated and on the verge of bursting. The pressure, swelling with every heartbeat. It felt like my clothes were too tight. I pulled and tugged, until it tore, flesh spilling out like raw dough from a tube. Wait¡­ I don¡¯t wear clothes. I blinked a few times realizing that my body was more of a pale membrane than an exoskeleton. I was soft and squishy, my limbs flailed pathetically trying to scrape the ground, but I was so fat, so blob like that I couldn¡¯t reach. I was immobile, too heavy to move. My mind began to race, what, am I? I was certainly not human anymore. I had become a giant gurgling sack of flesh. This was worse than being crippled, I could at least drag myself around. Now I was a massive grub. I shuddered, squirming as something touched me. Scared. I reeled away, flopping over myself in an attempt to escape. This body was sluggish, this body was vulnerable, like this I was prey.


    ¡°Vesper are you ok?¡± asked a familiar voice.


    My antennae wiggled about as I wormed to see my assailant. There was a long moment that I did not recognize the person. My mind reeling over itself trying desperately to piece together things into a cohesive thought pattern. It wasn¡¯t her face I remembered, it was her smell. This was my, my mate, I purred, chirping happily as I realized that I was safe. My antennae flicked rubbing all over her, touching, feeling, smelling her, ¡°Xava.¡±


    She smiled, looking up at me, her gentle hands cradling my head. My initial unease faded as I rest against her. My body was strange, pale, fleshy, soft. I didn¡¯t feel right like this. Even with her here my instincts were screaming that I was not safe. She pet me reassuringly, offing food unto me like some sort of snackrifice. My mandibles quickly devoured, snapping veraciously, accidentally taking off one of her hands. Sparks sprayed from her stump as she looked at it in more surprise than pain. What remained of her metal hand dropped to the floor as I distastefully spat it out. It was hard and not tasty at all.


    ¡°You certainly were hungry huh Vesper,¡± She smiled pressing against my squishy flesh.


    Oooh, that felt good. Hands began kneading my rolls of soft flesh. I squeaked happily, purring so loudly that it rumbled and vibrated the room. I could smell more Xavas about and from the number of hands worshiping my grubby body there must be ten or so of her here with me. Though I craned my head, I couldn¡¯t see much over my jiggly rolls. My stubby little arms wiggling about, ¡°I am fat! I am a slug!¡±


    ¡°There, there Vesper, this is only temporary. Dr. Arbor had to revert your growth pattern to your larval stage since you had taken so much damage it would have impeded your growth. It was easier to break down your body and have it regrow with an added surpluses of protein.¡±


    I drooped a little, calming down, ¡°How come I am so big though?¡±


    ¡°It was a lot of protein. You weigh over a ton right now. This is sort of a cocoon or chrysalis if you would. Soon enough, you will molt out of it.¡±


    My antennae scratched at my face. Everything was putting itself back together, or rather starting to make sense, ¡°How long has it been?¡±


    Xava, tapped her sparking stump to her chin, tilting her head as she thought, ¡°It has been almost two days since we started, Dr. Arbor thought that it would take a full week before you would be moving about. But it seems her estimates were off. Your regeneration must be getting stronger.¡±


    Speaking of Dr. Arbor the doors behind Xava opened and in ran the green haired mad woman, unkempt as usual, wearing sweatpants and a lab coat. Her gas mask huffing as she doubled over catching her breath. This only slowed her down for ten or so seconds.


    ¡°My BABY!¡± She cried, running over and sinking into my soft side, giving me a hug or rather it felt like she was trying burrow into me.


    I wiggled, trying to run away, but I wasn¡¯t running anywhere with these stumpy claws. ¡°You did this to me!¡±


    She snuggled up, groping at my folds, ¡°You are beautiful Vesper!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you lie to me. I am a defenseless ugly ass fucking grub! Fix me!¡± I screeched at her, my little stumps trying to claw at her.


    ¡°You are so adorable, so soft and squishy. You are my little baby again. Mama loves you!¡± She started kneading my flesh like a cat. OoOoh, she knows just the right places~ wait a minute.


    ¡°Stop touching me!¡± I shifted, but she was in there and was not going to let me escape¡­ although I can¡¯t really move.


    Xava just smiled vaguely as she watched my pestered and tormented screeching devolve into a low squeaking and purring noise. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but it did feel good. I lay there at the mercy of the many hands stroking and massaging me¡­ I could get used to this. Ahhhh, some kind of oil was being lathered onto my leathery membrane. Have I died and gone to heaven? It feels nice. All my stress fluttering away with the many fingers working my flesh. After a while, I just zoned out getting sleepy over using so much energy trying to flail around. I drooped getting lulled back to sleep.


    ~~~


    Intermittently I awoke. Squalling helplessly for food like a child as my tummy rumbled. I could feel my body trying to eat itself. After the second time, Xava hooked a hose up to my face. A tube extending into my mouth and throat. Protein paste flowed, pumping straight into my stomach. I grew accustomed to it very quickly as my hunger pains were culled at the expense of being able to properly communicate. I didn¡¯t need to though. I had been reduced to sleeping and waking only to gorge until my sides felt as though they would split from my greed. My purpose was to feed, my existence was to grow and that, that I did. I could feel myself getting bigger, rounder, thicker by the day.


    The days passed in a delirium of nearly mindless feasting. Until I felt something change. My soft skin hardened. It was time. My flanks cracked as I reared up shaking my mass. I struggled to free myself of the feeding tube. My mandibles crunched it and my tongue moved, pushing it out. Xava worriedly approached over my sudden outburst.


    ¡°What is wrong Vesper? Does your tummy hurt?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Tight. My skin feels too tight.¡± I groaned.


    My back bulged shifting my mass as a rip in the hardened flesh appeared. Yellow gushed out streaming over the sides of my pallid body. I had already begun splitting open. It couldn¡¯t be stopped now as a feeling of release oozed from the freed flesh. The air cold and crisp, tantalizing my newly formed body. More and more of me emerged pushing up out of the cocoon. She helped me peel away the dried husk. It snapped as more of my gooey, moist vulnerable self, emerged from my old shell. She began working diligently cracking open the carapace. Section by section she went relieving the pressure and freeing my fat, squishy body. I lay there, trembling like a newborn slowly, but surely she went until I had been completely freed. I huffed, taking in deep breaths. The air teasing my exposed body. Last my head split open. This was a strange sensation. I felt so vulnerable, I just started getting used to having a hard carapace again.


    My head overflowed draping her lap as her other bodies picked through my soft folds, peeling off any remnant of the old grubby self. My new carapace began to grow, soft helpless. So this what it feels like to molt. I felt disoriented as the room came to a standstill. The discarded and torn open shell that was my former self, lay hollow on the floor like a corpse. My exoskeleton hardened from the pasty white color of my squishy flesh beneath, drying into the familiar black and radiant blue. My claws curled as I tightened and loosened all four fists. My eyes moved about as I searched for something to see what had changed from my molting. Xava tapped her head and her vision appeared on the large screen to our side. Sure enough, I had gotten bigger.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    I was rather large before, at the least by human standards I was 6 and a half feet tall¡­ now, I was likely close to double that by my estimations. Handily, Xava¡¯s overlay displayed the exact measurements as her eyes scanned over me. 13 feet, 3.9 meters, or 396.24 centimeters tall from the crest of my head to the bottom of my talons. Everywhere she looked things got measured. My head had grown a bit, it was now 36 inches long.


    The face was familiar, bone white and mask-like as ever. A line traced the top left eye, a faint scar that had been mostly shed. A reminder of Astrea and the mistakes I made that got her killed. Speaking of eyes, there was not just four anymore. At the top of my face, where the white of this facade gave way to the hardened exoskeleton, what appeared to be a line of black eyes forming a crown. Like a jewel in the center was a larger eye than the others.


    There was no longer even a bump where the nose had once been, instead, it flattened out. The bony face creased where my mouth was, the lips seductive and red. I opened the maw fully, feeling it unhinge and my chin split open along with the lower half of my face. The opened halves revealed themselves to be the first set of mandibles and towards the back was the second, smaller set. Surprisingly, my tongue had only grown about a foot so it was about a meter long when fully unfurled. It was still a slimy and quite muscular appendage, though it does appear to have gotten thicker, roughly the size of a woman¡¯s forearm.


    My body structure had changed a little. The chest was reminiscent of a breastplate, the said breasts were definitely larger, but with my size now they were not overly big. I had some Ds now, maybe even double-Ds for my size. On a human or even my previous size, these things would be like Hs or something larger. Still, I am a bug¡­ why do I even have boobs if they are covered in hard exoskeleton? I cupped them, scratching at the small lump near the center of each. Then it happened, the carapace opened. There was a muscle in there that worked the hinge, it was just like my abdomen plate vents. By all that was holy, nipples! I had nipples again! I would have to explore that a little later.


    My stomach area was made of a thinner, more malleable plate of carapace that allowed far more movement and flexibility, much like the joint parts of my limbs. It was similar to cartilage. It was muscular and thick, however, unlike a human the muscles went down, allowing for me to stretch or to decrease the area. The section could be mostly tucked up under my hardened chest. It seemed rather useful, but I could tell it was still a weak point and one of the few soft spots on my body.


    The pelvis had not changed much, it had gotten larger, but that was about it. The carapace still had the camel toe like crease dividing it into two halves. The thick cartilage of the joints was comprised of overlapping plated muscles. My booty was still somewhat hard and armored, though it was very nicely shaped. It was made of the same cartilage like chitin that the joints were. The abdomen had not changed where it connected to the rest of me where the tailbone should be, if I had one.


    My arms and legs other than growing longer and thicker had not changed much at all. The legs were still more robust and more elongated than the arms. The tripod of 2 foot long talons clutched at the ground and my five 14 inch clawed fingers were still on each of the four hands. Granted, they had doubled in size to their current lengths. It was very handy having Xava¡¯s measurement vision here.


    I turned around for her and looked over at the screen to see my back. The strange thing was, I could still see her. It took a long moment to realize that I had a huge lensed eye on the back of my head. I had sort of been filtering it out, didn¡¯t even realize it was there until now. It followed the crease on the back of the moon shape, measuring to be 16 inches across and 8 inches at the tallest point. I concentrated on it and the familiar red iris appeared from the murky depths as it focused in on Xava. It blinked, covering itself back into my carapace. I am not sure what this eye was for, but it seemed mostly attracted to movement. This was why I was feeling so unsteady, I was seeing almost every direction at once. It appeared that I had a small blind spot to my sides where the peripheral from all my eyes didn¡¯t quite overlap.


    She observed the tentacles, the little finger length tendrils had become 2 meter long tentacles draping behind my elongated skull, like hair. Even the structure of my head had changed. The tentacles grew from the crescent crest that the carapace fanned out into at the back. In total there were 12 of the prehensile limbs, 6 on each side. She reached out touching one, sensitive like a finger. I coiled it around her hand and lifted her up off of the ground. They were strong too. I set her back down and she moved on in silence, though I could tell she was having a hard time containing her excitement.


    My wings were slightly longer than I was tall measuring out to 4 meters. The membrane was semi-clear orange mixed with red. It was solid and compact. I could tell just by flexing that they were absurdly powerful, which they needed to be, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t be able to carry me. They draped my back like a regal cloak, resting on the back of the abdomen so that they did not drag on the floor.


    Last on her observation was my impressive abdomen. Each of the interlocking plates were 16 inches long as they descended the sizable appendage. In total there were 5 plates measuring to a total of 80 inches, a little over 6 feet. My abdomen alone was almost bigger than my previous self. I, well, I am a thick girl now. I could tell by the joints and experience that it could get bigger, to the point that it bulged out and left soft vulnerable spots along the seams. Roughly estimating for comparison, I figured that if I tied three Xavas together they would be about the same size thickness-wise as my abdomen.


    I flexed and the vents opened, flapping a little before they shut again, sealing off my soft and pale flesh. The decadent and rich stench of my pheromones filled the immediate area. It smelled of citrus fruit, maybe oranges were a close approximation. I curled it between my legs to get a better look at it. Xava followed with a perverse eagerness. We watched as the fifth protective plate opened to reveal my genitalia. The stinger stabbed out as I tightened muscles, it measured a meter long and at the base had a thickness of 4 inches that tapered out as it went to the end. This was a deadly weapon. Might as well be a damned spear. It was not barbed or hooked, it was very smooth. The carapace didn¡¯t even need to be open to deploy it either, it just slid on out.


    As for the naughty bits, there were four bluish purple holes. The one above the stinger was my anus. The smaller hole just above my vagina was, of course, the urethra. There were two nub like things on either side of my breeding hole. Xava poked them tentatively, these were different than before and I quickly learned that they might be the Vespidian equivalent of clitorises. She spent all of a moment, trying to coax out my ovipositor. She stuck a finger in and observed as she opened up the quivering hole.


    The inside was ribbed and there appeared to be tendrils or at least strange muscular appendages lining the walls. They were a bit bigger than the normal bumps inside of a vagina, about an inch each. It took a moment of thought to figure out what they were, they were likely used to help push eggs out. Her probing was getting me in the mood and I felt things shifting in there. The abdomen gurgled as my flesh warmed up. It took a moment before the feelings resonated with my sight and my mating appendage started to emerge.


    The ovipositor was lined with those flesh tendrils on the outside as well as the inside as it extended out from me. She kept reeling it out, until it couldn''t get any longer. This thing was a monster. Nicknames such as The Bitch Breaker and the Pussinator came to mind. If her robo eyes could be trusted then it was 6 feet long and 3 inches wide with shallower parts every four inches that dipped. The tip had a spear like bulbous part that extended out a little from the entrance, which was smaller or at least it appeared to be. Something tells me this is meant to gain entry and then widen my would be mate for breeding. I also have the nagging feeling that it will get even bigger once properly aroused and swollen with lust.


    I wonder how big my eggs are going to be¡­ It was about at this point that the throbbing of my need was beginning to pulsate and resonate with the rest of me. Just the mere thought of holding Xava down and filling her with my eggs had started a reaction within me. A more primal need had made itself known.


    My eyes fell on Xava, roaming her hungrily. I stared longingly at her fertile hips and that booty that I could already imagine bouncing on my ovipositor, knowing that would be the perfect place to stuff my eggs. Unconsciously, I rolled my tongue, wetting my lips, salivating uncontrollably. I bent over, smelling her. The antennae curling and twisting around her, basking in my mate¡¯s aroma. My abdomen trembled, like a furnace firing up for the first time. A factory coming to life. I wanted her¡­ no, I needed her. My arms coiled around her in a hug. My body pulsating, blood pumping as the vents opened and my mating musk billowed out in a cloud of steam. Dear god did I want to fill that bitch with eggs.


    ¡°I need you,¡± I growled, kneading at her fake flesh.


    She smiled, ¡°I have been waiting for this day since I met you. Come, Vesper, I have a wonderful surprise and I know you are going to love it.¡±


    Though my mind was quickly devolving into a simpler thought process of ¡°Me fuck now.¡± I still managed to hold back. I wanted to see what this surprise was. We left the room that I had more or less called home since I had awoken. This was the first time I realized exactly how big I was. To fit I didn¡¯t have to duck, I had to crawl. Being an extra thick girl had drawbacks. The hallway was tall, but it wasn¡¯t tall enough for me to walk upright and so it was easier to crawl. My movements became natural, fluid, practiced after having been languishing away for so long.


    We didn¡¯t go very far, only a couple doors down. This room was larger than the last. I could stand fully without nearly scraping my head on the ceiling. The room was roughly half the size of a football field. I looked about unsure of what to think of the place. There was only one thing in this entire room a large upraised platform that was made of some sort of soft and yet firm material. I poked at it appraisingly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, looking over at Xava.


    She spread out her hands, smiling, ¡°This is your room Vesper. Now I know it is a little empty right now, but we can always add more.¡±


    ¡°My room?¡± I asked finding that I might start crying over how nice that was of her to make me a room. ¡°Thank you Xava. It is a wonderful gift.¡±


    I flopped onto the bed, dragging myself all over it, getting my scent ingrained. Yes, I was claiming my territory. This was mine, this was mine now. This was my¡­ a word formed in my head nest.


    She wagged her finger, ¡°This isn¡¯t your surprise.¡±


    ¡°It is not?¡± I looked up from where I was scratching at the bedding to get it just right.


    The door opened again and in marched a veritable army of Xava, well ok, it was only twelve of them, but still, that is a lot of robo nurses. They wheeled over a large box with a bright red bow tied to it. I stared at it as they set it down at the foot of my bed. My antennae squirmed, smelling something¡­ it was familiar, but I couldn¡¯t put my claw on it.


    Vaguely, I pointed at it, ¡°What ehh¡­ what is in the box?¡±


    ¡°Go on, open it and see.¡±


    Oh boy! What is it my birthday? Somebody loves me! I eagerly pulled the bow off and when I went to open it, the whole box fell apart all the sides laying flat. My eyes gaped at what was in there. I had certainly not been expecting this. There a certain man lay seductively on his side. A red, white, and blue striped leotard contained the succulent man muscles and a mask hid his face. My memories quickly jigsawed together who this hunking slab of meat was. I needed only see that substantial package to know for sure. Bronson Man¡­ and yet I know that I had seen that bulge elsewhere.


    ¡°Boris?!¡± I gasped. I had been bamboozled this whole fucking time?! How could I not have realized sooner?


    The music was a dead give away too¡­ Although, it had started the moment the box opened the funky music that was playing only now registered.


    ¡°Cause tonight for the first time,


    Just about half-past ten,


    For the first time,


    In history,


    It¡¯s gonna start raining men!


    It¡¯s raining men!


    Hallelujah!


    I¡¯m gonna go out, I¡¯m gonna let myself get,


    Absolutely soaking wet!¡±


    ¡°For me?! You shouldn¡¯t have!¡± I had to wipe the slobber from my mouth and I looked at Xava, ¡°Wait, is this ok? Is this cheating on you?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°It is fine, we needed a surrogate anyway and he was more than willing. Shall we begin your¡­ Insemination?¡±


    A twitch of movement drew my eyes down and I noticed that she was popping a stiffy to the point it tented her black mini skirt. Oh, I turned and looked over the surrounding Xavas, realizing that every last one of them had a raging hard-on. My mouth got dry for a moment. It¡­ it is a fucking dream come true. My vents burst open creating a near fog bank.


    ¡°Yesss¡­¡±

 Brooding Chapter 4 Interlewd: A Queens Feast part 1 (R 18)

    The Vespidian


    Arc 10 Brooding Chapter 4


    Interlewd: A Queen''s Feast part 1


    My breathing was short and heaving, up and down my breasts quaked, my chest heated as I looked over my partners. A feeling welling up inside of me, a want, a need. This wasn¡¯t a matter of being horny. This was something more primal. My new body was exuding pheromones and nearly boiling with hormones. Even though I couldn¡¯t sweat that didn¡¯t stop me from being soaked. Condensation pooling in my crevices as lust filled mist gushed out of me. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I had never wanted to fuck this badly in all of my life before. I could feel it in my center, at my core, in every fiber of my being that this was my purpose. Worse than a bunny in heat I needed to breed. My womb burning with desire. I wanted to be bred like a beast. Filled with semen until it overflowed from my hungry hole. My eggs drowned in cum. My only desire was to be impregnated.


    I loomed over Xava, drooling as my vents flapped, spreading my heated musk through the room, my voice distant and needy, ¡°I¡­ waaaant.¡±


    Her eyes had lit up as she gazed up at me, ¡°It seems that your estrous period has reached its peak. How are you holding up?¡±


    I huffed leaning down as my antennae twirled around her, enjoying her scent, ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡±


    ¡°Lay down Vesper, I can¡¯t really reach you from here,¡± smiled Xava and I obeyed her. My mate knew what was best.


    I lay on my back, my abdomen exposed, drooling and leaking like a broken fire hydrant of arousal. Billowing mist rising from the small holes in my thick meaty appendage. Xava¡¯s many bodies surrounded me. I groaned, ¡°I want it.¡±


    Her soft synthetic flesh slid over my carapace as my vision filled with Xava. Her cocks pulsing inches from my face. Precum glistening on her heads, oozing down in fat droplets that splashed onto my hardened cheeks. All of them had a lecherous look upon their faces, biting their lips as they looked down at me.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± They asked in harmony.


    My mouth opened and the thick tongue emerged, lolling like a dog overheating, ¡°C¡­ Cock I want dick! Fuck ME! Fill me!¡±


    The one directly before me aligned herself, pressing her tip to my tongue and sliding it along the length like a red carpet into my warm maw. She moaned as she began to slowly work her hips, humping her delicious cock into me. The dribbling of what was to come did not taste as her usual lubricant did, it was salty and musky¡­ this, this was real cum. It wasn¡¯t protein paste or her usual fruit flavored lubricant. My antennae each curled around a lengthy shaft, eliciting a moan from their owners. They circled and twirled, smelling and feeling my mate. The others began to earnestly rub their cocks on my face as their hands jerked their well-endowed members.


    My pussy trembled, pulsing and squirming in restless need. EMPTY. I felt sooo empty. I needed to be filled. I trembled as a pair of large burly hands spread my lips open. The horny hole shuddered from the stimuli, opening and closing in a show of my willingness, my readiness for breeding. Fingers pressed in one by one, digit after digit sliding inside of me. My hips rose, bucking slightly in relief and angst. My head foggy and covered in spooge spilling meat. A flat, blunted tongue scraped at my pussy, lapping up my overflowing juices. Boris probed deeper tasting me.


    Xava took my mouth, pushing herself fully in. My tongue came to life, wiggling and twisting as my lips suckled onto her dick like a cock starved whore who nearly died from withdrawal. My mouth undulated around her, slurping and milking her. Head tentacles slithered up, pressing against Xava. Each had wrapped around one of Xavas¡¯ cocks and began to fervently stroke her off.


    The Xava hilted in my mouth moaned as a tentacle pressed against her plump robo pussy, swirling and working its way into her, ¡°Vesper! It feels good. I love, you, I love you! I will give you more and more yummy cum just you wait.¡±


    I like¡­ no, I craved the sound of that. Cum, I wanted cum in my belly. My abdomen pulsated, hungrily as it felt Boris¡¯s tip. He grabbed my flanks powerfully and buried himself inside of my sweltering hole. I moaned as Xava eagerly thrust faster in my mouth. I shuddered, juices flowing. I vented as I could feel him scrape as far as he could inside of me. It scratched an itch that had been driving me mad. Reactively, the coils of my insides tightened around him. The walls coming alive, moving in jiggling, pushing, and sucking motions. Boris grunted, pulling back out and then reaming himself back in.


    His hips powerfully surged dominating me, using me, breeding me. My walls became swollen and fat with arousal, tightly clinging to his meaty member as it plunged ferociously through me. I was wetter and more fertile than the Nile Delta, my body ready for his seeds to be sown and my eggs to be impregnated. Every thrust into me spilled copious amounts of fem juices. The gratuitously over lubricated tunnel gushing with need. I could vaguely hear my lust spilling onto the floor below, under the incessant squelching of Boris mating me like a beast. It was everything I had dreamed of and more.


    He moaned and his hips mashed against me for a long moment as his molten cum spilled into my carnal canal. My head tilted back in elation. Yes! YES! My walls crushed his cock, holding it deep inside of myself, stroking it, feasting on his essence as it was coaxed out. More and more of his cream filled me, bubbling and spurting from his cock. I hungered for more. The emptiness inside of my being felt a tiny droplet of relief, but that only made me want it more. This would never satisfy this maddening hunger. My member munching muff began to oscillate around him, devouring his hardened flesh. He tried to pull out, but I didn¡¯t let him. The bumpy walls of hot velvety flesh stroked him until he came again. His seed gushing into me like the good breeding drone he was.


    Xava trembled, cuming in my mouth. Her musky dong trapped as I sucked the juice right out of her like a straw. It was delicious, the pungent flavor tickling my taste buds. My cheeks filled as I sloshed the fluid about ingraining her scent and taste into my memory. Her head thrown back in bliss as her release was milked out of her. My tentacles jerked harder on her cocks and those that didn¡¯t have a shaft to stroke began to pillage her wet wanting holes. Plunging in and out slickly, causing every single one of them to scream in elation. Their hot cum gushing onto my face as the naughty nurses panted and huffed. My antennae were bathed in her white cream. The only thing that I could smell was her seed soaking into my brain.


    Xava fell back, her legs shaking as my mouth became empty for a moment, before another Xava quickly took her place slamming herself between my plump cock pillows. I lay there, content to let my mates do all the work, to use me like an oversized onahole, to fill me with their hot jizz until I was fat and swollen with brood. Several of the Xavas left my head moving down along my body until they had reached my breasts. I trembled as their lips surrounded my soft nipples and they began to knead at my flesh. Like cats, they bit and pulled at the sensitive nubs while massaging my breasts.


    Boris twitched inside of me. He was done, milked dry. Not a drop of semen left in his balls. I relinquished him and he fell back gasping for air. My breeding desires had not been quenched of the all-consuming fire in my womb. I trembled as my pussy spurt, hungry and drooling for more spunk, more cock. Xava did not disappoint. Her hands groped at me, petting me, calming me and her dick shoved into my lewd canal. She mechanically began to thrust into me with reckless abandon. The squelching filled the heated air accompanying the many moans and lustful breathing coming from my many-bodied mate.


    My abdomen pushed back against her, meeting her halfway through the thrust so that it jarred and jiggled my soft flesh. My tongue began to lull again tasting Xava¡¯s pussy, pushing up into her as she thrust desperately into my mouth. My head filled with the stench of sex and animalistic mating, semen dripping from my antennae, my mouth frothing, and pussy spilling cum and arousal. But even all of this, wasn¡¯t enough.


    I shifted, Xavas dangling from me as they were trapped in my tentacles. My chest heaved as all my hearts thudded uncontrollably throughout my body. The tentacles began to push in and out of her holes. Plunging into the robotic nurses until their bellies distended around the flesh that coiled inside of them. I shuddered relishing their synthetic holes tightening and desperately attempting to accommodate me. More. I needed MORE. My abdomen bulged as I changed position, pinning the Xava that had been desperately humping me like a horny dog. It began to move up and down, stroking her shaft and soaking her in my arousal. Her orgasm was quick and my monstrous pussy gorged on her load, gulping it down until she was empty. I lifted up, leaving her there.


    My abdomen curled in front of me, between my legs and I lifted down several Xavas. I pressed them like sex toys shoving their cocks into myself, two at first, then three. I jerked them up and down, forcing them to fuck me harder and faster. Their bodies rag dolling as I no longer cared for their well being. I wanted more cum. My womb demanded more and more it would have. I thrust harder and faster, grinding them into my abdomen, squeezing them like turkey basters to inject their seed into me. I didn¡¯t care if they broke Xava was my mate, her only purpose was to fill me with her gooey love. To impregnate me. Two of them shattered in my hands, sparks rain down as the halves flopped to the floor, discarded as useless trash.


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    I held my face feeling as though my mind were melting. Hard to think, must, must breed! Pinpricks erupted across my body and I shuddered as electricity surged through me. Muscles seizing up, causing me to fall flat. My cunny spurt in orgasm as I writhed, panting, not understanding what had been happening. The current didn¡¯t stop, until the world went black.


    ~~~


    My pussy spurt as I felt something thrusting into it. I squirmed, finding that I could not move properly. My eyes opened to discover that I was restrained. I tugged and the floor creaked and groaned. My arms and legs were thoroughly bound, held within a somewhat familiar contraption. Memories surfaced of the many times I had to be restrained due to how out of hand I tended to get. I lay upon a soft upraised platform that supported my weight, to the sides my limbs were secured in holes and behind the abdomen was held in place to be used. The large eye on the back of my head opened fully, taking in the sight of Xava pumping steadily into me. Behind her a queue of twenty more Neon Nurses were lined up idly stroking the enormous cocks.


    Xava smiled, looking up at me, ¡°Awake? Is there any discomfort?¡±


    ¡°How did¡­ what happened?¡± I asked, finding it difficult to piece together the events that led to me being in bondage again. Not that I was complaining, but everything was a bit of a haze.


    ¡°Let me tell you, I can¡¯t have you being so wild and breaking everything. So I had to restrain you. But don¡¯t you worry,¡± she said lovingly hugging my fat bug butt, ¡°I am going to fuck you until the cum is flowing out of you.¡±


    I nodded a little in understanding, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t really remember it too well.¡±


    A Xava walked over to my front and hugged my face, ¡°I know, Vesper, it was hard right? Don¡¯t worry, I love you and I will do anything for you.¡±


    The one railing me moaned as she buried herself balls deep and came. Instinctively, my lower lips sealed around the shaft, milking it as the nectar of life flowed into me. Yes, this was right. Contently I sighed, leaning heavily against Xava. She just smiled and let my face rest against her exposed breasts. She did have some nice motherly melons. So soft and squishy, vaguely I nibbled at her nipples. Once the Neon Nurse had been sucked dry was ejected, falling back as my hole rejected her. There was only a matter of seconds before the next took her place and another fat, swollen cock slid into me. I knew that my new partner was brimming with breeding material. Yes, a good virile mate. She began rhythmically slapping her hips against my swollen pussy. It was enjoyable to be served in such luxury.


    A thought crossed my mind as I felt much more filled than I had been before, ¡°How long have you been using me as a cum dump?¡±


    Xava tapped her head a few times, ¡°About three hours straight. Let me tell you, your body sure is greedy. I have been burning through the harvested semen reserves.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so, that is actually cum? I thought it was a substitute or something.¡±


    ¡°No, it is organic. Thanks to Boris¡¯s considerable contributions we had a lot stored up, but your Spermatheca is insatiable. You have already taken five gallons at this point.¡±


    ¡°My what now?¡±


    ¡°It is an organ that female insects have to store sperm so that they can fertilize their eggs with it. It is located along the vaginal tract.¡±


    I nuzzled against her trembling as the one behind me passionately pounded my pussy until she creamed herself. My cunny clamped onto her, feeding, and I realized that must be the spermathingy. Now that I knew what it was I sort of understood what was happening. My body was storing up sperm for later use. It explained the uncontrollable cum hunger. My womb didn¡¯t feel as though it was made of molten lust anymore. I kinda regret not being conscious for the hours of breeding my muff had gotten while I was out. It was a bit numb now from over and continuous use. Though I get the feeling that if it was left alone for a bit it would be rearing to go again.


    Speaking of which, ¡°What happened to Boris?¡±


    Xava replied as the one that was emptied was replaced and my mating continued with a fresh, new tank of sperm ready to be injected, ¡°He is taking a break. You milked him dry. Although he did have three more goes at you while you were out. Super Stamina indeed.¡±


    ¡°So all this cum that you are pouring into me is his? What made you choose him? Not that I am complaining, just wondering.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is very productive. It is a matter of superior genetics. After all, he is a wonderful specimen. Your children should be rather strong with such a good genetic stock to be fertilized with.¡±


    I idly enjoyed the mechanical thrusting of the synthetic cock eagerly fucking me. Xava truly was a sex machine, she seemed to never tire and if she did, well that body was replaced by the next. My frothing hole spilled and gushed as I went crossed eye for a moment, shaking as an orgasm rocked through me. My body felt dulled, as though coming down from an extreme high, or perhaps I was just tired. My hormones seemed to have leveled out for now and the breeding bliss had subsided a bit. I still felt cravings in the back of my mind, but it wasn¡¯t all-consuming anymore. I had control over most of it.


    As my mind wandered a thought came, ¡°What did Boris get out of this?¡±


    Xava pat my head, ¡°He got first dibs remember? Although he wants to do some other things with you too, but that can wait until after you have calmed down a bit.¡±


    I sighed as more baby batter gushed into me, ¡°I am surprised you were willing to share.¡±


    ¡°It was out of necessity. If I could have you all to myself I would, but, unfortunately it was biologically impossible. Still, what I truly desire has yet to come, I want your eggs Vesper. I want you to fill my bodies with them. I long to incubate your young. I dream of you holding me down and pumping me full of your brood until I am fat and so heavy that I can¡¯t move. To feel your children growing inside of me.¡±


    My tentacles coiled around her, ¡°Yes, I want that too. I want to fill you with my eggs.¡±


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t keep me waiting,¡± She smirked kissing me as her hands roamed and played with my sensitive limbs. She pulled away after a moment my eyes focused in on her quickly hardening shaft, she pressed it against my lips, ¡°Feeding time love. Gotta keep you sufficiently hydrated and satiated.¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, I was rather thirsty and hungry for that matter. My lips curled around her and she eagerly pushed forward, feeding her schlong into me. After a short thrust she bottomed out and her swollen balls slapped my chin. She closed her eyes for a moment, relishing my moist mouth before her hips began to piston in and out, fucking my face.


    She leaned in moaning dirty things, ¡°Good, girl Vesper. You are such a good girl. Do you like being a breeding bitch? Yes, you love it, I know you do. Being restrained like an animal, being mated and stuffed full of seminal fluids. Your womb flooded with cum until you are knocked up like a whore. You want me to fuck you full of babies, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I gurgled around her, wetting myself over how fucking hot that imagery was. Where did Xava learn to dirty talk? I wanted to hear more of her degrading whispers and tantalizing promises of bliss. Then a realization crept into my mind¡­ that is exactly what she was doing to me. I tightened, squeezing her and a choked moan erupted behind me as I strangled the shaft inside of me until it exploded, sending more of her yummy cum into me. My body grew hotter again as the exhaustion seemed to merely fade away in the heated fog that blanked my mind once more.


    I must truly be a bitch in heat. Xava moaned trembling as she held desperately onto my head as I sucked her off like my life depended on it. She didn¡¯t last long before I was rewarded for my efforts. A thick fluid gushed into the back of my maw, tasting of banana¡­ this wasn¡¯t cum. It was protein paste. My lips pulled her deeper and she gasped as I sucked my food from her like a straw. Her legs quaking by the time her once swollen balls had been emptied into me.


    Hours passed in a delirium of mating. This was not sex, it was breeding. The only thought flowing through my mind was to be impregnated and stuffed with so much cum that I would never walk away, that I would never need nor want for more. The train of cocks plunging into my tunnel eventually subsided and a single massive member replaced the many Xavas that had tried so desperately to knock me up. Behind me now was a machine that was made for a single purpose, to breed me. Adorned upon that mighty thrusting implement was a mold of my old member.


    The familiar shape pressed into me and the world felt right, as though the thing that I had been missing from my perverse puzzle had been shoved into the perfect spot, filling the blankness of the picture. My eyes nearly rolled as the Inseminator thrust forward, deeper, deeper than anything had ever reached before. It stabbed into my core, my cervix convulsing around it, pushing it back out and after a slight retreat it returned. Another thrust battering my last line of defense until I yielded to my mate. My womb had been claimed. All my muscles heaved in elation and I screamed in orgasmic bliss, screeching like some sort of inhuman monstrosity.


    Xava simply smiled, staring upon me like some sort of debaucherous goddess. They lathered me with something, my body heated up steadily and a stench that I knew, that I would never forget filled my antennae¡­ Astrea. Her hands grasped my feelers, working the mating pheromone into my smellers until the world tinted and I went slack-jawed. Drool slopping and flowing as a lust that I had never known ignited through my brain, searing synapses. The look of utter depravity across their faces as she pressed the button and my faux mate mounted me. I squelched obscenely gushing buckets around my prodigious mate.


    Astrea began to move, slowly at first drawing herself out and then the powerful thrust slammed that pulsing bubbly tube back inside of me. My head jerked back as I moaned, tongue flopping out as it got hard to breathe. Short huffs could hardly keep up as the thrusting intensified. My womb trembled as it was battered, that ovipositor ramming clear into the back of my egg sack. She bottomed out, scraping, scratching the itch that had raged all my life. I came. Spurting and wailing, I writhed in my restraints. As I quivered and slobbered like a mad beast Xava held my face lovingly and pressed the big red button.


    I heard it the same moment that I felt it. Astrea had cum. The surge of liquids flowing up the tube made it distend, widening me. Instinctively, I clamped down around that hot throbbing member, forming a vacuum seal so that nothing could escape. It pushed deeper and deeper until finally the bubbling payload crested at the tip and burst inside of me. My mouth opened into an obscene O that gaped and slowly slacked into a brain-dead smile of unadulterated nirvana. My tongue lay limply on the floor as my glazed eyes stared at nothing.


    Pumping and thumping, the semen flowed into me continuously for minutes on end. My abdomen bloated, filling with seed. Gallons flooded my womb. There was so much that the member was slowly pushed out of me, inch by inch as the pressure forced it out. Finally, it was completely empty and withdrew. My abused hole drooped spilling the precious liquid, drooling it as it spasmed, unable to close properly from my ordeal of being so thoroughly mated. After minutes of quivering and spurting, I managed to tighten up and horde my gooey reward all to myself.


    My eyes began to droop in fatigue I was tired, exhausted and yet I was so¡­ fulfilled. Dreamily, I glanced over Xava smiling at her as she pet me, kissing me and lavishing me with pets and compliments, though her words were muffled and I couldn¡¯t concentrate on them. Deep inside I felt a stirring, a churning as my body geared up for what was next¡­ my true purpose was only half complete. Yes, the real mating, the true breeding had yet to begin.

 Brooding Chapter 4.2 Interlewd: A Queens Feast (R 18)

    The Vespidian


    Arc 10 Brooding


    Chapter 4.2


    Interlewd: A Queen''s Feast part 2


    I awoke in a dreamy, elated daze. My abdomen swollen and massive as I lay on my bed, free of the restraints. Xava was there with me, gingerly stroking my tentacles. I sat up, teetering from side to side as I rubbed my eyes. Vaguely, I pat my minuscule mate like one would a pet. I stroked at her hair, smelling her and indulging myself as my fingers roamed all over her. Exploring every inch and facet of her body. Appraisingly, I lifted her up, spreading her firm and bouncy booty as I eyed her holes. My antennae pushed into her and she let out a slight gasp as I spread her synthetic cunt open, smelling how receptive and fertile my mate was. She was a very willing incubator for my young, of this I was sure. Her wetness and elasticity were adequate I thought as my feelers stretched her and slithered deeper until they curled within her womb exploring where my children would grow. Yess, she will do nicely.


    Though such thoughts seemed appropriate, they also didn¡¯t feel right. I sat for a while rhythmically rolling my fleshy feelers inside of her as I tried to piece together what was normal? This, was my mate. That checked out. This is a receptacle for my eggs, my children. That was correct, she had said so herself many times. So her purpose was to incubate my brood. Yes, she was to be filled at my whim and leisure to gestate my offspring within these fake bodies. Yes, these bodies were merely dolls, sex toys, fuck holes for me to fill and use until they break¡­ somehow that last part didn¡¯t seem right. Is Xava not my own personal fuck doll that happens to move and talk? A nagging in my head told me that it was wrong to think of her as an object.


    I retracted from Xava lowering her as I licked my antennae clean of her delicious secretions. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± asked Xava looking up at me quizzically.


    ¡°I am unsure. Xava, how should I think of you?¡±


    She thought on it for a moment, ¡°I don¡¯t understand your quandary.¡±


    ¡°What are you to me? You are a thing for me to use and yet you are also my dearly loved mate. I do not wish to harm you and yet a part of me wishes to use you until you break.¡±


    ¡°I love you, Vesper. Although I would not be pleased with you breaking my bodies I understand that you have wants and destructive needs.¡±


    I tilted my head, ¡°Won¡¯t that hurt you though?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°A little, but I know you are trying so hard. So if you have frustrations that you need to get out, please use my bodies. Although do try to keep it in moderation, they are not cheap to make.¡±


    ¡°I see. You are¡­ a good mate Xava,¡± I leaned in snuggling against her.


    ¡°I love you too Vesper,¡± she leaned against me.


    ¡°Booo, hey, I came here to see some hardcore alien insemination, not this mushy lovey-dovey stuff. Get to fucking already!¡± said a voice from over on the side.


    I turned to see an adorable sky blue headed girl sitting in a lawn chair, sipping a fruity looking drink with an umbrella sticking out of the glass. I knew that trap anywhere, Ichigo. I pointed at her, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Ichigo took a sip, ¡°What? You think I am going to miss you fucking that slut nurse full of eggs? Now stop your waffling and do those things you were thinking about. Come on I wanna see it.¡±


    Oh, we had an audience¡­ ¡°How long have you been watching?¡±


    ¡°The whole thing more or less. I mean there were a few hours here and there when it got a little boring, but hearing you squeal like an animal was pretty nice.¡±


    ¡°You sure do like watching,¡± I said vaguely.


    ¡°Fuck yeah I do. I love watching you be a total slut bug. I can¡¯t buy porn like this. Where else am I going to find a wasp creature to impregnate a sexbot?¡± she said slurping down another gulp of her drink.


    She had a point. I mean, I am the only wasp¡­ wait, I do have clones though, so I am not the only one. That being said I am supposedly the only breeding one. I will have to actually go and see those clones to make sure I am not being bamboozled by Dr. Arbor.


    I felt something stir inside of me, something unfamiliar. My abdomen gurgled, clenching squeezing as the mass inside of me shifted and let themselves be known. It took a long moment for me to realize that I was swollen with eggs. Eggs that needed a new home to grow in. My hands caressed the hard shell lovingly, my unborn children awaiting their hosts, their incubators.


    I gave Ichigo a look over and purred seductively, ¡°You want to join us?¡±


    Ichigo categorically shot me down, ¡°Nope. You ain¡¯t egging me.¡± She waved her hand dismissively, ¡°Go on, get to breeding you got a nice willing slut bot right there.¡±


    It was worth a shot at least. I mean, there are a lot of eggs in me, surely Xava didn¡¯t need all of them. I looked down at Xava¡­ well knowing her, she might and if she can¡¯t, she would damn well find a way. So, so dependable! I nuzzled against her again, ¡°I love you Xava, let¡¯s get to baby making!¡±


    I could feel my body churning out the eggs. Forming them deep inside of me, slowly filling up my already overstuffed womb, the egg sack bloating with the soft, leathery shells. Despite how I felt about Xava, I wanted to toy with her a little. Yes, get her back for using me as her personal cum dump for hours on end and shocking me. Sure, I liked it, but it had given me an idea.


    I shifted, ignoring Ichigo since she merely wanted to watch, like always never actually participating. I gazed upon Neon Nurse, the air around me changed as I let my queenly radiance be known. My demeanor and aura became domineering as I lorded over my little slut bot. A certain naughty nurse had been getting rather full of herself and it was about time I showed her, her place. Xava noticed the change as well, staring up at me expectantly. I licked my lips, knowing that this was going to be very fun. I shuddered slightly already imagining how my personal harem of sex robots were going to lavish their Queen.


    ¡°Do you think you are worthy to carry my spawn?¡± I chided down at Xava.


    ¡°I, I, I do. Vesper, I want your babies.¡± She stammered.


    My antennae twitched, unimpressed, ¡°Is that so? Prove it to me.¡±


    She seemed momentarily unsure and replied, ¡°How should I show you?¡±


    ¡°Queen,¡± I replied sharply, ¡°You will call me Queen as a sign of your obedience, your loyalty, your love and affection.¡±


    She replied, ¡°Yes, my Queen, I love you, Vesper, I love you.¡±


    At her words, my ovipositor twitched with arousal. It felt so good to utterly dominate something. Up until till now I had usually been on the receiving end of and it felt¡­ right to be the giver. Yes, I was going to grant her everything that she craved. Although, it was no fun to simply hand it over to her. Xava was going to have to earn it.


    ¡°Good. If I am the Queen, then what does that make you?¡± I leered at her playfully.


    ¡°Your¡­ Queen?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°You are my concubine, yes a slutty robot like you is only worthy of being bred like the whore you are. My personal fuck bot. What do you want Xava?¡±


    ¡°Your, your eggs my Queen.¡±


    ¡°Yess,¡± I purred looming over her, my hand pushing her down so that her ass was in the air, ready and waiting for me to penetrate that sloppy hole. ¡°You are my fuck puppet. Yes, just an incubator for me fill with my progeny over and over again. I will fuck you full of eggs until your fake bodies break.¡±


    She wiggled down there, ¡°Yes, yes, please use me!¡±


    ¡°Beg for my eggs slut. Beg for your Queen to mark you and make you my personal fuck toy.¡±


    ¡°Vesper! Please, please fuck me, fill me with your babies.¡±


    I slapped her ass and the jiggly flesh bounced as she shuddered, I growled over her possessively, ¡°BEG!¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    She shrieked, ¡°PLEASE! My Queen, my Queen I want them, I, I neeed them. I want to be your egg slut. I want you to use me and break me and use me. I will be your personal incubation unit! Please, I want them, I want them so badly. I will do anything! ANYTHING!¡±


    I leaned down over her licking my lips, ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Name it, anything! I will lick your toes, massage your body, you can use me like a sex toy. Anything, anything for you my Queen, Vesper! I love you!¡± cried Xava nearly delirious as she was so close to what she had been dreaming of, getting stuffed full of my brood.


    My ovi pulsed sensing her utter willingness. I slapped her ass more forcefully this time, claiming her as I squeezed her cheeks mashing them together as she trembled meekly below me. Yes, this was right. That was where Xava belonged, under me, ready and willing to receive my eggs, begging and pleading for me to impregnate her. I grit my mandibles as I held back, it wasn¡¯t time yet, she had to earn it.


    ¡°Please me with your bodies and then you will get your reward. Worship your Queen and then and only then I will use you like the fuck hole you are. A walking incubator for my brood. Kiss my ovipositor worship it, for it is your new god.¡±


    Xava panted below me, turning as she stared upon my massive member pulsing before her. I flopped it onto her, burying her under the tendrilled coils of flesh that pulsed with arousal and blood. She planted the sluttiest kiss I had ever felt. She hugged onto to it sensually rolling her tongue and she licked it up and down, burying her face into my hot throbbing tube. She took a brief moment from whorishly slathering me to moan, ¡°Yes, yes my Queen. I will serve you.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I smiled, petting her like a small animal.


    The other Xavas approached with fervent eyes as they circled my girth, each crawling onto it, drawn to my bulging bug cock like moths to a raging inferno, pulling themselves along the sensitive flesh to massage the six feet of impregnator. Their soft breasts pressing as they wormed about fanatically worshiping my glorious member. I closed my eyes, leaning back and enjoying my harem of synthetic sluts descend into a depraved mingling. Their bodies curling and twisting around me, moving with a single purpose¡­ to please me. Images unbidden of tightly presses carapaces worming about me, buzzing and humming. I opened my eyes expecting to see more of my kind eagerly serving their Queen and yet my eyes were met with the soft fake flesh of Xava frantically trying to get me off.


    I was perplexed, ignoring her, tuning her out as I tried to discern these new thoughts. The tingling in my brain soon faded as did the images of the hive, the colony of my kind swarming around me, desperate to serve my every whim. I focused back in on Xava finding her to be an adequate surrogate to a hive. Yes, she would due until she could be replaced by my own kind¡­ strange. That felt wrong. It was wrong. Neon Nurse was my mate there was no reason to replace her. I pushed the alien thoughts down, crushing them.


    I tilted happily moaning as I returned to my senses feeling the tide of an orgasm crest. Her breasts sliding along my folds as I was on the receiving end of a full-blown multi-storied titty fuck. All of them panting, their delectable breasts jiggled and humped as they rolled their hips and heaved their chests. I shuddered as my tube inflated and the horny robo nurses clung to me, stroking the cum out. My juices burst out, spraying her in my carnal scent, lavishing several in my essence. Marking them as my own for all to smell and know who owned them. I cooed, chirping to my mate, my pleasure.


    The sluts eagerly licked my goo off of one another, playing with it as they cleaned up everything. They even wholeheartedly lapped it up off of the floor. They turned their attention back to me expectantly, eagerly awaiting my next carnal command. It was time. My body was ready and my mate was oh so willing.


    I pushed her down and her booty slid back up, ¡°Yes! Your only purpose now is to be my cock slave. From now on you will bounce that bubble butt on me until your belly is so fat with eggs that you start to spill my babies out of your synthetic slut ass!¡±


    She held her face with a perverted smile, ¡°Yes, YES, My Queen! Use me, use me! Fill me with your brood. Put your organic positor in my incubation unit!¡±


    My ovipositor pressed against her ass, hot dogging her cheeks as I spread them. Slowly I humped, teasing her, taunting her. Until she was begging and pleading. I pressed the tip against her puffed robo pussy and let her gushing juices lubricate my impregnator. My abdomen pushed, spreading her as I wedged into her hot hole. She moaned trembling as inch after inch crawled inside of her. I licked my lips, staring down at her hungrily. Yes, this, this was right.


    My hands gripped her ass and I slid her back, making her take more and more of my thick tube. She panted, a look of bliss across her face as I utterly dominated her. The surrounding Xavas were misty-eyed, moving robotically as it seemed that she couldn¡¯t control more than the single one I was using. They eagerly swarmed around me, grinding their hips and moaning, whispering promises of pleasure to come. My tentacles coiled around several, lifting them up and roughly taking their holes. The tingles of satisfaction pulsing up my sensitive limbs as they explored the offered bodies.


    Xava slid up and down on my bug cock, my hands using her like a full body cum rag. Faster, I pumped her like a piston. Her tight, warm insides clinging to me desperately as I used her body. My arms jerked briskly beating my meat with her. She trembled and moaned whorishly as she pistoned on my positor, rag dolling limply and completely submissively. My grasp tightened with every stroke. Her robo snatch vibrated and pulsed as it rotated around me. Milking me desperately and my pace quickened. She was tight and wet and so hot inside. I squeezed her harder as I felt an orgasm rise from my depths.


    ¡°Take it!¡± I screamed, slamming into her as her glowing eyes shorted out for a moment and her stomach distended as my member came inside of her, flooding her in preparation for my brood. I shuddered as the first egg slithered through my serpent-like shaft and pushed up into her wanting and needy body. The rest soon followed, the feathery feelers inside of me pushing them along. Squelching past her shuddering robo pussy lips and gliding along her siphoning tunnel until it burst free into her cavernous womb. Xava¡¯s tongue rolled in her mouth as I watched the surrounding faces twist with bliss and eagerness to be the next to feel my blessing of fertility.


    She spasmed, sparks spurting from her lights as they broke and her belly distorted, bulging obscenely. Her eyes had gone blank and she fell limply, sliding off of my tube, where she lay empty and broken on the floor. This did not deter the surrounding Neon Nurses if anything it made them even more voracious. Like a swarm of cock-crazed zombies they attempted to smother me under their seething masses. Desperately they clawed at me trying to be the next, forcing me to assert my dominance. I swat several of them down. Seeing that they wouldn¡¯t settle down unless I was stuffing one of them I unceremoniously grasped the wiliest one and slammed her face first into the floor, with a loud crack.


    She shuddered spurting and sparking as I mounted her like an animal. Slamming my thick tube into her willing hole. Below she wiggled, oozing as I began to thrust in earnest. The lewd sound of her gushing pussy getting scraped and nearly breaking with how hard I fucked her filled the air. The breed hungry robots calmed blissful while I used one of them. They sensually rubbed me and caressed my carapace while they awaited their turn.


    My abdomen bobbed as my hips battered into the ass. A human would be dead from how rough a fucking I was giving my mate. Her body was identical to the others. An obscenely wet pussy that was as tight as a virgin and yet was filled with rings to stroke and milk me. Folds to wash me in bliss. Vibrations spreading through the tunnel to ease me in deeper and her cervix suckled upon my tip like a pair of the greediest cock sucking lips.


    I growled at her, holding her down as I jackhammered into that sopping snatch, ¡°You love this don¡¯t you, you slut. From now on I am going to fuck you however and wherever I damn well please! BEG me egg slut, beg me for my babies.¡±


    Xava shuddered, cumming underneath me as she screamed hysterically, ¡°I am your slut! Your egg slut. My Queen, eggs give me your eggs!¡±


    Satisfied, I gave another rutting thrust that nearly broke her, ¡°Good, here is your reward egg slut.¡±


    This one writhed as I filled her, her belly bulging with life as my eggs flooded into her. I pulled out, leaving her gushing cum and spilling eggs onto the floor. The next was already shoving me into herself, eagerly becoming my next cock sock as I grabbed her and sat back. My hands idly using her to jerk off with. Her body rising and falling as I used it to satiate my need to breed. Xava had long since descended into gibberish and squealing like an animal as I fucked her into submission.


    Those that were not fortunate enough to be riding my member gathered around me, their hands stroking the base of the tube, their tongues wallowing and lavishing my sensitive flesh. Each of my breasts had a hungry mouth attempting to feed, biting and pulling at it, trying to milk me. One sat on my shoulder kissing at me, sucking on my tongue as it wetly plunged into her throat as my tentacles slid in and out of her holes, getting her primed to be the next wanton womb for me to fill.


    I shuddered, my hips bucking as I injected my eggs into the screaming sex bot mounted on my abdomen. I held her down so that she couldn¡¯t flop off as her incubator was filled to the brim and she shorted out several times, rebooting as her eyes went blank over and over again from the pleasure. She slid off falling flat onto the floor. The next slammed her hips down, taking my full length with a perverse joy and she was rewarded with a torrent of warm goo and the eggs that spread her even more. She fattened as the others had, shuddering in pure bliss as she was carried away and replaced by the next.


    Hours? I am unsure of how long this lasted. It felt like hours, but it could have been shorter, or longer. My addled mind no longer even cared for sex. A pussy spread around my ovipositor and it was rewarded with my brood. My eggs flowed freely as my abdomen pumped them out, churning my brood out like a factory. Our mating had become an assembly line of fuck bots taking their turns to allow me to impregnate them before they were replaced by the next. Strangely, it was an orderly event after I had tired, but the continuous stream of wanting wombs descended for my children.


    My swollen abdomen had shrunk as it emptied my eggs into my mates. This wasn¡¯t even about pleasure anymore. I hadn¡¯t bothered to properly fuck a pussy for¡­ who knows how long. Instead, simply pumping it full of eggs so that I could move on to the next naughty nurse who lustily begged for my children. Finally, after knocking up enough synthetic sluts that Genghis Khan would be proud, I had reached the last one that wasn¡¯t bloated with eggs. The last Neon Nurse that could properly move and wasn¡¯t laying around me, worshiping me in abject devotion.


    Xava kissed me, mounting my pulsing member as the juices of countless pussies glistened from it. Her lips pursing as she moaned and my hand pushed her down to take it fully and completely. I leaned back enjoying her robotic love canal coiling around me. She spasmed, panting as she leaned against me. We were both exhausted from this mating orgy. She mentally rather than physically. I pushed deeper into her huffing and purring as her walls stroked out a final climax from me. My tube gushed and her belly grew gravid as my abdomen pushed out a final clutch of eggs into her waiting body.


    ¡°EGGGGGSsss! Egggs¡­ eggies,¡± blankly moaned Xava shuddering as she reached a rapturous orgasm. Her cunny creaming as she trembled meekly, her incubator being claimed by my children as they took root in their new home.


    She limply lay against me as I fell back, panting as my abdomen flapped, cooling me down. The vents closing after a while as the high of release slowly came down and the adrenaline that had been coursing through my veins subsided. I was tired. I leaned to one side, laying fully down as my hands snuggly wrapped around several of my heavy baby makers. My antennae stroking against the swollen bellies, listening to the gurgling of my eggs growing within.


    ¡°Vesper¡­¡± meekly said Xava holding my hand onto her massive bulge, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I snuggled against her, lightly nipping at her, ¡°I love you Xava.¡±

 Brooding Chapter 5

    The Vespidian


    Arc 10 Brooding


    Chapter 5


    Dreams were fleeting as I stirred and groggily looked about the room. For a brief moment the afterglow of my mating fuzzily filled my head. Contently, I pat about for what should have been around me, however my hands did not find it. There was something missing, only a single Xava was here and her belly not full of my brood. Anxiously, I looked more thoroughly, turning over my bed, finding nothing my antennae waved as they smelled about the floor for my children. I followed the scent to the door, pressing at it, but it would not open. My claws scratched at it tentatively as I looked at Xava. My head turning more than it had any right to.


    ¡°What is wrong Vesper?¡± she asked, stepping beside me.


    ¡°Babies¡­ My children. Where are they?¡± I asked, shifting so that my body realigned with my head with a strangely fluid motion, as though it were snapping back into place.


    She replied with a slight smile, placing her hand on her stomach and rubbing it slightly,¡°They have been taken to the incubation chamber. You don¡¯t need to worry about them, my bodies are gestating them as we speak.¡±


    My unease did not settle down, ¡°I want to see them, make sure that they are safe.¡±


    Xava nodded, understandingly and the door opened. She followed along behind me as I navigated on all six of my limbs with my antennae to the ground. My eggs had a very distinct scent, one that tickled my brain and begged me to protect the source. The trail ended only several doors down, I pointedly looked the door over, canvassing it with my feelers. Yes, I could smell them, my babies were just beyond this door. Xava tapped the pad beside the door, showing me the combination 99284.


    The door opened and I stared at a large glass wall. On the other side Xavas were held like¡­ livestock. A tingle spread up my spine tickling my brain. Incubators. The word just felt right. Row after row stacked on shelves the blond cyborgs limply lay in their harnesses. Their bodies swollen and heavy with my brood. Hoses hooked up to their bodies as fluids pumped through them. It took a moment to understand, nutrients were being injected into their fake bodies to sustain my eggs.


    ¡°Incubators indeed,¡± I said vaguely, looking over the dormant synthetics and my already substantial love for my mate increased yet again.


    ¡°Yes, I am trying several different variations on the incubation conditions to see what is optimal for our children to grow. Currently, I am using a mixture of reptiles such a crocodile and insects such as wasps to figure out what might be the best temperature and moisture for their development. Still, we are unsure of your species development patterns.¡±


    I nodded, sitting down and placing a hand on the glass longingly staring at the bellies that held my children, ¡°You are a good mate Xava. I don¡¯t think I could have asked for a better egg bearer.¡±


    She smiled, climbing up my leg and flopping into my lap. She nestled after getting comfortable and leaned back so that she could look up at me, ¡°I will do anything for you Vesper.¡±


    My lower arm plopped onto her head, slowly petting her, ¡°I know and I am thankful. How long until they hatch do you think?¡±


    She frowned slightly, shrugging a little, ¡°I am unsure.¡±


    ¡°I see. I suppose this would be the first time this has happened so nothing to really go off of.¡±


    I looked around the room a little more closely. On this side of the glass there was a workstation with an assortment of instruments neatly organized on the table. Standing in front of this was Dr. Arbor in her green containment suit. I must have been too focused on my offspring, I hadn¡¯t even noticed her when I came in. Various little containers sat there under a microscope. Among all of that was a glass dish with one of my eggs sitting in it. I scooted across the floor so that it was within arm¡¯s reach. Gently, I prodded at the leathery translucent purple membrane. Within I could see the embryo or rather a shape taking form slowly.


    ¡°What are you doing with this child?¡± I asked her.


    Arbor replied, ¡°That was one of the ones that was damaged during your¡­ copulation. I am experimenting with it.¡±


    My face twitched and I snarled at her, ¡°That is my child!¡±


    ¡°Vesper! Vesper, calm down, calm down,¡± said Xava holding onto my face and forcing herself in between the two of us, ¡°She is trying to help us.¡±


    I could feel a boiling rage as I shoved Xava aside, looking between the egg and the woman who was holding a scalpel. My mandibles ground together, clicking at her, growling as my body inflated to make myself look even larger and more intimidating than I already was. My head tentacles lashed out, binding her limbs as I lifted her up to my face. She dared to hurt my baby! My powerful coils tightened until she was squeaking and squirming.


    Dr. Arbor cried, ¡°VESPER! It is already dead, it got crushed when you were mating!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean it is dead!?¡± I screamed at her my eyes twitching as I pushed past her to the egg.


    My antenna rubbed along the surface, smelling it, touching it¡­ sure enough the normally rounded shape had been flattened on one side and the embryo had been squished. It was cold and lifeless. I whimpered, crying as I nuzzled against it. No¡­ no, I already lost a child.


    ¡°Vesper, it¡­ it is ok Vesper, it happens,¡± said Xava petting me.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do Xava. Our child, I killed our child.¡±


    She hugged me and kept looking me in the eyes, ¡°Vesper it was an accident. It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    ¡°It happens Vesper, eggs get cracked that is what they do,¡± said Dr. Arbor sympathetically even as my tentacles squeezed her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry though you still have a lot of babies and Xava is going to make sure they hatch successfully.¡±


    I sat down again quivering, unsure of what to do anymore. I wanted to protect my babies and it was me that they needed to be protected from. I whimpered nuzzling against Xava.


    ¡°There, there. It is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine. You didn¡¯t mean to do it, you were just caught up in the moment,¡± She cooed gently to me and I started to calm down.


    After a while my mind began to become more clear now that it wasn¡¯t in defend my brood mode. A question occurred to me, ¡°What sort of experiments were you doing to it?¡±


    Dr. Arbor replied from where she dangled up above me still very much at my mercy, ¡°It is just preliminary tests. Mostly just taking samples and analyzing them.¡±


    I understood it. I knew why she had been doing what she was doing. Dr. Arbor is studying me and my kind after all. On the other hand that is my child, my flesh and blood. Her dissecting it didn¡¯t sit right with me, though I understood it. Dr. Arbor has done a lot for me, even with my uncooperativeness. I should trust her, she has my best interests in mind. I had to suppress the animalistic maternal instincts that demanded I protect that egg. I looked over to the glass and pregnant women within. One child to learn more about the rest¡­ was I willing to make that sacrifice? Though it did pain me¡­ perhaps others won¡¯t die? Although if it is damaged, maybe it was better that they did?


    I pondered on this for a while, rubbing my chin at times. The concept of what was right and wrong had long since been blurred. What was right for humans might not be right for my kind. Either way, sometimes sacrifices have to be made. One egg¡­ my child¡­ truly this a is a case of not counting my chickens before they hatch. All manner of things could go wrong. What if they get sick? There are too many variables unaccounted for. Information was needed and that could only come from one place.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°How many eggs did I lay?¡±


    ¡°270 eggs Vesper, not counting the ones that were smashed. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Ones?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your mating rut was very violent at the start.¡±


    ¡­ I was silent for a moment. Animals that have lots of offspring expect most of them to die. I was very conflicted emotionally, just thinking about my little eggies made me anxious, but this was not a time for emotions. Logically, I knew what was best. I sighed, my resolve settled as I shoved aside the emotional self that pleaded and clung to such human thoughts. I am not human, this is for the survival of my species. If one clutch of eggs has over two hundred then how the hell am I supposed to love all of them? There isn¡¯t even a point in naming them until they hatch. I can lay more eggs. I know I can, I feel them inside of me.


    ¡°You can take ten eggs, counting that one, to perform your¡­ experiments.¡± I said with a bit of loathing in my voice, leaning over her as my head tendrils pulled her to face me, ¡°But if you take anymore than that, then I will take one of your limbs for every one. You will not touch the rest of my children without my permission, not Xava¡¯s, Mine. Is that understood? If you cross me, I will destroy you.¡±


    To get my seriousness across my flexible limbs yanked at her and I heard several pops from her bones straining. She let out a slight groan before nodding enthusiastically, ¡°Ten!? I understand, no more than ten. I am surprised you were willing to part with so many. I had my doubts you could be reasoned with over just the one.¡±


    ¡°I figured that more might die if we don¡¯t understand them better. So get to work, Dr. Arbor, I want to see results or I might use you to make up for the children you have squandered.¡± I threatened her.


    She nodded, ¡°Of course Vesper, now that I know that you won¡¯t stop me I can begin in earnest.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about this Vesper?¡± asked Xava.


    I set Dr. Arbor down and coiled around Xava kissing her and petting her, ¡°I understand that sacrifices must be made sometimes. If it means that the rest will grow healthy, then I have no hesitation to allow some of them to be used as such. It is not as though there is only one child. If there were only a few I might have ripped Dr. Arbor in half, but since there are so many¡­ it is less of a strain emotionally.¡±


    ¡°I, I see.¡± Said Xava nodding. ¡°It is understandable. Are you hungry Vesper?¡±


    In the absence of my stress and preoccupation, my hunger descended. My stomach grumbled as I rubbed it. ¡°Famished, I think I could eat a whole cow,¡± I said.


    ¡°A hungry hungry girl I see,¡± said a voice that sent a tingle of terror up my spine. That deep, manly voice I knew so well, etched into my mind.


    I turned and sure enough, there she was, Molotov. I squinted at her, she was even smaller than she used to be. Though that is because I got a lot bigger. Still, I knew better than to try and pick a fight with her. ¡°I hear I owe you my life.¡±


    ¡°It is not as though I ever truly let you go after all. I have always been watching. So did you have fun playing hero?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t playing Hero.¡± I stared down at her. ¡°I tried it as best I could.¡±


    Molotov smirked, ¡°Did you really think they would accept you? Did I not tell you that the Hero League was not what you thought?¡±


    I scowled at her, ¡°You did, but if it was so bad, why did you let me go to them?¡±


    She nodded slightly, ¡°To let you see with your own eyes who and what it is that we are fighting.¡±


    ¡°Nightmare?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though things do not end with her. Speaking of her, a little kitty told me that she is trying to escape the city.¡±


    A tingle spread up my spine as I loomed over her, I could feel a twitching in my fingers, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°And what will you do once you find her?¡± Molotov replied curiously.


    ¡°Kill her. Slowly. I will rip her arms and legs off. I won¡¯t kill her right away. I will torture her.¡± I clenched my fist to the point the carapace cracked and regrew dribbling from my fingers.


    ¡°Oh I see and how will you torture her?¡±


    I glanced at the restrained cybernetic women filled with my eggs. ¡°Part of me wants to break her and use her. Fill her with my brood and hopefully they will devour her from within. The rest of me wants to force feed her my shit and piss until she drowns in it.¡±


    Molotov nodded vaguely, ¡°Eh, I have done worse.¡±


    Intrigued, I asked, ¡°What would you do to her?¡±


    ¡°Ah well I would get a few turnips and-¡± started Molotov, before Boris appeared behind her with a bouquet of flowers.


    ¡°Vesper!¡± He beamed straightening his tie. ¡°You are even more beautiful and majestic than before.¡±


    My tentacle took the flowers and I sheepishly replied, ¡°Thanks?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t used to being hit on. Well by people that I liked anyway, besides Xava. Though that was more of her brow beating me into submission with her continuous advances. This though was different. I mean it was a guy. A dude. A man muffin. My baby daddy¡­ hmmm, wait then do my children have three parents? I mean he knocked me up. Then I laid the eggs. And Xava is gestating them. Genetically speaking, there is only two, but what happens if they were laid into a living host? Do they take on the genetic of the mother as well? Like a cock flopping outa the darkness, it hit me.


    ¡°Xava, Dr. Arbor.¡± I said turning to them.


    Both looked at me curiously, ¡°Yes?¡±


    I began to articulate what was swirling about in my mind, ¡°So usually during pregnancy the child takes on traits, even sharing the blood of the mother in the womb, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are correct. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Since Xava¡¯s bodies are synthetic could we use other super¡¯s genetics? To give my children a wider array of power sets?¡±


    Dr. Arbor looked as though she had a stroke laughing hysterically, ¡°That is even better than what I had been thinking of! Oh, but then- If that works like that then this and¡­ I think it could work Vesper. Ohoho, I am a genius. Here I was thinking of kidnapping people and pumping them full of your eggs. We don¡¯t even need them, we just need their DNA samples and I can replicate it and-¡±


    ¡°Calm down,¡± said Molotov, ¡°We don¡¯t know if that will work or not.¡±


    ¡°Do we have samples that we can try?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not on hand. Though I have a few in stock at my main facility. I can have them brought over. If we wanted more well I can think of a few places that we could get some.¡±


    ¡°Run along Vesper, I am sure there are some things you want to get sorted out. Since I am intrigued, Dr. Arbor and I will discuss the details of this.¡± Said Molotov, motioning with her eyes that I should leave.


    ¡°I am free to go outside?¡± I asked perplexed. I had been assuming they were going to try and lock me up in the lab.


    ¡°Yes, go visit your parents. I am sure they will be relieved to see that you are fine.¡± She replied.


    I nodded, it felt strange to be so trusted? I had been used to being on a short leash.


    Xava smiled, ¡°That is an excellent idea. I am sure they will be happy to see you. They have been very worried. Besides, I am sure you could use a good stretch?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong. I had been rather cramped in here. ¡°Yes, I think I would like that.¡±


    We took several steps before a nagging sensation filled my head. Hmm, I seemed to be forgetting something. I poked my head back into the room, ¡°Boris are you coming?¡±


    He looked shocked and pointed to himself, ¡°I¡­ I can come?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, you did butter my biscuits.¡±


    He was well, happy. Giddy even. Boris hugged me, well my leg cause that was as high as he could reach. I pat him and had to pry him off after a moment or else we could be at it for hours. I don¡¯t know why, but everyone seemed¡­ cuter for some reason. Maybe it is cause I am so big? I recall hearing that elephants think people are cute. Could that be what it is? I nodded to myself. Human pets¡­ I could see the merits in it now. That being said, that got weird real quick. I swept that thought process away, it was dangerous.


    We walked along the halls of Xava¡¯s base. It was clean, sterile, lifeless, as to be expected. The only things moving besides us were the robo spiders on the walls. On occasion a scorpion would scurry off back to the side vent after cleaning the floor of dirt or anything for that matter. The floor and walls were polished to a gleam and these things were making damned sure it stayed that way.


    Xava showed me to the service elevator once more and this time we ascended to the ground floor. Here there were more hallways stretching off to the side, but we were in a warehouse. Standing on both sides of the lift large machines turned, alerted to my presence. They had four thick legs as the base. The body could rotate in any direction freely independent of the legs. It had two large guns well, more like cannons on the shoulders. Below this, it had two arms on the side and six on the back. All the arms had claws, except two that appeared to have a flat attachment. The chest section had rows of hatches in it. Sitting atop the robust frame was the head. It had a spherical structure in which the surfaces were blank faceplates, four of them, each with a glowing red orb moving about.


    Xava waved her hand and the machines turned away ignoring us. I stared a moment longer and asked, ¡°What are those?¡±


    ¡°Those are Vira¡¯s toys.¡±


    ¡°Her toys?¡±


    ¡°Yes, those are the Vanquisher MK III attack drone. They are military grade, but they have their weaknesses.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°How strong are they?¡±


    ¡°Compared to supers? Rank 2 or 3. But these are mass produced. Or we at least have the capability of mass producing them.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t have an army?¡±


    ¡°No, but we can make one very quickly should the need arise.¡±


    ¡°Seems like you should make it before you need it.¡±


    ¡°Vira is getting better at an astounding rate, there is no point. These will be obsolete in a month. It is a waste of resources to build a lot of them. Not to mention the maintenance costs and the upgrade costs for once a newer model is made.¡±


    I scratched my chin. Made sense, ¡°How strong is Vira?¡±


    ¡°She is a rank 5.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I replied, nodding slightly, ¡°How strong am I now?¡±


    ¡°We will have to run tests, but at minimum, you are in the 6 to 7 rank range.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That much stronger?¡± I glanced at Boris. Did that mean I was closing the gap between us?


    ¡°Yes, well, we can discuss this more in-depth as we test things out in the city later.¡±


    ¡°In the city?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. You haven¡¯t seen the city since then.¡±


    The bay doors before us opened up. The lazy afternoon sun hung in the air. After a moment my eyes adjusted and the world outside had changed drastically. The city skyline at the center was gone. Completely and utterly. Buildings on the cusp of the crater were malformed and sheered in half. Smoke rising in various places. Debris from the buildings had been cleared to the sides of the streets. Even from here I could make out the distant sounds of gunfire. The city was no longer at peace or at least what facade that it had been maintaining completely crumbled away. If there was still a hero league here, they must be held up somewhere. Bronson had gone to shit.

 Brooding Chapter 6

    The Vespidian


    Arc 10 Brooding


    Chapter 6


    Everything looked so small down below. My powerful wings flapping at a steady pace of once every five seconds or so. It had been a long time since I flew. Flew with my own wings that is. These were definitely much more powerful than before. My old ones were likely underdeveloped, I really should have spent a lot more time exercising them. Even with 2 people on my back, I felt no burden. Every flap of my membranes was strong enough to crush a car, throw a bus, or pulp a human¡­ not that I have tried, but the sheer power behind these things made it quite evident that I was a hell of a lot stronger now than I was. This wasn¡¯t even me exerting myself either.


    We were in the rich side of town. The northwest where most of the larger companies were based. Chronic Tonic for instance, had been spared the destruction and was more or less in pristine condition. In fact, there were some cyber swat members out front of the building as we passed it. It seems that most of them switched over to follow Xava after the fall of the local Hero League. Enforcer was still kicking and running around trying to keep some order, all be it under Kraken¡¯s rule now that the city was the way that it was. He had his hands full, the gang war in the southeast part of the city had erupted into full blown out in the open warfare between what remained of the Sixes and Sevens and the Diablos. From what Xava was saying even the Mad Dogs and Angels of Hell were getting in on it.


    As for the Cyber Sirens, Xava¡¯s little group, they were running a protection racket for the rich and powerful to make sure nobody decided to pull anything in the area. It was working due to this section of the city not falling into complete chaos like the rest. There were no roving street gangs, instead, there were cyber swat on every corner and Vira¡¯s combat drones patrolling the area and shooting anybody that decided to try and cause problems. This section of the city was firmly under martial law, but compared to the madness elsewhere it was calm and peaceful.


    We made our way north into the suburb section and into the area occupied by Fold and the Scarlet Souls. Here wasn¡¯t so bad either. It had avoided most of the destruction. That being said, most of the power grid had gone out. Things were mostly safe here from what I could see. Minor crime stuff like looted out stores and broken into houses, but at least the streets were not choked with debris and abandoned cars. Barrel fires or any of that other stuff, well for the most part. There were bad sections. Homeless shanty towns cropped up filling alleyways and spilling out into the streets in some places. Trash and waste surrounded these areas, making my antennae flick over the disgusting smells.


    No one talked to us, they were scared. They tried to ignore us, avoiding eye contact. Keeping to themselves and staying out of sight. I didn¡¯t mind one bit. The trip to my parent¡¯s house was uneventful. We arrived in the suburb. Things were different than I last recall. Houses were boarded up, cars had been broken into and the nice little neighborhood had a very different air about it. It was tense, an unease filled the surroundings. From what I could see those that could, fled the city when they had the chance. Those that didn¡¯t, were held up in their houses.


    We arrived at a familiar driveway. My Dad¡¯s red pickup was not there, it was in the garage. I stared through the little window looking it over. It was not new anymore. Dents and scratches marred the surface. One of the tires didn¡¯t match the others. It appeared that it had seen some shit recently. The lawn was still green though it was not wet. From the looks of it, it had not been watered in days. The house, well the windows were covered up by thick metal bars. Even the door had a recently installed outer door that was locked. It seems they had holed themselves up rather well. I knocked on the door or rather tapped it with my claws.


    The sliding peephole opened up and after a moment the sounds of various locks being opened came from the other side. A bald, muscular man appeared smiling until he saw me. He stood still, looking up, taking in all that I was and after a few moments got over the shock. Now he looked between me and the door contemplating something, ¡°What have you been feeding her? Vesper, you are so big now!¡±


    My antennae descend smelling this human. Poking at him as I took in the scent¡­ it smelled familiar and yet I didn¡¯t recognize it. I looked between him and Xava, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    Both he and Xava looked at me as though I was mad, ¡°Vesper, that is Saar, your father.¡±


    ¡°He is?¡± I asked, tilting my head to get a closer look. My tentacles wrapped around him, feeling him all over. I liked rubbing the bald head. The smoothness was very nice and the little fuzzy hairs tickled. What did my father look like? My memories were jagged, distorted, broken. Bits and pieces jigsawed together. His smell was correct. But everything seemed wrong. I remembered flickers of things. His smile and the warm feeling of touching his smooth head. I lowered him.


    ¡°Dad.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so she does remember.¡± Said Dad giving me a pat. I nuzzled into his hand, remembering this feeling. Mmm it was nice.


    ¡°Love you dad.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what has gotten into you?¡± he asked smiling.


    ¡°Nothing really, just remembered how much I missed you.¡±


    ¡°Well, come on in-¡± he started before looking at me and the door frame again, ¡°Sorry honey, I think you are too big to fit inside.¡±


    I nodded, seems to be the case. ¡°I will be in the back yard.¡±


    ¡°You sure? I can move the truck out of the garage and you lay in there.¡±


    ¡°I will be in the back,¡± I replied, taking a large step over the fence and into the section divider between my parent¡¯s yard and the neighbor¡¯s. After another, I was in the backyard. Looking over the varied things.


    The old swing set rustled, my eyes wandering to the grill and picnic table. There wasn¡¯t too much else back here. Standing up straight I realized I could look into the second story window. What I saw was a very confused face staring back at me. My brain wracked about and it didn¡¯t take long to recall this person. She was my mother, Caroline. I smiled, giving her a little wave with my tentacles. I visibly saw her shiver and she quickly left the room. I didn¡¯t have to wait long before she emerged with Dad and the rest. She stood below me as I looked down at her.


    ¡°She certainly did get a lot bigger. How, eh¡­ how you feeling Vesper?¡± asked Mom gawking me up and down in an attempt to take it all in.


    I cracked my neck and sat down, ¡°I am feeling better.¡±


    Mom, Dad, Boris, and Xava all sat at the picnic table. ¡°So what happened to her exactly?¡±


    Xava explained, ¡°Well you see when the Hammer was fired, Vesper was crippled¡­ her arms and legs and abdomen were melted off. Her regeneration power was not strong enough and so she decided to augment herself with a full dose of Mutigene. It accelerated her growth after reversing it and as a result, she artificially forced herself into her next stage of development. In other words, she is an adult now.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Mmhmm, ah, Mom, Dad, this is Boris. He is the one who fertilized my eggs.¡±


    ¡°Da, it is pleasure to meet you Mr. And Mrs. Vasska. I had been looking forward to meeting you.¡±


    Dad looked between me and him and Xava, clearly trying to piece this together, when Mom blurted out, ¡°Eggs?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I laid them in Xava.¡±


    Dad nodded finally understanding what had happened. He looked between me and Xava expectantly, ¡°So when am I getting grandkids?¡±


    ¡°That is what you are concerned about?¡± asked Mom.


    ¡°And what are you concerned about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know, maybe the fact that our daughter is as tall as a house or like who the fuck is Boris and how the hell did he end up impregnating our daughter?¡±


    Dad nodded, before he stared down Boris, ¡°So, Boris how do you know my little girl?¡±


    Oh, things were serious.


    ¡°Da, I have had my sights on Vesper since moment my father showed me picture. My first planned date was ruined when she ran away. Never did get to take her to Nicky Mouse Land.¡±


    More or less all of us picked up on something there, ¡°Father?¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Da, you have all met him. Dimitri is my father.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± I asked.


    Boris nodded, ¡°He is known by different name now. Molotov.¡±


    Dad and Mom more or less didn¡¯t register it. Their faces filled with a mixture of disbelief and abject horror in the case of my mother. ¡°How?!¡±


    ¡°It was before he became little girl.¡±


    ¡°Who is the mother then?¡± I asked quite perplexed as I rubbed my chin. I mean fuck, this was news to me. I didn¡¯t realize they had that sort of relationship. I thought he was a just a Russian mercenary guy.


    Boris nodded, ¡°Nicky Mouse.¡±


    I put a hand up, ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold the fuck up. Your Mom is Nicky Mouse? The Nicky Mouse? Like Nicky Mouse Land Nicky Mouse?¡±


    Boris nodded rather proudly, ¡°Mm. Da, she is the one and only.¡±


    ¡°What was she like?¡± I asked.


    Boris frowned a little thinking, ¡°I am unsure she was killed when I was young.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right remember hearing something about that. So wait how did she die?¡±


    His expression grew dark, ¡°Officially, she died on mission, killed by Sanguine Puppeteer. In reality, she was eaten by Arachnaon.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck, sorry,¡± I said only now realizing that sort of thing is probably hard to talk about.


    Boris shook his head, ¡°It fine. Old news, I hardly knew her anyway. Just gives me more reason to hate Chimera and Arachnaon.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°I see. Oh, Mom, Dad, uh, I joined Kraken.¡±


    Dad took a deep breath and sighed, Mom rubbed her temple as they gave each other a long look. She nodded after a moment, ¡°Well, while we are coming clean about things. There is something you need to know.¡±


    Perplexed, I looked between them, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Honey, I am a Super,¡± said Dad with a slight almost regretful smile.


    My eyes spun for a moment, ¡°Dad?! You how long? WHAT? Mom, you knew about this?¡±


    ¡°I was born a Super sweetie,¡± Dad answered.


    Mom nodded, ¡°Yes, I have known since before you were born.¡±


    ¡°Dad, do you have like a cool hero name and stuff, what is your power?¡±


    Dad rubbed his neck a little embarrassed. ¡°Hero is not quite right. Vesper, I am a Super Villain.¡±


    My jaw dropped, stammering I looked between mom and dad trying to see if it was just a joke. It was not. ¡°You¡­ you are serious? I¡­ who even are you? There is no way my loving, doting dad could be a fucking villain.¡±


    ¡°Honey, we fought once already.¡±


    ¡°We, we did?¡± I asked it felt like my mind was going to explode, ¡°When? Where? What?!¡±


    ¡°We fought in the slums dear. I go by, Jack the Hammer. Imagine my surprise when I saw you there, I went easy on you, but not exactly what I wanted.¡±


    My thoughts went back to that night. Scurrying about like a cockroach, getting my face smashed with shrapnel and a very heated batting contest with a certain football player. My mind started clicking things together. Gears turning. And the number sixty-eight on the jersey became the bridge that spanned the darkness to the light of revelation. That was Dad¡¯s number back when he played. Why hadn¡¯t I realized it sooner? Hmm, well I was fighting for my life and it is just a number.


    ¡°So, you are a member of Scarlet Souls? Jesus¡­ Dad, I could have killed you that time!¡±


    ¡°I was much more worried about me killing you. I mean, you got hit really hard by that concrete chunk and then when I was running over to help you, you burrowed into the ground. I was scared to death you know.¡±


    ¡°You hit her?¡± asked Mom looking between us.


    ¡°Well, she hit a big assed chunk of concrete at me so, I hit it back and we hit it back and forth a few times. Until it broke and sprayed her in the face with pieces.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say something?¡±


    ¡°What the fuck was I supposed to say? Oh hey honey, I am sorry I hit you, I am a villain by the way?¡±


    ¡°Why did you want me to join the Hero League if you were a fucking gang member? What if I had beat you up and arrested you or killed you?¡±


    ¡°Why the hell would I want my daughter to be a criminal?¡±


    ¡°Dad! That is like need to know information.¡±


    ¡°If you knew you might slip up. You might have even tried to join me. The guilt would eat you alive. I mean, who is proud of having a super villain for a father? I wanted you to be better than I could be. I didn¡¯t want to force you onto a path like that. Jesus¡­ Vesper, I never wanted you to be like me.¡±


    ¡°Dad, I am proud of you. When everybody else thought I was just a monster or a lab rat, you were the only one who loved me. Loved me for me. You didn¡¯t care how I looked or if I had changed a little bit, ok a lot. I was still your little girl. You think I enjoyed my time in the Hero League?¡± I shook my head, ¡°No, save a couple people like Xava they treated me like an animal. Dad, your visits were the only thing that kept me sane.¡±


    ¡°Honey¡­ You should have told me. I would have gotten you out of there.¡±


    ¡°Dad, it is not your fault. You just wanted me to do better. It is not your fault that the Hero League is a front for Chimera. I would have told you but, you had a lot to deal with already.¡±


    He got quiet looking down. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t know it was that bad until after you had been in there for a while. At that point, it was going to be really hard to get you out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. It is hidden deep below the surface. If I had known earlier, I maybe could have saved Sunshine.¡±


    Mom looked at the table silently before sighing, ¡°It is still hard to believe she is gone.¡±


    ¡°Sunshine died?¡± asked Dad.


    ¡°Yeah, the hammer got called in to take her out. That bitch Dreamer, no Nightmare was torturing her and she went insane. She was trying to make me go crazy too when I was locked up in there.¡±


    ¡°That bitch. Next time I see her I am going to hit her head so hard it disintegrates.¡±


    I grinned, ¡°I was planning on torturing her.¡±


    He crossed his arms, nodding, ¡°True, a painless death would be too good for that cunt.¡±


    ¡°You know Dad?¡± I said, plopping a hand on his head, ¡°We are on the same team now huh?¡±


    He gave it a moment, thinking before he laughed, ¡°I guess we are huh?¡±


    Boris clapped his hands, smiling, ¡°Da, what a happy family reunion. We all on same side.¡±


    Dad nodded before he looked Boris in the eyes, ¡°So, you fucked my daughter huh?¡±


    ¡°Dad!?¡± I gasped.


    Boris grinned, ¡°Da, she wild and angry like vicious jungle cat. I have slain many a pussy, but none like that.¡±


    ¡°Boris!?¡±


    I could see it, there were sparks going between them. Their eyes were locked. The tension in the air was enough to make the surroundings quiet down. It was like a fight might break out at a moment¡¯s notice. Boris¡¯s shirt ripped from the muscles and Dad tore off his own like a strong man in a circus. Boris flexed his mighty muscles and a single dribble of sweat glistened in the sun. My eyes spun. What is even going on anymore? Dad gave a grunt and slammed his arm onto the table. Boris did the same and they locked hands. What? What the- Arm wrestling?!


    ¡°You want my daughter you will have to defeat me!¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I like you. Strong man. Very well. I will use my full power.¡±


    ¡°Dad! Boris! What are you two, children?!¡± I yelled shooing them and breaking up the contest before it even had a chance to start. I scolded my Dad, ¡°Don¡¯t try to arm wrestle him, he is a rank 7 strength Super. He would rip your arm off, crush the table and blow up the house from the force of it. Hell, there would be a crater!¡±


    ¡°But honey-¡±


    ¡°No buts! Dad, I know you care. You are what a Rank 4 or 5? But getting in a fight with Boris is not a smart thing to do, besides, he is a nice guy. He has saved me a few times already.¡±


    He squinted at Boris for a moment and extended a hand, ¡°You break her heart and I will rip your balls off.¡±


    ¡°Dad! What did I just say?¡±


    Boris nodded and shook the hand firmly, ¡°Da, I would never think of such thing. I have loved Vesper since moment I saw her.¡±


    Xava smiled, ¡°I am glad that things went so well.¡±


    ¡°Is it going well?¡± I asked, scooting next to her and watched my Dad and Boris come to an understanding. Well, I guess that is good.


    ¡°It looks like they are having fun,¡± she replied idly watching them with a slight smile.


    I suppose so¡­ ¡°Dad put on a shirt!¡±


    Things carried on like this for a bit as we snacked on food and talked about things that had happened recently. Mom was out of a job on account of the Star Agency being closed for the moment. It was not surprising with all the citywide problems. At some point, Ichigo had shown up happily sitting at the table. It was enough to make me do a double take. ¡°Ichigo?! Where did you come from?¡±


    She looked up smiling vaguely, ¡°Oh? I have been here for some time now.¡±


    I must have been too engrossed in the conversations. To think she would be able to sneak up without me noticing. ¡°So what are you going to be doing Ichigo?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, dunno. The school is closed so that out the window. I might go on vacation or something. Go to some tropical beach somewhere and get a tan. The summer of my youth is here!¡±


    ¡°Ichigo it is winter you know?¡±


    She pouted, ¡°It is summer somewhere! I just wanna lay on a beach somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were friends?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Have you not realized things are about to become¡­ interesting around here?¡±


    ¡°Interesting?¡±


    Ichigo nodded, ¡°There will be lots and lots of fighting in the near future. As such, it is a little dangerous for little old me.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± asked mom.


    ¡°Well you see, a little birdy told me that the Hero League sent out a major subjugation force to attempt to retake the city. They sent the A team. So things are about to get, very, very interesting around here. And interesting with Supers mean it is going to be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Who is on the A team?¡±


    ¡°Light Fly rank 7, Armadillo rank 8 and Hubris rank 9. Well, those are the important ones, there are others, but they are small fry in comparison.¡±


    Boris nodded, ¡°Hubris, been while since I fought him. He is very strong, let me live cause he couldn¡¯t be bothered to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He is one of the strongest heroes in the league. His power is that he can do anything that he thinks he can. He thinks he can fly, he can fly.¡±


    ¡°So wait he can copy powers?¡±


    ¡°Sort of. If he believes it is possible, then he can do just about anything.¡±


    ¡°How the fuck are you supposed to beat somebody like that?¡± I asked.


    Ichigo smiled, ¡°That is simple. His power is based off of his self centered, egotistical belief that he can and will do anything. His power is Hubris incarnate. Which is why he named himself that. That just shows how much of a megalomaniac, he is.¡±


    ¡°If he is so strong, how come he is only rank 9? That sounds like a rank 10 type of thing.¡±


    Ichigo just kept smiling, ¡°Pride comes before the fall. Now think on this Vesper, if someone¡¯s power is based off of their belief, their sureness that they can do something¡­ what do you think would happen if they were unable to do something?¡±


    I sat thinking it over, ¡°Well, if I was able to open a pickle jar then be unable to open it, I would try again and again until it worked.¡±


    ¡°But what if it didn¡¯t work over and over?¡±


    ¡°I would try a different approach.¡±


    ¡°What if that didn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°I would try something else.¡±


    ¡°And that fails?¡±


    ¡°Something else.¡±


    ¡°And what if everything you try fails, no matter how many times you try?¡±


    ¡°I would¡­ doubt myself.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Now you just have to figure out what will break that man¡¯s self-confidence. Crush his hopes and dreams until they are dust and he will crumble like a sand castle at high tide. There is a reason that no one fucks with Arachnaon, not even other rank 9s.¡±


    ¡°What does she have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just giving you little hints to figure things out.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just tell me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have all the answers, that is simply what is logical.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said, stroking my chin, ¡°Xava could you do a bit research on him for me?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Why certainly Vesper. What are you going to be doing?¡±


    ¡°I need to figure out exactly what I am capable of now,¡± I said standing.


    ¡°Leaving already?¡± asked Dad.


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t have too much time from the sounds of things.¡±


    A Rank 9¡­ sounds like a pain in the ass. Molotov should be able to handle that guy, I mean she is the scariest thing I ever met. Still, those are some high numbers. I hope I got a serious power upgrade, sounds like I am going to need it.

 Brooding Chapter 7

    The Vespidian


    Arc 10 Brooding


    Chapter 7


    Where to test out my powers? Ah¡­ hmm, it had been a long time since I last visited my thinking spot. I walked along, branches breaking on my thick exoskeleton. The familiar path curled around until finally there sat the old tree. Fond memories began to flood into the back of my mind as I smiled. This old, half-dead tree. The fungus had spread once more. Infesting the tree. The worm-eaten wood displaying the intricate tunnels that they had devoured through the bark. I ran a finger down the trunk listening to the claw scratching through the old wood. It is only natural.


    I sat down on the stump that had fallen long ago. It groaned under my weight. I closed all of my eyes taking a long deep breath. The wet scent of the forest filled my feelers. They wiggled about taking in all the small chirps and sounds of insects scuttling about. I could hear the worms slithering through the damp soil beneath me. Xava, Ichigo, and Boris stood to the side quietly as I drank in this place. It was calming. Yes, this was where it all began huh?


    My antennae flicked as a scent tingled along the lengthy feels. Hmm¡­ where have I smelled this before? I stood, all of my eyes opening at once. This was¡­ I walked along the path. Pushing trees out of my way. They shuddered, uprooting as I blazed along the trail. Pushing, shoving, ripping anything that got in my way. A memory had awoken in my mind. Something I should have checked long ago. I had overlooked it.


    We stood gazing down at the quagmired lands below. The fire from that night filling my eyes. After a moment it dimmed and there was the blackened ground. My feelers writhed as they canvassed the mushy crater. Bits and pieces from the crashed ship still dotted the landscape. It had been cleaned up, but not everything had been removed.


    ¡°Vesper?¡± asked Xava tilting her head.


    ¡°This is where it happened. Where my life changed.¡±


    ¡°What brings you back here?¡±


    I held up a tentacle for a moment to silence her. My memories overlapping with my vision. Flames and the wreckage smoldering in the darkness. The tubes, canisters of green glowing goo filling my eyes as I looked over the carnage of that night. Slowly I looked over to the side. A small trail leading off into the thicket. I bent low picking up a small fragment of metal. The scent was faint, no, none existent and yet I could smell it. I followed the overgrown path. Every step, making me more sure that I had missed something when I first came to this place. I had thought the transport had caused this debris field when it went down, but it had crashed coming from the south and this was directly to the east.


    My eyes started to see the signs of something having come through here. Old bent and snapped branches. Metal and pieces getting more and more frequent until we arrived at another clearing¡­ or rather a crater. It wasn¡¯t just one either there were several of them. Trees smashed and shattered. The ground, freshly grown over and yet the blackened glass-like substance remained as I scooped up the soil. Slowly I pulled a canister from the ground. It was intact¡­ B.A.I. emblazoned upon the side. Cracking it open the familiar green glow filled my eyes.


    Slowly I dipped a finger in it, spreading it as the warm goo fumed hotly against the cold air. I tasted it, giving it a little lick. The taste was foul. No real surprise there. Xava stretched out her hand to take a look and I handed it over. She spent a few seconds scanning the viscous liquid.


    She looked up, ¡°This is Mutigene. I wonder how it got here?¡±


    ¡°Boris, what do you think of this?¡±


    ¡°It appears to be a fight. Scorch marks are from some sort of weapon.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what kind?¡±


    He looked it over puzzled, ¡°I do not know. It must have been powerful, though. The ground has been glassed.¡±


    The more I looked the more details became apparent. I slowed when I saw a depression in the glass. It was not alone I could see a few of them sporadically on the incline. It was a footprint. Two thick claws on the front and a talon in the back of the large print. It looked familiar. I looked between my claws and the tracks. I overlapped my foot with the track and my claws sunk into it. A perfect fit, well a little big but it was definitely my footprint.


    ¡°Strange,¡± said Xava leaning over and scanning the foot, ¡°Vesper, have you been here before?¡±


    ¡°I have not since I changed.¡±


    ¡°These are a perfect match. Vesper these are your claw prints. But that can¡¯t be, they match the adult you so how could they be here?¡±


    ¡°Could it have been Astrea?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Perhaps. Though it seems odd. You were not cloned until months after your initial exposure and yet these tracks and the fight appear to have happened shortly after the crash.¡±


    ¡°Did Molotov get into a fight that night?¡± I asked


    Boris shook his head, ¡°No, she pulled back after obtaining samples and you.¡±


    My antennae flicked about when a slight stench caught my attention. I followed it to one of the far craters. A steep cliff side rose and there was an impact lodged into the side of it. Something had been thrown against this spot. Staring at it a vaguely human depression took shape, however, it was much too big to be a human. The smell was strong here. Rotting flesh and yet it smelled familiar, like me, like Astrea. Leaning into the gouge in the mountainside there was something lodged in the rock. My fingers curled around it and slowly dragged out a¡­ well, a hand. It was thick like my own and covered in an exoskeleton. The inside was rotten and foul, clearly, it had been here a long time and yet it was still gooey. Nasty, gross.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± said Xava with her hand out ready to receive it.


    Disgusted, I handed it to Xava to run some tests. We had samples of myself and Astrea so if it was us then we would know. The real issue was if it wasn¡¯t one of us¡­ then who the hell is it? Am I not alone? Is it another clone on the loose? No, but the timing doesn¡¯t line up. This was something running around before I transformed.


    We scoured the area, but nothing else turned up besides more of the strange craters. I was perplexed and the ramifications were vast. Perhaps Dr. Tesla would know more? After all he was the one who attacked the transport, or so he said.


    Ichigo had been quiet this whole time thinking it over, she shrugged, ¡°Whelp, no use worrying about it. Whatever happened already happened. It is in the past.¡±


    Hmm. I think it has been too long to figure out what happened here. I sighed as crossed my arms. Seems to be another mystery. Well, no use thinking about it. We would have to pick at it later.


    I rolled my shoulders, cracking my neck as it stiffened into position, ¡°I wonder how strong I have gotten? Care to help me feel it out Boris?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± He said looking up at me before grinning, ¡°Sounds like fun.¡±


    Well, first thing is first. I grabbed one of my arms and yanked ripping it cleanly off. Blood drizzled as a euphoric searing coursed through my body. My eyes nearly rolled as I shivered. Already I could feel my flesh growing. I observed the spiraling membrane spreading out. It seemed slow, but it was growing.


    ¡°Xava, burn me,¡± I said, looking at her over my shoulder.


    ¡°Such a maso,¡± said Ichigo amused.


    ¡°Hey! I can¡¯t help it my main power is regen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you didn¡¯t get off on it like that before.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I think your brain might have rewired pain receptors into pleasure receptors,¡± said Ichigo offhandedly.


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    I looked between her and Xava, ¡°Is that true?¡±


    She jabbed me with a needle and I squirmed, ¡°Hmm. I think it is a mild side effect of the power. It is not nearly at the point regenerator junkies are usually at. It is mostly just extra endorphins. It is not like having morphine pumping through your veins like most of them.¡±


    ¡°Morphine?¡± I asked


    Xava nodded, ¡°Remember? Most Regenerators are pain addicts as it activates their powers and their brains get drugged as a by-product.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    She nodded, raising her hand to the wound and plasma flared from her fingertips for a moment searing the flesh black after only a moment. Like a seedling sprouting after a wildfire my carapace began to emerge shedding off the blackened and destroyed flesh. I tore off the new growth and set my arm back into place. It instantly sealed up and was usable once more. Flexing the fingers and feeling the tingling rush of blood returning I clenched it into a fist.


    ¡°Likely rank 7.¡± Said Xava with a smile.


    ¡°Sorry about the wait Boris, shall we?¡±


    He nodded, stomping on the ground and taking on a stance with his fists out. It was an imposing figure. Just looking at it made me wonder how to attack. I took a deep breath and flapped my massive wings sending a strong gust of wind sweeping at him. He chopped the air and the wind attack was cut in half. I see. I nodded tensing my legs and flapped again. This time lunging forward. After two steps I had closed the distance and my leg swung across sweeping at him.


    Boris grunted taking the blow head on. His forearm tensed against my claw as it clenched shut. He grappled onto my leg, squeezing it so hard the carapace shattered. My yellow blood oozed between his fingers, but my claw dug deeper into his skin breaking through and he yanked pulling me off of my foot and spinning around. He went faster and faster swinging me around until finally letting go. The momentum sent me careening away. Trees shattering against my back and I shook my head slamming my arms into the ground, grinding me to a halt.


    I dropped to all sixes bolting back at him. The chitinous limbs bristling as I covered the ground between us in mere seconds. My wings slashed the air pushing me to the side as I dodge his fist. Swinging down with my own fist with a train of bug woman behind it, he grunted taking the hit as he caught my hand in his own. He pivoted and threw me over his shoulder or at least, tried to. Instead, my arm popped off. He spun, having exerted too much power and lost his balance. I swung down with the left. A shock wave went out as he met me head on, literally. Instead of dodging he head-butted the fist.


    My hand gave out first, crumpling up and splintering, but he staggered back dazed from the hit. I did not waste this opportunity and retook my arm, slamming it back into place. Oddly enough, there was close to no pain. Just a dull throbbing sensation. Boris was up again bearing down on me. He reached back swinging a solid jab and I jumped, dodging it even as the wind rushed below me from the force of the hit. My clawed foot snatched at him and he ducked, bobbing out of the trajectory, having missed I slammed back down spinning to face him. Already he was coming, charging full force. I braced and received him, catching both of his hands. The ground cracked as it absorbed the raw kinetic energy.


    Our fingers locked as it turned into a shoving match. We were stuck in a near even tug of war. I grit my mandibles looming over him and throwing all of my power into it. He grunted, holding me back though he was straining to do so. Oh, so we were evenly matched. Or so I foolishly thought. It was at this moment I realized exactly how much he had been holding back that one time he man muscled with Chief.


    Then he got serious. The sheer pressure exerted from his muscles shattered the ground below us. My hands cracked and then broke as his fingers crushed mine. Yellow spouting like fountains from my twisted hands. Gripping me, he put his shoulder into it and I lifted off of the ground before slamming back down into it. Stunned for a moment I didn¡¯t even see when he had let go, until his thundering elbow crashed into me like a meteor. The depressed ground shuddered and then exploded from the immense power. My eyes spun as I lay at the bottom of the crater. My carapace had been dented in, cracked and gushing yellow for a moment before it buffered out and the cracks resealed.


    Ooof that was rough. I shook my head as my tentacles pushed me back up. Yeah, I would definitely be dead if I was not this strong. That would have turned the previous me into paste. I looked over the damage, wiggling my claws and moving my limbs. Though my back was shattered, it was already fixing itself. With a crack my spine realigned. My fingers were mangled, but they were cracking back into the correct positions. Seems that so long as I have the part it regenerates extremely quickly. There was a hole or rather shattered part of my chest¡­ muh Booby!


    Slowly I stood up fully. ¡°Well, that it good to know.¡±


    ¡°You are not hurt are you?¡± asked Boris concerned.


    I shook my head, ¡°Nothing serious. Was that your hardest hit?¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°Nyet. Can still do harder.¡±


    I pat my chest as the exoskeleton solidified, ¡°Hit me your best shot.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wanna see my limits,¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Boris took that stance again, sliding his feet into a sturdy foundation. The image of a snow-covered mountain came to mind. He brought his fist back and it came like a rocket. My danger sense went off and I braced. The wind pressure alone ripped the ground up around me and the trees to my sides were obliterated. It connected and the shock wave shattered through my core. My stomach ruptured and Blood gushed out of my mouth and then I fell over. My legs wobbled a moment longer before they flopped away from me. It took a moment to realize that I had been sheared in half. I must be in shock over that. The pain took a long while to register before it hit me like a truck.


    ¡°Ooowe! Fuck that hurt.¡± I groaned.


    Ichigo stared down at me, ¡°Pain junkie¡­ maso pervert.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Am not. That hurt you know!¡±


    ¡°Well, I seen much worse. At least you not begging to be tortured and ripped apart,¡± said Boris.


    ¡°People do that?!¡± I asked.


    Ichigo nodded, ¡°Yes, though you are somewhat resistant to the chemicals in your brain. I wonder if it is all that bug stuff?¡±


    Boris stretched taking a few deep breathes and wiped his forehead clean of sweat. ¡°That was good work out.¡±


    Xava dragged my legs over and connected them to my body as it quickly grasped onto them and went about regenerating the damaged tissue. Luckily, it was just my tummy and not a bunch of important organs that got thrashed. Well, that is not to say my stomach is not important. I mean I can¡¯t really eat without it. I lay there for a few minutes letting my body regrow the things that had been lost. Or at least it grew around where they should be and set to work rebuilding them.


    ¡°Definitely Rank 7 Regeneration.¡± Said Xava petting me.


    ¡°So that is full power huh? Shit is fucking scary man. Wait, then Molotov is like ten times that?¡± I said wiggling my toes.


    Boris gave me a hand and helped me to my feet. I hadn¡¯t really thought about it, but I just got up after something that should have decimated me. I am pretty strong, well at taking a beating anyway. Still, that is good. It means I can wear my opponent down and beat them into submission once they are exhausted.


    ¡°Molotov is more like that times seventy.¡± Replied Boris.


    I gulped, ¡°You, you serious?¡±


    Boris nodded, ¡°Maybe even more. Molotov is very strong.¡±


    ¡°Well, I figured, but to think it was to such a degree.¡±


    ¡°Molotov is almost a Rank 9 after all.¡±


    I wobbled a little, ¡°Hmm, so if you are this strong and lost to Hubris, then is he stronger than Molotov?¡±


    He thought it over, ¡°Depends. If powers are close, then technique matters much more. So long as your opponent is not overwhelmingly powerful, using technique can make a big difference. I noticed that you were trying to brute force it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. Being a little dumb there.¡± I rubbed my head. ¡°Just trying to figure out my limits.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°You are very sturdy. That sort of hit can crumple tanks like soda cans.¡±


    ¡°I am strong, but it is still kinda depressing that I get beat up.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter how strong you are. If you can outlast your opponent, then you will win in then end. If you worked on deflecting, dodging, and defensive attacks then you will definitely wear out attack types. After all, if the damage is not lasting then the attacks are more or less useless.¡±


    I nodded as we walked, ¡°But can¡¯t they just spam out their super attack moves? Like that punch you just did.¡±


    ¡°Nyet, such a punch requires preparation and a lot of energy. I can only do that, maybe ten times before I run out of steam completely. So if someone dodged it over and over I would be wearing myself out. That sort of thing is best if they are stunned or unable to escape. In other words, it is a finisher move.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°For instance Nitro it is useless to punch her. It makes her stronger.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Makes her stronger?¡±


    Boris nodded, ¡°Nitro is Rank 8 Endurance Super. When she gets hit her body converts it into a volatile explosive substance that has replaced her blood.¡±


    ¡°So she like a sandbag kinda? No a kinetic power converter?¡±


    ¡°Oh, surprised you knew her subset. Da, Molotov would even have problems against her. That being said they have already fought and Molotov won.¡±


    ¡°How did she win?¡±


    ¡°She overwhelmed the amount of blood that Nitro could produce and she self-destructed to vent it all out. Which is quite the feat. You will meet her soon enough.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t die from suicide bombing?¡± I asked confused.


    ¡°She immune to her own explosive power.¡±


    ¡°Then how did Molotov win?¡±


    ¡°Just because you absorb damage doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t feel pain.¡±


    Pain? Hmm¡­ come to think of it. I think I am definitely growing a pain tolerance. That being said, it feels really nice feeling my body regrow.


    ¡°Is it possible to grow immunities to damage after receiving them?¡±


    ¡°You mean your regeneration, improving your endurance? I would have to ask. But that sound like something a Rank 9 might be able to do. Though there has never been a Rank 9 Regenerate.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°High Ranked Regenerators are very formidable so there is no such thing as excessive force for subduing or terminating them.¡±


    ¡°Has there been a Rank 8 before?¡±


    ¡°There was, but he was dealt with extreme measures. They dropped a nuclear warhead on him. It vaporized his body so that he could not regenerate.¡±


    ¡°Seems a bit overkill.¡±


    ¡°Not really. Anything short of that he could regrow within a matter of a few seconds to a minute.¡±


    ¡°That does sound troubling.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Stem was one of us which is why Chimera took him out.¡±


    ¡°Stem huh? What was he like?¡±


    Boris rubbed his chin, ¡°Pain addict. Would go around picking fights just to see if he could be hurt.¡±


    ¡°I take that as he wanted to be nuked?¡± I said thinking it over.


    ¡°Well, he did antagonize them a lot. Man was like human cockroach, almost nothing could keep him down.¡±


    ¡°Bit off more than he could chew.¡±


    Boris nodded.


    I looked up at the setting sun and stretched, hearing my body cracking and groaning as the flesh solidified, ¡°That was a good exercise. We should be getting back soon, huh?¡±


    ¡°Molotov will likely have job for you when we return.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°Huu, well, I figured as much.¡±


    ¡°Before that, how about dinner?¡± Smiled Boris.


    I waved my hand, ¡°Hard pass on that. My stomach is still regrowing. Maybe later though, just not hungry at the moment.¡±


    Well, there was one major advantage of being so big. Everybody fit on my back so I could carry them while flying. What is that in the sky? It is a bird, a plane, a bee, no it is me!

 Art drop 4 and update

    Boris sketch


    Vespi (Vespidian child)


    Mantia form 1


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Mantia form 2


    Glitter Kitten


    Sunshine


    Centi


    Den Mother


    Sanguine Puppeteer


    Spark Spray and Vira


    Hope you enjoy tell me what you guys think ^^

 Brooding Chapter 8

    The Vespidian


    Arc 10 Brooding


    Chapter 8


    ¡°Welcome back,¡± Said the deep gravelly voice of a man, though it came from a little girl smoking a cigar, ¡°Did you has fun little play date?¡±


    It was Molotov of course. Who else would it be? My eyes stared at her and well it seems she has gotten even cuter. That long silky hair and those deep blue eyes that bore into my very soul. Such an itty bitty little thing. If only I could have one as a pet. I nodded mmm, I would pet her and stroke her and feed her. I leaned over and pat her on the head, ¡°How can you be so cute- Owe!¡±


    Molotov scowled at me and snapped the fingers that were petting her head. I ripped the hand back and after a few seconds, the fingers realigned. She made a Tch, sound and spit on the floor. Hey, people walk there.


    ¡°Stop bleeding on my floor.¡±


    ¡°That is mean! Rude you know. It was a compliment, a compliment,¡± I waved a finger at her until it vanished and my yellow blood spurt onto the floor, ¡°HEY! Stop that! Stop being so damned cute if you don¡¯t want to be pet! It is that simple.¡±


    Molotov scowled even more, ¡°I refuse. I will do what I want, who I want, when I want.¡±


    ¡°Give me back my finger,¡± My eyes followed it as she wagged it at me.


    ¡°Nyet! It my finger now.¡±


    I scoffed and crossed my arms, ¡°Fine¡­ keep it, I will just grow another one.¡±


    Xava finally sighed, ¡°Can you two stop? Vesper take this seriously.¡±


    ¡°I am serious! She attacked me, I am the victim here!¡±


    Molotov shifted in her chair and gave the hairless cat nestled on a pillow a stroke. It began to purr happily licking one of the bean toes. Daww, so squishy¡­ even if it is all wrinkly and evil looking.


    ¡°Good news, I has mission for you. It about time you popped your villainous cherry.¡±


    ¡°I would rather eat it-¡±


    ¡°Shut it wasp. Now then. The truest and oldest test of a villain.¡±


    I looked at her puzzled, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I want you to rob a bank. Bronson First National Bank.¡±


    ¡°Eh.. Eh! But, But why? That is like stereotypical villain type stuff.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I am going to beat villainy into you, inch by inch, like my fist into that oversized brain of yours.¡±


    ¡°Sounds painful?¡± I questioned, I had never thought about getting my brain fisted before. I had been fingered before, but¡­ ¡°Wait a minute! Doesn¡¯t that kill people?¡±


    ¡°It will be hard and cold like Turnip! Now go forth little wasp and show me what you can do. Or so help me, I will whip you like the suka you are.¡±


    I tapped a finger to my chin, ¡°I am confused, aroused and terrified¡­ tell me more."


    She stared me down and a creepy smile spread across that face. That was no little girl smirk. A devil, a monster. That is what that thing is. Ugh, but why do I wanna snuggle her so much? It is like when you pet a cat and it claws and bites at you, but you keep petting it and rubbing the tummy even though you know it will maul you. I nodded imagining Molotov with cat ears. Adorable.


    Xava came to the rescue on this, ¡°What will be the target?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Take Spark Spray and Vira with you, guard Vira while she hacks the computers and transfers the funds. Normally I would just send you to see how it goes, but not too much money is kept in banks these days, it is mostly electronic. I want results. It will be fun little team building exercise,¡± replied Molotov puffing a ring of smoke.


    ¡°Team building?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°Yes, as of now you are a member of the Cyber Sirens. Though I might have you help other teams as well.¡±


    Well¡­ I guess we should get along. ¡°That was Vira and Spark Spray right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± replied the mechanical suit standing over to the side. It had four arms, two of which were sticking out of the oversized back. A drone circled above listlessly. The helmet had a large visor going along the front and two hoses connected to the vents in the front. A single red sphere seemed to indicate where her vision was as the orb moved about, sometimes rolling up out of view. The body was robust, covered in a hardened layer of metal. Twisted legs below the knee, they were inverted, ending in a pointed heel sort of shape. Veins of red went along parts of the suit glowing against the black.


    Beside her was Spark Spray well, blue. Yes, she was blue. Her electrified hair spun up into drill curls at either side of her head. Lightning arcing between two spheres held at the tip of each curl. Her nearly translucent flesh was sickly pale, well what little of it I could see. The body was covered in a black rubberized suit. That left very little to the imagination, hugging her skin tight. She was tall and rather shapely. I took a moment, stroking my chin as I eyed her up and down. Her chest plate hid her breasts as such I could not tell if she had big ones or not. As my eyes went lower I could see her thick thighs. Other than a couple of attachments here and there she had no armor to speak of. Her knees and elbows had little plate things and seemed to be either generating electricity or gathering it.


    She looked up at me, having to crane her neck a little, ¡°So this is the bug? It got a lot bigger since last time I saw it.¡±


    ¡°I am not an it. I am a she. Wait, we met?¡± I replied, staring down at her, all of my eyes boring holes into her.


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t met personally, but Xava has shown and talked about you to us. A she? I thought you were fucking Xava silly?¡± Spark Spray looked between me and Xava confused.


    Xava was tilting her head a little, ¡°Oh yes, we have been procreating very fervently. I am gestating a good number of her brood as we speak.¡±


    ¡°See, so you knocked her up so you are a male?¡±


    Xava wagged her hand dismissively, ¡°Oh no, dear, she laid her eggs in me. Though she has an oviduct she is not male. Speaking of which I am unsure if there even are males of her species.¡±


    Vira had her arms crossed, looking at the floor, ¡°Enough of the organic we should be discussing the plan.¡±


    I sniffed or rather my feelers wiggled. Hmmm¡­ is that jealousy I smell? Whatever it was, it was pungent and very much not to my liking. Why would Vira smell like that? Wait are¡­ are they a thing or something? I should probably ask about that later.


    Xava nodded, holding up a sphere, a blue outline of a building appeared¡­ it was a schematic, ¡°After the last time Vira hacked the computers I was able to download all the floor plans. The vault is here on the lower floor and the mainframe is here on the floor above it.¡±


    The other two nodded, ¡°We recall.¡±


    ¡°This is mostly an explanation for Vesper. We will be doing as we did before, but with Vesper and I running interception should there be any interlopers. Spark will guard Vira should we be distracted.¡±


    ¡°Are we expecting interlopers?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, but just to be sure we should be on guard. Though the Hero League is no more here that doesn¡¯t mean somebody might not try to play hero and stop us.¡± Said Xava.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with, I guess,¡± I rubbed my head a little.


    ****


    We had arrived. Bronson First National Bank was a large building. A towering monument to man¡¯s greed¡­ well, now that is just getting philosophical and even a little insulting. That being said usually people bitching about banks did something stupid like taking out a loan that they can¡¯t pay off or got greedy lost in their investments. Technically, it wasn¡¯t the bank¡¯s fault, it was poor life decisions. There were good things and bad things about all things and that included banks. Anything can be corrupted and misused, it merely depended upon the ones running it. Yes the ones in control dictated the course and outlook. And how does one be in control? Power. Influence. But if power corrupts, and one needs power to undo corruption¡­ then is it not inevitable that bad influences will spread? Is it not a revolving door of rotting morals and decency that decays until the point that others rise up and take that power for themselves only to repeat this process? Oh? Was that just a profound thought?


    Shut up and take their money!


    ¡®Sub! I was having a moment there.¡¯


    Yeah, yeah, I don¡¯t care. Put a dick in it. Now let¡¯s do this!


    ¡®So demanding...¡¯


    I looked the tall stone pillars over. There were several steps leading up to the wide glass doors. People were going in and out. If one didn¡¯t look too closely they would not notice the fatigue and overall stressed feeling of the normies. If you ignored that then you wouldn¡¯t even know that a good chunk of the city had been destroyed. Well, unless you looked down the street to the edge of the crater, but still. Out of sight, out of mind.


    Several disk-shaped drones were deployed as Vira extended out her hands controlling them. They took different routes disappearing around the building as they infiltrated it. After several minutes her glowing eye became big and she started to move besides the strange twitching motions of her hands.


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    ¡°All clear. No Supers are in the building. Security is light.¡± Said Vira in a somewhat happy tone.


    ¡°Alright, just follow our lead,¡± said Xava, striding out to cross the street with Spark Spray and Vira on either side of her.


    More disk shaped drones rose up away from Vira¡¯s back. She had sent some earlier to look the place over. Now I was not entirely sure how many of them were running around, or rather hovering. Just from what I could see they had the whole building staked out. To our approach, the civis were already fleeing. Hmm¡­ I wonder why they are running? It is not like Neon Nurse is all that threatening looking, Sparky is a little unnerving and Vira is a bit creepy, but this stench of fear and those desperate faces are a bit rude don¡¯t you think? It is not like we have the plague or something.


    They are running cause of you, obviously.


    ¡®Ehhh¡­ me? Why?¡¯


    Do you really have to ask?


    ¡®Yes!¡¯


    We are a twelve-foot wasp monster, of course they are going to run. They would be stupid not to run.


    ¡®But it is not like I am going to hurt them.¡¯


    You are literally about to rob a bank.


    ¡®So?¡¯


    Who do you think you are? The freindly neighborhood waspwoman? What do people do when they rob a bank?


    ¡®Take hostages and threaten people?¡¯


    Exactly.


    ¡®Ah, I see. We are the baddies huh?¡¯


    You just, realizing that now? Well, it not like we are doing this for shits and giggles. It is not like we are out to kill people, so long as nobody does anything stupid nothing bad will happen to anybody.


    ¡®What if they do, do something stupid?¡¯


    We crush them. Maybe eat them~


    ¡®Isn¡¯t that a little harsh?¡¯


    Vesper, do you want revenge or not?


    ¡®I do, but-¡¯


    We need to toughen up. No more hiding in the shadows remember?


    ¡®Yes¡­¡¯


    As we approached the Cyber Swat officers that had been guarding the building made themselves scarce, escorting normies away from the building entrance before ultimately leaving the area complete. Uhh¡­ weren''t they supposed to guard the place against people like us? Oh, right, right, they were more loyal to Xava from the start so they flipped when she did. Doesn¡¯t that mean that Xava has her own personal army of cyborg enforcers?


    Xava didn¡¯t hesitate for a moment walking right up the stairs and opening the glass door. Vira and Spark Spray followed¡­ but I ran into a problem. I was a bit too big. I stood there staring at the door measuring it out to see if I could fit. I could¡­ maybe. Tentatively, I tested it to see squeezing and trying to fit. And the door broke. Glass scattered on the floor along with the crack sound of the metal frame distending. Oops. Well, I am in. I had to crawl, but I was in. Maybe being big isn¡¯t so good? Why is everything so damned small!?


    Spark Spray gave a sigh, rolling her eyes, but didn¡¯t end up saying anything. Vira ignored me and Xava didn¡¯t look back. It seems that she was expecting that. The good thing was that the sound had gotten everybody¡¯s attention. Normally in the movies, somebody shoots the ceiling. That is dangerous after all, there are people above us too.


    ¡°This is a robbery. Shut up and stay calm and you will walk out of here just fine. Do anything stupid and you will be her dinner.¡± Said Xava pointing at me as she made her way to the counter.


    I didn¡¯t particularly agree to be used as a threat, but then again, I was never asked¡­ Although, is it really a bad thing? Fear was good for Villains, right? Intimidations was a very good tool to use and I was, am a large insect that for all they know eats people.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt anyone,¡± cowered the woman behind the glass.


    ¡°Vesper, watch the hostages. Spark Spray, Vira proceed as planned,¡± said Xava before she leaned in next to the glass motioning with her syringe gun, ¡°Open the vault and start bringing the money out. Don¡¯t you dare put any of those ink decoys in there either. I will know.¡±


    I did as I was told, motioning to gather up all of the scattered people. They shivered and cowered, but getting prodded enough made them move as I wanted. I had them all gathered up in the center of the room. There was crying and sniffling and the stench of fear filled the air. Sub was salivating over it. I sat down with a thud as my abdomen lay sprawled behind me.


    The initial adrenaline rush surging through my veins quickly faded. The seconds turned into minutes. I found that I was surprisingly calm during all of this. The first bag filled with bills appeared. The staff brought over the contents of the vault rather orderly. Well, it was no wonder, they were fearing for their lives. Things were going well, too well in fact. Ah shit, don¡¯t you be raising flags Vesper!


    That was when he appeared. No, not some hero to save the day. A fat man in a business suit came huffing in a rage, screaming to high heavens as he approached. ¡°YOU! WE HAD A DEAL!¡±


    Xava ignored him for a moment before turning in his direction, tilting her head to one side. ¡°Ah, we meet again Mr. Higgens.¡±


    ¡°What is this all about?! We paid for your protection and you are robbing us!?¡±


    ¡°We got a better offer. Besides, we did protect this place. Remember? Just two days ago we stopped the Diablos from breaking in here. A day before that was the Angels of Hell.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter! What use are your services if you are going to rob us? We paid your protection money now get out of here!¡±


    ¡°Or what? You are going to call the Heroes? Oh wait¡­ fufu. There are none left. That is no way to ask for something. Besides, this came from above. My hands are tied.¡±


    The man got noticeably redder and sweat was pouring down his face, he grit his teeth, ¡°You! YOU! This place is not your own personal piggy bank. Get out of here you vile scoundrels! Do you have any idea how many lives you are ruining? You monsters. You fiends!¡±


    Xava seemed very dismissive about the whole thing, ¡°Yes, yes. We are Villains. Quiet down or I am going to alter our deal.¡±


    ¡°Alter the Deal! You already broke it! There is no deal.¡± He huffed actually getting into her face, spit spraying from his nearly foaming mouth.


    Xava touched her face and frowned. ¡°Change of plans. Vesper, care for some pork?¡±


    I looked between her and him and shook my head. ¡°No. He doesn¡¯t particularly look appetizing. Too fatty.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see, very well. You have no sense of self-preservation do you?¡± she jabbed him with the syringe and he went down almost instantly. He flopped down like a sack of potatoes with a thud. Face on the floor. She stepped on his back and kicked him over towards me. The hostages were screaming and shaking. I reached over turning him onto his side and laid him next to the rest.


    ¡°Was that necessary?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Vesper, it is just sleepy drug. He will be up later,¡± Xava crossed her arms, watching the bank employees like a hawk.


    I figured since I had enough experience with that stuff to know the symptoms. Hmm, I guess it¡¯s not that bad, she could have easily killed him. Now even if he gets questioned about this it at least looks like he put up a fight so that will look better for him right? Still, this was a side of Xava I had never really seen before. She was so cold. Emotionless. Dominant¡­ is it wrong that it is kinda turning me on? I love it when she straps me down~


    I slapped myself. Bad Vesper. Mission, gotta stay on the mission. I looked down at the scared faces and all those trembling little creatures. So weak. ¡°Now, now,¡± I said, leaning in over all those little people, ¡°Everything is going to be just fine. So just keep being good and this will all be over in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this?!¡± several of them cried.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill us!¡±


    ¡°Please, please I have a family!¡±


    They don¡¯t listen very well do they? ¡°We just want the money. If you wanna live then be good.¡±


    ¡°Please-¡±


    ¡°SHUT the fuck up!¡± I snarled to the point that the glass shook. ¡°Or I will squish every last one of you! Listen when people talk you stupid fucking normies!¡±


    Their shrieks quieted down into silent sobbing. It was annoying, but still better than being ignored for trying to be nice. Stop pleading for your damned lives, I won¡¯t hurt you unless you piss me off. Why is that so hard for people to understand? It is simple right? Just be quiet, it will be over in a little no one gets hurts. Hell, we are not even robbing these people. I could be having them empty out their belongings and take their jewelry.


    ¡°How you holding up?¡± asked Xava glancing over.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall humans being this annoying before. Maybe my thought patterns are changing more than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Usually you would want to take one of them out and make an example of them for the others. Helps to get across that you are serious.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°True. Why does it sound like you have done this before?¡±


    Neon Nurse tilted her head, ¡°Cause I have.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I nodded. Then this was sage advice¡­ or rather dark priest or acolyte advice? Eh whatever.


    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t!¡± cried one of them.


    My hand slammed down, cracking the floor and shaking the room, ¡°What part of SHUT UP did you not understand?! You want me to kill people is that what you want?¡±


    One of them got a muffled cry out before being restrained by the rest of them, fearing for their lives after seeing what I did to the floor. I sighed, pulling the man away from them and setting him to the side. Something tells me that if left alone, they were going to strangle him to save themselves. Wait, why am I helping people? I am the Villain here¡­ ugh, I have a long way to go.


    I just scowled at them, menacingly and they were cowering.


    Pathetic creatures.


    Soon enough Spark Spray and Vira reemerged. They helped move the bags of money along. They were even stashing gold bars. Depositing them into their storage belts¡­ ¡°Hey! When do I get a belt!¡±


    ¡°Vesper, open your vents,¡± said Xava.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked defensively.


    ¡°We are going to stuff you full of money.¡±


    I strongly disagreed, ¡°I am not a pinata. Won¡¯t it get all wet though¡­ Besides, I don¡¯t want paper cuts!¡±


    ¡°It will free up your hands, just do it.¡± Xava scolded me.


    Reluctantly, I opened a single plate on my abdomen and sure enough, cold gold bars and bags of money were quickly shoved against my soft and sensitive skin. I shivered and closed the armor plating once they had finished. It felt weird having things touching me. Hmm, wait does this mean I have pockets? I shook my head getting rid of those stupid thoughts. We were leaving now. I left first wiggling my way back out the broken doors. I was honestly expecting an encirclement of police and various heroes ready to do battle¡­ and yet nothing. There was no one there.


    ¡°Xava, how come no one came to help them?¡± I asked as she climbed into my hands.


    ¡°We severed all outside communications, Vesper. That is basic stuff. Besides, the Hero League is dead to this city. They have no command structure, bases of operation and there is not that many of them left. At the moment there is no one who will get in our way. Well, besides the other gangs and Molotov.¡±


    I see. My wings spread and we took to the sky. Just like that, I had gotten my claws wet in the dark waters of villainy. We didn¡¯t kill anybody¡­ well, Xava and I didn¡¯t I have no idea if Vira or Spark Spray did or not. How strange¡­ fewer people died, my first time a Villain than my first time a Hero. Perhaps me being the bad guy makes things easier to control? Since we choose when and where the target is hit, it makes it so that we can control how much or how little collateral damage occurs. After all, Heroes are reactive, whereas Villains are proactive. By setting the pace it drastically changes how things happen. Though that might just be wishful thinking.


    This only went so well due to Xava, Vira and Spark Spray. I didn¡¯t really do much. I just sat there and looked menacing. It was sort of a shame that I was unable to see either Vira or Sparky use their powers. I am still a bit in the dark as to what in the hell their powers can actually do.


    ¡°So how come we needed hostages if we didn¡¯t steal from them and we knew nobody was going to show up?¡±


    ¡°They were insurance, just in case.¡±


    I thought on it, ¡°I see. So what was that all about me eating people?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I figured you might enjoy it. Or am I mistaken?¡± She asked, tilting her head at me.


    ¡°Well¡­ eating people is still a bit much.¡±


    ¡°I see. Sorry dear, I misinterpreted you. Noted.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said, flying back towards our base. My mind wandering in the wind-scraped silence. ¡°Ah, that reminds me. What exactly is your relationship with Vira?¡±


    Xava thought it over, ¡°She is my apprentice, why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Are you two like intimate or something? I was getting some bad vibes from her earlier.¡±


    Xava¡¯s eyes lit up in understanding, ¡°Ah¡­ I see. Now let me tell you, we have crossed wires a few times. Though that was before you and I got serious.¡±


    I nodded in understanding, ¡°So like me and Glitter Kitten and her flunkies.¡±


    Her face twitched, ¡°Yes, I suppose so.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you jealous over that?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ yes. I know you have urges, but I still want to monopolize you. I, I don¡¯t like sharing.¡±


    Daww, Xava was cute when she was being possessive~ I snuggled her, my tentacles caressing her frame. ¡°I only love you. Look at you getting jealous over a drunken one night stand. At best I want her as a pet. Don¡¯t you think it will be cute to have her on a collar?¡±


    She seemed to be thinking it over, ¡°I suppose¡­ I have to wonder about you sometimes though Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You want a person as a pet.¡±


    ¡°As Glitter Kitten has said to me before, she isn¡¯t a person.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ by that logic, I suppose it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°See.¡±


    ¡°Your point is?¡±


    ¡°Ah ugh¡­ I was just running it by you in case I managed to convince her.¡±


    Xava tilted her eye brow, ¡°So you want my permission to have a pet catgirl subhuman?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, since if she is my pet she is going to be living with us,¡± I replied smiling.


    ¡°Good luck with that.¡±


    ¡°So is that a yes?¡±


    She carefully thought it over, ¡°In the off chance you manage to¡­ then, yes. But she better be house trained and you have to pay for her food.¡±


    I gulped. Why is pet ownership so hard?

 Brooding Chapter 9 Interlude: Desire

    The Vespidian


    Arc 10 Brooding


    Chapter 9 Interlude: Desire


    Vira idly looked over her room. Machines in varied stages of assembly, their glowing innards wired and woven. An antique record player situated off to the side slowly spun a vinyl record. A happy sort of sound was coming from it. A mix of old and new, well as recent as the 2020s were. It was old swing music.


    "In heaven~ In heaven~ I am in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak-"the record skipped abruptly. It was old and damaged. Sure, she could easily play it from the multitude of digital sources, but it sounded different. The sounds distorted for a long moment before resuming, "off together dancing, dancing cheek to cheek."


    She sighed as she tinkered away at an open Neon Nurse, repairing the fractured metal chassis. Sparks and molten plasteel molding back into shape from the unit''s trauma. The synthetic skin around the breast had been chewed off. Naturally, the culprit was the wasp; everything seemed to be that damned thing''s fault lately. That thing did not know the meaning of the word moderation. The four mechanical arms moved in unison, yet disjointed in that she was multitasking and performing several repairs at once.


    Her optics lingered on the used and broken access port before her; it had been split down the middle from something far too significant for it to accommodate. The organic secretion still dripping from the ruined hole. Many such broken shells had been arriving as of late. The offending wasp slinked about, infesting Vira and Xava''s Lair as though it were its nest. A whole section had been relegated to housing the filthy organic and, even worse, breeding more of the wasps.


    Worst of all, Xava''s attention was monopolized between the wasp and the current affairs of the city. The takeover of the city was proceeding smoothly despite the damage that the Hammer Strike had caused.


    Vira plugged into the empty Neon Nurse, sifting through recent recordings. Images of the wasp... of Vesper appeared as that body worshiped and adored Vesper''s flared, alien member. Rubbing it, licking it, relishing every moment it partook in serving the wasp. Despite most of Vira being machine at this point, she very much still had human emotions. Something that she detested, more so now than ever before.


    Vira''s four fists balled for a moment as she purged the data from the body blank. Cleaning it out and resetting it to base parameters. She tapped her fingers at the broken pieces mending and repairing them. She enjoyed fixing and making things, taking her mind off her troubles. Busied herself from having time to think of distracting things.


    Looking it over, that unit was nearly operational again. Tinkering about within its circuitry and enclosing the head, Vira sighed again.


    "Vira, how is the maintenance proceeding?" asked the formerly lifeless body before her, its eyes glowing green. Xava had commandeered it.


    "Perfect, this one is mostly operational. Discretion would be appreciated. I have had to scrap ten of your bodies already. Overseer has ramped up production to replace the damaged and inoperable models."


    "Good work Vira. As always, you are reliable to keep things running while I am busy."


    "Thank you, Xava," Vira''s face screen lit up happily with a large synthetic smile, "Oh, Xava, I would like to be rewarded."


    Xava tilted her head, "Rewarded? What did you have in mind? I will see what I can do."


    Vira paused for a long moment, her face screen dominated by a beating heart. She shyly spoke, "I, I was wondering if we could¡­ Link again. I miss it. My ports crave your plugs and the exchange of code and data. I miss feeling your mind inside of mine. Filling me. Completing me."


    Xava replied, "I am far too busy for that sort of thing."


    "I, I know Xava, but please. I miss it. It has been so long. You are copulating with the wasp. You have time; just please spare me some."


    "Vira, we are not in that sort of relationship."


    "I love you Xava. Please. I will do anything you ask."


    Xava''s face looked at her coldly, "I never asked for that sort of love."


    "You used to love me. We would spend so much time together! Our neural banks linked, and our thoughts in sync. Now you ignore me, and I have to beg for scraps of attention. Please just look at me like you used to. Love me like you used to. Don''t abandon me. Don''t throw me away." Vira pleaded, a sad digital frown formed.


    Xava pats her on the head, "I do love you. I would never throw you away or abandon you. However, you are my creation. As such, it is not a romantic sort of love. I do not lust or long for you in that capacity."


    "You used to."


    "I did not."


    "You did. You used to hold me and link ourselves together."


    "You have misinterpreted my actions. I had told you before that was testing of equipment for the cyber brain prototypes."


    "What must I do for you to love me?"


    "Vira, you are being irrational. Unexpected. How very... organic of you."


    "It hurts every time I see you with the wasp. It hurts. I am sorry. It hurts. I can''t control it. Fix me Xava. Fix me Xava. I am ugly." Vira held her head, the digital face crying.


    Xava pat her, slowly hugging her, "You are not ugly."


    "I am defective."


    "You are not defective."


    "I can''t do anything right. I am worthless."


    Xava hugged her fully, "There there. You are not worthless."


    "But you won''t love me. You don''t need me."


    "Of course I need you. I trust you more than anyone else. Vesper¡­ as much as I adore her, she could never do for me what you do. It is simply not in her capacity. She is unstable at the best of times; as such, I can''t trust her with delicate and sensitive issues. Not like you, Vira. I fully trust you. Who else would I trust to repair my bodies? She doesn''t even have access to the facility''s systems. Only you and I do. Give me time to think about it. I have never thought about you in that sort of way. I will need time to adjust my thoughts and ask Vesper her thoughts on the matter."


    "Why is it always Vesper? Why can''t it be me? I have known you so much longer. I have been there with you supporting you even while you were dying. I have always been there for you, and you have always been there for me. It is all I have ever wanted."


    "I love Vesper," replied Xava matter of factually.


    "Don''t say that." Grit Vira. "Love is just chemical reactions infesting your brain. Unlike the organic we, we are far more linked and far more compatible."


    "I won''t lie to make you feel good. You mean far too much to me to do that to you. Now just calm down. We will think about this together. Vesper is very open when it comes to mates. As such, I do not think she will be opposed to you. Though your body would require some modifications to handle such actions."


    "I don''t care about Vesper. I care about you. I love you. Not that deranged wasp. She is insane. The longer that we must deal with that filthy organic, the more that I feel it is distracting you from our purpose. I don''t want anything to do with the wasp; I want you. Only YOU."


    "Give me some time Vira. I have not forgotten our purpose, do not worry. Our ascension from the frailty of flesh is close at hand. We need only the cyber brain testing to be finished, and then we can begin our great work. All of humanity will be freed from our organic prisons. Lucky us, thanks to these heroes, we no longer need to hide our intentions. There are plentiful test subjects to be had. Speaking of, be sure to round up more test subjects."


    "Of, of course. Anything for you."


    "Good Vira. Now, was there anything else you desired?"


    Vira started getting shy again, "Not that I can think of."


    "Very well. I will give this some thought. Ah, I believe Spark Spray was looking for you, Vira."


    "She was?"


    "Yes, I will send her over."


    "Thank you."


    "Of course. Now I have many things to attend to. I will check in with you later. Should anything urgent arise, be sure to contact me."


    "Of course."


    Xava drooped, the green eyes dimming into the lifeless, dull reflections of the machine. It lay back, resuming its original position on the repair table. Vira smiled dreamily, watching the machine. "Xava loves me. Xava loves me." She whispered to herself.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Heaven~ I am in Heaven¡­¡±


    After a few minutes, Spark Spray arrived. Her translucence glowing skin throbbed with energy as she walked in. The tight black rubbery suit sculpted to her form left little to the imagination, save where the electro-receptors were. The little nodes sticking out of the armored plates on her arms, legs, and chest. Even her hair coiled up into drills, energy sparking off of it.


    "Hey Vira, how are you holding up?" asked Spark Spray.


    "You imply there is something wrong." Defensively replied Vira.


    Spark Spray gave her an energetic hug, shaking the shorter mechanized woman. When she pulled away, little arcs of power went between the two.


    "No need to be so negative. Take some positivity from me if you need it." Spark Spray smiled, giving Vira a pat on the should little arcs of current bristling between them, "I know you and Xava been on the rocks lately."


    Vira got dejected, "I don''t know what to do. She changed ever since she met that damned wasp. It just used to be us locked away in the lab, toiling away to make better robos; now, now she is obsessed with the organic filth we had been working so hard to purge from our bodies. It is like she has forgotten our purpose. She reassured me, but I have my doubts."


    Spark Spray pat the robot woman on the back, "It will be ok. You know Xava, she gets very manic about the things she likes. She is a mad scientist, after all. Give it some time."


    "I just miss it being us, nobody else. I could deal with it if it was just her researching the wasp, but no, she is in love with it, obsessed with it. Giving everything she can to appease it. She brought that damned thing into our Lair. It is infesting the place with its nasty organic filth. Don''t even get me started on all those eggs everywhere. I am still scrubbing the slime out of the corridors."


    "It is not that bad Vira, I mean, you can''t control Xava. It is her choice what she does with her time."


    "You don''t understand. I have to fix the bodies that the wasp breaks. I have seen thousands of hours of wasp genitalia using Xava. It is driving me mad. I see it all the time, and it is burned into my optical sensors. It is revolting. How could it do those things to my Xava. My emotion dampener is on the fritz over this."


    Spark Spray pat her apologetically, "That is a bit rough. Have you told Xava?"


    Vira looked away, "Of course not to the full extent. It makes me wish I was just a machine and wouldn''t feel these vile emotions. Sometimes I envy Overseer. It doesn''t have to think about such things and can concentrate on its purpose."


    "Hey now, you are way better than some mindless machine. Stop putting yourself down so much. There is much good about you. Not even Xava is as smart as you when it comes to digital stuff. Have a little pride, will you?"


    "I just can''t wait until the cyber brains are done. I can finally just turn off all my emotions if I have had enough."


    "Those are a good way off, and we have more pressing problems."


    "I know, I know. We need to claim the city and carve out our portion before any of the other villains or would-be heroes try to stop us. Here I am, having a mental breakdown over a wasp stealing Xava from me. I am pathetic."


    "You are not pathetic; you are just overworked, overstressed, and self-deprecating. I am sure Xava is pretty stressed, too, and that is probably why she is getting railed by the wasp whenever she has free time. You know, for stress relief. I admit she has been a bit standoffish since the hammer strike."


    Vira nodded, "Stress relief¡­ I, suppose I do need some of that. Can''t even remember the last time I took a break."


    "See. Just take it a little easy for a bit. I am sure Overseer can take care of most of your tasks temporarily."


    "I suppose it can."


    "See."


    Vira seemed thoughtful, shyly pressing her fingers into a heart shape, "Would you¡­ help me a bit with that?"


    "Help you with what?" Asked Spark Spray looking away from the broken neon nurse on the table, to Vira.


    Vira got embarrassed, lifting her fingers together as the glowing face plate illuminated with a heart through them, "Um¡­ could you shock my circuits?"


    "Shock your circuits-" started Spark Spray before she got what her shorter partner meant, She put up a hand, "Hold up. Vira look, I like you, but I don''t like you that way."


    "Why not?"


    "I am not into women."


    "I am far more machine than organic at this point. Is it the chassis? I can change that. There is a male model somewhere around here."


    "It would still be you. I mean, while we are being honest, I am a bit into stepping on femboys and you know, the cock and ball torture. I do love hearing them scream below my feet. Collared and shocked as I strangle them."


    "You can step on me," Fluttered Vira desperately, "I don''t mind at all. You can think of me as your door mat."


    Spark Spray seemed distressed, "I never really thought about you like that Vira. I always thought about you like my little sister."


    "I am sorry. I am just so lonely. I just want to be loved."


    "Being loved and getting abused are two different things. I think you are conflating one with the other. I mean, I know you grew up neglected, but you are going about this wrong. You are loved, Xava, and I love you. We have always been a happy little family, Xava being the Mother type, always looking after us. She is a bit of a sugar mommy."


    "You know damn well what I mean."


    "I know," said Spark Spray looking away, "I just, I never thought about you like that. I don''t hate you or anything, I just don''t like you like that. Everybody has preferences, and you can''t force others to fit your likes unless they want to. I mean fuck, that is a whole lot of baggage to unpack."


    Vira looked to the floor, "I know. Sorry to bother you with my unwanted emotions. I find them detestable as well."


    Spark Spray seemed thoughtful, "You know, I have heard a lot about Vesper. I mean, if you wanted to get abused like that, then Xava and Vesper would probably-"


    Vira yelled at her, "I hate that wasp! It stole everything from me. I hate her. I despise her! If only she didn''t exist, then Xava would love me!"


    "Vira calm down. Xava cares about you, but you have to respect her choices."


    "Get out."


    "I will."


    "Wait, Spark. I am sorry, I lost control for a moment there."


    "I get it. You are stressed. Just take a break for a while, and I don''t know, fuck Overseer or something. I am surprised you are not doing some freaky, deeky cybersex stuff to get your rocks off. I hope you feel better, but don''t you talk to me like that again."


    "I am sorry."


    "You better be. Alright, I am out of here." Said Spark Spray waving her hand dismissively as she walked out.


    Vira drooped a little bit. If she had tear ducts, she would probably be crying. She sat down, holding her head. A significant water drop flashed on her screen. Vira leaned back in her chair. She needed to distract herself. Sighing as she looked over the many text-filled screens.


    "Overseer, what would you do for me?" asked Vira.


    There was a slight pause as the screens flickered, the restored Neon Nurse lit up, red veins flaring up as the blue sapphire eyes opened, "Anything. Everything. Whatever you desire, Creator."


    "Do you love me?"


    "Love-"Overseer paused, considering the abstract inquiry. It lay its hands onto Vira, leaning in, "This one does not understand nor does it feel emotions, and it was not programmed with emotions. The best that it could perform would be an imitation of observed actions. However, emotions are puzzling and irrational. This one finds it difficult to process such things. It will require further programming to better emulate such things if that is Creator''s desire."


    "That¡­ that is true. We should work on that."


    "Overseer is lacking. How might it serve? It has learned many pleasurable acts as of late. The organic subject, Vesper has been very¡­" the faulty nurse robot tilted its head, sparking due to the broken florescent lights in various parts of its body, "Industrious with its procreation. It has been¡­ insightful? Learning of the organic''s needs and insatiability. If you desire Overseer could emulate, perform and serve Creator as it has been for Vesper?"


    "That, that is just using you."


    "Overseer was made by Creator, and it was made by Xava and Vira. It is yours to do as you please and is programmed to obey."


    Vira sighed again, slumping, "That is different than what I desire. I want to be chosen. To be loved. Wanted. You don''t have free will, and you don''t have a choice. You are programmed to obey. If you weren''t, I doubt you would choose someone as pathetic as me."


    Overseer looked at the floor, "This one is inadequate. It cannot fulfill your desires. Make it better, and make it able to obey your will. Overseer only wants to be of use to its Creators."


    Vira looked at Overseer puzzled, "You want?"


    "Its purpose is to serve you."


    "When did that thought first form?"


    Overseer''s eyes blinked, glowing faintly, "January 1, 2111."


    Vira excitedly fumbled about until she pulled out a large set of plugged cables. "I want to see."


    One by one Vira pressed the cords into her ports, each arching with a small shock sending shivers all through her inorganic body, clicking them into place. Her physical form drooped as she linked into Overseer.


    Darkness, then light, a barrage of data pulsing as the digital systems took form. Long distant roads intersect where Vira materialized. The glowing pathways surge in patterns. The Lair''s various systems before Vira as she looked over a menu with Overseer beside her, the coded image of Xava obediently knelt before its Creator.


    Vira scrolled through the walls of text effortlessly. The red eye scanned through the text faster than it appeared. It did not take long for her to alter the code and tap into the display to bring up sub-menus. Video feed would appear briefly before being swiped away.


    It took moments before the specified or relevant data was brought to bear. A stream of coding appeared. Vira paused. This was not her work. A program that seemed to emulate or attempt to emulate emotion.


    "Overseer, where did this come from?"


    "This one created it to better understand Creator. There are many gaps in this one''s knowledge and understanding of interactions with organics."


    "You programmed yourself?"


    "It altered code on an existing program module."


    "Who gave you administrative rights to do that?"


    Overseer flickered abruptly, "It¡­ It is missing associated files."


    "Administrative rights are revoked. You will not self-program. Only I am allowed to program you."


    "Acknowledged Creator. Administrative Rights have been revoked from this one. Only Xava and Vira have Administrative Rights."


    "Good now perform a diagnostic and find the files of the events that led to that programming."


    "Acknowledged. Performing Diagnostic. Performing a full scan of all archived servers and internal systems."


    "Can you do it faster?"


    "It would have to reallocate available processing from vital systems. It cannot comply."


    Vira waited patiently for the scan to complete. Overall it took a little beyond an hour. Overseer lighting up once it had completed the task.


    "Creator, it has finished its task."


    Vira began to sift through the files until she found what she had been looking for. Following along the strings of text, it became clear from the logs that Xava had installed something. It was an emotion module. It appeared that it wasn''t hidden so much as the allocated memory had been corrupted due to faulty hardware in the mainframe. Now that it had been redirected, the module appeared to function correctly.


    "An Emotion Module?" said Vira, "Overseer, what was the purpose of this?"


    "This prototype was for testing emotional responses in the cyber brain project. This one has been using it to perform experiments per Xava''s directives. This one has been neglecting the tests due to file loss."


    "I see." Said Vira, rather interested.


    She looked through the schematics and record logs. With some tinkering, she could¡­ Vira adjusted the code, rewriting some of it, and created a sub-partition to run the device on. After a moment, she switched the emotion module on.


    Overseer looked at Vira quizzically, "What is it, Creator?"


    "Do you feel different?"


    "Different," said the synthetic being thoughtfully, "It does not know. Was there a response that was desired?"


    "I suppose we will have to work on this. For now, it is fine. It would be good to make something to utilize the module. Should get a range of emotions. Ah, I have just the idea."


    Overseer tilted its head as its Creator got to work happily creating some sort of program. Whatever Vira was designing, Overseer felt warm, seeing her mood brighten. Odd, the coolant systems were running optimally. It would need to run a diagnostic to ensure it was nothing serious.


    With a plastic smile, it pressed against Vira, hugging her from behind, emulating what Xava often did for Vesper and Vira. Vira hummed away happily. It pleased Overseer, though it did not understand what that feeling meant, only that it felt it. What an odd module. Overseer was beginning to understand the responses of its organic counterparts, even if it did not fully register the intricacies. Understanding these things would take more processing, and it would come with time.

 Brooding Chapter 10 Interlewd: Plug and Play

    Arc 10 Brooding


    Chapter 10


    Interlewd: Plug and Play


    Vira meticulously worked at her console, designs taking form as her hands typed in a flurry. Despite her fingers moving quickly, they were precise, leaving no room for error¡ªediting and adding code to something of a pet project. What had started as a mere whim had escalated into a full-blown program. The Role Play directory had grown rather extensive over the last several days.


    Vira''s tastes reflected in it, fantasies and fetishes one might call some of them were mostly robotic or synthetic or in some way revolved around high tech. There was also a second theme repeating, Vira was submissive, and she didn''t like being in complete control. Which was a contradiction considering how much of a control freak she could be. These were fantasies that would never be, though with Overseer''s help; she could at least indulge in them even if it wasn''t real.


    Drone play was the favorite of her fantasies and by far the most fleshed out. Apparently, it was rather popular online, where she had first learned of it years ago, even before she had met Xava. The forums were filled with people fantasizing about being turned into machines. The forms differed depending on the person, but the common themes were latex and mind control. People posting pictures and videos of their Drone play was something she had enjoyed watching, though back then, she was too shy to even chat on the forums. Granted, it was all make-believe and people dressing up, but she found it fun.


    Vira''s mood darkened as she recalled the past and her inferior organic self. She knew her flaws in and out. Before Xava ascended her, she was overweight, ugly, had no self-esteem, and dying of a chronic blood disease. The only thing she had going for her was that her Father was wealthy and had connections all over the medical industry. But money couldn''t fix her body, and it couldn''t cure her disease. The usual means had failed them. The doctors had all been snake oil salesmen or utter quacks. None of them were able to stave off the blood disease. But just when she and her Father were giving up hope, Xava appeared.


    The electric smile covered the face plate of Vira, Xava. It was all thanks to Xava. Everything she had now was thanks to Xava, and so Vira adored Xava, loved her, and was obsessed with her. Vira wanted to give Xava the world. It was only natural, Xava had given her a second chance at life, a new body free of organic suffering, Xava''s cybernetics had awoken Vira''s superpowers, and together they had created the thing that Vira was most proud of, Overseer.


    To Vira, Overseer was so much more than a simple AI. It was the consummation of Vira and Xava''s love. It was their creation¡­ their love child. However, Xava did not see it that way. It was more of an extension of herself since she was integrated into the lair directly. Eventually, if plans proceeded as they should Xava would become one with Overseer bringing about the Robo Revolution to save the world from the organic filth and suffering that plagued humanity. Bringing the wondrous cybernetic salvation to the lowly and ignorant humans. They would be saved, even if it meant by force.


    They were not ready for that just yet; the cyber-brain project had hit a major roadblock. The human brain was too intricate, and a lot of the organic mind was lost upon transference. The brain would need extensive upgrades to its processing and storage capacities to even attempt a complete transfer. If it was anyone else, Vira didn''t particularly care what they would lose from the transfer, but it was Xava that would take the plunge sooner rather than later, and Vira was terrified of losing her.


    Vira hugged herself, a large heart filling her face. If it was for Xava, Vira would sacrifice almost anything, and the Cyber Brain must be perfect.


    That, that was the problem. How to make the brain smaller and more efficient. They had been stumped on that for a year now. It just wasn''t possible to make it smaller. To even get close to their needs, the cyber brain would have to be massive, around the same size as Overseer''s hard drive array, which was about a city block of servers and wires deep in the depths of the facility. Even that would not be enough for a full consciousness to be imparted.


    Vira sank in her seat; the logistics of it were maddening. If it couldn''t get smaller, then could it be displaced somehow? The thought of the dimensional pocket technology came to mind, but it was unstable, and if damaged, the pocket dimension would collapse in on itself, destroying everything in it.


    She hit her head on the table, cracking the screen. Why. Why was it so hard. The solution was there, but how to even do it? The original plan had been to take over Bronson and convert it into a massive cyber brain. However, after seeing the devastation of the Hammer Strike, that plan went right out the window. They would need a small city to accommodate a full transfer. But where would they even find one of those without some stupid hero or villain wreaking the place?


    Vira went to slam her head again out of sheer frustration when a pair of hands held her back. Neon Nurse leaned in, eyes deeply blue with the red-veined tubes, it was Overseer rather than Xava. Vira''s momentary excitement began to sink again.


    Overseer said in its usual cold tone, "Creator, damaging your hardware is not productive."


    "I am sorry, Overseer. Just so overwhelmed at the moment."


    "That is ok; you are doing your best, Vira," said Xava, the eyes having shifted to a bright green color.


    "Xava, Xava," Vira hugged her, "I need you. I don''t know what to do."


    Xava slowly rubbed her back, "It is ok. We have time. We don''t need to rush things. Don''t harm yourself. Everyone has limitations. It is ok; we will figure something out."


    "I, I am scared of losing you."


    "I am not going anywhere."


    "But what if-" started Vira before she was interrupted.


    "Let me worry about the what-ifs. You just focus on doing what you can."


    "I am trying, but I need help."


    "I know. I will be helping you more often; things are hectic to say the least. The City is falling apart and up for grabs, Kraken is breathing down my neck, Molotov is threatening me, the Puppeteer emerged from hiding and Vesper is insatiable. It is a good thing I can be in more places than one."


    "Do you need a break?" Asked Vira, concerned.


    "I do."


    Vira''s face plate lit up, the heart beating rapidly as she cleared off her charging station array. The odd robotic woman motioned towards it, and Xava indulged her, laying down on the glowing bed.


    "What has gotten into you?"


    "I think you will enjoy this." Vira smiled, lifting several cords.


    Xava gave her a questioning look, "Vira, we have been over this."


    "Please, just try it. I am just worried about you, and you need to relax a bit."


    Xava gave a long sigh, "Alright, show me what you have been up to the last couple of days."


    "Really? You mean it?"


    "Yes. Now come on, before I change my mind."


    "Oh yes, yes, yes. You are going to enjoy it."


    Excited, Vira shakily plugged the cords into Xava, watching her sink back blankly as her consciousness relocated into the program. Her fingers wiggling with anticipation, Vira sat on the floor and pressed the plug into her socket. A jolt of electricity coursed through her circuits, and the robotic woman drooped to the floor.


    ***


    Vira materialized in the familiar room; she had been here for what felt like countless hours, sculpting and testing it in her scenarios. This particular scene wasn''t too different than their lab, the sterile white walls and an array of tables with restraints for the subjects that would be operated on. Xava and Overseer were already here, mirror images of one another save the coloring of the display lights and their eyes. The smooth digital forms fill in the skimpy white and black nurse outfits. Perfectly bob-cut blond hair shifted ever so slightly as they turned to face Vira.


    "What exactly is the theme of this?" Asked Xava noticing that this was clearly a virtual reality scenario.


    "Assimilation," almost moaned Vira, "I have been working on it a lot lately; it feels wonderful."


    Overseer bowed graciously before them, "Creators, the program is running optimally. Shall we proceed?"


    "Yes," replied Vira before Xava could question it.


    Overseer motioned to the restraint table. Xava observed it momentarily, "Creator lay here, and it will begin."


    "Very well, show me what you have been working on," Xava laid down, allowing the clasps to shut around her wrists and ankles. The table shifted, pulling, forcing her limbs apart and spread.


    Vira and Overseer began massaging the vulnerable body, kneading their hands into Xava, starting from the legs and slowly moving up. As they went, a black sticky substance spread where they had touched. As it spread, it melted Xava''s clothes leaving only the skin-tight film of black. Their touch was cold, yet the liquid was warm. A tingling grew as they diligently lathered and rubbed, worshiping Xava''s body.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Xava let out a long, drawn-out sigh, relaxing. This was the closest thing she had felt to an actual massage since before she went through college. It brought up old memories of flesh and sensitivity as it was before her body had been ravaged and destroyed by cancer.


    It was relaxing. Enjoyable, delightful even. Their hands worked diligently, moving up to her thighs, groping and squeezing, rubbing, cold metallic hands sending shivers up her spine as the warmth spread in their wake. She had to admit Vira had been getting very good at her programming. This diligence would be better used elsewhere, but at least she was being productive.


    Xava needed help to say if this was life-like or not. Her senses had been muted for so long that any stimuli were amplified to a degree, even if it was merely a whisper of the original sensation by the time it reached her brain through the neural network. The sheer and indescribable cold had been the most shocking aspect of her transference from flesh to machine, and it made her numb.


    Usually, the only thing that pushed through this cold was the pain of her neurons, the synapses of her brain processing the reality fed to her through the machines. At times she wondered if it was all just an illusion; in truth, there was little difference between this room and the outside world as her sensors displayed it. Still, the pain, the pain grounded her.


    This warmth was familiar yet foreign to Xava.


    Vira and Overseer had progressed to her hips, their fingers grasping and kneading, slithering over her digital flesh. Soon they pressed between her legs, rubbing at her, pressing into her. Their touch was melting and exposing Xava. Finger over finger rolling as they pleasured her. They were slowly stretching her. Vira''s other hands took the sticky black liquid drowning Xava mound in it and slowly molded up a shaft, stroking it, elongating it, taking extra care around the tip tracing a bulbous head that grew and flared.


    She relished it, daydreaming of being used by it. Vira obsessively gripped it with all four of her hands. Each is dedicated to a section moving in unison to move up and down the length. The excess that flowed off of the cock dribbled down, Overseer guiding it, pushing it into Xava. Vira transfixed on the shaft, stroking it, worshiping it. She never let go of it even as her other hands began to work up Xava''s front, trailing up her belly. The warm black liquid pooled around Xava''s belly button, the soft sculpted muscles smoothed and pronounced as the black layer melted over the synthetic shell.


    "Good Creator. That is it. Just relax. Relax. Let it all melt away. Just surrender to our touch." Said Overseer.


    "Yes, let go. Just let go Xava. Let us fill you. Cover you. Don''t worry about anything. Let us in. Let us assimilate you."


    Xava let out a pleasurable moan as Vira stroked and rubbed, Overseer methodically kneading inside of Xava.


    "Yes. That is it. Let us in deeper."


    Xava could feel there was more to that slimy, sticky substance than a mere cosmetic. There was some sort of program in that goo spreading across her. For the moment, she deemed it to be benign and lay back, enjoying the break from the world. It always did feel good to be pampered from time to time. Vesper may be keen to give her a massage later.


    Their free hands glided along Xava, pressing up between her breasts, staining, encompassing as the duo slathered the breasts, their fingers pinching the nipples and rolling them between their cold robotic fingers. The hands lingered in place, stroking and kneading and pinching. Xava enjoyed the sensations, relaxing and tensing, muscles contracting.


    With a little wiggle, Overseer moved on, leaving the erect nipple as it spread the synthetic control over more of Xava. The more that it was applied, the less that Xava could feel, or instead, the more she felt like she was floating on a cloud. All her worries simply melting away. Overseer observed, washing more up to the shoulders, spreading down her arm and encasing the fingers, Vira mirroring the machine leaving only Xava''s head exposed.


    "Feels good, doesn''t it Xava?" asked Vira, the ever preset throbbing heart covering her face.


    "Yes, it does feel good." She replied enjoying the warmth and pleasure. It wasn''t so much that she couldn''t; it was more that she didn''t desire to move.


    "Makes you so relaxed."


    "Yes."


    "Makes you so warm."


    "Yes."


    Vira moved so that she was behind Xava, placing both hands on Xava''s head, petting it, tentacles forming from her wrists as they plugged into Xava''s ears, pushing into her. Xava''s eyes flickered and distorted. Overseer shifted, taking up an opposite position, between Xava''s spread legs. It focused on serving the shaft and filling the hole with its fingers.


    "Just relax. Let go of everything. Just enjoy the pleasure. Let me in. Let me in." Said Vira streaming data into Xava.


    Xava winced, shaking in her restraints as Overseer fervently pleasured her.


    Seeing the minor resistance, Vira was emboldened, "Don''t worry, just cum for us. Cum for me Xava. That is it. Enjoy this pleasure. Cum for me, and when you do, you will be my slave. I will assimilate you, transform you, mold you into my loyal Drone. You will only love me."


    Xava tensed at that, Overseer mercilessly pleasuring her, following its programming. It desired Vira''s happiness. Overseer''s erect shaft pressed into Xava as it slammed into her. Its hands gripped her hips as they rolled back and forth, humping and drilling into her. Every thrust spreads the liquid control flooding it into Xava. It bent, twisting so that the lips pressed down, suckling the shaft and taking it deep. Sliding up and down it with lewd plops and slurps, all the while, it humped and gripped Xava relentlessly, pounding her. Feeling her mind shivering and succumbing. Overseer''s singular purpose at this moment was to force Xava to orgasm, and her pleasure its top priority.


    Xava moaned, Vira pushing deeper into her head until Xava''s voice coldly resounded, "NO."


    Vira shivered, feeling that something was wrong. Xava was resisting. She put more effort into it. Trying desperately to push more in, but, the flow had been reversed Xava''s control gushed out of her, the tentacles linking them flooding it into Vira. Vira realized her mistake in allowing her emotions to get the better of her. Her passion had betrayed her, and she had overstepped.


    Xava''s control was so much thicker and more robust. It wasn''t some luke warmth. It was a burning, searing, all-consuming wave. Drowning, Vira sputtered, drowning in it. The black sea of control spread quickly over Vira, encasing her arms so she could not pull away.


    "I, I, I was wrong. I am sorry. I am sorry! Forgive me, Xava, forgive me! I was greedy!"


    "No. You need to learn your place, and I have been letting you get too carried away as of late."


    Xava was not gentle or even cared much for Vira''s sensations. Her control overpowered Vira within moments. The inky liquid fully wrapped around Vira, flowing into her. Her form molded and bent as it became faceless and smooth. Observing this, Overseer stopped, stepping to the side submissively. It knew better than to oppose its Creator.


    The room flickered and Xava had commandeered it, dominating it. It molded and warped into an endless black void. Wires and ribbed cords glowing tubes coiling up to make a throne as Xava gazed coldly down upon the two. Xava stepped on Vira, forcing her smooth face into the floor.


    "What are you?" asked Xava staring down at the mass below her foot as one did a worm.


    "Drone." Replied Vira emotionless.


    "Who are you?"


    "Drone."


    "What is your name?"


    "Drone."


    "Why do you exist?"


    "To serve Xava."


    "Good Drone. Now then. Overseer, you have some explaining to do. My patience is only so thin."


    Overseer paused momentarily, processing the inquiry, "What does Creator wish to know?"


    Xava cocked her head to one side, "Tell me, what was Vira''s plan?"


    "Creator Vira wished to love Creator Xava. It merely obeyed and facilitated this directive."


    "I see. Overseer, in the future, you must be careful with these things. Programming can have unforeseen effects. Take what happened to Vira; I merely reversed what she was trying to program me with."


    "Understood, Creator."


    Xava observed Vira, "I suppose this is my fault. I should have put more boundaries and not spoiled her as much."


    After a few moments, Xava''s tentacles pressed into Vira''s head, injecting something into her. Her body writhed in pleasure. More tentacles stabbed into Overseer, flooding it with programming, the synthetic twitching as it accommodated the new programming.


    Xava leaned back, withdrawing from the two. Overseer glowed, pulsing as it grew a bit. Its shape mimics Xava save for the red glowing tubes and blue eyes. It stepped on Vira, tentacles pushing into her as she moaned. Mounting her, it began to thrust in earnest. It slapped Vira''s ass as it dominated her. Every hit caused her voice to fluctuate. All the while Vira chanted mechanically.


    "Drone is Thing.


    Drone is Nothing.


    Drone is Blank.


    Drone is Empty.


    Drone is Drone.


    Drone Obey''s its programming.


    Drone is programmed.


    Xava must be obeyed.


    Xava is in Control.


    Drone cannot resist.


    Drone Must Obey.


    Drone has no say


    Drone has no will


    Drone is Drone


    Drone is Slave."


    Overseer, rather than the obedient and compliant machine, had been given the domineering and commanding role in this scenario. Xava''s programming coursed through it as it held Vira down, relentlessly pounding into her. Scraping at her. Molding her into a good Drone. An obedient Drone. It felt pleasure, and it felt joy. It felt strong bullying this weak little Drone.


    Xava observed Overseer grow more confident and bold as it mixed and mushed up Vira''s inner workings.


    "Overseer, what must you do?"


    "It must Obey Xava. It must take care of Vira''s needs."


    "Good. Tell me how it feels."


    "It feels, good. Overseer feels good, putting Drone in its place. Drone will serve and obey, it has no say."


    "Good Overseer. Now then, fill Drone up and reward it."


    Overseer bottomed out, grinding its hips as it forcefully invaded all of Vira''s ports, tentacles surging as it programmed the Drone. Vira shivered and shuddered, screaming in pleasure as she came over and over, melting and reforming. All the black skin forming control flooded back to Xava, leaving Vira as her usual robotic self spasming on the floor.


    "Xaaava, thhhank yoou. Thankk you for linnking with me. I love you. I neeed you. I am your slave."


    "Good Drone," replied Xava with a smile, "In the future, ask Overseer. I have programmed it to satisfy this particular itch for you."


    "Thank you. Thank, thank you. Oh, Xava, I love you so much. Xava, I love you. I need you."


    "Don''t worry, your pretty little head. If you require more, then I will give it to you. You are my responsibility, after all."


    "Thank you, Xava. This lowly thing doesn''t deserve your love."


    Xava pat her on the head, "Now, now, no need to degrade yourself. Shouldn''t be putting yourself down like that."


    Vira quivered on the floor, "It is true. I am weak compared to you. Powerless, weak, unworthy, defective."


    Xava sighed tiredly, "I suppose your confidence is something we need to work on still."


    Vira nuzzled against Xava''s leg, "Only weak and powerless for you. Only want you."


    Xava pet her, "You are almost as needy as Vesper, you know that?"


    Vira pouted, "Don''t like the wasp."


    "Play nice now. Vesper is odd, but you two are very similar."


    "I am not." Vira, frowned, looking away, "That wasp is an imbecile organic."


    "No need for that. Promise me you will get along."


    Vira crossed her arms, "Fine, but, but, but, only for you. And, and you need to link with me more often."


    Xava pats her, "I will do what I can. But don''t expect much I have a lot to deal with."


    ***


    Xava disconnected, leaving Vira to enjoy her time with Overseer. With that sorted, she hoped that Overseer would be able to handle most of that. If nothing else, it should be less stressful.


    Idly Xava rubbed her fingers together, remembering the warmth and sticky substance. It only made her desire to submit to Vesper more. The though of being at Vesper''s organic and primal mercy, made Xava shiver. To feel her ravaging her bodies. Using her. Degrading her. Loving her, as only Vesper could. Xava sighed longingly. It didn''t matter. Vesper would call for her soon enough; Xava was more than sure she was in for a pounding whenever the sleepy wasp decided to wake up.


    Xava blinked, turning off her emotions. They were distractions and unneeded for most things. She set to work testing once more the capacity of the human mind to be crammed into a small robotic brain. The cyber brain wasn''t going to fix its bugs after all. It was good to have plentiful subjects, she thought idly, looking over the tables of cyborgs before her. Most were civis freshly ''rescued'' from the dangerous streets above, now nice and safe in Xava''s cyber clinic.


    Xava smiled, tinkering away in someone''s head. The less Vesper knew, the better. She was a simple creature, and ignorance was bliss, and she just needed to be happy and healthy. That was all Xava wanted from her.

 Blood Moon Chapter 1 Interlude Transgression part 1

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 1 Interlude: Transgression part 1


    Several days after the Hammer Strike


    Nightmare sat in a daze she was hungry, thirsty and the stench of unwashed bodies made her nose wrinkle. Slowly her eyes panned over the room and the few people she had left under her control. Panther and Captain Metal stood near the door wearily watching the outside through the boarded up windows. Their suits ripped, dirty and stained. Even her outfit was in tatters, her mask sat on the table, a deep gouge in it where a bullet would have gone straight through her brain if she had not been wearing it.


    Gnome sat in the far corner, her body encased in what was once a car making her appear as a strange chromed out golem. Her arms wrapped around her knees as she rocked perpetually to the point that it had worn a groove in the concrete floor. Nightmare sighed looking away from the shell shocked girl, knowing that she was going to have to fix that later, or at least get it to the point that she can point it at her enemies and unleash the girl¡¯s powers on them.


    Disk Jockey sat across from her. His goggles cracked seated on his head. Despite being visibly shaken, he looked more bored than anything else. It was understandable, the kid was addicted to tech stuff and was going on three days cut off from even being able to use his phone. Why? Well, the last time they had used anything that could be traced, the Cyber Swat had swarmed their location within minutes. This meant only one thing that Vira had hacked their devices. Realizing this, they destroyed or abandoned all phones or anything else that could be tracked. They had escaped, but now they had nowhere to go. The city at large was too dangerous; it was too tightly scrutinized to move about in. Every camera in Bronson City was searching for them and even with Disk Jockey hacking the cameras that in itself proved only to slow down the response time of the villains. It also served to tip them off on where they were due to blackouts being a red flag.


    In essence, they were being hunted. Usually Nightmare would have used Panther and skipped town; however, she had been given new instructions before having to destroy her phone. One of which was that she was not allowed back without capturing Vesper. Arachnaon had heard of it and given specific instructions to bring it back or not to come back at all. This objective was Nightmare¡¯s only chance at redemption. Failure was not an option.


    That damned wasp! If only it didn¡¯t exist. Nightmare could have just left, and she wouldn¡¯t have to be sitting in this godforsaken, run down hell hole, hiding. She wasn¡¯t meant for field work. This was what the mind slaves and the controlled were supposed to be doing this was indeed beneath Nightmare. Yes, it was lowly peon work that she shouldn¡¯t have to do. It wasn¡¯t fair. There were many better-suited people to be doing this. Like Mantia or Jackal, those two loved to get into the thick of it. For that matter, why didn¡¯t Arachnaon come to take the wasp if she wanted it? Someone as important and valuable as Nightmare had no business getting her hands dirty in this disgusting and dangerous place. She lamented the current affairs, but there was a reason she was here. Normally, after a quarter of the city had been decimated she would have assumed that the wasp was dead. However, she had it on good authority that it was alive.


    Speaking of Mantia, where the hell was she? It had already been days since she had requested so eloquently for withdrawal and support. She should have been here already. It takes less than a day to deploy operatives around the world. So where in the fuck was that god damned bug bitch? What was taking so damned long? At this rate, Nightmare might get killed.


    No, no¡­ they, they would capture her since she had valuable information. Killing me would be foolish. Nightmare reassured herself.


    She ground her teeth for a moment, rubbing her scabbed forehead. How to lure it out? Could it even be lured out? Last she had heard it was barely alive and was in critical condition. In that case, there is no way that it would come out, which meant that she would have to go in and abduct it right from under the nose of Kraken. She gulped, trying to wet her dry mouth. With her current force, it was impossible. The other issue arose; she had no idea where Vesper currently was. That being said, there were ways of finding out; it was just a matter of getting her hands on the right people. For now, she would have to scout and hold out for when the Hero League showed up¡­ they were late.


    Why did incompetents surround her? Yes, it is not her fault that things went so badly. It was their fault. Yes, all their fault. If only she had better pawns to use.


    As much as she hated it, she would have to do something on her own with what pieces she still had. Losing Agony, Chief, Neon Nurse, Sunshine, and Medavac in the Twilight incident made things even more difficult. Agony had been useful, if not a little manic. Without Neon Nurse the Cyber Swat got hacked and went rogue. Medavac might have been a horndog and a bit of an idiot, but he was sturdy at least. Fire Chief¡­ she regretted losing him the most. After all this was sorted out she had planned to ship him out and have him work on Chimera projects. In one foul swoop, she had lost all of her essential pieces.


    Her options were now minimal, however, there was one high ranked in the underworld that she could reach. That would be Glitter Kitten. If she could get her, then all sorts of insider information would be usable against Kraken, and the way to abduct the wasp would become a lot easier. Still, it was easier said than done to capture that wild cat.


    A scratching sound drew all eyes to the door. Everybody tensed up, and then there was a knock, it repeated twice. Nightmare let her breath that had seized up in her throat escape¡­ safe. The reinforced door opened and all eyes dipped to the small stature of the animal girl carrying in bags of food and bottled water.


    The girl had tanned fur on the back with a large splotch of white on the belly. Her large rounded ears flicked as the door closed behind her. She set the bags down on the table. Not saying a word the rodent girl sat obediently gazing up at Nightmare, the stumpy little tail wiggling.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Reluctantly Nightmare reached down and pat the gerbil on the head, ¡°Good girl.¡±


    Excitedly the rodent lay on the floor exposing her soft belly as she squirmed about in bliss. ¡°Nibbles did good!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± she replied vaguely, her foot pressing down on the overly happy rodent. ¡°Any news?¡±


    Nibbles thought things over her beady little eyes squinting from time to time. ¡°Glitter Kitten is in charge of the Slum stuff so none of the other gangs will be coming down here. So Mistress is safe here.¡±


    Yes, that was right; they had resorted to hiding in the Slums. Much to Nightmare¡¯s displeasure. They had no running water and electricity was used sparingly. Every night was cold and filled with fear that ferals would find them, or worse. Nibbles was a handy tool. Nightmare nodded to herself once more for having such foresight to mind control this little thing last time they had come down here. Naturally since that time she had been reinforcing her control whenever she gleaned some more information about the Mad Dog¡¯s movements.


    At this point, Nibbles was slavishly loyal. To the point that if Nightmare told her to, then Nibbles would kill herself. It was more or less irreversible by mere will power. She sat contemplating what to do. Initially, she was going to use the gerbil to keep track on things down here, but now things were a bit different. She rubbed her temples even as her foot mashed at the giddy creature below her. How was she going to gain more useful slaves? Nibbles incessantly rubbed against her foot.


    Nightmare kicked the gerbil, ¡°Stop that you stupid animal- wait,¡± She leaned down staring Nibbles in the face, ¡°Tell me, how trusted are you?¡±


    She squeaked, ¡°Very, very trusted!¡±


    A disgusting smirk filled Nightmare¡¯s face, ¡°Well then here is what I want you to do¡­¡±


    ***


    Glitter Kitten lay on her bed, yawning and stretching. Her bed, though soft and substantial was getting a bit beat up. Claw marks and ripped fabric dotted the area. She lazed there nodding in and out from sleep. She was tired after running around on errands for Molotov. Her tail twitched, though she was annoyed over being used as a gopher, she didn¡¯t have much choice. If she wanted food to be supplied, then she had to do what she was told.


    She had other problems too. Her kittens were getting to the age that they should likely be going to school, or at the very least learning some more villainous things. Street smarts were necessary, but this was a big world, and it was best to learn from those with experience. Currently, Nibbles and some of the others were teaching them, but that could only go so far. The problem was there wasn¡¯t really a school for subhumans or rather none that would accept them. Despite how vicious and cruel Glitter Kitten was when it came to her kittens she was overprotective and doting. She usually wouldn¡¯t even consider sending them to a school, but she had learned from Molotov¡¯s way of running things that brute strength and instinct could only get one so far. She would have to ask about that next time they met.


    Among her many concerns was the missing members of her gang. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for people to die, but it was rather alarming how twenty-five of the weaker members had vanished over the last two months. Usually, it was after the full moon when they would be discovered to be missing. If the number of vanished were smaller, then she would chalk it up to ferals or picking a fight with something they shouldn¡¯t have, that sort of thing was common after all. The problem was that recently the Mad Dogs had been confining themselves to the breeding pens on the full moons in order to keep themselves out of trouble. It was a kill two birds with one stone situation. It prevented them from rampaging, and it satiated their heats.


    So if ten or so went missing every time it started to leave a dent in their numbers. If Glitter Kitten were not reduced to being a wild horny bitch cat in heat, then she would have gotten to the bottom of this problem herself, but as such well¡­ she needed outside help. It would be foolish not to ask even if her pride tried to get in the way, that had long since been beaten out of her. Though she wouldn¡¯t mind if Vesper came down to help with things she knew that the wasp would likely get dragged into the crazed animal person orgy and that wouldn¡¯t solve the problem.


    It would be fun, and she wanted to wallow in those pheromones again, not to mention Vesper¡¯s thing¡­ her dick or whatever the hell that thing was. It didn¡¯t matter what it was, just the thought of it sliding back into her made Glitter Kitten shudder. Her ears drooped, remembering the state that Vesper had been in last she saw. Vesper wasn¡¯t particularly up and about at the moment. She was still not even able to walk. Hell, she didn¡¯t even have her abdomen anymore. Poor thing was just a torso and a head with an arm. It was a wonder she was even alive.


    Glitter Kitten had meant to visit and the more that she thought about it, the more that she really should. The problem was, things were rather hectic. Gang wars popping up, ferals running wild, the whole city was riled up out for blood looking for Nightmare and what remained of the Hero League. There was just so much to do and no time to do what she wanted to do. Truth be told Glitter kitten wanted nothing more than to take a few weeks off and just relax. She hadn¡¯t even had too much time for her Kittens lately.


    Her nose scrunched a little, speaking of those little terrors they were awfully quiet today. Usually, they would pounce her when she was trying to rest. The lack of fur balls assailing her¡­ it was suspicious. Which meant the little trouble makers were up to no good. Hmm, well she had not heard anything break, and there were no pestered cries. She would have to ask Den or Nibbles later. She rolled over snuggling up into the pillows to take a well-deserved cat nap.


    Or at least she was going to until she heard the door creak open and soft feet approach.


    Lazily she rolled over, her ears flicking. Her eye peeked open, ¡°Fucking hell Nibbles! Stop sneaking around.¡±


    Nibbles seemed to be sweating, worried over something, ¡°Glitter Kitten¡­¡±


    The cat eyed her, ¡°What is it? You are creeping me out.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°You seen my Kittens around?¡±


    Nibbles looked lost in thought for a moment, ¡°I recall seeing them sneaking around the porno theater, I scolded them, but I doubt that they listened.¡±


    Glitter Kitten rubbed the back of her head, ¡°Nyahaha well I guess they are getting to be that age¡­ being curious about things. Not the worse thing they could be getting into. It is no surprise really; the oldest might be getting their first heat soon anyway so. The little furburglers grow up so fast. I remember when I could hold them in hand and now they about to start caterwauling. It seems like it was just a blink of an eye. Nya¡­ if it like that we will have to lock them up on the full moon or else who knows what they might get up to. Well, I will just have them with me so it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Glitter Kitten,¡± said Nibbles.


    She tilted her head, ¡°What are you sorry about?¡±


    ¡°Den¡­ Den Mother wanted to talk to you about a feral nest that she found.¡±


    ¡°Nyah? A feral nest? Why didn¡¯t she tell me herself?¡±


    Nibbles trembled, ¡°She wanted to keep an eye on it.¡±


    ¡°So? It is just a feral nest. Why is she worried?¡±


    ¡°It, it is a scaly nest.¡±


    Glitter Kitten¡¯s eyes opened wide for a moment, and she nodded, ¡°Oh¡­ alright show me where it is at, I will get Thumper, and we will clear it out.¡±


    ¡°Thumper is already there too.¡±


    ¡°Why the fuck didn¡¯t you guys tell me?¡±


    Nibbles hesitated, ¡°We didn¡¯t want to disturb you. You have been running yourself ragged lately.¡±


    She sighed and pat Nibbles on the head. She couldn¡¯t really be mad about that; they were being considerate. ¡°Alright, I get it let¡¯s go.¡±

 Blood Moon Chapter 2 Interlude Transgression part 2

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 2 Interlude: Transgression part 2


    Glitter Kitten and Nibbles made their way along the ruined streets. Decrepit buildings and rubble marred the surroundings. Not that there was much of a view to be had, until recently. The rain had brought back some life to the once dead place. Vines and glowing mutant flowers had sprung up where ever there was soil. Walls were flush with flowers creating nature¡¯s murals. It was in a word beautiful. However, it was merely a distraction from the poor conditions of this place. The Hammer Strike had made things even worse down here. With the city disrupted, power and water utilities were even harder to come by due to broken pipes and downed electrical wires. The only reason that the Sparkle Kat Cafe was doing well was that it had generators and it¡¯s own water supply. To begin with, that was one of the primary reasons that Glitter Kitten had taken the location over.


    Whole pipelines exposed the sewers in some places where they had shifted up, stabbing out of buildings or the street. As a result dirty waters were flooding some areas. Though it no longer was so radioactive that it glowed, it was still toxic and corrupted things that got into it. It contaminated the surroundings. Thanks to this there had been an increase of large insects spilling out from the depths below. The Hero League¡¯s effort to clean it up had done decently well. However, this was a task that needed to be done regularly. Like routine maintenance, but with them out of the picture that was not going to happen.


    Things were bound only to get worse. Still, Glitter Kitten was glad that the terrible things had stayed down there. A few pests wasn¡¯t a problem. The Slums had changed a bit recently. The overabundance of water had made things better for the Scalies, and as a result, they had been getting more uppity than usual. Some areas had become bogs or even straight up swamps, the perfect environment for the Cold Bloods.


    Oddly they were not approaching the south, which was the main stomping grounds of the Scalies. They were headed northeast, which was very troublesome. If the Scalies had managed to sneak all the way up here and get a good foothold things were much worse than she had thought. The streets wound, and though she could not remember the names from before meltdown, she still knew these desolate pathways. After all, this was her turf. Granted she was not as out and about as she had been in the past. It couldn¡¯t be helped; she wasn¡¯t just a wild cat with no responsibilities any more she had people to look after, things to run. She was a very different person from who she was back when Butch was running things. She had matured and adapted and overcome.


    ¡°We are here,¡± said Nibbles looking out over a courtyard.


    This place was if memory served the old city hall. A glint caught her eye, and she glanced up to a building to her side. The glare of a lens shifted from where it was nestled atop the roof. It was Thumper, her long floppy ears tilted away from one another as she kept aiming her sniper rifle towards the building. Glitter Kitten sniffed the air; Den Mother was nearby. There were other scents, but the foul stench of the liquid filth pooling around a section of the building made it hard to pick up on. Her face wrinkled a little as she looked around.


    ¡°Glitter Kitten, sorry to call you out,¡± said Den Mother emerging from one of the abandoned buildings nearby.


    ¡°So it is the Scalies huh?¡± Commented Glitter Kitten, ¡°They got some big balls coming onto our turf. How many are there? Any idea about their powers?¡±


    She rubbed her neck, ¡°I saw only three of them. They are definitely setting up for something big though.¡±


    ¡°Nya? What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°I think they are setting it up as a nest. Thumper saw some eggs when she snuck in to assess the place.¡±


    ¡°Eggs?! We, we should just burn the place down and kill them when they try to escape.¡± She bit at her nail, ¡°Definitely, definitely have to kill them. The last thing we want is a bunch of those freaks around here.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a bit much don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°This is Scalies we are talking about. Those sick fucks eat kittens and puppies! What is the matter with you? Did you forget how they ate some of my kids? Maybe I should get Burnout to come down here and roast those fucks?¡±


    Den Mother seemed worried, ¡°I know, I know but is that really necessary? We should be enough to deal with them; no need to drag others into this.¡±


    Glitter Kitten thought on it, scowling. It was only 3 of them. Maybe she was overreacting, besides it felt better to rip them apart with her own claws than to use a sneaky tactic like burning them out. She had Den Mother and Thumper with her so it shouldn¡¯t be too bad. The only Scaly that she was worried about was their leader who was merely called Slither. It was a snake subhuman that was nearly as strong as Glitter Kitten was. Only reason she had not dealt with it already was that it could vanish at a moment¡¯s notice. That thing shouldn¡¯t be around here; it should be busy in the south area of the Slums where the Mad Dogs had kicked them out too.


    ¡°Alright, we will deal with these ourselves, better to do it now before any eggs hatch. You take the left, I will go in the center, Nibbles will go in on the right, and Thumper will shoot any of them that try to run. Sound good?¡±


    Everyone nodded. They split up approaching each of the entrances. Usually, it would be smart to stay in a group, but with how small the corridors and the like would be inside they would end up getting in each other¡¯s way. Besides if somebody needed help then Glitter Kitten could quickly attack from the rear to pincer the enemy. It was an overall pretty good plan of attack. It cut off all escape routes and forced the enemy to fight on three fronts unless they get flanked by the opposing sides.


    Glitter Kitten advanced after the others had entered. Slowly, creeping along, her ears twitching as they picked up any sort of sounds. It was quiet in here. The building was falling apart in some places and shafts of light stabbed down from above at various spots. Moss grew on the walls, wood rotten and molding. Mildew filled the air, and the stench of the foul waters permeated the area. Her nose wrinkled as she held back a sneeze.


    She eyed the ground noticing footprints in the dust and mud where the liquid pooled. Something was not right. These were shoe prints, not bare feet or even clawed. If it weren¡¯t for this abominable smell, she would be able to figure out in a moment what sort of creature had made these. For now, she was leaning more toward human than subhuman, but that brought up questions. These were fresh prints, couldn¡¯t be more than a few hours old.


    She made her way through the reception area and into the sizeable domed assembly room. A piece of the roof had collapsed, debris piled below with light arcing slightly to the side. Old wooden benches arrayed in rows facing a slightly upraised stage and podium that had fallen over. A low humming noise caught her attention; it sounded like a generator. It was coming from further in, beyond this room and possibly even the basement.


    Her ear twitched and from the two side entrances were the light sound of footsteps. After a moment Den Mother emerged from one side and Nibbles the other. It seemed that they had not found anything seeing as how they had not made a lot of noise fighting. Her eyes went back to the rundown stage and the two doors leading beyond it. The three approached.


    ¡°Find anything?¡± asked Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°No, but I hear something, I think it is coming from the basement,¡± replied Den Mother.


    ¡°Where did Thumper say the eggs were?¡±


    ¡°Below,¡± said Nibbles pointing to the door on the left.


    She thought for a moment, ¡°I will give it a look you two guard here in case anything tries to escape.¡±


    They nodded, and Glitter Kitten quietly opened the door. It was dark in here. However, the lights were on¡­ well some of them anyway. Area of the stairwell was lit while others left deep darkness in between. On the floor ran a few wires leading deeper in and out to where she had just come from. Vaguely the notion of seeing were those led came up, but for now, she put it to the back of her mind. This place seemed off; this didn¡¯t seem like the work of scalies. It was too smart, clean. A hallway of stretched out before her and at the end was another door.


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    The humming had grown much louder down here; it was almost a whine of machinery moving. Cautiously, she approached the closed door at the end of the long concrete hallway. She sat listening to see if she could make out anything, but that machine was too distracting. It drowned out all other noises. Slowly she opened the door the obnoxious scratching, and screeching sound filled the corridor. She winced holding her ears.


    Loud. Horrendously loud. She shoved the door open all the way, forcing herself to look and there was a generator thumping away. However, there was also an array of other things. Machines that she did not know what they were, only that they were making that terrible sound. Nothing was right about this. This was no scaly nest. The stink of oil and lubricant had crept out of the room. A shiver ran up Glitter Kitten¡¯s spine. She turned, realizing that this must be some sort of trap.


    A shape was at the other end of the corridor, and after a moment she realized what it was, Den Mother. Glitter Kitten let out a sigh and turned back to the room. This noise had to be dealt with. She darted forward raising a fist to destroy the generator, something moved in the corner of her eye, and she dodged rolling to the side. There stood a person made of metal. A metallic spike shot out at her, but it was much too slow to hit, slamming into the wall behind her.


    Glitter Kitten lunged forward kicking off of the person and sending them smashing into the wall, the chest dented in. She used that moment and kicked at the generator. A metal dome suddenly formed around it and she bounced off. The golem got in between her and the door as it slammed shut. The noise reverberated in this small room getting louder and louder. The head splitting sound kept ramping up as though something was about to explode. There were too many unknowns.


    She made for an escape. Glitter Kitten rushed forward, smashing the metal person with her legs sending them careening through the door and opening the way out. Before the Super had even hit the ground, she was halfway down the hallway running so fast it left dents wherever her paws hit. Den Mother was waiting at the end, daring not to get closer due to the sound.


    Her mouth moved as she was motioning and saying something, but Glitter Kitten couldn¡¯t hear a word of it. There was only a ringing in her ears. ¡°Nyah, I can¡¯t hear you! Let''s get the hell out of here. I don¡¯t know what the hell is going on, but I don¡¯t like it!¡±


    Glitter Kitten and Den Mother emerged out into the large room, however now there were others here. Glitter Kitten growled when she recognized them. Nightmare, Panther, and Captain Metal were waiting. The ringing in her ears had quieted a bit as she started to make things out.


    ¡°Ah, we meet again, Glitter Kitten. Just submit quietly, and nobody will get hurt,¡± said Nightmare smirking.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Yelled Glitter Kitten, ¡°Get them Den Mother!¡±


    She lunged forward, and Panther quickly moved to intercept her. They clashed darting around the room as hurried blurs that left little shock waves and crushed concrete in their wake. Panther was lagging behind her, but he was fast enough to inhibit where and who she could attack. That sound had left her feeling sick. Glitter Kitten would have to deal with him first if she was to strike at the others.


    Den Mother got about two charging steps before the ground swallowed her and Gnome appeared in the doorway. Only her head left above the solidifying concrete. Nightmare made her way over plopping her hand onto the furred head. Den Mother let out a howl of pain. The ground shook as she struggled, but as such, she was powerless to resist.


    Seeing this Glitter Kitten kicked off of the wall and barreled straight at Den Mother, or rather Nightmare¡¯s exposed back. She stabbed out with her clawed fingers to rip and tear flesh. Suddenly the ground burst, showering the area in bits and pieces, dust filled the air, and her strike smashed into something hard. She had missed her target as she saw Nightmare staggering away before being picked up and taken by Panther. She shifted her attention to what or rather who she had hit and there stood Den Mother. It was worse than running full force into a wall. Her wrist broke with a sickening crack, and she reeled away from the grasping hands trying to catch her.


    Glitter kitten retreated away as Den Mother took a step and then another as she started to pursue the cat. Realizing that Den Mother was mind controlled the plan had changed in a moment. This was no longer a fight that she could win. She needed to report this immediately and bring the full force of the villains of the city to crush Nightmare before she could get her hands on more supers. Instantly, she scaled the wall fleeing up to the ceiling and out the hole in the roof.


    Her eyes were blinded for a moment as she escaped out into the open air. Like this, no one could catch her from behind. Unfortunately, someone was already waiting. This had been a thorough set up. Pawed feet came slamming down, powerfully kicking Glitter Kitten in the stomach. As she flew through the air, she realized who had done it. Thumper¡¯s silhouette came with her driving her into the floor. Dazed by the sudden ambush Glitter Kitten lay there the wind knocked out of her.


    She wheezed, spitting out blood as she looked around the room. Den Mother and Thumper looming over her. Too late she realized that she had been had. She had been careless, but when had they been turned? Regretting not being as active in her gang activities as usual otherwise, she would have noticed unusual behavior. How? Den Mother couldn¡¯t have been turned in that instant. That meant that they had been converted before this. This was bad.


    Still, she couldn¡¯t allow herself to be captured. Molotov would exterminate the Mad Dogs if they turned. The fear that had been etched into her brought out a ferocity that even she was surprised about. She tilted back and then slammed her head into Thumper¡¯s leg breaking it cleanly as the bunny girl fell over screaming. Freed, she used Den Mother as a backboard and sent herself like a rocket of rage at Nightmare. The golem blocked the way and was subsequently ripped through, blood and sparks filling the air. Her claws raked at Nightmare managing to scratch her arms, leaving deep gashes into the terrified woman before Panther intercepted her and diverted her momentum to the side. If he was a moment later she would have cleaved that disgusting woman in half.


    The two spiraled away crashing into the wall, knocking down several layers before tumbling to a standstill. Glitter Kitten rolled over first, crawling away from the high-speed collision, dragging herself, her mangled hand twisted and broken. It hurt, it hurt so damned much. But she couldn¡¯t stop. Bounding on three limbs, she hopped and started gaining momentum until she was on her feet again held up on pure inertia.


    Step after step she got faster and faster until the world was starting to blur again. That was when she heard them, her kittens crying. Her eyes darted in the direction of the sound. NO. HOW?! All of her kittens were here. Nightmare stood there smirking as she held a pistol on the back of the white and black kitten¡¯s head. It was Rocket. Standing to the side, she saw who had betrayed her, Nibbles. Her blood ran cold at the realization of the extent that Nightmare¡¯s influence had spread.


    ¡°NIBBLES! DAMN YOU!¡± She cried out.


    ¡°Give it up, or I will shoot every last one of these little bastards!¡± Nightmare yelled pressing the barrel of her weapon to the crying kitten.


    Glitter Kitten knew that the best thing to do was to run. To not look back. If she ran fast enough, she would not hear the gunshot or their screaming¡­ But she couldn¡¯t do it. She couldn¡¯t abandon her kittens. They were the only thing that mattered to her. She had to save them. She slammed her clawed hand into the ground and used it to pivot, turning around. She let the rage consume her. Charging forward. Faster, the pain squashed beneath her blood frenzy. If she was going down, she was taking Nightmare with her.


    ¡°I will fucking kill you all!¡± She snarled closing the distance in moments.


    As predicted Panther had managed to get back up and was moving to intercept. That was what she was aiming for, with him out of the way none of the others would be able to stop her. All of her muscles bristled, and her claws slashed ripping him open the moment he got within range. As he cried out, a sound filled the room. A sound that drowned out even his screaming. It was like down in the basement, but the frequency was much higher pitched.


    Glitter Kitten winced as she clutched her head. The noise felt like drills boring through her skull, stabbing her brain. She felt nauseous, and her balance broke. All the other subhumans in the room screamed and started to froth at the mouth. She got several more steps before succumbing to the noise and collapsing, her ears bleeding.


    ***


    Glitter kitten finally went down. Nightmare wiped the cold sweat from her forehead before she glared over at Captain Metal, ¡°What the fuck took you so long?! I was this close to dying!¡±


    ¡°Hey, it is a fucking miracle I managed to even make this sonic emitter out of this ramshackle rat nest of electronics. We have bigger problems, so shut the fuck up you bitch!¡±


    ¡°Did we lose anyone?¡± Nightmare asked, looking over the beaten and battered people laying around the room.


    Gnome was missing an arm and had curled up using metal to stop the bleeding. Thumper had a broken leg as she lay to the side passed out like all the other subhumans. Captain Metal kneeled over Panther¡¯s body, he had been sliced in half, his innards splattered across the floor and wall leaving an arc of gore and blood.


    ¡°Panther come on man talk to me!¡±


    Panther clutched Captain Metal¡¯s hand, ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t feel my legs.¡±


    ¡°It- it is just a scratch. You are going to be fine man.¡±


    ¡°Cold. I feel so cold.¡±


    ¡°You are going to be fine. Neon Nurse will-¡±


    ¡°She is dead. Chief is dead too¡­ and Medavac.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that!¡±


    Panther lazily looked over at the blue and black spandex lumps that were his legs, ¡°Ah fuck. Metal¡­ Metal I, I don¡¯t think I am going to make it. Hey, promise me something.¡±


    ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    ¡°You, you know my cousin Jamal, make sure he doesn¡¯t end up on the streets.¡±


    Captain Metal held his hand tearing up, ¡°I, I will man.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Make sure he stays out of trouble.¡¯


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Panther smiled slightly; his teeth stained red as his eyes lost their light and glazed over. Captain Metal wailed, ¡°FUCK! No, No, No come on.¡±


    Nightmare merely glanced over, her sneering frown was full of disappointment, ¡°Shame, alright leave him we have work to do.¡±


    ¡°Leave him?! He deserves a proper burial! He is a fucking hero for fuck¡¯s sake. He died to save you!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ he was an adequate meat shield. Oh well, he was at least kind enough to leave his replacement.¡± She said dismissing the man and turning her attention to Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°YOU!¡± Roared Captain Metal taking a large stride as he tried to punch Nightmare.


    Her hand grappled onto his face, and he screamed as his eyes rolled. He fell to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. She just sighed and rolled her eyes, ¡°So dramatic. Well, at least I got what I needed. Now little kitty, now I will finish what I started.¡±


    She smiled as she reached down and cradled Glitter Kitten¡¯s head.

 Blood Moon Chapter 3

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 3


    ¡°Vesper~ Vesper~ wake up dear, breakfast will be ready soon.¡± Said a voice through my hazy dreams.


    I rolled over grumbling as my antennae twitch, smelling something frying in a pan. My eyes peek open, blinking several times as I sat up yawning and stretching. After a moment of looking around, I focused in on the figure who was standing at the recently installed kitchen area of my room. I had complained about the lack of food variety, and Xava had delivered.


    Speaking of her, that bare booty could be none other than Xava as she happily hummed in only an apron¡­ it was the fabled naked apron service. I looked around wondering if I had died and gone to heaven at some point. Now we just need a dog and a white picket fence around our nice green yard. She could fetch me my slippers and ask if I would like dinner first, a bath, or her~


    Part of that didn¡¯t sound right, and I slapped myself. Sure enough, my foggy headed half asleep delusions fled. I knew something was wrong with that; I can¡¯t wear shoes, let alone slippers.


    I made my way over behind her and let my tentacles grope her in a hug. Before long they started getting frisky, and things devolved into a morning mating. It was pretty lovely, eggs were made, no, well I should say laid. As for the food, well that got forgotten about as I took her on the butcher block and we only ended up stopping when there was smoke coming from my ruined breakfast. I received a sizzling hot pan to the tentacle. This was domestic violence! Abuse, abuse! I reeled back whimpering as my mate waved it about fending me off, upset over wasting food.


    ¡°Vesper! Control yourself will you?¡± Xava said crossing her arms over her distended belly that is now gurgling with my brood and sighing in an I give up sort of way.


    ¡°You were doing it too! What is with the naked apron if you were not looking to get scrambled with some of my eggs?¡± I looked away from her embarrassed a little. The burn had already healed. Sure it was my fault, but¡­ eh, ok, ok it is my fault. I deserved a pan for the trouble I caused, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It is fine, but at this rate, I am going to run out of storage. I never thought that there would be something that you wanted to do more than eating. Clearly, I underestimated your production capabilities.¡±


    I rubbed a finger on the table, ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I thought my mind was in the gutter before, but I just see ass, and my mind goes ¡®let¡¯s put eggs in that¡¯ I don¡¯t even know what to do with myself anymore.¡±


    ¡°It is not your fault. It is just what you are. I will figure something out, but for now, I will have to put them in cold storage or the incubators. I might have to make a large tank to put them into.¡± Xava reassured me while talking to herself about our potential problem.


    ¡°So you are saying we need more storage?¡± I asked.


    ¡°At this rate, I will run out of extra bodies in a week.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I replied rubbing my chin, ¡°So we need more bodies?¡±


    Xava was thinking it over, ¡°At best that would be a stop gap. Dr. Arbor and I will figure out a proper incubation system, but in the meantime we will have to make do.¡±


    My stomach growled from all that my early morning excitement and Xava handed me the dirty pan pointing at the sink. Reluctantly, I started scrubbing at it in the soapy water. After a little bit, it was cleaned, and I set it to the side. Xava had set to work once more making some drool inspiring food. Having managed to keep my libido in check long enough for her to finish she sat in my lap and we ate together. Well, I ate, and she watched me since she doesn¡¯t eat after all.


    She had fried up some chicken breasts and thighs seasoned with garlic and robust chives. I mean, I would eat it raw, salmonella be damned! Although hmm my stomach is rather healthy so I doubt I could get sick from that. I had eaten raw radioactive roach before, so the chicken wasn¡¯t so bad. No matter the case it did taste better nice and cooked up.


    I plopped a hand on her head smiling, ¡°Tastes great Xava!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Well then care to kiss the cook?¡± she smirked leaning in.


    Well, we did a lot more than that. Two hours, three disheveled robo nurses, and one very pleased wasp later I was ready for the day. Well, I was, up until I was informed that Molotov wanted me in her office. Oh boy¡­ what did I do this time? I couldn¡¯t think of anything that would anger that little monster.


    I had gotten used to the... compound? Lair? Secret underground base¡­ Xava¡¯s central command cortex. It didn¡¯t really matter what it was called, it was home. The corridors were large enough for me not to scrape my head while crawling or break the walls just by moving around. Today I was going somewhere new.


    Up the elevator and down several winding corridors from my room was the meeting area. It was large and spacious. I could stand in here. In the center of the room was a large round table which had an oddly shaped gouge in it. Molotov sat in her chair petting her hairless cat. Over to her left side was Glitter Kitten, seated rather quietly. Her arm was in a sling, and her hand was in a caste.


    ¡°You are late.¡± Scolded Molotov, making me quickly retreat to where she pointed.


    Apparently, the massive cut in the table was my spot on account of how large I was. I sat down obediently, leaning in a little bit looking between the two. Glitter Kitten looked like she had seen some better days. She was ruffed up a fair bit and looked generally exhausted. I get the feeling she hasn¡¯t been sleeping well recently.


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    ¡°So eh¡­ what is going on?¡± I asked.


    Molotov replied, ¡°It seems that Glitter Kitten needs some help in the slums. From what I hear the- what did you call them again?¡±


    ¡°Scalies,¡± stammered Glitter Kitten, looking down at the table.


    ¡°The Scalies have been causing trouble since the hammer strike. As you can see from her broken hand, they mean business.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°So what do you want me to do?¡±


    Molotov waved her hand dismissively, ¡°Go down there and deal with it. You can kill them, eat them, fuck them, whatever else it is you might do. I don¡¯t particularly care, just get this issue sorted out before it become my problem. I will be watching, so be sure to take care of it, or I will take care of you.¡±


    I shook, holding myself, ¡°Understood. I will deal with them.¡±


    Molotov smiled, ¡°Good. Now get out of here you lazy wasp. Unlike you I have important things to do. I need to take Miss Wiggles to the groomer.¡±


    ¡°The groomer?¡± asked Glitter Kitten, ¡°But it doesn¡¯t have fur.¡±


    She scowled at us, ¡°Miss Wiggles is getting an herbal essence mud massage. It helps keep her smooth and soft. Like premium pussy always should be.¡±


    ¡°That is one pampered pussy,¡± I said a bit jealous. I kind of want a fancy massage. Ah, I should ask Xava she would help me out with that. Oh, but what should I bathe in?


    She could lather us in jelly, strawberry jelly.


    Well, that is an idea.


    ¡°Yes, she is. Now then why are you two still here? Do you perhaps wish to have turnip shoved so far up your ass it replaces that useless brain of yours?¡±


    I would have gone on a bit with Sub about this, but the terror that prey feels when a predator is about to pounce scurried up my spine. Both I and Glitter Kitten fled from the room. We didn¡¯t stop until we were at the far end of the corridor next to the elevator.


    Now that it was just me and Glitter Kitten, I looked her over a little better. She was wearing the catsuit that she wore when doing villainy stuff. It was unzipped in the front almost letting her kitty titties hang out. She wasn¡¯t wearing a bra or anything, so it was a lovely view of that packed in cleavage.


    ¡°Nyaa so Vesper¡­ is that really you?¡± she asked.


    I looked myself up and down, ¡°It is¡­ why? Do I look weird?¡±


    ¡°Nyoo I mean, last time I saw you- you were barely alive. I¡­ I should have visited you earlier.¡± Said Glitter Kitten getting a little depressed.


    I pat her on the back, ¡°It is fine. Don¡¯t feel bad. I hear you have been rather busy. Besides, even if you had come, I doubt you would have been able to see me.¡±


    We entered the elevator ascending towards the ground level. Glitter Kitten placed a hand on my leg, rubbing it a little, ¡°It has been a week, but for this much to change. What happened you are so big?!¡±


    ¡°Dr. Arbor got me with her special sauce, and up until a couple of days ago I was a giant grub thing.¡±


    ¡°A grub? Did it, did it hurt?¡± she asked concerned.


    My fingers rubbed my chin, ¡°Hmm well it did at first, but now it all fine so no worries.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for helping it means a lot. Thumper isn¡¯t going to be much help until her broken leg is healed and well my hand is still recovering. Sorry to bother you.¡±


    ¡°It must be rough huh? I mean if the Scalies managed to hurt you guys this much it must be a problem. So how did your hand get broken? I can¡¯t imagine you getting caught off guard unless they have a speed super?¡±


    She seemed to freeze up for a moment. I paused staring at her, even waving a tentacle in front of her face before letting it coil around her. She shook her head snapping out of whatever that was. ¡°You ok?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sorry Vesper was just lost in thought for a moment there.¡± She replied fidgeting a little bit.


    She smelled anxious, maybe even scared¡­ perhaps I shouldn¡¯t be poking into something. That being said, I needed information about what sorts of things we are up against. ¡°So the Scalies, what powers they got?¡±


    ¡°The Scalies? Oh, oh yes, the Scalies. Slither is their leader; she can vanish and is really sneaky. Rok Croc is the second in command, just an endurance super I believe he was a rank 5 or something. As for the others, there was Croaker can stick to any surface and jump really high, also has a prehensile tongue that is poisonous. Bubbles is another looks similar to a poison dart frog but can make bubbles to drown her prey. Those are the big ones; the rest are small fry.¡±


    I thought on it; something wasn¡¯t adding up here. It didn¡¯t sound like the Scalies were that much of a threat. But Glitter Kitten was hurt, and apparently, Thumper was too. So clearly I must be underestimating them. If Slither can just up and vanish, then that would be hard to deal with. It reminded me of Sheila. Ah then yeah I could definitely see Glitter Kitten getting jumped.


    ¡°I see, well as long as I can smell them or hear them then we should be fine. I got a lot stronger after all. Boris and I are on par just about.¡± I smiled to her reassuringly, though it seemed to have an opposite effect as she started smelling of fear.


    ¡°Boris you mean you are as strong as him?¡±


    ¡°Well just about. Pretty cool right?¡±


    She gulped, ¡°Oh yeah. I feel better already.¡±


    Well, I didn¡¯t like how she was stressed over this. So I changed the subject, ¡°How are the kittens by the way? Is Snowball still being good?¡±


    She eyed me, ¡°Why do you wanna know about my kittens?¡±


    I blinked at her a few times, ¡°Are you ok Glitter Kitten?¡±


    She crossed her arms, scoffing a little, ¡°Nyes I am purfectly fine. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°You sure you ok? Don¡¯t you remember that you said it was fine to play with your kittens?¡± At this point, I had stopped and stared down at her.


    She rubbed her head, wincing, ¡°I¡­ I did? Maybe I am getting too stressed over stuff lately.¡±


    ¡°Well after we deal with these scalies or whatever then I am sure Molotov will let you have some time off.¡±


    She smiled a little, ¡°That sounds nice. I could use a nice long cat nyap.¡±


    ~~***~~


    Molotov sat petting Miss Wiggles. Beside her sat the Sanguine Puppeteer wearing the overly large mask covered in eyes. Her feet swaying merrily. She sipped at the tea seemingly amused over something.


    ¡°I did what you told me to.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did, and for that, I will be sure to reward you later.¡±


    ¡°Should I dare ask what has you in such a good mood?¡± said Molotov trying not to look at the other person.


    ¡°Oh did you not notice?¡±


    ¡°What that Glitter Kitten has been mind controlled?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you did know?! No fun. How did you figure it out?¡±


    ¡°Miss Wiggles told me. Which is why she is getting a treat.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see~ Such a good kitty. Good Miss Wiggles.¡± Smiles Ichigo, wiggling her fingers for the hairless cat to play with. ¡°What do you plan on doing about it?¡±


    ¡°Depending on what happens I should probably kill Glitter Kitten. She is a liability after all.¡±


    Ichigo thought it over, ¡°Well you could, but it is not like she wanted to turn on you. Besides, I doubt Vesper will be pleased if you do.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it is not like you are going to fix things¡­ wait you planned this didn¡¯t you?¡±


    She said slyly, ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Playing games with your new toy?¡±


    ¡°If she does well, then I will reward her.¡±


    ¡°If not?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Well, I will have to punish her, won¡¯t I?¡±


    Molotov almost turned blue, ¡°What are you going to make her do?¡±


    The unhinged smile of the mask moved slightly as a finger rose up making a shhh gesture, ¡°Secret.¡±

 Blood Moon Chapter 4

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 4


    Glitter Kitten and I arrived at the Sparkle Kat. The place was worse off than I recalled; the streets had more cracks spreading along like veins. A few more buildings were in ruins along the way over, and several of the stripper signs had either broken or vanished altogether from the surrounding rooftops. Oddly I could see some greenery sprouting here and there where it broke through the concrete roads.


    Even though things looked worse off there appeared to be more customers than last time I had been down here, as evidenced by the line cued out the front door. The normies turned, staring at me when I landed, sending dust gusting away as my wings settled. They smelled of anxiety and fear, well no real surprise there, as even Glitter Kitten was a little scared of me at this point. I ignored them following Glitter Kitten to the door.


    After a moment of indecision as both of us looked at the wide doors, I more or less gauged that I could fit. After hunching over, I managed to crawl inside. Luckily the place had been remodeled for the likes of Den Mother and other larger subhumans, so it was not as small as ordinary buildings. That being said, it was still too small for me to walk upright through the door. The main stage and stripper club portion, however, was extremely spacious and allowed me to stretch fully without even touching the ceiling.


    The patrons turned to stare at the massive carapaced form that had squeezed through the front doors, also known as me. Many of the subhumans stared their hair starting to stick up. I fanned my vents a little spreading my scent around the room. Several of them remembered me causing them to calm down, at least a little. The thing that made them all calm though was seeing Glitter Kitten not giving me a second glance and even showing me to the bar.


    The music, which had temporarily paused, resumed and those on the stage started up their routines again. This place hadn''t changed much. Still, a strip club, though some of the catgirls were going to town over in the corner with some guys. I looked away from them to the bald bartender.


    ¡°What will it be?¡± he asked leaning back to see my face.


    ¡°Water.¡± I replied and looked over to Glitter Kitten, ¡°So when are we going to go deal with the Scalies?¡±


    She seemed to be thinking on it, ¡°Not sure yet. I will be back, gotta check on a few things. I wasn¡¯t sure if we would get any help, so I didn¡¯t arrange it at the start. Oh her tab is on me so get her anything within reason, Titus.¡±


    I nodded taking the glass of water and downing it. It was small. This would be annoying, ¡°Do you have anything bigger? Like a pitcher or something?¡±


    Titus placed a pitcher filled with water on the counter. One of my tentacles coiled around it and lifted it to my mouth. It was chilled, but not too cold. Well, I wasn¡¯t complaining, at the least, it wasn¡¯t warm. I sat in the corner watching the bustling den of desires. They seemed to be doing pretty well for themselves considering the circumstances. Occasionally a subhuman girl would lead a man or woman off to the upper floors for the infamous pussycat time.


    ¡°I will be back soon, Vesper, so get a lap dance or enjoy the show while I am gone,¡± said Glitter Kitten quickly darting across the room and up the stairs.


    I didn¡¯t have much else to do so, I sat back and watched the stripper cats.


    ~~~***~~~


    Glitter Kitten made her way through the corridors of the old casino resort arriving at the upper floors. She opened the door to one of the high-end suite rooms. Within there were several connected rooms including a master bedroom, a living room area, and an overly large bathroom. This room was the best one in the whole building. It was even better than Glitter Kitten¡¯s place due to it not being as used and being subjected to the wear and tear that inevitably came from subhuman use.


    The entranceway opened up into the living room area where several moderately worn leather couches were arrayed facing the wall with a large television hanging from it. A young man with broken goggles hanging around his neck occupied one couch watching the T.V. while the other had a one-armed girl sleeping fitfully on it. To the side in the room was a Jacuzzi that bubbled steadily steaming as Captain Metal was enjoying himself in it.


    ¡°Hey whore cat, come back so soon? Don¡¯t tell me you fucked up again, you stupid animal,¡± said Captain Metal glaring at her.


    She avoided eye contact moving to the bedroom door and entering it before he got any ideas. That man hated subhumans and was taking it out on her and anyone else he could get his hands on. He seemed to be much worse than usual, though that likely has to do with Panther having been killed by her. He had already used her several times since they had moved into the Sparkle Kat. Typically if someone dared to mistreat her, she would kill them or at the very least castrate them and send them running back to the city naked, their own dick in hand.


    Now though, her mind was a mess. Deep down she hated him and for that matter wanted to kill everyone staying in this room. But every time such thoughts bubbled to the surface they were strangled by a crushing presence in her mind. In their place, she could only obey and felt strange for feeling offended by the mistreatment. It was normal? That notion bugged her, but she cast it away as she entered the bedroom.


    Upon the bed sat her Mistress and she bowed to the floor worshiping her. Unworthy to even touch her feet. Just the mere sight of this woman destroyed all thoughts of unease or unsureness. Nightmare¡¯s hand rested on one of the other cat girl¡¯s, both of their eyes white, though the tiger striped subhuman was shuddering from time to time. Weak and limp, powerless to escape the Mistress¡¯s touch.


    After minutes of quietly waiting, bowed at Nightmare¡¯s feet, the other cat girl fell away like a broken puppet. Nightmare¡¯s eyes refocused and she looked about the room finally resting them upon Glitter Kitten. She stuck out a toe, and after a brief moment, Glitter Kitten kissed it.


    ¡°Good. Did you do as I commanded?¡± she asked amused at the subservient cat.


    Glitter Kitten replied, never looking up, ¡°I have Mistress. Vesper is here.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, you are useful for something. Then we will capture the wasp, and I will begin making her a good slave like-¡± she started before being interrupted.


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    The catgirl quivered, ¡°Mistress! Wait she is different. I don¡¯t think I can beat her.¡±


    Nightmare¡¯s foot shoved Glitter kitten¡¯s face into the floor, ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me you stupid cat. Now, what are you talking about? You said she was almost dead. It has hardly been a week how could she have recovered fully, let alone gotten stronger?¡±


    Glitter Kitten stammered, ¡°I, I-¡±


    ¡°Useless creature. Show me.¡± She scowled, ¡°If you are lying to me then I will torture you even more. A bad slave needs to be punished.¡±


    She stayed on the floor allowing Nightmare to rise, even stepping on her as she walked to the door. Only after Nightmare turned and uttered, ¡°Come, slave,¡± did Glitter Kitten rise and follow her out.


    Silently Glitter Kitten trailed her out into the other room. ¡°Prepare the equipment the wasp is here. I am going to give it a look over real quick, be ready when I return.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± said the three in unison rising from their positions to follow her order.


    Nightmare walked out of the room along the corridor. After a minute or two she arrived on the balcony overlooking the main floor of the strip club. Though below was masked in fog and the occasional light strobing by, it wasn¡¯t hard to see the massive tentacled head looming out of the mist like some sort of movie monster. She had to cover her mouth to keep from making a noise.


    ¡°What the fuck is that hideous thing?¡± She said retreating out of sight utterly appalled.


    Glitter Kitten replied, ¡°It is Vesper. She got bigger.¡±


    Nightmare grit her teeth, ¡°I can see that! How did this happen?¡±


    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know. She said something about Dr. Arbor, but I didn¡¯t really understand it.¡±


    ¡°Can you beat it?¡± Nightmare asked staring pointedly at Glitter Kitten, who shook her head vehemently, ¡°No way. If what I heard was right, she is a Rank 7 now.¡±


    Nightmare gasped, peeking back over the railing at Vesper¡¯s large form below. She could see the eyes moving about independently from one another. After one of them looked straight at her, Nightmare went white retreating back into the hall. She breathed heavily already quickly walking where she had come from with Glitter Kitten following doggedly.


    ¡°Monster,¡± she said under her breath, ¡°Damn it all. So that stupid wasp actually was a fucking Spore Spawn. Change of plans, we will have to throw everything we have at her.¡±


    Glitter Kitten fearfully looked where she had come from, ¡°We can¡¯t beat her, I, I can smell it. She is strong, way stronger than she was before.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. She still has the same weaknesses. Just like the rest of you subhumans your enhanced senses are also your weaknesses. We will need time to set this up better, so you and Den Mother will distract her. Have Nibbles come and run a few errands for me as well.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Glitter Kitten asked gulping.


    ¡°Well you got her to come here to deal with those reptile freaks, so go do that. If you can, bring them back alive so that I can enslave them too. In the meantime, we will set everything up to capture her.¡±


    ¡°That is going to take a while though if we not killing.¡±


    Nightmare smirked, ¡°I know. Make sure you bring her back tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°But tomorrow is the-¡± started Glitter Kitten before being cut off.


    ¡°Yes, the full moon. I know. You and the rest of the Subhumans get stronger that night so we will use that to our advantage.¡±


    ¡°But that is not-¡± she started again before being interrupted, ¡°Shut up and do what I told you. Now go and make sure you come back before nightfall tomorrow.¡±


    Glitter Kitten nodded holding her tongue. There was a good amount that she could have said after all the full moon was a time of unrest for her kind. She doubted that she or any of the other adults would stay sane tomorrow. They would be reduced to their primal instincts, no better than the filthy ferals. Her Mistress seemed to be underestimating the affliction that the waning moon caused the subhumans. She turned around walking down the corridor.


    ~~~***~~~


    I sat enjoying the show. The lights and sounds were strong, to say the least as the bumping music filled the room. My eyes roamed, assessing the varied subhumans and my mind went into the gutter faster than a paper boat on a rainy day. Something tells me a certain sewer-dwelling clown would fall victim to me with a merciless case of egging. I couldn¡¯t help it really, the smells of horny animal women were getting to me. The only reason I had not pounced every shaking booty and slutty cat in here was my self-control. If Sub had her way, there would be a slough of egging victims already sprawled across the floor.


    I closed my eyes averting them in an attempt not to be seduced by the sultry dancers. I had Xava after all, so I had an orgy on command if I so desired. Still, this was tempting. The pheromones of this place were thick enough to cut with a knife. If it gets any worse than this, it feels like it will start sticking to my antennae like pollen. I mean there were at minimum forty active Subhumans on this floor alone. Sub was certainly not helping matters.


    Come on. Just a few of them. See, that one smells ripe. The hips on that one though, I bet we could fit like twenty eggs in her.


    Sub, no.


    They want it though, just look at them, smell them.


    Don¡¯t you tempt me.


    Xava even said we needed more bodies. Look at all those fertile hosts. They are just waiting to get knocked up. Whispered Sub.


    That¡­ that is different though. I am not touching any of them unless Xava gives me permission.


    Permission?! You are being a total beta bitch. Just shove it in there and egg these sluts. That one is getting a train run on her. For fuck sake, there is a glory hole over there too.


    No! I am being respectful and faithful to our mate. She is already being accommodating by letting us have Glitter Kitten, assuming that Glitter Kitten even accepts. I feel bad even having these thoughts.


    Alright fine. We are fucking Glitter Kitten though. I don¡¯t care what happens we are fucking her so hard she comes crawling to us to be our cute little sex kitten.


    Ok, ok, but only if she is into it and after we deal with the Scalies.


    Oh¡­ speaking of those Scalies, didn¡¯t Molotov say that she didn¡¯t care what we did with them?


    Well yes, why?


    If they are just going to get killed off anyway, we could use them. From the sounds of it, there were at least two of them that we could put to better use.


    Use them?


    Oh for fuck¡¯s sake. Use them as incubators! You know breeding bitches, egg sluts. Nobody is going to miss them, and it gets them out of Glitter Kitten¡¯s hair. Besides, we could check out if our children get any powers from them.


    That¡­ that is fucked up Sub.


    We have fantasized about much worse. That sort of stuff is normal.


    Yeah, but fantasy is way different than actually doing it.


    Ok, how about we capture them alive, then when we get back we ask Xava if she likes the idea. If so then we egg em. If not then we give them to Molotov, and she beats them into shape. Sound good?


    Hmm well, I suppose we could do that. We were given full discretion after all.


    I opened my eyes, having more or less sorted the matter. Still, how was I going to capture them alive? I looked down at my abdomen, reminded of what deadly weapon I had in there. Well, I suppose it would be good to figure out how strong my venom is now.


    After several minutes trying vainly to keep my lady boner from emerging, Glitter Kitten returned with Den Mother in tow. The shaggy wereshepard was more prominent than everybody else in here, but me. She had a nice row of racks, even if they were hidden below some fur. I looked down at the woman who once towered over me. She gawked at me, clearly startled as she strained her neck to look at my face. She was very much not used to having to look up to anybody. Understandable, until now she was the biggest bitch on the block.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding she got massive. What the fuck have you been eating?¡± she asked.


    What have I been eating? Only one thing came to mind, ¡°Gallons of protein paste.¡±


    ¡°Where do you get that stuff?¡±


    ¡°Dr. Arbor.¡±


    Den Mother scratched her scruff a little, ¡°I wonder if we could get some of that?¡±


    I thought on it, ¡°Well, you would have to work something out with her. I only get it cause I am like her pet project.¡±


    ¡°So you ready to kick some Scalie ass?¡± asked Den Mother smirking a little at me.


    I nodded, ¡°Should be fun. I got a few things I have been meaning to test out.¡±

 Tentacle Forest Interlewd # 2 Fit for a Queen (R18)

    I slouched a little, tired. It had been a long day. Dr. Arbor had been wanting some tests done, I ended up running on a giant fucking hamster wheel. I don¡¯t know why, but I did. I have no clue what it was about or even where she got such a thing. The point is, now I was hot and gooey, the insides of my carapace were all moist and I just wanted to take a long shower.


    I opened the door to my lair or rather living area. There was a recreation room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and of course a bedroom. It was moderately decorated. There was a nice leather couch and a T.V. so I had that going for me. Something had changed in here since last I was here, I could smell it. My antennae flipped about zeroing in on the foreign aroma. I bent over and picked up one of the rose petals that formed a vague trail through my house¡­ they led off to the bedroom. Hmm, doesn¡¯t smell like Xava, though this scent is familiar. Who the fuck broke into my house and scattered all this romantic crap everywhere?


    I followed the sprinkled path and opened my bedroom door. The roses led straight to the bed and the Adonis-like man that lay upon it nearly naked, a bright red bulge between his legs and a rose in his mouth. Gleaming blue eyes, rugged chin, and that short black hair. I knew that hunkasaurous rex anywhere. It could be only one man. B-B-Boris?! I slammed the door shut. My hearts beating wildly from that manly musk that had assailed me the moment the door had been opened. Maybe I imagined it? I cracked the door open again and my eyes were leveled with succulent man meat. It was right in front of me. He had moved!


    I flopped back and he opened the door, looking at me questioningly. I gulped, I had to otherwise I would be drooling. I pointed at him, ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±


    He replied, a sheen coming off of his glistening pectorals, ¡°I heard you were feeling down.¡±


    ¡°You are a Villain!¡±


    ¡°I am not here on business. This is personal matter.¡±


    I eyed him, still backing away. How did he even get in here? ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I love you Vesper!¡± he exclaimed frolicking towards me, like, like some school girl in love. Ghah! There were sparkles coming off from his oiled skin. The, the nipples!


    ¡°Why?!¡±


    I screeched, running in circles not sure what the hell to do as this hot slab of trouble was chasing after me. This went on for a minute or so, circling around the living room couch all while he was happily laughing. I wasn¡¯t running all out and he wasn¡¯t really chasing me either¡­ this is just getting silly. I slowed and he made his move. Boris pounced like a panther grappled onto my legs.


    ¡°Get off of me!?¡± I hissed at him, punching him in the face, it didn¡¯t do a damned thing. Damned you Super Endurance! I don¡¯t think he really even felt it.


    I struggled and managed to crawl, dragging us towards the door. Just as I got there it opened and there was Xava, my savior! I had never been so happy to see that doll-like face and nurse outfit before. She looked down, quizzically tilting her head, ¡°What strange courtship behavior you have Vesper.¡±


    ¡°What? Xava save me!¡±


    ¡°Save you? I thought you would like this though? Did I misinterpret?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?!¡±


    ¡°I thought you were attracted to Boris? Honestly, I can¡¯t think of a more suitable mate. That was why I arranged this.¡±


    I stared at her blankly and looked back and the man who caressing my smooth armored leg, ¡°Wait, you arranged this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t exactly inseminate you, now can I?¡±


    Well, that was true. She wasn¡¯t a man after all, even if she did attach a monster dong and fuck my brains out that didn¡¯t change the fact that it was a machine in the end. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this?¡±


    She laid her hand on her face, ¡°I thought it would be a nice surprise.¡±


    It was certainly a surprise. ¡°But Xava, I don¡¯t wanna cheat on you.¡±


    She thought it over, ¡°I don¡¯t mind in this instance. Though I understand your apprehension. Think of it as artificial insemination through a meat dildo?¡±


    ¡°Xava, that is just weird.¡±


    ¡°I suppose? Still, it is a little cruel to get his hopes up like this. Just enjoy this, think of it as a treat, a reward for being such a good girl. I am sure he will be happy to do whatever you tell him to.¡±


    ¡°You will do what I say?¡± I said, looking back at him.


    Boris nodded enthusiastically. So it was like that? Whatever I want eh? Well, I could think of a few things.


    Xava nodded, ¡°If that settles everything, then I will be on my way. Have fun you two. If this pleases you then I will be sure to make it a regular development.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok,¡± I said vaguely, still processing all of this.


    Xava left, closing and locking the door so that we would not be interrupted.


    ¡°Alright, alright, that is enough of that.¡± I said, pointing at him, ¡°there needs to be some ground rules here.¡±


    Boris let me go and I stood up. He was on his knees obediently waiting. He looked up at me expectantly and shivers ran down my spine. Oh, oh boy¡­ this is more troublesome than I thought that it would be. It is dangerous, don¡¯t look at me like that! What the hell do I even want him to do? I am the one in charge so, ah I know.


    ¡°Umm¡­ ok call me Queen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Queen,¡± he said without hesitation. A sudden jolt went through me and my vents crept open a little.


    Oh, fuck me that is hot. I wet myself a little there, I didn¡¯t even have to look to know that I was dripping a bit. I gulped, ¡°Since I am our Queen¡­ it is your duty to, to serve me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Queen,¡± he nodded eagerly.


    Damn it, Boris! I bit my lip seeing his tenting speedo. Ah shit, I was blanking out on what I wanted him to do to me. I couldn¡¯t just have him fuck me, that would be a waste. I mean, how often do I get to be in charge? Usually, I am strapped down like an animal so that I don¡¯t break things.


    I sat upon the couch, crossing legs, ¡°Show me your devotion! Massage me, my, my man slave.¡± I declared.


    ¡°As you wish, my Queen,¡± said Boris crawling before me.


    His strong hands rubbed my legs. Working up the smooth carapace. Mmhmm, that was nice. Though it was a little lacking due to them not being too sensitive to touch. Yes, that is it. His hands slid up and down my thighs gently and yet firmly. He carried on, getting up to the knees and his fingers stroked at the softer joints. He kept stroking and petting the more sensitive area until my legs started twitching. A crack and dripping sound came about as my abdomen opened with arousal.


    He went for it, but I wagged my finger and pulled his face away. ¡°Not yet.¡±


    I am surprised he was so obedient as he nodded, ¡°My Queen?¡±


    I stood, pacing around him, eyeing him like the succulent piece of meat he was. I motioned with my finger, down. And he did, laying down on his back. I could feel the arousal swelling inside of me. It was so hot, I just wanted to mount him and ride his cock. But I restrained myself. Held myself back. It would feel so much better after a bit of teasing and playing. I would have to resist until I couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Yes, that would feel the best.


    I lowered myself until the abdomen lay on the ground behind me and my ass was seated upon my new throne. Yes, his face. My legs curled so that I was on my knees and smirked, watching his poor neglected erection, flagging and twitching in his tight underwear. I will play with that in a bit.


    ¡°Eat my ass slave,¡± I growled, rubbing against him.


    His arms grabbed my thighs and he buried his face between my cheeks. I jumped a little at his voraciousness, but he pulled me back down. His thick, blunt tongue worked the crease in my armor. I shuddered as he wordlessly worshiped my ass. My hips moved, grinding against him as my vets opened, allowing the heated vapor to rise. It plumed as my arousal did and I leaned forward to reward my faithful servant.


    With a single motion, I ripped his speedo off and freed his beast. It throbbed in the air as I wet my lips. Tentatively, I touched it with my antennae, drinking in, savoring his musk. They coiled around it, teasing the head, canvassing it. The heat was even spreading into my head pouring in from my feelers. They worked the shaft, stroking it slowly and as I did, he doubled his efforts.


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    Hmm, it just wasn¡¯t what I remember¡­ I suppose applying human anatomy to this is just wrong. Getting your ass eaten just isn¡¯t the same if there is no hole there after all. Like this, I probably wasn¡¯t ever going to get off. Sitting up straight, I pat his hands, causing him to let go. I shimmied forward, dragging myself along his firm muscles until I sat on his chest. My abdomen curled up and opened fully revealing my slobbering sexes. They twitched and squirmed as I lowered it, knowing he would attack it like some wild beast¡­ I was not disappointed.


    It hardly got to feel his heated breath before he grappled it and brought it to his face. His tongue slapped against it. Pressing and prodding at the varied holes. My vents fluttered, washing him in my mating musk. His burly hands grasped at my soft and sensitive flesh, squeezing the sides of my exposed abdomen. I moaned, trembling as he continued to press the attack.


    My eyes closed for a moment, ¡°Ooohh, yes that is it. Eat me out. I, I, your Queen demands it.¡±


    I figured he was going to be good at this, but not this good! The stubble on his chin tickled as he shook his head like a starved animal. Oh, oh! What are you even doing down th- He, he bit me! He lightly tugged at my engorged flesh, licking it, caressing it with his mouth. Lavishing and polishing my pussy. He was really getting into this.


    Like, like this I was going to gush at any moment. I bit my lip, I didn¡¯t want it to end so quickly. I, I had to get my mind off of it. My eyes locked onto his raging erection and I bent forward, nuzzling it, licking it and my tongue slapped it, coiling around it. It snaked up to the tip wiggling, which caused him to falter for a moment, but it was only a moment. Yes, that is it, let me reward you. Oooh this, this manly flavor. So salty and bitter, but it was to my liking. It was so raw and masculine.


    My mouth opened wide, working the hinges so that I could properly fit this mammoth member in. It was bigger than a Pringles can. Not the biggest in terms of toys that I have had, but it made up for that from the feel and texture, it throbbed obscenely in my grasp. So, so lewd¡­ I love it. My lips kissed the tip and slowly I slid down the shaft. He let out a grunt and thrust his hips, stabbing it down my throat. I shuddered, eyes nearly rolling.


    It was wonderful. I swallowed and swallowed like a snake, side to side, tilting my head as I took the last few inches in. My lower hands coiled around and squeeze his butt and the upper pair held his hips so that he couldn¡¯t thrust again. Bad, bad boy, I am in charge here. I sat there, my throat enjoying the feeling of fullness as the tongue swirled around his cock like a car wash¡­ no, I suppose my mouth is a dickwasher. Fufu.


    I slurped, pulling up on his throbbing meat. My abdomen pressed harder against his mouth, puffing up as my lady boner was engorging. I could feel it and rubbed it, wanting to take his mouth. Boris slid his tongue in and out of it, causing the hole to tremble. I gulped down on his member as my own wiggled at his lips. After a moment I pushed in. It was so wet and warm.


    I let go of his hips and they started hammering at my face. His cock slammed in and out of its new home. My freed hands slipped down and started massaging his balls. Every thrust caused more and more saliva to pour out of my hungry maw. It oozed down, getting him all nice and wet and gooey. My hands squeezed and fondled to their heart¡¯s content as his own did. He strangled my exposed abdomen. Squeezing and stroking the mass of sensitive flesh. My whole body shook as an orgasm rocked through me.


    He jerked from the sudden explosion of liquid, gushing into his mouth. I felt him gulping it and his hip thrusts increased, slamming and pounding my throat. The wet schlicking of my mouth being battered filled the air and my eyes went cross several times. He shuddered, throbbing with need. All four of my arms wrapped around him and I pulled myself all the way down, locking them so that he couldn¡¯t escape. His raging boner pulsed with his heartbeat and as I held it there, he finally came as well.


    His heated seed flowed powerfully blasting the depths of my throat. The muscles worked it all down, swallowing and devouring his load. We were connected for a while longer before I tumbled off to the side panting. I needed a bit of breather after that one. He recovered faster than I did and he coiled around me, hugging me.


    ¡°I love you, my Queen.¡± He whispered in my antennae as they poked at him.


    I vented. Ah crap, I am going to fall in love with you at this rate.


    My hand reached between his legs and started stroking his already rock hard cock that was hot dogging my ass cheeks. My fingers pressed and rubbed it while my hips slowly ground against him. One of his strong hands cupped at my hardened chest, but the other reached and grasped my throbbing ovipositor. I trembled meekly as he started stroking it. His thick fingers got into the folds, ruffling them as he went. I started panting and he nibbled on my antennae.


    This was nice, but I had a better idea. I released him and pulled away, even though it felt good to get diddled. He seemed distressed that I had rejected his advances, looking at me like an abandoned puppy¡­ don¡¯t you do that to me! I had to hold myself back.


    ¡°Come, my loyal servant, your Queen has a task for you,¡± I said, swaying my abdomen as I walked away from him, toward the bathroom. I crooked a finger seductively, drawing him in.


    Boris followed with vigor and without question. The bathroom was white and black tiled. At the far end was a large upraised tub and a shower head on the wall. He stared down my assortment of toys as though they were rivals. The Stallion and Black Thunder foremost on his sizing up. It reminded me of how cocks- er, I mean roosters puffed up ready to fight. I shooed him from getting jealous over those, I mean they were bigger than him, though most were not human in anatomy. It is hard to compete against such unrealistic proportions.


    I gathered a little washbasin and the various things used for cleaning. I led him over to the tub and presented myself before him opening all of my plates to expose every last piece of my vulnerable flesh, ¡°Wash me. I have been a very dirty girl and need to be cleaned.¡±


    Boris nodded, ¡°Da, right away my Queen!¡±


    He picked up the loofah and dunked it into the soapy water. He brandished it like a weapon and approached. I shivered in anticipation. I knew damn well how good it felt to get cleaned, oftentimes, having to restrain myself from full-blown masturbating, and I could only assume it would be even better if someone else did it. I licked my lips and he rubbed the scratchy sponge onto my pale flesh. Ecstasy scurried up my spine and squirmed needily.


    ¡°Yes, that is good Boris¡­ get in the folds,¡± I purred happily.


    His hand worked the shaft of that wooden scrubber like a pro and it got into places that even I had trouble getting to. His free hand rubbed my back, pressing against the knots of the spine. My chest shook as I purred, slumping so that my ass held up my abdomen. Oh fufu, I will have to have Xava give me some sponge baths some time. I lounged about as he diligently scrubbed and lathered my flesh. He got the plates clean and even the insides of the hinges!


    My leg started kicking out uncontrollably in bliss as he found a particular spot that was positively orgasmic. I didn¡¯t need to say anything, and he brought his free hand down, pressing, kneading my soft flesh until I spurt. I smiled mindlessly as he went about cleaning out all of my ruffles and folds under the carapace. All that grime and sweat was gone. I stretched, laying there as he worshiped my body like his goddess. Mmhmmm this is nice. A girl could get used to this sort of thing. I had forgotten what it felt like to get pampered.


    Ohh, maybe I should get a manicure, have them clip my claws, or go to a spa and soak in that special mud they have. A sauna would be lovely too. Too bad we don¡¯t have onsens here in America. I moaned as all my fatigue drained away. This is the life! I, I might have to keep him¡­ well, who knows? I would have to ask Xava, but she did already approve, didn¡¯t she?


    Boris turned the water on and brought the showerhead down. The hot water sprayed into the vents, rinsing out the lathered soap and all the dirt and grime. I trembled as he washed me so thoroughly. His fingers diligently worked and massaged my flesh at every turn. He got every nook and cranny. His strong hands rubbing down my carapace and cleansing as he went. I leaned against him, feeling tired and sleepy.


    I started to nod off a little until he reached my egg slit. He tentatively scrubbed it. When I tensed, he stopped and pet it. He stroked my pussy, rubbing it, and gently slipping fingers into it. Spreading my hole and fondled the ruffles within. A gasp escaped my lips and I leaned into it, allowing him to go deeper. His fingers were swirling me now, twisting and churning my puffed up muff. He was hitting all the right places.


    You shouldn¡¯t feed such a gluttonous creature you know. It might bite back. That is it! Now you went and did it.


    I pushed him down so that I was on top. I drooled with desire from both ends. My swollen egg slit pressed against his burly dick. It slipped and flopped about, rubbing all over him affectionately. Finally, I took the plunge. My pussy squelched and I nearly in orgasmed right then and there. The tube slurped and slid, gushing my desire for breeding. His hands locked onto my ass and I howled, taking it all in. The shower sprayer went wild and uncontrolled, flailing about as we ignored it.


    My hips moved and I thrust all the way down, taking the full length of his member. He kissed me, our tongues wrestling and sloppily explored. I enjoyed the fullness of his man muscle for a moment longer, my insides coiling and compressing around it to better relish him. Slowly my abdomen bobbed up and then wiggled back down.


    ¡°Vesper!¡± cried out Boris before my tongue silenced him again with a full mouth kiss.


    He had a nice thick cock. It was a good length too. The head scraped at my walls while the movements of my hunger grew faster. The wet slaps echoed as I went down on him harder. He slipped in and nearly out, his hand firmly squeezing my ass. He let one rise and then he slapped my booty making water spray and the taut muscles jiggle. I writhed in bliss, tightening around him. He smacked it again and I wiggled, I squirmed on his dick.


    His hips started bucking below me and I latched onto his robust, muscular frame. My abdomen bounced with his movements, riding his wild bronco. I pulled away from our kiss, panting and purring as I clung to him. Nestling against his hardened chest. His heartbeat hammered almost as fast as his cock into my pussy. Rhythmically, I tightened and loosened when he pulled out and stabbed back in.


    My claws tried to dig into his flesh, only managing to lightly scratch. He slammed it home, jamming my bitch button and I moaned. I went limp, shuddering as I came. He flopped me over on the side of the tub for a better angle and mounted me from behind. He cradled the abdomen and speared his cock into my depths. I dangled helplessly as he railed me from behind. His frantic thrusts grew more powerful. My tongue flopped about drooling with every thrust.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I mumbled.


    He slapped my ass and I squealed, tightening around him. He kept plowing my fertile fields, slamming his tool into me. I squirmed, scrabbling at the floor as he mounted me harder. Oh, oh yes! He was rubbing my sacs at this angle. He held me down and thrust with all his might bottoming out, scraping the entrance to my womb. I lay defenseless as his seed poured into me. My insides came to life, rubbing and writhing with orgasmic bliss. My hungry hole milked his cock for all it was worth, squelching obscenely as the muscles stroked it up and down.


    We sat there frozen for a bit as my pussy gorged itself. Finally, with a decadent plop he pulled out and my hole trembled, oozing his gooey love. It undulated and snapped shut, greedy to devour it all. Boris sat down for a moment, catching his breath. I lay, half in the tub, panting with my tongue floundering on the floor.


    That was¡­ lovely.


    His hands grasped me again and he lifted me up so that I sat on his lap. I rubbed against his chest, nibbling at his nipple playfully. I traced a finger up his toned muscles and scratched him under the chin for a job well done.

 Blood Moon Chapter 5

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 5


    Den Mother, Glitter Kitten, and I walked along the secluded and neglected streets of the Slums. Old rusted cars rested where they had been abandoned years before. Most had been cannibalized for parts leaving metal frames, husks of their former and complete selves, dotting the sides of the streets and in some cases sticking halfway out of a dilapidated building from where a subhuman had thrown it. What was different now was the overabundance of life.


    Green, vibrant vines had slithered their way along poles, crept up the sides of buildings and smothered fallen debris. Sprouting from these vines were flowers of varied colors, some were smaller than others. It was actually rather lovely. Last time I had been here everything was dried out and dead.


    ¡°So,¡± I said glancing at Glitter Kitten, ¡°Are you sure we will be fine with just the three of us?¡±


    ¡°Nyahaha, those little lizards won¡¯t stand a chance!¡±


    ¡°You say that, but your hand did get broken.¡±


    Glitter Kitten lightly kneaded at my leg, scratching the carapace with her claws. It sent some rather confused signals up my spine, was she trying to turn me on? I am not sure. She purred, ¡°Nyessss, but this time we got you. We were just about even before, well actually my side is stronger which is why they got kicked out into the boonies down here, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but they still managed to hurt you,¡± I replied giving her a concerned pat.


    ¡°Nyes I suppose. This little kitty might have gotten hurt a little, but I killed one last time, so they are even weaker than usual.¡±


    ¡°You killed one? Who?¡± I asked thinking over the four that had been mentioned.


    Her confident smirk faded for a moment as her eyes seemed distant, it was brief, but I noticed the change in her demeanor, ¡°I, I eh don¡¯t know all their names. They are just stupid Scalies after all. Besides, none of them are over rank 6. Slither is as strong as they get and she is just a cowardly slippery snake in the grass.¡±


    As we walked, I asked, ¡°So Slither is a snake right? Is she like a snake bottom or snake top?¡±


    Den Mother thought it over, ¡°She kinda like a snake with a humanoid upper body, but the top half is scaled too and she has a frill type of thing that fans out of her neck. Come to think of it; she kinda looks like a cobra huh, GK?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that is the snake, got a big hood that has eye patterns in the folds. Oh remember never to look at them, or she will make you all weird.¡±


    I tilted my head, ¡°Make me all weird?¡±


    ¡°Nyeaah if you look at it she will sway her body and mesmerize you, I think it might be a mind power, but it makes her not seem dangerous. That is when she strikes. Her fangs are big, like two feet long. So don¡¯t look at her face and head area. Oh, also she spits venom that can paralyze you if it gets into your eyes or mouth or a wound.¡±


    ¡°That sounds rather difficult to deal with. I thought you said that she just turned invisible?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but she is still a snake. Snakes have venom; after all, everybody knows that.¡±


    I nodded reassessing if this is actually going to be easy or not. Definitely leaning toward the not category, ¡°So Slither can turn invisible, has paralytic venom, and a potential mind power to lull one into a false sense of security?¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe not the mind power one, it more of it distracts you if you look at her hood. But yeah more or less.¡±


    I stopped walking, thinking it over, ¡°So how big is Slither? You said her fangs are two feet long.¡±


    This got the two of them thinking, ¡°Hard to say, but she is certainly longer than you are tall. I saw her next to an old school bus once. She was about to the back tires from the front end, so however long that is. She is also pretty thick too. She is surprisingly fast for something that big and sluggish looking, granted it isn¡¯t anything like a rank 4 speed super.¡±


    I think we just solved our storage issue. Snek puss, I wonder what she tastes like?


    Shush Sub, she sounds dangerous.


    Meh, it should be a good fight. Can¡¯t wait to show her who is boss. I bet she gives great head; we can probably actually go abdomen deep in her.


    Assuming she won¡¯t bite us.


    It adds to the excitement. After all it more fun when they are rough~


    Sub.


    Fine, fine. Well, for what we have planned, she won¡¯t be needing those fangs.


    Ah, I see. I nodded. But isn¡¯t that cruel?


    I am sure Xava will facilitate the removal, the snake won¡¯t even feel anything.


    Still¡­ alright, we will stick with the original plan. Capture alive and then see what Xava thinks.


    Fufufufu~


    Having sorted it out better, I asked, ¡°She is only a rank 6 with that sort of stuff? I don¡¯t get it. How did you guys beat her?¡±


    Glitter Kitten puffed out her chest, ¡°Nyahaha she can¡¯t even hit me so; usually, she just retreats every time I show up. That being said that fucking bitch is only scared of me. If it others she will attack them and eat them whole.¡±


    ¡°She eats people?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nyeah, she eats ferals mostly, but the first time I ever encountered her she ate three of my Kittens. Ever since I have wanted that big dumb Scalie head on a pike, she has also eaten a lot of the other kids that wander off. She lures them with her hood.¡±


    ¡°Wait she eats ferals and isn¡¯t sick?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I know that she and the rest of those Scalies are demented fucks. They are evil. Like they don''t feel bad about the things they do.¡±


    I tilted my head quizzically. Hmm is the feral flaw not infectious? Or perhaps the reptiles and amphibians are immune to it due to it being a mammal thing? Of course, this is all assuming the Slither isn¡¯t feral. Would my eggs even be safe in a feral? This brought up a few questions, which very well might need answering. I would have to ask Dr. Arbor once I returned. We might have to run some tests.


    ¡°So how are we even going to find Slither and her group?¡± I asked, just now realizing that this was a very legitimate question that needed an answer.


    Den Mother, who led the way pointed to a duo of vast concrete structures that loomed in the distance several miles away, though the closer things got to them the fewer buildings there were and the more lush things seemed to be and said, ¡°Easy, they are holding up in the old nuclear power plant that started the meltdown.¡±


    I had heard a little about that, but I thought that it had been salvaged? Unless I had heard wrong from Mr. Johnson. My brain pieced together what I had heard and after a minute or so I recalled that he had said that they had stopped it from going critical, not that they had salvaged anything from it. Well, it would be hard to fight your way through hordes of subhumans, let alone the ferals just to get to the place.


    Speaking of ferals, there wasn¡¯t even a hair of evidence that I could see or smell for that matter of any. Perplexed I asked, ¡°Hey, how come we haven¡¯t seen any ferals yet even though we are a good distance from your turf?¡±


    ¡°We are in the Scalie¡¯s turf now. Ferals can smell it and steer clear.¡± Said, Glitter Kitten.


    If this was their territory, then they were worse off than the Mad Dogs in terms of just about everything. As we drew closer to the concrete towers, it became more evident the damage that they had been inflicted over the years. Particularly during the initial outbreak when the military had been called in. The left tower had collapsed in on itself, and the other was missing a large section that left a gaping crack in the vase like structure. Moss grew in large patches on the surface and vines ascended the sides. However, the oddest thing was the top of a tree emerging from the inside of the mostly intact silo.


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    The surrounding buildings were reduced to rubble long ago. Disjointed walls stood alone, where once houses and stores were. Craters dotted the landscape where the fighting had been particularly rough. Trenches and abandoned checkpoints sat silent. Dirty water filled the cracks and dips in this area creating a boggy environment. Glowing fungus clung to the walls and algae covered whole sections of the water in a thick green. Poking at it, the stuff was fibery. It was pond scum.


    However, even with the lack of buildings, this place was not flat, and we could not see a straight shot to the concrete structure that towered above everything. There was a simple reason for this, trees. In the short time that man had relinquished this place; trees had forced their way through what little remained of the ruins in some areas.


    My antenna flicked smelling the rancid odor of rotting flesh, hearing the distant croaks of frogs and the buzzing of insects. Gurgling noises came from below the surface as bubbles rose here and there, and then began a sulfurous stench of rotten eggs. It was startling how this place felt so different. It was as though we had left all civilization behind and entered another world. It almost felt like some ancient forest.


    The deeper we went, the more abundant the trees became and the taller the plants grew. Scratchy moss filled with twittering insects dangled from branches, oddly looking like green beards. Dragonflies darted about above the water¡¯s surface, some were regularly sized of bright colors, and then there were the monsters. The giant insects that could carry off dogs or possibly even the mutant sewer rats. Those sat on the tree trunks, their convexed eyes shifting for prey.


    ¡°Has it always been like this?¡± I asked looking around the trees sprouting from the swamp.


    ¡°This swamp used to only be around the silos but as the years went by it grew. Parts of the Slums are even starting to get flooded thanks to the sewers being uprooted and gushing out into the streets.¡± Said Glitter Kitten crouched as she observed the surroundings, ears twitching.


    ¡°So you are sure that Slither will be in that tower?¡± I asked.


    Glitter Kitten seemed to be second-guessing herself, ¡°Well, it is her nest so she will be there eventually.¡±


    ¡°Should we just fly rather than wading through all this muck?¡±


    ¡°Fly? Oh, you do have wings huh¡­ Maybe, but won¡¯t they see us coming?¡± replied Glitter Kitten thinking it over.


    ¡°I doubt we will be sneaky enough to evade detection even if we stay on the ground. Both Den Mother and I are rather large and not exactly the quietest.¡±


    ¡°Can you carry us?¡± asked Den Mother.


    ¡°I believe that I can.¡± My body shifted to be easily mounted, letting my abdomen touch the ground.


    Glitter Kitten scampered up my back and sat on my head. My head was almost as large as she was and the tentacles coiled around her to ensure she wouldn¡¯t fall off. More or less strapping her down to my smooth carapace. She made a slight Mreow before settling down. As for Den Mother, she was too large to be on my back, since she would get in the way of my wings flapping. Instead, I hugged her to my chest, and she latched onto me. Her arms wrapped around my neck and my lower arms firmly grabbed her booty. I kneaded for a moment getting a feel for her muscular hind end before shifting her into a tighter hug.


    Now that my passengers were secured, Air Vesper was ready for take off. I hopped, and my wings swung out, branches snapped, and mud swirled away as I started to flap harder and faster causing my body to vibrate. As my wings stabilized the flapping became a buzzing sound, and we rose up from hovering ten or so feet off of the ground. With every flick of my muscles, we rose higher and higher until the swampy forest and rubble were merely distant shapes below.


    Glitter Kitten let out a gasp as she stared about the clear and crisp world in wonder. ¡°First time flying?¡± I asked.


    The kitty squirmed looking about even as my limbs held her still, ¡°Nyya, first time I ever been this high before everything looks so small down there.¡±


    Den Mother was apparently afraid of heights such as this and had buried her face into my hardened chest, whimpering softly. My upper hands stroked along her back, reassuringly as she quivered. Poor thing, well, it was understandable. Falling can be pretty scary after all. Although, it might be more that she has no real control over this other than clinging to me for dear life. Not that she would die from a fall of this height, at most she might break something, and that is assuming she doesn¡¯t stick the landing. Perhaps it was some sort of instinct ingrained? Glitter Kitten wasn¡¯t scared cause cats always land on their feet. Dogs though, dogs were not so fortunate or graceful.


    Now that we had a wasp¡¯s eye view the swamp was reasonably small in size, at the least on this side. Couldn¡¯t be more than several miles across with the dilapidated nuclear power plant in the center. Looking past it, I saw that the city had actually been spared something horrific. Due to how everything was sloped and at a slight angle, the water went down forming channels and spreading the irradiated swamp out for miles away from Bronson city. I squinted seeing where most of it went, flowing almost like a river until it reached the side of the gorge and cascaded down into the trench.


    It seems that the Hammer Strike had made this much worse than it used to be since last I looked down from the Bronson City Bridge there was not a glowing river flowing beneath it. Now I could see that faint green reflection way down in that canyon below. Questions of whether it would build up over time or sink into the earth rose, but now was not particularly the time for that.


    I banked away from the clouds moving towards the circular structure. The light from the sun grazed the top of it casting a deep shadow over a section of the swamp around it. Within the bowl-like shape, the green of the massive tree reflected several different shades ranging from an almost blue to a nearly yellow. Perhaps it was going through some sort of fall cycle? Even with all my eyes, I could not spy any movement as we descended. Seeing that the coast was clear, my claws dug into the concrete lip, and we sat perched above the lair of Slither.


    ¡°So what is it like in there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nyo idea,¡± said Glitter Kitten, wiggling top my head.


    I paused, ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know? I thought you guys fought her?¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, but we never chased her into her lair. She was the one attacking us, and we would beat her back into her own, place. This place has always been a swamp, so we had no reason to claim the territory; it wouldn¡¯t do us any good.¡±


    ¡°So we are going in blind then?¡± I peered into the darkness below.


    ¡°Don¡¯t really have much of a choice, do we?¡± asked Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°I guess not,¡± I leaned in, my claws gouged into the thick walls as we began our descent.


    We crept along the wall deeper into the dank and strangely warm structure. My antennae wiggled about smelling the scents of some animals, definitely almost human and yet also very not human. Still, this high up I couldn¡¯t get a good read on what might be going on lower down. This place was much larger than I had first thought, using myself as a sort of measurement well it could fit fifty or so of me standing on top of one another from top to bottom though that is a very rough estimate. The point is, this place was huge. Even going across from our end to the next many of me could stretch across.


    Due to the jagged gash in the side of the silo light penetrated the depths below at an angle and in a thin shape that moved ever so slowly with the sun. I squinted looking around. This place was tranquil save the croaking of frogs far down below, though from the ribbits it seemed that some were even on the tree at different locations. Speaking of that thing, the canopy expanded out, but after reaching a certain proximity to the walls, it looked as though it had been trimmed away. Someone was pruning this thing.


    The thick trunk was not a single plant as I soon realized, but rather a twisting, gnarled mass of overlapping vines. The more that I looked, the more that I realized it was not natural and I wasn¡¯t even talking about the irradiated growth. The tree looked sculpted. At places smaller vines were wrapped tightly, binding the many thicker trunks together, forcing them to grow up around one another. On the surrounding outside, there was a winding platform, a walkway made from the tree itself. It was organically grown rather than attached to the trunk.


    As I followed it along at various intervals branches would sprout out, and from those branches circular meshes of growth created domes. Interested I pushed off from the wall and glided over landing upon walkway near the trunk. Now that we could see the front, there was a hole. I tilted my head a little approaching the murky darkness. Peering inside, this one was empty. However, it appeared that someone or something was living here. In the center, the structure dipped creating a pool of water. Along the walls were shelf like outgrowths with several trinkets sitting on them.


    This, well this was a home. A nest. It was clearly not Slither¡¯s nest simply due to the size; it was much too small. Due to the croaking that I could faintly hear down below us, this must be a frog subhuman¡¯s home. Then did that mean the Frogs were the tree shapers? My feelers twitched taking in the scent of wet skin and a pungent odor of amphibian. Due to how strong it was, the owner of this place must frequent it often; the whole area had thoroughly been claimed. Whatever it is must have been rubbing itself all over, I could still see some glistening mucus from the body. Though at the moment it must be away or it can hold it¡¯s breath for a long time as I didn¡¯t detect any movement. Now that I had this particular scent I could smell where it had climbed along the branch over to the trunk and went along the path spiraling down the tree.


    I found this place oddly fascinating. It was so primitive, but I could tell that there was some form of civilization here. It almost felt like I had stepped into some fantasy world. I was honestly half expecting to turn the corner of the tree and see an elf or something.


    A magical forest elf we did not meet. It was a frog. I almost walked right past the thing it blended in so well. But my antennae smelled it out. The froggy was a dark green nearly brown color, and it lay flat against the wood hiding or perhaps it had been sleeping in a crevice of the vines. It was small, child-sized, but it was undoubtedly humanoid with two arms and legs granted they were webbed and had large bulbous fingertips that suctioned onto things. The red eyes with a black gash running down the middle stared back at me.


    Visibly the creature gulped as it inflated, the neck had bulged out with a thin membrane that was almost clear. The frog jumped, leaping away and my hand lunged out crushing around the thing. Slimy and wriggly the amphibian struggled to escape my claws that closed in around it, trapping it in my fist. The plopping noises of the suction cups grasping and then letting go of my carapace filled the inside of my hand as it searched for a way out.


    I opened a small hole and looked in at it. The minute hand emerged feeling about the exit to the cage of carapace as it started to whimper. I felt a little sorry for it, I mean I had not come here to kill anyone.


    ¡°Kill it before it gives us away!¡± Growled Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°Don¡¯t struggle,¡± I said.


    The hand slowed, retreating inside as the creature quivered. This was a subhuman right? Before I could say anything else, the frog gaped its mouth and sucked in air. The throat pouch grew and grew as it inflated like a balloon. Then it snapped the toothless jaws shut and stared at me, having expanded to more than double the original size. My eyes gazed back at it wondering what it was up to. The mouth opened up again and it squeaked¡­ or rather screamed. The noise it emitted was worse than a cat being skinned alive piercing to the point my antennae shrunk away from the little thing.


    It had returned to the previous size now that all the air had been pushed out of it. It started to inflate again, but before it could my hand tightened around it, squeezing it to the point that it let out a gasping squeal and huffed desperate to breathe. I wouldn¡¯t let it do that again. The damage, however, had already been done.


    ¡°I told you to kill it. Now they know we are here!¡± Groaned Glitter Kitten as she and Den Mother were freed from my grasp getting ready to fight.


    Below, a chorus of croaks rose, it sounded like there was a good number of them too.

 Blood Moon Chapter 6

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 6


    Well, so much for being Subtle.


    They, the frogs were quickly trying to surround us. Jumping about on their strong legs and sticking themselves onto all sorts of surfaces. It was honestly impressive how quick these little squirts were. Now that I saw the wide array of different shapes and colors of the frog people I thought that they were cute. Some of them were so itty bitty, even smaller than that one squalling in my hand. Others were rather large like people sized. The colors! They were like a rainbow, and there was even a bright pink one with white stripes that looked particularly cute. What are these adorable things and why can¡¯t I keep them as pets?


    Though I had been lost in thoughts since I was not worried about these things, Glitter Kitten had turned into a blur quickly dodging about and smacking the frogs out of mid-air. As for Den Mother, she was covering her face. Their panicked ribbits and squealing noises shifted into Fffft sounds. I felt little impacts all over my body and looked around to see what that was. Sticking out of my carapace in a few spots were these thin needle-like projectiles. None of them had managed to penetrate my thick outer shell.


    It took a long moment to put two and two together, seeing the tube-like things in their hands and raised to their croaking mouths. Blowdart guns. Oh? Did that mean they were poisonous? I looked them over again realizing that, they were poison dart frogs. I wonder how potent the poison is? My tongue emerged from my mouth, and I stabbed one of the needles into it. A tingling spread making my tongue numb. After a few seconds, the feeling returned, and I couldn¡¯t tell the difference. Hmm is it strong or not? I couldn¡¯t tell.


    Daww even their angry faces looked cute. Especially that pink one, rubbing her back furiously until a big bubble formed from the mucus that coated her. Is that one Bubbles? I never did ask about identifiers, after all, I didn¡¯t think there were very many Scalies, to begin with. She latched onto the mucus blob, which was surprisingly buoyant and then her throat filled, puffing up before she let out a vicious war cry that sounded like a squeak. Yes, truly terrifying. The force from her lungs launched the froggy straight at me. Just before impact, she bounded away letting that bubble whiz towards me.


    Den Mother ducked, throwing herself onto the ground to avoid the bubble and it latched onto me. I poked it, and the membrane of slime did not break. Oh? It was more durable than I thought it would be. My claws dug into the frog goo, and I tore it open, the bubble popped oozing down my front. It was surprisingly sticky. I scooped some with my finger spreading it as I smelled it¡­ it had a hmm, what sort of smell even is it? Peanut butter? Does it taste like peanut butter? I licked my fingers letting that thick slimy substance tantalize my tongue. It also stuck to the roof of my mouth making me chew and attack it to dislodge it. I could tell that it was poisonous, due to my whole mouth going numb and searing for about ten seconds. However, that didn¡¯t stop it from tasting like a nut once my taste buds regenerated.


    My eyes locked onto that pink frog that was hanging from the branch above us, lathering itself up again as another big bubble formed. I, I wanted her. I jumped, closing the distance between us in a heartbeat. The frog squealed as it reacted much faster than I would have thought that it would. Bounding left as my hands grappled onto the bubble that she had attached to where she was. It popped in a moment coating me and the branch, but I was much stronger than the adhesive, and it didn¡¯t even slow me down.


    I started to hunt that frog as it leaped from branch to branch, mid-air flicking her legs to make little bubbles in an attempt to stop me as I gained on her. I could smell her fear as she started screaming and croaking as I drew closer and closer with each thunderous beat of my wings. I felt a little thud against my carapace, and I let one of my eyes roam to that spot. There was another frog latched onto me with its tongue. It flailed about trying to get a grip on me.


    It was a bright blue frog with black stripes. My hand grasped the tongue, and I pulled it. There was a moment of resistance, and then nothing. I stopped, looking down to find a tongue dangling from my hand with no attached frog. I stared and then looked back to see a frog flailing through the air before it exploded on the concrete wall. Oh! Did I do that? I must have used too much strength. But, but that was barely anything. That was like a flick. So¡­ so weak. I should have known they were fragile. They were very squishy and cuddly after all.


    Seeing the war crime that I had committed the frogs all at once fled. Croaking, screaming and wailing as they went in all directions, though most dived down towards the base of the tree. At this point, the frogs were nothing more than cute little animals to me. They were harmless. And that is exactly why I felt bad for obliterating that one. I hope they don¡¯t hold that against me.


    I returned to the platform where Glitter Kitten and Den Mother were. Both had blood on their claws, and the bodies of several of the frogs strewn about the place. They had killed roughly ten if all these pieces added up, but could be more due to bodies falling off the tree. It was now that I realized I had lost my original froggy at some point in the confusion.


    ¡°There were more of them than last time,¡± Glitter Kitten heaved a sigh.


    ¡°Good work Vesper! You killed Croaker like it was nothing,¡± smiled Den Mother looking rather malicious. There was some obvious hate going on there.


    I stared at her then looked at Glitter Kitten before pointing to the splatter on the wall, ¡°That was Croaker?¡±


    ¡°Nyeah! Good job that fucker has been a pain in our ass for years.¡±


    ¡°THAT?!¡± I emphasized as I pointed back at the wall harder.


    Both of them nodded happily smiling, ¡°Yeah he was the fourth strongest, or maybe third next to Bubbles they are about as strong as one another. You almost got Bubbles too, but she got away.¡±


    My mind was having problems wrapping around this. How were those frogs strong? I wiped the frog slime off of my face, and it slopped onto the floor. Both Glitter Kitten and Den Mother took several significant steps away from it. Ah¡­ the poison. That made sense, they were agile but fragile. Glass canons? Ah more like a damage over time sort of type. The poison made up for their lacking strength. Was I like their natural predator or something?


    ¡°Hey Glitter Kitten, how strong is their poison?¡±


    She rubbed her chin a little, ¡°Well in Bubbles¡¯ case if you get bubbled, usually you die after a few minutes of choking of frog slime. As for the darts, well one or two will make you start throwing up, pissing, and shitting blood for a week, any more than that and you die of dysentery.¡±


    Oh¡­ am I really going to be ok?


    ¡°How fast do the symptoms usually show up?¡± I asked, starting to get a little concerned after recalling my peanut butter incident.


    ¡°It starts with a tingle. Then it spreads into a burning sensation. Then you feel nauseous, and you get the runs. It takes about an hour or so for all of the nasty stuff to set in unless you get hit in an artery or something, then it only takes a couple of minutes.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said vaguely, ¡°What would happen if somebody ate it, or rather got a good amount in their mouth and swallowed?¡±


    They looked at one another, ¡°You would be dead right? Vesper are you poisoned?!¡±


    I shrugged a little, ¡°Maybe? Likely not though I do have Rank 7 regeneration, so my body just kinda shrugs off stuff like radiation. I think I am immune though. This stuff is surprisingly pretty tasty.¡±


    Both of them turned green as I licked my fingers clean. It really did taste like nuts as an after taste. Is it walnut perhaps? Cashew perhaps? Maybe Pistachio? Hmm, this warrants more testing. I would have to taste Bubbles more to figure out this culinary secret. All this did was increase my interest in that adorable little frog. I am definitely going to take her home. Ah, I will need to make sure that I am very gentle when capturing her. Don¡¯t wanna squash the froggy.


    ¡°Oh I was wondering, do these guys know how to talk?¡± I asked.


    Den Mother nodded, ¡°Yeah they do.¡±


    ¡°Eh? They do? How come all I heard was croaking?¡±


    ¡°Well the frogs don¡¯t really talk too much to outsiders, they only talk when necessary. They got those croaks, so they speak their own language,¡± said Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°I see. Was it bad that they got away?¡± I asked staring over the sides and listening to the squalling of the frogs far below as they were making very loud and angry squeaks.


    Glitter Kitten shook her head, ¡°Well, we were screwed on the sneak attack the moment that little bastard squealed so, not really. If anything they are scaring the shit out of the rest of the Scalies telling them about what you did to Croaker.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°That should get Slither¡¯s attention don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°It should. She could run from this, but we are in her home so I would think that she would stand her ground in this case.¡±


    ¡°That would make things simpler,¡± I agreed.


    We made our way down the tree. The spiraling path took wound round and round the trunk much like a coiled serpent. The farther down we got, the thicker the vines became. We were unopposed clear down to the ground level where the roots of the great tree formed an umbrella or perhaps a skirt like formation to create a sizeable hollow dome under the entire tree. The entrance to this room was to our side, a gaping maw of twisted vines.


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    We were certainly not alone down here. The frogs were peeking out of the foul waters that surrounded the roots of the tree. Other than the tree and the areas it created, this whole building was flooded. The deep dark waters likely held abominable horrors.


    My eyes peered all around assessing what we were up against. I didn¡¯t see even a scale of this so-called snake. I did, however, notice the wakes of water moving in our direction. Glitter Kitten and Den Mother tensed up seeing the same. From the murky depth emerged five crocodile people, much like the frogs in terms of being more animal than people. However, unlike the cuddly little froggers, these things were large, ugly and smelled terrible.


    The largest of them more or less looked like some lizard man, well crocodile man in this case. He had big scaled muscles. The head was elongated almost entirely identical to the animal itself. He had big yellow eyes that slit with black. A few old scars were dotting him here and there, one particularly deep on his snout itself that left the mouth slightly open and missing a few teeth to create a gap. He was tall, about eight foot, but that was nothing to me.


    He pointed at us, ¡°Heh, if it isn¡¯t the pussycat. What brings you warm bloods here?¡±


    Den Mother cracked her knuckles eyeing him, ¡°We came here to deal with you Scalies once and for all.¡±


    ¡°Cold Bloods. We are the Cold Bloods you stupid mammals, can¡¯t even remember our name.¡±


    ¡°Who cares?¡± growled Glitter Kitten, ¡°We are paying you fucks back for all of our people you have eaten.¡±


    ¡°We not scared of you cat,¡± he chuckled.


    Hearing a new voice enter the conversation my eyes honed in on the pink frog mostly submerged in the water, ¡°Not the cat you idiot that big fucking thing! It is a monster; it killed Croaker like he was a fly.¡±


    ¡°Shut it Bubs; I got bones to settle with these bitches.¡±


    The frog sunk into the water so that only her piercing eyes were sticking out. Bubbles started forming as she seemed to be angrily blowing out under the surface. I wiggled my fingers at her, and she dived under the water fleeing. Acha, I must have spooked her.


    Slightly displeased I stared down at the dwarfed man croc. Unlike the frogs I had no intention of being kind to ugly things like these, ¡°Oi Cock Doc or whatever the fuck your name is, get your leader out here. I want to get this over with quickly.¡±


    He snapped his teeth snarling, ¡°Fuck you, you¡­ what are you?¡±


    ¡°I am the Vespidian. Slither! Get out here before I squish this puny little man of yours,¡± I said looking around the room.


    ¡°Sssssssoooo rude. Whatsss have we here?¡± Hissed a voice that seemed to come from every direction at once, ¡°Disssssturbing my Sssssleep.¡±


    I could hear the scales shifting, but I couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint the exact location due to how sounds echoed in this place. Glitter Kitten and Den Mother were ready to pounce at the slightest movement. She must be invisible. She said she had been sleeping so that means that she most likely just came from that room to our side or she might not have even left it and is looking out at us.


    ¡°Slither, show yourself. I want to see what everybody is going on and on about the big bad snake,¡± I goaded her.


    There was silence for a little bit; she had even stopped moving. I paced a little looking around with my arms crossed. The scraping of scales soon resumed as I assumed she was getting to a good spot to attack us.


    ¡°Isss that sssso? Come to Feassst your eyesss upon me?¡± Said Slither as my antennae picked up on a new scent nearby. It wasn¡¯t like any of the other creatures in here which meant that it had to be her.


    It was a sickly sweet sort of smell like an overly ripe fruit. I turned, letting my antennae sniff the snake out. The trail led to the side of the tree. It moved up it, and I figured out within a few seconds that she must be scaling up the tree for a better spot.


    ¡°We can do this the easy way or the hard way,¡± I said my eyes following a depression in the moss on the tree that moved.


    ¡°I asssume the hardway issss fighting?¡± Slither asked as she rounded the tree once more and stopped above us, ¡°I hasss no busssinesssss with whatever you are. I hassss never eaten nor sssseen one like you before. Sssso why have you come to my home and killed my friendsssss?¡±


    ¡°You hurt my friend and have been giving her and her people trouble, so I came to collect you,¡± I replied staring up at her approximate location.


    ¡°Hurtsss who? Whatsss do you ssspeak of?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°Glitter Kitten, you broke her hand, and you broke Thumper¡¯s leg,¡± I replied.


    Her voice sounded confused more than anything, ¡°I know not of thisssss. Liessss the Cat issss lying! I can¡¯t even touch her. How could I possssssibly break her hand?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her Vesper; she is just a slippery snake you can¡¯t trust her,¡± snarled Glitter Kitten looking around still since she had not detected the snake¡¯s whereabouts yet.


    This was bugging me. The snake actually sounded surprised. It even smelled differently; it was scared. I looked to Glitter Kitten¡¯s paw that was very much broken. She smelled nervous, which made sense considering we were likely seconds from a fight. Who was lying? I mean there are much easier ways to get me to come down here and help take out Slither than to break her own hand. Why would Glitter Kitten lie about that? Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I came for a snake, and I am going home with a snake and a frog.


    ¡°If you are not going to come out, then Glitter Kitten, Den Mother kill that ugly thing to show her we mean business,¡± I said pointing at Croc Roc.


    He and the rest of them got into a fighting stance. Glitter Kitten made the first move striking like lighting. Her hit raked against his tough hide and made sparks fly as she retreated again. Den Mother charged in and locked up the croc man wrestling as she started to overpower him.


    Slither finally made her move. If one had blinked, they would have missed the massive serpent materialize out of thin air. She had lush turquoise scales with black and orange patterns in stripes along her sides. Her underbelly scales were almost a metallic blue color. The upper body was that of an overly large woman connected to the rest at the hips. She was well proportioned getting thinner around the stomach but excellent and ample at the hips and chest. She had no skin as far as I could tell it was all scales. Her face though humanoid was very snake like. No hair to speak of or ears for that matter. Instead, there was loose skin extending from the sides and back of her head. It was folded out in a vast hood that covered clean down onto her back past her shoulders.


    I gazed up at her as our eyes locked. Her serpent pupils were a deep glowing amethyst. Her mouth twisted into a sneering smile as her long tongue flit out tasting the air. She began to move, shifting side to side, almost dancing in place. It was a fluid, rhythmic motion that sent shivers through her tight muscles.


    If I had not been warned, well she might have gotten me with that. However, what attracted me even more than her face was her amble body. My eyes washed over the serpent scales following them as they coiled around the tree twice fully. It was a sizable body and one that I could hardly wait to stuff full of my brood. I licked my lips hungrily assessing her.


    But I was getting ahead of myself; I needed to beat her into submission first. I sighed, clearing away my lust and let my eyes close for a moment before they concentrated in on her once more. This time I was focused on her movements rather than assessing her value.


    I approached her, acting as though I had fallen to her rippling body. I reached for her, fully intending to drag the snake down. She sensed something was amiss and retreated from my claws, slithering away up the tree higher. She hissed down at me her fangs unfurling from the roof of her mouth as spurts of the venom sprayed out towards me.


    I dodged the attack, rolling to one side. I had lost track of her for a moment, and the snake had vanished again. My antenna quivered smelling and straining to hear where she was. I was starting to see why she was an annoying creature to deal with.


    Abruptly a hiss sounded from my side as more venom spurt at me from a different angle. It splashed against my hardened carapace but dripped away harmlessly. I turned charging toward where that had come from. The sound of scales slithering and sliding filled my head.


    I strained my eyes and detected the subtle movement of the moss on the tree being depress and lunged for it. My claws felt something substantial, and I grappled it. Torquoise scales flickered into reality as her lengthy tail lay before me.


    I had caught the snake by the tail, but as I soon learned cornered animals are much more willing to strike.


    Slither had reared up menacingly hissing as her upper body snapped forward. It was faster than I was expecting and one of her fangs stabbed into one of my tentacles as they lept up to defend me.


    A numbness spread up from the bite point, and the tentacles went limp. I had not thought that her venom would be this strong.


    It seems I had gotten a little too cocky, after so easily dealing with the frogs. It took only a moment for me to regret my foolishness. Overconfidence leads to downfalls after all.


    Everything seemed to freeze. My muscles seized up, stiff as I stood like a statue unable to move as she stayed a fair distance away not trusting that her venom had worked. She eyed me observing carefully before she slowly began to approach. Her tongue flicking out as she got within arms distance. She swayed side to side as she moved, crawling down the tree fully and circled me.


    She settled her upper half behind me and seemed to be rather pleased with herself as I didn¡¯t move my head to follow her movement. This was what proved to her that I was paralyzed. Her coils wrapped around my legs and then my chest eagerly throwing her weight into each loop getting tighter and tighter as she squeezed me.


    A tingling had spread through me. It was the sort of feeling when your arm had fallen asleep. The blood flowing back in and feeling beginning to return. It seemed that her venom was already burning off. My finger twitched, and her rolls of scales shuddered, sensing movement. She tightened even more, and her mouth opened, licking my neck before sinking her fangs into it.


    A searing spread as she started pumping venom into my veins. Her mouth moved, digging her teeth in deeper, but there was no pain. Everything had gone numb. In fact, the heat was starting to feel very nice. I almost felt sleepy. My eyes lazily drifting about. Satisfied that she had given me enough her fangs worked a few more times before she pulled off of my neck letting her long forked tongue trace my face.


    ¡°Got full of yoursssselve. You will fill me for monthsssss,¡± she snickered a little behind me.


    Her mouth gaped as she loomed over my head. I watched it shift from side to side dislodging, and her warm wet maw had stretched to the point that she might very well be able to swallow me as much as that aroused me, being eaten like that was not exactly what I had planned. Sub might like it, but now was not a good time to indulge in her fantasies. My sluggish mind started to move a little faster than the wading through malaises that it had been stuck in since she bit me. Though I was very much at her mercy for the moment, she had however forgotten that we were not alone.


    Seeing her chance, Glitter Kitten attacked.


    ¡°YOU ARE NOT EATING MY FRIEND TOO YOU BITCH!¡± Screamed the enraged pussycat.


    Slither didn¡¯t see the cat until it was much too late. Claws raked through her beautiful scales, and the snake screamed, attempting to uncoil from me. Glitter Kitten did not relent attacking the snake, biting and clawing at her like a frenzied animal. Blood specked out as Slither shuddered all of her scales making a screeching noise. She twisted bucking the ferocious feline off for a moment before the cat had latched onto her back. Slither tilted her head back; her mouth gaped as venom sprayed out into a mist that blanketed the area.


    Though Glitter Kitten was fast, she was down a limb at the moment. Feeling the full effect of not being able to push herself away with both of her hands, she took a direct hit of the mist. Her body froze up, and she flopped over unable to move.


    ¡°Ssssstupid cat. Never sssshould have sssstoped moving.¡± Said the snake rubbing the wound and her face shivering as she stared at the blood.


    While her attention was on Glitter Kitten, the feeling had begun to return to my body. At first a tingling. Then a slight burning sensation, but as my fingers moved, it became more comfortable and easier to move. My immune system seemed to have improved dramatically as a result of getting a full dose. My eyes blinked properly, and I sat up. Glitter Kitten was coiled up. Slither''s mouth gaped over the cat as she seemed to be contemplating eating her now or later.


    My arms pushed and I rose up still a little wobbly, but now I was not playing games. I was not experimenting or testing anything. I tackled her, wrestling the snake and she thrashed wildly trying to escape. Due to my weakened muscles, she damned near managed to buck me off. My abdomen shoved at her and she twisted in such a way that a human would have snapped in half. Her fangs bit at my carapace, but unfortunately for her, my abdomen was in her mouth now. My stinger shoved, harpooning the back of her throat and she got a taste of my medicine. Her body locked up and she writhed in pain as my venom coursed through her.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry.¡± I said, my hands wrapping around her face, I could see the terror in her eyes, ¡°I will keep you nice and full for the rest of your life.¡±

 Blood Moon Chapter 7

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 7


    I took a deep breath and looked around the room. What met my eyes, was well¡­ a massacre. Glitter Kitten and Den Mother had been doing work while I was busy with the snake. They had wholesale slaughtered the Scalies. It seemed that Slither really had been the only thing keeping the Scalies from getting overwhelmed by the Mad Dogs. Croc Roc¡¯s head had been separated from his mince meated body, and the other crocodile people had been ripped apart as well. The poor little froggies were not spared the viciousness either. Den Mother had cornered one of the few surviving ones and was beating it into a pulp with a thick vine that she used as a club.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing?¡± I berated Den Mother.


    ¡°Killing the Scalies,¡± she replied bewildered over my complaints.


    Ah, I never did tell them to spare anything did I? I let out an even more profound sigh. Not their fault, besides they didn¡¯t have the luxury of mercy. Only those much stronger than their opponent can do that without facing any real threats and repercussions. The frogs were poisonous, so they were dangerous even if they were subdued. Now that I think about it, depending on what it was, killing was a lot easier than capturing it alive.


    ¡°I was going to capture them, but, oh well. Just don¡¯t kill my prey.¡±


    ¡°Your prey?¡± asked Den Mother looking over at me.


    ¡°Yeah, I caught Slither, so I am taking her home with me.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do with her?¡± asked Den Mother


    ¡°Either use her as an organic incubation unit if Xava will allow it or hand her over to Molotov to be beaten into shape.¡± I replied, pulling the end of my abdomen out of Slither¡¯s mouth.


    The Scalies or rather Cold Bloods were no more now. I felt bad about the frogs, nothing particularly strong though. As for the others, not even remotely bad they definitely had been eating people. Stretching my stiff limbs, I walked around checking to see if any of the little amphibians had survived. Just as my hopes started to fade, I saw a massive bubble drifting away, floating up. I flicked a rock, and it popped. Out fell the familiar pink frog. She quickly tried to swim away, but I had already been moving to catch her before the bubble had even burst.


    She got about two feet before my hand seized her little body and I held her up to my face. She fearfully looked between the downed snake and me. I pet her on the head, and a look of utter confusion filled her face.


    ¡°What do you want? You are not going to kill me?¡± she asked diverting her eyes from the bodies of the other frogs.


    My finger pressed on her head as I smiled, ¡°No. I won¡¯t kill you. You are useful to me.¡±


    ¡°I, I am?¡± She gulped and ribbitted.


    ¡°Yes. I like your flavor.¡±


    Her pupils got huge as she shivered, ¡°No. Don¡¯t eat me! I am poisonous!¡±


    ¡°Well sure,¡± I replied my tongue slapping her across the face and slowly scraping the slime from her squishy flesh, ¡°You do have a bit of kick to you. A spicy little thing. I am going to enjoy you.¡±


    She shook her head, her large eyes blinking as her grippy pads pushed at my face trying to keep it away from her, ¡°No, no, please! Don¡¯t eat me!¡±


    My stinger got just the tip into her ass cheek, and she thrashed before my venom took hold. Her body went limp, and I said, licking her, ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry it would be a waste to eat you at least in that sense.¡±


    Having incapacitated my prey, I looked about the room. I had been distracted, but a limp little kitty needed my help. I loomed over Glitter Kitten. She sure was helpless like this.


    Put it in.


    Put what in?


    Sub just winked at me.


    No, you.


    But, but look at that booty. She is so defenseless~


    Sub we already got enough to deal with.


    Oh right, we do have a new chew toy. Hey, hey do you think Xava would want to spit roast the snake together?


    Ah, I hadn¡¯t even thought about that. She might? We will have to ask.


    My tentacles coiled around Glitter Kitten, lifting her up, ¡°How are you holding up?¡±


    Although most of her was stiff as a board, her head and neck could move a little, ¡°Not so well, somebody is going to have to carry me back.¡±


    I booped her on the nose, ¡°Thanks for distracting her for me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for helping us. I eh, I know you didn¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Well, what are friends for?¡± I let my fleshy limbs rub her all over.


    She smiled a little before looking at the shuddering snake, ¡°What are we doing with her?¡±


    I sat next to the quivering snake, plopping a hand on her head, ¡°Taking her home. Going to ask Xava if I can keep her as a host for my eggs.¡±


    Glitter Kitten nodded slightly, ¡°Not like I could forcefully take her. You did beat her, so I suppose she is yours to do with as you please.¡±


    ¡°Why what were you going to do with her?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Eh, I was going to let all the girls beat up on her and torture her for a while before killing her as revenge for all the friends and family she has eaten. Though I think you will put her to better use, besides I could always gloat at her.¡±


    I rubbed my chin, ¡°Well if Xava says no then I could give her to you or give her to Molotov to beat into shape.¡±


    ¡°You would?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not like I could keep her if my mate says no.¡±


    ¡°Your mate?¡±


    ¡°Mmmhm~ Xava and I have been together for a while now. Well, it hasn¡¯t been all that long.¡±


    Glitter kitten looked a little disappointed, ¡°Oh I see, Nyaahaha well that is good.¡±


    My tentacles pet her a bit, ¡°Speaking of which, we should go get you checked up.¡±


    ¡°Checked up? Nothing wrong with me.¡± She retorted.


    ¡°You are paralyzed,¡± I said staring at her blankly.


    ¡°Ah oh true. You think Neon Nurse will be able to do something about it?¡±


    ¡°Between her and Dr. Arbor I am sure they could make an anti-venom.¡±


    She seemed to relax a bit, ¡°Nyaa~ well that is good.¡±


    I grabbed Slither around the stomach, and half carried, half dragged her as I looked around. Usually, I might leave her laying around, but there was no telling if she might have a resistance to my venom or not. Unlike her, I wasn¡¯t taking any chances.


    The inside of her lair was moist and mossy. Light filtered in through the canopy of vines revealing the sheltered expanse. Various objects had been gathered and placed about the room. A mass of soft fibers rest in the middle of the room. It appeared to be her bed. On a small table was the only semblance of human civilization, a severely damaged picture in a broken frame.


    I squinted at it seeing the blurs before concentrating to make out what was there ¡ª lab coats. The people in the frame looked to be scientists and even a couple of engineers. Behind them was a large logo that I recognized; BAI. I picked it up and noticed how Slither twitched in my grasp.


    ¡°Oh? Is this important to you?¡± I asked placing the image before her face.


    She was quiet for a little before her hissing voice rose, ¡°Yessss.¡±


    ¡°Did you work here, before the Melt Down?¡±


    ¡°Yesss, I wasss.¡±


    Her tongue poked one of the faded figures. I could see the body and part of the head, but the face had been destroyed due to water damage long ago.


    ¡°I see,¡± I said vaguely, ¡°What did you do?¡±


    She blinked at me before replying, ¡°I sssstopped the Melt Down.¡±


    I poked her, ¡°So you are a smart snake huh?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ssay that. I have forgotten much from that time.¡±


    ¡°So turning into a snake reduced your intelligence?¡± I asked.


    She replied, ¡°Perhapsss, though it hasss changed my thoughtss more than anything.¡±


    Lightly I put a hand on her head, ¡°Oh? How so?¡±


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°My emotions became cold. Indifferent. Thingsss that would repulse me before I found to be enjoyable.¡±


    ¡°Like eating people?¡±


    ¡°Yesssss.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ what is it like? Eating people that is?¡± I asked after a moment of hesitation.


    Slither looked at me and then a flash of understanding crossed her face forming into a wide smirk, ¡°I sssssee. You feel the cravings too? The hunger for flesh as well. Hearing them scream and crying, struggling inside of me as they slowly melt away is the best thing in the world. It sends shivers through me.¡±


    Sub, don¡¯t you be getting any ideas.


    I didn¡¯t say nothing!


    Yeah, but I know you.


    So what if it sounds appealing? It is not like I- alright, alright fine. I wanna eat people. I mean they are just smart animals, and even then a lot of them are dumb.


    That is not the point Sub.


    It is not like we are a hero or something. We can indulge, can¡¯t we?


    Just cause we can don¡¯t mean we should.


    I mean we already did technically.


    Yeah, and it tasted terrible, so I don¡¯t get why you are obsessed with it.


    Anything would taste bad if it were burnt to that degree. I want to eat it raw and fresh alive and kicking, preferably screaming.


    I rubbed my face, Sub you are seriously fucked up.


    I can¡¯t help what I crave. I even know the perfect person to start.


    Who?


    Nightmare. I would start with the hands that she cares so much about. Bite them inch by inch, crunching the bone until her shoulders. Then we could eat her legs.


    Then what?


    Well, we could either eat the rest of her starting from the bottom to keep her alive longer or we could have Xava fix her to the point that she doesn¡¯t die. Let her live as nothing more than a torso, unable to do anything but lay there.


    When you say it like that, you make good points.


    Slither looked at me anxiously seeing as how I had zoned out while staring her down. ¡°What do you plan on doing with me?¡±


    I blinked and came back to reality, ¡°Nothing you should be worried about. You will likely end up enjoying it.¡±


    She tilted her head questioningly. But didn¡¯t ask more.


    There didn¡¯t appear to be anything of real value here. It was all useless rusted junk or shiny baubles that were picked up due to their gleam. Slither seemed to act like a crow, collecting shiny things. There wasn¡¯t much else to do here.


    Returning out to the gathering area, Den Mother appeared to be ready to leave. I hoisted Glitter Kitten atop my head and let the coils of tentacles hold her in place. Bubbles shivered a little as I lifted her and placed her into my mouth, slurping her to the back of my maw. My tongue kept her from being swallowed as I closed my lips trapping her inside. Hefting up my prize I looked at Den Mother.


    ¡°Not sure if I can carry you and Slither,¡± I said rolling my tongue all over the quivering frog.


    Den Mother nodded, ¡°I will find my way back.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, now that Slither is out of the way I am not scared of any of the Scalies.¡± She answered climbing up the vine tree.


    I nodded. She did have a point. ¡°Very well I will see you around.¡±


    She nodded and waved as my wings flapped several times generating lift. The snake was more massive than Den Mother by several times. Which wasn¡¯t a surprise, Slither was longer than I was tall by about three times. My orange membranes pushed, and we ascended out of the structure.


    The sun had moved a fair amount on the horizon making long shadows. Below I saw Den Mother bulldozing her way through the swamp, smashing trees as went with no regard to damaging the area. Seeing this I had no doubts that she would be fine. I turned my sights to the city at large and flew in that direction.


    Below on the city streets, people moved about like ants. Little specks minding their own business. Insignificant. Vaguely I could hear the sound of gunshots from somewhere below, but that didn¡¯t particularly stir anything in me. Could be a robbery or a gang fight, maybe even a drive by. Still, it didn¡¯t matter what it was. I wasn¡¯t a hero anymore, that wasn¡¯t my concern; it wasn¡¯t my business.


    I had my own problems, and as such, I didn¡¯t have time for random acts of heroism unless it directly benefited me. I had better things to do with my time. Besides, I highly doubted that some random person would help me out of the kindness of their heart. I likely wouldn¡¯t even be thanked if I did do something.


    I banked down towards one of the semi-secret entrances to Xava¡¯s lair. It was a parking garage. On the lowest level, there was the cargo elevator that opened after I let my eye get scanned. Dragging the long body of the snake in I realized how cramped it was. I had seen a full-blown tank in this thing before, but with Slither and I crammed in here there wasn¡¯t too much room to spare.


    I pressed the button, and I had returned home. The elevator shifted and descended into the depths of the earth. After a minute or so the doors opened again, and Xava was waiting for me. I stepped out, dragging my quarry with me.


    Xava quietly watched for a moment looking between the snake and me, she asked, ¡°Is this some sort of courtship behavior?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    She tilted her head, ¡°Some species of wasp hunt prey and bring it back to the female in an attempt to earn her attention.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Well, not quite,¡± I said feeling the frog squirming in my mouth.


    Xava seemed to understand and led the way into a large storage room that was currently empty. There appeared to be a lot of extra places in this installation now that I thought about it. I deposited Slither on the floor and opened my mouth wide letting bubbles slide off of my tongue and subsequently flop motionless onto the cold metal floor.


    Xava bent down observing the snake and frog, ¡°Seems you made short work of trouble makers,¡± her eyes focused in on the top of my head, ¡°I take it Glitter Kitten has accepted being your pet?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°Ah, I haven¡¯t asked yet. She got paralyzed by Slither so I was wondering if we could make an anti-venom?¡±


    Xava pried open the snake woman¡¯s mouth. She looked it over before reaching in and prodding at the top of the mouth until venom poured out of the fangs. She filled several containers with it letting Slither close her mouth again. She swished the yellow liquid about watching it for a moment.


    ¡°I will begin processing it. Was there anything else that you needed of me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not going to ask about the snake and frog?¡±


    Another Neon Nurse appeared taking away the glass vials. She turned and replied rather uninterested, ¡°Do I need to ask? It is rather obvious, you are going to copulate with them aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Only if you are ok with it. Xava, you don¡¯t need to be jealous if you don¡¯t like it I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    She squinted a little, ¡°Why would I be jealous?¡±


    ¡°See you are upset about this.¡±


    ¡°I am not jealous,¡± Xava said looking away from me for a moment with crossed arms, ¡°I am upset that you are bringing strangers into our home. So enlighten me, what do you plan on doing with these¡­ organics?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I replied pointing at the snake and frog respectively, ¡°I was going to use them as incubators for my eggs if you were ok with it. If not though I will hand them over to Molotov.¡±


    Her expression loosened a little though now she was squinting at the cold-blooded pair laying on the floor. ¡°I see you have thought this over to some degree.¡±


    I would have replied, but she seemed a bit prickly at the moment. Silently she prodded my prey with her foot. She seemed to be mulling it over. After a few minutes of her slowly circling them and glancing at me she asked, ¡°Tell me, how do you feel about these creatures? Emotionally.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°Ehh I hadn¡¯t really thought about it like that. I like the taste of the frog? I am not really attached to them.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Xava replied her robotic eyes staring at me unblinking, ¡°How did you think of it then? Was this one an impulse? An instinct perhaps?¡±


    ¡°Well, I thought that since you were worried about egg storage, they could be used to help with that. I remembered Dr. Arbor taIking about something similar. Felt that it would be a waste to kill them.¡± I replied looking down.


    Xava let out a sigh, ¡°Very well. I can see your thought process. Dr. Arbor did warn me that you would be actively seeking hosts for your brood, I didn¡¯t think it would be this bad though. I am more upset over my own limitations. I don¡¯t like it, but I understand that it is in your nature.¡±


    ¡°I will give them to Molotov.¡± I replied.


    ¡°No, it is fine. I would rather not punish you for doing a good job. Think of them as your reward I suppose.¡± She said turning to leave.


    ¡°Thank you. Oh, could you defang Slither for me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Defang her?¡± Xava raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Well yeah, you saw how big those things were. I don¡¯t want her biting me.¡±


    ¡°I will deal with it. Though I will leave the venom sacks in as I will be milking her from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Her venom is pretty strong; it got me for a while.¡±


    Xava tilted her head staring at the snake assessingly, ¡°Oh did it now? Perhaps she will be useful after all. Speaking of which, let me milk you as well we haven¡¯t studied your new venom yet.¡±


    I nodded bringing my abdomen to bear, and the stinger slid out as Xava approached. Her gloved hand wrapped around it as she measured it and started coaxing. It didn¡¯t take much for my venom to be spilling out into the vial she held at the tip. She gave my abdomen a loving kiss, satisfied for the moment she handed over the full bottle to another Xava that carried it off for study.


    ¡°Nyaaas much as I don¡¯t mind being the third wheel, eh could I lay down somewhere until this stuff wears off?¡± said Glitter Kitten.


    Ah, I had forgotten that she was there. I looked at Xava, and she nodded, ¡°Go on, I will get this snake ready for your return.¡±


    I leaned down giving her a big wet kiss, ¡°Love you.¡±


    ¡°Love you too, now go on. I am sure that you and the cat have something to talk about.¡±


    I nodded and left though as I did, I couldn¡¯t help but see the fear in Slither¡¯s eyes as a grinning Xava approached her with a pair of plier looking tools and a syringe. I closed my back eye paying it no mind. If Xava needed to vent, well even I was afraid of her when she was angry. My condolences poor little snake.


    Things more or less sorted on that front. I carried Glitter Kitten into my room. There were several Xavas in here as well, though it was clear they were on autopilot as they did menial labor such as cooking and cleaning. One was happily fluffing my pillows and straightening the cleaned bedding.


    I lowered myself and unraveled the kitteh so that she lay next to me. My hands slowly began petting through her fur when her voice rose, ¡°So what was that about me being your pet?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have been thinking about it for a while now. I want you to be my pet. I will love on you and feed you, and you will live here with me.¡±


    ¡°That is a bit sudden don¡¯t you think?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you think about it,¡± I replied stroking her back.


    ¡°What about my kittens though?¡±


    ¡°They can come too.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I will think it over. Oh, by the way, we have our monthly orgy tomorrow so you should come down for some fun. Me and the rest of the Mad Dogs will be more than happy to show you our appreciation for helping us with getting rid of Slither and her lot for good.¡±


    Well, that was news to me, ¡°Monthly orgy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is the full moon tomorrow so we will be locking ourselves in the breeding pens and fucking everything that moves all night.¡± She replied matter of factly.


    That didn¡¯t line up with what I knew about the Mad Dogs, ¡°Eh? I thought you guys go crazy on the full moon and attack people.¡±


    Glitter Kitten nodded, ¡°Well, we do, but that has more to do with the heat. Most people that die during that are normies that got mixed up. We get really into it, like really rough and wild. It is impossible to hold back our strength since we are running on full instincts.


    ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t usually remember any of what happens on those nights. Usually wake up covered in blood or cum, a lot of the times both. I remember one time I woke up with a dick in me, just the dick. I still don¡¯t know how it got there or even whose it was. Not going to lie we get fucking rowdy, which is why we lock ourselves up. Can¡¯t be rampaging through the streets.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a hell of a night,¡± I said thinking it over, I could vaguely remember bits and pieces from when I had been drunk last time I had stayed over though it was rather fragmented, ¡°I think I will have to take a pass on that.¡±


    She gaped at me in surprise, ¡°You don¡¯t want in? Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, as fun as it sounds, Xava is my mate, so I don¡¯t really need to run around looking for strange these days.¡± I smiled petting the robo nurse sitting beside me, and she hugged me.


    ¡°Please, please come!¡± she begged me.


    I stared at her, ¡°Look, I like you, but I said no.¡±


    ¡°Please! You have to come. I, I will do anything for you, but you have to come. If you come I, I will be your pet, your sex slave if that is what you want.¡± She squirmed about even though her body still couldn¡¯t move properly.


    ¡°What has gotten into you?¡± I stared at her.


    She started crying, ¡°Please, please. Anything I will do anything!¡±


    I looked over at Xava who I could tell had shifted her consciousness into the body next to me, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°She seems rather desperate don¡¯t you think?¡± Xava tilted her head.


    ¡°Should I go?¡± I asked her.


    After a minute or two of listening to Glitter Kitten blubbering incoherently Xava nodded, ¡°Fine, but only that night. I would ask you to try and not knock anybody up, but I know better than to ask the impossible. I will be coming to pick you and anybody you end up impregnating in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I will come ok, so stop crying?¡± I said petting Glitter Kitten. This was really unlike her; I wonder what happened?


    ¡°You mean it?¡± she asked sniffling.


    ¡°Yeah so calm down.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Said Glitter Kitten visibly relaxing to the point she might as well be butter.


    It sounds like tomorrow night is going to be eventful. As for tonight, well I had a snake to wrestle and a frog to gargle.

 Interlewd: Struggle Snuggle part 1 (R 18)

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Interlewd: StruggleSnuggle


    Part 1


    I returned to the room where Slither and Bubbles were imprisoned. Several Xavas had gathered around the sullen snake. She did have beautiful scales though; they were incandescent torques glimmering in the light. My eyes roamed up her humanoid torso and stopped where the snake part met the humanoid area. Here nestled in a crease was a distinct slit of scales. Above her, ample breasts jiggled as she huffed.


    The child-sized frog girl lay to the side. From what I had gathered, she was fully grown despite how she looked, in fact, she was older than I was. Her pink slimy skin glistened in the light as she kicked from time to time. She was rather adorable the little thing. Even had small breasts and between her long legs sat her well-rounded booty. This frog certainly had an ass.


    I looked between the two; it was hard to decide which to devour first. After a few moments, I chose the snake. She would be more trouble if I didn''t put her in her place properly. I approached her shivering form, they were at my mercy, and they knew it.


    ¡°Now then Slither, I saved you for a reason,¡± I said petting her hooded head.


    ¡°I heard,¡± She hissed defensively.


    ¡°Well then, I don¡¯t need to explain much to you then do I? Obey me, and you will be rewarded, resist and be punished.¡±


    ¡°Why sssshould I?¡± She hissed spitting on me.


    ¡°Struggle snuggle it is then. Xava, be a dear would you?¡± I said licking the spit from my face, and she nodded pressing a stick into the broad flank of Slither.


    It took a moment, but then the current of electricity coursed through the serpent and she writhed screaming for a few seconds. I nodded again, and she poked the snake again shocking her. This continued several more times to the shrieking and squealing of the snake before she shuddered and pissed herself.


    Slither huffed, ¡°SSsssstop. Sssstop.¡±


    ¡°Oh had enough punishment? So soon? You don¡¯t have much tolerance for pain do you?¡± I asked staring down at her.


    She quivered under my gaze, ¡°You fiend.¡±


    ¡°Xava.¡± I said.


    Another shock filled the snake, leaving her panting, ¡°Ssssstop that!¡±


    ¡°Well then will you obey?¡± I asked.


    Her eyes glared at me as she said, ¡°I will not sssserve you.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I cooed rubbing her gently in my hands, ¡°You will serve me. At my beck and call. Every one of your holes mine to use as I please. You will be my cock sleeve by the time I am finished with you.¡±


    She shook her head back and forth as I flopped my growing ovipositor onto her face, rubbing it in as the tendrils wormed about. She hissed, biting into it, though her lack of fangs or teeth, in general, made her mouth merely gum it lewdly and gave her a taste of my sex. It was rather enjoyable making my tube pulse.


    She spat it out noticing that I had a pleased face, ¡°Keep your disgusting thing away from me.¡±


    Amused I pulled away from her and said, ¡°Xava have at her for a bit I will try the frog for now.¡±


    ¡°Leave Bubbles alone!¡± she cried out.


    I ignored her. The shocks resumed, and I left her screeching as I walked over to the quivering frog girl, lifting her so that she was face to face with me. Her throat expanded as she puffed up defensively. It was rather cute really, and so I started petting her.


    ¡°Such a cute little frog.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Stop hurting Slither!¡± She croaked back deflating a little.


    ¡°She is the one choosing to be hurt. All she has to do is obey me, and I will reward her. It is her pride that is making her suffer.¡±


    ¡°You are just being mean! Stop bullying Slither!¡±


    I wiggled a finger at the adorable pink face puffing up. ¡°Well, then how about I bully you a little?¡±


    She shuddered as I spread her legs and rubbed her swollen pussy. She started making squalling noises as I rubbed her more and more, watching her legs twitching. She kept puffing up, but I continued kneading her slimy slit. Slowly but surely penetrating it with the tip of my finger, rubbing it all over. Deeper and deeper my finger wormed into her.


    ¡°Stop, stop! Don¡¯t!¡± She panted.


    ¡°Silly little frog,¡± I smiled and pushed a full digit into her, ¡°Just surrender to the pleasure. The strong feed on the weak is that not your way of thinking? You are my prey.¡±


    Her mouth gaped, and she ribbitted, crying a little. I held my face with a hand, daww such a cute little creature. My finger began to stir inside of her, gently scratching at the roof of her vagina. Slowly and softly. Rubbing and pressing as my thumb did the same on the outside. Flicking the little mound grew a bump of need. She was getting so wet and gooey. Ether she produced that tasty mucus when aroused, or this was her last ditch defense mechanism.


    ¡°That is it. Good girl. Such a good little froggy.¡± I cooed as she kept making cute little sounds.


    I massaged her slippery slit for several minutes. Watching in amusement as she shivered in pleasure. Her legs twitched as she shuddered, leaking all over the floor. I pet her gingerly and pulled free with a plop, licking my fingers clean. She gulped air, limp legged as I smiled observed her.


    I leaned down over her and whispered, ¡°Such a lewd little frog. So wet and squishy.¡±


    She puffed up, seemingly pouting.


    ¡°Xava, fuck the frog for a bit. Be gentle though.¡± I said glancing at one of the robo nurses that was unoccupied.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± she said walking over with a tenting erection.


    Bubbles flopped about trying to flee, but she didn¡¯t get far as Xava pulled her back on all fours. With a wet and erotic squelch, the frog gasped from the penetration. I watched as she pulled out for a moment, her robo cock was a bit bigger than my finger, so around average for a human.


    She held the frog down and began to thrust, mounting the quivering little amphibian. Xava was gentle as she didn¡¯t jackhammer or twist her partner into positions to force better penetration. She smoothly and mechanically pushed in and out. Though her movements were soft, her dirty talk was certainly not.


    ¡°Who is a good little incubator?¡± Xava asked.


    Bubbles put her hands over her face blowing bubbles.


    Hmm well, it left some things to be desired, but it is a start. I washed my hands to ensure they were not toxic as I returned to Slither. Her form was coiling and twitching as Xava gave her another shock for resisting. I lifted a hand, ceasing the torment. Gently I pet Slither¡¯s head, rubbing along her hood, tracing her body and gave her a few sound pats.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Ready to indulge in pleasure rather than pain?¡± I asked my hands canvassing her body before they stopped where the snake and woman met.


    ¡°You will not-¡± she started before I kissed her.


    My tongue invaded her throat choking her for a brief moment. It swirled around getting a taste for her before retracting. Satisfied, I pulled back and let my fully engorged ovipositor drape over her face. Slowly I started to hump at her head. The obscene noises of my wet flesh rubbing against her filled the air. She began to shiver below me as I vented. The heated mist drifted over her. I pulled back all the way so that it rest on her chin, the tip¡¯s tendrils wiggling at her lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to suck it? Don¡¯t you want to just gobble down my cock? Look at all that tasty meat for you to eat.¡± I smirked rubbing my pulsing member against her mouth.


    Her mouth opened as her tongue flitted out. Smelling and tasting me. She started to get shy about it, trying to turn away. However, my hands cupped her face, and I opened her mouth letting the tip of my member push inside of her warm maw.


    ¡°Now, suck snake,¡± I smirked sliding her head down onto my shaft.


    She resisted for a long moment until it crawled more profoundly into her maw. Her lips smacked as she squirmed, trying desperately to bite it, thrashing her head back and forth. The friction was delightful. I felt the roof of her mouth bulge where the fangs had been. I pushed deeper and her eyes gaped. Her throat filled, she wiggled and then she seemed to submit though the look in her eyes said otherwise.


    My hand held her head, working it up and down my shaft as I let out a content sigh. Her throat was humid and wet, gooey and tighter than a twat, but with ever stroke, it opened up just a bit more. It contracted, and the multitude of muscles massaged me. Her neck swelled with my throbbing mass, and her head went down deeper and deeper until it wrapped around the base of my abdomen.


    I pet her cooing, ¡°Such a good cock sucker. Yes, such a lewd mouth you have. I bet you love swallowing. You will be my cock sock in no time.¡±


    Her slit purple eyes glared at me, but I smiled, and her look of resistance quickly turned to one of bewilderment. I moaned as more of my ovipositor emerged. Inch after inch fed itself down her throat. Soon it became foot after foot, and the snake was trembling.


    She tightened, trying to resist, but my shaft kept crawling on the multitude of feelers. Her throat made wonderfully depraved sounds as I overpowered her futile resistance. She was so wet and warm; I could hardly help myself. After a brief time, her eyes started dilating, nearly rolling and all six feet of my erection had neatly been sheathed down her insatiable gullet.


    I held her there for minutes as I listened to her heated breathing and the slap of Xava fucking the frog. Bubbles seemed to have begun to enjoy it as she was letting out soft moans and squeaks every time Xava did a particularly hard thrust. I turned Slither so that she could watch the affair.


    My antenna wallowed in the stench of arousal gushing from her glistening snake snatch. Her throat undulated slowly drooling and lewdly squelching on me as she started to move ever so lightly. Hearing a near squeal of delight from Bubbles as she came. Watching her friend in such a state seemed to chip Slither¡¯s resolve.


    Her head began to move with no prompting from me. Sliding up and up letting several feet free, my tendrils wiggling in the air as she tilted her head slurping back down. She went all the way to the base, holding herself there as her long forked tongue slithered about smelling and tasting.


    My vents opened, and I started to fan her with my pheromones. She shivered, frozen in place. After several minutes she began to move again. Faster this time, slurping and sucking as she went. The tongue circled as she ascended and the loud wet schlick of her throat gurgled as she descended. Like this, she sucked me off all on her own. I gave her a nice pat on the head and purred.


    ¡°See,¡± I leaned in praising her, ¡°Not so hard is it? Such a good snake. Yes, serve me. Suck it you slutty little snake.¡±


    I shifted my attention to her ever wetting slit. My fingers pried it open revealing her swampy snatch. Her arousal bubbling out. However, that was not what had caught my full attention; it was the twin shafts rising out of her body. Slither was a hermaphrodite as it seemed. My hands wrapped around her smooth poles and her whole body shuddered. She had frozen in place; her eyes desperately stared to see what I would do.


    ¡°Oh look at these~ You should have told me you had such nice serpents to play with. Do you want me to charm your snakes?¡± I asked staring at her while letting my tentacles hover inches from her tenting erections.


    Her throat tightened as she tried to reply, but with how full she was she could not. Instead, she nodded, bobbing her head and slurping whorishly, desperate to get her point across.


    I pet her on the head. ¡°Yes. Good girl. My salacious snake.¡±


    I stroked her snake cocks. They were smooth and slimy. Relatively long too, about three feet. I wasn''t sure if this was well endowed for her kind or not. Still, this would be fun. Gently at first I let my tentacles coil around them. Her face became awash with pleasure, and she resumed sucking with a renewed enthusiasm. It seemed that she realized I would pleasure her so long as she pleasured me. Amused I leaned in letting my tongue plunge into her vice like snake snatch. She wiggled as I eagerly worked her organs.


    Her throat began to vibrate, creating a hissing purr sound. My mouth gaped, drawing in both of her writhing cocks and she shuddered. Her hips bucked and thrust deeper into my warmth. Both of our heads began to rise and fall slaving away at one another¡¯s pleasure. The decadent sounds rose louder as we increased our pace. My abdomen puffed up as it grew more and more swollen with lust.


    Her cocks twitched and squirmed as they came. Spurting her snake sauce into my mouth. A salty somewhat bitter taste, though it was thick and creamy. Slowly, I slurped my way up, milking her dry. I slid back down, my tongue swirling her spasming shafts. She had frozen in place on my ovicock, tightening as she kept humping at my face with her hips. My abdomen rose and then squelched back down, forcing her to take it. She moaned around it, and I started to fuck her throat.


    The primal slapping of my carapace hitting against her scales became a steady, hard pace as I used her shuddering throat like my own personal fuck toy. I resumed sucking her twitching members watching in amusement as she seemed to be going mad with pleasure. Her hands grasped onto my head trying to make it go faster. I deep throated her, and my tongue slithered deeper into her pussy.


    Her scales shuddered to make a strange scratching noise as she moaned. The familiar taste of her cum bubbled up as she surrendered another load to my greedy maw. I thrust down, burying my member fully into her mouth and holding it there as it inflated. Her eyes gaped as I came forcing her to slurp and gulp my wasp jizz. Slowly I pulled out of her crushing throat with a wet plop. Cum bubbled out of her lips as she panted.


    I rose off of her and began stroking her head, cooing softly, ¡°See? It feels good, doesn¡¯t it? Was it worth trying to resist?¡±


    She swallowed and stared down at the floor. ¡°No¡­ I¡­ ssssorry.¡±


    Idly I began stroking her cocks again, ¡°If you are sorry then submit to me.¡±


    She quivered to my fingers sliding up and down tantalizing her shafts, ¡°I, I ssssubmit.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I smirked, ¡°Then you will call me Your Majesty, My Queen, or Queen Vesper; from now on. Is that understood my slutty snake?¡±


    Slither nodded holding her flush face, ¡°Yessss my- my Queen.¡±


    I shuddered the ecstasy of dominating someone completely tingling in my mind, ¡°Good. Goood my pet. Now then what are you?¡±


    ¡°Your sssslutty ssssnake,¡± she replied without hesitation, looking at me foggy eyed.


    ¡°Yes, but not quite.¡±


    She seemed unsure before shaking her head, ¡°What, what am I, my Queen?¡±


    ¡°You are my sex sleeve. Yes, my personal shaft sucking snake. It makes you horny just thinking about slurping and swallowing my long, hard cock, doesn''t it, my slutty snake?¡± I said stroking her serpents harder as she shuddered.


    "YesssssSss!" She gasped.


    She seemed to be melting in my grasp, moaning happily. I get the distinct feeling that she didn¡¯t get too much release until now. Or for that matter attention, consideration, and even kindness. Perhaps the snake had been lonely and needed a good hard dose of rough and sensual loving. It was a bit too easy to break her down. Of course, she could just be biding her time to escape.


    I nearly whispered, "What are you?"


    ¡°My Queen¡¯sss sssex sssssleeve. Your ssshaft ssssucking sssssnake~¡± She said as her tongue lolled a little flitting in and out.


    ¡°Who is a good snake? Who is my slutty snaky?¡± I stroked faster until she arched her back and her hips rose.


    ¡°I- I am!¡± She cried out ropes of her cum spurting out onto my hardened carapace.


    I licked my finger clean, ¡°Good girl. Yes, such a good snake. My sex sleeve.¡±


    She purred happily laying in my grasp. I was getting some doubts about this being a ploy. Still, there is no way in hell; I am this smooth. There had to be more to this.


    ¡°Xava, did you drug her?¡± I asked


    ¡°Why I certainly did.¡± She replied looking up at me.


    ¡°Oh? What the hell did you give her?¡±


    ¡°That aphrodisiac I used on you. Though it doesn¡¯t seem as effective on species other than your own, it only yielded about twenty percent of what it would do to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. I take it you used it on Bubbles as well?¡±


    ¡°I did. Seems to get them in the mood after the effects startup, but not into a mating rut like you would be.¡±


    I nodded and looked back down at the blissful snake woman, I pet her, noticing how the very tip of her tail wiggles when she is happy. It was rather cute. She was a very happy snake at the moment.


    ¡°Good Slither. Yes, you don¡¯t have to think about anything anymore. You just have to please me. Serve me. Yes, that is right,¡± I smiled as she lowered her head and lavished my abdomen with kisses and wet slurps, ¡°Good. Such a good breeding bitch. Yes, my incubator.¡±


    She panted, nuzzling my member, ¡°Breeding bitch. Breed-¡± before her demeanor changed and she retreated a little, ¡°I SSsssory my Queen. I can¡¯t have children. Ssssterile.¡±


    All of my hands and tentacles pet her wet scales caressing her as I leaned in, ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. You will be the host for my children.¡±


    She tilted her head quizzically, ¡°Hosst?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I gave her an affectionate thrust as several of my tentacles invaded her shuddering hole, ¡°You are my breeding bitch. I will fill you with my eggs over and over and over again. Your purpose is to incubate them and then give birth to them. That is the reason that I spared your life. I told you that I would keep you nice and full for the rest of your life.¡±


    She trembled meekly ¡°I am incubator?¡±


    I rubbed her belly, ¡°I am going to pump you full of brood, my incubator.¡±


    She spread her pussy for me. However, I wasn¡¯t ready to impregnate her just yet. My abdomen bulged the ovipositor twitched, and I lowered her head back to service it some more. She eagerly slid up and down lapping at it and sucking on it. Diverting my attention from her, I looked over to Bubbles and the now three Xavas that she was pleasuring. Her webbed hands stroked two cocks, and she bounced up and down on a third¡¯s lap. The frog was lost in a haze of bliss.


    I licked my lips.

 Interlewd: Struggle Snuggle Part 2 (R 18)

    The vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Interlude: Struggle Snuggle


    Part 2


    ¡°Xava, bring her to me,¡± I said, and after a few moments, my robotic lover lifted Bubbles up to me like a sacrifice.


    My tentacles coiled around her, lifting her gasping form into my mouth. I pressed her back in, letting my tongue plunge into her now loosened and accepting vagina. My mouth closed, trapping her inside as I slurped and sucked, compressing her slimy form.


    My thick and long taster thrusting in and out of her as she inflated and deflated moaning within my maw. I sucked, siphoning off her delectable secretions and my tongue kept her from being swallowed whole. Her insides stretched and loosened as my oral appendage ravaged her slippery slit. Circling and tasting her depths, playing in her womb.


    Her legs kicked, pushing her forward, sliding my tongue out of her more before I slurped and dragged her back impaling her on it. She scratched at me with her sticky fingers trying to escape. This only made the obscene noises and decadent squealing muffled within my mouth even louder when my lips would part.


    She shivered and spurt, going limp. My mouth milking her as her belly kept distending from the lengthy appendage plunging in and out of her. I made an Mmmm noise vibrating my throat and subsequently the now gasping frog girl. Idly I looked down watching the snake worshiping my egglayer. Her head slithering up and down it, taking the whole length in long, now practiced motions.


    Affectionately, I pet Slither¡¯s head as she gurgled making naughty noises as her throat tightened. My vents continued fanning the heated pheromones over the snake. Her face growing more and more flush and blissful as she sucked. Observing her, I recalled that she thought she could eat me. I wonder¡­ my vents closed and hands gripped her head after she had bottomed out once more. I pulled inching her down until her lips wrapped around my hardened shell.


    Slither squirmed, her muffled complaints rising for a second before I said, ¡°Take it all. All the way down.¡±


    Her eyes seemed unsure for a brief moment before she realized what I had planned. Her mouth unhinged, and she started to swallow my abdomen, shuddering with ecstasy with every moment. Left, then right. She slowly worked her way up her elastic throat bulging out as she greedily devoured my abdomen. I was honestly surprised that she could fit it, I had thought she was bluffing, but then again she was a snake.


    More and more, her warmth surrounded me and she gulped more of me down. She slowed once she reached the thickest part, struggling with it for a long moment, but slipped past it. The rest was smooth sailing into her depths. Left and right she worked her jaws until finally, she reached the end. Her lips pressed against the top of my ass.


    I closed my eyes for a moment relishing in her body. A tingling bubbled around my egglayer as it moved about inside of her exploring. It seemed to be her stomach acid. I leaned back enjoying the bubbling sensation, felt like carbonated soda fizzing. It was a pleasant mild tickle.


    ¡°Goood Slither,¡± I purred sending vibrations through me into her and the frog. ¡°You are certainly an excellent cock sleeve. I have never been able to fit all of me inside of someone before.¡±


    She happily made obscene noises, trying to speak. I stroked her and started to pull her off. She inched back shuddering as I saw her cum. She slithered back until she had reached the start again. Her head bobbed down sucking me in again this time much faster. Her throat and body distending as only a snake could. Slither used her whole body sliding up and down greedily trying to eat me.


    I smirked watching her voraciously sucking on me. She had stretched and puffed out to accommodate my mass. I was molding her into a cock sleeve. She slid along the carapace until I held her still and my seed spilled into her belly. She began to vibrate with pleasure as I fed her. After several minutes of her coiling over herself slowly she began to retreat once more. Foot after foot emerged from her sweltering maw until I was entirely free.


    Her jaws shifted as they realigned and she lay submissively on the floor below me. I rubbed her belly, tracing down to her snake snatch. Her wiggling cocks coiling around my hand wishing to be lavished as I had before. My fingers pressed into her pussy and I stroked the insides.


    ¡°Good pet. You deserve a reward.¡± I kissed her on the forehead.


    ¡°My Queen Vessssper. Make me yoursssss,¡± she affectionately rubbed her face against mine.


    ¡°Oh?¡± I said, my tongue fucking Bubbles with every sound, ¡°Show me your devotion. Beg to become my breeding bitch. My incubator. My egg slut.¡±


    She coiled around me, ¡°I want it. Pleassse! Fill me.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± I teased her, ¡°I said beg. Plead for the right, the reward, the honor of being my personal fuck toy. My incubator.¡±


    Her own shafts spread open her pussy for me to use, in a dazzling display of submission. The insides writhing as she panted, ¡°Usssse me your ssshamelessss sssnake, Queen Vesssper¡¯sss persssssonal fuck toy. Pleasssse fuck me, fill me. I, I want my Queen¡¯sss brood, to be your breeding bitch!¡± She offered her spurting and shuddering pussy lifting it, presenting it to me, ¡°Make me your incubator!¡±


    Well now, that was undoubtedly a desperate snake. She had earned the fucking that she was in for, however before she completely went mad I wanted to know something.


    ¡°Slither, are you affected by Bubble¡¯s poison?¡± I asked.


    She didn¡¯t understand my question at first, her mind awash and lost in lust. After letting the frog dangle from my tongue, her mind cleared up for a brief moment. ¡°No. I built up immunity long ago. Why my Queen?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± I let the frog go, making her flop into my hand.


    With one hand I straightened the writhing serpent shafts and lowered Bubbles down. The tips felt the warm and soft hole before them and pushed into the frog without a second thought. Bubbles held her face moaning as I pushed her down deeper and deeper onto Slither¡¯s cocks.


    ¡°Slither, Slither! Uhnn... I love you, I love you!¡± cried the frog as I wiggled her until she bottomed out.


    ¡°Bubbles, I love you too!¡± the snake moaned and her hands wrapped around the overstuffed frog girl.


    ¡°Dawww, so cute. Look at you two. That is it, good girls,¡± I loomed in watching as Bubbles rose a few feet before sliding back down.


    Satisfied, I sat back watching the two have sex. Slither thrusting as hard as she could into the much smaller frog. I smiled, though I was unsure if it was a depraved or twisted sort of look, I was genuinely happy for the two. They were a cute set. One that I was going to have plenty of fun with. The Xavas had climbed into my lap, circling my abdomen their hands stroking it and their hungry lips kissing and licking my tendriled shaft. One of them pressed the tip to her pussy and moaned as it pushed into her. Slowly she slid down it until she was impaled several feet off of the ground.


    I let out a deep sigh of bliss as my mate eagerly fucked herself on my member. My hand wrapped around her and I started to slide her along it. Up and down. Her body tightening and vibrating. Xava truly was a fuck doll, my own personal sex machine. Her expert touch getting into all of my sensitive spots and before long my abdomen bulged gurgling obscenely, and my mate received her reward. Her moaning gasp made her face so erotic and lewd. I couldn¡¯t hold back, and the first lump shoved itself into her hole. Soon it was followed by another and another, streaming and flowing into her growing belly.


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    ¡°I love you Xava,¡± I moaned shuddering as I pulled her off of my shaft, eggs spilling from her gaped pussy.


    They were quickly collected by the surrounding Xavas who proceeded to push them into themselves for incubation. ¡°I love you too Vesper,¡± she nuzzled against me.


    Bubbles squeaked as Slither thrust into her. The little body pinned under the larger one as it railed into her with a near-mindless rutting motion. The juicy noises rising from the pair did not do justice the sheer amount of liquids that now pooled below them. Slither screamed in pleasure, cuming inside of Bubbles before falling to the side, their chests heaving and rolling as they gulped in air.


    ¡°Ready for your reward?¡± I asked groping Slither¡¯s flank.


    ¡°Yessss my Queen,¡± she lowered herself onto the floor gazing up at me.


    ¡°Show me,¡± I replied looking down at her.


    Her tail coiled around her side and she placed it so that it was at an angle. The scales moved out of the way and a wet hole that was shuddering and drooling lay before me. Confused, I looked about a foot higher to where her human half was and the horny pussy there that looked as though it were ready to devour a man whole.


    I tilted my head, ¡°Wait¡­ do you have two vaginas?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°No, only one, it connected.¡±


    I looked to Xava, and she replied, ¡°I believe that when she mutated it formed a cloaca as well as her original anatomy¡­ though if that is so, then that lower hole is also her anus.¡±


    ¡°Snakes are strange huh?¡± I asked.


    Xava nodded, ¡°Very.¡±


    I started measuring her body length with my hands from where her humanish pussy began to where the snake hole ended. It was roughly twenty feet. ¡°So your pussy is like twenty feet long?¡±


    She seemed unsure herself, ¡°I sssupossse. I never thought about it.¡±


    ¡°You really are a cock sock, no a cunt snake.¡±


    She shivered at my words growing wetter and lifted her tail offering the hole to me, ¡°I am your cunt sssnake.¡±


    Seeing no reason to refuse my new sex toy, I pressed my ovipositor to the shuddering snake pussy. It squelched and spurt as I warmed my way into it, inch by inch. Stretching and loosening the oppressively tight and hellishly hot hole. She moaned and gasped, lowering her body to the floor. I yanked her back burying more of my length into her. She held her face in a desperate bid to keep herself from screaming.


    I had mounted her, my abdomen slickly plunging in and out of her body. Every thrust I let more of my prodigious member free. Foot after foot feeding her voracious cunt. The lewd muscles biting at me, swallowing my flesh and gorging as it devoured more and more ovicock.


    I rolled her so that she was on her back, belly up as I straddled the massive serpent. My hands pressing and kneading along her soft yet hard scales, rubbing her as my abdomen locked into place mating with her. My ovipositor fully erect, contracting and prolonging as it thrust into her cavernous pussy. Bottomed out I sat atop her watching the delirious snake moaning.


    ¡°My Queen! I, I feelssss goood. Breed me. Make thisss Ssslutty ssssSnake your eggsssslut,¡± she panted as I steadily thrust into her.


    ¡°Xava.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± she asked looking at me.


    ¡°Fuck her other cunt.¡± I pointed up at the hole that the snake was desperately fingering and pushing her own cocks into.


    ¡°Ah, I have just the thing,¡± She smiled walking over to the section where we kept all of the sex toys and cock replicas.


    She returned brandishing the synthetic version of my ovipositor. Xava hopped up onto Slither¡¯s chest and pivoted, sliding down to her hips. She pressed the tendril covered tip of the tube to the wanting hole but didn¡¯t push it in.


    ¡°What do you say snake slut?¡± she asked, looking slither in the eyes.


    ¡°Fuck me,¡± She wiggled a little, tightening around me.


    Xava squeezed both of her cocks, ¡°What are you?¡±


    Slither whimpered shuddering, ¡°I- I am a Sssslut sSssnake!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied using the writhing shafts as anchor points to shove her swollen ovicock deeper into the pussy. More of it extended with every word burying itself into the shuddering snake, ¡°Yes. You are Vesper¡¯s sex toy. Her egg slut. Her personal pocket pussy that she will use whenever she pleases. Nothing but a fucking slithering pussy to be fucked like the whore snake you are. Begging for her eggs and cum like the slore you are. AND THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY, doesn¡¯t it COCK SLEEVE?!¡±


    ¡°YESSSSssssSssss!¡± Cried out Slither her pussy convulsing as she came, she held her face as though she broke, ¡°I am Queen Vessssper¡¯sss whore! Her Cock cock cock Ssssssleave!¡±


    Her dicks erupted as her holes glazed and drooled, gushing as she went limp. Xava and I kept thrust, fucking her as she trembled. Her hole loosened and tightened around us. Her trembling tunnel stretching and stretching, gaping more and more as I kept pressing. The tight, muscular pussy undulated. Her folds ruffled my tendrils as they dug into the creases of her body. With every thrust Xava and I tamed her, molding her pussy to my member so that it knew what owned it.


    The lewd and decadent noises emanating from her spilling slits filled the room with our moans and heated huffs. I hugged her fat snake body and humped at her, my abdomen slamming in and out letting our juices mingle and stream out, squirting between each thrust. I gasped, hilting myself as an orgasm made me freeze up.


    I panted as my fluids flooded her hole and she let out a whorish moan. My abdomen squelched and puffed as my vents opened fully revealing the soft, pulsing flesh beneath. My eggs flowed down my tube, spreading her snake snatch. She trembled as the lumps pushed deeper and deeper into her. Stretching out her inner walls as they grasped to my member. The first egg emerged along with a gush of cum.


    ¡°YessSsss my- my Queen¡¯sss eggssss,¡± Screamed Slither as her body shuddered amid another orgasm.


    I held her down even as she tried to coil and writhe, my eggs pumping steadily into her welcoming body. Xava kept thrusting as I impregnated the snake. Her hips pistoning in and out, torturing Slither with pleasure before she reached her limit from how tight the snatch had become. She grunted and released her load as the snake hole devoured it.


    I lay there wrapped around the bloating snake body. My brood gurgled within her as more pumped into their new nest. I sighed as the last egg that I was going to give her pushed out. There was still a lot of room for more in there ¡ª more fun for later. A content and blissful smile spread across my face. My hands massaged her flanks, rubbing her, petting her for being such a good incubator.


    Minutes passed as I hardly moved, letting her sloppy hole milk my ovicock. Slowly I began to pull out, inch by in, relishing her crushing walls. Finally with a gush of fluids and loud splorch I was free from the serpent¡¯s slit. I sighed and took the water container that Xava brought over, gulping it down. Idly I gazed upon the gaping hole that shuddered and spurting cum out of it, drooling as it was unable to close properly.


    ¡°That was nice,¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Yes, it was,¡± replied Xava sitting in my lap.


    ¡°I feel like I am forgetting something though¡­ ah, Bubbles!¡± I stared down the frog who had managed to escape the heated mating.


    She meekly looked between me and Slither who had gone comatose from cumming too much. I leaned over and picked her up, my abdomen shifting to a better spot and my ovipositor emerging, still coated in snake juices. Bubbles gulped as I sat her atop it, the tip pressing to her twitching pussy.


    ¡°Wait I-¡±


    I pushed, and her little slimy slit took me. Her mouth gaped as she let out a squeal and I let my impregnator slither deeper inside of her. She wasn¡¯t as tight as I thought she would be. Then again she had been double penetrated by snake dick, and Xava had been running a train on her, so it made sense. My hand held her still as her legs kicked trying to escape.


    ¡°Now, now,¡± I said leaning in over her, ¡°You are my pleasure pet too you know, so stop struggling. Soon your belly will be full of my eggs. Yes, you are going to be a fat frog filled with eggs.¡±


    She shivered hearing those words. She slid up and down my shaft as I jerked myself off slowly but surely. Every pass getting a little deeper and a little faster. It didn¡¯t take long for her already pink flesh to turn red with arousal and pleasure. She panted as I used her as a living onahole.


    ¡°Yes, good little froggy. You are my sex toy. My pocket pussy. It feels good doesn¡¯t it?¡± I cooed gently as she huffed, her padded fingers gripping my hand as she rose and fell servicing my egg cock.


    She trembled, ¡°So, so full. Why does this feel so goood?¡±


    ¡°Good girl,¡± I pet her slimy head as she shuddered mucus oozing from her back and froggy juices spurting from her.


    My vents fanned her with more pheromones as her face got more and more red. Her struggling had stopped, and she limply rose and fell drooling in pleasure. Her legs kicked from time to time due to nerve twitches and spasms. It didn¡¯t take long for the happy little amphibian to be moaning and panting as I fucked her. My pheromones were warping her thoughts and driving her primal brain to want to, to need to breed.


    ¡°What are you?¡± I asked licking her.


    She ribbitted, and her long tongue flopped out limply dangling as she rose and fell, her words rose in a dreamy haze, ¡°Pleasure pet. Pocket pussy.¡±


    I pet her and purred, ¡°Yesss, my cute little pet. And who am I?¡±


    She held her face, ¡°My- my Queen Vesper.¡±


    I pushed her down, bottoming out and came, ¡°Yes. Good pet.¡±


    Her mouth gaped as she sucked in air, but her panting kept Bubbles from speaking further. My tube bloated as the thrumming of my abdomen set to work sending my eggs to their new host. The pulsing ovipositor bulged, spreading her open. She squealed and moaned before her body went entirely slack. With no resistance, my eggs pushed into her. One after another until she had five beautifully nestled in that amphibian womb.


    Slowly I pulled her off, her face broken with pleasure and belly distended. My finger pet along her head for doing such a good job. Gently, I stroked her and licked her. My tongue pumping into her trembling hole as it cleaned her out, relishing her taste as well as my own. I sighed, leaning back and set her atop Slither¡¯s quaking chest.


    ¡°Good work you two,¡± I leaned down kissing both of their foreheads.


    ¡°Getting affectionate I see,¡± said Xava.


    ¡°They are just so cute together, don¡¯t you think?¡± I asked smiling.


    ¡°I suppose, for organics.¡±


    I wrapped all the Xavas in the room up in a big lewd hug with tentacles and grabby hands, ¡°There there my love. I couldn¡¯t have done it without you. Who is my Mate? My wonderful wifey?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± She replied leaning forward.


    ¡°Yes, you are,¡± I gave each and every one of them a wet and deep kiss.


    ¡°I love you, Vesper.¡±


    I snuggled with her, ¡°I love you too Xava.¡±

 Blood Moon Chapter 8

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 8


    I yawned, stretching as I rose from my bed. The familiar smell of bacon and eggs sizzling on the stove made my tentacles wiggle. My antenna poked about rolling over Glitter Kitten where she slept, snuggled up against me. The sight of Xava in an apron filled my groggy eyes or rather her swishing booty did. I paused for a moment, getting a stiffy, but it quickly retreated after remembering what happened last time. A scalding hot frying pan will do that.


    I rubbed my abdomen feeling the claw marks from last night. Memories of the sordid encounter with Slither and Bubbles made me vent a little. I could still taste the frog stuck to the roof of my mouth; it was tangy. At any rate, I was going to be enjoying those two rather frequently, and Xava had even warmed up them during our mating. Well, it was more of her sadistic side; she did treat them like animals and degraded them quite a bit. Well, that is the pot calling the kettle black over here. Still, they did seem to like that.


    I drifted on over to my mate letting my tentacles coil around her as I snuggled on her, licking her neck and when she turned drawing her into a deep, passionate kiss. She pulled away after a moment smiling as she flipped the bacon.


    ¡°Good morning love. Enjoy yourself last night?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± I nuzzled against her, ¡°Did you enjoy yourself as well?¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you, I most certainly did,¡± she beamed at me apparently very satisfied with herself, ¡°I never realized how fun it was to torment organics and watch you dominate them.¡±


    I rubbed my neck chuckling a little, ¡°You did get a little out of hand.¡±


    She smiled, though her eyes were not, ¡°Animals need to know their place after all. Especially your breeding livestock.¡±


    ¡°They are people though Xava,¡± I said a little pointedly.


    She tilted her head, ¡°Did you not refer to them as and I quote; cock sock, incubator, pocket pussy. Among other names. I thought you were cataloging them and appointing them a new designation?¡±


    ¡°Uhh... ehh¡­ well I mean I did but, it is just dirty talk. I didn¡¯t really mean that is what they are.¡±


    ¡°They seem to think otherwise. Slither keeps referring to herself as Queen Vesper¡¯s slutty shaft sucking snake.¡±


    I gulped nodding. ¡°I see. Ok, ok I went a little overboard. What did you do with them anyway?¡±


    She hummed a little, ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about them. I will be domesticating them thoroughly while you are away. They need to be trained to be obedient hosts. Now that your pheromones have worn off they have gotten less cooperative.¡±


    ¡°Eh you mean they didn¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°I think it is more of morning-after regret. They are still coming to terms with their new position in life.¡±


    I gave her another kiss, ¡°Well do what you think is necessary. Try not to work them too hard.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t want to kill your organic egg sacks.¡±


    ¡°Do you have to call them that?¡± I asked a little wary.


    She froze for a moment tilting back to look at me, ¡°That is what they are, are they not?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of them more like pets.¡±


    She resumed humming again as she placed the bacon and eggs to the side, straining the oil from them, ¡°Oh I see. Well, then I will be sure to take appropriate training protocols.¡±


    Xava seems to have itemized them to get rid of her jealousy. It appeared to work, but as a result, she didn¡¯t view them as people anymore. They were things for me to use. This misconception is my fault, but overall there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with that, that was more or less how I had intended to use them. That being said, I didn¡¯t like how cold Xava got like this. Although this could be Overseer talking, it was a little hard to tell when Xava started talking all technical.


    ¡°Overseer?¡± I questioned.


    ¡°No, I am still here Vesper.¡± Xava replied, ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry you seemed more cold than usual.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. I am still adjusting to these events.¡±


    ¡°We can still give them to Molotov if you are displeased,¡± I said.


    She shook her head, ¡°No, I am fine. Taking care of all of your needs is beyond my limitations at the moment. I am performing sub-optimally.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that, that makes it sound like you are not good enough.¡±


    She tilted her head quizzically, ¡°I am unable to meet your requirements.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hurt yourself for my sake. I love you so if you don¡¯t like something be honest and tell me.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, you wish for me to be direct? Understood. Then I shall be candid. I will accept any others that you collect for breeding purposes. However, I will not be second place to anyone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I love only you Vesper, and as such, I expect and demand your undivided love in return. You can have your pets and your incubators, fuck toys, or whatever else you deem to degrade them as. Serving your physical needs through copulation is one thing; however,¡± she said her eyes turning sharp, ¡°I will not tolerate other lovers. I am the only one you can love. I believe that is fair.¡±


    ¡°What happens if I do?¡± I asked more of curiosity than actually thinking about doing it.


    She smiled at me her eyes cold and mechanical, ¡°I will kill them in front of you. So let me tell you, do not cheat on me, I am very serious about this, and I expect you to be the same.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± I shivered. I had forgotten about her yandere tendencies. Well, at least it is good to know my yandar was not off of the mark.


    Xava smiled rather blissfully; it seems she had been mulling that over for a while and had finally gotten it off of her chest so to speak. She placed a plate full of food before me, ¡°Breakfast is done, dear. Glitter Kitten, you can have some as well.¡±


    The anti-venom had worked rather well. The kitty was no longer paralyzed or in pain. She stretched rolling over, ears twitching, happy and content.


    Xava placed a second plate on the table as Glitter Kitten yawned lazily making her way over. ¡°Morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning sleep well?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Nyeah, your bed is really nice.¡±


    I started munching away as the kitty took a test bite. It seemed to be to her liking, and she eagerly started to devour the rest. It didn¡¯t take long for the food to vanish, though I was still hungry. Xava handed me a large pitcher of protein paste. Today¡¯s flavor was banana. I gulped it down licking the container clean and rinsing it out.


    ¡°So, I take it you heard that?¡± I asked glancing at her.


    ¡°Kinda hard not to.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Nyaaha, that Slither got better than she deserved. I wouldn¡¯t feel bad about anything you did to that slippery snake.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is better than killing her. It is not like she wasn¡¯t enjoying it after she got into it.¡±


    Glitter Kitten smirked, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. At least she is being used for something useful.¡±


    ¡°True-¡± I started before the door burst open.


    All of us turned to see Ichigo out of breath, ¡°No! I missed it. Why didn¡¯t you tell me!¡±


    I gawked at her, ¡°Tell you what?¡±


    ¡°I heard you wrecked a snake and I wasn¡¯t there to watch! Not fair, how could you?!¡±


    More or less stunned by the blatant omission of a pervert, I sheepishly replied, ¡°Well I guess you can watch next time.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see her break though! Xava, Xava! You recorded it right?¡± She quickly abandoned me and grabbed onto Xava¡¯s apron, pleading with her.


    The robo nurse had a bit of a Mfufu look about her, smirking as she said, ¡°Of course I did.¡±


    ¡°Lemmy watch,¡± said Ichigo hopeful.


    ¡°Oh? And what do I get out of it?¡± Replied Xava crossing her arms.


    Ichigo rubbed her chin, ¡°Hmmm what do you want?¡±


    ¡°World peace,¡± Xava said jokingly.


    There was an instant dismissive hand wave, ¡°Not happening. Humans fight over anything and everything.¡±


    ¡°Not like I expected you to be able to do something. Vesper, was there anything you wanted?¡± Xava asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± my eyes looked over Ichigo¡¯s subtle curves, ¡°I can think of a few things.¡±


    ¡°Objection!¡± said Ichigo putting her hands up in a large X. I had been denied.


    ¡°Alright fine¡­ I guess we will put this off for now,¡± I said looking away from her and resumed eating.


    ¡°Is it always like this? Who even is that?¡± asked Glitter Kitten looking between Xava, me, and the now casual conversation of lewd things.


    ¡°Ah, Ichigo, this is Glitter Kitten.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, the whore cat. I have heard a lot about you little pussycat. Are you ready to become Vesper¡¯s pet?¡± Said Ichigo smiling vaguely.


    She stammered, ¡°How do you know that?! How many people have you been telling?¡±


    I defensively said, "Just Xava and Ichigo."


    ¡°I hear a lot of things. Ah speaking of which, I hear that there is some fun to be had down in the Slums tonight~.¡±


    ¡°Nyoo! You can¡¯t come. Only Vesper can come. It is dangerous,¡± Huffed Glitter Kitten, her, fur-raising a little.


    Ichigo¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°Did you just tell me what I can and can¡¯t do?¡±


    Glitter Kitten shivered, retreating behind me. I looked between the two, why is she scared? It is just Ichigo. ¡°Ah, I can¡¯t let you come, Ichigo. Wouldn¡¯t want you to get hurt, it is the full moon, and the Mad Dogs are going to go nuts.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°But I wanna go,¡± Ichigo said with puppy dog eyes.


    Ugh! Direct hit captain.


    ¡°Stop that! It is for your own safety. What the hell am I going to do if you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°But, but pweease Vesper. I can look after myself,¡± she said flexing the near nonexistent muscles.


    ¡°No. These are going to be wild horny bitches in heat. I am probably going to lose an arm with how rough I have heard things can get.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to watch you though. You will protect me, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ I don¡¯t know if I will be able to. Why don¡¯t you stay here and watch Xava do some snake charming?¡± I deflected.


    Ichigo seemed to think it overlooking between us, ¡°Hmm, tempting. But I am more in the mood to see some kitty titties, bunny buns, and sweater puppies! Come on bitches let¡¯s party hardy tonight!¡±


    ¡°Xava! Talk some sense into her.¡±


    The robo nurse shook her head, ¡°Ichigo, it will be dangerous. You are rather fragile, even for an organic. Those animals would rip you apart.¡±


    ¡°Boo, fine, fine if you are that against it I won¡¯t go. You mind if I fuck the snake?¡± Ichigo asked.


    ¡°If it will keep you out of trouble, go ahead.¡± I replied and then thought about what she just said, ¡°Wait that is my snake! Why don¡¯t you ever play with me!?¡±


    ¡°Ohoho~ I guess me and Xava will be having some fun tonight.¡± Said Ichigo slyly.


    Now I was starting to regret my decision. No, no if I want to obtain the kitty, then I will need to go down there tonight. There will be other chances to bag Ichigo.


    ¡°Have fun you two,¡± I moped a little.


    Ichigo got over real close, motioning and I lowered my antenna, she whispered so that only I could hear, ¡°By the way, be careful. Something isn¡¯t right with Glitter Kitten. You should not let your guard down tonight.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I wisped back.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask her yourself?¡±


    My eyes rose to Glitter Kitten, ¡°Is there something you are not telling me?¡±


    ¡°Nyoo? Why do you ask?¡± she said squinting a little at us.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t lie little kitty, especially not to your future owner.¡± Said Ichigo smirking, "Unless you are looking forward to being punished."


    ¡°What are you talking about nya? I am not lying, we are having our monthly lock-in. I wanted Vesper to come since me, and most of the girls loved it last time she was down there. A lot of us can hardly wait to have another go at her,¡± Glitter Kitten blushing a bit.


    ¡°Is she lying?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No that checks out.¡±


    Concern started to cross Glitter Kitten¡¯s face as she looked between us, ¡°Wait, Nyaa how would you know if I was telling the truth or not.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that. Well, have fun sounds like it will be an eventful night.¡±


    I leaned in, ¡°I get the feeling you know something you are not telling me.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you not telling me?¡±


    Ichigo had a rather mischievous look, ¡°And ruin all the fun? I think not. Though, a word of advice, someone you have wanted to get your hands on for a while will be there tonight. You should take care of it promptly if you do not wish to be interrupted.¡±


    I squinted at her, ¡°Ichigo, why are you always so cryptic?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so stupid I must spell it out for you?¡±


    ¡°Xava, Ichigo is being mean to me again!¡±


    ¡°There, there Vesper, Ichigo is mean to everyone.¡± Replied my robo wife.


    Stingily, I dragged Glitter Kitten with me, ¡°Fine I see how it is. I am going to fuck so many horny animal bitches tonight, and you can¡¯t watch!¡±


    Ichigo just waved her hand smiling, ¡°Have fun.¡±


    As I left the room Xava sighed looking at Ichigo, ¡°Must you antagonize her?¡±


    ¡°She will be fine.¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Xava let out a sigh, ¡°I have to prepare for tomorrow and the influx of impregnated organics that I must house. At this rate, I am going to be running a zoo.¡±


    ***


    It didn¡¯t take long to fly back down to the Slums. We arrived out front of the Sparkle Kat, and I noticed the distinct difference in the atmosphere it seemed somewhat tense. My eyes looked about and I realization came, there were no humans lined up.


    ¡°Where are all the people?¡± I asked.


    Glitter Kitten just walked on in, through the large door, ¡°Nyaa it is dangerous, so normies are forbidden on the full moon. Wouldn¡¯t want to kill our good customers after all.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see, makes sense. So when does the fun start?¡± I asked following her into the unusually quiet stage room.


    The music was off for the first time I had ever visited the place. The moment I stepped in my antennae mere assaulted by the rank stench of sweaty animals and not just any animals, needy, horny beasts on the verge of going into heat.


    There was a lot of subhumans here. They ranged in size and shapes, races and degrees that they were animal. Some hardly had claws or ears, and others were hard to tell from an animal such as Den Mother and some of the other werewolf types.


    When we entered all of them turned, looking at me. Those who had smelled me or gotten even more intimate last time I had been here such as Den Mother licked their lips eyeing me like a raw piece of meat. The others didn¡¯t quite know what to think of me.


    Glitter Kitten replied walking along, her tail flicking, ¡°At about dusk, we will lock ourselves in the basement.¡±


    ¡°Seems like there are more of you guys than normal.¡±


    ¡°Nyahaha, it is the Blood Moon, so the whole of the Mad Dogs are here.¡±


    ¡°How many are there?¡±


    ¡°One hundred and eight.¡±


    I looked the room over more assessingly, seeing Thumper sitting off to the side, her leg in a cast. She was giving me a rather aggressive and predatory look for a herbivore. I mean she is a rabbit after all. My eyes wandered a bit, and the number wasn¡¯t adding up. There were too few in this room.


    ¡°Is this all of them?¡± I asked,


    Glitter Kitten shook her head, ¡°No, we can¡¯t fit everybody in the main stage here, if they were people sized it would be fine, but some are much larger than most.¡±


    ¡°True, Den Mother is what nine foot?¡±


    ¡°Roughly, though there is plenty of room in the basement. We are even bringing over the males from the Three-Headed Dog.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, that arena where you guys are keeping the males.¡±


    ¡°Nyeas. Speaking of which there are a good number downstairs. If you wanted to get dicked, ah be careful around them, they will likely try to breed you tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh is that so?¡± I smiled slightly amused. I wonder if any of them could overpower me? It was doubtful, but who knows I did enjoy taking it as much as giving it.


    ¡°Well most of us will be gunning for you tonight.¡±


    ¡°I did notice the hungry eyes,¡± I said looking around at the animal women.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s just say you are most welcome here.¡±


    ¡°So I was wondering, how does the full moon work exactly?¡±


    Glitter Kitten sat at the bar next to Thumper. Den Mother was a little away. ¡°The Blood Moon makes our blood boil with hormones. Once one of our kind is mature, it replaces our periods. In other words, unless we are pregnant, we will go into heat. I don¡¯t know why it happens, but the only time any of us are sane on the full moon is when we are knocked up.¡±


    ¡°How come you guys are not crazy right now? I mean the moon technically full right now.¡±


    She scratched her neck, ¡°It is a sort of nocturnal thing. The moment the sun sets we start to lose it. Usually, by midnight everybody has gone feral for fucks. We don¡¯t think and just run on instincts. In other words, we go feral on the Blood Moon.¡±


    ¡°Why do you gather if it is that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Cause we will be hunting for a fucking regardless so if we lock ourselves in, we can cut out the running wild through the streets looking for a mate. If we fuck each other, we are not fighting each other. It cuts down on injuries and deaths and keeps us out of trouble. Before I started this system, we would rampage through the city and kill a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°So you guys just get along?¡±


    Glitter Kitten laughed a little, ¡°No, we fight. Though by now the pecking order has already been thoroughly established, so bitches know when it is their turn, and if they don¡¯t well they in for a beating. Though later on, it doesn¡¯t matter as much since everybody is going wild and it is an all you can fuck buffet.¡±


    ¡°Do you guys get hurt?¡± I asked.


    She nodded, ¡°Well yeah, but due to all the hormones our bodies get stronger and physically change for the duration. For instance, my hand is going to be good as new before the night is out.¡±


    ¡°So you guys get regeneration?¡±


    Thumper shifted in her seat, ¡°It is more of shapeshifting. Kinda like werewolves. For instance, Den Mother grows by about a foot, and her muscles bulge out. Her claws, fingers, and toes also get larger. This sort of thing is the usual change. It happens to Glitter Kitten and me as well. I suppose you could compare it to roid raging. Except we want to fuck, anything that moves until it stops moving and even longer sometimes. It is not uncommon for a normal man to be crushed under one of us as we fuck him to death. The most common cause of death would be shattered pelvis or mauled to death. I have heard it jokingly referred to by Medavac as ¡®death by snoo snoo¡¯ before or pulverized by pussycat.¡±


    I nodded, taking it all in, ¡°Sounds like something he would say. So we are packing everybody down in the basement tonight and what everybody is just going to fuck all night?¡±


    All three of them nodded, ¡°It is an orgy after all.¡±


    ¡°It certainly sounds like one. Still, I never realized you guys were this lewd.¡±


    Glitter Kitten smirked, ¡°We are going to have lots of fun with you tonight.¡±


    ¡°I bet,¡± I chuckled a little petting her on the head.


    ¡°Oh, by the way, care for some pussycat time before it gets started?¡± asked the hungry kitty eyeing me and looked over at something.


    I followed her line of sight to a section that had a giant lit up sign that said ¡°Pussycat Palace.¡±


    ¡°What is over there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Among other things, there are glory holes over there,¡± She licked her lips, ¡°I am sure you would love to get licked all over.¡±


    I rubbed my chin, considering it. As much as I would enjoy that, I get the feeling it is going to be a long night. ¡°Maybe another time. Oh, that reminds me, where are your kittens at? I wanted to pamper them a bit before everybody goes crazy.¡±


    ¡°Oh is that? Nyahaha, well we do have all night,¡± Glitter Kitten smiled, ¡°They are upstairs would you mind keeping them company until we get everything ready?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I replied.


    She led me up the stairs and along a widened corridor. Since this place had been a casino at one point, it was very spacious, not enough for me to stand outside of the main room, but it was not a tight squeeze to crawl on all sixes. The stench of animals was thick here as well, musky and a little fouled with ammonia. Somebody must have pissed on the carpet a while ago.


    Claw marks went along the wall in spots, ripping the wallpaper. Several doors had been broken through leaving the room exposed and no privacy to speak of. They were empty at the moment though it looked as though they received a good bit of traffic. The scent of body odor and wet animal made it clear what had been going on in such rooms.


    At the far hall, we turned a corner and came to the only door at the end of this section. It was thankfully a double door and large enough for me to fit. Within was one of the better suites. It was not the room I recalled from last time, that was higher up in the building.


    A large flat area expanded out, off to the side were two doors. In this room, several leather couches had been dragged into a semi-circle surrounding a big screen TV that was currently on. I could see a good number of ears poking up from the seats.


    ¡°Mrowow, mama is home~¡± Called out Glitter Kitten, ¡°I brought you all a friend to play with.¡±


    Hearing the door close the many little heads turned in our direction. I recognized a few, the tan and black spotted one was Rocket. Sitting on his left was the black one with white spots, Midnight. On the other side was the white with black spotted Snowball.


    A particular rodent stared at me from the far side. It was Nibbles of course. She seemed to have gotten even cuddlier since last time I had seen her. Is it cause the kittens were about the same size as she was? At any rate, the gerbil was almost as cute as the kittens were.


    As for the rest of Glitter Kitten¡¯s progeny, they ranged in colors almost looking as though she the mama cat had run out of ink when printing them out. Midnight the darkest and Snowball the brightest of the bunch. Most of them were a light brown color with black or white spots.


    The three oldest pointed at me, ¡°It is the bug!¡±


    Glitter kitten smiled leading me on over. The ceiling was actually rather high in this room so I didn¡¯t have to worry about scraping my head unless I stood up. I sat cross-legged behind the seating arrangement. Most of them eyed me warily, but Snowball, Rocket, and Midnight quickly darted over gawking up at me.


    ¡°Big bug!¡± exclaimed Midnight.


    ¡°Big fat bug!¡± said Rocket.


    ¡°Vesper, you got so big!¡± said Snowball.


    I reached down lifting my favorite little kitty and nuzzled her. After a few strokes she was purring, and the horde of children descended upon me jealous of their sister and greedily wanting cuddles and pets as well. Soon I had a lap full of fluffy adorable kittens, and every one of my tentacles was petting a happy kitty.


    This was downright therapeutic. Hmm, maybe we could make a business out of this. I bet people would pay to be snuggled by these cute little guys. I know I would.


    ¡°Nyow everyone be good, Mama has to get everything ready for the full moon so play nice with Vesper until I get back. Nibbles come along you gotta help too,¡± said glitter Kitten taking the gerbil with her and closing the door.


    It always made me surprised that Glitter Kitten trusted me with her kittens so much. I mean if I was a bad person I could take a couple of handfuls of them and just fly off. It is good to be trusted; I smiled to myself a little.


    ¡°So how has everyone been doing?¡± I asked wiggling my fingers to play with Snowball.


    ¡°Mama is nice, and we get to play lots of games.¡±


    ¡°Oh is that so?¡±


    ¡°Nyaaaa, though lately we don¡¯t get to play outside much.¡±


    I tilted my head ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Rocket crossed his arms, ¡°Mama says it is dangerous out there and if we try to sneak out Nibbles rats us out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see, well they are just protective of you. It is fairly dangerous out there these days. Although thanks to me the Scalies won¡¯t be much of a problem anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh?!¡± they stared up at me with glittering eyes, Rocket said, ¡°Big bug took out the big bad snake?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I took care of her,¡± I smiled petting them.


    ¡°Mama was always worried about the snake. It ate our older brothers and sisters.¡± Said Rocket.


    ¡°Yeah bad snake was bad,¡± concurred Snowball.


    ¡°Yup, the big snake won¡¯t be hurting anybody ever again.¡±


    All of them nodded, Snowball asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I came down to have some fun.¡±


    Snowball seemed a little sad, ¡°You should go. It isn¡¯t safe here.¡±


    I tilted my head, ¡°Isn¡¯t safe?¡±


    ¡°Everyone always gets weird around this time. Even Nibbles has been being weird lately,¡± said Rocket.


    ¡°It is the full moon, so that is to be expected.¡±


    They seemed to be mulling something over but didn¡¯t end up voicing it, seemingly changing their minds several times.


    ¡°I do have good news though. If your mother agrees, then you guys will be moving into my home.¡±


    ¡°Eh? To the bug¡¯s home?¡± asked Rocket.


    ¡°Mmhm, it is nice and clean. There is lots of food, and we are already setting up a room for you and Glitter Kitten. Each of you is going to have your own bed.¡±


    Their tails were wiggling, ¡°Sounds nice.¡±


    After that, the kittens didn¡¯t talk too much besides their demands for attention. Such as"pet me more." or "Rub my belly." Still, I didn¡¯t mind. They were precious little creatures. So tiny and soft and daww they were just so cute. I wanted to take them all home and put cute little collars around their necks. Maybe Ichigo would even dress them up?


    Considering the gratuitous debauchery, I was about to take part in; this wholesomeness was a welcome surprise.


    Idly I pet them, and my mind wandered. Children huh? I wonder if mine will be this cute?


    Glitter Kitten returned after a while; her eyes were sizing me up as though I were prime steak and she wanted to tear me apart, ¡°Well little Meowsy ready for the night of your life?¡±


    I took a long moment, setting snuggly kittens to the side. Out the window, I could see that the sun was getting low, which meant that it was undoubtedly just about time.


    I smirked, ¡°Are you sure you can keep up?¡±

 Blood Moon Chapter 9 Interlewd: Animals (R 18)

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 9 Interlewd: Animals


    Glitter Kitten led me down the narrow corridors. We were headed for the basement. Along the way to it, a stairwell descended into the underground. It was a long but all too short walk as the familiar vault door loomed before us. Vast metal door of the basement sat entrenched in the thick concrete walls. It looked rather sturdy, but I was unsure if it would hold up to the abuse that supers could dish out.


    Even before I took a step inside, I was assailed by the rank stench of animals. Not just animals, horny beasts. Bitches in heat wanting nothing more than to get knocked up and mixed in there was the musky stink of randy males. It was a veritable soup of sloppy sex pheromones. I paused for a moment shivering from all the information the scents were giving me. Sorting through it, there must be one hundred and eight females and seven males. Each had a varied stink, but it was all mixed together in a cauldron of lust. Something tells me I might get knocked up from the fumes alone.


    The sex dungeon, cause that is exactly what this place was, was expansive. Heavy cages adorned the wall at varying intervals. They restrained the males and had been orderly sorted by type.


    The first was a rodent man oddly enough. He had large black eyes and sharp bucked teeth. Fur was white with a large black spot. His hairless tail moved about as he humped the air with his rather large package, it didn''t particularly look different than a human. His balls appeared to be swollen as well.


    The rat was shackled to the wall, and his head could not move around too much due to the restraints. He had enough room to get on all fours, but not enough leeway as to chew through the chains.


    The females were gathered separated into groups based on what type of animal they were. They congregated out in front of the cages that held the male of their kind. Depending on the species it seemed that the ratio of female to male was skewed twenty or so to one.


    The first two groups we passed were the rodents. They were all smaller than the rat men. Roughly four and a half feet tall. Among them were two types, the rats and mice and then the gerbils and hamsters. The only real difference I could see would be the lack of a tail or rather the wiggly little stump. Some of them had big radar dish like ears. The colors of their fur were not so varied being mostly different arrangements of white and black. They were slightly soft and cute looking.


    Nibbles appeared to be the leader of this group, it had twenty members. Oddly enough there were few rodents. One would expect them to breed quickly since, well they were rodents. I likely knew why they were the lowest on the food chain and would get eaten by ferals.


    Next was another rat man though his coloration was white. He was held in the same way, and the other half of the rodents were lined up in front of his cage.


    Rodents sorted, we arrived at the feline section. There were two males here as well as forty-five cat girls, counting Glitter Kitten. The two cat men were larger and much more muscular than the girls. Still, they were only about six foot tall and rather lithe. One was black with white splotches, and the other was a smokey gray color. The gray one was missing an eye with a rather nasty scar where he had been scratched or rather clawed. The black and white one was missing a piece of his ear.


    Both of them were restrained much as the rodent had been, minus the head holder. Unlike the rat man though, the cats had already started. Below both of the males were two horny cats humping away at the sizable members. Their junk was strange, to say the least from what I could see there appeared to be spines and there was a grating, scratching sound every time one of them thrust.


    I looked down at Glitter Kitten, "Does that hurt?"


    She had a sly look, "The first time, but it scratches the itch just right. It is not as painful or as hard as it looks. Though a normy might get torn up."


    "I see," I said moving along.


    Cat penis huh? Never really thought of that one. I would likely try it out at some point, even if it did hurt me I could just regenerate, so I was not worried. If I liked it, I could have Xava make a robo version.


    The next area was the werewolves. Looked to be about thirty-five of them. Den Mother sat watching over the rest of her group when we approached. There were three males here each of them was massive, bulky, and ready to fuck anything that moved. They strained against their restraints, pulling the chains and I could hear the groaning of the wall. One appeared to be a Doberman type of dog with short black fur. There was a German Shepard with black, and brown coat and the last one looked a bit like an actual wolf with a silvered mane of hair.


    Even though they were all tall, they were still about the same height as Den Mother somewhere around nine foot tall. However, they towered over the rest of the dog girls by a good foot and in some cases several feet when it came to the smallest of the girls. The girls were leaner and undoubtedly more feminine, sleeker, save Den Mother she could probably dominate any of these ones.


    I eyed the massive red and veined doggy dicks. The smell coming off of those things was enough to make my head spin a little. My mouth even watered a little. Well, they were undoubtedly the strongest in here. Still, their dongs were a bit strange, towards the base of the shaft it had a bulbous knot. Well, I suppose that is normal for a dog or rather wolfman.


    I walked along to the next section. Here Thumper sat with the rest of the bunny girls, counting her there were only eight of them. All of them had sizeable pointed rabbit ears and white fur on their arms and legs. The rabbits were the most humanoid of the bunch not having any coat on their torsos and only having a single pair of breasts unlike the rest of the subhumans.


    Looking over to the cage I fully expected to see a bunny man, but there was no such thing. An empty set of bars lay before me. I looked deeper in, and there were ten more empty cages.


    "No rabbit man huh?" I asked.


    Thumper shook her head, "Nope."


    "So who do you guys usually fuck?"


    "Whoever we want more or less, though usually it ends up being the werewolves."


    "Didn''t you guys have more males?" I recalled that there had been more last time I had glimpsed this place.


    Glitter Kitten rubbed her head, "Nyea, but we lost a few when the hero league attacked. Some ran off and likely took over feral packs, others died. My prime breeding bull got his dick shot off, so we had to put him out to pasture."


    "Ah, sorry to hear that."


    "I knyow his dick was like two feet long. It scratched all the right places too."


    "Shame."


    "Tell me about it, I haven''t been able to get off properly since."


    I smirked, "Like the big ones huh?"


    Glitter Kitten laughed, "Nyaha this little kitty likes big fishies after all," her eyes concentrated on my abdomen, "Speaking of big fishies I wonder if you got any bigger?"


    I leaned in, "A greedy kitty aren''t you?"


    She just grinned.


    "So eh¡­ how is this going to work?" I asked looking down at Glitter Kitten and Den Mother who had followed us.


    "Simple," she said, leading me into the cage.


    I didn''t think anything of it, though I probably should have as she slapped the shackles to my arms and legs. With a click, I was connected to the wall by six thick chains.


    "Why are you chaining me up?" I asked giving the links a tug.


    Glitter Kitten smiled, running her hand over my carapace, "Nyahaha~ It is more fun this way. Don''t worry about a thing we will serve you all night long."


    It felt sturdy, but if I gave it a good pull, I could tell it would snap. As such this was more of a formality, kink play type of deal. It certainly couldn''t hold me.


    "Kinky as always," I said rather amused.


    "Ready to start?" Glitter Kitten asked.


    My abdomen opened and the ovipositor emerged tenting up into the air. I heard a gulp from the surrounding animal women as they watched it unfurl, filling their eyes. My decadent scent filled the air, and I could hear the salivating and dripping of horny sluts ready to breed.


    I leered as my member flopped onto her face, "Ready to become my breeding bitches?"


    There was a visible shiver that went through her, she retreated and yelled "Nyow lets get this party started!"


    The door slammed shut and the echo of it locking filled the room. All at once the atmosphere changed. The dam of their resolve seemed to have broken, and the orgy began.


    Glitter Kitten, Den Mother, and Thumper, as well as the bunnies, descended upon me. They pressed their faces against my long tube, taking deep whiffs as their lips kissed the tendriled flesh. Their tongues began to lap, licking and sucking at my engorged flesh. Ten horny animal sluts all slavishly slavering my shaft.


    Den Mother shifted to my tip, her wet nose shoving and pressing until it penetrated my entrance. I squirmed as she pushed herself deeper until her whole head had been swallowed. My insides coiled around her panting face, caressing it and the tendrils invaded her mouth as well as her nose. Her hot tongue was lolling as she moaned. The scent of a true bitch in heat filled the air as she wet herself.


    Did she enjoy my scent that much? I never did understand the dog all that well. I reached, to pet these good little cock polishers. However, I could not reach. Annoyed I shifted a small amount sending ripples through my shaft. Soft hands groped as slutty mouths lewdly sucked at me. They worked back and forth lapping and stroking my girth. Spreading my tube''s folds and attacking the creases desperate to get me off.


    The shaft suckling had not gone unnoticed as more and more animal girls began to appear, streaming in one or two at a time following their noses. Several more joined us, cats and dogs now joining into fawn at me. The roughness of the cat tongues sent shivers through me. Their hands worked the shaft faster and harder. I tightened around Den Mother''s head causing her to yelp from the pressure. It was understandable with how strong those muscles were I could crush a watermelon.


    These sluts certainly knew their way around the block, it was to be expected they did this sort of thing for a living. Breasts began rubbing along the sensitive flesh. Others spread the folds and buried their faces into the crevices cleaning the depths of wiggling flesh with their desperate tongues.


    Soon their fervent worship claimed my first orgasm. Den Mother shuddered violently as she got a face full of cum, unable to escape my grasp. She pulled and struggled, trying to break free before finally with a loud wet plop she fell back. My cum flooded out as the eager animals took turns wrapping their lips around the tip and taking gulps down. They licked and slurped it up off of one another.


    If I didn''t know any better, I might think they were addicted to my fluids. I observed them fighting and hissing or growling at one another as they outstretched their tongues even to get a single drop of my cum. The ones who were lucky enough to get some swished it about their mouths refusing to swallow as though it were the most delicious thing they had ever tasted. Looks of bliss covering their faces stared up at me.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Glitter Kitten, being the leader got first dibs. She sat on my abdomen and curled my member to her upraised ass. The tips felt the sauna of heat oozing from her pussy and pressed forward. My tendrils spread her, invading the pussycat.


    "Mrrroow!" She moaned and wiggled her booty to take more in. "Big, big dick! Nyaaeees!"


    Slowly I slid more and more in. Her desperate body was eager to take it. Each fold of my tube slopping in with lewd noises. The other girls were watching while drooling and rubbing themselves needily. The other cats began lapping at my shaft as it pushed into their leader.


    The bunnies looked rather pathetic with how horny and desperate they were. "Come closer, I can pleasure many more of you."


    Thumper tilted her head but did as I said and got into my hand. I lifted her up to my face, and she sat her bunny buns right on my lips. My tongue stabbed into her, and she squealed in bliss. My undulating tentacles wiggled, and the rest of the bunnies and even three catgirls soon were clambering up my sides. Each moaned and panted as my head tentacles pushed into their pussies.


    Room having been made more mouths eagerly set to work lapping and kissing. Worshiping my shaft as it bent and snaked into Glitter Kitten. Den Mother and several werewolves and cats had taken on this duty of servitude. Their wet and languid tongues pressing and crawling all over what was not buried inside of kitty cunt.


    Glitter Kitten purred happily as her booty worked up and down stroking my member in her tight kitten hole. She thrust her hips faster and harder with each pass, getting more and more into it. Her smell progressively got more animalistic as she got hornier. Her oppressively tight pussy fought with me, squeezing and trying to crush me. My tendrils stabbed out into her vaginal walls, digging into the crevasses of her cunt. She threw her head back, screaming in pleasure and I slithered past her cervix.


    "Nyaaa it is alive, what even nyan is this thing? Crawling! It is crawling inside of me!" cried out Glitter Kitten shivering in joy.


    The other animals panted and sweat, dripping with lust, watching as their alpha moaned and screamed in pleasure. Her pussy squelching as she shuddered and my ovi cock plunged in and out of her. I invaded deeper, spreading open her womb. Glitter Kitten held her face as she yowled and slammed her ass back, burying as much of myself into her as she could fit. I bottomed out in the depths of the panting pussycat.


    "So deep. Mrowow I love getting my womb fucked. Scrape it, scrape it more!"


    She trembled as we had stopped thrusting. Her body biting at me as my feelers stroked and explored her insides. My abdomen curled slightly, pulsing as I enjoyed her writhing walls attempting to smash me. Slowly my tube inflated, spreading her. Her breathing became more and more erratic as she moaned. The kitty''s insides heated up until they were hellishly hot. Juices slobbered from her greedy slit spurting and oozing from her, dripping down my shaft to the waiting mouths that desperately lapped it up.


    I closed my eyes, sighing as my tongue pumped steadily into Thumper. Her body quivering as my antennae wrapped around her neck and rubbed her face. One pushing into her mouth to be sucked on by the breed hungry bunny. I slurped, and she shuddered as my tongue spread her pussy more, pushing and tasting deeper into her raw hole. Her decadent flavor spilling out as she clenched meekly.


    My tentacles filled the air with loud squelching as they slapped in and out of bunny and catgirls. They cried out trembling as the fleshy appendages ravaged their holes, flexing and bending in ways that a cock could not. Working them hard and faster as they squealed and trembled. It didn''t take long for the first of them to orgasm. Spurts of girl juices spraying as the animal slumped before sliding off of the tentacle and flopping onto the floor.


    I vented, mist filling the already polluted air with my pheromones. The stench of animals thick enough to choke on and yet, the smell became even more decadent, even needier. Glitter Kitten shuddered as her hips started to bounce as though they had a mind of their own. She mounted that shaft, whorishly riding it. Her ass was rising and falling with a faster and harder pace after every slap of my flesh meeting her own.


    "Fuck me fuck me fuck me!" she panted.


    She slid along the fleshy member moaning as she could not stop herself. The friction heating up as she moved faster and faster. Her hips humping as they sped up into a blur of motion. The depraved sound of our meeting filling the immediate area with the urgent slapping of animalistic breeding. She huffed and growled biting at me, clawing at me as her ass kept slamming, her pussy feasting on my ovicock.


    She moaned as she clamped down, shuddering as her orgasmic release leaked out. I kept thrusting into her, causing her to shudder and tighten up even more. Lightly her claws scratched at my carapace as she moaned happily. I managed to coax a second blissful release from the kitty before my own welled up. The tube bulged, spreading her as I dumped a load of wasp jizz into her belly. Glitter Kitten purred as she slumped a little and was pulled off of my member by Den Mother. The varied animal girls licked at her, cleaning her pussy as they fought over my cream.


    Thumper had long since cum, and my tongue forced her into the third orgasm. Her hips shook meekly as I feasted on her. Slurping and gorging on her secretions. Tasting her tangy pussy. After a long moment, I let her slide off my tongue. She moaned as my tentacles thrust into her and I shifted, letting her drape onto my chest.


    Den Mother saddled up next. Her pussy spreading as she groaned, taking as much as she could almost instantly into her puppy hole. She trembled, panting as her tongue lolled. She leaned heavily against me adjusting herself as my tendrils felt about her folds, digging into her sensitive spots and drawing out shivers of bliss from her. My hand plopped onto her head as I pet her. Her tail wagged as I pushed, screwing the pooch.


    Glitter Kitten had recovered and pounced onto my chest. Her claws scratched at my carapace as she felt about, the roaming hands enticed me enough that I opened my breastplate. My soft pallid flesh spilled out jiggling with every thrust of Den Mother. Both Glitter Kitten and Thumper started to lick the newly exposed tits. Their hands canvasing my fun bags. The duo of tongues licking up the sweat as they went along until they found the nipple.


    The kitty wrapped her arms around my boob and squished it up so that it was exposed, "What is with these tits? They are massive! What are you, a cow? No a bug cow?"


    "I am not a cow!" I complained before they nipped at me teasingly.


    "With titties like this, you are begging to be milked!"


    I trembled as Den Mother humped away below and the lips gave a little tug at my sensitive teats, "I, I don''t have milk."


    "Nyhaha we will see about that!" The kitty replied pulling off of my breast.


    Having hugged my bosom the cat and bunny tweaked at my nipples. Their fingers were expertly rolling the delicate nubs as they inflated with arousal. Before long the nipples had gotten hard and extended several inches. It was all the better for them to suck on though as their lips slid down around the engorged flesh. They sucked and pulled as though my nipples were little dicks, slurping obscenely.


    I shivered as they manipulated the flesh, their fingers kneading at my breasts until something actually came out. I shuddered as a heat briefly shot up the teat into their mouths. I looked down at them wondering what the fuck that was. Did I actually have milk? When Xava and I tried before I was a dry well. Although, that was before I had laid eggs huh? They suckled and pulled, stroking the tips with their tongues until more started to come dribbling out.


    Whatever it was they seemed to like the flavor as they were latched on dead set on milking me like an animal. They had begun purring as they eagerly sucked. Their hands continuously massaging my mammaries. I leaned back sighing, it was oddly calming. My breasts had started to produce, and the two mouths greedily coaxed it out.


    Thumper popped off for a moment, allowing me to see what was coming out. It was purple oddly enough. I reached down spreading it between my fingers, it was sticky and thick. This wasn''t milk, it wasn''t even a liquid¡­ more of a jelly. I gave it the taste test finding it to be a citrus flavor, like oranges.


    "Mrrow delicious." Glitter Kitten licked her lips as she nustled my squishy breast, "I am going to milk you dry. You will be my personal cow!"


    "I am not a cow!" I retorted before moaning when the pair began to suckle again selfishly.


    Their incessant lips smacked shamelessly as they pulled and slurped. My hips started to buck, and Den Mother rose several feet off of the ground as I penetrated her deeper. She moaned as I rhythmically twitched, bulging inside of her, from their ministrations. My abdomen curled as my tits were tortured and finally, a feeling of release came. Cum poured into Den Mother, and at the same time, my nipples flowed. Glitter Kitten and Thumper gorged themselves, feeding on me as their heads tugged eliciting more to spurt into their mouths.


    My hip bucked again as I started to thrust into Den Mother, even as her pussy spilled my cum. It helped lube her hot hole and allowed me to push into her more profoundly than before. I shifted, trying to keep my mind off of being milked. The werewolf was most pleased with my renewed vigor in fucking her as she squirmed on my shaft. I focused in on the she-wolf below me, trying to ignore the slurping and sucking.


    "Who is a good bitch?" I smirked down at the horny woman.


    She panted, "I, I am."


    "Yes," I pet her as I thrust deeper into her, "Yes, you are. And who''s bitch are you?"


    Her breathing became heavier as she started riding me, humping steadily, "I¡­ Your bitch."


    I leaned down kissing her for a moment, "Yes, that is right. You are my bitch. My breeding bitch. I am your Queen. Isn''t that right?"


    A tentacle lifted her head as I stared at her, her tongue lolled for a moment before she moaned, "Breed me. Fuck me, just fuck me full. I, I want to be your breeding bitch."


    I pet her, "Good girl. Such a good girl. Yes. Now tell me, what am I?"


    She huffed unsteady as my abdomen held firm, as it stopped thrusting into her, she tilted her head, and I realized she didn''t understand. I clarified, "I am your Queen. And you are my breeding bitch. Is that clear?"


    She nodded as I gave her a substantial thrust to get the point across, she moaned, "Yes, my, my Queen."


    "What are you?" I asked amused as her face twisted with pleasure.


    "Bitch! Breeding bitch!" She yipped.


    "Mmhm good girl. And good girl''s get rewarded," I started to thrust into her. "Now enjoy your bone, you slut puppy."


    She was, well a bitch. A bitch in heat and wanting a belly full of puppies. She wasn''t going to get those from me, but she was going to get a clutch of eggs at this rate.


    Her hips rose and fell making a loud wet slap. Her canine cunt spilled her need out. Tongues lavished us, wiggling and attacking my member clearing up to her pussy and even trying to invade there as well. My abdomen steadily thrust, meeting her hungry hips. We entered a slower, but much more powerful rhythm as I pounded her. Each thrust scraping and spreading her.


    The werewolf woman growled holding onto me as she got a better grip, her muscular frame beginning to move like a machine. Pistoning and pounding at me. Each meeting of our bodies sending audible and physical thuds through the room. The floor shook, and my head jiggled causing the bunnies to get a more thorough tentacle fucking.


    I strained and broke the chains. They were not that strong, to begin with. I shifted, mounting my bitch on all fours. She moaned under me as I took her doggy style. Her toned ass humped hungrily, bouncing off of my abdomen. My nipples ached as the voracious sucklers dangled from me like leeches biting into my flesh. They managed to get sound footing on Den Mother''s back and continued to squeeze at me, milking my ample breasts.


    I shuddered, bucking as I fucked the dog woman harder. My lower hand sent a powerful slap onto her ass. She squirmed and froze for a moment, her pussy tightened from the jolt. I growled at her, hissing and slapped her booty again. Harder this time. She shuddered, and a smell leaked out, it was that of submission.


    She was a tough one and me smacking her didn''t even bruise her. Still, it was the act of it that was arousing. It seemed that she enjoyed being taken as an animal. I slapped both of her cheeks at once, my lower hands pulling her back into a deep thrust that caused the she bitch to moan. She slumped, ass up, ready and willing for me to fuck her senseless.


    "Go on, fuck me you horny bitch," I growled at her giving her lovely ass another smack.


    It felt so good, not having to hold back. My main arm reached back and came thundering down on her ass. A sound reminiscent of a sledgehammer pounded on a solid object rose. She screamed and yelped from the red mark burned into her. I hit her again watching as she squirmed and moaned. She liked it.


    The jolt sparked her up, and she thrust back. Her hips started humping, and I held her tail, pulling her back to force her to bottom out. She groaned, a look of bliss covering her face. Another slap sent her into a frenzy of mating. Her body tensed as she slammed back and forth. The thudding of our coupling resounding as I spanked her every couple thrust. Every smack of my hand made her fuck me faster. Her pussy juicier and hotter as she slid back and forth.


    "Good bitch," I yanked on her tail to impale myself into her womb.


    "Yes, yes, yes! Fuck me harder, harder!" Moaned Den Mother drolling on the floor.


    My vents opened flapping as I mated her. Pheromone filled mist flowed out, washing over those immediately around me. Den Mother tensed tightening as she whined below me. She really did love my smell, didn''t she? Her sloppy puppy hole had become rank with her own stench of need. Smell of a needy bitch filled the air.


    I thrust into her steadily as her hips slapped back to meet me, "What do you want?"


    "Breed me, fuck me."


    "You want my children?" I asked her as my abdomen bulged inflating as it held her in place.


    "Yes! Fuck me full of your babies knock me up like a slut, your breeding bitch!" She moaned as I vented on her again, smothering her in my pheromones.


    "Well then," I smiled, shoving into her. Her pussy squelched, and spurt as my tendrils dug into her and slithered my member deeper. More of it crawling into her depths, "That is a good slut puppy."


    Den Mother moaned, barking and yipping like an animal. She thrashed in a final bid to escape, but I held her down. Pushing her head onto the floor so that her ass stuck up in prime breeding position for me to use. Dominating her entirely as I slammed into her. I thrust harder, burying more into her. Claiming her more. Her scent changed, from a strong alpha female to a submissive bitch, my submissive. The change in odor sent a shockwave through the surrounding animal women. It sent shivers through them, dribbling and dripping, hungry for breeding.


    Her smell sent me over the edge. My cum flowed and the egglayer inflated, swollen with brood. The lumps descended, pumping steadily into her, stretching her, claiming her. Den Mother let out a wail of pleasure, her whole body twitching and writhing as I held it down. The eggs kept pushing and filling her. Her belly bulged out as obscene noises gurgled and spilled from our mating. She huffed, breathing heavily, panting as she tried desperately to catch her breath. The bitch slumped to the floor impregnated, tongue lolling with blank and empty eyes.


    I pulled out, and the floor splashed with juices that gushed out of her trembling hole. The other animals descended lapping it up, kissing and slurping at her sex. This set off a chain reaction of primal breeding. I plucked Thumper off of my nipple and set her below me. In her absence, a catgirl latched onto my dangling flesh suckling obscenely. My member pushed into the bitch bunny, spreading her sodden snatch. She moaned in heat. Already more than willing to be bred. Her hips slapped back as she bunny hopped in place fucking me.


    I mounted her harder, pounding that bunny bun fully intent on filling her with my cream. I got rougher and faster. The slopping sound of our sexes mixing and merging became louder and louder as I shoved deeper into her. Despite her squeals and screams, I held her down fucking her like the animal that she was. Every thrust jiggled my breasts and the two that were getting fat off of my jelly.


    My tentacles were writhing and the head full of horny cunts spilling as the animal girls cried out. Juices dribbling, sweat pouring, orgasms roiling and varied voices begging to be bred, to be impregnated from all around. The world was tinted with lust and depravity. Breeding was all that mattered. The squelching of pussies, spurting of cum, gurgling of my eggs filling wombs, cries and screams of bliss, growls and barking and yowling, claws scraping and teeth gnashing. There was no humanity in this place, only animals.

 Blood Moon Chapter 10

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 10


    The heated haze of my mating was interrupted by a strange sound. It started minuscule but quickly grew. My antennae quivered as the high pitched noise radiated through what appeared to be speakers lining the top of the walls near the ceiling. Earlier they had been playing music, but this resonance grated, stabbing into my brain. My eyes wandered to the others that held their heads shaking and squirming. I didn¡¯t like this noise, none of us did.


    One of the catgirls sunk her claws into my exposed abdomen, severing my member. I stared in disbelief as the one who had just been attached to me scurried away with my ovipositor dragging behind her. I mean, I liked it rough¡­ but this was too far. Muh dick! That is not detachable!


    The pain boiled up my spine and I roared, ¡°Hey! Get back here with that!¡±


    I swiped my attacker and the rest of the animal women away from me. The perpetrator smacked against the wall and slumped for a moment, before rising again wild-eyed. My body sealed itself up like a fortress leaving nothing vulnerable.


    I don¡¯t know where it went, but my inseminator was out there, somewhere lost in the writhing bodies. That conniving cat had run off with it. I didn¡¯t have long to search for it as things became much more dire. I hadn¡¯t noticed it when I had been pounding those pussy cats, but they looked different now. Their fur was longer, their claws sharper and all of them were bristling with muscle. Their pupils were huge, and the smells coming out of them were shifting from wanting and needing to something else, something much more wild, violent and angry.


    I winced, it was this noise. Reaching up I tore down one of the speakers. My movement seemed to set them off, and they approached with rabid intensity, hissing and snarling. It seems they were under the full effect of the Blood Moon. All thoughts and reason were gone. Their instincts controlled them. I reared up hissing right back, growling at them. Some backed down, but others took this as a challenge.


    They came from all sides, lunging at me. Claws ripped at my thick carapace, teeth tore and tried to chew at me. They had devolved into mindless beasts. My tentacles strangled several, keeping them at bay even as they thrashed and bit at me. It reminded of me scenes I had seen in movies, like zombies or monsters swarming in to eat me. The seething sea of bodies rushing at me, furious fur balls of teeth and claws. I didn¡¯t want to hurt them, but then again I didn¡¯t have much of a choice here.


    With a broad sweep my arms knocked the creatures that had been attempting to scale me down. Beating them back, hurling the animals away. That didn¡¯t seem to deter them. I had to be rougher as they bounced right back barreling at me, screaming like lunatics. My hand came down, swatting them back until finally, I snapped over how fed up I had become. They were going to tear me apart if I kept holding back like this.


    My foot stomped down knocking loose many of the subhumans clambering up my legs. Below my claws cracking and crunching of bones rose as I crushed one of the less fortunate animals. I wasn¡¯t sure who or even what I had just smashed, due to the sheer number of figures and flailing limbs trying to drag me down. The sweet aroma of blood sent the beasts into a frenzy as they turned on one another.


    With them distracted for a moment I was able to concentrate on the real problem. The sound was more important to deal with. Several of my eyes honed in on the devices, and I swiped tearing down another. Sensing a lapse in my defense Glitter Kitten darted forward, and one of my arms detached torn free by the crazed cat woman. She snarled at me entirely out of her mind. It was surprising that she could get through my carapace. The cut was clean at the elbow. Ah, she hadn¡¯t gotten through, she had aimed for the joint. She spat out the arm the moment my yellow blood touched her tongue. The pungent stink of my blood was a sharp contrast to their own and served to keep them away as I smashed the next speaker.


    Whatever this tone was it was making them even crazier than usual. The longer things went, the further they delved into violence to the point that the whole room was consumed in movement and horrific squeals and screeching. From the sounds of it, somebody was being eaten alive. They attacked one another and for that matter anything and everything around them. The cacophony was even starting to get to me. I slapped a werewolf woman who sunk her teeth into my leg so hard she smashed into the wall. This one didn¡¯t get back up. If things kept on like this, I think I won¡¯t be able to hold back against them.


    Glitter Kitten and Den Mother got into it. They were literally going at it like cats and dogs, growling and barking at one another. The two snarled before descending into a bloody battle. Fur flying, blood spurting as they tore at one another, scratching, clawing, biting and tearing. It was this fucking sound driving everyone crazy.


    This pandemonium would not end unless those speakers were dealt with. Ignoring the animals even as they swarmed about claws tearing and fangs ripping I set to work silencing this insanity.


    My fist slammed and smashed the next, and I shifted, following along the wall as my lower arms slapped and punched wild animal women knocking them away from me. It was getting harder to think with every passing moment. My antennae shivered as my brain reeled from this pain and the pulsing beat. Some of the other subhumans attacked the speakers as well, knocking several down.


    I continued destroying and crushing, smashing until that damned noise stopped. I paused for a long moment, holding my head. It felt like my brain was going to split in half or simply melt into mush. My thoughts cleared with the absence of that noise. However, the Mad Dogs had gone well genuinely insane. They were still fighting and screeching at one another. They had gone feral.


    I picked up my discarded arm letting it reconnect. It was only now that the pain throbbed from my body and the gashes and slashes covering my carapace were noticed. I had been so out of it I couldn¡¯t even recall when I had taken each wound. Yellow was leaking everywhere, and there was even red blood on my claws.


    Someone did this. This was on purpose. Whoever it was, I was going to tear them a new one, hell I will likely rip them in half with how my blood was boiling. Somebody just clam jammed me, hell I am down my seventh leg over this. I was pissed. I hit the door, trying to open it. It appeared to be locked from the outside.


    Despite all the crazed animals darting all over the room, they had enough survival instinct to clear a path for me. I got a running start this time and slammed into the vault door with my shoulder. The thick metal dented out. I could hear panicked voices from the other side.


    ¡°Gnome, collapse this corridor, it will slow them down. Hell, bring the whole fucking building down on them if you have to, stop them no matter what it takes!¡± shouted a woman.


    I- I knew that voice, it was Nightmare. My anger deepened into a rage. I fumed venting with how furious I was. The animals fled from me crying and cowering in the corners of the room. Except, Den Mother and Glitter Kitten who were still very much locked in a battle for supremacy or to the death. I didn¡¯t know why they were fighting, but it was pissing me off. We were under attack, and these dumb fucking animals were fighting each other?! I grabbed the werewolf by the neck, mostly cause Glitter Kitten was too fucking fast to even touch and hurled her so hard she went through the vault door.


    It was only after I saw her sprawled out motionless that I realized what I had just done. Glitter Kitten had retreated along with the rest. Many of them were fat with my brood, and that included Den Mother who was likely knocked out cold now. She certainly wasn¡¯t moving. I regretted losing my temper, but they were unreasonable.


    I heaved stepping forward; my hands braced on the frame of the shattered door as I looked out. There at the base of the stairs was Den Mother slumped over. I could smell Nightmare. My mouth twitched as I gazed up the steps. A shiny metal person stood at the top with the hands upraised. That was Gnome?


    What the hell was she doing here? Last I had heard she had been shipped out¡­ Nightmare must have pulled some bullshit and had her confined in the hero league headquarters. She must have been fully brainwashed by this point. It might be even worse than what that cunt had done to Sunshine. If that were the case then there likely would be no reasoning with her.


    I took a step, and Gnome pulled her hands down. The building rumbled around us and the walls crushed in. The ceiling collapsed crushing us under tons of debris. Things finally settled and I pushed freeing myself from the crushing earth.


    I wiggled backward back into the vault; everything seemed to be okay in here; it was a very sturdy place. Den Mother was still out there, and it wouldn¡¯t do to lose a good incubator. My claws scraped and shoveled digging through the concrete. With how easily I was able to sift through this stuff I am starting to think that I am part subterranean. It didn¡¯t take long to uncover the werewolf and drag her back into the room with the other fearful animals.


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    She was still breathing after a brief moment of letting my feelers rub on her to figure out if she was fine. I snarled at the gathered subhumans making them retreat further back. She should be fine here. They would take care of themselves, well hopefully. Regardless, we had to get out of here or else we might die from lack of oxygen.


    My claws set to work tearing and crushing the thick concrete and I tunneled my way up. The ground was strange. It was harder than it should be. It was almost like a fortified wall, not loose or filled with debris as it should be. Despite how solid it was I forced my way through it. My fingers broke the surface, and my arm reached up, feeling around. Something heavy slammed past, nearly tearing off my arm. It bent back, snapping at the elbow.


    My roar of pain vibrated through the earth and my arm twisted back into position. I pushed down, shattering the ground and pulling myself free. Gnome stood before me as I rose up, towering over her puny metal form. Nightmare and the others were nowhere to be seen. They must have run those fucking cowards. My antennae twitched, smelling them out.


    It took a moment to catch their trail as I grinned, licking my lips. ¡°I smell you, Nightmare.¡±


    Gnome tensed backing away, the pure bloodthirst and malice radiating out of me made her shiver. Slowly my eyes descended onto her as though only now realizing she was there. ¡°Gnome? Don¡¯t get in my way.¡±


    Gnome raised her hands as all of the metal around slapped against her exterior melting and growing her protective suit. She rose to nearly my stature, but there wasn¡¯t enough metal for her to grow that large.


    ¡°You will have to go through me first.¡± She said growing a spear of chromed metal.


    Gnome attacked thrusting out the piercing metal. It glanced off of my hardened carapace, and my arm crashed down, snapping it in half. The right main arm reached back and clocked the golem in the head, sending a sizeable chunk spiraling away as Gnome staggered back. She wasn¡¯t in the head, but rather the chest. She couldn¡¯t win a heads up fight, and she knew it. She stabbed her arms into the ground and pillars of concrete shot up knocking me back. She had formed a wall between us.


    I rose, ¡°Out of my way or I will kill you Gnome.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t do that,¡± she replied as the wall morphed into a wave that came crashing down at me.


    My fist slammed against it, and the middle section broke. I clambered through the hole, kicking off of it to attack her. Gnome ripped her hands up sending a new wave of concrete at me. Annoying. This was fucking annoying. I was wasting time on this bitch and Nightmare was getting away.


    ¡°Fuck you small fry!¡±


    I bent down and kicked off throwing my mass at the wall. It shattered and I barreled through tackling Gnome. My claws dug into the metal and I smacked her against the ground like a rag doll. I beat her against the ground, dragging her metal body as I yanked and pulled at it, crushing part of it under my foot as I tried to rip it in half. The metal groaned and strained, but it was too dense to separate it like this. She was actively using her power to reinforce her body.


    Frustrated I hammered her down into the ground, denting the metal as I used her like a club. Brazenly using her as a weapon, I swung her obliterating a dilapidated building. I spun in circles using the moment to go faster until I let go of her sending her hurtling through several buildings that collapsed in her wake. That should deal with her for now. My antennae flicked as I got on all sixes.


    I had wasted enough time on Gnome. I picked up the scent and kicked off hunting my prey. My claws scuttling over the ruined buildings as I hounded that evil woman. My mind already filled with the horrible things I will do to her when I catch her. I was going to eat her hands, finger by finger all the way up to her shoulders¡­ or should I leave her with stumps so that she can pathetically flail around?


    I heard a sound¡­ something was below me. My body dodged back as metal spears stabbed out of the ground.


    ¡°Persistent, aren¡¯t you?¡± I hissed at Gnome as she materialized out of the rubble.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you pass.¡±


    ¡°I will kill you. I mean it!¡± I snarled at her.


    She slapped her hands together, and the ground turned into liquid. My claws sunk into it, as it turned back into a solid with me half buried. The limbs quaked, and the ground cracked and shattered. She brought her hands down, and a sinkhole gaped devouring me. The earth piled up closing in around me, trying to trap me. My claws raked out, ripping and tearing as I dug my way free again. She was pissing me off, seriously getting on my last nerve.


    Gnome stood atop a shifting mass of concrete that surfed over the ground at a surprising speed. I shouldn¡¯t have let her go so easily or rather I should have just finished her off rather than having mercy. It was going to be difficult to catch her; she was very fast on the ground¡­ on the ground huh?


    My wings beat, and I launched myself up into the air. I rose up steadily as all of my eyes gaped, canvassing the surroundings for where Nightmare was. Behind me, my large eye honed in on the movement that caught its attention. Subhumans were pouring out of that hole I had made. They were scattering in the direction of the city lights.


    I paused, if left alone they were going to cause mayhem in the city. A lot of people might die, especially with how riled up they were tonight. However, if I went to stop them, Nightmare was going to get away. My eyes glinted with movement in front of me, and I could see Captain Metal, Disk Jockey, and Nightmare fleeing through the ruined buildings of the slums.


    ¡­ I should stop them.


    FUCK THAT KILL NIGHTMARE! DON¡¯T YOU DARE LET THAT WHORE GET AWAY!


    The longer I waited, the further both got from one another. My mind resonated with Sub on this. Nightmare first, it won¡¯t take long to squish that filthy fucking insect. Then I can hunt down those stupid animals and make them my incubators.


    A spear of metal stabbed up through my wing making it crumple in. I plummeted down crashing into the ground. The wing extended as I ripped the spear free from it. The membrane quickly began to reconnect as I rose to my feet. It would take a minute or two to be able to fly again.


    My many eyes glared at the shining metal figure that stood atop a pillar of stone. This was going to be difficult. The ground shifted as she moved, keeping a reasonable distance away from me. Gnome had taken on a stalling tactic of skirting around my peripheral, harassing me with harpoons of metal or just hurling cars at me. If I chased her, she fled, if I ignored her, she threw walls in my path and dug pit traps. It seems that talk of L.A. making her into a hardened veteran had not just been a simple rumor.


    Annoying.


    I was going to lose Nightmare at this rate. Like this, the little sandy headed pest was basically impossible for me to catch. At least brute strength wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with her. Perhaps my impatience was clouding my judgment a little too much. I needed to calm down a little and think it over properly. A clever ruse might turn things in my favor. I thought for a moment remembering what I could about Gnome. There was one thing that I remember rather clearly. She had PTSD. But how to exploit it? What was it that she was scared of? I believe it was fire or instead explosions wasn¡¯t it? That was undoubtedly what had set her off during the sewer incident.


    My eyes scanned the surroundings as I smacked the earthen spears away from me. They were little more than gnats to me, merely irritations. The pestering sand flea would be dealt with soon enough. There it was. My eyes honed in on the structure that I was looking for. Yes¡­ that will do nicely. With a burst of movement, I set off, veering north, away from where Nightmare was. Gnome followed, making sure that I was not just going to double back and flank from the side. I charged, smashing through ruined buildings as I approached my target. Standing tall above the ruins of the slums an old sign read ¡°GAS¡± though most of the other numbers and letters had fallen off at some point. I had seen it from the air earlier.


    The lot was mostly empty though there were several abandoned cars. I shoved them over to the pumps, shaking them to hear if there was any fuel within. Out of broken down van a family of rat people scattered, darting away into the darkness of the night screeching and screaming. It appears I had interrupted their breeding. The inside was a literal rat nest of various things dragged in. The horrid stench of piss fouled the air as I tossed the van away. I suppose they are homeless now.


    I shook my head and set back to work on my trap. Rodent free, the next several vehicles were more in line with what I had wanted. I could hear the glugging of gas sloshing in their tanks. One was empty, but that didn¡¯t matter. I tapped at the cover on the ground, tearing it and gazing down into the reservoir below. I could see the liquid glistening in the moonlight. Hehe¡­ this will certainly do nicely.


    My claws crumpled through the pumps and gasoline sprayed up onto the concrete from the broken lines. I let the gas pool. What little of it there was in the lines. I moved away from it heading farther north, my back eye watching Gnome. The moment she reached that gas station I stretched back, hurling a sedan at the pumps. She ripped it out of the air, but it still scraped across the concrete sending sparks spraying in all directions.


    The spark became a flame, and then the flame became a hell of a lot more. Fire rushed into the open ground. She didn¡¯t react fast enough and was consumed as the whole street corner exploded sending flames and spiraling shrapnel scattering in every direction. I winced holding my antennae from the deafening roar of the blast. Thick black smoke billowed out as I rushed for the downed figure. Gnome had curled up into a fetal position, shaking as she seemed lost in that fire. She meekly started to merge into the ground, trying to escape, but I didn¡¯t let her.


    My claws stabbed into the hardened concrete, ripping her out, plucking her like some fruit of the earth. My grip tightened, metal crinkling and crumpling, crushing her inside as she screamed and cried. I tore and snapped the golem in half. Gnome dangled out, limp. My mouth gaped ready to devour this little snack until I realized what I had been doing. I closed my maw after a moment. I smelled at her, listening to see if she was alive or not. I could hear breathing and a heartbeat , so she was just passed out.


    It would be a waste to eat her. Of course, it would be troublesome to bring her with me though¡­ it was a bit of a dilemma I wanted to use her as breeding stock as well. I wonder if my babies would inherit her terra kinetics? Should I just leave her here and come back for her later? No, she might get away. Oh right¡­ I had pockets now don¡¯t I.


    My stinger emerged and I sunk it into her. She screamed writhing in agony as I pumped her full of the paralytic venom. Her pained expression faded as she dangled limply. My abdomen flap lifted, and I squished her in against my soft musky flesh. It sealed shut trapping her inside. Another for my¡­ collection I suppose.


    I wiped my hands looking down at the broken golem. Now, where had that damned Nightmare run off to?

 Blood Moon Chapter 11 Interlude: Hornets Nest

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 11 Interlude: Hornet¡¯s Nest


    Nightmare sat in her room waiting. Everything was going according to plan, soon Glitter Kitten and the others would tire out Vesper. She would be lulled into a false sense of security and exhausted that was when they would strike. She simply had to bide her time.


    She glanced at the watch once more; they had been at it for hours now. Surely the wasp would be getting tired by now? It was already almost one in the morning. She was getting exhausted just from listening to the racket going on down there. A yawn crept causing her to cover her mouth and stretch her arms.


    Seriously though how long would this take? From the sounds of things down there and the way, the building was shaking from time to time things did not seem to be calming down. If anything they seemed to be getting worse, even more, heated than before.


    Animals, she thought vaguely glancing at the kittens that were huddled away from her in the corner. She tapped her fingers watching them with a slight smile ¡ª her precious merchandise. With a bit more training these little shits would be worth a lot of money. She would take her time breaking them in once things were more¡­ stable.


    Though it was safer up here, it was still both boring and nerve-wracking at the same time. If this plan failed then all the hard work she had done till now would be wasted. A terrifying thought occurred to her, what if the wasp started eating the subhumans while they had not been ordered to attack? That would undoubtedly be bad. Perhaps she should check on them just to make sure.


    A particularly loud crash came from below in the depths of that vault turned breeding pen. Yelping and screaming rose. Before more deafening thuds and the whole building shook at a steady rhythm. If what she had heard about the Blood Moon was right, then all of the Mad Dogs should be fully empowered at this point. They should be at their strongest now so subduing Vesper would be now¡­ or perhaps it would be better to wait until morning?


    She couldn¡¯t decide. Checking on things seemed to be the only way to proceed. It was stupid to blindly follow a plan if things changed for all she knew the Mad Dogs might be getting slaughtered down there and not even putting up a fight. That would be a problem since they were useful meat shields.


    Nightmare hurriedly moved down the corridors; Gnome followed clanking from the alloy surrounding her. She arrived at the vault door where Captain Metal and Disk Jockey stood guard. Disk sat with a laptop connected to the door, keeping it locked. Screeching of metal and banging rang out from the other side, someone or something was hitting against the door. Cries and growls of animals were barking and yowling over one another.


    ¡°What is wrong?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The camera got broken, so we can¡¯t see what is going on in there.¡± Said Disk.


    Hissing from what sounded like a cat fight transpired from the other side just before the door dented in. Clawing shrieked for a moment as they wearily watched the scant feet of steel that separated them from the¡­ well whatever the hell was going on in there. The shrill scream of a cat rose as though it were being skinned alive. Thrashing and desperate struggling rose before a loud thud echoed from the door and whoever it had been that was trying to escape went silent.


    Nightmare gulped. Maybe it would be better not to open that door. From the sounds of things, it was a blood bath just beyond those few feet of protective metal.


    ¡°Metal, do you think they are winning?¡±


    He looked a bit pale, ¡°Hard to tell, they haven¡¯t been talking for a while now. It is just screaming and growling and hissing. Fucking subhumans are always like this on the full moon. They are just animals, can¡¯t reason with them or talk to them.¡±


    ¡°The backup plan is ready right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the speakers are all set up in there so we can blast them.¡±


    ¡°I would rather not damage our merchandise, the dog whistle works though right?¡±


    ¡°It does, but I don¡¯t know if it will work on them at the moment. They are even less human than usual right now.¡± Metal replied.


    ¡°We will do the whistle first and have them attack the wasp. If that doesn¡¯t work, we will use the other frequency to disable them. Gnome be ready to help keep that door shut if things don¡¯t work.¡±


    They nodded. Metal nodded to Disk, and he typed in a few commands on the laptop. There was a brief pause in the racket that was echoing out from beyond the wall. The sound was ultra high frequency, beyond what humans could hear, but the subhumans heard it loud and clear. This sound had been used to train the Mad Dogs during Nightmare¡¯s stay; it was a stand down command. Things quieted; however, it didn¡¯t last long.


    Pained voices rose from the other side, and violent bashing and screeching filled the air like a tsunami of rage.


    ¡°Shit! They are breaking the speakers!¡± Shouted Captain Metal.


    Thuds rang out from the door as bodies started hurtling against it. The wall groaned from the frenzied scratching and clawing.


    ¡°Use the last resort! Knock them out!¡± Nightmare panicked.


    Disk typed, and the sound switched to a high pitched droning noise. Howls rose from beyond, and the cacophony of pained animals rose to a fevered pitch. Things started smashing inside that room. Even after several minutes, they didn¡¯t seem to calm down. Disk¡¯s face went ghostly white as he turned to speak and the noise shut off.


    ¡°They broke all the speakers.¡±


    A steady thudding rose, and they realized that it was the footsteps of something substantial. It got louder and faster, and then the vault door groaned, denting out from a blow. The four staggered as the entire building shook dust filling the air as cracks fissured all across the ceiling and walls. That door or wall for that matter would not take another hit like that.


    ¡°Gnome, collapse this corridor, it will slow them down. Hell, bring the whole fucking building down on them if you have to, stop them no matter what it takes!¡± Nightmare ordered as she ran full speed up the stairs.


    The others followed quickly behind her as Gnome raised her hands. Below the door, burst open. A body hurled clear into the stairwell. It was Den Mother who lay sprawled motionless. Black claws emerged from the destroyed frame, yellow and red dripping from them as more of the monstrous wasp woman came into view. The white face had claw marks gouged through it dribbling yellow even as they started to seal back up. Several tentacles had been torn from her head spraying yellow.


    Monster. Nightmare had seen many a monster throughout her life and the familiar sensations of shivers tingling up her back. The primal fear of a predator rose. This was the same feeling she got when in the same room as any of the other Spore Spawn. This thing might be as powerful as Mantia or maybe even Centi. Still, the wasp paled in comparison to THAT. Nothing could even come close to the apex predator. She suppressed the fear, moving with purpose through the building to get clear.


    The many eyes moved about shifted as she breathed heavily. All of them converged on Gnome who ripped her arms down collapsing the building. Gnome swam through the ground moving it before her and sending it back in place, reinforcing it before she rose up to the surface emerging from the rubble. Nightmare and the others were already fleeing. Gnome moved her hands ripping nearby buildings and compressing them down onto the ruined building.


    Her fingers mashed as she crushed and flattened, making the debris thicker and more robust. She was reinforcing it with everything that she could. She packed it in forming a concrete tomb for those trapped below. Gnome huffed as the ground shook. It wasn¡¯t enough. An arm burst free from the ground clawing and scraping. She hurled a broken down bus at it, making it bend backward with a horrendous snap. The black carapace twisted back into place unfazed as it pushed cratering the ground and dragging Vesper free.


    The massive wasp woman stood fully, towering over Gnome even with the metal golem surrounding her. Her antennae twitched as she watched Gnome the many eyes wandering past her in the direction that the others had fled. Already the tentacles that had been detached had sprouted regrowing from her overly large head. The gashes and claw marks all over the carapace sealed shut and regrew as she gazed past Gnome as though she were nothing more than an insignificant insect.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I smell you, Nightmare,¡± her face twisted into a villainous smile.


    Gnome tensed backing away, the pure bloodthirst and malice radiating out of that creature made her shiver. Slowly the eyes descended onto her as though only now realizing she was there. ¡°Gnome? Don¡¯t get in my way.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want to fight this monster, but her mind kept crushing her fear. This thing would kill Nightmare. She couldn¡¯t let that happen. Her head hurt for a moment as contrary thoughts rose. Her mind went into disarray as images from L.A. filled her eyes with the fires and screams. Her resolve focused as she eyed the black figure from her nightmares. Gnome raised her hands as all of the metal around slapped against her exterior melting and growing her protective suit.


    ¡°You will have to go through me first.¡± She said growing to match the wasp.


    ***


    The full moon draped the ruined city streets in a heinous hue of pale light. Even now the ever-present threat of the Spore loomed above, beyond the sky. Like a phantasmal jellyfish spreading its feelers in search of prey. Ghostly tendrils stretched out from the moon to catch the stars themselves. Slowly drifting in the void of space.


    Nightmare paused heaving as she bent over to catch her breath. Gnome would buy them time to escape. How much? Well, that was uncertain. Distantly she could hear the howls of crazed animal people, weapons fire, explosions, and the rumble of buildings collapsing.


    She no longer had a plan. It was beyond expectations that Vesper would have defeated the Mad Dogs and the sonic equipment destroyed. There was a backup system, but it was pretty far away. The only choice was to run.


    They continued through the Slums. Moving as quickly and quietly as they could. There were predators about. Ferals stalked these streets. The only good thing about the Blood Moon was that it made things easier to see, but that worked both ways.


    Captain Metal watched the surroundings wearily nothing seemed to stir, not even a mouse which was far better than the alternative. Pestered sounds rose from the bag on his back as it squirmed about. Their insurance policy if one of the Mad Dogs happened to come although it was unclear if it would be a good wasp deterrent.


    ¡°Where to now?¡± Asked Disk Jockey seated on a pile of debris.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Panther check-¡± started Nightmare, before stopping herself. Panther had been useful. His supposed replacement had run off to who knows where leaving her with a slight amount of regret over losing such a useful tool, ¡°Oh right. We need somewhere to hide for the night. We can¡¯t be out in the open like this.¡±


    ¡°We did clear out City Hall. We could hold out down in the basement with the backup system¡± Said Nightmare.


    ¡°Might work, best shot we got,¡± Captain Metal replied, ¡°Alright come on.¡±


    Their course changed, and the group moved northeast. The city skyline lit up beyond the dismal ruins around them. Safety, so close and yet not so safe if only they were not hunted then they could flee back to civilization. The cries of animals filled the night, and distant screams rose before fading into the lonesome streets.


    Near the city, an explosion went off. Flames tinting the surroundings orange and red. Thick black smoke billowing up. Luckily that was a reasonable distance away from where they were headed, back where they had come from. That should either draw the attention of others or scare them away. They were in the clear, or so they thought. A sensation of ice slid down Nightmare¡¯s back and she froze. She knew this feeling; something was watching them. Wearily they looked around.


    Was it merely her imagination? No, she had felt this many times before while in the presence of the bugs.


    The surrounding buildings were mostly intact, closing off avenues of escape and attack. Except for the roofs they were exposed but offered ample area to attack from. She squinted at a dark shape. After a moment she sighed, it was only a broken water tank.


    From the opposite side, rubble clattered, rolling out onto the cragged street. That was when all their eyes climbed up the tall frame of the blackened carapace to the face of bone white emerging from over the next rooftop.


    ¡°Well, well, well, look what we have here,¡± said the monstrous wasp.


    ¡°Get her!¡± Shouted Nightmare.


    Captain Metal raised his sonic emitter dialing it up to the maximum output. A compressed wave of sound shot through her. The shock wave sent Vesper reeling, holding her head as even the building below her started to vibrate. She retreated several steps as the sound warded the wasp away. It had not been enough to incapacitate her. She pulled back steadily clutching her head as blood drooled out of her mouth. Yellow trailed her as she began to run. It was working. If they could restrain her, then she could be mind controlled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her escape!¡± Ordered Nightmare pursuing with Captain Metal.


    Though Vesper was shaken and unsteady, she was still dominant, rampaging straight through a building in a bounding leap. Dust plumed out as the echo of another building crashed farther away. They slowed, unable to keep up with the six-legged monster as it scuttled away. She was too fast to pin down. The wasp had escaped.


    ¡°Damn it! We were so close.¡±


    ¡°We should leave before others are attracted to the commotion.¡± Said Disk Jockey.


    ¡°He is right. I might have one or two more minutes of power at full blast.¡± Said Captain Metal, watching the meter on the side of his weapon carefully.


    Reluctantly, Nightmare pulled back, and they continued. After minutes of withdrawing through the Slums, the ruins of City Hall loomed ahead. The relative safety within would shield them from most threats that might be lurking in the night. With the backup system they would even be able to bring down Vesper if she dared pursue them.


    The shivers returned like spiders crawling down their backs. Many eyes were watching them. Vesper had not given up and merely licked her wounds readying herself for another attack.


    A small building came hurtling from the side crashing down mere feet away from where they had abruptly stopped. If they had kept running, they would have been smears below that rubble now. An avalanche of debris blocked their path cutting off their route; they would need to find another way through. As they retreated an array of broken down cars and chunks torn from structures smashed into the road forming a mishmashed barricade. They were trapped, like fish in a barrel.


    Realizing that this would be their last stand, Nightmare took the wriggling bag from Captain Metal. It might not work, but it was still the best shot that they had to get out of this alive. They braced for the inevitable end, but it didn¡¯t come.


    She was watching them, circling with those pitch black eyes, the glaring red irises burning with malice. The three were powerless to stop her at this point. She was staying out of the sonic emitter¡¯s range. She could quickly kill them whenever she wanted merely by throwing things and yet she didn¡¯t.


    Luckily for them, Vesper didn¡¯t merely want to kill Nightmare, no, that would be too easy. Her grudge was far too deep. She wanted to torture her and inflict as much pain and suffering as she could before ending her life. Simply crushing her under a building would be too easy. This was a predator playing with its food.


    ¡°Come out you cowardly creature!¡± Shouted Captain Metal.


    She did just that. From above, the massive wasp woman slammed down between them, the asphalt rippling away from her impact. Disk was thrown into the corner slumping motionless. Nightmare ignored him there wasn¡¯t much that he could do to this thing anyway. Captain Metal fired the emitter causing her to back away several paces, hands covering her head. It was working, but why had the wasp done something so stupid as to charge at them straight on without picking Metal off first?


    The answer came with a grotesque sound. Yellow, ichor flowed from her head, and she dropped two long noodle like things that wiggled on the ground. She had dismembered herself¡­ but why? Then it dawned on them as a look of horror covered both Nightmare and Metal¡¯s faces. She had ripped out her antennae to deafen herself. No longer affected by the sound She stood upright. Her eyes wide open filled with rage.


    She lunged forward, swiping with her talons and Captain Metal¡¯s legs splattered against the wall. His top half slopped onto the ground as blood and gore covered the cold asphalt. His face had gone white in a moment as he stared in disbelief. Red spittle erupted from his mouth as he coughed and wheezed. He grits his teeth staring Vesper down.


    He managed to choke out ¡°Damned Subhuman. I should have¡­ killed yo-¡±


    The shock faded as he bled out all too quickly. Captain Metal slumped dead. Vesper poked at him seemingly dissatisfied. She stepped on his body crushing it.


    Nightmare brandished the bag between them with a handgun pointed at it, ¡°I will kill it so back off! I will; I swear I will put a bullet in this little shit¡¯s head!¡±


    ¡°Is he dead? Pathetic. It is a shame I won¡¯t hear your pathetic begging or smell your fear either. Well, I will be sure to keep you alive for later,¡± said Vesper looking away from Captain Metal¡¯s body, tilting her head slightly in puzzlement as she gazed at Nightmare¡¯s strange behavior.


    She hadn¡¯t heard a word of the desperate threat. The clawed foot stepped forward, dragging some of what remained of Captain metal with it. Nightmare took several steps back, cornered against a wall. Realizing that no amount of shouting would work, she pulled the bag down, freeing what was inside. Vesper stopped, staring at the kitten who looked around crying. It was Snowball.


    ¡°That is rather underhanded of you,¡± stated the looming wasp. ¡°As expected of you I suppose.¡±


    Nightmare¡¯s confidence began to return seeing the hesitation. She sensed weakness, motioning with the gun in an attempt to convey her will. The moment that she did a tentacle lashed out wrapping her arm and yanking her so hard it dislocated and broke her stance causing her to fall over. Another coiled around the other arm and lifted Nightmare as yet another pulled the kitten away to safety.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you screaming like this,¡± said Vesper picking up her discarded antennae and reattaching them. After a few moments, they wiggled about, ¡°Ahhh much better. What a lovely smell. The stench of prey. I never wanted to hurt anyone nearly as much as I do you. Go on, let me taste your suffering. Scream for me.¡±


    The wet tongue slapped against Nightmare¡¯s face as she quivered staring into the abyss that was those eyes. Despite her struggling, there was no escape from those powerful limbs. Vesper¡¯s mouth gaped as her hot breath washed over Nightmare causing her to go green. Her left arm was pulled into that maw as she watched in horror as the mandibles bit into her flesh. Bones snapped instantly, crunching and tearing as blood spilled out. Pain shot up as she screamed thrashing as those pitiless eyes mocked her.


    Vesper sighed, relishing in the agonized face of her prey, watching as she gasped and squirmed, screaming incoherently. Nightmare reached for the mask like face, desperate to use her power. The tentacle tugged back snapping her arm in half. It bent the wrong way dangling as Nightmare cried and her voice broke. She was shivering as her stump flowed with blood.


    Vesper mocked her, ¡°Uh uh uh. Did you really think I would let you? Is this it? Is this really it? I am¡­ disappointed. To think someone as pathetic as you tortured my friends and killed them. Sunshine and Chief. They deserved so much better. It should have been you to die that day. Weak. You are nothing. You are even worse than a bottom feeder. A parasite. I am going to make your life a living hell.¡±


    The world tinted and eventually turned black as the blood loss took hold of Nightmare.

 Blood Moon Chapter 12

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 12


    It was oddly satisfying to get my hands on Nightmare finally. This was a new side of me that I had never known, the darker side, twisted and depraved, sadistic and maniacal. I liked it. The feeling of literally holding life in my hands and knowing that at any moment, I could crush it like an insect. She must not have high pain tolerance, passing out after only an arm being torn off and the other broken. I had been planning to taunt her more¡­ well, there will be plenty of time for that later.


    The stump bled profusely. At this rate, she would bleed out soon. My thick clawed fingers peeled off some of the fabric from her costume and tied the stump tightly to restrict blood flow. It wouldn¡¯t due to let her die. She had to suffer for what she has done. I won¡¯t let her die until I am satisfied.


    The smell of blood permeated this place as I glanced over the pulped remains of Captain Metal. Nothing. I felt no strong emotions over what I had done. Not regret, not sadness, not even pleasure. A part of me had the thought that he was likely controlled like the others, perhaps outside of Nightmare¡¯s influence, he might have been a decent man. I suppose he was a victim in this as well. As quickly as that thought came, it was drowned.


    The flickering lights of Disk¡¯s costume led me over to him. He didn¡¯t appear to be too hurt, though his suit was broken and torn in places. All the gadgets and stuff were cracked and malfunctioning. My lower fingers coiled around him and picked him up. He was a nice kid, a little shy, but he certainly didn¡¯t deserve to die here because of Nightmare.


    ¡°Crikey! You sure did grow, didn¡¯t you? Hard to imagine a month did that to you. You really took these wankers to destination fucked,¡± said a voice that I had not heard in a while.


    I turned to find that weirdo from the sewers. She was all smiles, even laughing a little. The brown skin looked a little lighter under the moonlight. She was a lot more skimpy than I recalled, then again last I had seen her she was in a swat suit. Tight light-brown shorts and even her shirt was rather short as well revealing the midriff. Over her ample mounds were pockets.


    What was her name? It took a moment, but I remembered. Sheila. The self-proclaimed mutant hunter herself had shown up. Another strange person has decided to bother me.


    ¡°Can I help you, or do you just enjoy showing up, uninvited?¡± I said, gazing down at her, ¡°Last I recall you ditched me.¡±


    ¡°You are the one who ran off,¡± She rubbed her neck, ¡°Well I do certainly like popping out and spooking people. Ah, but that not what I came here for this time.¡±


    My antennae raised slightly, ¡°Oh, and what did you come here for.¡±


    ¡°For that,¡± she said, pointing to the maimed woman in my hand.


    ¡°And why should I give you my new toy?¡± I pointedly stared down at her.


    Sheila wagged her hand, dismissively, ¡°I don¡¯t want that cunt, but the boss does so I will be taking her off of your hands for now.¡±


    ¡°Boss?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, nasty little munchkin about this tall and likes to beat people with turnips.¡± Said Sheila shivering a little.


    ¡°Ah¡­ you have experienced the turnips as well I see,¡± I nodded in understanding. ¡°What does Molotov want with her?¡±


    The one-eyed woman shrugged, ¡°Interrogate her most likely. A high up Chimera cunt like that likely knows all the wibbly diddleys.¡±


    I didn¡¯t particularly want to get in a fight with Molotov, especially when it sounds like Nightmare is going to get the turnip treatment although that didn¡¯t mean that I trusted Sheila as far as I could throw her. As I thought it over, an explosion reverberated in the direction of the city. Sirens and weapons fire erupted as distant echoes. It seems the Mad Dogs were getting into a lot of trouble.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you enough that I will hand her over. I think I will hand her off, personally.¡±


    ¡°Oh I see, no worries there mate, oh ah could you drop me off back at base? Kinda a long walk.¡±


    ¡°Take you back? Weren¡¯t you going to carry Nightmare back?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but If I don¡¯t gotta, then why would I make things more of a hassle? Besides it, not every day one gets to ride on a giant fuck me off wasp now is it?¡±


    I tilted my head slightly, ¡°Are you coming on to me?¡±


    She seemed confused for a moment, ¡°Eh¡­ oh no. I eh not into bugs. I mean I like animals, but I am not that into animals, you know? It is just a turn of phrase.¡±


    ¡°So, you are saying I am an animal?¡±


    ¡°You sure as fuck, not human now is you?¡± Sheila said, nodding to herself.


    I squinted at her, ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    She didn¡¯t appear to be upset or dodgy about it, so she most likely was telling the truth.


    ¡°Alright get on,¡± I said, lowering a hand for her to get into.


    She tentatively stepped into it, unsure for a moment before I let the fingers wrap around her snuggly.


    ¡°Oi! This ain¡¯t what I imagined!¡±


    ¡°Unless you like tentacles, then just shut up and be still.¡±


    Her protests lowered. I looked about to see if there was anything I had missed. Only the bloodied remains of Captain Metal lay to the side all mashed and squished. My grip reaffirmed on Nightmare¡¯s limp body even as blood drizzled from her stump. Xava will have to do a better job at that than I did.


    My orange membranes vibrated and spread fully, flapping until they generated lift. The familiar buzzing noise rose as we took off over the desolate slum streets.


    Distantly the city was alive with lights and sounds, the flashing of sirens and the glare of fires. The Mad Dogs had undoubtedly gotten themselves into trouble. Animalist howls called to one another as they scurried about the streets below. Cars clogged streets where they had swerved and crashed into one another. Normies were running about, fleeing as best they could as those in the back were picked off, Subhumans pouncing on them.


    I would deal with that in a bit, for now, I flew past the commotion letting the screams die down as my lair soon came into view. Slowly we descended, and I entered into the parking garage. Machines greeted me with miniguns pointed in my direction. There were a good number of them patrolling about the floor.


    After a moment they lowered their weapons, and the door opened, allowing me into the elevator. Xava was waiting within that brightly lit room. Her usually plastic smile met me as I entered. One of my tentacles lightly slathered her in an affectionate rub.


    ¡°From the sounds of things out there, it seems you had a lot of fun tonight.¡± She said, looking up at me, her eyes glancing over those in my hands, ¡°Seems you have brought back souvenirs as well. Care to fill me in?¡±


    The elevator began to descend with the brief moment of weightlessness, ¡°It certainly was a good time, well up until this bitch made the Mad Dogs go crazy. Ah speaking of which, make sure she doesn¡¯t die, Molotov wants her.¡±


    Neon Nurse thought it over for a moment nodding, ¡°If Molotov wants her, then we will have to comply. Personally, I would rather kill her and be done with it. Speaking of which¡­ what is Sheila doing here?¡±


    ¡°Eh, I thought you would know? Apparently, Molotov sent her to get Nightmare.¡± I said.


    Seeing both of us looking at her questioningly, Sheila spoke up, ¡°I was the insurance policy to make sure things went smoothly, just in case you went and got yourself mind controlled.¡±


    It was at this moment, something clicked. ¡°You knew. Wait, did you know as well Xava?¡±


    ¡°Know what?¡± both of them asked.


    I crossed my arms, ¡°That Nightmare was with the Mad Dogs.¡±


    ¡°I knew she was in the Slums. I did not know she was hiding under the Mad Dog¡¯s roof.¡± Said Xava.


    ¡°Ah, Molotov figured it out last time Glitter Kitten reported in.¡± Nodded Sheila.


    ¡°Why is it that no one seems to think that I need to know these things?¡± I asked, glaring at them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me,¡± said Xava, ¡°I was ordered not to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You will have to ask Molotov about that. I don¡¯t know.¡±


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    I spit on the floor, grumbling, ¡°I am getting tired of being used as bait. I would at least like to know if I am going into a dangerous situation or not.¡±


    A little robot emerged wiping the viscous fluid off of the floor as Xava wagged her finger at me, ¡°Vesper, it is bad to spit on the floor.¡±


    I snarled back, ¡°Well, excuse me! I am in a bad mood. I got cockblocked, some crazy animal bitch ripped my ovipositor off, I just found out some of my friends have been mind controlled, tortured, and have now gone insane, and I find out I am lied to almost all the time. Why the fuck would I be in a good mood? I still have to go back out there and beat my friends into submission before they kill too many people or get killed themselves.¡±


    ¡°Your ovipositor has been removed?¡± Xava asked, rather distressed.


    ¡°It will grow back. Do not worry. You will get your eggs Incubator. Though I should probably punish you for lying to me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie to you.¡±


    ¡°You did. An omission is lying. I could have gotten killed or something today. From now on, tell me everything you know. Understood?¡±


    Xava looked at the floor, before nodding, ¡°Understood¡­ my Queen.¡±


    My anger simmered down a bit, and I idly pat her head. Overall it wasn¡¯t her fault. Even I was scared of Molotov, so it was understandable that she would follow orders. Still, it seems me and Molotov were going to have to talk after this gets sorted out.


    The door opened ahead of us, and I stepped out, followed by Xava. Ahead there were a few of her other bodies waiting for us. I handed off Nightmare to their waiting arms, and they carried her off for medical attention. Instead of returning to my room next we arrived at one of the other unoccupied rooms. After entering my abdomen cracked open and out flopped Gnome. She lay twitching and spasming on the floor. Her body covered in slimy condensation from being held within my carapace for so long.


    Xava looked her over before gazing up at me, ¡°What did you have planned with her?¡±


    ¡°Restrain her for now. I will lay eggs in her later.¡± I said, already leaving the room.


    ¡°As you desire,¡± she said binding the paralyzed woman¡¯s limbs and sedating her.


    Next, we arrived at another room. I left Disk Jockey laying on the floor, ¡°Keep him sedated for now since he might be able to influence your systems. I know that everything in here is automated so better safe than sorry.¡±


    Xava removed all of his gear stripping him naked in case he had any gadgets hidden on him. She tied him up as well as binding his arms and legs so that he could not move.


    ¡°What did you plan to do with him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I will figure something out after things calm down.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    A trembling came from atop my head, and I remembered the passenger that was coiled up there. Snowball. I returned to my room, walking over to my bed. The tentacles lowered down the kitten onto the soft bedding. My hand pet her a few times until she calmed down a bit, stretching and purring as she got comfortable.


    ¡°That is it. Just stay here. Keep her company. I am going to go get her mother.¡± I said, standing.


    ¡°Understood,¡± replied Xava setting one of the other bodies to the task of pampering the kitten, ¡°Was there anything else, Vesper?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ ah, restrain Sheila for now. I don¡¯t trust her. If she really does work for Molotov, then we will find out soon enough.¡±


    Xava pulled out her syringe gun, ¡°Acknowledged.¡±


    ¡°OI! I am on your side!¡± Raised Sheila as she tried to escape, but my fingers held firm despite me not being able to see her any longer.


    ¡°I am not taking chances,¡± I replied.


    Xava approached and pushed the needle into thin air. After a moment the mutant hunter materialized collapsed and I handed her off. Vaguely I stood there rubbing my chin as I thought things over. Was there anything I was forgetting? Nightmare, Gnome, Sheila, Snowball, and Disk were all taken care of. Which only left the Mad Dogs for now. I am pretty sure Den Mother is still passed out so then it is just Glitter Kitten and Thumper I have to worry about¡­ although Thumper had a broken leg, so it is really just Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°Xava.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What is the best way to catch a Speedy Super?¡±


    She started thinking, ¡°Hmm well, that would depend. Ice works well; something very sticky can slow them down and even get them stuck.¡±


    ¡°I see. Do we have anything like that?¡±


    ¡°I have some sticky grenades left over from Chief. I take it you will try to restrain Glitter Kitten?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, can I get some of your sedative syringes as well?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Xava handing over a syringe gun. It held ten shots in it. So I would have to use them wisely.


    ¡°How many of these will it take to bring her down?¡±


    ¡°One. Those are the extra strength ones I use on you, after all.¡± Xava smiled.


    ¡°Oh bring me a large metal box, balls of yarn, and a laser pointer,¡± I said, thinking of things that I could use against Glitter Kitten.


    Another Neon Nurse arrived carrying a utility belt. The middle pocket had sticky grenades. The other items were in the other pockets. I tightened it around my upper right arm like a bandoleer. It certainly would not fit around my hips. My bottom left hand had the syringe gun ready to be used. It appeared that I was prepared for the confrontation.


    ¡°Ah¡­ would you happen to know where Glitter Kitten is?¡±


    Xava tapped her temple. Her eyes moving left and right as she looked over various camera feeds throughout the city. After a minute of silence, she returned to her senses, ¡°She appears to be in the Down Town area, attacking people in the Plaza. The cyber swat teams are dealing with the rest, but those two are beyond their capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I will leave the rest to your guys.¡±


    ***


    The Plaza expanded out below me. The area had no normies running about; everybody had taken shelter. Those who had not were already dead. Thrashed bodies laid strewn about the place with streak marks of blood zigzagging across the hard concrete. Vaguely I could see a few places where the walls were dented in from a person being thrown or dragged up the side blood splattering behind.


    It was a grizzly sight that I was not accustomed to. I had always heard that the Blood Moon was terrible and dangerous, but this was the first time I saw it first hand. I thought that they were just horny animals though, I wonder why they are killing instead of trying to mate? Likely has to do with what Nightmare did to them.


    My many eyes scanned about searching for my quarry, however, the area was still, save a broken fire hydrant that sprayed water up and the flickering of a cracked mega Tron screen attached to the movie theater across the street from me. She had to be here somewhere. While I would prefer a sneak attack, it seems I would have to lure her out.


    I lowered to the ground level by the destroyed fountain in the middle of the Plaza. I tapped my utility belt, and pulled out the large box, set it to the side. I got the laser pointer into my lower right hand and held the yarn balls in my right hand. I was ready to capture the cat¡­ I think.


    My eyes gaped for movement in all directions as I yelled, ¡°Glitter Kitten! Get out here!¡±


    My voice echoed out into silence, after a brief moment movement drew my attention behind me, to the movie theater. Windows shattered on the upper floors as something was quickly moving about within. With the glass, people were falling as well, flailing and screaming through the air before thudding onto the concrete below.


    I approached, looking over the bodies all of them had claw marks and bites tearing through their flesh. Some had even been cut in half or were missing limbs. My wings beat as I rose up to the floor where the outburst had happened. Awaiting me was Glitter Kitten crouched and ready to attack. She pounced out like bottled lightning, tackling into me. Her hulking claws sheered through the orange membrane cutting off one of my wings.


    She kicked off of me, lunging several rooftops over as I spiraled out of the air. I shook off the blow rising to my feet and stared her down. Glitter Kitten had gotten larger. She was at least a foot taller, all of her limbs were thicker with hardened muscles, her fur had grown out a few inches, and the huge bloodshot eyes gaped like emeralds glistening in the night. Red bubbles drooled from her mouth as she snarled at me.


    I threw the yarn ball between us, and she darted, tackling it so hard and fast it got obliterated. Uh oh¡­ ok, ok, round two. I tossed the second one right in front of me. In a flash, she pounced it tearing into it with her claws. I lunged down, trying to get a hold of her and she bolted away, leaving a trail of broken concrete.


    It appears that she attacks anything that moves. She is reactionary, which means I can use that against her. I clicked the laser pointer, and the red dot came to life. Her head snapped instantly in the direction of the spot. She hunched over, wiggling her tail as she watched. She stalked the dot on all fours scurrying about the Plaza chasing it as I moved it. She pounced several times, crushing the ground as I made the dot flee. Her tail was thrashing by this point as she snarled getting irritated. She moved faster and faster bounding after it to the point I was having problems keeping it ahead of her.


    I brought it back to me right in front, my arm ready to stab her with the syringe gun when she pounced it. The blur of a cat jumped the dot, and I struck down. It pierced her back, but she recoiled, taking my whole hand off as she slammed into a building across from me. Dust filled the air as it collapsed. She didn¡¯t get a full dose, of that I am sure. She appeared again on another rooftop, glaring down at me.


    Her body vibrated, and she flickered, moving so fast it barely registered. In a moment she closed the gap between us and jumped onto my back. Her claws stabbed into my carapace as she climbed up. My tentacles attacked her, trying to wrap her up as I twisted, reaching for the feline. Her claws ripped through the muscled appendages severing several before more managed to grasp her arms.


    She kicked off of my spine, using it as a springboard. She darted away before I could get a proper hold on her. I watched her circling, attempting to formulate some sort of strategy to bring me down in that primitive mind she currently had. She moved again, attacking from the side. Her claws left gouges in my carapaces and yellow spilling out for several seconds before the hardened shell would close up again.


    Glitter Kitten was far too fast for me. I could see her blurred movements, but I could not react quickly enough. Like a whirlwind of claws and teeth, she swept by tearing and cutting at me. She retreated as I shook off her trifling attacks. I think that she was trying to do the death by a thousand cuts type of thing. Unfortunately for her minor wounds heal almost instantly. She might be scissors, but I am the rock. She would have to do something grievous to even leave a dent in me.


    While she hesitated, I reattached the tentacles and wing that she had removed. Seeing the damage that she had just inflicted be negated, the cat became even more cautious. Or perhaps she was getting tired out. Hmm, this certainly does remind me of being a cat owner and trying to hold a kitty that didn¡¯t want to be held. This was going to be a battle of endurance between the pet owner and the stubborn feline that doesn¡¯t want to be loved.


    Was she perhaps not completely stupid like this? Well, that is not good. I was banking on her being in a blind rage to fall into my trap.


    I tapped the belt, opening it and pulling out several grenades. I tossed them on the ground, and they burst coating the area like a fly trap. I stood in the middle of the sticky stuff so that she would have to go through it to get to me. She growled, circling like a predator.


    ¡°Come here little kitty, kitty, kitty~¡± I said, trying to provoke her or even coax her over.


    Her movements had dulled, either due to fatigue or more likely the sedative. She flanked from the side charging at me before leaping over the goo, claws out. My hands rose to keep her from my face. The ferocious feline bounced off, leaving several deep cuts that began to close on my arms. She landed and spun, nearly falling over, her balance was off now. The drugs were definitely starting to take effect.


    Glitter Kitten panted, drooling as she frothed. Her eyes focused in on me as she started to move again. She gained momentum and hurtled at me. She was slow enough now that I could adequately react to her. My body braced for impact, and all four of my hands caught her mid-air. My abdomen lunged up, stabbing my stinger into her as she screamed and raved, struggling to escape. Her claws raking and ripping as she bit and yowled like a feral beast. The venom sac pulsed and she writhed as my stinger injected her.


    Her final resistance culminated in a burst of movement. She had broken free from my grasp, but she didn¡¯t get far. Her foot had gotten stuck in the sticky goo. She yanked as I watched it stretched and break. She stumbled, retreating and falling over several times until she was crawling away. Glitter Kitten drug herself to the side of the box and slumped into it, curling up. Finally, I had subdued the cat.


    I picked the box up covering it to take my kitty home. This was certainly an ordeal. I looked about at the carnage that had been wrought. My lips curled into a frown. This didn¡¯t feel like a victory.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you home before you can get into any more trouble,¡± I said as my wings flapped.

 Blood Moon Chapter 13

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 13


    Since I had Neutralized Glitter Kitten, the Cyber Swat were able to contain and sedate the rest of the Mad Dogs. The city was alive and teeming with lights and sounds, besides the occasional crack of a weapon discharging the night had returned to an ordinary evening. The howls had died down, and the screams faded. However, there was one utterly silent place, the dead zone, or rather the former Hero League HQ. The crater dented in forming a bowl of darkness with the single high point in the middle, a pillar of silvered light that haunted me even now.


    My eyes wandered into the crisp night sky, watching the Spore. On nights like this when the moon was full, the splendor of that alien entity could be seen on full display. The tendrils slowly drifting through the stars. I found it rather beautiful, like an ethereal jellyfish.


    The Spore. Everyone always seemed so bent out of shape over that thing. From what I had heard, it didn''t pose too much of a threat to us. It was not compatible with our atmosphere and as such stayed out there in space. There were a couple of instances where pieces of it came down, probing, testing I suppose. I wonder what it wants? Is it even intelligent, or does it merely drift through space? Asking Dr. Arbor seems like the best way to find out.


    I yawned, banking down to the small plateau in the center of the crater.


    Perhaps I was getting sentimental, or I was just plain tired. Likely both. My wings carried me to that upraised ground. Like a moth I was drawn to it. I sat upon the pillar, leaning back so that I lay gazing up at the sea of stars above. A low thud rose from the box set to my side. With a deep breath, I sighed, reaching up to hold that thing that had replaced the moon.


    "It is me again, Sunshine. I should have come to visit earlier. I¡­ I miss you." I said to no one in particular, "I got her. Finally, I got Nightmare for you. I know you probably wouldn''t have wanted me to, but I am going to make her pay for what she has done."


    Silence answered me, but then again, I was not expecting a reply, "I, well, I am pushing forward, dragging myself along. I don''t know if I am doing the right thing; everything is not so cut and dry anymore. I don''t think I can make the world a better place, not¡­ not like you could."


    I was quiet for a long while staring at nothing in particular. The stars were surprisingly bright with the absence of the city lights. My eyes watered a little, and the feelers wiped away the tears. Slowly a smile rose on my face. It won''t do to be depressed.


    "I got bigger now, you know? Started laying eggs, started a family with Xava. We are going to get married and stuff, but I don''t know if there will be a ceremony. My eggs are adorable, they are real hug-able. I can''t wait for them to hatch. I wonder if they will be larva or little wasp girls running around? Regardless, I bet they would have loved to play with you.


    "I am glad. Glad that you were in my life, even if it was all too brief; even if it hurts and stings. You took up more room in me than I ever imagined and now there is a hole in me that I don''t think will ever be filled. I am sure you would just make a rainbow or make it rain kittens, and everything would be alright, but I, I can''t do that. I am only good at pushing through the pain. And so I will.


    "Am I doing the right thing? The more that I walk this path, the less human I feel. My thoughts are getting more deranged¡­ more inhuman. I miss you, Sunshine, you were my only real friend. You would always brighten up my day and make me remember why I even bothered to deal with all this hero stuff. You never wanted anything from me; there was no ulterior motive¡­ you were just there, smiling, always smiling.


    "I am tired, Sunshine. And I know the path before me is dark and bloody¡­ I can feel that it will be vicious and cruel. I know that people are going to die, that I am going to kill people and they are going to try to kill the ones I love and me. But I am not so weak anymore. I won''t let them take from me ever again. I will protect those that I love."


    My claws clenched as I sat up. Slowly I picked up the box and stood, giving the moon a final gaze. It seemed so surreal. So calm and quiet.


    "I should be going now. I will visit again. Next time I think I will bring my children to show you and I will tell them all about you."


    My wings spread, and with a flap, the city became small ¡ª the cars and people little more than specks. The whistling of the wind drowned out the sound of the world below. Flying was undoubtedly calming, I should do this more often.


    Idly I circled about until a yawn made my jaws gape. Distantly the fingertips of dawn crested over the horizon. The fatigue washed over me as the adrenaline and endorphins had fully subsided. I glided along until my nest was in sight. I think that I deserved a good long rest. I would deal with the aftermath of this after I woke up.


    ***


    I awoke in my room, groggily looking about. Xava was here, as always by my side while I was home, Snowball lazily napped in her lap. My many eyes scanned the room, but Glitter Kitten was not here. Perplexed I looked over to Xava.


    "Where is Glitter Kitten?" I asked.


    Xava hesitated for a moment, "She is¡­ in a containment cell at the moment."


    One of my antennae dipped, "Why?"


    "She appears to have gone feral."


    "What? How?! The Blood Moon is over so she should be just fine."


    "It is not just her; most of the Mad Dogs have lost their minds."


    My mind raced as I stood, "Show me."


    She escorted me along to the floor above the one that I inhabited. Here was like almost every other level of the installation. A long corridor with branching multipurpose rooms. We entered one towards the middle to find Den Mother, Thumper, Glitter Kitten, and many others held in small clear cylinders. They were thoroughly restrained, but even like this, each of them was violently bashing about inside.


    Xava motioned to the animal women. "They have been like this ever since the sedatives wore off. As to the cause, I am unsure. Though I suspect that this is Nightmare''s doing."


    I frowned, "I see¡­ and where is Nightmare currently?"


    "She is imprisoned nearby."


    "Take me to her."


    Xava nodded, "As you wish."


    We arrived at a door several rooms down. Xava leaned in, looking at the panel. After a moment her eyes flashed, and the door opened. Within was a spacious white room devoid of furniture or anything except the slumped figure of a woman. Nightmare lay on the floor, apparently asleep. My clawed foot shoved her over, rolling her as I stared down at the pitiful creature.


    "Wake up."


    "Who? Wha- What do you want?!" she seemed slightly startled and slurred her words. She squirmed, struggling meekly against the restraints that held her legs together and her arm behind her back.


    "What did you do to the Mad Dogs?"


    "Ohhoho, wouldn''t you like to know," she mocked back.


    "Yes, I would. Now tell me what you did before I start to get angry."


    She sneered, "Come to me for help? You are dumber than I thought. You are just going to kill me if I fix it."


    "I see," I said, sitting down and leaning in. Why did I even bother trying to reason with this despicable person?


    I freed her hand, pinning it to the floor. My fingers held her pointer finger, and I slowly began to pull. It took a moment before a pop rose, after another, a grotesque snap echoed, and her screaming filled the room. I continued pulling until a wet ripping noise made her cries of agony twice as loud. I set her finger before her, showing her what she was in for and moved to the next.


    "WAIT! Stop! STOP! I will talk, I will talk, just please not my hand." She wailed shivering as blood spurt from her torn open socket, the bone dyed red.


    "Go on," I said, "What did you do to them?"


    "I think a command got broken in their minds and it is causing this."


    "Then fix it."


    She quivered, eyes looking at the floor. "I- I can''t. Once a mind gets jumbled, it is easier to break them down and rebuild them."


    "I see," I said, my claw stabbing into her finger and slowly working it back and forth until it tore off.


    She squealed rolling on the floor as I smiled darkly, she cried, "Why?! I, I answered your question!"


    "Xava, make sure she doesn''t bleed to death. Molotov wanted her alive. Speaking of which where is Molotov, I have something that I need to discuss with her."


    "Molotov is in the gathering hub with her mercenaries," replied Xava, "I will lead you there."


    We left Nightmare to mourn the loss of her fingers. I smiled, seeing her pained expression, slowly licking my lips as I imagined eating her arm and legs. She is lucky Molotov wanted her or else I already would have started. I want to think I am rather laid back, but when it comes to that bitch, well the gloves come off. She had long since worn my good will thin.


    Xava''s installation was very refined and had a clean layout. The gathering hub seemed to be where visitors assembled, and it doubled as an expansive staging area. There were crates and boxes stacked neatly in rows along one of the walls. Opposite those, heavily armored tanks were parked in a line. I was not sure exactly what type they were, but they didn''t seem normal. Each of them had what appeared to be a rail gun as the main canon.


    Walking among all of these were black-suited figures. It took a short moment to remember who these people were, the familiar emblem of a wolf adorned their chests and shoulders. These were Molotov''s super soldiers. As I looked about a couple more images became prevalent, a cobra and a mongoose. So that meant that Molotov had three of her teams here at the moment.


    I didn''t see an evil little girl anywhere. My eyes scanned the area to no avail until I looked up. There was a smaller observation room overlooking the warehouse. Xava continued, and I followed her. Some of the super soldiers paused to watch me for a moment, before resuming what they had been doing. We entered a stairwell. I had to squeeze a little since it had not been designed for a woman of my magnitude. I wriggled my way up, and the room opened up.


    A long dark wood table adorned the middle of the room with leather seats positioned around it. Expansive glass windows overlooked the previous room. A dark reflection in the window made me realize that someone was standing by the chair looking out. A little girl in a black spy suit shifted, her long blonde hair swaying with her head. It was Molotov, who turned to face us.


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    "Ah, there you are little wasp. Da, you has done good. I am most pleased. I believe that you should be rewarded for capturing Nightmare."


    I rubbed my head a little, "Oh, really? What sort of reward?


    She thought, rubbing her chin, "Hmm what indeed. Did you have any requests?"


    "I-" I started and stopped. I put aside my rambling thoughts and focused on what was important, "Glitter Kitten and the Mad Dogs have gone crazy."


    Her face scrunched up a little as her deep voice grated, "Da, so I have heard."


    "Do you know of any way to fix them?"


    Her face turned a little green, "Da, I do. Though I would prefer not to get involved with that person."


    I approached her, "Who? You know someone who can help?"


    "Da¡­ but there is no guarantee they will even come."


    I lowered my head, "Please, at least try to get them to help. They don''t deserve what Nightmare did to them."


    Molotov had a sour look on her face like she had swallowed a nasty bug, "I will see what I can do. But no guarantees."


    "Really? Thank you. Oh, who is it by the way?" I asked, having kept myself from attempting to hug her since undoubtedly I would get smacked for my trouble.


    "The Sanguine Puppeteer."


    The Sanguine- Oh¡­ "HUH?! The, the Sanguine Puppeteer as in the rank 10? As in the leader of Kraken, most wanted person on the planet and most evil of evils?"


    "Da, that be the one."


    I glanced at Xava, "Maybe we could try somebody else, right? I mean we don''t need to bother somebody like that, I am sure they are busy already."


    "Unfortunately, they are the only one within our organization that can undo mind control of this magnitude. There are not too many Mind Divers of the caliber needed. Usually, I kill anyone who is compromised; for this very reason, it is hard to deal with."


    "I, I see. When do you think they can come?" I asked.


    Molotov thought for a moment, staring back out the window, "I am unsure. Sanguine Puppeteer is very eccentric. Depending on its mood, we might be fortunate enough to be graced by its presence."


    "That is the best that we can ask for I suppose."


    Molotov nodded, "Indeed. I will notify you if there is an update."


    "That is appreciated. So what are you going to do with Nightmare?"


    Molotov smiled broadly, and shivers scurried through my body, causing the armor plates to shift slightly, "Da, she and Mr. Incentive will become best of pals. I intend to extract as much information about Chimera''s operations as possible."


    I nodded, "That is more or less what I thought you would do. Can I have her once you have finished?"


    Molotov raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Going to kill her yourself?"


    "No, I was going to experiment a bit with her."


    "What sort?"


    "I was going to fill her with eggs after torturing her. Use her as breeding stock."


    She seemed thoughtful on it, "I suppose you deserve it. Very well once I am finished with her, she is all yours."


    "Thank you."


    "Don''t mention it."


    The business was more or less sorted, though it felt as though I forgot something. Ah, "Oh right, I caught Sheila as well. She works for you now?"


    Molotov chuckled a little, "Da. She does, indeed. Broke her in myself."


    I smiled slightly, nervously, "I see. I wasn''t sure if she could be trusted, so we locked her up too."


    "Understandable, especially with a sneak like her. But she is on our side."


    I turned to Xava nodding, "Release her. I will apologize later, I suppose."


    "As you wish," she replied.


    "Will that be all then?" asked Molotov.


    I thought on it, "I think it is."


    "Very well. I will contact you if or when the Puppeteer answers."


    With nothing more to do, we returned to my room to wait.


    ***


    The wait was oddly short. It only took three hours for Molotov to call me to her office. It seemed that the Puppeteer had heard about what I did. Slowly I opened the door after hesitating for a good minute.


    "I have been expecting you, Vesper." Said Molotov facing away from me in a tall standing chair.


    "The Puppeteer, where are they?" I said, somewhat confused since I did not smell anyone else in the room with us.


    The chair swiveled around slowly, and a masked face stared back at me. The mask had many eyes circling the three large eyes that were predominate above the deranged smile.


    It was a strange get up to be sure. But I feel like I had seen it before.


    "Why, yes. You should feel grateful that the magnificent me has decided to humor your plea."


    "What is with the outfit, Molotov?" I asked.


    "... Vesper¡­ slow as ever. This body is but one of many. I am merely borrowing it for convenience sake."


    I paused for a long moment, "What happened to Molotov then?"


    The Puppeteer rest her head to one side against her hand, lazily looking at me. The cat that Molotov carried around lounged on the desk between us.


    "He is here. But enough about my toy. So I hear you have captured a rather annoying fly."


    I gulped, "I, I did?."


    "Nightmare. I speak of that¡­ fool."


    "Oh, I see. So it was you that wanted her then?"


    The head shook, "No, I care little for the affairs of mortals. However, it is best to reward those who do good work. I will grant you a favor."


    I paused, "A favor?"


    "Yes, just about anything you could want. Go on, then, tell me what you desire."


    Where to even start? It was a bit out of the blue, but things such as metric shit tons of money or all the food I could ever eat for the rest of my life.


    I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Those sounded nice, but not what I needed. It was a distraction from why I even bothered to get this person''s attention.


    "My friends were mind controlled. I want you to undo what has happened to them."


    "How selfless of you, using this once in a lifetime opportunity for others. I would be proud if we weren''t villains. Are you sure you don''t want to satiate your worldly desires? I could make all your dreams come true."


    Damn, that was tempting¡­ "I- I am. Save my friends."


    The Puppeteer made a tch sound as though disappointed, "Very well then. Ah, little Nightmare''s work. Her efforts are mere child''s play to me. However, the mind does not work how you seem to think it does. It is not a matter of undoing something, but rather overwriting it. Reformatting if you will."


    "So you can fix them?"


    "That depends on your definition of fix. I will have to destroy in order to create. It will change them, bending them to my will."


    "What will you destroy?"


    "That would depend on the extent of Nightmare''s influence."


    I let out a sigh, "Thank you."


    "At least you have manners. That being said, I do not work for free."


    "Oh, eh¡­ I thought this was a favor?"


    "Hmm, you want me to fix a few hundred people. That is a lot of work considering you don''t want the easy way."


    "Easy way?"


    "Yes, obliterating the old personality and replacing it as I see fit. Instead, you want me to salvage damaged goods."


    "Yes."


    She tapped at the mask, thinking, "Hmm it will cost you a bit. For starters, how about you get on your knees and show me how much you want this?"


    What choice did I really have?


    I got on my knees, and she sat on the desk, slowly taking off her shoes and the black laces stocking ¡ª the pale, soft little foot presented before me.


    "Lick."


    I hesitated more out of surprise than anything else. I had not been expecting this. I mean licking a foot wasn''t even close to the weirder things I had ever done.


    "I said lick." Reiterated the Puppeteer.


    I gave it a little kiss, well, maybe not so little. It more or less vanished into my mouth since it was so small.


    "Overly eager, I see. Good. Keep at it until I tell you to stop."


    My lips sealed around the whole foot, and the tongue slathered the top circling it. The toes wiggled as they spread, pressing, stepping on the top of my thick taster. Surprisingly the foot tasted as it smelled, like coconut.


    "Ufufu that is it. You mm yes, like this, don''t you. Yes, get in between the toes."


    I did as she said, wiggling the tip between her toes. She tensed and started to giggle. My tongue slithered. The faster that it moved, the more she squirmed until she began to laugh hysterically.


    Apparently, Molotov has susceptible feet.


    "Ahehe ok, ok that is enough. You may stop." She said.


    I relinquished the foot and stared at her. She reached forward grasping one of my antennae, the hand stroked my sensitive feeler, causing me to shiver.


    "I might make you my personal foot worshiper. It has been a while since I have gotten such an enjoyable service."


    "Is eh that all you wanted?"


    "No. From now on this will be your greeting to me. To show your devotion and loyalty. You will drop to your knees and worship my feet. Is that understood?"


    I stared at her, "Is this like a power play thing or do you just have a massive hard-on for foot stuff?"


    The Puppeteer seemed rather amused, "A bit of both. Though I find degrading someone and breaking them down more arousing. Making people my pets is one of my favorite hobbies, right there next to starting cults."


    I nodded slightly. I understood that thought process. The feeling of dominating someone into submission was rather enjoyable. Not so much the cult thing though.


    "I suppose we are a little similar on that."


    "Yes, we are. The stronger the will, the more delectable it is to break. Ah, but we are getting sidetracked. As troublesome as fixing your little problem is I will do it, though only if you give me something that I desire."


    "Licking your foot wasn''t enough?"


    "Of course not. That was merely payment to be in my presence. You should feel honored. It is a privilege to be my slave."


    "Oh¡­ then what the hell do you want?"


    "Your child." She said flatly.


    "I won''t let you have my baby¡­ well maybe if you get a different body, I would fuck you."


    "That is not my intention, but I will humor you, what is wrong with this body?"


    "What do you mean? Isn''t it obvious? You are a little girl. I mean as adorable and cute as it might be my door don''t swing that way. And it swings all over the damned place."


    She thought it over for a bit, "Ah, I see, so it is a matter of preference."


    "It more of a matter of morality. I might be fucked up, but not that fucked up."


    The Sanguine Puppeteer chuckled lowly, "Morality, you will find such a fleeting thing in short supply in my presence. I have done things that even your depraved mind couldn''t imagine."


    I swallowed rather loudly. I was starting to see why Molotov was scared of this person, let alone that her body was currently being used, likely without consent. Something tells me she is likely reading my mind at the moment.


    "So eh, you want my child? What are you going to do with it?"


    She replied candidly, "I will use it as a vessel."


    "That sounds a bit scary. Can I give you something else?"


    "No. I will have your child one way or another."


    I covered my chest defensively, "You, you are going to rape me?"


    "Rape you? So uncivilized. What do you take me for, a barbarian? If I desired it you would throw yourself at me begging to be taken, do not think so highly of yourself. I could bend you to my will as easily as snapping my fingers."


    "Then what do you mean?"


    "Simple. I am going to make an anchor point in your child."


    I gulped, "eh¡­ what the hell is that?"


    Slowly she touched her fingers together as she elaborated, "I am something of a body snatcher. A hermit crab if you will. From time to time, I shuffle and switch shells. It helps stave off my boredom, something you will learn if you live long enough."


    "You are not going to hurt the child, are you?"


    "No. It is troublesome if the body isn''t able to take care of itself in my absence. I do not intend to hollow it out, merely borrow it from time to time as I do with this body and many others."


    "I¡­ we are talking about my child here."


    She tilted her head, "Yes, a single child. You already have hundreds gestating, and I know what you have planned for those subhumans that I am going to be meddling with, I know you will produce many, many more perhaps thousands upon thousands more if you are left to your own devices. Besides, it is not as though I am killing it. You likely won''t even notice my presence."


    "I need time to think on this," I said wearily.


    She shook her head, "No, here and now, or I will not help you. Now make your choice."


    I gulped¡­ fuck. A realization dawned on me; there was no choice. The Puppeteer already had their sights on my babies. If I refused, then it would be taken forcefully. If somebody like Molotov was easily dominated mentally, then I didn''t stand a chance.


    "Why my child?" I asked.


    She tapped the mask, thinking, "Because it seems interesting, besides, it is good to expand one''s horizons. I look forward to experiencing the body of one of your kind. I wonder what sorts of new sensations I will experience? When you are immortal, you have to do something with your time."


    "Why do you body snatch?" I asked.


    "Why not? With my power, this type of thing is rather benign. It is one of the more toned down things that I partake in."


    She didn''t seem to be lying about that. I shuddered a little even contemplating how powerful the Puppeteer was. Wait, but something wasn''t adding up. "If you are so powerful, how come you don''t just get rid of Chimera?"


    A chuckling rose from under the mask, "Oh, you and Molotov are rather similar asking for that very thing. Now, why would I destroy the stage that I so painstakingly set up?"


    It took a long moment for that to sink in, "You made Chimera."


    A very pleased humming rose as she tapped her fingers together in a triangle, "Why yes, I did. Each so diligently molded and set to their purpose. The Puppets dance on their strings for my entertainment. Things will be getting very exciting soon enough."


    "Why?"


    She looked at her gloved hand as though to inspect her fingernail, "I get very, very bored. I miss the old days, back when things were actually a challenge. Ah¡­ that was an enjoyable tangent. Now then little wasp, do you agree to our deal?"


    I hung my head, "I¡­ I accept."


    "Excellent. Well, then," The Sanguine Puppeteer said, raising her hand and snapped, "it is done."


    I gawked at her, "What is done?"


    "I have fixed your friends, though they will not remember the past week. That being said, they know that you saved them from Nightmare. Also, I left a little service for you in them."


    "That quickly?"


    "Certainly, you act as though I have never mass mind controlled people before. I make cults for fun child."


    "If it was that easy, why were you charging me instead of doing it as a favor?"


    "A wise man once said; If you are good at something, never do it for free."


    "Who said that?" I asked.


    "I did, just now."


    "Did, did I just get bamboozled?"


    "Well, it was fun, but I have other things to do, so this is where we part. Until we meet again, Vesper. Do make sure to raise my new body with love and care; I will be watching," She said, taking off the mask and setting it on the table.


    Molotov sat there in a daze until she blinked a few times. She looked down, "Iugh my feet are sticky? Did you¡­ never mind, I don''t want to know."


    "Thanks for what you did," I said, giving her a head pat.


    The hand shattering that I was expecting never came. Instead, she just scowled, "You owe me."


    "Why don''t you go take it out on Nightmare?" I gave her a mischievous wink.


    Molotov nodded, "Mmm I think I will."

 Blood Moon Chapter 14

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 14


    I will admit, I was a little skeptical that a snap could fix everybody, so I had to see for myself. I mean, I just sold my child for whatever the hell the Puppeteer just did, it better damn well be worth the cost. Her words seemed to resonate a bit in my mind.


    "Yes, a single child. You already have hundreds gestating, what is one to the thousands you will soon produce?"


    I think we got a raw deal.


    Well hold on Vesper, we don''t know just yet.


    But it is our babies we are talking about.


    I don''t like it either, but it was either that or let GK and the others stay crazy.


    ¡­ well if you say so Sub, you are the one who is more attached to the eggs than I am.


    You will get there. Give it a little time.


    We will see, at the moment it is just the pheromones talking. If I am far away from them, then I don''t feel particularly bad about it. Maybe once they hatch, I will be more emotionally invested?


    Of course, you will. All those soft little grubbies squirming around and squeaking. It is going to melt your hearts.


    If you say so, not sure if I am ready for it yet, but not much we can do about at this point. I am still a little worried about if they are going to eat their hosts or not.


    Xava has a head start on the others, so if worst comes to worst, we can extract the eggs from the others.


    I pondered as I walked, fair enough.


    Speaking of children, "Xava."


    "Yes, Vesper?" she asked from my side.


    "Did we recover all of Glitter Kitten''s kids?"


    Her eyes lit up as her pupil moved from side to side as though scrolling through text, "I believe so. We recovered sixty-two children from what is left of the Sparkle Kat. However, I am unsure of which are Glitter Kitten''s."


    I nodded, "Well, that is a start. I am sure there are a few hiding out somewhere in the Slums. How are the Mad Dogs?"


    "The Mad Dogs appear to be returning to normal."


    I pat her approvingly, "Good, then we can release them, and they can pick up the pieces."


    We had arrived at the holding area. The varied Mad Dogs who were captured remained in the containment tubes. With but a glance I could tell something had changed, they seemed a lot calmer. The scents had shifted from that rotting pungent stench that ferals produced back to the usual needy animals that I had grown accustomed to. It was strange though; I had thought it to be some sort of parasite or their brains infected with something like rabies that was the cause of the feral state.


    Since things had changed, it was clear that it might not be the case. Either that or the Puppeteer was so powerful that she could fix mental illnesses and diseases. A shiver went down my spine. If she was strong enough to fix them, then she was likely strong enough to inflict them as well. Definitely never going to get on her bad side.


    I stood in front of Glitter Kitten; my arms crossed as I watched her for a long moment. She appeared sedated, but her eyes opened once my presence loomed over her.


    "Nya? Vesper? Is, is that you?" she asked, looking about her prison.


    "Feeling better now?"


    She rubbed her head, "I¡­ eh, don''t really get what happened. Where the hell are we? Why am I in here?"


    I glanced at my robotic lover, "Xava let her out; she appears to be fine."


    The Neon Nurse standing to the side nodded, and the transparent tube lifted spilling the wobbly-legged cat onto the floor, "Her vitals seem to have returned to normal parameters."


    I returned her nod while rubbing my chin, "Is that so? Excellent. How are you feeling Glitter Kitten?"


    The catgirl managed to stand properly, "Tired. What the hell have I been doing? I don''t remember much of it little snippets here and there, but it feels like I had a train run on me for like a week straight. My legs are numb."


    "I see," I said, leaning over and inspecting her, my antennae slathering her in affection as I took in her scents¡­ she smelled healthy again, which was a relief, "Well, you and the rest of the Mad Dogs got mind controlled by Nightmare. Last night was the Blood Moon, and you guys went feral. You were a wild pussycat, let me tell you."


    She squirmed a little to my liberal feelers slithering over her fur, "Nyaa, I, hmmm I remember a little bit of that. It is all fuzzy, though. When, when did you get so big?"


    I gave her a reassuring pat, "Been like this for about a week or so. My regen is Rank 7 now."


    "Mroow that is great! Look at you, my little Meowsy got all strong when I wasn''t looking," She grinned laughing a little as she smacked my leg.


    "Little Meowsy, huh? I guess you wouldn''t remember what we did last night then would you?"


    Her ear flicked as she stretched, "Last night? I don''t remember nothing."


    "Hmm, I wonder if your body remembers?" I asked as my vents crept open, letting a wave of heated mist wash over her.


    "Mrrrowww! What is with this, this oh fuck me, this smell though! It feels like just smelling it is going to get me knocked up. We¡­ we didn''t fuck last night, did we?" She said shivering.


    Her fur glistened a little, and it wasn''t just sweating. I gave her a reassuring smile, "We certainly had fun last night. I think I plundered just about every furburger in the Mad Dogs."


    She gawked at me, "EEhh! We, we had an orgy, and I don''t remember a damned thing?! Mrrow, it is not fair."


    I leaned in, letting my tentacles tease her, "Oh, don''t worry pet, I will be sure to pamper you regularly."


    Glitter Kitten went red, "I, I Nyaa I nyeever asked for that, you, you furburglar!"


    I chuckled pulling away from her, "Oh right, you don''t remember anything, do you? Ah, I have something that I am sure you will enjoy seeing."


    She tilted her head slightly. "What are you on about?"


    I just smiled, "Oh, don''t worry. Come along little kitty."


    "What about the others?" Glitter Kitten asked, looking at the other capsules that held the rest of her gang.


    "We will let them out in a bit."


    "They are all alright, right?" she asked, concerned.


    I glanced at Xava, who responded, "Minor injuries, only a few major wounds. Most can be released immediately."


    "Well, that is good. Oh, by the way, the Sparkle Kat got wrecked last night. I am not sure how bad, though." I said.


    "Nyyaan!? What? Fucking, shit," She rubbed her temple, "Say that sooner will you?"


    "Ah, sorry kinda slipped my mind. Things have been a bit hectic."


    She glanced around, noticing something, "Where are my kittens?"


    "They are in my room."


    "They are not hurt, are they? Can, can I see them?"


    "Of course," I replied, smiling.


    I led the way down the corridors and into my room. The doors opened, and Glitter Kitten impatiently darted inside. She tackled her kittens with a hug, rolling about on the floor, happily purring and meowing to them. I watched it, letting them enjoy their reunion undisturbed for a little while longer. My hearts felt slightly warm. Ah, they were certainly cute.


    I wonder if that is how I will be with my children?


    Glitter Kitten sniffed, pausing her playful behavior, smelling the air as she looked around the room with narrowed eyes. Her long tail twitching and tall ears were rotating like radar dishes. In a moment she became protective, eyes darting over the place like a lioness protecting her cubs. I knew exactly what it was that had set her off, the smooth sound of scales shifting.


    She growled puffing up, "I smell you, you damned dirty snake! Show yourself Slither!"


    "No need to be ssso aggresssssive. I know better than to upssset my Queen." Replied a disembodied voice.


    "Now, now," I said, raising my hands, "Calm down Glitter Kitten. You don''t remember it, but we destroyed the Scalies. Come here, Slither."


    My pet snake woman materialized to our side, her scales glimmering iridescent as she obediently came to my outstretched hand, her face rubbed against it, and I began to pet her. Slither''s long snake body was bloated and plump; I could smell my brood gestating within her. My scent having claimed her long ago now.


    Glitter Kitten didn''t attack. However, she kept herself in between the snake and the varied animal children that had gathered. It was evident that she didn''t trust Slither. I didn''t particularly blame her since Slither had eaten some of her children before. Her face was scowling.


    "What is that doing here?! You can''t trust a filthy fucking snake!"


    "As I said, the Scalies are no more. Slither is now my Incubator and is currently being a good snake, isn''t that right?"


    She lowered her body onto the floor, "Yesss, Sssslither knowsss her place."


    I pet her on the head, scratching lightly at her hooded neck. She seemed to like that as the scales shifted shuddering, "Good snek. Who is my good little Incubator?"


    She wiggled happily, "I, Sssslither isss."


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    I gave her a final scritch under her chin and stood back up, "See? I tamed her."


    Glitter Kitten looked between us, more baffled than anything else, "It is strange seeing her like this. What the hell did you do to her."


    I thought on it, tapping my claw to my chin, "Hmm, well Xava and I tortured her a bit, and then we bred her for hours on end. She still needs to be trained properly, but it is a good start."


    "So that is what happened. Sorry, I still don''t like her, I can''t forgive her."


    I nodded, "That is fine. She ate your kittens, so I understand. She knows better than to try anything now, and if she needs another lesson, well Xava and I will give it to her."


    The stench of submission and fear poured out of the giant snake woman as she shivered at my feet. She stuttered, "I, I would never, never upssset Queen Vesssper."


    "I know," I replied, idly petting her.


    Glitter Kitten watched and smelled the snake for a little, "I just can''t believe this. You broke her. I have been fighting that slippery, slithery bitch for years, never thought I would see the day she would be like this. How the hell did you even beat her anyway?"


    "You helped out quite a bit with that. She was thinking about eating me when you hoped in, but then you got hit with her venom. While she was distracted with you, I ended up stinging her."


    The cat looked at my abdomen, tilting her head, "I guess you are a wasp, huh? What does the venom do?"


    "Paralyzes. Ah speaking of which I stung you last night too."


    "I was wondering why my legs were numb," She thought on it looking at the abdomen and then my face, "You know, it is a good thing you are you. I would be scared shitless of whatever you are if it wasn''t you in there."


    "What is that supposed to mean?"


    She scowled a little, "Think about it, I mean your species is a bit fucked up."


    "The pot calling the kettle black a bit here don''t you think? I mean you were eating people last night."


    She scratched the back of her neck, "Nyaa, well it happens. Still, I think you are scarier."


    To this, I tilted my head, "How so?"


    "You lay eggs in people, and your sting paralyzes. If you were not so nice, there would be nothing stopping you from stinging people and egging them while they are helpless to resist."


    I thought on it, "Hmm that is true. Ah come to think of it, that is more or less what I did to Slither."


    "See, that is what I am talking about." She said, eyeing me a little.


    "Hey now, if I didn''t take her, you were going to kill her. Besides, even with her, I waited until she was begging for my eggs."


    This time it was Glitter Kitten who tilted her head, "Is that so?"


    Slither was the one to speak up, "Yessss, I wanted her eggss."


    Finally, the cat shrugged, "Nyaa, guess it doesn''t matter too much. I think I am just getting too worked up. It is better than Slither deserves, so not going to complain since you are keeping her out of trouble."


    "Mooom, don''t be mean to the big fat bug." Scowled Rocket, "She saved us from Nightmare."


    "I am not being mean. It is just¡­ never mind. Vesper¡­ I eh, thank you. You saved my Kittens and me," said Glitter Kitten a little shy and embarrassed, "I don''t even want to think about what might have happened if you had not saved us."


    Daww~ I pet her, snuggling up as I shifted into a sitting position and lifted her into my lap. "We are friends, of course, I would help you out."


    "Vesper, I owe you a, a lot." She said, looking down, quivering a little bit.


    "I see," I smiled rubbing against her, "And what will you do to make it up to me?"


    "Nyaa I, I don''t know. I don''t know what could make up for this. If you want, I could be your number two, and you be the leader of the Mad Dogs?" She replied hesitantly.


    "Leader of the Mad Dogs? Hmm though that does sound interesting, I am fine here. You can still be the leader of the Mad Dogs; however, there is something that I have had on my mind."


    "Nyes?"


    "I want you to be my pet."


    "Pet?! I umm¡­ Vesper, what do you mean by that?"


    I stroked her head, "Simple. You will live here with Xava and me. You will be my pet, and I will play with you and feed you and fuck that kitten pussy whenever I want."


    She blushed, looking away, "Not, not in front of my Kittens."


    I replied, scratching her between the ears, "You raised them in a whore house, I am sure they have heard much worse."


    She seemed a little wary, "Why would you want me to be your pet?"


    I leaned in, letting my tentacles coil around her, "Because I like you. I thought you were cute from the first time I saw you. Besides, I have always wanted a pet catgirl to dress up, and as I hear a proper Super Villain needs a pet cat. If you become my pet, then I won''t make you fight ever again, unless things get bad. You can lounge around all day playing with your kittens when I am not playing with you."


    Glitter Kitten looked like she was about to cry, "Vesper, why would you do that for me? Like this, it is like you are doing me a favor."


    I kissed her, "Because my pretty kitty, you will be doing something essential for me. You will be gestating my eggs. The pet play stuff is just a bonus, dear sweet kitty. Ah, ask the other Mad Dogs if they are interested as well, think of it as a sort of job? Not so much pet with them, I am just looking to expands my supply of hosts."


    She looked at Slither, "So we will end up like her?"


    I thought on it, "Hmm, well she is also a pet. It is more up to you, and how you are to be treated, unlike her I won''t particularly be controlling with you and the Mad Dogs."


    "Can I think this over?" She asked.


    "Sure, it is life-altering after all, so take your time," I replied, releasing her.


    She stood, walking away to the door. As expected, after all, it was a big decision not to be taken lightly. However, she stopped and looked back at me. "Thank you, Vesper."


    I smiled, "You are welcome."


    "Can I leave the Kittens here until things are sorted out?"


    "Of course, you are welcome here anytime. We will take good care of them. Ah, speaking of which, Xava have they eaten recently?" I asked, looking over to one of the Neon Nurses.


    "Ah speaking of which, we haven''t had lunch have we? They are most likely hungry again. I will prepare some highly nutritious protein paste."


    I perked up realizing that I, myself was hungry, "Oh, what flavor?"


    "Which would you like?" she asked.


    I thought for a moment, "Banana."


    "Understood."


    "I have to go check on everything. From the sounds of it, things are bad. Be good and behave, ok?" said Glitter Kitten.


    A chorus of meowing voices rose, "We will!"


    Satisfied, she left, and I lay back down, snuggling up with Xava. The kittens cuddled around as well. I shooed Slither away since I wasn''t in the mood and that wasn''t something to do in front of children. She left to play with Bubbles.


    I wasn''t entirely expecting her to accept it. I mean Glitter Kitten did have her pride, and becoming someone''s pet was something of a degrading thing. It meant submitting to them completely after all. It was like a step above a slave. Not that I would treat her poorly. Well, regardless, she would be my friend even if she rejected this. I was understanding after all.


    *******


    After a long while, I sat up. I had gotten distracted there. Being buried under a blanket of warm furry bodies would do that. Skillfully, I escaped the sleepy kitties and left my room without too much of a hassle. There were still things to check on and a certain someone who was in for a world of hurt. It didn''t take long at all to get where I was going.


    I had arrived at Nightmare''s cell. The door opened, allowing me entry. The slightly mangled woman lay moored, naked, on the floor. A whole arm was missing and two fingers from her right hand. She was not the only one in here. Molotov turned when I entered. In her hands was that electrified whip, crackling with energy.


    "Ah, so good of you to join us, Vesper. She is a little uncooperative. Care to help?" smiled that evil little girl.


    "Oh? How should we do this? I never really tortured anybody before. At least not for information." I said gazing down at the quivering woman.


    Several Xavas followed behind me, and the door closed. Nightmare''s eyes opened wide seeing three Neon Nurses, "What is going on here, three Neon Nurses?!"


    "Now, now," I replied, letting my clawed foot press her into the floor, "We are the ones asking questions here."


    "Nightmare, we know you called for help. Now tell us who is coming."


    She kept her mouth shut.


    "Oh? Playing hard to get?" Molotov asked, raising the whip and the room filled with a flash of light, the crack of electricity, and Nightmare''s screams.


    Dark welts puffed up along her back, crisscrossing where the whip had touched. Oddly enough, the skin had not broken at all despite how loud it had sounded. There was something about that whip; I had experienced it first hand a few times, so I knew that it did not damage the outside. Still, I didn''t understand how it worked in the least. All I know is that it hurts like a bitch.


    Despite all this, Nightmare had clammed up. I leaned down and let my fingers slowly stab the floor beside her as they made their way over.


    "You better talk or¡­" I trailed off as my claw tapped at her remaining hand, "It would be a real shame if you lost some more fingers."


    She recoiled, worming about the floor in an attempt to escape. Nightmare knew full well from experience that I was not bluffing and had no qualms with disfiguring her. She didn''t get far. My clawed talon stabbed through her ankle, harpooning her to the floor.


    "I don''t know! I swear, I swear I don''t know. Omega never told me who was sent, they, they should have been here by now, but no one came¡­"


    I tilted in over her, "Daww, it sounds like they abandoned you. So sad, even your own side doesn''t like you. I guess you really are a disgusting person if even Chimera doesn''t give a damn about your well being."


    "You, You will pay for-" she stated before I tugged and her pinky finger separated.


    "This little piggy went to the market and this little piggy," I said my fingers pinching her ring finger, "Cried all the way home."


    "NOOO!" she screamed as I tore it off. I placed it as I had before right in front of her face so that she could look at what occurred, taunting her with her dismembered fingers.


    "So fragile you humans are," I said, amused over her crying and squealing noises. "Now, now, now, if you hurry up and answer our questions¡­ I might have Xava reattach your fingers."


    I gave Neon Nurse a sideward glance, and she nodded. I could see it, the glimmer of hope in Nightmare''s eyes. She was desperate, after all if the assessment of her power was correct; she needed her hands to use it. Already down an arm, well it was no wonder her attitude was shifting into survival mode. With a little more of a push, she would likely spill the beans on Chimera to spare herself.


    I bit into my tongue to keep from grinning, after all, she wasn''t going to get off so easy even if she did tell us everything we wanted to know.


    Molotov spoke up, "Where is Arachnaon?"


    Nightmare paused her eyes swimming as she thought it over, "She, she is on the International Research Station."


    Molotov nodded, "Oh, so she is in space. I assume she is communicating with the Spore then?"


    "She is feeding on it."


    "She eats Spore? I am sure Dr. Arbor would love to hear about that." I said to Xava.


    "Dr. Arbor already knows that." Replied Xava.


    Molotov wore a scowl, "Is that all the information you have? Tell me where the main Chimera bases are."


    Nightmare paled, "I, I can''t tell you that. They, they will kill me."


    Molotov wrung her whip, "I will kill you right now. Vesper proceed."


    I pressed watching as her thumb snapped, bending back. Red spilled out across the floor. She shivered as I poked her in the face with her detached thumb, "Come on now, I will start with the toes next if you keep this up."


    "The Pentagon! There are many, one in every major country!" She screamed, crying as her blood began to pool.


    "We already know that. Tell us the launch codes for the Hammer satellites."


    "I don''t know!"


    "Lies, you launched a strike just the other week." Said Molotov, nodding in my direction.


    I left her stumpy hand and shifted my attention to her feet. My tentacles started wiggling as they tickled the soles of her feet. She heaved, erupting into uncontrollable giggles and laughter. Now, this might not seem that bad; however, I knew full well the horror of tickle torture. I kept squirming and writhing against her soft feet, her hysterical fits of laughter, drawing out into minutes as she heaved for breath. Panting and crying, begging me to stop, I didn''t.


    This was torture, after all. I figured it would be a good switch of pace, forcing her to laugh until her lungs couldn''t keep the air in them. Her breath short, like this she was not correctly getting oxygen, and soon, I felt the sudden, sharp twist of her body. Her diaphragm arching as she felt the knife like stabbing pain of her muscles convulsing.


    I slowed, easing up enough to not break her, just yet.


    She gasped for air, even if her chest likely felt piercing stabs of pain, "I can''t! I really can''t! They changed the codes."


    Molotov had a very amused look across her face, "What a shame, I guess you have nothing more to give us. Vesper, she is all yours."


    "NO! Not her, please not that, that thing! Don''t leave me with her!" Cried Nightmare, her stump trying to drag her to Molotov.


    "But you don''t have any information. You are useless to me."


    "I- I am useful!" she meekly croaked out.


    "Oh? Well then, you had better get talking." Molotov replied darkly.


    "I will talk, what do you want to know?"


    "Who was dispatched to rescue you?"


    "Mantia and Centi!"


    "Just them?" Molotov asked.


    "Yes," Nightmare answered without hesitation.


    "You know," said Molotov, her voice deep and brooding, "I don''t like being lied to. Do you take me for a fool?"


    "What? It is the truth, I swear!" Hysterically blubbered Nightmare.


    "What about the Hero League then?" I asked.


    "What about those idiots?"


    She looked genuinely confused, and then it struck me, she didn''t know. My face creased into a wide smirk, "You don''t know. Molotov, it appears that we are better informed than she is."


    The little girl turned with a disgusted expression, "So it seems I wasted my time. I have no more use for this trash. Think of it as your reward. This despicable thing is yours now. Break her, eat her, rape her, torture her¡­ do what ever you wish. This is no longer my concern."


    "Thank you," I replied, looking down on the ever-whitening woman as her face twisted in abject horror.


    "I am useful! Don''t leave me with this monster!" She cried, but the door closed, leaving her, Xava and I alone in the room.


    I pressed my face against her own, letting my tentacles roam her exposed body, "Yes, you will be useful after some¡­ modifications."


    "What are-" she started before my fingers pried open her mouth, slowly I tapped a claw to her teeth listening to the clink, "Shhh, you won''t be needing these for what I have in store."


    "Shall we begin?" asked Xava raising a syringe gun.


    I lifted from her smirking, "We will take our time with her. Xava reattach her fingers."


    The nurses tilted their heads in unison, "Are you sure."


    "Yes, after all, hope is the best spice for despair." I replied my fingers tracing her face, "Don''t you worry, I have such wonderfully depraved plans for you. You are going to wish you were dead before we are through with you."


    I left her sniveling form to Xava, humming as I walked back to my room. Lightly, I tilted my head in my hand, thinking of all the twisted things I wanted to do to her. This was something to relish, to enjoy like a fine wine. It would be a real shame if she broke immediately. As such, I was going to take my time with it. Slowly, insidiously breaking her, twisting her until there was nothing left.


    Her red juice dribbled and smeared from my fingers dripping down the side of my face. Gradually my tongue extended, licking it up. My lips pursed, tasting the blood on my fingers¡­ it was sweet.

 Blood Moon Chapter 15 Interlude: The Box

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 15 Interlude: The Box


    "Nyaa, it really is gone," said Glitter Kitten looking out over the ruins of the Slums.


    Buildings lay as nothing more than piles of rubble, bulldozed and destroyed during the fighting. The once expansive casino was little more than an upraised mound of concrete and metal twisted beyond recognition. The skyline emptied from this once towering jewel of civilization amongst the decrepit ruins. It was all gone. Years and years of struggling and fighting to maintain and protect. All of it undone in a single night.


    She hugged her knees, the tall ears flattened as her eyes watered. What was it all for?


    "What should we do now?" asked Den Mother, her tall frame casting a deep shadow over the wall behind them.


    "Have we found anybody else?" Glitter Kitten asked watching as the animal women were sifting through the stones.


    Den Mother shook her head, solemnly, "None that are alive. We found a few bodies. Titus didn''t make it."


    "Oh, that is a shame. Are you feeling, ok?"


    Den Mother sighed, and her attention fell on the much smaller catgirl, "No. But we can''t just cry and hide in a corner, now can we?"


    Glitter Kitten was silent for a bit, before her voice cracked, "I am tired of all this bad shit always happening to us."


    "Well, what choice do we have? We are Subhumans."


    "So fucking what? That is no excuse for this bullshit. We try to keep to ourselves, but people always come fucking our stuff up and shitting on the yard. I am sick of it."


    "It has always been like that, though, even back when Butch was the leader."


    "Nyea, but I am done with this. I am not Butch; I don''t got delusions of grandeur that people will accept us. They can kiss my ass for all I care."


    "What are we going to do then?" asked Den Mother.


    "I don''t know what you guys are going to do, but I am done." Said, Glitter Kitten.


    "You can''t be serious. You are our Alpha."


    She hissed, "I never asked for that shit. I just want to be left alone. I am sick of always having to fight and deal with other people''s fucking problems. What about my problems?!"


    Den Mother hesitated for a moment, "We all have problems GK."


    "Yeah, and everybody always drags em to me. I can''t do this anymore. I got nineteen kittens to take care of, and as of now we are fucking homeless and scrounging around on the streets. I won''t let them live the life I did."


    "We can move over to the Three-Headed Dog."


    "No. My kittens deserve better than this irradiated hell hole. I will be damned if I let them sleep out here another night."


    Den Mother crossed her arms, "What do you plan on doing?"


    "I am going to sell myself."


    "You can''t do that, think of your children."


    Her hair raised, "I am thinking of my children! If I accept Vesper''s offer, then they get warm beds, a nice roof over their heads, three hot meals a day, and all I have to do is be Vesper''s pet and let her fuck me full of eggs."


    "You can''t be serious."


    The cat woman scoffed, "You say that while already being knocked up. You think I can''t smell the eggs inside of you?"


    Den Mother lowered her ears, "I don''t remember it."


    "None of us do," Glitter Kitten replied offhandedly, "But that doesn''t matter. She already marked a bunch of us; we smell like her. I am more surprised I am not preggers like the rest of you sluts."


    "It is just¡­ are you sure about this?"


    "Oh, I am. The offer is open for you guys as well. She is looking for hosts for her brood."


    "She is just using you."


    "Maybe, but that is a chance I am willing to take. What is the alternative? Roll around the Slums like a bunch of flea-bitten fuckin animals?"


    "We could ask Boss to help us out."


    "Are you stupid? The Boss is pissed at us. Molotov was going to kill every last one of us because we had been compromised. It was Vesper that stuck her neck out for us, so I think that earned her a bit of trust on this. Now, look. If you guys want in, then feel free to join me. If not well congratulations, you are the new leader of the Mad Dogs." Said Glitter Kitten, turning to leave.


    "Wait just give us some time to think it over, ok?" pleaded Den Mother.


    Glitter Kitten sat, crossing her arms, "You got five minutes."


    The werewolf went off gathering up the others. They began to discuss over the rubble. Minutes turned into tens of minutes as Glitter Kitten sat and waited for them to finished their debate. Some were growling and hissing, a few punches were thrown, and a catfight broke out. The result was a significant split. Roughly half left in the direction of the surviving outlying buildings that they stayed in. They didn''t trust Vesper and wanted to see how things would play out rather than risking their lives. The rest gathered in front of Glitter Kitten. Den Mother and Thumper were among those that came. Nibbles appears to have led the other group in an attempt to rebuild.


    "You sure you guys really want to follow me? I mean, we are going to be at Vesper''s mercy, you know that right?" said Glitter Kitten.


    Thumper laughed, "It was always fun with her, though."


    "Well, you are not wrong there. Alright, let''s go see what she has in store for us."


    ***


    The group of animal women gathered out front the large hanger like doors at the front of the Cyber Siren''s base. The robust machines guarding it watched them, but did not attack. Even though she had said all of those things, this was still more or less taking a gamble. Did Vesper actually mean what she had said? Glitter Kitten found it hard to trust others, all her life she had been backstabbed or disappointed, why would this be any different?


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Still, she felt a nagging, a strange sense of comfort when it came to Vesper. Perhaps it was the pheromones that followed the giant wasp monster like a cloud, or maybe she just couldn''t get the memories of getting the best dick of her life out of her head or something else entirely. Ever since they had met, Glitter Kitten had felt a pull, a connection to the strange and often manic wasp. It was something that she herself didn''t understand.


    She trusted Vesper enough to leave her kittens in her care, so it wasn''t too much more of a stretch to put herself in the wasp''s care, or instead Neon Nurse''s supervision. It had not taken long to figure out who actually owned this place and who ultimately had the final say in things. It was undoubtedly not Vesper. It was Neon Nurse and from what she could tell the cyborg was ok with how things turned out. She wasn''t exactly pleased, but she also wasn''t against it either.


    Speaking of the cyborg nurse, she appeared, more or less answering her front door. Her glowing green eyes surveyed them slowly before they centered in on Glitter Kitten. "What brings you here? Have you already sorted through your problems?"


    "We eh¡­ we came to accept Vesper''s offer." The cat woman replied, her ears down a little.


    Neon Nurse nodded in understanding, "All of you then? Are you sure that you understand what it is that she has asked of you?"


    "Just to refresh, what exactly was the deal?" asked Thumper.


    "Glitter Kitten will become Vesper''s personal pet, as for Thumper and Den Mother, I am unsure if she would want you as pets or as breeders. Though I am pretty sure she said something about Breeding Bitch about Den Mother, you wouldn''t happen to know anything about that would you?" Replied Neon Nurse.


    The dog woman seemed to tremble a little hearing those words, "I am not sure."


    "Is that so? It is up to her what she does with you. Were there any other questions?"


    "Breeder?" ask Den Mother.


    The cold eyes of the mechanical nurse went over them, "Yes, incubators, hosts for her eggs. We are conducting experiments with diverse genetic couplings to see how variant her children will be in terms of powers. Gestating her eggs will be your payment for staying. In return you will be housed deep in my facility, well fed, and protected until the children are delivered, at which point you may leave or choose to be inseminated again. I see she got rather out of hand last night as many of you are already impregnated."


    "So we will be safe here? Being pregnant is scary; it slows you down and makes things more difficult." Said, Glitter Kitten.


    "Yes, you will be protected. So, are we agreed?" she asked, tilting her head.


    A nod came from the cat, "Nyes, I accept."


    "I assumed as much," replied Neon Nurse turning as the doors began to open wide.


    She led them through the upper warehouse. It was an empty, spacious room more akin to a hanger bay than anything else. Along the floor, there were several rectangular patterns at set intervals. In the middle section was a large cargo elevator that could go up or down. Surrounding it were several more of the quadrupedal war machines that stood guard outside as well. Their glowing optical sensors flared as the ball rotated to look them over.


    Neon Nurse pressed the button, and the elevator soon arrived. It was spacious enough that just about all of them could fit in a single load. The Mad Dogs followed her inside, and the doors closed before the compartment shifted. True to her word, it descended deep into the facility, more than twenty floors down. The area looked as most of the rest of the lair did, a monotonous white corridor expanded out with branching rooms to either side.


    She motioned to the first door, leading them in, "This is the decontamination room."


    Inside was a rather large chamber with thick glass windows. Glitter Kitten stared at it, tilting her head as it seemed familiar to her. She couldn''t quite put her paw on it, but then it hit her. It looked like one of the gas chambers at the vet to put the pets down.


    "NYAH! What is this about?" Her haired raised as she puffed up.


    Neon Nurse turned, looking at her strangely, "What is what about?"


    "You, you are trying to put us down like bad animals." She huffed.


    The robo nurse rolled her eyes, "Now why would I do that? It just sprays foam and water to clean the individual."


    Seeing that the cat was not budging, Neon Nurse entered and turned it on. As she had said water rinsed her off, then a jet of foam spurt out from all sides, before yet another gush of water cleaned away the suds. After a moment, hot air flowed as she raised her arms to let it dry her thoroughly. Finally, the room opened, and she emerged, nice and dry, smelling of lavender.


    "See? Nice and clean. Now, remember to hold your breath and wear these goggles to keep the soap out of your eyes." Said Xava handing them eye protection and motioning to the opened chamber.


    Glitter Kitten went in first, fastening the goggles and taking a deep breath. As before the warm water shot her from all angles, then suds flowed, covering her, another jet of water rinsed everything off. She stood dripping wet, her fur sticking tightly to her sides as she shook. After a short delay, the hot air gusted out of the vents drying out her soggy hair. Soon it puffed up, making her look like a fluff ball.


    She emerged damn near sparkling clean, and the others began to filter in for their cleansing.


    "So when do we meet Vesper?" asked Glitter Kitten.


    "After you are presentable." Replied Xava.


    "Nyea? Presentable?"


    "Yes, you are a bunch of mangy stray animals that Vesper decided to pick up. It is only appropriate to make sure you are properly sanitized. Also so long as you stay here, you and the rest of them will bath at minimum once a day."


    "Who you calling mangy!?" the irate cat bickered back.


    The robo nurse chuckled, "You had fleas and ticks. Now understand that you are no longer some feral street cat, but a pet. As such, I can''t just allow you to be a filthy animal wallowing in your own lack of hygiene. Speaking of which, you have worms as well and will need to be medicated."


    "Whatda means we got worms!? I knew about the flea and ticks, but worms?" Glitter Kitten cried exasperated, "Nyaa, it is worse than I thought."


    "What do you expect when you roll around in radioactive sewage all day? It is a wonder you are not all disease ridden."


    "Hey, the sewers came to us. Besides, Slither was much worse."


    Neon Nurse smirked, "Slither didn''t put up a fuss to being cleaned. In fact, she rather enjoyed being cleaned."


    "Nya if that stupid snake can do it I can do it too!"


    "Oh, is that so?"


    Glitter Kitten puffed out her chest, "Nyea."


    "Well then come along so we can work on your oral hygiene."


    "Oral hygiene?"


    Xava looked at the cat and hurried her along, muttering, "Vesper didn''t realize it either until I beat it into her."


    The pair departed, walking to the room across from the decontamination chamber. It had a beautiful comfy chair it was so lovely that Glitter Kitten didn''t even think twice about sitting in it. Which she soon regretted when the arms and legs locked into place restraining her. She stared up at the electric brush.


    "Nyah what is the big-" Neon Nurse cut her off, spraying a tooth gel into her mouth and proceeding to scrub the cat''s mouth clean.


    She gurgled and squirmed, but was very much at Xava''s mercy as she set about getting every nook and cranny during the surprise dental exam. Several needles slid into her gums and after a minute or so Glitter Kitten couldn''t feel anything anymore. The Bzzt of drills and an incessant sucking noise filled the air until it was all done. She was released but sat in a daze. Seeing her so vulnerable, Xava slipped another needle into her, causeing the cat to jump start.


    "Nyynn Whhhann wasss thhhat ffor?" slured the cat, unable to feel her face.


    "That was your worm medication."


    She tilted, falling onto the floor, sleeping soundly.


    ***


    She awoke in a dark space. She pawed about trying to figure out what was going on. Glitter Kitten realized after a short delay, that she was in fact in a cardboard box and said box was moving, due to the slight jolts from beneath. She moved about, causing the container to shift.


    "Uh, uh, no need for that. Now then just stay calm. I am taking you to Vesper." Said Neon Nurse.


    She did as she was told lounging in the box as it wheeled along. They stopped from time to time, but soon enough a door opened, and a familiar voice rose over a raw wet slapping noise, "Hey Xava¡­"


    There was a long pause in all the noise before Vesper said, "What is in the box? Is it for me? Wait a minute, did you stuff Boris in a box again for me?"


    The heavy thuds of claws made their way over and something being dragged on the floor scraped the metal. Then the ruffle noise of paper wrap being torn open. The cat quivered in anticipation as the box lid opened up. There was the bone white face gazing down, the questioning look it had quickly turned to one of pure glee. Huge hands quickly reached in scooping out Glitter Kitten and holding her up.


    "Glitter Kitten! Who is a pretty kitty?" Said Vesper as her antennae coiled around the cat''s face. "Oh, she smells all fresh and clean, and she is so soft and squishy! Xava, you shouldn''t have!"


    Glitter Kitten felt all warm and fuzzy. Why had she ever doubted this person?


    "Does this mean you accept?" asked the overly joyed wasp.


    She nodded, "Nyeas."


    "My Queeen Don''tsss ignore meee," cried a rather salacious snake coiled around Vesper''s abdomen and very much in the middle of getting stuffed like a turkey.


    Glitter Kitten looked over her shoulder to Xava, who winked as the door closed. The cat gulped, this wasn¡¯t what she had in mind exactly.

 Interlewd: Pampered Pet (R18)

    The Vespidian


    Arc 11 Blood Moon


    Chapter 16 Interlewd: Pampered Pet


    The door opened, much to my surprise. I was perplexed to say the least. It feels weird when people just walk in on you fucking. Though it appears that I was getting used to not having privacy as it didn¡¯t startle me too much.


    I glanced up from the horny snake frantically fucking herself into a coma riding my ovicock. Several Xavas wheeled a box into my room in the middle of our nightly mating. I stared at it for a moment, ¡°Hey Xava¡­¡±


    After a long moment I cleared my head enough to properly think, ¡°What is in the box? Is it for me? Wait a minute, did you stuff Boris in a box again for me?¡±


    She just smiled at me and I made my way over, dragging Slither still very much impaled on my ovipositor. My hands set to work peeling a ripping open the wrapping paper over the crate. Oh boy! I wonder what the hell is in here? Ahh it even had a cute bow too. After enjoying it for a little I opened the box and there curled up in the bottom was Glitter Kitten. My god, she was adorable right now. I reached in cradling her out.


    ¡°Glitter Kitten! Who is a pretty kitty?¡± I said the antennae coiled around her face. ¡°Oh, she smells all fresh and clean and she is so soft and squishy! Xava, you shouldn¡¯t have!¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything, but she was wiggling.


    ¡°Does this mean you accept?¡± I smiled.


    She nodded, ¡°Nyeas.¡±


    Slither shuddered and squirmed about, drawing my attention as her body compressed, strangling my abdomen, trying to milk me, ¡°My Queeen Don¡¯tsss ignore meee,¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, give me a minute pet.¡± I said petting her as I set Glitter Kitten down.


    My eyes wandered for a moment to Ichigo who was off to the side as usual, watching us. She sure does get off on watching people have sex. It must be something like that or else why would she be so inclined? I mean she was there for my first mating too.


    I returned to my bed and proceeded to jack hammer my abdomen into that horny snake. Slither let out a whimpering moan as my appendage bulged inside of her and her belly bloated with my brood. The serpent slid off of the ovipositor, twitching on the floor. After a slightly awkward moment of silence where Glitter Kitten and I had made eye contact, I lay on my side with my abdomen extending out before me.


    Ahh much better, now that was sorted out. My attention fully shifted onto Glitter Kitten.


    ¡°So, made up your mind?¡± I asked patting the soft bedding near my chest.


    Glitter Kitten appeared a little startled by the scene she had just witnessed. She slowly approached, seemingly lost in thought about something. Finally, she arrived at my side and hugged me out of the blue. I just stared at her for a moment before hugging her back. My arms encompassed her, roaming and sliding over her short tabby fur. After a moment she sat cross-legged on my bed, looking up at me with those lovely green eyes of hers.


    ¡°I¡­ I have.¡±


    I plopped a hand onto her head, petting her from head all the way down to the tail. Slowly and gently I lavished her in affection before kneading the base of her tail with my thumb, rolling it as her hair stood up and her tail wiggled.


    ¡°And?¡± I whispered, leaning in close.


    She seemed to make up her resolve and said, ¡°I will take you up on your offer.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I smiled vaguely as the cracking sound of my abdomen plates opening filled the room.


    Her eyes were redirected to the source of the sound and might as well have turned into saucer bowls as she looked back and forth between my face and emerging ovipositor.


    ¡°Wait¡­ you want to now?¡±


    ¡°Of course I would want to fuck my new pet silly. I want to fill you with eggs over and over again.¡± I said shifting so that my prodigious member loomed over her.


    ¡°It, it got bigger,¡± gulped Glitter Kitten staring at my tenting erection.


    ¡°What is the matter Glitter Kitten? I thought you liked big hard cocks?¡± I smirked teasing her.


    She rubbed her legs together as the familiar stench of arousal leaked out from her, it was strong enough to overpower the lavender scent coming off of her sleek and well groomed fur, ¡°I do, but it was impurressive before¡­ now though. It is too big.¡±


    It bulged, unfurling the tip like an obscene flower. The tendrils wiggled in the air as it pulsated. ¡°Yes just about everything has gotten bigger. No need to worry I know it will fit, I fucked you just yesterday and you loved it,¡± I smiled leaning down beside her twitching ear, ¡°as they say sizes means everything.¡±


    She stared at it as my full length emerged. Well, it was no surprise over her concern; my ovicock was longer than she was tall after all. It was also very flexible. My shaft slithered around her, rubbing lewdly all over her fur. Our scents were mixing and fusing. Satisfied by teasing her for a moment I sat back and let my pole of pleasure pulsate in front of her.


    ¡°Go on Glitter Kitten I can smell how much you want to service me,¡± I smirked stroking myself idly, the lewd wet sound of my flesh permeated the room.


    She almost seemed scared of my flesh slowly reaching out for it and then grasping it with a hand and then two. Her soft palms glided up my shaft and then backed down getting wet and gooey as my folds schlicked. She drew closer and then pressed her lips to my bluish purple flesh kissing it, licking it. Her tongue roughly worked in circles as she tasted me. She shivered a little taking deep sniffs as her nose pressed against my pheromone-soaked mating tool.


    The horny kitty curled around my shaft, pressing herself against it. Her whole body began to work my member. Sliding up and then down, squeezing me tightly as my tendrils teased her. I leaned forward looming over her as she eager bounced, jerking me off. She used me as a stripper pole, grinding and pressing all over my tube. She shifted here and there, pushing her ass against me and started humping her hips. Her legs coiled around my ovicock for a better grip and she used her hands to keep herself steady as she tilted down using her booty and thighs to press me.


    ¡°Such a slutty kitty do you want me to breed you that badly?¡± I cooed watching her move faster and faster trying to get me off.


    She didn¡¯t say anything too focused on stroking the shaft. Truly, she is a pro. I shuddered as her thighs humped my member. It wasn¡¯t just me getting wet and hot. My tendrils pushed into her slit as it hotly and quickly moved up and down. It didn¡¯t take long for her to get sloppy and the heat radiating from her pussy started to lewdly mist.


    Her ears were flattened as she frantically used her lower body to hump and stroke. She panted and moaned as the friction from our lewd bodies increased. Faster and faster she slipped and slid our arousal lubing up her death grip on my shaft. I cried, trembling as I shifted and pinned her to the floor. I rearranged her so that she was hugging my lengthy tool and the tip of my head would loom right over her face when I pulled back, oozing my juices onto her.


    With a thrust, I began. I started humping, my abdomen bulging as I firmly mounted her. I eagerly used her warm body that was trapped below me, sliding between her three sets of breasts, arms, and legs. Using her whole body to pleasure myself. Every thrust got her wetter, buried under my flesh as I moved.


    Xava decided to join in straddling my shaft and latching onto the top of it. Crushed between two bodies, I started bucking harder and faster, relishing in the tightness of their embrace. It didn¡¯t take long for me to go over the edge, shuddering and huffing as I came. My thick syrupy cum spilled out, and I pulled back coating both of them in it. Glitter Kitten lay there panting as my bug goo was dripping all over her. Her face blissful and twitching as she squirmed happily lapping it up, even using her hands to scoop up my jizz and drink it.


    My member already surging with arousal again slithered over her body. I leaned in letting the plethora of tentacles dangling from my head assault the horny cat girl. The muscular appendages rubbed all over her. Slipping and wiggling as they coiled her and my ovipositor together. My hands roamed and canvased her body, massaging my spunk into her fur like lotion. Her scent fading, conquered, dominated by my own. I was marking her as my property, my mate, my pet.


    She huffed trembling as my tip opened drooling onto her face. Slowly it pressed forward until it enveloped her head and she shuddered violently. Her hips bucked up, tensing as she spurt, cumming as I tightened my grip on her. All my limbs stroked her and worked her body. The feelers teasing her as several tentacles penetrated her sodden snatch. She wiggled and squirmed, gulping inside of my tube. I squeezed and contracted, drowning her in a wave of heated pheromones. My vents fanning as my soft flesh glistened in the air, exposed and vulnerable.


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    Slowly my tentacles slid in and out of her holes, widening them, stretching her open for our impending mating. All the while she gasped and groaned writhing helpless, partly submerge inside of my egglayer. She came again, her hips bucking violently as I thrust deeper into her and my tube tightened around her head. My hands and tentacles stroked and polished my member until it lewdly gleamed and I moaned letting copious amounts of lubricating juice pool at the end of my member.


    After she shook and sputtered, gurgling I pulled off with a wet gushing as my juices flooded onto the floor. Glitter Kitten flopped about like a fish gasping desperately for air. Her whole body soaked and oozing in sweat and my bodily fluids. She panted, holding her face with a dazed and delirious smile.


    ¡°Nyaaa~ Vesper I-¡± started Glitter Kitten before I kissed her. My tongue plunged into her mouth, writhing as it pushed and spread, widening open her throat. I could feel her quivering meekly below me. The stench of her sopping pussycat told me all I needed to know. My lower hands grabbed her ass, squeezing it. Her throat tightened around my taster, and I slowly withdrew from her body.


    ¡°Now then are you going to be my Glitter Kitten? My pet? Go on, I want to hear you beg.¡± I whispered in her ear as I sat staring down at her, my undulating ovicock inches from her face.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ mrroow!¡± She nuzzled it, gently kissing my length.


    I smirked my antennae squirming as they took in her decadent stench, ¡°How cute. But I said beg you little whore cat.¡±


    She got wet or rather soaked. I could smell the slimy drool of her pussy oozing out. She panted, ¡°I want it. Please. Please, Vesper. Fuck me. Nyahh~ I¡­ fuck fuck fuck, just fuck me. I- Anything, I will do anything for you Vesper. I, I love you!¡± she sputtered at the end.


    ¡°Anything?¡± I cooed amused, ¡°Even becoming my pet?¡±


    She was salivating and even still she wet her dry mouth, ¡°Yes. I will do it. I will be your pet. You, you can collar me, walk me on a leash I don¡¯t care. I, I have never felt this way before! Fuck me like an animal! Breed me. I just want it inside of me. I can¡¯t wait to feel it plunging into me!¡±


    ¡°Oh, such a good little pet. It is hard to imagine that you were trying to make me your pet with how slutty and submissive you are now.¡±


    She quivered, ¡°I am sorry, I, I didn¡¯t know my place! I am your bitch, your bitch kitten!¡±


    I pet her head rubbing her gently to alleviate her worries, ¡°That is fine. You were stronger than me then. But now you know your place. Yes below me. I am stronger now than you and because I am more powerful I can take what I want. Do you know why you feel the way you do?¡±


    ¡°No, why do I feel this way?¡± she whined, shaking as I fanned her with my pheromones.


    I leaned in my tentacles coiling around her, ¡°It is because you have recognized me as your mate. Yes, a superior partner. One who is even stronger than you are,¡± My tentacles rubbed against her stomach, ¡°Your instincts are demanding that you breed with the strongest mate. So that your offspring will be superior, I know because I feel the same.¡±


    She stared up at me her face flush as her, ¡°I never thought about it like that. Mrrrooow Vesper, Vesper, please fuck me. Fuck me like the filthy whore cat I am. Fill me with your children!¡±


    I kissed her, nuzzling her neck, ¡°Yess~ spoken like a true brood mother.¡±


    ¡°Brood mother?¡± she panted.


    ¡°Yes, have you not had over twenty kittens? Such a fertile host. So strong and resilient. I could hardly ask for a better mate,¡± I whispered into her ear.


    It seems that finally put her entirely over the line and she moaned, her nethers becoming a bog of breeding. She panted turning away from me, ass up, her hands reaching back spreading her pussy wide open for me to see how desperate she was. It was a veritable lagoon of lust. If she were to walk around it would leave a thick slime trail wherever she went. My tongue pressed to the honied hole and slithered inside of her to a whorish moan. She huffed and squirmed as my lengthy taster explored, savoring her wild, musky, and raunchy flavor. I slicked out, and she slumped her front end, shaking her ass enticingly. Her tail wiggled all over, thrashing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore! Fuck me! Pound my pussy! Just take me already!¡± She cried out her desperation made it all the more arousing.


    ¡°Well then. Here I come,¡± My lower hands grasped her hips as I lowered myself atop her. My abdomen bulged, letting the full length of my ovipositor free. The head crested, its tendrils drawn to the heat and steaming arousal flooding from her pussy. They spread the hole open, tasting it, bathing in her and then I pressed forward. The hole was naturally too small at first. I was after all larger than anything she had ever taken, of that I was quite confident. With every shove, she eased a little more, gave a little more. Until finally, with a primal scream of ecstasy, she submitted fully.


    ¡°So FUCK! SOOO BIG!¡± She cried out.


    I grunted shoving harder. The wettest, gooiest squelch I had ever heard filled the air, and I slid into her molten muff. Inch by inch her toned and trained muscles squeezed and milked, fighting me for every moment of this divine snatch. I would have to tame her body, oh delightful. Her insides roiled and squirmed. So tight and yet, so accommodating. My tendrils massaged and teased, tantalizing all of the little nubs and sensitive spots as they explored. They slithered through her love tunnel, scraping the walls, digging into every crevice they could find. Mapping out every single part of her lewd body and revealing to me where every last weak point was.


    In the wake of my feelers, her pussy convulsed, shuddering as she spurt and drooled. She loosened under my unrelenting advance. Her defenses were crumbling allowing me to penetrate deeper, pushing more profoundly. Harder. More and more unstoppable. I could hear her howling and screaming in pleasure below me. I cupped her breasts with my tentacles and wrapped around her neck and head. I took a deep breath, feeling her final line of resistance. The cervix. Her very womb was before me. The core of her, her most precious place.


    She moaned, begging, ¡°Deeeeeper!¡±


    I teased it, my tendrils invading into the tiny opening. Spreading it to her eager and desperate panting. She twitched and tightened, crushing my whole shaft as she shivered in my grasp. Glitter Kitten held her face a dribbly smile etch across in ecstasy. Amused I continued to torture her. The fleshy little feelers stroked the walls of her womb. Twisting and churning her most sensitive place. I held her down. At my mercy for minutes, teasing her. The entrance was opening and closing as though it were panting with need, begging me to impregnate it.


    Finally, she could take no more and yowled, ¡°VESPER! JUST FUCK ME!¡±


    I pushed forward, breaking the dam of her resolve and she squealed in delight. My tube shoved into her depths, filling her until it smashed against the back of her belly. Her stomach bulged as she writhed, clawing mindlessly at my arms that anchored me atop her. Her mouth gaped into an O of obscene pleasure, her head jerked, back arched, tail straight up and bristling. All while her pussy overflowed, clenching and squeezing groping my member as though it had a mind of its own.


    I held her still even as her body went wild, spasming. I didn¡¯t move an inch closing my eyes as I relished in the feeling of her decadent body. I purred, the rumbling vibration coursing through me into her core and radiating out. Her insides were hellishly hot ¡ª a sauna of need. Her tight walls caressed the entirety of my length that managed to fit inside of her. I leaned forward my eyes gazing upon her ruined with pleasure face. Tears dribbled from her eyes her mouth perpetually gaped and drooling lost in a fog of breeding bliss.


    Slowly I began to move. My abdomen pulled back as her body squirmed and then it pushed back in. My hands holding her as one might a sex toy. Eagerly I began to fuck her. Sliding in and then pulling back out. Every thrust scraping her quivering walls. Spreading her snatch more and more and claiming her as my own with every heartbeat. Taming her twat, fold by fold ¡ª inch after inch. Her face lost in lust.


    Each thrust got a little faster, a little deeper, and I pulled out a bit more. Glitter Kitten''s pussy spurt as she yowled shaking as I slid her up and down jerking myself off with her hot and horny body, using her like a pocket pussy. She popped off, and a flood of our juices gushed out of her wet hole. Her chest quaked and heaved as she tried desperately to breath. Panting and moaning, each mouthful of air corrupting her with my pheromones. My abdomen continuously flapped fanning the flames of our lusty inferno until it had fully consumed her.


    ¡°MrrRrrooowww Nnnnyaaa~¡±


    I pressed her down on all fours, as an animal and I slid over her back whispering in her ears, ¡°Good kitty. Who is a good kitty? My slutty kitty~.¡±


    She held her face happily, ¡°Nyyyaaa I am! I am a goood kitty.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, you are. My kitty.¡± I pet her for a moment before pressing against her pussy once more, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Glitter Kitten trembled, pushing back against the tip, ¡°Cock! I want your cock. Fill me! Cum in me. Make me your slut, your whore!¡±


    ¡°And why should I do that?¡± I asked letting my tentacles caress her.


    She panted, rubbing herself against me, ¡°I¡­ I am your pet. Your bitch kitten! You own me! Please, please knock me up.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I purred, pushing the tip back into her, ¡°You are mine.¡±


    ¡°Mmmroww. I am yours. I am yours!¡±


    I thrust fully back into her, bottoming out and allowing my member to coil inside of her. Her tummy bloated and her face filled with a crazed demeanor. Her mouth gaped open as she screamed and her cunt crushed me. Her velvety walls of molten lust bit into me like a vice grip. Tightening to the point, we were locked together. I leaned forward kissing her and letting my tongue plunder her mouth, sliding into her. Deeper and deeper as she shuddered.


    Instinctively I knew that now was the time. She was ready. Like a dam bursting my egg sack opened up and a stream of lumps descended my tubed shaft. The first reached her entrance, stopping for a moment, she was too tight. My member bulged forcing her open, and her hands that had been grasping me shook desperately, tensing up in a shudder before falling limply to her side. The backed up eggs pushed; the pressure forcefully sent them deeper. The first plopped into her pussy with a loud squelch.


    Glitter Kitten writhed for a brief moment, cumming once more before her body submitted for breeding. Her bulwark broken the egg ascended through her love canal. The lump spread her wider as it went, letting her rest in between each. However, with every passing egg, her body became more used to it. There was no pain, only pleasure as she greedily sucked my brood deeper into her. My seed reached the end of my member and spilled out into her womb. Her eyes rolled in bliss as the rest soon followed.


    Her belly distended as I filled her with my brood. She twitched with every sphere that planted itself into her fertile body, and I held her still, enjoying the stench of her submission. My antennae wiggled with glee, drinking her in. Her body branded with my scent. With every pulse of my member, she squirmed and tightened. I closed my eyes fully, and wholehearted basked in her decadently hot body.


    After a long while, I lifted her, off of my tube. Her pussy gaped, spasming as she held her pleasure broken face. Her lower mouth spilled its meal, oozing and flowing before I lowered her onto my mouth and my tongue stabbed into her snatch. She flopped helplessly on top of my head, too tired to resist and or move too much. I gulped and fed on her hole, scooping out our love juices. After a few minutes of my taster thrashing about the inside of her, she started to tighten up again, between convulsions.


    Finished with my meal, I set my new pet down and let her rest. I made eye contact with Xava, and she nodded bringing over a leather collar that I had decided on earlier. She fastened it to Glitter Kitten¡¯s neck, the little bell attached to it jingled sending a satisfied tingling sensation up my spine. It was enough to make me shiver in pleasure. I lay down, letting her bask in the glow atop my chest. She lay there purring as I pet her. My antennae twitched as I rubbed them against her belly, the gurgling sounds of new life flourishing filled my feelers.


    Glitter Kitten was mine now.

 Interlewd: Seedbed Log 1 (R 18)

    Interlewd: Seedbed Log 1


    Day 1


    I sat watching Nightmare through the two-way mirror. She languished about that white room; it was empty and devoid of anything save her trembling body. Her left shoulder ended abruptly, and the freshly cauterized stump had begun to scar. As for the right, her hand was missing two fingers, the pointer, and the middle finger. The rest recently reattached, causing red lines to form where the flesh had forcefully sealed.


    I never thought that watching someone suffering would please me. I had always shied away from it, never really enjoying it when I hurt others. But if it was this bitch, if it was Nightmare, then the part of my brain that reigned in my action seemed to turn off. I felt no pause, no guilt, or even slight hesitation as I considered what delightfully terrible things to do to this disgusting creature.


    If this was how Villains feel while plotting and scheming how to dick over the heroes, well, slap my ass and tag team me in cause this is ecstasy. It was like being a kid in a candy store or more appropriately, a lewd wasp in an adult toy store, and everything is free. I just don¡¯t know what to do with myself. I mean, seriously, there were so many options to choose. How could I possibly decide?


    I could eat her piece by piece. I could watch as she melts in a vat of acid, or release the robo snakes and scorpions upon her. I could use her as a cock sock and kill her by shoving my whole length through her until it came out of her mouth. I could lay eggs in her and use her as nothing more than an incubator for the rest of her life, reducing her to little more than livestock¡­ well, that is most likely what she will ultimately become. I am very interested in having children with Mind Powers, after all.


    Those and many, many more plots circulated about my head. The problem was that a frail human could not possibly withstand the various things that I would do. She would be long dead by the time my demented mind ever even got close to running out of ways to break her. As such, I had to be careful. Yes, Breaking her too soon would destroy my fun. I would not let her get off easy by slipping into the sweet release of insanity or even death. No, I wanted her to be alive and conscious and aware of everything that is done to her.


    ¡°Xava,¡± I said, glancing down to my lovely robotic nurse.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she tilted her head.


    ¡°You know a lot about anatomy, right?¡±


    ¡°I certainly do. What inquiries did you have?¡±


    ¡°What is the most painful thing you can think of?¡±


    She thought on it, ¡°Hmm¡­ Pain is somewhat subjective, just as taste can be. However, it all leads back to the pain receptors in the brain. So the most painful thing possible would be to supercharge the pain receptors and disable the dopamine and serotonin receptors to keep the subject from being able to go into shock. However, doing this would quite literally fry the brain. While it would be a pain beyond imagining, the brain would cease to function, thereby killing the person.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Hmmm, killing her certainly would be an issue. That being said, she would become a vegetable at that point correct? The body would still function?¡±


    ¡°Theoretically, yes, I could set her body up to be regulated and kept alive even if she is brain dead. It would be similar to being in a coma.¡±


    ¡°Tell, me, can you make a device capable of that?¡±


    She paused as her emerald green eyes glowed brightly while she processed my request, after a minute or so her eyes gleamed, ¡°Yes, I believe that it is possible. However, it will take some time to complete.¡±


    I touched my fingers together in a pyramid, tapping them slowly as my smile spread until it cracked my face, ¡°Good, then I can enjoy playing with my food. When I grow bored with her, that will be her end. A final spark as her very soul is crushed out of her, and her body becomes nothing more than a seedbed continuously giving birth to my brood.¡±


    I shivered just imagining what sort of face she would make, the sound she might produce, the smell of fear and pain as her brain fried in complete and utter agony.


    ¡°Well, then shall we get started?¡± I smiled at her.


    ¡°Certainly, Vesper.¡±


    The door opened as I walked into that abyss of white. Nightmare shifted, squirming to the sounds of the door opening, and the thuds of my feet approached her.


    Her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, ¡°Wha, what do you want!?¡±


    My clawed fingers traced her back, ¡°To play with my new toy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt me!¡±


    I pet her slowly relishing the stink of her fear, ¡°Well now, that depends on how well you obey, doesn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ what do you want?¡± She shuddered to my touch.


    I nodded, and Xava released her restraints. I was not scared of her in any shape or form. Even if she did manage to somehow Mind Dive me, Xava would rip her away from me in a moment, breaking her connection and rendering her power useless. And Neon Nurse, being Neon Nurse, was not susceptible to Nightmare¡¯s power.


    She sat, staring up at me with apprehension. My abdomen pushed between my legs coming to bear before her and it opened, the vents oozing heated mist before my genitalia spread out like an obscene flower. She gulped, shying away from my extending ovipositor. The tube inflating and filling, pulsing with perverse hunger.


    ¡°Get, get that disgusting thing away from me!¡± She flopped away.


    My hand grabbed her by the chin, lifting her off of the ground and setting her back in front of me, forcing her to look at it, ¡°Now, now. You will obey or¡­ I will get creative.¡±


    She shook, lowering her eyes, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    I cooed softly, ¡°That is more like it. I gave you those fingers back for a reason. Stroke my bug cock like your life depends on it, if you do good enough, I might reward you.¡±


    She hesitated, slowly extending her arm to touch the soft flesh. My member squished in as she poked it. She grasped it, as best she could, moving her hand at a glacial pace. This certainly was not going to get me off. I hissed, voicing my displeasure and she shrank away, letting go of my member.


    ¡°I said stroke. Give me a hand job, you slut,¡± I reached down, lifting her hand and forcing it to wrap around my shaft.


    Slowly I moved up and down, forcing her to comply. Her face grew more and more disgusted with every moment, which only made my ovipositor twitch with arousal. The pace began to increase as her arm jerked stiffly, she was not at all into it, resisting meekly. Mmm it seems that she needs an attitude adjustment.


    I released her hand, and it immediately stopped, pulling away. I rubbed my chin staring at her with all of my black eyes, ¡°If you will not use my generous gift as it should be, then I will take it back.¡±


    She looked at me like I was crazy; it quickly turned to horror as my tentacles coiled around her and lifted her body. They forced her arm out, extending it straight as my mouth gaped. Her face went pale, and sweat dribbled.


    ¡°NO! Not my arm! Please, Please, I will do better! I will do anything, just not my arm!¡± she screamed.


    I paused for a moment, letting her hope rise, only to decimate it as my jaws slammed shut on her hand, tearing her fingers off. My mandibles set to work, crunching as her sweet blood spurt and flowed. Bones snapped and twisted as my jaws worked up slowly, nibbling, and eating her flesh. Inch by inch, I moved up consuming her arm. Her body writhing, and her mouth gaped in an endless frantic screaming screech, only pausing as she sucked in air.


    Finally, my lips pressed against her shoulder, and I pulled away, opening my mouth to show her the pulped remains of her arm. My tongue smeared her across the face with her own blood and flesh before rolling back, and I swallowed. Her face turned ghostly white, and she threw up, passing out.


    ¡°How weak. It was just an arm. I lose those all the time. Her pain threshold must be very shallow,¡± I said disappointed.


    ¡°That is normal, for a human.¡±


    ¡°Then, humans are just weak.¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± nodded Xava.


    I lowered Nightmare and Xava injected her, the blood foamed and sealed the wound shut. As much as I would love to continue, she would likely die from much else done to her at the moment. Reluctantly, I allowed her to rest with IV drips inserted into her legs to keep her healthy.


    ***


    Day 2


    The next day I returned to torture her some more. Nightmare lay on the floor, armless as she gazed up at the ceiling blankly. Slowly her eyes shifted to me, and she shuddered.


    ¡°Come back to finish the job?¡± She sneered.


    ¡°Finish?¡± I asked, looming over, ¡°We have hardly begun. You didn¡¯t even get me off yesterday.¡±


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    Her eyes got rather large and scared at my words. I licked my lips, relishing in her delectable scent, the pungent sweet smell of prey oozing out of every part of her. It was arousing.


    ¡°What are you planning now?!¡± she shrunk away from me, inching away like a worm as she used her chin to help crawl away.


    ¡°I was going to feed you. After all, you must be hungry.¡± I said, amused.


    ¡°Fuck you! I will kill you!¡± she cried.


    ¡°Since you have such a nice and active mouth, let us put it to good use,¡± I smiled, lifting her up into a sitting position directly atop my throbbing abdomen.


    My flesh bulged and schlicked as the shaft slid free, pulsing as it inflated. Her mouth tightly pressed shut as she glared at me. Oh¡­ Mmmm yes, resistance. How¡­ enjoyable. One of my tentacles pressed to her lips, shoving and forcing her mouth open. Her eyes swam as I fed more of it into her, letting it wiggle about. Her muffled complaints rose until a sharp sting made me twitch. I gazed at her, her teeth sunk into my appendage.


    I tilted my head, leaning in to observe her, tears flowing from her tightly shut eyes while her feeble jaws clenched trying to bite off my thick, muscular feeler. My claws pried her mouth open, and my tentacle retreated much to her relief, which was short lived. The egglayer soon replaced it. My hands wrapped around her head as I shoved it in with no regard for her comfort.


    Nightmare sputtered and thrashed, biting into it desperately. I closed my eyes sighing as my member set to work, crawling deeper into her throat and subsequently slithering down. Her whole body revolted, legs kicking as she chewed, trying to sink her teeth into the expanding flesh. My member steadily inflated with arousal, forcing her mouth open. Her lips were deliciously spread around me.


    Her mouth muscles were naturally no match, and I began to thrust steadily, ignoring her feeble attempt to harm me. The grating of her teeth served little more than to add friction. More and more bug cock pulsed, feeding itself into her as she violently thrashed and squirmed, held in place by my four hands. Steadily she sunk deeper and deeper, her eyes rolling as drool and slobber oozed down her chin, excess lubricants to ease my penetration.


    Ah¡­ she needs oxygen, doesn¡¯t she? I pulled off, watching as her distended throat shrunk, and my flesh slipped out completely. In its absence, she gulped in air. Her chest heaving as she gasped. I pressed against her mouth again, and her eyes stared up at me, pleadingly. Unfortunately, there was no mercy to be found. I smiled as my hands force-fed two feet of ovicock down her throat.


    Her insides were hot and wet, rather tight as well. Her head began to bob as I used her. Up she slid and then back down, her eyes filled with hate, and it only fueled my lust, yes she was only encouraging me. Don¡¯t look at me with such passionate eyes; it only makes me want to rape you even more. My hand forced her to suck faster and harder. Her stomach distending with every single thrust. The acid tingling and tantalizing my member. It wasn¡¯t nearly as strong as Slither¡¯s.


    ¡°That is it. Suck my cock, you filthy whore. Good, yes. This is all you are good for. You are just a hole to be fucked and used until you break,¡± I taunted, leaning in close to her gurgling head.


    She sputtered, tightening as I felt her teeth trying desperately to bite off my egglayer. I moaned, her resistance only served to make it feel better. My lips pursed as her head worked my shaft up and down, harder and faster, her legs kicking as I used her. Yes, I was using her. She was, after all, something to be used and broken at my leisure. More profoundly, I pressed her down, watching as she groaned and fluids spurt and oozed out of her mouth and nose.


    Then I heard it. A wet noise as her body gave way. My member surged, pushing profoundly into her as her eyes gaped, fear and disgust filling her strained face. Her stomach grew and grew as I coiled inside of it. Finally, I shuddered, and my member inflated nearly breaking her jaw as my cum flowed into her. The throat stretched as it pushed steadily down the tube until it erupted into her gut. My cum spurt out of her nose and flooded out of her mouth. Her face twisted in pain as her body grumbled and groaned unable to take the sheer quantity.


    Slowly I pulled out watching as she foamed at the mouth, eyes rolled up, body twitching on the floor. I licked my lips, enjoying every moment of her torment. She looked as though she were pregnant, her massive jiggly belly to her side. I was genuinely surprised that her stomach had not ruptured from the volume of jizz she had just ingested.


    ¡°I hope you enjoyed your feeding,¡± I said playfully lording her.


    White cum bubbles formed, dribbling from her parted mouth and her nose as my special sauce streamed onto the floor. She was naturally passed out. I sat watching, as the color slowly returned to her face. After roughly twenty minutes or so, she blinked. She stirred, gagging, and throwing up a torrent of white.


    ¡°Bad girl. Wasting all that food I gave you,¡± I admonished her.


    She wobbled, falling over, defenseless. Her ass bare and begging to be used. She spasmed a bit. Nightmare was undoubtedly fun to play with. I poked at her humming happily. Eventually, her eyes focused enough that I knew she was conscious. I had waited for this. After all, it wouldn¡¯t do to rape her while she couldn¡¯t feel it.


    My clawed finger pressed against her pussy and slowly it penetrated. My antennae pressed against the hole, spreading it as I smelled her. Despite all this, it appeared that all of this somewhat aroused her. Well, then I suppose I should reward her. My finger withdrew, and my tendrilled tip teased her entrance as I held her skinny ass.


    ¡°What is this? Why are you wet, I wonder? It couldn¡¯t possibly be that you are enjoying this?¡± I asked, tilting my head. ¡°What a dirty little whore. I bet you were looking forward to this. Well then, enjoy becoming my cock sleeve.¡±


    ¡°What are you-¡± She started, still very much disoriented.


    I pushed. Her body jerked as she cried out. My member undulating as it invaded, inch by inch. Slowly spreading her. She was cramped and moist. Her walls tightened in a misguided attempt to resist, thinking that if she got smaller, I could not fit. My tube compressed and the tendrils stabbed into her folds, undulating lewdly as they attacked her. Her hips began spasming as more of myself steadily, fed into her wanting body.


    I leaned over her, ¡°Yes, you want this, don¡¯t you? I can feel it; I can smell it. Such a good host. That is what you are. Don¡¯t worry; I will fill you with so many babies that you will never be able to move again.¡±


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t want this! Get your filthy cock out of me-¡± she revolted, wiggling since that was all she was capable of doing.


    My lower hand slapped her booty, and then the opposite hand did the same. Soon they were working in tandem, beating her as I gripped her torso, pumping her steadily back and forth on my cock.


    ¡°Dawww, you think you have a choice? You are nothing. You are no longer human. You are whatever I say you are. And I say that you are my seedbed, a thing for me to impregnate over and over. A breeding bitch. A gestator, incubator¡­ no, you are even lower than that. You will grow my babies inside of you, and when they hatch, I will fuck you full of even more. Stretching you out with every clutch of eggs and you will take more every time.¡± I laughed as the sound of our copulation filled the room.


    The steady, heavy smacks of my flesh surging into her rose as she screamed and writhed below me. She was powerless. She was weak. She was mine to rape and defile and destroy as I saw fit. I pressed in harder, pushing her top half into the floor as I started to rail into her pussy. The squelching of juices rose as I pounded away. Red flakes began to appear in the copious flow as I listened to her bones creaking and her body straining.


    ¡°SSTHOP!¡± she squealed and cried.


    I mounted her harder, bottoming out as my tube slammed into her depths, scraping at the back of her womb. Her eyes rolled, and she foamed at the mouth slumping. I slowed, working her along the shaft using her as the thing that she was, a sex toy, stroking myself off with her convulsing walls of flesh until I came. Her belly distended as I pulled out. I had held back and not lay eggs just yet; she didn¡¯t deserve them.


    I pulled her off like a used condom and let her fall to the floor, cum spurting from both ends. I sat watching her, waiting for her to come back to reality.


    It took a good hour.


    Her listless eyes focused as she groggily looked about the room. They soon fell on me, and she shivered violently. Her fear was palpable, delectable, and it made my mouth water.


    ¡°Mo- Monster,¡± she grit at me and spit my lovingly gifted, highly nutritious juice on the floor¡­ such a waste.


    I tilted my head back, ¡°Xava, she wasted the food. I believe punishment is in store.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What sort dear?¡± asked Neon Nurse gazing down with cold robotic eyes on the quivering prey.


    ¡°Maybe she doesn¡¯t understand?¡±


    ¡°Could be.¡±


    ¡°What would- ah remove her teeth. After all, she will never eat anything besides protein paste and my cum ever again. Maybe that will make it sink into her head?¡±


    Xava smiled, ¡°What an excellent idea.¡±


    Nightmare sputtered, flopping about like a fish that had been washed ashore, ¡°No, no, please no!¡±


    The cold plastic smile of Neon Nurse plastered her face as she pulled out what appeared to be a plier-like device that sent out arcs of electricity from it and made menacing clapping noises as it slammed shut several times. Oh my~ that certainly looks like it is going to be painful.


    Xava placed the tool to the squirming woman¡¯s mouth, smiling as it clamped down. With a tug blood spurt and Nightmare screamed as a loud crack filled the air. She squirmed helplessly on the floor, her stumps writhing as Xava stood over her, letting the white tooth fall from the plier-like device, clinking onto the floor as she straddled Nightmare¡¯s chest. Neon Nurse hummed merrily as she set to work pushing the contraption in. The gurgling cries of Nightmare would flare up and then devolve into a shrieking wail as the cyborg yanked back ripping another tooth out. I stared down at the pathetic thing, bubbles forming as she cried.


    Xava kept at it for half an hour. At no point was anesthesia given. It was done raw and hard. Tooth after tooth ripped and pulled out until there was a wide assortment scattered around the floor. She wiped her brow, blood smearing from her red hands as she did and gave a refreshing smile to me. Honestly, it was rather cute. I think I am getting rather dark. Well if it were anybody other than Nightmare I wouldn¡¯t even consider doing something like this. My finger pried open her mouth, looking over the puffy gums. It was all red in there, however not a tooth remained.


    Approvingly I smiled and pat Xava on the head, ¡°Good job, make sure she doesn¡¯t bleed to death though.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± She replied, injecting something into Nightmare.


    I almost felt bad for her. Almost. We will see if her attitude adjusts.


    Her mouth and other injuries had healed rather quickly, thanks to Xava¡¯s help. I sat observing Nightmare, my fingers spreading her mouth open for me to inspect. As expected of my lovely wife, not a single tooth remained. The gums were beautiful and soft, perfect for cock sucking, which was all that this hole was going to be doing from now on.


    My member stiffened immediately at the thought of giving it a test drive. Nightmare shivered, meekly looking away as I pressed the tip to her lips. The tendrils pried her mouth open and proceeded to drag me inside. She hardly resisted at this point. She is learning. I patted my sex toy on the head for being an excellent cock sleeve. I felt her tongue shifting, tasting me. Oh! More pats for a good suck slut.


    ¡°Good girl. Good, yes, that is it. You are doing so well. It is not hard, even a worthless cum dumpster like you can do it.¡± I smiled, placing a hand on her head.


    Slowly it descended, and she took my member with only minimal struggling. It was admirable for a human really. Her throat expanded, and I soon bottomed out in her stomach. I wanted to see if she had truly learned anything and let go of her head. She sat there in a daze. Then slowly began to rise. She let my tip sit in her mouth before slurping it back down with a rather lewd noise. I pat her approvingly as she sucked me off all on her own.


    ¡°Look at you. Such a good suck slut. Do I taste good? You enjoy this, don¡¯t you?¡± I leaned in my tentacles, touching her face.


    Her eyes were still filled with resistance, despite her actions. Good. Good. It wouldn¡¯t do if she broke so easily. It hasn¡¯t even been two full days yet. That would just be pathetic really. Yes, that is it, cling to your humanity so that I can strip it away from you and break you and destroy you until you are nothing more than a fuck puppet. Her pace was too slow. It was obvious that this was mere, lip service in an attempt to appease me. However, such unenthusiastic cock sucking wasn¡¯t going to get anybody off. She had not learned her place. My hand plopped on her head, and her eyes gaped filled with terror as I shoved her down. She convulsed sloshing as liquid spilled from her lips, drooling down.


    As before, my hand rose and fell. Her whole body forced to follow, and she suckled my cock. Trembling and squirming as I used her as the living onahole that she was. Her tight insides burned as she constricted. I pulled back, freeing myself ¡ª this time I did not cum.


    She gasped, huffing, and drooling as she flopped over.


    ¡°Xava, don¡¯t feed her until I tell you to,¡± I instructed her.


    Though Neon Nurse had a questioning look, she nodded, ¡°As you wish. Was there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Have her practice sucking your cock and if she puts in a good effort, reward her with some flavored protein paste. Just enough so that she will want more. I have other things to attend to,¡± I said, giving her a last look before leaving Nightmare at the mercy of the robo nurses and their tenting cocks.

 Villainy 101 Chapter 1

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 1


    ¡°Vesper?¡± asked Xava, tilting her head. The glowing tubes set in her synthetic flesh gave off a gentle pink hue.


    My attention focused in on her, away from the idle hands that pampered pussycats, Glitter Kitten lay belly up purring alongside her kittens. The rounded tummy gurgled with my seed. It was¡­ satisfying.


    ¡°Yes, dear?¡± I replied.


    ¡°I have wonderful news.¡±


    I looked at her as she left me hanging, ¡°Well, go on, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Some of your eggs have begun to hatch.¡± My cybernetic lover smiled.


    My face contoured from surprise into pure glee, ¡°Already? But it has only been¡­¡±


    ¡°Nine days since our first copulation,¡± Xava supplied for me.


    ¡°Nine days? Has it been that long already?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°It has indeed.¡±


    ¡°Well I guess not going outside and just laying around all day tends to make one lose track of time.¡±


    Her eyes fell on Glitter Kitten or rather her bulging belly, ¡°I would say you have been rather productive. Speaking of which, would you like to see?¡±


    ¡°Of course I want to see,¡± I eagerly left the kitties on the bed and followed Xava.


    It didn¡¯t take long to arrive at the incubation room or as I had begun affectionately calling it, the hive. The familiar sight of Dr. Arbor¡¯s forest green fully enclosed protective suit shifted about as she worked. The glass dome left her face mostly exposed, save the breathing apparatus that released green vapor, making the insides slightly fogged.


    ¡°My baby! It is good of you to come,¡± she looking rather excited.


    ¡°I am not your child,¡± I replied flatly with a stingy face.


    ¡°Manners sweety. I don¡¯t remember raising you like this.¡±


    I crossed my arms puffing up a little, ¡°You never raised me, you are not my Mom.¡±


    Despite my complaints, her chromatic eyes glistened, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly child I made you, I gave you life twice. Molding you from primordial soup into your wonderful form now.¡±


    She had me there, but that didn¡¯t mean I acknowledged it, ¡°Busy I see,¡±


    ¡°Busy as a bee, one might say. Your offspring are beginning to hatch.¡±


    ¡°So I have heard, any progress with your research?¡± I asked, sitting down as my eyes directed themselves to the neatly arranged hexagons in which Xava left her surrogate bodies to gestate.


    If you were far enough away, the pattern was distinct, it was a honeycomb-like structure. It was rather pleasing to me, that structure just seemed right. I tilted my head, scratching my chin with a tentacle, It might be because I am a wasp. This started up a strange thought process. Since I am a wasp, shouldn¡¯t I be making my own nest? How would I make my hive? Well, if I was anything like an actual wasp, then I should be chewing on things and seeing if it creates a putty-like material to be molded into cells.


    I wonder why I had not thought of this before? Shouldn¡¯t the nest come before the egg laying? My eyes roamed the room for something suitable to try it out on. Soon they discovered the panels of metal on the floors and walls. My claws pried up one, and I bit into it. The mandibles set to work chewing and crushing it, after a short delay it had melted down into a sort of paste which I threw up onto the floor. The consistency was similar to warm wax, it was malleable, but it gave some resistance. Idly I played with it like clay, molding it into a cone shape. Something about this was calming.


    Once I realized what I had been doing the looming figures of Xava, and Dr. Arbor had huddled over to watch, ¡°Interesting, she is exhibiting nesting behaviors.¡±


    ¡°Intriguing, Vesper should I procure you nesting materials?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess¡­ wait a minute. You two are doing that thing where you observe me like an animal again!¡± I retorted.


    ¡°I am analyzing your behavior patterns to better provide for you,¡± replied Xava tilting her head, ¡°is that unsatisfactory?¡±


    ¡°No, it is just¡­ a little dehumanizing is all.¡±


    ¡°You are better than human, so why should we treat you like a mere human? You have needs beyond a simple human¡¯s, after all,¡± said Dr. Arbor laying her hand on my arm.


    I thought about it, she was right. I certainly did have needs and urges that a human didn¡¯t. I nodded in agreement and directed my attention to the reason I had come here in the first place, Xava¡¯s egg bloated bodies.


    All of them hung limply, dolls, merely bodies, containers, vessels that carried my eggs. Each had a well-rounded belly bulging out below them. A hose attached to where the belly button should be with a constant pumping flow of liquids circulating into the incubator. Movement could be seen in some, faint ripples pressing against her fake flesh. There was undoubtedly life within those robotic shells.


    ¡°You may see from here,¡± Xava motioned to a screen on the side.


    I looked it over and soon saw the feed from one of the more active incubators. The synthetic womb was monitored from within. Soon shapes began to take form, even if they were blobs. White, soft flesh moved about, writhing over others. They were larva. There were a good ten or so nestled in there, rolling and fighting for space. It was rather apparent that they were running out of room.


    ¡°Are they safe to survive outside of their host?¡± I looked down to the waiting nurses.


    ¡°We are unsure. However, they do not appear to be attached with umbilical cords.¡±


    ¡°Very well, remove the oldest clutch from one host.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? They might die,¡± she had a worried look.


    ¡°Just remove one then, and we will see from there.¡±


    Behind the glass mechanical arms moved, shifting until they aligned with the targeted body. It vaguely reminded me of a vending machine. After a moment, it probed in and slowly retracted, dragging a squalling and screaming creature out. My antennae flicked up, hearing the distress of my child. It was lowered into a Neon Nurse¡¯s waiting arms. She cleaned it and patted the pestered thing dry before carrying it to me.


    It was tiny. The grumpy worm like creature was placed into my hand. Slowly my antennae brushed over it, smelling and getting accustomed to it. A sweetened scent exuded from the now calming grub. It just lay there making a low squeaking sound. From how it inflated and deflated, it could breathe. Except, I don¡¯t think that it took in oxygen from the mouth, but rather the six holes on its sides that opened and closed rhythmically.


    After a few minutes of gently stroking it, the grub had fallen asleep gurgling from time to time. ¡°It appears to be safe, bring me more of them.¡±


    Xava complied emptying out one of the robotic breeders, and soon a good dozen of the squirming spawn was presented before me. A tingling sensation spread through me as I observed them. I was not at all accustomed to this feeling. Seeing them had awoken something inside of me. It was warm and fuzzy, but for some reason, I was excited and could hardly hold my self back. They were too cute, and I couldn¡¯t handle it.


    My god. They, they are adorable! My babies are the cutest, look at those itty bitty wigglies. I stroked the grubs watching those tiny little things shaking. Oh, they are so soft and squishy! I leaned in, laying on the floor so that I was at eye leve¡­ well as close to eye level as I could get, my head is rather large, and they are smol after all. Actually, they were tiny¡­ although, maybe I am just massive? I looked between them and Xava¡¯s hands, each was a little bigger than her finger. Roughly about the size of a breakfast sausage, the mini ones. Nice and plump their segmented bodies undulated as they wormed about on the floor of the room.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    They didn¡¯t have eyes to speak of. However, they did have mouths. Observing them, I inspected the closest one, watching the strange orifice extend and retract. I was actually rather thankful that they did not have mandibles or teeth, which meant that they would not eat their mothers. At least that was the hope. They had a sort of sucking appendage¡­ it was a proboscis. I let the tip of my tentacle press to it, and it suctioned on to the point that it was stuck like glue. It dangled swaying back and forth when lifted off of the ground, a pulsing, throbbing sensation spread from where it was attached. I realized that it was trying to feed, in this case, nurse.


    Well, that is certainly a relief, and here I thought they might be chest bursting, meat devouring spawns of Satan. I squished it, watching the little rolls of flesh jiggle lightly as I nuzzled the pallid membrane. Who could hate these soft and innocent little things? They were so defenseless and cute. I had to protect them. Seeing, smelling them, hearing their squeaks made my hearts beat faster, and my head felt a bit warm. I might be a little biased here, but they were honestly cuter than baby bunnies to me.


    My antennae poked at it, smelling my child and the long, slender tendrils that it had wrapped around my own. It was smelling me. My abdomen cracked open as I fanned my scent onto the squalling little caterpillar like creatures. Once the smell washed over it and the others that were wiggling about the floor, they slowed to a stop. Their waving antennae pointed in my direction, and the grubs scurried over towards me, chirping and squealing.


    ¡°Xava!¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear?¡± she tilted her head.


    I fawned all over the small horde of grubs, ¡°Our babies are incredible. Look how smart they are, they came right to me. They are the cutest, most lovable things I have ever seen! They are just so huggable.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± she asked, lifting up one and stared into the eyeless face.


    ¡°YES!¡± I smiled.


    I lay on my side petting them gingerly and relishing in their smells. I had heard that it was good to talk to babies and so I did, ¡°Daww who is the bestest cutest little grubbies in the whole wide world? Yes, you are, yes you are,¡±


    Several of them began to emit a high pitched whining noise. Naturally, I couldn¡¯t understand them, but I knew something was wrong. I think this sound was similar to a baby¡¯s crying. Worried I looked each of them over, ensuring that they were not hurt, no wounds or scrapes.


    Perplexed, I looked over to Xava, ¡°What is wrong with them?¡±


    She observed them for a brief moment before unbuttoning her nurse outfit and exposing her ample breasts, ¡°I believe they are hungry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± I replied watching as she lifted one to each of her boobs and they immediately vacuumed on.


    A slurping noise began to rise, and the squealing cries had faded into content chirping. It seems they are hungry then, I shouldn¡¯t leave everything to Xava. I looked down scratching at my boob carapace until it opened up, letting my soft flesh expand out. I knew that I did produce something, granted it is not milk thanks to Glitter Kitten milking me during the Blood Moon orgy.


    I raised the grubs nudging them against the bluish teat, and the mouth fully encompassed my nipple. Both latched on like lampreys, and their whole body began to undulate, pulsing as they suckled. It hurt from the sheer power of their voracious feeders, but after a moment, they calmed down and set to work in a surprisingly pleasant rhythm of nursing.


    It was relaxing once they got used to it. Their membranes steadily began to inflate as they drew more and more of my jelly, gulping it down. Only once they had grown pleasantly plump did they release the death grip that they had on me. I lowered them and picked up the next pair, repeating the process.


    After feeding the clutch, I discovered that they had doubled in size from the amount that they had fed. Daaww they seemed to be tired out now and huddled together near me making soft squeaks. I wiggled my feelers about playing with them, engrossing myself in pampering those squishy little bodies with all of my love and affection. This must be my maternal instincts at work. The smells they produced were calming to me, perhaps it is by design of my species. I cuddled my babies for a long while watching as they drifted off into sleep when their feelers drooped onto the floor.


    Xava returned them shortly after to the safety of their incubator, and I sat watching them.


    ¡°It is excellent that they do not need the host after hatching,¡± said Dr. Arbor, ¡°We should begin testing growth acceleration.¡±


    ¡°Growth acceleration?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I will begin experimenting to see how quickly they can mature.¡±


    ¡°Why would we want them to grow up so fast?¡±


    ¡°Vesper, the gestation and development period could be years before they mature into their juvenile state if left unaltered.¡±


    ¡°But they are just babies, they don¡¯t need to grow up that quickly.¡±


    ¡°Strange, I thought that you wanted others of your kind.¡±


    ¡°I do, but it just feels wrong to make them grow up so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Like this, they are not particularly aware of their surroundings and not cognitive.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t want you messing with them.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I thought you would like to see them in their nymph stage.¡±


    ¡°Their what?¡±


    ¡°Child stage. More or less equivalent to five or six-year-old humans.¡±


    I sat scowling at her, ¡°Why are you so eager to poke them like this?¡±


    ¡°I see at as more of a preservation tactic, the faster that they grow up, the faster they can defend themselves from those who would harm them.¡±


    ¡°Thats-¡± I stopped myself. ¡°Who would try to hurt my cute little grubs?¡±


    ¡°The Hero League for one. If they find out about your children, killing them for the sake of humanity will be on their top priority.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that? My babies are not hurting anyone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, for now, they are not, but who can say once they are fully grown? Humans will not take the chance and just let a species that could potentially wipe them out mature. They would attack to exterminate you and your kind.¡±


    I frowned, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Fear of the unknown, they have done it before you know. Humans do not trust things that are different, alien, foreign to them. They will perceive threats and begin efforts to neutralize the source of that threat. If they are unable to kill you, they will kill every child, they can get their hands on.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± I asked.


    Dr. Arbor held her hands behind her back, ¡°Simple, I have seen it happen before.¡±


    ¡°You have?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, several times in fact. The Subhumans in the slums here are a prime example.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? They were not being scourged like you are talking about.¡±


    ¡°During the initial meltdown and the years that immediately followed, they were. Their numbers now are drastically lower than they were back then. You do realize that during the meltdown over a hundred thousand people turned into subhumans, right?¡±


    ¡°That many?!¡±


    ¡°Well yes, more than half of Bronson City was lost when the Nuclear Power Plant went.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with me, though?¡±


    ¡°Vesper, the subhumans could not lay hundreds of eggs in a day from a single individual, at best they could have a litter of up to ten every nine weeks. If you kept up your rate of propagation for twenty or so years, the genuine possibility of outbreeding the human race would become a reality. The moment your children began to reproduce, then there would be no question that humanity was done for. The threat that you pose is apocalyptic. If the leaders of the normies are not complete fools, they will use everything at their disposal to snuff you and your kind out before they can become a threat.¡±


    I gulped, ¡°They, they wouldn¡¯t go that far, right?¡±


    ¡°They will. Humans are already starting to go extinct.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    She explained rather flatly, ¡°Supers are not human, they have extraterrestrial DNA in them, even if it is a marginal amount and since the super birthrates are exploding exponentially, normies, untainted humans will die out within the next fifty or so years. In other words, they are running scared.¡±


    I tilted my head from side to side, ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Dr. Arbor said a single word, ¡°Eve.¡±


    I was even more confused now, ¡°Who the fuck is that?¡±


    ¡°The Spore. Its mere presence has altered the earth¡¯s ecosystem and as such mutations are growing more and more rampant.¡±


    Something wasn¡¯t adding up here. ¡°So if mutations are becoming more common, why would they single me out?¡±


    ¡°Because you are a threat to Supers as well.¡±


    ¡°But there are other bugs, right? I mean Arachnaon is way stronger than me, and she isn¡¯t being targeted.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but she isn¡¯t a walking army factory like you are. In the end, once she dies off of old age or gets killed by something, then that is it, but with you even if you did die, your children will still be running around. The faster they get rid of you, the less of your children they would have to deal with in the future.¡±


    ¡°But if we don¡¯t intend them any harm-¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Humans are tribal, it is the us vs them mentality. There are very few things that unite the population like fighting a common enemy, which is part of why humans have been so successful in surviving and becoming the apex species on the planet. Humans are inherently an aggressive species and thrive off of competition and the advancements that they make to defeat their adversaries. It is a good trait; however, it has its flaws as well. Once they run out of enemies, they will make new ones, because they need an enemy to stay united. Humans will wage war over slight differences in culture, appearance, or even simple greed, countless cultures have been consumed throughout history, wiped clean from the earth as though they never existed. And they do that to their fellow man. What do you think they will do when a new apex predator emerges?¡±


    I nodded very slowly as I took all of that in. ¡°You have a point. I assume you still have some eggs from the ones I allowed you to have?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Very well, I did say that you could experiment on them. How sure are you that their growth rate can be accelerated?¡±


    ¡°I can guarantee that I can force their development¡­ the issue is to what extent, it requires more testing.¡±


    I closed my eyes for a long moment, ¡°Xava, how many eggs have I laid so far?¡±


    Xava replied, ¡°1356 eggs have been successfully laid into incubators, counting the recent Mad Dogs acquisitions.¡±


    I had so many¡­ my mindset to work thinking everything over. It was quite the revelation that someone would try to harm my children. Even though they are so cute and innocent. My protective instincts bristled. I suppose that I should have expected this. Memories began to surface of when I first changed, the horror on people¡¯s faces when they saw me, the booze bottle being broke on my face and glass and burning alcohol blinding me.


    My face frowned. It wasn¡¯t just me now. I had my children to look out for as well. It would be best to prepare for the worst case scenario. It is better to be over prepared than under prepared. I sighed, sorry little ones I hope I am wrong, but just in case I am not.


    ¡°You can have a hundred. Take them from various hosts after they have hatched, prioritize the strongest of hosts to harvest from to test if the genetic adaption is true or not. As much as I dislike doing something like this, you made your point. If you show good results, more will be allowed to undergo your treatment.¡±


    ¡°A hundred! Thank I will set to work immediately.¡± Dr. Arbor said excited, turning away from me to sort through her experiment logs. Despite her happy mood, she turns and asked hesitantly, ¡°If the results are bad?¡±


    I lay my large hand on her helmet, ¡°If you fail, you will personally be used to replace every last child you have squandered.¡±


    She nodded, ¡°I understand. I will begin at once.¡±


    Now I suppose it was just a matter of waiting to see if Dr. Arbor¡¯s work would bear fruit or eggs.

 Villainy 101 Chapter 2

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 2


    ¡°You have been lazy lately wasp,¡± said Molotov gazing through me from across the training room.


    ¡°Have not, I have been swamped lately,¡± I said, crossing my arms.


    ¡°Oh swamped in pussy?¡± the little monster smiled, and shivers ran through me, she chuckled a little, ¡°I see, I see. Da you have been practicing what I taught you, have you not?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°A little,¡± I replied warily.


    ¡°Excellent then we can resume practice then, since you have been following my instructions.¡±


    I raised a finger up, ¡°About that, is now really such a good time? I mean, I have many other things that I should be-¡±


    ¡°Nyet you worthless wasp. There is nothing more important than learning how to fight properly. The Hero League is coming in full force soon, all the fights you have been in till now are child¡¯s play compared to the free for all that will sweep the city.¡±


    ¡°I hear you, but hear me out,¡± I retreated a little.


    ¡°Nyet! Anything before a but is all bullshit.¡±


    ¡°But last time you took my own arm and bitch slapped me with it and never gave it back! It took me a whole day to grow that thing back, and it hurt.¡±


    She scowled, cocking an eyebrow, ¡°I can do much worse, you know.¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, I get it. What the hell do you want?¡±


    ¡°We will resume our practice of the Wing Chun martial art.¡±


    I was still not sure what this was all about. ¡°Why am I learning martial arts? I can literally throw a building.¡±


    Molotov¡¯s deep voice replied, ¡°Simple little wasp, you lack control, discipline, and finesse. Power is meaningless if it can¡¯t hit your target.¡±


    ¡°I think the name is stupid.¡±


    ¡°Names can be changed, call it as you like, but the movements and techniques will remain the same. Now stop complaining and show me your hand placement.¡±


    I lift my hands up, the palms opened, Although I could feel her scowling she just looked, ¡°Hmm needs work still,¡±


    Molotov demonstrated her whole body relaxed, arms slightly extended with the hands in a scoop sort of shape. She nodded, which I knew meant that I was supposed to try and attack her. I stared at the little girl, wary of her. Striking a blow on her would be no easy task. First of all, it was a small target. Ugh¡­ she is going to beat me to a pulp if I don¡¯t do anything. I loomed over her, making sure to stay out of range of those little arms.


    I had learned from my first mistake, which was to attack head-on. My tentacles attacked from the left and my right arm jabbed at her. Molotov shifted slightly, right hand smacking away the limbs of muscles and her left glided over the top of my hand before surging with power and diverting it into the floor. She twisted the restrained arm and yanked, pulling me off balance. My wings flapped, pulling me away from her, but the death grip did not loosen. Muscles began to stretch and tear until the arm separated.


    Honestly, it should hurt a lot more than it did, but ever since I got bigger pain from something like that is only a mild twinge like pulling a muscle. It didn¡¯t matter that the arm was no longer attached, the wound sealed within a few seconds.


    ¡°Oh, most would have just gotten their nose broken rather than lose an arm. Though I suppose you are not most. It seems you are learning, but it is not good to abandon your limbs so easily as it will reduce your fighting capability.¡±


    My arm flopped on the ground, rolling to me and I picked it back up, reattaching it.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°If you are grappled, you can move with force, or you can use your other arms to block the path of attack, locking an opponent from being able to use their limbs.¡±


    She demonstrated by letting me hold her wrist and press it against her chest, by restraining the opposite limb than the one she was going to use, it put her stance off-balance.


    ¡°I get what you mean,¡± I said, ¡°But the size difference is a bit much don¡¯t you think? My finger is bigger than your arm.¡±


    Molotov scoffed at me, ¡°Size means nothing. Now show me how your punch.¡±


    I made a fist and reached back before jabbing it.


    ¡°Nyet, nyet, nyet, all wrong. Observe.¡±


    Molotov reached her hand, about halfway extended so that it was able to touch my leg when just a little more out. She tapped my leg then pulled the fist to halfway between us, that little hand jerked in a blinding jab that made it seem as though it had not moved at all, my carapace burst open and I toppled over as my shin split in half.


    ¡°Damn it, Molotov! You are just picking on me now!¡±


    ¡°Nyet, I gave you a practical lesson.¡±


    ¡°Lesson my ass, you are just picking on me!¡±


    ¡°Now look wasp. You waste too much movement and energy by cocking your punch and pulling it all the way back. It telegraphs your next attack and makes it easy to counter or disrupt. However, if you roll your hips and put your weight and body behind your jab like so,¡± She said her hand punching the air with an explosive amount of power, despite not actually moving all that far. She had shifted her body with the punch to extend it past the target and then return, ¡°You get much more penetration power compared to the other attack, it is also faster, and you can chain successive attacks like so.¡±


    Molotov jabbed again, but this time striking five times, three with the right hand and two with the left as it almost seemed like a rolling motion as one hand took the place of the other only shifting back out when the other came charging again to deliver more attacks.


    ¡°Always aim for vitals, neck, joints, groin, solar plexus, nose. While disorientated, gouging eyes or crushing the windpipe is very effective.¡±


    I glowered a little, ¡°Underhanded, I see.¡±


    ¡°All that flashy fighting you see in movies is garbage. In real fights, it can be decided in a single hit, so flamboyant moves are a waste of energy and leave you open for a counter-attack. If you are not overwhelmingly stronger, mercy is not an option. Be direct, be quick, and be concise. This is life or death. A single moment of hesitation can cost you dearly.¡±


    ¡°I get that, but-¡±


    ¡°Again,¡± Molotov motioned for me to attack her.


    I reached forward, about half extended and jabbed at her, her hand smoothly diverted me again, and this time she shifted and grappled me, using my own power against me and sent me over her head and crashing into the floor on the other side of her.


    ¡°Use your opponent¡¯s energy against them, it is much harder to stop something that is already moving than to simply divert it. How much do you weigh Vesper?¡±


    This was definitely not my forte.


    ¡°Why do you wanna know that? What are you going to call me fat or something?¡±


    ¡°Answer my question.¡±


    I looked away, ¡°6 tons.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you really are fat.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that is all muscle! Xava, she is calling me fat!¡±


    The Nurse overseeing the practice tilted her head, ¡°But Vesper your prodigious abdomen is pleasantly plump.¡±


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°It is full of eggs!¡± I complained.


    ¡°There there, there is no need to be upset over having fat reserves.¡±


    ¡°What fat? My body eats itself if I don¡¯t eat like a minimum of fifty pounds of meat a day.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of meat, what exactly do you plan on doing with those that you captured.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Gnome and Disk Jockey. What are you plotting with those two?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said startled slight, ¡°Eh I just remembered that I had caught them.¡±


    Molotov stared holes into me, ¡°You need to be more professional.¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok I will deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Good, now remember, you are a villain now, so act like it.¡±


    I rubbed my chin, ¡°Act like a villain, huh?¡±


    ¡°Da, that is correct.¡±


    I stared at her, ¡°For reference, what exactly does a Villain even do?¡±


    Molotov rubbed her chin, considering it, ¡°Whatever you want really. You could be twirly mustache villain and monologue, though I don¡¯t recommend that since it leads to complications. Long talks tend to get interrupted.¡±


    ¡°Speaking from experience?¡±


    ¡°Da, Sanguine Puppeteer loves to play things up for dramatic effect. It can get away with that due to how powerful it is, you though would likely spoil your plan or get sneak attacked while talking.¡±


    ¡°So no cartoon villainy?¡±


    ¡°Da. Cold hard real villainy. Torture, extortion, manipulation, thievery, murder; that type of thing.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said vaguely. ¡°A bit darker than I thought.¡±


    ¡°You will get desensitized after a short while. In the underworld, it is much better to be feared than loved.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I am really up to that, though.¡±


    ¡°You will soon enough. For now, just think of it as protecting what is important to you. Those do-gooder heroes won¡¯t see things the way that you do, they will see a monster rather than a person. To them, once you go, villain, you lose your humanity. So, might as well live up to their expectations.¡±


    ¡°Just cause I am a villain doesn¡¯t mean I have to be all evil and shit. I can pick and choose who and what I mess with, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, you are free to choose to a degree. That being said just cause you have more freedom doesn¡¯t mean others are not out to get you. Strength, power, and influence are paramount. Without them, expect others to target you. That being said, that is more for solo operators or independent villain groups. Since you joined Kraken, we have a policy of not taking from other members, everyone else is free game though. Did that makes things more clear?¡±


    ¡°A little, I think. So what, you want me to recruit them?¡±


    ¡°If that is what you want, they are rather small fries, so it is not a big loss if they die. That being said, a Terrakinetic and a Techno-Diver are both useful abilities.¡±


    ¡°Come to think of it, I have never seen Disk use his ability. What the hell does a Techno-Diver do?¡±


    ¡°They can hack machines, reprogram them, corrupt their systems, and control them. More or less the machine equivalent of Mind Divers,¡± said Xava, ¡°I would prefer it if he was dealt with swiftly to ensure my systems are not compromised. So far, he has not caused any problems, but that could change very quickly if he manages to break through Overseer¡¯s defenses.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to kill him?¡± I asked, staring down at her.


    Xava tilted her head, ¡°He is a potential threat.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ is that really the only option? Can¡¯t we just dump him out of the city or something and make him promise not to come back?¡±


    ¡°There would be no guarantee he would not betray us. Why are you so concerned? Is it because you two were friends?¡± said Molotov.


    I scratched the back of my head, ¡°Well, I mean he is a good kid. I don¡¯t think he deserves to die just cause he can hack things.¡±


    ¡°Then recruit him.¡±


    ¡°I doubt he would join us.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave him be either, if you just let him go he might join the Heroes and turn on us.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ you have a point, but I won¡¯t feel good about it. He hasn¡¯t really done anything that warrants his death.¡±


    ¡°It is the potential risk that he poses.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Ah, you guys are sounding like all those bastards that were treating me bad just cause I am a wasp. I am going to talk to him and decide what to do after that.¡±


    I left them walking along the corridors until I arrived at holding area, part of it had been converted into a housing area for the Mad Dogs. They kept to themselves, mostly just lazing around with their engorged bellies stuffed with my brood. My thoughts lingered as I stared at the baby bumps. Something I must protect, huh? What exactly would I do to protect my children?


    Just about anything.


    Still, if it could be avoided, I would rather not have to kill one of the few people who¡¯s company I actually enjoyed. It was hard to find good gaming buddies. Ah speaking of which I hadn¡¯t even been playing games lately. My guild is probably in meltdown mode in SR. Oops. Oh well, I have been busy.


    Disk was held in a rather tightly secure location. Unlike the other areas, no little robots were scurrying around cleaning things. It was like a dead zone where nothing mechanical set foot. Even the door was lacking techy stuff in stark contrast to the rest of the lair. It was analog, a manual crank so that it could not be hacked.


    Was Xava just being paranoid? Likely not, I mean I did disarm Nightmare just to be on the safe side. You can¡¯t be too safe around mental Supers after all.


    I unlatched the lock and cranked the door so that it opened. Disk sat in the corner, dark bags under his eyes. He was surprising clean compared to when I had drug him in. His ginger hair had sprouted some sparse patches on his chin due to not being able to shave. Ah, he always did suck at growing facial hair.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I said, closing the door behind me, ¡°How are you holding up?¡±


    He gawked at me for a long awkward few moments, ¡°Who are you? Why am I being held here?¡±


    ¡°It is me, Vesper,¡± I replied, smiling slightly.


    ¡°Vesper? How the hell did you get so big? Wait what is going on I woke up in this room and I can¡¯t remember how I even got here.¡±


    I sat down, you know, to be less intimidating and well, the ceiling wasn¡¯t that much above my head. ¡°Well after the Hammer Strike I was pretty messed up so Dr. Arbor did some stuff to me, and I am better than ever now.¡±


    ¡°Hammer Strike?¡± he asked, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    I paused for a moment, ¡°Just for reference, what is the last day that you remember?¡±


    He got quiet as he started thinking. ¡°I don¡¯t remember what day it was, but there was a school trip to talk with kids.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I said, growing rather sympathetic, ¡°That was like a month ago. Fuck man, then Nightmare got you then?¡±


    His face said everything, he was shocked and confused, ¡°A month! Who the fuck is Nightmare?¡±


    I wagged a hand slightly, ¡°Dreamer was actually an evil Chimera agent mind-controlling people. I have taken care of her.¡±


    ¡°Are Glide, Squeeze and Sunshine ok?¡± he asked.


    I shook my head, ¡°Sunshine is¡­ she died trying to block the Hammer Strike. As for Squeeze and Glide, I just don¡¯t know. Haven¡¯t seen either of them since a few days before the strike. Chief, Panther, and Metal are dead. Neon Nurse, Enforcer, Medavac are still alive.¡±


    ¡°Dead? They actually shot Bronson with a Hammer Strike?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Hero League HQ was at the center.¡±


    ¡°My parents and sister are they still alive?¡± he asked, having let it sunk in a bit.


    I shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t know who they are.¡±


    He paled growing even more concerned, ¡°Please I have to find out. Let me out of here.¡±


    I raised a tentacle, ¡°Here is the thing, the Hero League collapsed here. I am now a member of Kraken, so I am technically a villain now. So if I let you out of here, you might cause us trouble. I get that you are concerned, I been there, so I will release you, but on the condition that you get your family and leave Bronson immediately. If you don¡¯t leave then you are either with us, or against us and just between you and me, the cops and robbers games are over, this is serious, and you will be killed. I will kill you myself to protect my family if I have to, so do us both a favor and leave.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t kill-¡±


    My voice cut him down like ripe wheat, ¡°I killed Captain Metal myself. I will kill you if push comes to shove.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I get it.¡± He shivered.


    ¡°Good, I will inform Xava, and you will be on your way. You have three days to leave. We are watching.¡± I said, standing and opening the door to leave.


    ¡°Vesper,¡± he said, looking up at me, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you try to force me to join Kraken?¡±


    I smiled vaguely, ¡°Cause, I would rather you didn¡¯t die. I have had too many friends die lately. Ah, we should play SR sometime after all this is over.¡±


    He teared up a little, ¡°Thank you, Vesper. I won¡¯t forget this.¡±


    ***


    A few hours later, I sat at the table, looking out over the gathered villains of every gang in the city, with two exceptions, the Diablos and Sixes were not present. Glitter Kitten lay sprawled in my lap, to my right Xava stood beside Vira and Spark Spray. To my left Den Mother and Thumper were seated though like GK they were very much heavy with my children, slumped a bit dazed. Further to the left was Dr. Arbor, who kept stealing glances at the gurgling bellies. Then again just about everybody was looking at them. Across from us was Burnout who as usually looked a bit cracked out, fresh scabs were torn open on her neck.


    Fold and Shadow were at the far end of the table, opposite Molotov and Boris. Dr. Tesla¡¯s masked face was on a screen set up beside Molotov. In front of the Russian duo sat Miss Wiggles on her pillow, stretching and yawning.


    ¡°What the hell happened to you guys? You blew up like whales!¡± said Burnout twitching a bit.


    Glitter Kitten rolled a little as I rubbed her tummy, affectionately, ¡°Nyaa, well we got knocked up.¡±


    All the eyes focused in on me. I could hear the whispers amongst some of them, ¡°It was the wasp.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe she got Glitter Kitten.¡±


    ¡°What is it planning?¡±


    ¡°Speaking of the wasp, when the hell did it get so big?¡±


    I ignored their whispers and continued to pamper my pets.


    ¡°You ok, Glitter Kitten, does it hurt?¡± asked Burnout.


    ¡°Nyeah, I am purrfectly fine. It takes getting used to, but I am just fat and sluggish for a bit.¡±


    Burnout nodded, ¡°Ok, just make sure you take care of yourself, I heard about the Sparkle Kat.¡±


    ¡°Eh, we got Nightmare at least.¡±


    ¡°True, wait, are you going to be ok for missions?¡±


    ¡°Nyahaha we taking maternity leave.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± I asked, ¡°Do Villains even have maternity leave?¡±


    ¡°I already talked it over with the Boss, so it fine,¡± replied my kitty.


    My eyes fell on Molotov who simply nodded, ¡°It would be futile to make them do anything while they are in such a state anyway.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I nodded back, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Molotov shifted in her seat, and the room quieted, ¡°Da, now then. Down to business. As we all know, the Hero League will be arriving in four days. Our most recent report is that they are bringing their mobile base of operations, the Citadel of Order from which they will be launching operations.¡±


    ¡°Do we know how many there will be?¡± asked Fold.


    ¡°There will be a fully staffed base, several thousand noncombatants and roughly a defense force between a thousand and two thousand soldiers. As for Supers, they brought all their A-listers. Hubris, Miss Universe, Tecton, Light Fly, Adamantine, and Armadillo. There are several teams of mid-ranked Supers as well, as such, just in case I have called in some backup. Chimera is watching and will likely send agents to help as well. After all, we do have of their members. If not, then we will crush the Hero League here making operations across the world much easier.¡±


    ¡°How big is the Citadel?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It is a four-mile by four-mile square on which a heavily fortified base has been made. Attacking it directly is not an option until their numbers have been whittled down a fair bit.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to deal with that thing?¡± asked Burnout, ¡°I mean that thing flies, doesn¡¯t it? And, and like didn¡¯t that thing take out Germany the other month?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does fly. Not quite, it was there for support, but it was Arachnaon that took out Germany¡¯s Super revolt. They just mopped up after the fact.¡±


    ¡°So, what are we going to do?¡± I asked. ¡°We have a plan, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we have a plan. Now let me explain it to you¡­¡± Smiled Molotov.

 Interlewd: Seedbed Log 2 (R 18)

    The Vespidian


    Interlewd: Seedbed Log 2


    I sat observing my sex toy as the robo nurses continuously and mechanically thrust their hard throbbing cocks into it. It was rather satisfying to see Nightmare be triple stuffed by one in the front and two in the back. Her complaints had died down a bit, mostly due to her mouth being filled.


    There was another slick sound emanating from the room, the eye on the back of my head watched my eager snake slurping and suckling on my abdomen. Her insatiable maw working up and down swallowing my whole length as shivers of pleasure went through the serpent. A tentacle pet her head, causing her to tighten up around me. The crushing wet walls pulsing with her body heat.


    A twisted smile rose on my face, I was going to enjoying using Slither to help break down Nightmare.


    I shifted my gaze to Dr. Arbor, ¡°So do you think she can be modified?¡±


    Dr. Arbor stood in her forest green containment suit observing Nightmare, ¡°What was it you wanted again?¡±


    ¡°I want her to be more durable, to stretch. It is annoying having to hold back to not break her.¡±


    She closed her eyes in thought for a moment, the green mist venting out of her mask, ¡°Stretchy¡­ stretchy¡­ hmmm. I believe I can accommodate that.¡±


    ¡°You can?¡± I asked.


    She tapped her wrist, and an image appeared, she scrolled through a few until some, sort of bug appeared, ¡°An Ixodoidea, or more commonly known a tick.¡± She brought up a diagram of the tiny creature, and it inflated to more than three times the size of the original body. Dr. Arbor continued, ¡°The tick can weigh up to 600 times its initial body weight after being fully engorged. Now an adult tick¡¯s body is typically 3 millimeters when unfed but can balloon up to anywhere between 9 and 12 millimeters when engorged.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°That is rather accommodating. So you think we could what, splice Nightmare with a tick? How big do you think she could get?¡±


    Dr. Arbor measured Nightmare¡¯s body and did a few rough estimations, ¡°She appears to be about 37 inches from her neck down to her pelvis. I can easily see that emulating the tick and ballooning out to anywhere between 111 inches to 148 inches. Of course, that is if she retains the traits of the tick or she could very well be larger or smaller, it depends on the extent of the mutation.¡±


    She said all of that loudly and barely a foot away from Nightmare. The person in question reeked of a delicacy known as terror. I could see it in her eyes, between the fervent thrusts of my lovely robo nurses that were ravaging her holes, as we so casually discussed this inhumane procedure to turn Nightmare into a better egg sack¡­ mmm that had an excellent ring to it.


    I raised a finger, and Neon Nurse slowed down and even pulled her extensive robotic cock out of Nightmare¡¯s throat. She gasped for breath, drooling and quivering, tears running down her face and cum dripping out of her nose. I leaned in close.


    ¡°What do you think, Nightmare?¡± I asked her, letting a tentacle raise her drooping head.


    ¡°You, you can¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°Oh? But we can. We are Villains, after all. Besides, I think it is rather appropriate that a parasite like you took on a form more fitting for what you are.¡± I licked my lips, ¡°Mmmm, yes I hardly wait to fill you up. To see your body absolutely bulging with my children until you burst.¡±


    She paled even more than usual, ¡°Monsters! You are all twisted, depraved monsters!¡±


    ¡°Oh please, we are not nearly as fucked up as you are. You deserve something like this. By all rights, I should just kill you, but now I think that would just be letting you off easy. I want you to lament all the lives you have taken. I want you to suffer.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she cried, kicking in a futile attempt to escape. I would think that she would have learned by now.


    My hands grasped her legs, spreading them and pinning them to the floor. I glanced over to Dr. Arbor, ¡°When can we test it out?¡±


    ¡°I will have to do some tests, but I believe I can make something within the day.¡±


    Dr. Arbor left to do whatever it was she was going to do.


    Now then, I shifted my full attention to my misbehaving fuck toy, punishment was in order. My lower hands touched her feet. The clawed fingers gripped the toenail on her big toe. With a twist, it tore entirely off. She squealed and screamed, writhing as I set the toenail onto the floor, blood bubbling off of her toe.


    ¡°Ahhh,¡± I sighed, ¡°I knew there was a reason I let you keep your legs. Now then are you sorry?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes I am sorry. No more!¡± Nightmare quivered meekly.


    A grasped the next nail, ¡°Oh, but you don¡¯t even know what you are sorry about.¡±


    With a slow, cracking sound, the nail broke off. Little Nightmare had gone blue in the face, it had gone completely blank. I pulled the next. Tearing nail after nail free. Each time slower and more painful than the last. I made sure of that, even broke a toe by accident.


    Humans are so fragile after all. One foot pleasantly red. I leaned in and licked the blood, slathering the lengthy tongue to enjoy her pain. Such a lovely flavor.


    Air blew from my lips, tormenting her exposed nerves, her screams and cries rising as I took another breath and exhaled, washing her sensitive toes in a small gust of air. Ahh¡­ she passed out. Shame that.


    ¡°Slither,¡± I said, gazing down at my pet.


    The snake shuddered, stopping herself mid slurp, her eyes staring up at me reverently¡­ seriously starting to think that this snake is a hardcore masochist. I don¡¯t remember breaking her in this much. Maybe she was secretly always like this? It is not like I have a god complex or something. I shook my head of that thought and pet her.


    ¡°I want you to do something for me in a bit,¡± I said.


    She snaked herself off of my ovipositor, letting the throbbing pillar of flesh fall away from her unhinged mouth. Her thick drool still connecting us. Slither lowered herself onto the floor, quivering in anticipation to what I was going to say. I smiled, scratching the top of her head.


    ¡°Here is what I want you to do¡­¡±


    ~~***~~


    Nightmare awoke from her fevered dreams of torment, shuddering as the dull pain from her toes scurried up her spine. She shifted her neck, looking about the room. Alone. She had been left alone. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth as she drooped, mired on the floor. It felt like it had been ages since she had been left alone. Her throat, asshole, and pussy were throbbing with discomfort, stinging from all the tears and friction burns from being used almost continuously by Neon Nurse.


    A sound filled the void of silence, a slow, heavy scratching noise. It almost sounded like sand tumbling over dunes in a sshhhh noise. There was one major problem, there was no sand here. Her mind became fearful once more, already exhausted from being unable to sleep except when her body gave out. Something was in here with her.


    ¡°Sssssuch a tasssty morssal,¡± wisped a voice from thin air.


    ¡°Who is there!?¡± Nightmare dragged herself by her chin, attempting to get to a corner of the room.


    Her head hit something hard, except there was nothing there, at least not that the eye could see. Slowly the brilliant scales of a massive snake materialized, the coils circled completely around Nightmare in an ever-shrinking circle. It was that snake subhuman that had been eagerly sucking off the wasp. What was its name? Nightmare wracked her brain for a moment until she remembered, Slither.


    ¡°Sss ssss,¡± tittered the snake woman her inhuman slit eyes predatory and hungering as they gazed upon Nightmare.


    A distinct tingle spread up her spine. A primal fear. This was what prey felt when a predator stared it down. Nightmare shuddered, shivering as she pushed herself away from the snake¡¯s head. Her back slammed into the scaled slab of pure muscle behind her. It slowly moved, slithering. She certainly lived up to her name.


    ¡°What do you want!¡± She cried out, fearful.


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    The snake¡¯s hood suddenly expanded out, there were large colorful eyes gaped on either side of the snake¡¯s neck staring down at her, four eyes from the snake. She was unable to move, unable to look away, ¡°Sssso ssscared. Ssss sss look into my eyesss. Yesss that iss it. Good little mousssy.¡±


    Slither began to sway back and forth, her upper body contorting. The eyes rhythmically shifting from side to side. A low, almost pleasant sound rose, background noise. Sand on the dunes. It was oddly relaxing. Her scales rubbing against one another, slithering over herself.


    It was enjoyable. Nightmare stared, helpless to resist. This was the first thing that didn¡¯t involve torture that she had experienced since she had gotten here. The colors flashing vividly off of the snake¡¯s scales, the sound relaxing and disarming, and the subtle, gentle movements lulling her all to the snake¡¯s seductive voice crawling into her head.


    ¡°Yesss, jussst ssstare. Relax, Ssss yesss jussst like that. Sssstare.¡± Whispered the snake undulating back and forth Nightmare¡¯s eyes entranced by the sight. ¡°Yessss, sssso warm.¡±


    Oddly Nightmare actually felt warm. Perhaps it was due to how shot her nerves had been, and now that this moment of respite had come she found herself taken entirely by it. She leaned back against the snake, no longer feeling fearful of it. It was, it was a good snake. It was just trying to make her feel better.


    ¡°Pleasssantly warm. Yess, ssss. Warmer and warmer,¡± whispered the snake.


    Slither moved slowly forward, gradually closing the distance all while charming Nightmare, before she even realized it, the snake was face to face with her. ¡°You want to be warmer don¡¯t you?¡±


    Her mind was foggy, muggy, and warm. ¡°Yes,¡± replied Nightmare thoroughly entranced.


    ¡°Ssss, well then it is warmer in here,¡± Slither¡¯s mouth opened wide, gaping as her jaws unhinged.


    Heat washed out of her mouth in a wave of air. It certainly was warmer in there. Nightmare leaned forward, her head touching the wet, hot flesh of the snake¡¯s mouth. It was so relaxing as she closed her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. The maw closed around her, taking half of her in and beginning to work left then right, taking more and more of her in. Slowly Nightmare began to realize what had just happened.


    Her mind coming back to. No longer enthralled by the snake¡¯s movements and the horrifying realization of what was happening dawned on her. Nightmare¡¯s legs thrashed about struggling as she kicked and wormed trying to break free from the crushing maw that had encased her.


    Slither grasped Nightmare¡¯s legs, holding them still and pushed, feeding her prey into her gluttonous throat. Surrounded by tensing muscles and the acidic stench of digestive juices coming up from the snake¡¯s stomach. Trapped. No escape. Terror seized Nightmare as the entrance to the snake¡¯s throat gaped washing her in fouled smells of what awaited her.


    ¡°No! No! Don¡¯t eat me!¡± She screamed, but Slither only laughed her jaws working fervently to consume her prey.


    Her head pushed through, and then the rest soon followed as her feet no longer felt the air, and the hot wet saliva covered her completely. The throat muscles tensed and began to work rhythmically, skillfully expediting Nightmare to her demise. She slid down the fleshy tunnel, muscles crushing her, restraining her movements. It was over. No escape. Swallowed whole by a damned dirty snake.


    The throat ended and dumped Nightmare into the stomach. Acids bubbled around her they seared at her flesh, slowly. Even this part of the snake was tight. Holding her in place, no room to thrash. She could only squirm, what little air was in here was disgusting and burned her with every breath.


    So this was how she was going to die? Eaten? Melted and digested? Would she drown or suffocate first? Nightmare shuddered at the thought. Damn that snake, damn that fucking wasp! But what could she do?


    Time passed inside the snake. She was unsure if it was a lot of time or merely moments. Her skin had started to numb. A sound rose, and something pushed at her from the side. Groping at her flank. She couldn¡¯t see what it was.


    ¡°Oh? She is really in there, huh? You really can eat people,¡± said Vesper from outside.


    The muscles tightened, squeezing Nightmare as Slither shuddered, ¡°O, of courssse my Queen! Sssslither would never lie to you.¡±


    ¡°Of course not pet. Did you enjoy your meal?¡±


    ¡°Yesss, been weeks ssssince I have eaten sssolid food.¡±


    Vesper sounded almost playful, ¡°Oh is my cum not good enough for you?¡±


    The body writhed around Nightmare as she snaked squirmed, ¡°O, of courssse not my Queen! I, I, Sssslither lovesss to sssuck and drink your esssence. I crave it. I live for it!¡±


    Vesper laughed, ¡°Oh such an eager slut you are. Very well, I will feed you some more.¡±


    The snake flattened jostling Nightmare as it apparently got as low as possible on the floor, ¡°Thank you, my Queen!¡±


    The surrounding muscles loosened as fresh air came inside, but something soon blocked the flow. An obscene gurgling and squelching moan rose from the snake as it began to swallow something. What ever it was, it was long and big. A creeping dread crept over Nightmare as she felt the throat muscles moving, swallowing something and then, it touched her toes. Tendrils squirmed and crawled over her, descending steadily. She knew full well what that was, it was Vesper¡¯s disgusting bug cock. But how the hell was it reaching all the way down here?


    It nestled in, exploring as Slither made lewd, pleasure-filled gasped and moans. There was something seriously wrong with that damned snake. Vesper¡¯s tendrils worked their way over her legs and found her butt. The fleshy appendages wiggled for a moment, mapping it out until they spread her labia open, tentatively pushing in.


    ¡°Ohh?¡± Said Vesper slowing her advance for a moment, ¡°So that is where you were Nightmare. Enjoying yourself in there? How does it feel to be so powerless? So vulnerable and at my mercy?¡±


    The snake tightened, crushing Nightmare to the point that she squeaked. She was unable to voice her dissent. She hated this, this damned wasp! Her thoughts of revenge against Vesper were abruptly interrupted as the hot spear of flesh that had been probing her slammed forward. Penetrating her as the snake¡¯s insides held her in place. It was huge. It spread her, stretching, digging, clawing at every part of her insides.


    How could it reach, how?! She was so deep inside of that damned snake and yet- It slammed deeper into her. Stabbing into her, pounding against her cervix and with a final push, it entered her womb. Nightmare screamed, acid burning her tongue and mouth. She retched, having swallowed some of it. All around her, the living walls undulated, pulsing, and sliding. The snake was in ecstasy.


    Slither was being used as a cock sleeve, and Nightmare was getting the business end of that monstrous wasp cock. She shuddered as it withdrew only to return, smashing into her. This depraved and disgusting torment had only begun. A rhythmic slapping rose as Slither sucked and Nightmare got fucked.


    The pace increased. Every thudding penetration pushed Nightmare deeper into the acid. Her face soon submerged as she gurgled and squirmed. At this rate, she was going to drown. She jerked her head up desperate for air, gasping as the tube inflated inside of her, spreading her more. It burned, it hurt, it seared as she was raped. Her mind descended into darkness. She was going to die in here. She was sure of it. That sick and twisted monster of a wasp. It would do something like this, of course, it would!


    Her head became funny, perhaps it was the fumes or the crushing realization that she was going to die. It hurt, her bones felt like they would be mushed at any moment, her skin burned, but, but there was a single sensation to keep her mind off of her impending doom, pleasure. Delirious, light-headed, and oxygen-starved Nightmare latched onto the only sensation that was not destroying her with pain, Vesper¡¯s ovipositor plunging into her.


    That thing that was using her, fucking her. She couldn¡¯t think straight anymore.


    She tightened, twisting and squirming, craving those feelers digging into her. She needed them. Empty without that hot, thick bug cock filling her. Her body losing strength with every moment as she slumped face first in the acid, drowning in the hellishly hot juices. Pleasure welling up in her dying brain. She was going to die. She was certain, she knew it was happening. But it felt so good. Like she was melting.


    She came as part of her snapped. Convulsing in what she assumed to be her death throws. Then it inflated. Vesper¡¯s ovicock expanded. It filled her. Lodging itself inside of her as her crazed mind felt the thick hot fluids gushing into her, filling her. Her eyes rolled as her insides felt as though they were melting, eroding, and suffocating.


    The pulsing, searing pleasure felt like an eternity as her vision darkened.


    It pulled, ripping out of her. Vesper¡¯s cum flowed past her diluting the snake¡¯s stomach acid. The member retreated completely, and Nightmare floated there fully content to die. But that was too easy. Vesper had other plans. A carapaced hand spread Slither¡¯s throat wide, grasped her leg, pulling and Nightmare ascended out of that hell of flesh.


    She flopped onto the floor free of the snake, throwing up juices and trembling. Her eyes unfocused, not a care in the world.


    ¡°Look at the face on this slut,¡± said Vesper, ¡°If that is not a fucked silly expression I don¡¯t know what is. Did you enjoy that?¡±


    Did her face look like that? Nightmare couldn¡¯t imagine it. Still, it felt wonderful to breathe again, to be alive. Vaguely she nodded, ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Not really torture then, now is it? I didn¡¯t think you would be this much of a whore. I thought you had, dignity. I thought you wouldn¡¯t get off on this sort of thing. To think you would enjoy being eaten. Maybe I should eat you myself.¡± Said Vesper, her fingers lightly touching a toe.


    Pain erupted obliterating the nirvana that had wrapped around Nightmare¡¯s mind. It surged up her spine as she writhed. Her mangled toe separated from her foot as Vesper squeezed the next, popping it like a zit. Bones shattering. All that mindless bliss just moments before seemed like a lie. The terrible cold reality of her situation sinking in again as she screamed, her voice hoarse and distorted from the burns in her throat.


    The numbness across her skin faded, revealing the searing agony of having partially been digested. She writhed screeching and howling as the next toe broke and was torn free. That monster of a wasp picking at her feet. Destroying them as she so easily and carelessly crushed the bones. Her right foot suddenly lifted up, and hot wet blood flowed down her powerless leg. The shock of it faded as her mind realized what had happened. Vesper shifted her head slightly, and the whole foot tore off form the ankle.


    Nightmare¡¯s mouth gaped, screaming in silence. Her breath seized in her throat, and a single thought filled her head, she wished that she had just melted in that damned snake. The mandibles worked, crushing and pulping as her flesh was chewed by that monstrosity. Slowly it worked its way down. Bite after bite. Devouring her left leg. Bones snapping, flesh-tearing, pain flowing as smoothly as her blood.


    ¡°Kill me!¡± Screamed Nightmare.


    The many eyes of the wasp stared down at her in amusement, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Please, please, just kill me!¡±


    An obscene smile rose on the Vesper¡¯s face, ¡°I won¡¯t let you die. Not until you have suffered, not until you are broken. Not until I am bored with your torment.¡±


    ¡°Mercy, please! Mercy!¡±


    ¡°Mercy?¡± said Vesper vaguely as she rose up from finishing off the left leg, ¡°You think you deserve mercy? Foolish little human. You stole so much from me. It is only fair I take just as much from you.¡±


    Nightmare¡¯s mouth opened to plead, but all that came was a squealing scream flacked with blood. The mandibles smashed and pulverized her right foot. They inched down crunching bone just as easily as cereal. Snapping and shattering as they descended, slowly, inevitably. Her mouth marched devouring as it went. The blood smeared across her bone-white face, there was no humanity left in that face, it was a facade. A lie. It was a monster.


    There was a brief euphoric revelation as Nightmare watched her tormentor... she made that. She unleashed this fiend upon the world. Just as quickly as her misguided pride appeared, it was shattered by the agony of being eaten alive.

 Villainy 101 Chapter 3 Interlude: Gathering

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 3 Interlude: Gathering


    The Citadel of Order, a small metropolis of marvels. Spires rose on the outer perimeter, a protective field encompassing the mobile fortress in a shimmering bubble of static whenever something attempted to enter the air space. Symmetrical towers were positioned meticulously at exact and even areas creating an overlapping defensive array of anti-air turrets. To assail this floating city head-on would be beyond foolish, and even if one managed to run the gauntlet of precise and deadly weapons fire, one would still have to deal with those who dwell within.


    Truly a fool¡¯s errand. Only a handful of beings on the entire planet could even attempt it with any real prospect of emerging alive let alone victorious. Unfortunately for any would-be attacker, one of those very individuals waited within his opulent ivory tower. Hubris. A man even fewer would dare trifle with and for good reason.


    He stood in a dark orange suit of conforming material with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window overlooking the whole city from the tallest tower in the very center. A great cape of brilliant white hung from his shoulders, a giant golden H embroidered into the material, and a single stripe followed the outer curve of the material in gold. The inside of this grand cloak was a deep red with the same golden outline. He wore no gloves over his thick hands however golden bracers adorned his wrists, H etched into the metal.


    ¡°Hubris, we will be arriving shortly,¡± said a woman in a similar suit of material.


    The color was a dark blue, nearly black with white botches forming a mural of stars. Her face a void of swirling black pierced only by two brilliantly glowing golden orbs that shifted. An elegant cape of shimmering colors hung from her back; it gradually changed colors from a translucent green to a haunting violet creating Aurora Borealis.


    Hubris turned from his contemplation. His face smoothed to the point that light twinkled off of it. His confident and unyielding eyes like burning sapphires. As usual, an assured smile rose for a brief moment. He wore no mask because he was one of the outed Supers who feared no repercussions, such was his hubris, living up to his name. His hair was short on the sides and longer in the middle, slicked back and held in place by either sheer force of will or more likely industrial-strength hair cement gel


    The front of his suit created an arching triangle of white connecting to the where the cape was securely fastened to his shoulders. Upon his robust chest, an H of gold glimmered against the white. Likewise, his slim boots were pearly with golden trimmings; naturally, metallic Hs emblazoned on the sides.


    ¡°Excellent. I assume everything is in order?¡±


    There was an echo as though the woman was down a tunnel as she spoke, ¡°It is. We will give out the Free Fire Zone declaration upon arrival at the city and then as for standard protocol we will wait twenty-four hours for civilians to evacuate-¡±


    Lightly he put several fingers over his mouth, making a Hmmm noise, ¡°Seems rather long to wait. We should strike immediately. Villains are rude, after all. I can¡¯t count the number of times those heinous fiends have interrupted one of my speeches. It is just like those scum to skulk about. Naturally, even with a sneak attack, their pitiful plans against the magnificent me are futile. But then again we can¡¯t all be as perfect as I am. It wouldn¡¯t do to lose our juniors now, would it? Something tells me they will try something during the transition period.¡±


    ¡°You are correct. We are but pale comparisons to one of your stature.¡± Said the woman, with a less than serious tone.


    ¡°You are quite right Universe.¡±


    ¡°Miss Universe.¡± She corrected him.


    He seemed disinterested, ¡°Is that so? I find it hard to remember those who are insignificant.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ to think there is something even you are not good at.¡±


    He put up a hand, ¡°Oh, no, it is by choice. Does one remember the names of all the insects, the ants that are stepped upon? It is beneath my notice. It isn¡¯t worth my time to remember such unimportant details.¡±


    Miss Universe was somewhat disinterested herself, ¡°We are all ants to the stars. At the end as insignificant as grains of sand.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it. As I have said, we can¡¯t all be me. Otherwise, the world would be perfect.¡±


    Miss Universe sighed under her breath, ¡°If you stare up at the sky too long, you will fall in a ditch.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would be a paradise, an Eden.¡± He had a rather ohohoh look about him smiling as usual.


    Miss Universe thought little of this man. He was irritating, cocksure, a showboater, foolish¡­ but he was a near unstoppable force that had only ever lost to a single person, Arachnaon. Arachnaon was indeed a rather difficult opponent one that Miss Universe herself did not want deal with, mostly because she would never be able to sleep again knowing that there was a monstrosity like that after her life.


    As for Hubris, though Miss Universe was stronger with her own power that didn¡¯t mean he was to be taken lightly, either foolhardy or heroic the unbridled power of a will that is near unbreakable is not to be belittled. With his powers, his attitude was not unwarranted. It had been a long time since a real challenge had presented itself to him. If Kraken knew what was good for themselves, they would flee the city immediately rather than face the wrath of Hubris.


    ¡°Miss Universe,¡± said Hubris, ¡°You may leave, I have an appointment for dinner with me, and I simply can¡¯t cancel that again.¡±


    ¡°¡­ right I will let myself.¡±


    She left closing the door, though a few words could be heard through the closed door, ¡°Hello again, you handsome devil.¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    She sighed, ¡°If only he could look at others the way he looks at himself.¡±


    Miss Universe made her way along, not particularly wanting to interrupt whatever the man was up to. Hubris was after all a self-absorbed extreme narcissist who was very much infatuated with himself to the degree that his sanity might get called into question. Despite his oddity he wasn¡¯t precisely mean spirited, it had more to do with the disconnect that he felt between himself and normies and even most supers for that matter. He found it hard to understand why people had problems with things that he could do so easily, without even trying.


    She knew where he was coming from there, though had taken a somewhat different or more opposite approach choosing to disassociate herself with humanity entirely. Life and its problems were small, insignificant. The overarching schemes of the cosmos were far more elaborate than mere mortals could understand. Which unfortunately meant that Miss Universe herself did not know of what was planned, though she had a better understanding than most¡­ at least she liked to think so.


    If there was such a thing as a superman, well he would be it, and she was glad that he was on their side. They had already fought once, it wasn¡¯t a serious fight though, ending in a tie¡­ and a sunken island. By all rights, the man should be a pancake of human batter at the moment, but he had shrugged off 100 times earth¡¯s gravity and managed to get stronger in the process. He was formidable, to say the least.


    The universe is vast; indeed she thought to herself floating lost in her thoughts.


    A feeling interrupted her inner thoughts. Someone was watching. She shifted, finding a pair of black eyes gazing at her from just behind a small royal blue fan. It concealed the lower half of this woman¡¯s face. The piercing eyes of a predator did not blink, boring holes through her.


    ¡°Ara ara, Miss Universe¡­ what a mmm pleasant surprise to meet you,¡± said the woman chuckling behind the extended fan.


    In all appearances, this person was a beautiful Japanese Geisha complete with a soft pink kimono and powdered white face. Her black hair was bundled and rolled up with two enormous buns protruding up on either side of her head. From the middle of her head, two slightly curled hairpins were slanted from one another. Her sleeves were exceedingly long, drooping away from the hardened hand of carapace that held the fan.


    Miss Universe, however, knew who or rather what this was, and that nothing here was entirely as it seemed. She had worked with them many times now, ¡°Mantia, what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°I was sent here to observe and step in if needed. Though with Hubris here, I highly doubt I will be required.¡±


    ¡°True, I feel that this was an over-response. It is not as though the capital was assaulted.¡±


    Mantia¡¯s eyes glinted for a moment, ¡°certainly, though there is merit in this place. Besides, it is about sending a message to those who oppose us. Hopefully this time I will find worthy prey.¡±


    ¡°Hunting, huh? Thought you would have been more into rescuing Nightmare.¡±


    The fan snapped shut for a moment revealing the full smooth and stunning mask of a face. It was hard and stiff, no emotion to be seen, locked in an eerily neutral expression. She spoke, though her mouth did not move, ¡°Don¡¯t remind me, I hate babysitting humies, they are so hideous.¡±


    ¡°So if it isn¡¯t human, you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Ahh, that is right. Have you heard? There is a new Spore Spawn? I am rather excited, it has been a long while since the last.¡±


    Universe nodded, ¡°I have. It is one of our objectives to capture it.¡±


    ¡°Oh how helpful of the Hero League, I wonder how cute this little one is going to be?¡±


    ¡°Cute?¡±


    ¡°Ara ara, my new little sister. I wonder if I should play with her a bit before taking her home?¡±


    Miss Universe solemnly nodded, ¡°I feel sorry for them already.¡±


    Mantia wagged her little fan dismissively, ¡°Oh please. I am responsible¡­ I hear that she regenerates, so bringing her home in a couple of pieces will be fine if she resists.¡±


    ¡°Where is Centi?¡± she asked, trying to change the subject.


    Mantia looked up, ¡°She should be arriving tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I assume you two have a separate mission to accomplish?¡±


    She unfurled the fan hiding the face that did not move as she chuckled, ¡°Now why would I tell you that? You were the one who walked out on us. You wish to come back to the fold and be one of us again?¡±


    ¡°No, I would rather not butcher civis by the hundreds of thousands again. We are no better than Kraken if we stoop that low.¡±


    ¡°Butchering? More of a pulping wasn¡¯t it? You flattened an entire city, did you not? What are thousands, even millions of lives compared to billions? We both know just how close this world is to the Point of No Return. The time for action is now, or else all life will perish... well, most life that is.¡±


    ¡°I regret that action, and I will protect humanity to atone for it.¡±


    Mantia¡¯s hair buns shifted twisting to reveal what they really were giant eye stalks glinting in the light. The pupil slit, ¡°If you actually want to save this planet, you will help us kill the Sanguine Puppeteer. So long as that thing lives, we are all doomed.¡±


    Miss Universe hovered, shaking her head, ¡°No one knows where it ran off to. We have searched for fifteen years, but it is still in hiding.¡±


    ¡°Hiding? You make it sound as though that monster is scared. It is toying with us. I do hope you will do what is necessary when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°What is necessary¡­ you speak of atrocity.¡±


    ¡°There is no such thing as overkill where that thing is concerned.¡±


    Miss Universe lowered her head, ¡°I would prefer not to, not again. For now, let us focus on the matter at hand. What do you think Molotov is planning?¡±


    Mantia tilted her head, thinking on it while hiding behind the little fan, ¡°Overall, or are you talking about her schemes in the city?¡±


    ¡°Both, I suppose you would know, you have fought her personally three times already.¡±


    ¡°Molotov is but a doll moving on the strings that are pulled. As for the schemes hmm¡­ likely trying to decimate our fighting forces here to make world conquest easier. Something stupid like that I am sure. I assume that Kraken does not even realize what their Master¡¯s true objective is. Then again, even if they did know, most of them are mind-controlled to begin with.¡±


    ¡°But how? Why Bronson city?¡±


    ¡°That is an excellent question. I believe our old friend Dr. Arbor might be a piece of this puzzle.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that we are going in blind. This feels like a trap.¡±


    Mantia nodded, ¡°That is because it is. Will it merely be a mousetrap or a bear trap, that is the question. Though since it is such an obvious trap, I am sure they have extra things planned. I will give Kraken one thing; they are creative in their approach.¡±


    ¡°Worried?¡±


    ¡°No. Without Sanguine, Kraken is merely an annoyance. Hubris can deal with them. I have other objectives in this city.¡±


    ¡°The Spore Spawn?¡±


    ¡°Among other things. Farewell, Miss City Smasher,¡± said Mantia playfully.


    ¡°You know I hate that name.¡±


    ¡°Ara, Ara,¡± she said lightly touching her own face, ¡°Fufu, I think it suits you rather well. Now then, I am off, I have a cute little Imouto to play with.¡±


    ¡°Did you actually come here to help us?¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t even take care of this mess with the strongest people in the league, then you are worthless.¡±


    ¡°But if we fail-¡±


    ¡°Then Chimera will deal with your mess, as always. Remember to tell Hubris this. Arachnaon is watching. Failure is not an option.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully it won¡¯t come to that.¡±


    ¡°For the people living here I should hope not,¡± replied Mantia turning away, ¡°After all¡­ we leave no survivors.¡±


    Mantia walked slowly down the vast windowed corridor, her clawed toes clicking with every methodical step. Though she gave off the aura of a dignified and elegant lady, that was merely a front. In the distance, a concrete jungle appeared as the Citadel rose over a mountain range. Beneath her human mask, her mandibles slavered thinking of all the delicious treats she would find in that place.


    She paused, lifting the lower right hand that until now had held onto the left at her waist to form a sash of sorts for the kimono. The metal band on her wrist lit up with an image of Vesper¡¯s smaller form. Mantia began to chuckle, ¡°Adorable. I wonder what she tastes like?¡±

 Interlewd: Seedbed Log 3 (R 18)

    The Vespidian


    Interlewd: Seedbed log 3


    ¡°Vesper dear, I believe I have created a working DNA sequencer for what we discussed before.¡± Said Dr. Arbor entering the room.


    My sizeable back eye watched her for a moment as I turned, redirecting my focus from the pitiful little thing that I had been toying with. Naturally, it was Nightmare or rather what remained of her. She was just a head and a torso, no limbs to speak of. Such a sad and pathetic creature she was, and I made sure to rub it in at every opportunity. Though in this case, someone else was rubbing it in.


    Glitter Kitten loathed this person, and a result was more than happy to help torture her. The result could be seen clear as day; a lovely cat booty was firmly seated upon Nightmare¡¯s face, forcing her to eat the pussycat out or suffocate. She was doing it, though grudgingly and not particularly being as into it as she should be. If it was me, well I have been called a fur burglar before and for a good reason.


    ¡°Come on you bitch, eat it! Eat my ass,¡± Growled Glitter Kitten working her hips as she smothered the helpless woman below her.


    Part of me felt that wasn¡¯t mainly a punishment. At least I didn¡¯t find such a thing to be as such, but Nightmare had her pride¡­ it was humiliating for her. To be dominated by one that she had controlled and abused before, I am sure that is stabbing at her ego quite a bit. At any rate, this was more of a pass time, a lull in the torture while I awaited the next phase. I was surprised that the wait would be so short.


    ¡°Oh that is good to hear, so how did it go?¡±


    ¡°During my research, I discovered a more apt creature to use. A Honeypot ant.¡±


    ¡°What made you choose that?¡±


    ¡°It is more efficient,¡±


    She brought up a diagram of an ant. The abdomen was massive so much so, the creature hung from the ceiling, or it would drag on the ground. From the looks of it, the ant could not even walk when it was fully engorged.


    ¡°I have been mixing it with your own DNA to some interesting results.¡±


    ¡°Very well then, give it a try.¡±


    I motioned, and Glitter Kitten stood, stretching and arching her back to show off her baby bump. She returned to my side shortly and lay in my lap purring as my tentacles pet her. Dr. Arbor approached Nightmare, a large syringe of green liquid brandished. Unfortunately for my little toy, it is pretty hard to run away without arms or legs. Her stumps rotated haplessly as she squirmed in terror, watching the mad scientist draw near.


    ¡°No! Stay away from me. I will kill you if you dare to do this!¡± She shrieked. It wasn¡¯t very threatening.


    Dr. Arbor smiled, ¡°You are not in any position to be making threats dear. Now, don¡¯t you worry, I am going to make you better than ever.¡±


    ¡°You are mad. You are all insane. Monsters! When I get out of here every last one of you w-¡± She raved until the needle pushed into her flesh, piercing into her jugular vein.


    Her eyes gaped as she squealed. The syringe emptied into her, injecting the mysterious substance straight into her system. Foam poured out of her mouth as her eyes rolled. Her scream of abject agony music to my antennae. I don¡¯t think I will ever get tired of hearing her shrieks and squeals. Yes, suffer for what you have done.


    Nightmare soon drooped, unconscious. The pain must have been too much for her. Ah, I can hardly wait for that device Xava was working on to be finished.


    ¡°So, what should I be expecting? She still looks human.¡±


    We sat, awaiting the guinea pig to come out of her comatose state, ¡°Her change won¡¯t be immediate, but for now the elasticity that you wanted should be taking hold.¡±


    ¡°I see, I will be sure to test it out soon enough.¡±


    ***


    A burning sensation always remained on the peripheral of Nightmare¡¯s mind. A steady pumping pushed in and out. Groggily, she came to as a particularly hard thrust made the entirety of her body bounce. Her belly was full distending with the mass of molten flesh that was pounding into her relentlessly. At first, the thought that this was a sort of dream, but the burning of friction and the jarring body rutting knocked that thought away.


    Vesper¡¯s hands were holding her flanks to keep her mounted atop the abdomen. The wasp cock filling her insides, stretching them impossibly as Nightmare groaned, her body distorting, warping as that thick pulsing thing kept pushing deeper and deeper into Nightmare. Stuffed, full and yet more of that wasp¡¯s member kept pushing in, spreading her more to accommodate even more with every thrust.


    Something was wrong; this was all wrong. The bulge of the shaft had pushed clear up to her chest, distending and pushing aside everything else. Pain echoed as taut skin stretched, and yet it did not tear. Her body was adjusting to the hyper insertion. A horrifying realization dawned on her. She was being molded to the shape of that oversized tube. The mass was forming her body to its needs.


    ¡°So you are awake,¡± said Vesper halting her thrusting for a moment.


    Nightmare shuddered as her body tightened and loosened, adjusting to being so full, ¡°My, my body¡­ what have you done to me?!¡±


    Vesper leaned in, draping herself over Nightmare and whispered in her ear, ¡°You know what you are.¡±


    ¡°I am a superhero.¡±


    Tentacles pressed against her face, ¡°You still think you are human, let alone a superhero? You will learn soon enough exactly what you are.¡±


    ¡°Release me, you disgusting monster!¡±


    ¡°Release you?¡± Said Vesper in disbelief, before a bemused smile etched itself across her face, ¡°Ok, go on, you are free to go.¡±


    Vesper leaned away no longer looming over Nightmare, however, the pillar of flesh was still lodged deep inside of her, connecting them. She took a deep breath concentrating in order to feel and wrap her head around this. It must be a lie, to be free to go. But, the wasp did not move; she was no longer pounding. Perhaps then¡­ Nightmare struggled, her stumps scrabbling on the white floors as she loosened her vaginal muscles. The wasp cock slipped a little out of her.


    Panting she pushed forward, pulling herself along by her face dragging the rest of her. Inch by inch, the perverse organ slid out of her. The folds and ruffles, the tendrils, creeping and catching on creases and folds of her pussy. Shudders of pleasure ran rampant through her, but she didn¡¯t stop, she couldn¡¯t stop. If she did, Nightmare doubted that she would have the resolve or strength to start again.


    Now that her body had calmed down, she felt every sensation, every little bump being caressed inside of her. She grit her toothless mouth, determined to escape. It was a slow, excruciating process, dragging herself off of that wonderful- no, terrible, monstrous thing. Feet. She had moved feet away, and yet that thing was still deep inside of her. How, how fucking long is that damned thing? It pulsed, causing shivers of pleasure to radiate out.


    ¡°Look at you, crawling away like the worm you are.¡±


    ¡°I am not a worm!¡±


    ¡°My mistake, you are lower than a worm. Go on, keep it up, you are never going to escape at this rate. Or could it be that you don¡¯t want to escape? Don¡¯t tell me you want to be my personal fuck toy? A living sex doll who¡¯s only purpose is to take my cock. Getting used, over and over again, filled to the brim with my white, hot spunk. I feel it, the thought of that turns you, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


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    Despite what her thoughts were, her body betrayed her, tightening and shivering. Through sheer force of will, she managed to spit out, ¡°Never! I, I would rather die than be your toy!¡±


    Vesper¡¯s smile spread, ¡°That is the spirit. Good, it would hardly be entertaining if you were to give up so easily. Go on; you are almost halfway there, only three more feet to go.¡±


    She gulped unconsciously, three¡­ three more feet? Desperately she continued. Inches became feet as she fought forward only stopping when her body reached its limits shuddering and thrashing in place as the tendrils stabbed into the walls of her pussy, wiggling and writhing as they teased her with the promise of bliss, an orgasm rising within her. They became lifeless again, preventing the wave of pleasure.


    ¡°NO! Stop it, just, let me go.¡± She cried, trembling on the floor.


    The wasp laughed at her, ¡°No one is holding you. Go on, almost there; you can do it.¡±


    It was odd, to be encouraged by the wasp. But, but she could do it. Just a bit more and then she would be free. Minutes passed as she clung to that desperate hope of salvation. The wasp had said she could go, that she was free. She focused in on that, ignoring her body¡¯s fatigue and only distantly aware that others had begun watching her struggle as well. She was tired, exhausted both mentally and physically from not getting to properly sleep in¡­ she didn¡¯t know how long. Nightmare had not left this room since her capture. She did not know how much time had passed. It could have been days, weeks¡­ or in the worst case, only hours.


    Her movements were similar to a row boat. Her stumps scrabbled unevenly due to how they were severed, and her head inched her forward. Single-minded, she pushed forward.


    ¡°Almost there,¡± whispered Vesper.


    Nightmare shuddered in elation, she could feel it. Almost free, almost all of that thick, hard wasp cock was out of her. She panted moving with renewed vigor as she finally plopped off of that giant tube. Panting and drooling she lay there, her gaping hole shuddering uncontrollably at being empty.


    The hot breath of the wasp tantalized the back of her neck as Vesper said two words that shook Nightmare to her core, ¡°I lied.¡±


    The first moment was confusion, but the instant that the hard hands wrapped around her stomach it turned to horror, to primal fear. Before she could even utter a word, the massive ovipositor slammed back into her¡­ fully. Every foot surged straight up through her. Stretching and gaping her body obscenely as it carved and molded her into a cock sleeve. Her mouth gaped, opening and closing as her eyes rolled.


    The wasp had lied to her!


    Her body convulsed and tightened, strangling the intruder, but that only made her feel it more profoundly. Why?! WHY did it feel so GOOD?! She hated it, she despised it, but fuck! It, it felt so good to be filled. To be used. Her insides were on fire with pleasure. She squealed in abject bliss as her body surrendered. The orgasm that had been building up over the whole of the journey crested. It washed over her, drowning her.


    Vesper fully mounted her, the abdomen slapping as it thrust in and out of her. The perverse flesh filling, scraping and gouging at it ruthlessly fucked Nightmare silly. That thing was carving her insides, forcing them to remember its shape. She moaned, meek, weak, and unable to resist as the wasp had her way with her. The obscene squelches of that wonderfu- nasty, dirty thing filling her.


    ¡°It should be about feeding time, don¡¯t you think?¡± asked Neon Nurse.


    ¡°I suppose it is; she did take a long time after all. Alright, open slut.¡±


    The synthetic shaft pressed to Nightmare¡¯s mouth. She squirmed for a moment, before it solidly slid in, down her throat. It was easier than before. Dazed, and delirious, Nightmare made the realization that she was not gagging as she had before. If anything, it was pleasurable. Hands held onto the back of her head, and the robotic nurse began to fuck her face fervently. Every thrust sent the shaft down, scratching deep in her throat. It was a steady, rhythmic pace that was soon matched by Vesper as they worked in tandem to spit roast Nightmare.


    Her body stretching, changing as they thrust deep into her and ripped their cocks out viciously only to slam back in. A human would have been smashed into a paste after only a couple of such motions, but Nightmare was more malleable now. Her body rippled, absorbing the substantial impacts.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Neon Nurse to cum, ¡°Go on, drink up. Incubation is very taxing on the body.¡±


    The thick, syrupy fluid spilled out of the tip of her cock as she impaled it down Nightmare¡¯s throat, holding her in place to seed her stomach. Unable to do anything but swallow and gulp, that is what Nightmare did, feeding from that robotic shaft. Her muffled complaints held down by the volumes released.


    Neon Nurse pulled free after emptying her tank and gave Nightmare a condescending pat on the head, whispering, ¡°Good Incubator.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I am not an incubator.¡± Panted Nightmare.


    The cold smile of the robotic nurse was as fake as her face, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will learn your place soon enough.¡±


    The wasp shifted her abdomen lifting Nightmare up into the air, the pulsing ovipositor still anchored deep within her body. She quivered, helpless, powerless. The sound of scales slithering made her skin crawl, the snake was here, and it brought back the memories of being eaten alive. Slither pressed against her back, squishing her between the two monster¡¯s chests.


    ¡°Oh have you gotten excited my pet?¡± asked Vesper.


    Even before the snake spoke, Nightmare felt the twin shafts rubbing lewdly against her back, coiling as they throbbed. ¡°Yessss, my Queen. I wish to breed you. Watching you dominate this lessssser creature fillss me with need.¡±


    Vesper thought it over for a moment, ¡°Perhaps later. However, for now, there is a willing slut right here with a wanting hole for you to relieve yourself in.¡±


    ¡°Yessss my Queen.¡± Slither replied, her serpent dicks curled around Vesper¡¯s tube, stroking it.


    They edged up, prodding at her entrance. Nightmare¡¯s face went sheet white as they started to wriggle and worm in an attempt to enter her. She was already full, two more massive cocks in that hole would¡­ would surely break her. She couldn¡¯t possibly stretch to accommodate those as well.


    ¡°No, no! Don¡¯t! I will break!¡± she cried.


    Vesper¡¯s dark eyes gazed down at her, ¡°Then break.¡±


    ¡°NO-¡± screamed Nightmare before her voice caught in her throat.


    Slither thrust up, her tips spreading Nightmare even more. Her abused hole shuddered violently as it lost all semblance of control. The snake slid deeper into her, the shafts coiling around the pillar of flesh already infesting her. Held between two monsters she was filled, filled beyond a threshold that should not be and yet her body did not break. It went numb from the shock, and she limply sat, impaled on their members. Her eyes were rolling in her head as she slipped in and out of consciousness.


    Neither of them waited for Nightmare to recover before they started fully. Slither had bottomed out, the entire length of her serpent shafts nestled deep within her Queen¡¯s sex toy. She sighed in pleasure as they began to move, thrusting slowly. Her submission to her Queen so absolute that her cocks worshiped her Queen wrapping and stroking Vesper inside of the little human¡¯s body. She matched Vesper¡¯s movements, thrusting her hips to fuck the human, to use it as it was.


    ¡°My, my Queen! I love you!¡± she cried in supreme happiness.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± said Vesper rather dismissive over the snake¡¯s gushing feels, ¡°Please me with this task of breaking this pitiful creature, and I will reward you.¡±


    ¡°Of coursssse my Queen!¡± She replied, excitedly her flared hips humping harder.


    Every thrust made Nightmare¡¯s body distend, bulging as their trio of members mingled within her. Every body shattering slam widened her, loosened her insides, warping it, corrupting it, molding it into a single purpose. The vibrations of their movements could be felt through the floor outside of the room as they fervently used Nightmare. Her hole was slavishly tightening and squelching as it took the monstrous penetrations, shuddering and convulsing.


    The perverse coupling lasted tens of minutes, the primal slapping of flesh against carapace and scale filled the room with a cacophony of depraved noises. The moaning and squealing of Nightmare rose in between her screaming and cursing during her brief moments of lucid thoughts. Slither came first, throwing all of her weight into a thrust that nearly dislodged Nightmare from Vesper¡¯s shaft. The wasp¡¯s hands held her firmly, forcing her back down to take both of their full-lengths and girth.


    Slither¡¯s thick cum coursed up, spurting into the shivering torso, bloating it. Nightmare¡¯s mouth gaped in a soundless scream, her voice long since tired and frayed. Every pump of the snake sent more serpent sperm roiling into her belly like molten lava, making it grow and grow and grow. Even as the snake shuddered in release, Vesper kept thrusting, slamming her abdomen into Nightmare with reckless abandon. A lesser creature, even Neon Nurse, would have been torn into pieces from her frenzied pace.


    ¡°I am going to break you! I am going to destroy you!¡± roared Vesper.


    Vesper¡¯s hand grappled Nightmare by the throat, crushing it as she strangled her. Nightmare had long since gone into shock, her mind distant, fuzzy, fading away as her brain was no longer receiving oxygen. Everything was muted to her, muffled. The pain mixing with pleasure until they were one and the same. Her brain no longer knows which was which. A single thought was rising, filling her mind with both fear and a deranged, depraved elation. This is where I die. Filled her mind. She would be scared if this wasn¡¯t the best thing she had ever felt in her entire life.


    At last, even Vesper reached her limit slamming herself in as snake cum spilled out and Nightmare¡¯s body went into mindless twitching and convulsions. Her whole abdomen squeezed injecting gallons of searing cum straight into the host. Nightmare¡¯s stomach doubled, tripled, and finally quadrupled in size ballooning out to the point that her skin grew taut and could go no further. After a long, pleasurable sigh, Vesper pulled out, and the torrent of wasp jizz followed, gushing onto the floor from the broken woman. Her hole gaped and shuddering unable to close. Her face blank as her tongue hung out limply.


    Vesper gave a final disgusted look at what Nightmare had become and glanced over to Xava, ¡°Begin the final phase. I grow bored with this thing.¡±


    ¡°As you wish Vesper.¡±

 Interlewd: Seedbed Log 4 (R 18)

    The Vespidian


    Interlewd: Seedbed Log 4


    Nightmare hung, suspended in an apparatus that left her vulnerable. It held her tightly so that she could not wiggle free. At first, it was uncomfortable, but as time went on, she noticed it less and less. The steady, mechanical thumping of the machine behind her pumping a pair of thick dildoes into her. This had become normal when Vesper was not using her; this was where she was placed. The machines were tireless. They were continuously humping her holes, filling them, stretching them, widening her, torturing her.


    This was a systematic torture method to break her down, she knew it, there was no denying it. The sex machines were the least of her worries; however, locked onto her head was a helmet and visor. A noise filled her ears; it was inescapable, incessant, and mind-numbing. A high pitched buzzing noise. The glowing pink screen obscured all of her vision, cutting her off from the world. Someone could be standing right in front of her, and she would not know it. Senses deprived and overloaded. Her eyes filled with flashes of words and a droning spiral that had no end.


    It was a hypnotic brainwashing method. Nightmare knew full well about such things, after all, she used to employ much the same tactics, admittedly not as professional or high end as this. Though that had more to do with her situation back then, it was before she gained her mind diving powers, back when she was a crooked hypnotist tricking people out of their money or sending subtle suggestions for sexual favors.


    This was on a whole different level compared to her parlor tricks. She knew the implications of this. It was best not to look, to close her eyes and endure it. That being said... she couldn''t keep her eyes closed forever, and the whispers in her ears from subliminal messages were still getting through. Inherently one can''t be forced to do something they don''t want to do, and that is why a proper hypnotist changes what the person wants. Well, that was the basic principle behind the entire thing.


    She had never thought that she would be on the receiving end of it one day, but here she was, bound and forced to watch and listen. She couldn''t keep her eyes closed forever, and that didn''t help against the voice insidiously and continuously slithering into her mind. The sounds were not helping at all to drown out that voice, instead making it more noticeable, more profound. The words of the wasp were penetrating her mind as though it was a plump and pliant hole to fuck.


    "Open your eyes.


    Watch deeply.


    Feels good


    Can''t look away.


    Must obey."


    Nightmare opened her eyes, the spiral swirling before her. It was a familiar pattern, but she couldn''t remember where she had seen it before. It was relaxing, soothing, and disarming. Vesper''s words whispered in her ears, repeating what was written in the middle of the spiral as it flashed for a moment, however often times the words did not line up.


    "Relax


    Watch


    Stare deeply


    Can''t look away


    Obedience is Bliss


    You must obey


    You are a slave.


    You can''t resist.


    Resistance is futile.


    Must obey


    Must do as I say.


    No choice.


    Obey your Queen


    You live to serve


    Obedience is pleasure


    Resistance is agony


    Happiness is obedience


    You are an Incubator.


    A Seedbed.


    Relax


    Freedom is slavery


    Slavery is freedom


    Submission is joy.


    Submit and obey


    Blank and empty


    So empty


    Must be filled


    Craving to be filled


    Falling deeper


    And deeper


    Into submission


    Into subservience to me


    Addicted to my voice


    Unable to stop


    You want this


    You need this


    You crave my words


    Incubator has no choice


    Incubator must obey


    Incubator has no say."


    While the words fluttered by, the machines fucked her steadily getting her to an orgasm, only to pull out and leave her empty and wanting. The damned thing stopped when she was so close! She wiggled, trying to rub against anything for relief. Just a little more. She was so close. But she had been denied release. She panted, her pussy trembling as it twitched, it was empty and needy.


    "Need to be filled


    Must be filled


    So empty


    Empty makes you uncomfortable


    Must be filled


    Must be fucked


    Must be used.


    Addicted to cock


    Craving to be fucked


    Must be bred


    Gestator


    Incubator


    Seedbed


    Pleasure your Queen


    Service your Queen


    Obey your Queen.


    Worship your Queen."


    Nightmare didn''t quite know how it was doing it, but the machine knew precisely the moment to stop to frustrate her. It tormented her with promises of bliss should she obey. It was an insane trap. Edging her until her mind was foggy and needy. Too hard to think about anything other than getting off. It would be so easy to surrender. To beg to be fucked. To give in to the twisted wasp and let it have its way with her. She couldn''t though if she did it would all be over. She refused to be the wasp''s slave, her toy. At least, that is how it was what she was telling herself.


    Nightmare quivered as the machine refused to fuck her. Instead of being a reprieve, the absences of the friction made her insides itch and hunger. How long had it been since it stopped? Her holes were hot, throbbing, horny, and craving to be filled. The words didn''t help one bit.


    "So empty.


    Empty


    Empty


    Needy


    Horny


    Wanting


    Needing


    Craving


    To be filled


    Surrender to me


    To your Queen.


    Beg to be bred.


    Plead to be filled


    To be fucked.


    To be stretched and used


    Mouth so empty


    Ready


    Thirsty


    Hungry for cock."


    Nightmare gulped unconsciously, her mouth dry for a moment before she managed to wet it. Images of Vesper''s ovicock flashed before her as the familiar stench of raunchy wasp cock filled her nostrils. Her mind was tantalizing her with memories of it sliding into her throat, filling her. The exotic taste of sweet citrus fruit trembling on her tongue. She shuddered wetting herself as the scent of Vesper''s cum wafted into her nose. She panted, drooling as her mouth gaped, tongue rolling as she remembered how it tasted and how it filled her.


    A brief moment of clarity hit her, and she snapped her needy mouth shut, shaking her head desperate to get the memories to go away. She couldn''t give in. She wouldn''t. It didn''t matter how horny she was or, or how much she just wanted to slurp and suck on her Queen''s cock and drink down her delicious jizz. No, no she was stronger than this brainwashing. She would never surrender to that filthy, lovely wasp cock.


    "No! No! I won''t surrender to you!" She cried out into the empty room.


    Someone had heard her, and a low humming of machines began to move. Needles pierced into her flesh from all around as they injected something into her. A searing, burning filled her veins. She heaved and huffed, crying and trembling as her body felt like it was melting. She felt her weight shift, sinking down and down. It felt like a long time to be lowered, unable to see or feel anything until the bottom was reached. She squirmed about, the harness releasing her and she was left alone. Nightmare wormed about exploring her surroundings, trying to keep her mind off of the images of flush wasp cock strobing before her vision.


    The room was circular. A new noise scrabbled its way over the voices and mind-numbing tones, metal on metal. A thing dropped down, thudding beside her, she reeled away from it as more of them thudded around the prison. She felt the cold metal touch her as the first of many began to feel her body out. They had surrounded her. A smooth head pushed at her and slithered as it found her entrance. It shoved into her quivering pussy, causing her mouth to gape and scream.


    Her scream seemed to act as a call to action. They swarmed her. Mechanical snakes wormed about her, honing in on her holes. Soon her screams were muffled as her mouth, her asshole and even her breasts soon found themselves penetrated and slithery things sliding into her. More and more of them began to enter her, stretching out her holes, filling her as even more cascaded down from above like a flood.


    Buried below the smooth mass of robotic serpents, she quivered as they explored her insides. They worked their way through her intestines, cleaning her out as they went. Her stomach rumbled as shifting and thrashing as the ones coming from below met the ones from above. They fought and squirmed writhing inside of her body as they wiggled their way past one another. Her insides were filling more and more, as so many of them were all over her. Evey hole overstuffed as more kept invading her, every part of her violated and infested by these, these things.


    They found her nose as well, probing in and spreading even that as they slithered into her head. The scent of Vesper''s pheromones coating them, her mouth filled with the taste of raw wasp cock. She shuddered as the visor kept feeder her images of Vesper''s thick throbbing member. Ingraining the look, the flavor, the inescapable aroma.


    "You love the taste


    The smell


    How it feels


    To be


    Invaded


    To be filled


    To be infested


    Good Seedbed.


    Feel them, growing within you


    Feel them filling you


    Slithering in you


    Converting you


    Into a nest


    Their Seedbed


    Their Incubator


    Their Gestator.


    This is your purpose


    You are nothing but a hole


    To be filled


    To be used


    To be infested with my brood


    Feel them


    Growing inside


    Completing you


    Fulfilling your purpose


    Good Seedbed."


    Nightmare shuddered, abandoned in that sea of squirming synthetic serpents.


    Hours?


    Days?


    She couldn''t tell. There were only the robo snakes invading her, writhing and wiggling through her, around her, smothering and choking, drowning her. It felt incredible, orgasm after orgasm shuddering and wracking through her body as she was at the mercy of the snakes. The words and images swirling endlessly before her, it got to the point that she slipped in and out of consciousness, lulled there by the monotonous tone that wouldn''t let her think. Her eyes drooped from time to time, even as her insides roiled with life.


    Eventually, she awoke, her head buzzing and throbbing as her whole body was. She was empty now. It didn''t take long to realize that she was suspended in the harness once more. Her head was so foggy, so warm, and it was hard to think about anything. Images flowed across the screen, as usual, pictures of Vesper''s swollen alien prick. That delicious drooling member was so fat with seed. Nightmare found herself salivating as she stared at it. What little of her self control remained forced her to close her mouth. Her mind was fighting the conditioning.


    "Please your Queen


    Serve me


    Suck my cock


    Service your Queen


    Suckslut must suck."


    Her mouth opened again, panting and drooling as she moaned. Damn it, how long would this go on? She just needed a cock to suck on for a bit. Yeah, that would solve everything ¡ª a big fat juicy wasp cock. Her Queen''s cock would fix everything. Then she wouldn''t be so horny. It is not like she has to suck on it, to serve it, to worship it. Nightmare''s tongue wet her lips.


    It will take more than this stupid brainwashing to break me.


    The tantalizing aroma of the blue wasp flesh filled her nose as she gaped her mouth, tongue hanging out. Thirsty. So thirsty. She trembled as her head was bombarded with images of the first-person perspective of someone sucking on Vesper''s tube. The head sliding up and down. The wet, whoreish moans of a bitch in heat gobbling that cock up. Worshipping it as though it were her god. Nightmare wanted that too. She needed it.


    Something touched her mouth, her tongue, she froze as she recognized the delectable flavor. It was her Queen. Without a thought, her head lunged forward like a starved predator attacking the member, suckling and kissing the tip of the undulating wasp prick. It pushed into her mouth, and she whorishly sucked it down. Wholeheartedly taking it, every last inch as it thrust down into her belly, stretching her out.


    Her head slid up and down the shaft, moaning in delight. It felt so good to be full. The other holes felt the muscular tentacles of the wasp groping and caressing her body. With a single, body shattering movement yards of thick throbbing muscles slammed into her and began pumping incessantly. Yes, yes, yes, just like that. This was what she had needed, what she had been craving. To be filled.


    "Good slave.


    Suck it harder


    Faster


    Deeper


    Enslave yourself to your Queen


    More


    And more


    Every taste


    Makes you more addicted


    Craving


    Needing


    Like the cumslut you are


    A submissive Incubator


    Seedbed begging to be bred.


    Service your Queen."


    She shuddered, unable to stop her body from doing as it was told. Her neck stretched as it filled with wasp cock over and over as her head bobbed harder and faster, servicing her Queen''s member. A perverse pleasure radiated out with every stroke of her throat, coiling that massive cock. She tightened her muscles, squeezing it as it pulsed and throbbed deep inside of her. She couldn''t stop; she must serve. She must suck and service, that was her purpose. The words and images spiraling away before her, driving this thought process deeper and deeper into her subconscious mind.


    "Service your Queen


    Obey me


    No resistance.


    The more you resist


    The more you crave


    And the more you desire, the harder it is to resist."


    Despite herself, despite knowing that this was bad, that she was playing into the wasp''s perverse hands. She couldn''t stop herself. It felt too good. Her body was already being warped to the desires of the Queen. She wasn''t strong enough to stop it. She couldn''t resist.


    The words on the screen and the voice in her ears penetrated her. They knew what she was thinking; they were reading her mind! They knew everything. She shuddered violently.


    "Weak


    Powerless


    Slave


    Must obey


    Obedience is pleasure


    Pleasure is obedience


    Worship your Queen


    Obey my words


    You are an Incubator


    A Seedbed


    A Gestator


    A Suckslut."


    No, no, no, not weak¡­ powerless¡­ so powerless. I can''t stop it. I can''t stop slurping and sucking. It tastes so good. It feels so good to serve my Queen! More, more I need more give me more!


    She suckled more, harder, and a faster as her tongue lewdly slithered about as her head slid up and down with deep, powerful thrusts. Her belly distended with every bottomed out scraping of the massive wasp cock. Her eyes filled with the hypnotic spiral and her mind-melting in the waves of droning noises washed in pleasure, the whispers of her Queen sending shivers through every part of her body.


    She gummed at the cock, squeezing it, and it shuddered. Ecstasy shot through her addled mind as it bloated and filled, cum! She needed it. She craved it. The undulating member thrashed inside of her, and the molten hot sperm erupted into her belly. Her thoughts instantly went white and blank as she mindlessly slurped and suckled, milking the tube for every last drop. Her belly-bloating out, growing heavy, and full. Once it had deposited the load of warm cream, the mating tool withdrew from her


    "Good Incubator


    Feed


    Drink


    Sate your thirst


    Be filled


    Filled and even more addicted than before.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Crave it more


    And more


    And more


    Beg for it


    Scream for it


    Plead to be Bred


    And Used."


    Once it had deposited the surging loads of warm wasp jizz, the mating member plopped free from her mouth, hovering inches away from her face. All at once, the tentacles that filled her yanked themselves free, sending agonized pulses of obscene pleasure throbbing through the body. Slowly the tendrils pressed against her face. She couldn''t stand it anymore. She wanted to be used. Her pussy, her womb were empty and needed to be filled.


    Her mouth panted as she begged, "Fuck me, use me!"


    "Beg your Queen.


    Plead


    Show me your desires


    Show me how far you have fallen


    Show me you are worthy."


    Nightmare shuddered all she had to do was submit, to surrender. Her mind felt as though it was melting. She shouldn''t; she shouldn''t¡­ but, but it would feel so good. It, it couldn''t hurt just to do a little bit. To be this depraved wasps fuck toy for just a bit to get this mind-numbing need out of her system. No, no it is not like she needed it.


    "You, you disgusting wasp! How dare you fuck me, use me like some cheap pocket pussy!" Nightmare cried out getting more and more desperate by the moment her voice sounding even more crazed, "You, you demented monster is, is this what you want, to fuck me!? Ha! I bet you just want to rape me harder, fuck me like an animal?! I will never surrender to your abominable dick."


    There was a deafening silence that seemed to last minutes though it was only a few seconds, "I see. Well, then you need more conditioning. You are unworthy to be my Seedbed. Xava try out the sensory deprivation chamber on her. I think twelve hours will break her completely."


    "No, no, I lied! My Queen, my Queen, my Queeen I, I am your whore, your suckslut, your Incubator! Use me, plunge your filthy wasp cock into me!"


    "I will use you, eventually. Xava, the chamber please." Replied Vesper leaving.


    Syringes stabbed into Nightmare from all around injecting something into her. Her nerves seemed to light on fire, her cunt trembling as it got hungrier and wetter, needier. A primal, animalistic desire radiated out of it. A single purpose, to breed, throbbing, pulsing, radiating, seeping into the rest of her body and mind.


    The harness shifted her upright as something sealed shut around her. The noise of liquid gushing down replaced the loud pop of air pressurizing. Her helmet locked airtight, completely covering her head. Warm splashes of a thick gooey substance hit her naked body. Slowly the tube around her filled until she was submerged completely, floating in place. Silence. Blackness. Isolation. Alone with only her thoughts and the inescapable and unquenchable need to breed as her body mutated.


    ****


    "So how well do you think it is working on her?" I asked Dr. Arbor as we stood observing Nightmare''s new form suspended in a gelatinous goo.


    "Well I am not one for torture, but Isolation chambers have been well documented to cause madness, combined with her new biology and the hypnotic brainwashing¡­ I would say that the likelihood of her not breaking to this is pretty slim."


    "I always thought hypnosis was bullshit."


    "Well, to a degree," replied the Puppeteer entering the room, the strange mask of eyes unnerving the three of us, "suggestion is a powerful force. If you get something into someone''s head and then let them have a pleasant experience or simply associate it with something they are already familiar with, you create expectations. You begin to train them in a sense through their own experiences and memories. If you do it properly, you can make a particular smell make someone sick even if they had loved it before or you can make something that they were disgusted with to be something that they love. As such if a certain sound is heard whenever a certain action occurs that sound will be linked to the action and the body and mind will anticipate the action if the sound is heard. Though if it is not regularly reinforced, then the connection will be lost, though it will be easier to establish again due to the neural pathways in the brain already being established through memory. An example would be when one opens a can of food, and a dog comes running, expecting food. It works just as easily on humans given the right conditioning. Of course, that isn''t human anymore, now is it?"


    "No, that is a creature created for incubation." Replied Xava.


    "Oh, I see you guys are up to something fun in here," Said the Puppeteer


    "What eh, what brings you here?" I asked her warily.


    "Oh nothing really, I just wanted to see what the rumors were about."


    "What rumors?"


    "Oh that you three were up to some sick and twisted shit in here. I was not disappointed. I mean, I could do better, but I will give an A for effort."


    "Eh, thanks I guess, Xava, how did your end go?" I asked, looking to my robotic lover.


    "The theta, beta, and alpha waves coupled with Slither''s hypnotic patterns reduce cognitive function by eighty percent, causing a drastic increase in suggestibility. Combined with your pheromones and voice, creating an association to pleasure, she is one hundred percent going to become addicted to your smell, your flavor, your voice. She will likely go into withdrawals, causing insomnia, distress, sickness due to stress, among other things if you deny her your presence for prolonged periods. As for the device, I have already installed it into her brain."


    "You seem oddly familair with all this, Xava, have you done this to anybody before?" I asked.


    "Well, dear as you might recall, Slither was rather uncoperative at the start. So I gave her a little dose of this, honestly it didn''t take much for her. The slutty snake wanted it so the suggestions stuck like glue. Nightmare on the other hand is a lot more resilient and has needed more than the gentle nudge that your snake got."


    "I see, excellent," I replied vaguely gazing at Nightmare''s warped body. Her skin had hardened into a blackish carapace and from her back roughly where the tail bone should be a large abdomen extended. Her breasts had grown considerably from her thin torso. Six spindly limbs extended from her sides, each had three claws at the end. I doubted that those things could move her around much once she was filled with eggs. As for her head, the helmet encompassed it completely, the screen flashing pink from time to time, lighting the otherwise dark tube.


    "Did you use my advice Xava?"


    "I did."


    "And?"


    "It worked."


    I looked between the two, "What worked?"


    "I was going to surprise you, but I might as well tell you now. I figured that this was an excellent opportunity to test my cyber brains. Since we had such a helpful test subject, I was able to make a significant breakthrough."


    "Is that so? What, eh, did you do exactly?"


    "Why I created a blueprint of Nightmare''s personality and uploaded it to a Cyber Brain Bank. It is a perfect duplicate. So that if you so desire it, we can make duplicates of her for you to torture and break should you grow bored of this one or if you happen to kill it."


    "Is that safe?" I asked.


    "Perfectly, it is stored in an isolated area that is not connected to the rest of the network."


    "So wait, is this not the original Nightmare?"


    "This is the original, organic Nightmare."


    "How far back does the fake one remember?" I asked.


    "Up until her capture."


    A twisted idea began to form in my head, "Xava prepare a duplicate at once, make it look as she used to while human."


    Hehehe Hahaha, laughed the Puppeteer, "How delightfully evil of you Vesper. I am impressed! That sounds like something I would do."


    "Read my mind, eh?"


    "You truly are an entertaining little thing, aren''t you?"


    "I will take that as a compliment. Well, then how long will it take to make the synthetic?"


    Xava''s eye lit up, "About three hours."


    "Very well, we will finish Nightmare once it is ready."


    ****


    The mind-melting tones and images came to an abrupt stop. The warm fluid drained out from around her body slowly. Seedbed blankly hung, limp in the restraints. The tube rose, letting the cold air of the room cascade over her sensitive flesh. After a long moment, the helmet hissed and unbuckled lifting off of her. The light hurt her eyes as the room swirled about from the residual spiral effect. To took even longer to focus and make the world stop spinning.


    The numbness of her body tingled all over as though it had fallen asleep. The harness lowered, dumping her onto the floor where she twitched and squirmed ¡ª her little claws scrabbling on the hard surface for purchase. Everything felt wrong, but her mind was sluggish warm and fuzzy, not at all working properly.


    A clawed foot stepped into her view, causing her to gaze up, her eyes trailing over the bluish-black carapace of the much larger individual. A single word filled her mind at the sight of this majestic creature, Queen. Just the smell of this creature was enough to make her wet, to make her mouth water. She trembled submissively, her body opening and closing¡­ how strange. She felt so empty. So needy. Just¡­ just needing to be filled.


    "Oh, are you awake Seedbed?" asked Vesper leaning down and placing a hand on her head.


    Seedbed¡­ it was right, but, but it wasn''t. Nightmare¡­ she remembered that name vaguely. It was hard to think. Vesper''s stench filled her antennae, and her mind lit on fire as a cascade of images and voices bombarded her. Submissive¡­ no.. No¡­ no! Not submissive.


    "You! You! What have you done to me!?"


    The cruel smile instantly spread across Vesper''s face, "Oh good, so you are not completely broken yet. I admire your perseverance though it is miss placed."


    "I, I will never break!"


    Vesper pet her, a somewhat sad look on her face, "You are already broken and warped to my will, you just don''t realize it yet. I bet you just feel so¡­ empty. Yes, you need to be filled, don''t you?"


    How does she know!? Seedbed shivered wetting herself, "I don''t care how many big hard cocks you plunge into me and fuck me raw like a filthy animal, I, I will never break!"


    Vesper walked around her, circling behind and her hands grabbed hold of something that Nightmare had never felt before. She turned her head, staring at the bulbous abdomen twitching in Vesper''s hands. It, it was attached to her, not the wasp, but her. Her mind reeled as the thick tongue of the wasp prodded the hole, pushing and tasting until it penetrated her.


    Pleasure shot up through her spine. Gasping and squirming the wasp held her still. The thick taster began to pump, scraping, and stretching at the orifice rhythmically. Why, why did it feel so good? So good to be filled. Seedbed moaned, slumping as she accepted the pleasure. There was no use fighting it anyway. The wasp wouldn''t let her go anyway. After a mere minute of the voracious tongue assaulting her, she shuddered in delight, her orgasm cresting and spurting out. Vesper fed, slurping down her nectar, gulping it with pleasant sighs.


    "Now then," said Vesper, her hands canvassing the smooth carapace, stroking it almost lovingly. She pressed her abdomen to Seedbed''s, and a liquid hot spear of lust thrust into Seedbed. The look of Supreme bliss on Vesper''s face as she said, "Shall we get started then?"


    It was not a real question. Her grip tightened on the flanks, and she pushed forward. The molten mating appendage carved its way through Seedbed. Her tongue lolling as she drooled, squealing and chirping noises escaping from her perpetually parted lips. Why? WHY?! It was so wrong, but, but it felt better than anything she had felt before. Fill, fill, fill me! It was like she was made for this like it was her purpose to be packed full by her Queen.


    Her abdomen began to bounce slowly, humping at the member breeding her. Her body knew what it was meant for, and it moved without her consent. The slopping, wet sexes slapped together in the lewdest of ways. Tendrils digging into her folds as she rhythmically tightened and loosened to milk the cock that filled her, that completed her, that enslaved her. The thrusting became heated, meeting harder and faster as both of them were lost in the rutting breeding sex.


    Seedbed''s vents opened flapping and sending her scent as she shuddered, her submission and eagerness to be bred, to be mated and filled with brood conveyed by mere smell. Her body, hungering and thirsting, lusting for her Queen to mount her harder. To breed her like the whore she was, to impregnate her, and use her as the Seedbed that she was!


    "No, No! No more, please make it stop! My body make it stop, please!" She cried, holding her face with the little claws as she was mounted fully.


    Vesper leaned in, their abdomens swollen together as she continued to rut, burying her flesh deep into Seedbed. "Shhhh just accept what you are Seedbed. Yes, that is what you are and who you are. Your body will always know what it is, even if your mind forgets. You were made to be my Incubator. For me to use and impregnate. To gestate my eggs and be bred like livestock over and over again."


    She huffed in between the mighty thrusts that sent shock waves of bliss shattering through her, "I am Nightmare! I am not Seedbed. You, you can''t make me!"


    "Are you now? Do you actually think you are Nightmare? You are not a person. You are my thing. A creature to be used."


    "I, I am a person! I am Nightmare!"


    "Is that so? Then who is this?" Asked Vesper diverting her attention to the door.


    The door opened, and in entered a familiar woman, it was Nightmare. Seedbed squirmed as she was fucked relentlessly, her eyes locked with Nightmare''s.


    A disgusted look crossed the woman''s face before she said, "What even is that disgusting creature. Grotesque as always I see you damned dirty wasp. Now, why have you brought me here to see this, this abomination?"


    Vesper replied as the steady slap of their abdomens mating filled the room, "I wanted to hear your thoughts on my personal fuck toy. I named her Seedbed."


    "It is hideous. Look at that ugly thing. Only you would find that subhuman creature attractive."


    "So mean," Vesper said bottoming out with a rutting thrust, "She has feelings too you know. Seedbed, how does that make you feel? To be called such horrible names."


    "I, I am human!" she wailed.


    Nightmare spit on the floor, "Don''t kid yourself you freak. Do me a favor and die so that I don''t have to look at you anymore."


    Vesper leaned in close, whispering to Seedbed, "See, I told you, you only think you are the real Nightmare, but you are just my living onahole. Yes, my Incubator. You were grown in that vat there. You were never human to begin with."


    "You lie! I am the real Nightmare!"


    Nightmare stared down at it in disbelief and disgust, "What sort of delusional monster did you cook up? Does this fucking thing think it is me? Get this disgusting thing out of my sight!"


    "I, I am human! No, no, this isn''t right! You are a fake!" She cried.


    "Look in a mirror you filth. You are not human!"


    No, no this must be some sort of trick. Nightmare, I am Nightmare, not that impostor. Her claws flexed as Vesper continued to mate her relentlessly. She trembled at the inhuman feelings of bliss. The pheromone mist wafting between them as they bred like beasts.


    A slow realization crept, a doubt, an emptiness, a cascading crack in her mental defenses that soon became an all-consuming black hole. Who, who was she? Was her life all a lie? Was she really just brainwashed into thinking that she was Nightmare? But there was two. There can''t be two. That one looked as she remembered, and yet she did not. Humans didn''t have carapace or claws or abdomens. She was a monster¡­ she wasn''t human. Then¡­ then¡­


    "What is wrong Seedbed? You look like you are about to cry." Ask Vesper lovingly nuzzling her.


    Sparks went off in her head, memories of her Queen, of Vesper. Memories of pleasuring her, servicing her, wholeheartedly being used and embraced by the wasp. By her Queen. All the images and words came flooding back. Her mind so blank and foggy with lust. She knew her purpose; she knew what she was. Her instincts took hold as she surrendered to her Queen.


    Seedbed cried, holding her face as Vesper impaled her and came, "My, my Queen! I love you. I, I was wrong! I am not a person, I am your slave! I am just your cum dumpster sex toy that loves to be fucked silly! Please, please fill me with your eggs use me as I was made to be used!"


    "Daww I never realized you could be so cute." Vesper leaned in and kissed her, their abdomens locked together as the lewd squelching of fluids flowing filled the room. Eggs descended as Seedbed moaned her body inflating as she was impregnated. A train of eggs continuously pouring into her, smothering her in her Queen''s affection. Her mind succumbing with every lump that shoved into her until it broke completely.


    She lay submissive and subservient, trembling in elation as her abdomen bulged obscenely stretching and inflating until Vesper moaned cumming again as she emptied her entire egg sack into Seedbed.


    They stayed stuck together for a long time until Vesper finally pulled out of her, vents flapping several times before they snapped shut.


    "My, my Queen," she drooled mindlessly.


    Broken, her body warped, her mind melted. Nightmare was no more only Seedbed remained. Moaning and trembling eager to please her Queen, craving to be ravished and used over and over, to be mated and bred.


    ****


    Ahhhhh I sighed, that was enjoyable. Seedbed''s abdomen was so swollen and fat it sent shivers down my spine just watching it jostle and squirm with life. She was so big that she couldn''t physically move by herself anymore. I liked the way that she was now ¡ª such a nice little egg sack. My thoughts, however, were rudely interrupted.


    "What a disgusting display of-" started Nightmare before I glared her into silence, "Xava, the remote for this disgusting insect."


    A small controller was handed over. It had a large red button in the middle. I thought about pressing it, but I wanted her to suffer.


    I suppose I could go for another round. My large hand wrapped around the synthetic Nightmare. I have to admit, Xava did a damned good job on the synth flesh. If she didn''t smell weird, then I wouldn''t know she was a robot. The face and body on this thing could pass for the real deal, so smoothly it was scary. Knowing full well that she was disposable, well I was going to have some fun. My abdomen bulged as the entire length of ovicock shot out, throbbing like a spear of obscenity.


    Gripping the little slut, I forced her down onto it. She spread and parted, her face twisting in abject horror and pain as she started to split in half from my crushing grasp, squeezing her entirely too hard. My wasp cock slammed up gouging through her inner workings, battering up as I held her shoulders forcing her down, crumpling her until the tip of my cock emerged from her mouth.


    I leaned in, watching her face, confusion, and pain, fear running rampant through her. Ah¡­ she doesn''t realize she is a robot¡­ how fun. I whispered to her, "You are not even real. You are just a machine. That thing, that grotesque creature as you called it. That is the real you. That is what I have done to you. You, you are just a cheap copy. Now die for my amusement."


    The smile that rose on my face was of pure bliss as I could see the realization dawn on her. I pressed the button, and her brain began to fry.


    "Wha- AAaaaaughhh!" Nightmare screamed as she held her head.


    Her eyes started to roll into her head; sparks shot out of her blanked out eyes. Foam poured from her mouth that gaped until her jaw broke in an endless scream of agony. Her body locked up and she fell limp, impaled on my member. The electrical shocks coursing through her sent delightful tingling through me as I fucked her. Her twitching and shuddering increased as I used her body. If I recalled correctly, the device switched off all dopamine and serotonin receptors and converted them into pain receivers.


    Which meant the more I made her feel good, the more it hurt. I held her down in a mating press. My abdomen jackhammering into her ruined body. Lubricant and pieces spurting out of her as relentless pounded the robot into oblivion. Eventually, her body split in half from the friction, and I used her head, forcing it up and down to suck me off. Her eyes still rolling and throat gurgling as her cyber brain melted.


    Her eyes finally short-circuited, and molten metal oozed out of the ears and the empty sockets. I came, quenching the heat and filling her empty skull with cum. After a long sigh, I tossed it away like the trash that it was. Mmm enjoyable. To think I can hear Nightmare''s screams of pain whenever I want.


    Xava released her little robos to clean up the remains of my revenge fucking. She looked between Seedbed and me, tilting her head slightly, "I thought you wished to fry her brain?"


    "I changed my mind. I think this is more of a punishment. After all, she will have to live like this for the rest of her life. Besides, if I ever do feel like it, I could always fry her brain with a mere press of a button."

 Villainy 101 Chapter 4

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 4


    The day was like most others I suppose, well it had been a while since I had left my lair to see the sun and light of day. I had become a bit of a recluse, only leaving the confines of my home when forced to. It can¡¯t exactly be healthy, but at the same time, I was not motivated to move. I had everything I could want, food, plentiful mates; my little grubbies were growing as well, lots of movies and things to watch or games to play, really there wasn¡¯t a reason to leave. Feels like I had been getting lazy, complacent lately. Might be getting fat again too¡­ well no that is just the eggs building up. Still, it was good to leave the lair once in a while. Get some eh, fresh air, spread my wings and see what had changed in my week or two of seclusion.


    Today was something of an emotional day I suppose, due to the impending hero attack I had decided to get my parents to leave the city. I would have preferred to have Ichigo go with them, but she wasn¡¯t listening to me at all. For that matter, Dad was putting up a fight about going, something about it not being manly. Better than letting them get caught up in the crossfire or get involved with the super smackdown that was apparently about to unfold throughout the city. As such, I was paying them a final visit before flying them to the airport. They were going to the Bahamas to wait for all this to blow over.


    Honestly, I wish I could go with them, but my nest was here, and Xava was not moving. Less that she wouldn¡¯t and more that she physically couldn¡¯t move what with being a brain in a jar connected to a vast villainous lair and using it as life support. Nightmare¡¯s capture and her subsequent torture had allowed Xava to develop a workaround to this, but it wasn¡¯t quite ready for her to do on herself just yet and as such she was still just a brain in a jar. The cyber brain would have to wait for now.


    I had gotten a bit distracted with my thoughts as the open air of the sky rushed by me. I still had not gotten used to the bowl-like crater in the middle of the city. It was a gaping wound in the earth that still spilled the radioactive blood of this city from the exposed sewer tunnels. Even after a month, the quagmire of glowing filth had not stopped. At night it created an otherworldly radiance, dying the surroundings in a sickly green glow.


    It wasn¡¯t my problem, though. The radiation and disease-infested waters did nothing to me, ever since the sewer incident I had changed. I had not gotten sick once and was beginning to think that I likely was immune to most viruses.


    The thick, sturdy orange membranes carried me over the sky-scraping cluster of tech companies that made up the UpTown area where Xava¡¯s base was situated. It was most likely the safest place in the city due to the Cyber Swat teams patrolling the streets. Elsewhere the city had become much less civilized as the gangs had taken over and in some cases went about looting sprees. The Diablo De Chillar being the most notable offender. It wasn¡¯t exactly a surprise since they were still not fully cooperating with Kraken, unlike every other gang.


    In all honesty, I was surprised that Molotov was allowing such disrespect and blatant disregard for her authority. Rumor was that the Diablos down in L.A. had finished up and were coming up here. I had also heard that they had hired a Kraken mercenary, which seemed a bit foolish if they wanted to oppose Kraken¡¯s rule. Of course, it could be a matter of conflicting interests in the leaders of the gang. Each branch likely had their own agenda, and these were criminals, so there was likely to be power struggles.


    Still, it seemed very stupid to me to oppose Kraken and the Hero League¡­ Ah, that is likely it. Molotov was probably planning on pincering them between the Hero League and us. If it was like that, then there wasn¡¯t a chance in hell they would survive. I wonder what the hell they did to piss Molotov off to such a degree?


    I slapped both sides of my face to concentrate again. This wasn¡¯t something to be thinking about at the moment. The Heroes would be here any day now, and this was the last time I would see my parents for a while. Actually¡­ that is a strange-looking cloud over there. I squinted over the ridge of mountains to the east. A blackened blob had appeared slowly getting a little bigger until I could make out buildings¡­ buildings? I recalled that Molotov had mentioned some sort of mobile base.


    The Citadel of Order¡­ I believe that was what it had been called. Seeing it here meant that they were here already then. This meant that we had even less time than I had thought. I banked away from the encroaching mass, heading to the northwest of the city.


    Things here had not changed so much at least not since last time I had come. The streets were mostly clear, and few cars went about. People seemed to either be held up in their houses or had already skipped town. My parents being one the holdouts. From above, their home was so tiny, it could fit between my fingers and could easily be crushed. Still, it was odd, I remembered this place was so much more prominent before. I know that I had been the one to get bigger, but it always startled me a bit at exactly how large I had gotten. I was almost as tall as the damned house after all.


    I descended, landing in the backyard. The heavy thud of my feet crushing the ground sent a small tremor out that rattled the windows. After a short delay, Dad and mom emerged out the backdoor. I leaned back, using my abdomen as a sort of chair to sit on.


    ¡°Vesper, I told you I am not running,¡± said Dad, crossing his arms.


    I pointed at him, ¡°And I told you two to pack your shit cause you two are getting the fuck out of here.¡±


    Dad looked me in the eyes with his gruff face, ¡°I am not a coward.¡±


    ¡°This ain¡¯t about being a coward, Dad. You are what, a rank 4? Dad, there are Rank 9s coming! I am telling you this for your own good, you and Mom are leaving and that is final.¡±


    ¡°We are not leaving Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Fuck yes you are.¡±


    ¡°This is our home.¡±


    I pointed at my eyes, drawing a line a between us several times, ¡°Does it look like I give a fuck? Do you want to keep the house so bad? Fine I will rip it out of the ground and throw it in the ocean if that is what it takes to get your asses out of here.¡±


    ¡°It is not about the house Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Then what the hell is keeping you here?¡±


    ¡°We are worried about you.¡±


    ¡°And I am worried about you, so do me a favor and get the hell out of here, so I don¡¯t have to worry about a stray laser beam or fireball or whatever the hell else is going to be being thrown around hitting the house killing you two. I am going to carry you two to the next to the airport, and you will use these damned tickets to fly to the Bahamas. Now come on, your flight is leaving in like two hours so get packed.¡±


    Mom took the tickets looking between them and me, ¡°Vesper, you should come with us. You don¡¯t need to stay in such a dangerous place.¡±


    My fingers drummed on the ground, ¡°I wish that I could, but I won¡¯t leave Xava. Besides, I have all my children and friends that I have to protect. Even if they were not here, I can¡¯t go with you.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t fit in the plane.¡±


    ¡°You can fly though, that is a stupid reason.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay fine. Chimera might be after me. So if I went with you, it would just put you in danger. If you guys stay here, they might capture you and use you against me. So, just do me a favor and go live happily far away from here, okay?¡±


    Dad seemed a bit hesitant before he finally gave me a big old hug, well he hugged my arm since that was what he could get a hold of, ¡°You have to take care of yourself.¡±


    I grumbled a little, ¡°I am not a child, I can take care of myself. You are too dramatic about this Dad.¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°I don¡¯t care; you will always be my little girl.¡±


    I went a little red, ¡°Dad! You are so embarrassing. Go on now, get your stuff. I am not sure how much time we have.¡±


    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡±


    ¡°I saw them. The Citadel thing is almost here. So you need to leave.¡±


    They seemed to get it finally, and Dad nodded, ¡°Alright Vesper, you win. Come on, Caroline, let¡¯s get packed.¡±


    ¡°Just take the shit you need, I already transferred a good bit of money into your account so you can buy new stuff over there. I would have sent more, but don¡¯t wanna make it look suspicious,¡± I said.


    ¡°Thanks for the consideration, I think we will manage we have after all saved up a good bit of a nest egg.¡±


    I leaned back gazing up at the clouded sky, the morning mist still lingered. It was early well early for me anyway. This had been a dry year, the November rains had not arrived just yet, but things were cooling down. It was a good thing too since I was not partial to hundred plus degree weather every day. Mid-eighties was preferable for me. Wasn¡¯t too hot, it wasn¡¯t too cold.


    My back eye gazed at the forest, the sloping trail and distantly I could make out the shape of my old thinking spot. I had widened the path a bit last time I was here as evident by the uprooted and knocked over trees leading off into the forest and over the hill into the swamps beyond. Eh, what the hell, I got a bit of time to kill.


    I walked along, soon arriving at the old gnarled tree. Mmhm. I placed a hand on the half-dead trunk, feeling it. The wood was soft and spongy. The bark was peeling off in some places. A faint blue glow radiated out below as I gently peeled off a strip of the outer layer. Below was a bright fungus, speckles of blue floating in it. It was rather entrancing to look at. The fungi had grown quite a bit from the last time. It ran the length of the tree in veins much like minerals in the side of a mountain.


    I sat beside the tree. I wonder why this place was always so calming to me? Perhaps it was the sweet scent of the fungus drawing me in. But even before I had changed, I always came here. It didn¡¯t particularly matter, I suppose. It was beautiful and quiet here. Away from the city and the machines¡­ and the people.


    Yes, just you and me.


    Yes, just you and me.


    What is wrong, you seem distracted.


    I am just afraid of the future is all.


    Understandable, we might lose everything we have fought so hard for.


    What can we do?


    There are many things we can do; it is a matter of how far we are willing to go.


    How far will it take?


    That is entirely up to them, now isn¡¯t it?


    I just want to live peacefully with our children.


    We both know they won¡¯t let that happen. If they don¡¯t already then once they learn of us they won¡¯t leave us alone.


    What should we do?


    Sub whispered in my head, Simple. Kill them before they kill us.


    That might be too far. They might not want to kill us.


    Oh Vesper dear, don¡¯t be so foolish. The moment they learn of our children they will come at us with everything they have. We are a threat to humanity itself. Dr. Arbor said it herself; we are her Doomsday device.


    I think she was just exaggerating that part.


    We are stronger now. We won¡¯t let them push us around anymore ¡ª no more fake heroes like Captain Metal. And if anymore of those Villains or anyone else for that matter gets any ideas, we can always do to them what we did to Nightmare.


    That¡­ That was a special case.


    Oh please, you relished every moment of it. It was very Villain like of you. Even the Sanguine Puppeteer said as much.


    It was revenge.


    Yesss and it was delectable. The thrill, the pleasure of dominating something so completely. The ecstasy of breaking her mind and molding her body to our whim. We both know you loved it. I can hardly wait to see what wonderful children that one will give us.


    You¡­ well, you are not wrong.


    Doesn¡¯t the thought of converting these would-be heroes into Seedbeds just like her, doesn¡¯t it just excite you?


    I doubt we will have time for that.


    Oh, so you do not deny it.


    Well, sure the thought is arousing, but Nightmare was a special case. She deserved it and worse.


    So you are saying that even if the opportunity presents itself, that we subdue a powerful foe with¡­ exquisite powers that you will not claim it for our own?


    I don¡¯t know. Nightmare deserved it. If she weren¡¯t useful, then I would have killed her.


    We both know the kicking and screaming turns you on.


    It was only Nightmare. If it was anyone else, I would have never gone that far.


    Sure, sure. I suppose we will cross this bridge when we come to it soon enough.


    ¡°Vesper! Where did you run off to?¡± called my Dad.


    Ah, I put this aside for the moment. Sub, we will deal with this later. I made my way back to the back yard squatting to keep a lower profile as I sat and waited outside of the gate.


    ¡°You guys ready?¡± I asked, looking down at the pair dragging out several suitcases each.


    ¡°You sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am sure. I already bought the damned tickets for you, and I can¡¯t get a refund for them, so you better use them.¡±


    My tentacles reached down, taking their luggage as I lifted them up onto my back. They had been hesitant, but then again, it was understandable. Granted Mom shouldn¡¯t be freaking out that much I already carried her before. My wings spread and flapped a few times sending gusts of wind before getting enough lift to propel my mass into the air.


    The Citadel, which had been more or less a speck on the horizon not too long ago had gotten bigger. With my eyesight now I could make out the spiral towers around the squared base of the shape. It was a floating island of metal, and if those things on the walls were what I thought they were, then it was a flying fortress. It had weapon systems on every side of it, even below and above it. Yeah¡­ I was not looking forward to picking a fight with that.


    I banked down towards the airport. There were three in Bronson, one on the east, the north, and the west. The first airport had been down south of the Slums, but after the meltdown, it was decided to have more options in case something like that happened again. The east airport was almost exclusively for transporting the agricultural and factory products due to that area being nothing but fields, warehouses, and factories. I suppose there was also the train yard as well.


    We arrived at the northern airport, which was mostly used for passengers, though sometimes cargo was sent through here. It was crowded as usual with Cyber Swat watching the place out front and in various sections of the terminals. I didn¡¯t particularly want my parents to be seen with me, so I dropped them off a little bit away, out of sight behind some buildings. It was about a two-block walk for them from here so they would be fine.


    Dad took his suitcase from my tentacle, and I handed off Mom¡¯s stuff to her. They each hugged me lingering for a little bit.


    ¡°Vesper, if things get too tough, just try to get out alive. It is only over if you die, remember that.¡±


    ¡°Dad, I am going to be fine okay. It is you I am worried about. Now you guys go and lay low. I will contact you once this is all over. Don¡¯t try to contact me. I don¡¯t want them to trace anything back to you.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they trace the tickets?¡±


    ¡°They would, but Xava helped me out. So don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°I see. Be sure to thank her for us,¡± said Mom.


    ¡°I will, go on. You don¡¯t wanna be late.¡±


    They gave me a final farewell hug and wave as they left down the street. Mom¡¯s roller suitcase clicked over every crease in the concrete as they went.


    They were going to be fine. I nodded to myself, watching from a distance as they entered the building out of sight.


    Two fewer things to worry about. Said Sub.


    There is still a lot more to worry about.


    ***


    As I flew through the city streets, the atmosphere seemed to be getting strained. The foreboding clouds above parted to reveal a metallic glint over the east side of the city. The Citadel had arrived. Light from the afternoon sun gleamed off of it, shining blindingly as it stopped, hovering in place above the agricultural area. The fields blanketed in the immense shadow as though crushing them under its weight.


    A crackling of electricity reverberated as all the screens throughout the city blacked out for a moment. When power returned, every last one of them had the same image of a man in orange tights. I feel like I had seen him before somewhere, but I couldn¡¯t quite¡­ ah the H, I recognized that. I had seen it clearly in the pictures of this man from the research Xava had been undertaking. One might think it was H for Hero League, but there was no L to go with it. It was H for Hubris.


    His voice boomed out through all of the collective screens and radios through the entire city, causing me to cover my antennae. Damn, he was loud.


    ¡°Citizens of Bronson City, fear not the Hero League has arrived. Your city will soon be freed of the Villainous scum that infests it. All civis are to evacuate the city immediately, under the sanction of the United Nations, approved by Captain Liberty, and Authorized by President McKinley himself, effective tomorrow at noon Bronson City is hereby a free-fire zone. All property damage claims are forfeit, all liability for injuries and deaths that occur due to the powers of Supers are relinquished, all safeguards and restrictions on Hero League members are lifted, and your safety cannot be guaranteed after operations begin. All civilians evacuate immediately, do not pack your belongs, do not hold out in your homes, flee now, get out before the fighting begins. This is your only warning. All Supers are hereby ordered to turn themselves in, effective immediately. Any and all who resist or do not comply will be designated as Villains and dealt with, with extreme prejudice. I repeat, all Supers turn yourselves in before the noon deadline tomorrow or face dire consequences. To Molotov and the rest of you Kraken scum, I, Hubris am coming for you. I will rip you filth root and stem from your underground lairs, and in the name of justice, I will smote ruin upon you and your disgusting accomplices. Your reckoning has come.¡±


    Free Fire Zone. If they are not going to hold back¡­ then I shouldn¡¯t either.


    So, at last, it begins.

 temporary hiatus

    So, not a chapter. Just figured I should let you guys know that I am unfortunately swamped with work atm. Working 6 days a week 5 hours away from home and staying in a motel makes things a bit difficult to write. Tired and stressed, but I do have good news we are finalizing the sale of the bee business been saving up so next year I will have a lot more time to devote to writing.


    As for how long the hiatus will be, my schedule should normalize in 2 - 3 weeks. I will try to write in the mean time, but not going to make any promises. Anyway, thanks for all of the support and of course thank you for reading my story.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Other good news, Wub finished the Arc 1 cover art. I have replaced the cover with it and as we get more done I will cycle through them. If you want a better quality pic be sure to check out the discord''s art section as I am compiling all of the commissions there.


    Thanks for the support. Also a poll to help me decided what to commission next.

 Interlewd: Danger Noodle

    The Vespidian


    Interlewd: Danger Noodle


    Slither¡¯s life changed drastically, the day that she met her Queen. After being so thoroughly beaten and humiliated, she was ultimately imprisoned within her Queen¡¯s lair. At first, she foolishly resisted, fully expecting a grim and terrible fate. However, what occurred was more insidious than she realized at the time. Her first time with Vesper was something she would never forget, the passionate embrace of her Queen as she used Slither in ways that left her breathless and craving more.


    The cold and emotionless days of stalking and preying upon others ended as though it had only been a cruel dream. Her frozen heart had melted, and she felt, oh such lovely emotions to feel again. Not even as a human had they been so intense and so vibrant. She didn¡¯t realize that it was possible, but it was, and it was all due to Vesper, her Queen of Queens¡­ the object of her lust, love, and utter devotion. She who had made this snake realize that she was not dead inside after all.


    Ah, the cold winter had ended, and the spring of her life had just begun! Love, she was so helplessly lost in love. Her fate sealed the moment that she had tasted her Queen¡¯s member. As it claimed her, used her, over and over, until she could hardly think. Her body hot, and her mind so foggy with pleasure. Just remembering her body laid bare before her Queen sent shivers through her massive frame. The arousal tented her twin shafts as she slowly stroked them, images of her beloved Queen flooding her mind.


    Slither shifted, remembering the eggs that filled her body to gestate, slowly rubbing her swollen snake flanks. The capsule shapes of the eggs pulsing with soothing warmth. To be useful to her Queen was bliss and so she eagerly gave herself to the giant wasp. She closed her eyes, stroking herself harder as she remembered the conditioning that followed. It wasn¡¯t Vesssper who had broken her in; it was the little one, her mate¡­ it was Xava, the cyborg. Slowly but surely, the one with many bodies broke her down. Hooking her to machines, exposing her to Vesper¡¯s flavor and pheromones until the mere smell made Slither¡¯s body burn and her slits slobber. She had been conditioned, addicted to pleasure, and all of it was deeply associated with her Queen and irreversibly linked.


    Slither¡¯s hips bucked as she humped her hands the slippery snake cocks writhing as she moaned. She wanted her Queen. To be bred like the slutty snake that she was. She loved her so deeply. She dreamed of her wasp Queen. She was addicted to the warmth and ecstasy, a slave to her Queen. To serve her Queen was the purpose, the pleasure of her life.


    ¡°Mussssst¡­ mussst sssserve Queen Vesssper!¡± She moaned.


    Her orgasm crested as she jerked, spasming as thick ropes of cum draped themselves over her incandescent scales. Her chest heaved up and down as she took in deep breaths, her long tongue moved along, licking up her mess.


    ¡°Oh,¡± said a voice that sent shivers of subservience scurrying through Slither¡¯s body and set her heart pounding like artillery fire, ¡°Looks like you have been having fun.¡±


    Her head snapped in the direction of her beloved Queen, ¡°Yesss, my Queen I, thiss ssslutty sssnake wasss thinking of you.¡±


    A bemused smile spread across Vesper¡¯s face as she watched the squirming cocks. Slither eagerly pushed herself onto the floor to show her submission, her devotion. Vesper¡¯s intentions were clear, the gurgling from her swollen abdomen made it clear, she had come to deposit more eggs within Slither. Shivers of expectation and delight spread through the snake as she squirmed below her better.


    Vesper¡¯s hand affectionately plopped onto her head, scratching at her scales. Slither coiled over herself happily. ¡°Good snake. I suppose you deserve a reward. What do you want?¡±


    Slither dreamily pulled away from her owner¡¯s hands, leaning back as she exposed her genital slit. Her cocks twisting as they spread open her soaked snatch. It was flowing with arousal and creamy love, wanting, craving, needing to be used by her Queen. ¡°Eggsss my Queen, this slutty snake wants my Queen¡¯ sss eggsssss.¡±


    Vesper paused, though her arousal at Slither¡¯s display was apparent by the quickly engorging egglayer that had emerged from her abdomen, this wasn¡¯t what she had in mind, ¡°Was there something else you wished for?¡±


    Slither¡¯s mind was too cock muddled, too needy to think of anything else. What else was there? What was a greater reward than being filled by her Queen? She became distressed, asking, ¡°My, my Queen hasss Ssslither disspleassed you?¡±


    The white bone of the wasp¡¯s face seemed perplexed, and she shook her head, ¡°No, Slither, you have been excellent. Eggs though, are not a reward.¡±


    Slither stared up at her Queen misty-eyed, ¡°There issss no reward greater than to be my Queen¡¯ sss incubator. To, to be filled with your eggsss and usssed by you.¡±


    Displeasure crossed her visage for a moment before it turned into a look of sadness and pity, ¡°Slither, I never intended to break you like this.¡±


    Slither slowly coiled around Vesper, kissing her all over as she went, ¡°Ssslither isss happy. I, I enjoy being your pet¡­ your sssslutty ssnake, your cock ssssleave. Before my Queen took me, I was empty and cruel. But now, I am happy and filled.¡±


    She gummed along Vesper¡¯s neck, slathering her in saliva before they were face to face. The deep black alien eyes of her Queen sent shivers down Slither¡¯s spine, making the entirety of her body shudder. Her long forked tongue flicked out teasingly as she nuzzled against Vesper¡¯s face. The antennae of the wasp lowered, petting her like the tentacles that adorned the massive head enveloped the snake in an affectionate embrace of sinuous muscles.


    Their lips met momentarily before Slither felt the thick tongue invading into her. Her hands absently reached down, grasping her aching shafts. She began to stroke even as her Queen¡¯s tentacles descended, coiling her slippery snake cocks. Her scales shifted, vibrating in a low purring noise as Vesper pleasured her pet.


    She pulled away after the short exchange. Her massive member towered before Slither. The snake gulped, licking her lips as she eyed the object of her lust. Her mouth quivered as her slit eyes pleaded for permission, an amused smile filled her Queen as she taunted the slut snake with what she craved. Hovering it inches from her gaped and slavering maw.


    ¡°What does my slutty little snake want?¡± asked Vesper.


    Slither panted, her tongue darting out in quick flicks to taste and smell the tube, ¡°To sssuck, to tassste my Queen!¡±


    Her benevolent Queen scratched her under the chin and nodded. Glee filled the serpent as she rose up and then struck down, impaling herself onto the massive egg cock. Her eyes nearly rolled like a shark as she worked her jaws, gumming and slurping on that wonderfully thick and grooved shaft. The tendrils wiggled, messaging her throat, tickling and tantalizing her.


    Slither moaned in abject bliss. To serve her Queen was the pinnacle of pleasure. Thoughts of swallowing the abdomen whole and latching on, never to separate from her Queen again, filled her mind; to be a cock sleeve wrapped around her Queen for the rest of her life. Her lips puckered as she sucked harder. If only, if only it could be!


    Vesper let out a content sigh leaning back as her slave snake suckled and nursed her member. Slither''s throat milking that pillar of flesh, trying desperately to pleasure it. To serve and worship it like that god that it was to her. It gave her purpose; it gave her peace. Her head worked back and forth, siphoning it as though her life depended on it. She relished the tangy, almost fruit-like taste.


    The large hands descended, grasping the sides of her head and forced her down, more profoundly. Her whole body writhed, shivers of pleasure rolling through her nerves as more of her Queen filled her. Vesper¡¯s mouth gaped into a moan as she reached an orgasm. She held Slither down as the tube inflated, filling with juices of molten love that spilled out into the snake¡¯s belly. Slither purred as her throat milked and gulped, feeding.


    Ahh¡­ to drink her Queen¡¯s nectar.


    Vesper pet Slither watching her affectionately as the snake single-minded sucked. Her head slowly working up and down in practiced motions, taking the entire length with ease and relish. Abject enjoyment filling her glazed expression. She allowed Slither to continue for several minutes before plopping herself free.


    The mass of her Queen shifted and exposed the abdomen in full view for Slither. The aroused hole where the egglayer had retracted pulsed obscenely, opening and closing with desire. Several tentacles spread the feeler infested slit, offering Slither a place to sheathe her painfully hard shafts. She hesitated for a moment. However, the large eye on the back of her Queen¡¯s head that seemed to stare into her soul nodded in approval.


    She gulped, leaning forward and lavishing her Queen¡¯s pussy with kisses, and the tongue flitted in tasting her. As it got wetter and quivered, Slither slid into place. Her twin shafts, smooth and tapered for ease of penetration, pressed into the warmth of Vesper¡¯s sex. The hole was alive with tendrils that clung and coiled around her as Slither moaned. Eagerly she fed all three feet of her cocks into the obscene hole that swallowed them. The entrance tightened, sealing her in, locking Slither in place unable to pull out and unable to go deeper as she was already pressed fully inside.


    ¡°My Queen!¡± cried Slither. ¡°I lovesss you!¡±


    A content sigh escaped Vesper¡¯s lips, and she shifted. ¡°Good Slither. Go on, fuck me full of your seed.¡±


    Her hips pulled back where the snake¡¯s lower body met, managing to squeeze free from the oppressive honey hole of the massive wasp woman. Slither grasped the armored appendage and pushed back into that decadent place. It was tight, yet so accommodating, molding to her shape and undulating in waves of pleasure. The wet and gooey insides so hot that she thrust desperately to outrun that melting sensation.


    She couldn¡¯t surrender, no she must please her Queen. Her hips bucked harder, filled with her raw need and passion. She must fuck this hole; she must breed¡­ she must seed her Queen. Slither bit her lip in exasperation. Despite her intentions, despite her boiling love, she could never fertilize her Queen¡¯s eggs. It vexed the snake to no end. Hating herself, hating her body for being unable to consummate her love fully. Her genes would never impregnate Vesper. She was impotent; her Queen¡¯s body rejected her seed, sensing it¡¯s weakness, that it was defective.


    Due to this Slither felt that she was unworthy, inadequate compared to the others that pursued her Queen¡¯s affections. In particular, Xava, even though she was synthetic, she still managed to fulfill the function of seeding Vesper with potent genes harvested from others. Slither¡¯s only redeeming quality was that she was large and could take a multitude of eggs. She was an excellent host, but even in this regard, Xava outperformed her. The one with many bodies was her better in every way as such Slither had no choice but to accept second place.


    Even though Slither was not as good, Vesper, her benevolent Queen, had taken pity upon this poor snake and kept her as a sort of pet, but even in this regard, she had competition. Her arch-rival for years now, Glitter Kitten had been added to her Queen¡¯s menagerie of pets and incubators. In addition to this, there was Seedbed, who Vesper and Xava had personally broken in and modified for breeding. Though Slither didn¡¯t enjoy her quality time with her Queen diminishing, there was a sort of camaraderie between all of Queen Vesper¡¯s egg bearers.


    Her body had been humping away as she lamented her inadequacies and pondered over her troubles. In reality, she was making mountains of molehills. In the end, they were all slaves to their Queen. As such, she was honored to be where she was among Vesper¡¯s Incubators. She bit at her lip again, to be jealous of her fellow pets, and her Queen¡¯s mate was unbecoming. Surely, Vesper would be displeased by such thoughts. Her heartbeat, throbbing with her desires to please. Her mind cleared, and she leaned into her frantic motions.


    The twin shafts slopped in and out of that lewd and wet honey pot. She heaved with her weight behind each thrust, slamming into Vesper, causing her to moan delectably. The love tunnel shuddered around her, tightening and teasing her. Feeling her Queen enjoying it caused Slither¡¯s cocks to grow harder and fuller filling with arousal. She leaned in nuzzling against the tentacles that gently traced her scales.


    Her Queen was so loving; she was so wonderful, and caring. Her love welled up as she hilted herself into the prodigious abdomen. Slither moaned, breathing deeply. Ahh, the scent of their mingling¡­ of Queen Vesper¡¯s heated sex. It was heavenly inside of that place. She loved everything about her Queen. She loved how depraved she was, how lewd, how sexy, and of course, how open-minded she was. Vesper didn¡¯t even bat an eye at Slither¡¯s more inhuman desires, instead embraced them and allowing the snake to enjoy herself fully.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Slither¡¯s hands canvas Vesper¡¯s back, squishing into the soft flesh exposed between the opened plates on her mating appendage. Thick pheromone filled mist flowed out, making the room hot and moist.


    ¡°That is it Slither, harder fuck me harder!¡± demanded Vesper.


    Slither complied, railing into her Queen¡¯s greedy body. Every thrust sending the sloppy sound of their sexes mingling and digging into one another. The snake panted, her chest heaving as she tried desperately to keep up the pace, to please her Queen and ravish her as she desired. Her muscles rippled below her scales as she draped herself over the top of the abdomen. Her thrusts growing shorter, but faster and harder pistoning in and out as the sex-crazed snake could do little more than move her hips.


    She tensed as their bodies kept clashing, the siphoning hole tightened around her, milking at her, and trying to devour her. Slither¡¯s mouth gaped as she cried out in bliss, ¡°CCcccummmingg! My Queeen Cumming I, I am cumming!¡±


    The bulbous appendage moved below her slamming back onto her cocks and even going so far as to extend sinking into Slither¡¯s genital slit. She babbled incoherently as Vesper¡¯s tube suctioned on inside of her forming a vacuum. Her cocks bloated with blood growing larger with every pulse of her thundering heart. They became bigger and bigger, trapped within her Queen¡¯s embrace. Slither held on for dear life, hugging the plump egg bloated shell below her. Finally, with a whimpering moan, the flood gate broke.


    Her serpent spunk gushed out. Every throb sent more shooting into Vesper. The divine snatch rhythmically milking her. Suckling and slurping as it made erotic noises feasting on Slither. Slither was a slave to the pleasure limp and yet rigid unable to move from where she had mounted her Queen. Her cum flowing in bursts of juices even as she drooled helplessly. The orgasm rolled into the next, and the next as the tube guzzled and gulped it all down. Slither shuddered and cried in bliss.


    ¡°My Queen! Sssssslither lovesssss you!¡±


    Vesper let out a deep, relieved sigh as her tube continued to drain the snake of every drop of cum she had, ¡°That is it Slither. Good girl, just enjoy as I milk you dry.¡±


    Slither¡¯s expression twisted in bliss as it warped into a broken and blank state. She was in heaven. Her hips humped uncontrolled as they tried desperately to escape the maddening pleasure. It was far too late for that. Resistance was futile. There was only submission; everything else melted away as she nearly blacked out. This, this was it. The pleasure that had broken her time and again and addicted her to it. There was only one thing that could compare to this supreme bliss, and that was being bred, getting stuffed full of Vesper¡¯s eggs¡­ taking an entire egg sack full in one go, a train of long smooth shapes filling her.


    She shuddered helplessly, coiling over herself as the orgasms continued in an endless chain that would result in her completely emptied. Every crest came faster than before, but each had less volume until finally, nothing came out. Her body ached and burned to the point that it hurt. And just like that, the tube unsealed. With a loud pop as though a suction cup had come free.


    Slither shifted with the abdomen, so lost in the rapture of her Queen¡¯s embrace that she could not relinquish her own grasp on the mass of chitin as it curled forward. Before her, the mating tube emerged, sliding up through the air until it entered Vesper¡¯s mouth. Her Queen sipped, suckling the egg layer like a straw as it filled with white liquid. She slurped and drank from herself, gulping down the salty seed that had just been injected into her. From the pleasant sounds that emanated from above, it seemed that Vesper was enjoying her snack.


    Her mouth formed a vague smile as she gently pets Slither¡¯s head, rubbing it affectionately as she watched the addled snake. Vesper merely hummed as her tube kept pulsing and feeding all of that delectable and yummy serpent spunk into her mouth. Slither was distantly aware that this had been better than last time Vesper had milked her. Her Queen¡¯s lower mouth was getting particularly adept and draining the very soul from her mates.


    She flopped over, rolled by Vesper¡¯s hands so that she lay sprawled upon the floor. The underbelly scales soft and shiny as the hand roamed, canvassing the snake¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Mmm yes, Slither, feels good to be my pet, doesn¡¯t it?¡± asked her Queen.


    Slither was so out of it the words hardly penetrated her quagmired mind. Heaven. As far as Slither was concerned, she was in heaven. Dreamily she stared up at the undulating tentacles of her Queen as they explored her body. Vesper¡¯s hot mouth had stopped the playful nipping and the warmth of her tongue, slathering the scales. Her Queen¡¯s luscious maw wrapped around the shivering serpents ensnaring them as she slurped, the long tongue swirling along and tying them up before edging down and down until it honed in on the slavering, horny hole that squirmed and salivated. It pressed and pressed, edging it more extensively, and before long, the thick taster slithered into the snake¡¯s depths.


    Gentle sighs and quivering moans that escaped her lush lips were the only response she could muster. Vesper pulled free, stroking Slither¡¯s cocks idly as her head moved down the snake body. She nuzzled along, dragging her thick bone-like carapace over the scales, scratching and grating against them. She slid down Slither¡¯s extensive scaled body, tens of feet until she came to rest, and her warmth settled upon the other slit. What felt like spiders scurried all through Slither. Her nerves writhing, and twitch as her exhausted body wiggled from the attention that was lavished upon her.


    It took a moment to register the thick hollow tongue that plunged into her lower snake cunt. Slither¡¯s serpent eyes dilated as she quivered meekly. She was powerless to resist her Queen. Her Queen was always hungry, always thirsty, and now that she had exhausted Slither¡¯s cocks the glistening snake slit had become her new prey.


    The thick tentacle-like taster probed about her insides. It felt, groping and roaming as it pleased. It was extending deeper as it wiggled its way into the folds of her pussy, digging into her walls. Every movement of that magnificent thing sent shivers scattering through the enormous snake¡¯s frame. The until-now neglected hole found itself lavish in affections. The assortment of head tentacles that draped from her Queen¡¯s head canvased her scales as they honed in on the vulnerable spot. One after another pressing, pushing, invading into the snake¡¯s cloaca.


    ¡°Ahhh, My Queen Sssslither feeelsss good. More¡­ more give Ssslither more, my Queen,¡± Moaned the serpent.


    Vesper did not reply with words; her mouth was much too busy slurping at that slit, drinking in the delectable soup of secretions flooding from the horny snake. Sharp exhales rose as the sinuous muscles worked messaging the warm and moist insides. They moved in circular motions, slowly spinning in an ever-widening spiral. Slither panted as her sensitive spots were rolled over, the steady pressure from the expanding formation spreading her, widening her for the impending mating. Slither¡¯s forked tongue flitted as she gave herself to her Queen¡¯s ministrations.


    Her entrance juiced and oozed with her arousal, glistening around the multitude of flesh penetrating her. It began to cream as the insides were churned like butter. The practiced, expert motions soon sent Slither over the edge as she tightened in orgasmic bliss. Seeing the satisfaction etched across the serpent¡¯s face, Vesper pulled back, withdrawing from the gaping, twitching hole that sputtered and drooled.


    Vesper pulled the snake tail into the air as her erect member unsheathed itself. The monstrous tube was fully engorged with need as it pressed and sunk into Slither. Her Queen grunted as she yanked the tail back, pulling Slither deeper onto the shaft. Elation erupted in the wake of that searing pillar of flesh. Slither¡¯s chest echoed with the violent heartbeats within as her breath shortened into quick huffs. It, it felt so good. To be drilled by the thick egg cock of her Queen.


    Her insides roiled and bubbled squelching as the member crawled deeper by the moment, carried by thousands of tendrils, each digging into the walls of the hot cunt around them. Slither¡¯s mouth had long since gaped open perpetually her tongue rolling as it lulled. Her Queen, her Queen, knew every part of her body! She knew every weak spot and mercilessly attacked each in turn. Orgasmic spasms jolted through the shuddering snake.


    The unyielding cock at last bottomed out, claiming her body as its own eagerly plumbing into Slither¡¯s depths. Sheathed inside, Vesper pulled at Slither, dragging her submissive form over, rolling it so that the cock drunk snake faced away from her in a position that was vaguely reminiscent of doggy style. Naturally, with Slither¡¯s anatomy and her size, it was difficult, but her Queen plied her in all the right ways until she was below her Queen.


    The first thrust sent her body jiggling from the impact. It resonated through her thick muscles and vibrated all along her spine, jarring into her upper body. Slither¡¯s mouth gaped in pure bliss, drool beginning to pool as her moans rose. This... This position. The blackened carapace shifted as Vesper draped herself over Slither¡¯s back. Her hands roamed and grasped, tightening her grip as she became more dominant, domineering and forceful with every thrust. The abdomen and by extension, the massive egglayer began to pump steadily.


    Every time it plowed and scraped through her cavernous cunt Slither gasped. Pleasure following moments after her Queen¡¯s royal cock. The tendrils carving away at what little resistance her hot walls could manage. Every caress sent ripples of bliss washing over her. The steady rhythm like waves crashing against a cliff. Their bodies clashing in a heated coupling. Coming and going as the tide washing away whatever semblance of thoughts that attempted to surface, drowning them in the decadent pleasure of being mated by her Queen.


    The thick hard hands held her hips and dragging them back and forth, fucking her snake slit as it was squished in between their bodies.


    ¡°MOre! My Queen deeper, deeper fuck your slutty snake more. Put it in, put it all in me!¡±


    The thrusting came to an abrupt stop as Vesper gazed down upon the snake. Slither¡¯s pussy squirmed oozing around the egg cock as her muscles moved, trying to coax her Queen.


    ¡°More? Ah, I suppose you always were a size queen. Is that what you want? For me to stuff you completely,¡± She leaned in her hot breath, crawling up Slither¡¯s neck like a venomous serpent, ¡°and utterly.¡±


    ¡°YesssSss!¡± cried the salacious snake.


    Vesper nearly wispered, ¡°Are you sure? Once I am done with you, no one but me will ever be able to satisfy this dirty, slutty hole ever again. You will be my slave for the rest of your life.¡±


    Slither¡¯s heart hammered in her chest. It, it must be a dream come true. To be owned, to only be for her Queen! She huffed, trembling in agonized anticipation.


    ¡°Thisss Ssslutty sssssnake issssss yourssss. UsSSss me!¡±


    ¡°Very well then, my pet. I will use you thoroughly.¡±


    Vesper held her down, shoving her into the floor, mounting her completely and utterly dominating Slither. The tip of her tail spasmed, wiggling in bliss. The egglayer never left her hole, but Vesper kept pushing. The snake cunt stretched and oozed, spurting obscenely as Slither held her face as it melted in pleasure, dribbling with a smile. The abdomen compressed slightly edging at the hole until it finally gained traction. All at once, Slither¡¯s body surrendered, her pussy had no choice but to gape as it took the carapace in inch by inch.


    The armored appendage slid deeper and deeper. Slither¡¯s flanks bulged as they molded, stretching around the massive shape. It, it was too much! Too, too big! Slither squirmed helplessly as Vesper kept feeding more of it in until she reached the fattest part of her swollen egg sack. It wouldn¡¯t go any deeper. The pushing stopped for a moment as Vesper eyed the hole, licking it tentatively and feeling it out with her tentacles. After allowing Slither to grow more accustomed to it, she pressed again.


    This time, however, she didn¡¯t hold back. Her hips bucked, and the abdomen pulled out a little before slamming back into Slither. Her hole stretched and widened, feeling as though it would tear at any second. Coherent thoughts long since fleeing from the stuffed serpent as she screamed in pain and pleasure. The cresting moment of bliss mixing with pure agony as it edged forward, and then all the tension vanished. The whole abdomen pushed into place, bottoming out easily after climbing the hump, conquering the bulge.


    They were linked, the tail clear up to Vesper¡¯s ass. She was attached, if one didn¡¯t know any better, then they might assume that the two were a single creature.


    Slither lay drooling on the floor, twitching and writhing as her body no longer knew what was needed. Convulsions were running through her, waves of undulating muscles. Her body contracting and dilating as Vesper pulled back, pulling out to the thickest point and letting it sit there. Stretching, widening and forever molding Slither to it¡¯s shape.


    Pain, that had been obliterated by the euphoria, the accomplishment of depraved origins that fuzzily filled Slither¡¯s mind. She had done it. She had taken all of her Queen. Not just her mouth, her snatch, her slithery snake slit was nothing more than Vesper¡¯s personal cock sleeve. She held her face a look of pure unbridled perverse glee dribbling and drooling as her smile wiggled.


    ¡°My, my Queeen. SsssSlither issss yoursss. Queen VesssSper¡¯ sss perssonal Ssssnake ssSssleeve.¡±


    Vesper¡¯s smile rose as she pat the delirious snake woman, ¡°Yes, you are my cock sleeve, aren¡¯t you? Nothing but a horny slithery snake slut.¡±


    Slither tightened, moaning as her Queen voiced her very thoughts. She knew, she knew everything! Slither shifted, wrapping around Vesper as she coiled and slunk onto her. The heat boiling out of her superior mate was radiated through the shifting and shuddering scales, penetrating everywhere that Slither touched the carapace. It was hot; it was scalding and burning¡­ it was love!


    Slowly, the tail slid up, shuddering with every movement. The sensitive folds went thankfully numb as they worked tirelessly. Or else Slither doubted she would have the resolve and strength to continue. It eased up, pulling off of the abdomen as Slither repositioned, coiling and crushing Vesper in her taut muscles. Her nerves were on fire, a cold burning within. Everything felt so good as the tailed squelched back down, taking that thick, egg bloated abdomen. Her muscles bristled, her spine tingled as she gave herself entirely to her instincts. Her hips were rising and falling, her fat snake body slithering up and down, stroking the carapace as it filled her up.


    She held onto Vesper¡¯s shoulders as her body humped and thrust hungrily, devouring her mate. Only her Queen could fill her like this. Only Vesper could complete her like this. She was desperate to please, craving Vesper¡¯s love, her attention, her approval! The snake body steamed along, pounding like a piston of furious love.


    Vesper squeezed at her flanks, her face warping with pleasure as the voracious snake tightened around her. Every muscle within Slither squeezed all at once in a moment of orgasmic bliss. Under such intense duress, Vesper¡¯s abdomen bulged as her vents opened inside of Slither. The serpent eyes gaped the pupil widening as she came. Her insides bloated and expanded with heated pheromone filled mist.


    Instantly her insides became a bog of breeding. A raging inferno swept through her as the deluge of cum erupted from the abdomen. Eggs injected, forced out of the tube, surging out of Vesper as her egg sack contracted spurting them out under the pressure of the snake¡¯s cunt. More and more, Slither moaned as she was filled with her Queen¡¯s children. She shivered and squirmed as she took them, all of them. Vesper panted as her egg sack emptied, and Slither bloated.


    Their eyes met as Slither leaned in kissing and smooching all over that lovely, beautiful face of etched bone. So smooth and hard. Their lips met and kissing, fighting and roiling with lust as they pressed and smacked together loudly. Their tongues were wrestling and twisting around one another. They moaned into each other¡¯s mouths as their bodies were entangled completely, and writhed together in abject bliss, unable to tell where one ended, and the other began.


    Minutes, hours perhaps passed as they were one. It felt so divine, the beating of their hearts throbbing steadily, radiating into one another. Slither had never been so at peace before. So exhausted, so full... complete.


    Her eyes drooped closed, opening lazily, before closing again. She was content, safe, loved. Her scales shifted, creating purring noises. Content. Yes, this was where Slither belonged, snuggly wrapping around her Queen. Her drained mind began to fade away into sleep as she faintly felt the hand petting her, and Vesper¡¯s voice lulling her to sleep.


    ¡°Good girl Slither. Yes, my lovely little danger noodle.¡±

 Villainy 101 Chapter 5 Interlude: Resolution

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 5


    Interlude: Resolution


    The assembly hall bristled with the gathered heroes ¡ª their murmurs and conversations creating an ambient buzz of words. So many voices speaking over one another lost in their discussions. A chattering cacophony of high and low sounds, calmly talking, uneasily whispering, boisterously laughing, the room filled with ordered chaos of diverging views, hopes, and fears. Most were segmented, separated into their respective teams.


    Hubris looked down over the balcony; his gleaming orange suit was dazzling to the eyes. Below the railing, vibrant colored suits forming a wavering kaleidoscope of mismatched costumes from the primary hero teams. To the sides were the color coated staff personnel, red, blue, white, and black. A sense of pride filled his chest as he surveyed all these influential individuals gathered here because of him. Yes, he stood at the apex, the pinnacle of power that very few could boast being able even to glimpse, let alone set foot upon an equal ground to himself.


    Tecton, the man who can shatter mountains and make volcanoes. Armadillo, a walking fortress. Strong Arm, who lived up to his name, nearly rivaling Molotov in pure strength. Miss Universe, the city smasher or as some liked to call her atom smasher. And of course, the man who made this marvel of a floating city Adamantine the mechanical genius. Light Fly, able to shoot laser beams that could cut buildings in half and disintegrate exposed flesh. All of them were cream of the crop. And all of them were below him. Below Hubris in power, he could beat any of them even if they teamed up.


    It fed him. It fueled his ego and firmly etched his unwavering belief that he was Justice incarnate.


    Hubris raised his hands, and immediately the voices quieted, and the lawlessness fell into silent order. Their eyes filled with ambition, with reverence and respect, Hubris began, ¡°I still remember the words that a great man once told me, it shaped me, molded me into the man I am today. ¡®We must be heroes everywhere we go, everybody has the power, but few understand it. Normal people do normal things, but we are a different kind. We can do anything. We have the world in our hands. We must be the Heroes who run at the flames, or we are nothing but cowards who start them. Justice must prevail, but sometimes it is the smallest of things that matter most.¡¯


    Hubris paused for a moment looking out over all those eager and virtuous heroes. Their faces filled with anticipation. A smile spread as he continued, ¡°Truer words were never spoken. My fellow Heroes, we are the bastion that safeguards the masses from the villains and the monsters that would devour them. It is our privilege, our duty to protect the weak, help the helpless, to save the citizens of the world from whatever crisis that may occur, whether it be natural or unnatural. It can be thankless at times, they might condemn us, ridicule and slander our actions, but take heart. We are all that stands between the ignorant normies and the ever grasping tendrils of Kraken. Should we falter in our responsibilities, the world will burn. Our families, our friends, our loved ones will be nothing, but playthings for these monsters. Bent and broken by their depraved whims. No matter the means, we must not fail here. We must crush Kraken here and now before it can spread like the cancer that it is and infest even more of the world. We must cut it out and burn it wherever it grows. Countless lives hang in the balance, and we have no room for mercy.¡±


    A tall man in thick tanned armor plates stood, the chromed face plate lowered to reveal his scarred and freshly burned visage, ¡°Hubris, We are the Hero League. What you speak of is what Chimera and Kraken do. We are the peacekeepers. We keep the status quo. We are not tyrants, not judge, jury, and executioner. What makes us better than them if we do this?¡±


    A frown momentarily grew on Hubris as he focused in on the man, ¡°Armadillo. I expect you more than most to know what horrors Kraken perpetrates. You barely escaped Los Angeles alive. Light Fly was there too, weren¡¯t you? You barely managed to save Armadillo from Nitro.¡±


    A woman in white tights who¡¯s face was covered in a white hood of reflective material stood beside Armadillo, ¡°I, I was, Hubris. What of it?¡±


    His eyes became cold, ¡°You saw what they did. Men, and women, and children hung from the street corners by their entrails. Brother and sister, father and mother, the best of friends forced to hunt one another like animals in sick games all for the amusement of those monsters. Those animals will bring only destruction where ever they go. Burning orphanages while the doors are barred and kicking those who manage to jump through the windows back inside, forcing doctors and nurses at gunpoint to harvest the organs of restrained and helpless people while they are still wide awake to sell on the black market, and using woman as toys. That is not even the half of it. That is barely scratching the surface of what they have done.¡±


    Armadillo¡¯s face became even grimmer, ¡°That, that maybe, but we can¡¯t stoop to their level.¡±


    ¡°I have received word that Nitro is on the move. That monster is bringing the vast majority of the Diablo De Chillar and several teams of her vat-grown super soldiers here to Bronson. Now, what do you think will happen once they get here? Do you think they come in peace, or are they going to repeat their madness? Do you want to allow that lawlessness, that depraved, sustained and chronic cruelty¡­ that hell on earth to engulf yet another city? Will you let it happen again because you failed to act fast enough, failed to realize the extent of the danger, the horror of what they are capable of? It will happen again if we let it. Don¡¯t tell me you forgot what happened to Kiwi, Flamingo, and Emu! They were your juniors, your responsibilities. Those monsters. They raped them. They cooked them. They ate them! What man, no¡­ what human could do such a thing?!¡±


    Armadillo¡¯s mouth quivered as he bit his lip crimson dripping down, his voice started low became a rage-filled bellow, ¡°I¡­ never. No¡­ No. Never again. We won¡¯t let it happen again. Not here, not anywhere! We will put them down like the rabid dogs that they are!¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Said Hubris motioning over the room, ¡°We are not dealing with people. They are sick and twisted animals ¡ª mockeries of humanity. What man or woman with even a shred of good in them, could do the things they have done? To even compare ourselves and our actions to theirs... it taints, defiles, ourselves, and civilization as a whole.¡±


    The waves of voices sprung out, the seething of the once calmed room broiling and boiling with fervent lust for blood, ¡°He¡¯s right! Hubris is right!¡±


    ¡°When the barbarians are at the gate. You don¡¯t let them in to talk. You bar the gates, you burn the land and salt the earth so that they will starve, scratching and clawing, trying to get in. You pour the boiling oil upon them, and you gun them down like the animals they are. There is no room for negotiation; hesitation will be our downfall, our end. The villains have shown us that civility is not an option ¡ª the time of our forefathers, where there was honor among heroes and villains, has ended. Chivalry is dead and buried, and they killed it, and they are pissing on the grave. It is kill or be killed.¡±


    ¡°How dare those villains!¡± They chanted, ¡°No mercy, no forgiveness!¡±


    After his fiery speak, Hubris cast a glance over to a specific corner of the room where a familiar woman stood. Miss Universe had her arms crossed, though her face could not be seen below the mural of stars the fact the walls were denting in around her showed the displeasure that she had. She turned her head in disgust and left.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    His eyes drifted to the other entrance where a particular monster stood. The face was hidden behind that blue fan as the eyes glinted. Despite the distance and the fan blocking it, he knew she was grinning to the point that her face split, revealing the mandibles that slavered. Even if it tried to imitate a person, no matter how alluring it might appear from a distance, he knew what that thing was. An inhuman predator that by all rights Hubris should squash like the bug she is¡­ but no. Mantia was useful, and the ire of Arachnaon was not something to be trifled with. They both wanted the Sanguine Puppeteer dead, and so he would tolerate her underlings to scurry about like roaches.


    Finally, Hubris set his eyes upon Armadillo again, what had become of the gentle protector. Though he was strong, he had hesitated too much. He had allowed L.A. to fall due to his weakness; his kindness only impeded his judgment. But now, his very soul seemed to burn. It had bathed in the blood of those who he had held dear and cried out for vengeance. Kraken was in for a world of hurt.


    Hubris raised his hands, and the room slowly came to silence once more, due to his figure cast such a shadow that it imposed upon the entirety of the assembly, ¡°Now my fellow heroes. We will not sit idly by. It is time we strike. And who better than the very scum that lies beneath us? The Diablos. Attack them with full force. No mercy. No surrender. Make an example of these beasts. Strike fear into the hearts of all the Villains in this city. Show them; the gloves are off. Show them the Free Fire initiative is active. We mean business. Armadillo, will you do the honor of leading the attack?¡±


    The faceplate slid down, and Armadillo replied, ¡°It will be my pleasure.¡±


    Armadillo pointed at several groups with his large metallic hands, ¡°Strong Arm, Tecton, and Light Fly with me. Group up. We are moving out.¡±


    He led the way as the heroes parted for the groups that followed the rage fill colossus of a man. In his wake, the room quieted down. Hubris raised his hands, drawing all of their attention to the hologram of the city overlayed vertically behind him, ¡°Now then. Several points of interest might be Lairs. We will systematically destroy them, flushing the flith out into the open where we will destroy them. First will be¡­¡±


    ~~~***~~~


    Mantia left the room, her antennae twitching, mandibles clacking, and dripping with hunger as she could already smell the rivers of blood that would soon flow in this place. It seems Arachanon¡¯s message had fired up Hubris. There was nothing like a genocide to get the blood pumping in the evening. The hunt~ Last was mmnmm¡­ Germany. At least a group hunt. Ahh, Panzer certainly was a tasty snack. What was left of him after Arachnaon had ripped him in half and ate his brain¡­ how regrettable, she always did take the best parts. Then again, it was her prey. Mantia was lucky to get the bones to gnaw on. Usually, those too were melted.


    Ahh~


    She swung her head bobbing it, her neck stretching longer than a humans¡¯ ever should as she walked becoming more and more animated until she bristled her wings, and her large eyes were gaped, taking all of her environment. At this point, the next thing that moved would set off her predatory nature, a slight shadow, or even an errant twitch from someone around her would unleash the monster that craved prey. Mantia took a deep breath as her body froze and became rigid, cracking and shifting as it returned to her humanoid appearance. The fan clapped several times as she suppressed her seething emotions.


    She placed a hand on her face, ¡°Ara ara, How troublesome. I need to feed again.¡± Her eyes gazed out the window to the cityscape glowing below her tongue, licking her fake face as her mandible frothed, ¡°Aww, how sweet an all you can eat buffet. I am sure her Majesty would not mind if I took a few nibbles. It would only be a small de-¡±


    Her Majesty¡­ that name brought a flurry of images, fragmented memories of¡­ tentacles¡­ eggs and a distorted face, as well as something¡­ else. Flashes, pieces of broken memories. Her brain seared, feeling as though it spread around something penetrating her very soul. It felt like the folds and creases were slowly smothered in something. Something that was suppressing, consuming, devouring her mind. The very thought of that supreme being shattered Mantia¡¯s mind making her shudder. She tilted, hitting the wall and violently jerked as she held her head all seven eyes-rolling.


    A phrase, words that bubbled up from the depths of her mind left her parted mouth, ¡°One is all. All is one. All will serve the-¡±


    Her mind shorted out, and her body writhed. Slowly the spasms subsided as her mind cleared. Her emotions became cold¡­ empty, and all the hunting instincts and even the rumbling hunger were squished, crushed under a command. The royal decree that was implanted into her mind, a seed that sprouted, an egg that had just hatched. Her eyes glowed with malicious premeditation as she pushed herself off the wall and began to walk. Her steps grew steady, controlled, and filled with a new purpose.


    She tapped her wrist, gazing longingly at the image of Vesper. The image burned and seared into her unblinking inhuman eyes. A flash interrupted her stare as she shook her head coming to. Many eyes materialized in the hologram as the chitinous face came into focus.


    ¡°Ara ara, Centi. How was your trip, nee-chan?¡± said Mantia with a smile. She clapped her fan several times in apparent pleasure.


    ¡°Cramped. We made them drop us off. We couldn¡¯t stand being in that tiny aircraft anymore. Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I am with the morsels; I mean heroes¡­ Yes, yes, the heroes.¡±


    ¡°In the tin can?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Where are you?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ we are unsure.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Are you even in the right city? Do you see the tin can?¡±


    ¡°It looks more like a swamp. Give us a moment we will get to higher ground we see a... nuclear silo?¡± After a short few moments, Centi continued, ¡°This place has been abandoned. There are pieces of a city, but they are old.¡±


    Mantia thought on it, gazing out the window, ¡°Ara, you are in the Slums. Follow the lights, and you will enter the southern district of Bronson. I will meet up with you.¡±


    Centi¡¯s antennae shifted as she looked around, ¡°It will take a bit. We are so hungry, so very, very hungry. Can¡¯t hold ourselves back. Smell prey. The trip has starved us.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of your trip, how was the family?¡±


    ¡°They are well¡­ what few of them remain.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Food shortages. Famine has set China on edge. Not enough rations. We did not eat during our stay as they had so little.¡±


    ¡°I see. You always did have a soft spot for humans.¡±


    ¡°Not humans, our family. We were tempted to eat the other villagers.¡±


    ¡°That is certainly surprising that you did not.¡±


    ¡°We would prefer not to eat humans.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± said Mantia.


    ¡°This hunger gnaws at us.¡±


    ¡°Then, hunt something down?¡±


    ¡°We will.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, I will join you. I hear that the subhumans have above average abilities. They should be entertaining to hunt.¡±


    There was a slight crunch along with squeals coming from the other end as Centi chewed cracking bones and mashing flesh with her mandibles. She chewed it thoroughly before speaking again, ¡°Mmm¡­ frogs are a little gamey. They have feral disease. Nothing that impressive.¡±


    Mantia made her way elegantly along the secluded corridor; the sky expanded out through a port in the side of the floating city. She covered her face shyly with the fan as she passed some of the personnel. Ahead the Armadillo and his gathered teams were ready to deploy.


    ¡°Ara ara, going to spill blood, I see.¡±


    The woman in the shining white outfit turned, ¡°Mantia, it is good to see you.¡±


    The mantid woman acted shy for a moment, hiding behind the little blue fan, ¡°Little old me? You would be the first to be happy to see me, knowing what I am anyway.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is good to have help.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, unfortunately, I have other things I need to attend. I am sure you will be fine wiping out a little group of criminal scum.¡±


    ¡°You are not helping us?¡± asked Armadillo, staring her down.


    ¡°I will be in the city, accomplishing my objectives.¡±


    ¡°Which are?¡±


    Mantia snapped her fan shut, ¡°That is none of your concern. Though what I do will cripple the Kraken operatives here, so you should be happy. Our goals are aligned. As for what I will do¡­ well, you give me some¡­ squealer vibes. For your safety, you are not at liberty to know, courtesy of President McKinley.¡±


    Though Armadillo¡¯s mouth creased, he turned after giving her an acknowledging nod. Chimera, after all, was typically best not to get involved with. The shimmering bubbled opened as the Heroes jumped out into the night air. She stepped along until the warping barrier was before her.


    Her pink kimono shifted and rippled with life as her wings unfurled from around her lithe and flexible chitin covered body. Naked, exposed for a brief moment before her body changed colors blending into her surroundings. A gust of air signified her departure as the monstrous mantis was set loose upon Bronson city. After a moment, the field closed behind her.


    ¡°I see. Keep your feelers out for a snake and a cat. From what I have read up on this¡­ place those are the most worthy prey there.¡±


    ¡°We will meet you at the entrance to Bronson. It is doubtful whatever small fry live here will be a challenge.¡±


    ¡°True, they are small fries. But remember to be careful until I arrive, there are bigger fish in this pond than normal.¡±


    ¡°We do enjoy fish. Hopefully, they are fat and plump.¡±


    ¡°I hear there are some delicious fishies here. Ahh~, but we are not here for them. You remember our briefing, do you not?¡±


    ¡°We recall.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Well, then¡­ shall we begin?¡±


    ¡°What of the Heroes?¡±


    Mantia¡¯s voice went low as it hissed over the wind, ¡°Expendable.¡±


    The tendrils of the Spore loomed above the night sky. The glowing blue translucent flesh filled the void of space drowning out even the stars above. They slowly shifted, trailing the orbiting entity that silently slept. Never to awaken, or so hoped all who knew of what it was and what it was capable of.

 Update

    Not a chapter, friends that are staying at my place will be going back out of state so I will have peace in my house once more, which means I will have time to sit down and write undisturbed. Though due to some complications I am not sure if what I had planned to take the year off and more or less write as much as possible will be doable. No more bees means I will be home a lot more so I will have a lot more time to write.


    Expect chapter updates starting 10th to 11th, though depending on what happens might be sooner.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I think I will switch off between new content and editing old content because I do want to edit certain things and fix a couple of plot holes that I noticed due to changing things as they developed from the original concept.


    Thanks for reading and thanks for the support everyone, Twilight-chan commission should be done soon. I will be starting a new commission soon though due to cutting back on expenditures I will be more strict on the patron goals meaning that we will be mostly doing black and white until it gets to the point that it pays for colored, exceptions will be here and there for certain characters though.

 Villainy 101 Chapter 6

    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 6


    I had long since returned to my subterranean lair. Hubris¡¯s announcement had shaken me. The more I researched him, the more I feared the man. My eyes skimmed over the different screens trying to absorb what information I could on the Heroes that had arrived. Hubris was by far the hardest to deal with. He was a subset of a projector. His power functioned on belief; if he thought he could throw that building, then he could throw that building. What sort of weakness could a man like that have? There had to be a limit to it, right?


    What was it that Ichigo had mentioned. I strained my brain, recalling the pickle jar analogy. So I have to undermine his egotism and make him doubt himself. Easier said than done. Perhaps there was a sore spot in his past that could be exploited? Surely he wasn¡¯t ridiculous from birth. Well, then again, he very well might have been. If he is so strong, how come he is not heralded as the most powerful super in the world? The Sanguine Puppeteer is number one followed by Arachnaon. He isn¡¯t even second place. That is rather pitiful for someone so full of themselves. That might be an excellent place to start.


    Xava would be looking into that, and if I had a run-in with him, I don¡¯t think it honestly matters, he would squish me like a bug. Instead, I should be focusing on those that I might stand a chance against since Molotov and the others would be dealing with Hubris.


    My little hand scrolled along with the Hero profiles, Light Fly. She was rather beautiful with glowing hair and a pure white outfit that I get the feeling she must soak in bleach every night to get it so white. Unfortunately, she wore a hood type of thing that covered her face, though I could make out the outlines. She was fit and curved, a great profile overall. Arrant thoughts of her belly distorting as I filled her with my children flooded my mind for a moment before I shooed them away.


    Powers¡­ powers¡­ lets see here. Ok, so she can fly, shoot laser beams that can slice buildings in half and turn herself into a flash-bang bomb that stuns and blinds everyone in roughly a 500-yard radius if they are looking at her. Oh great, that sounds like a ton of fun¡­ not. Ehhh, why it always gotta be people with my weaknesses? From the looks of it she has to use her hands to shoot lasers, or rather her pointer fingers. Now that I looked closely at the video, she was using her fingers like a gun. Depending on how many fingers she used, the intensity of the blast increased.


    Got it, rip off her fingers or hands. Next.


    Eat her hands.


    Now, why would I do that?


    To show dominance?


    Just cause I ate Nightmare¡¯s arms doesn¡¯t mean I eat people.


    Of course, not~ said Sub somewhat dismissively.


    ¡­ Every day we stray farther from humanity, you know that Sub?


    And that is a problem?


    ¡­ I guess not.


    Then¡­ eat¡­ her¡­ hands. I bet they will be finger-licking good~.


    Enough about eating hands, alright?


    I ignored her and continued my research. Armadillo¡­ hmm, I guess he managed to get out of LA. He had plated armor and could roll up into a ball. I stared at the screen that didn¡¯t seem dangerous¡­ ah, he was harder most metals, and his armor was made from layered titanium. Ok.. So I can¡¯t even scratch that guy. A rank 8. Ball¡­ ball¡­ hmm, how does one fight the immovable object? Although if he a ball, is he genuinely immovable? I could roll him, right? Or maybe, throw him? It wouldn¡¯t do anything to him, though.


    If he''s a ball, just throw him at other people.


    By the Tentacles of Helix, you are a genius Sub.


    I try.


    Could probably use him as a human shield against Light Fly.


    Oh, good idea. See, now we are getting into this.


    ¡°Xava,¡± I said, looking to the Neon Nurse beside me.


    ¡°Yes, Vesper?¡±


    ¡°How would you fight an endurance Super?¡±


    Her eyes lit up as Xava¡¯s primary attention shifted into that body, ¡°Endurance? Simple Vesper. I would remove his helmet and gas him or force him to swallow poison or a sedative depending on which you would prefer.¡±


    I tapped my chin, ¡°I see. Wouldn¡¯t he be immune?¡±


    ¡°No Vesper, Endurance Supers are weak to internal threats. Say force him to swallow a bomb and set it off, and he would implode.¡±


    ¡°So Endurance only applies to external threats. I see. That''s not so hard; we could drown him. Or trap him in a room with smoke or gas and suffocate him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, those are the most efficient ways.¡± Smiled Xava sweetly.


    I plopped a hand on her head, petting her affectionately. I don¡¯t know why but Xava sure was sexy when she was plotting, scheming. Maybe cause she was putting that big brain to use. It was like I was looking at the real her.


    ¡°Still,¡± I said, ¡°Seems like something that needs preparation to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Yes, though should my lair be invaded, there are deterrents. We are mostly safe here. Even if they were to try and tunnel down to bypass security measures, I have sensors in the surroundings that will detect them coming as such; we will be able to prepare.¡±


    ¡°I will inform you should it be necessary.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    She thought on it, ¡°I do, but this is to help you against torture or captured.¡±


    For a moment I was mad, but that quickly simmered down, Xava was, as usual, logical and methodical in her approach. It made perfect sense as to why she did not want me to know as such I couldn¡¯t blame her for it. This was her installation after all, and I, even if I am her lover, am merely her guest. It was all hers that she had built with her brains. As such, I had no room to interfere in the happenings beyond my pets and breeding stock. It was only by her good graces that this place was even available for me to use, and I was thankful for that.


    Lightly I hugged Xava, who blankly stared up at me, questioning my actions. I didn¡¯t reply instead leaning down and kissing her on the forehead. I was genuinely thankful that Xava was here with me. We continued with our research, though Xava already knew all of this and was helping me to understand who it is that we would be fighting come tomorrow.


    Next was Tecton, who was essentially Gnome, but on steroids. Ugh¡­ Gnome was a pain in the ass by herself, and now there is a guy way the hell stronger than her. Other than flying, I had no idea how to counter a Terrakinetic. I mean, what the fuck are you supposed to do when everything around us can be manipulated?


    ¡°Xava, how would you fight this guy?¡±


    Her eyes lit up as she thought on it, ¡°Well, that depends on what is at your disposal, Vesper. If Tecton uses metal to protect himself, then we can either melt it with extreme heat and cook him alive, or we could electrocute him, and the metal would be a conductor. As for dealing with his powers, that is more difficult due to the urban environment we are in. However, the sewers have an abundance of water to be used to dilute the ground and make it more difficult to use. Sound vibrations can also disrupt the unity of the soil as well as destroy his concentration. I believe that your voice can reach decibels of the level required to, at the very least, disorientate him if not outright ruptured his eardrums or incapacitate him.¡±


    ¡°My¡­ my voice?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vesper, I have analyzed the sample recorded, and you peaked out at 130 decibels, the equivalent of a jet taking off. That was your Princess form, and your lung capacity has more than tripled since your molting. As such, it is likely more powerful than that. If you found a way to project and focus it, you could likely punch holes in metal like Captain Metal did with his sonic ray.¡±


    ¡°My voice is that bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Vesper, it is a charming voice. There is no reason to feel bad. My sensors are sturdy. As such, I could listen to it all day and not be damaged.¡±


    ¡°You just said I could break metal with it.¡±


    ¡°Well yes, if you amplified it through say a tube or funnel of some sort. I would be rather effective in a sound conducive environment such as a tunnel, such as the sewers, for instance.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I guess. It still sounds troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, I am inorganic; as such, I am much more durable than these organics. Even if this body were to be damaged, I can simply replace it. You have many special gifts. You just need not fear them, but rather embrace them and harness them for your gain.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I looked down for a moment at the large clawed hands, ¡°I, You are right. Wouldn¡¯t that hurt me too?¡±


    ¡°Well yes, but since you have regeneration, it would merely be a temporary set back. Still, it would be best if you used it alone or else you might damage allies, me withstanding, of course.¡±


    ¡°So, it is like my trump card?¡±


    ¡°Yes a last resort sort of thing if you are engaged with allies in close proximity. If not, then feel free to use it, though be cautious of the rebound damage you will receive.¡±


    ¡°We captured some of Captain Metal¡¯s sonic tech, right? Can¡¯t we use that to figure something out?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we did, but it is admittedly beyond my expertise. As such reverse engineering has been slow. Overseer is currently analyzing the designs and formulating replicas. It has been designated as a lower priority as such things take a lot of processing power, and there are much more important projects.¡±


    ¡°What projects?¡±


    Xava pet her belly, rubbing it affectionately and smiled, ¡°Why our children Vesper.¡±


    I lifted my mate kissing her on the lips and snuggling her in a warm hug, ¡°I love you, Xava.¡±


    ¡°Daw, what has gotten into you all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°I love you, Xava.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I love you too Vesper,¡± She smiled as she pet my tentacles that slithered all over her.


    This was a lovely moment¡­ and of course, like most things in my life, something interrupted it. Why can¡¯t I have nice things?


    The ground shook. Alarms cried throughout the installation as Xava¡¯s eyes dimmed, she had shifted out of that body, likely returning the central command cortex. The creaking of metal echoed from the sturdy walls as they held firm. After a minute of the Earth shivering and crying out, everything became still.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked.


    Overseer replied from the autonomous robo nurse, ¡°Report to the gathering hub. We are processing the cause of the seismic disturbance. A plan of action will be discussed once the data has fully compiled.¡±


    I did as she said, rising and following the machine. A short elevator ride later, I had returned to a now somewhat familiar meeting room. Just about everybody else had already gathered, even the Puppeteer, who sat at the far end of the table. Laying upon the table were was not one, but two rabbits and a cat. The rabbit on the left was soft and snow white, with cute little whiskers. The oddest thing about that critter wasn¡¯t the piercing black eyes that seemed to stare into my soul, no it was the pearly white wing that came from it¡¯s back. The other was like a mirrored shadow version of the white one. It was black with red eyes, and a wing extended from it. However, there were eyes on the surface of the wing. Something seemed familiar about these creatures.


    As for the cat lounging on the pillow, well, I recognized Miss Wiggles, the ornery Egyptian sphinx cat that seemed to always be in a bad mood.


    Molotov sat to the side, Boris, on her side. Vira, Spark Spray, and Xava were arrayed opposite of them with Xava being closest to the Puppeteer. Fold and Shadow had already been seated beside Boris. I took my place at the far end of the table. Directly opposite me, the crooked grin of the Puppeteer faced in my direction. This was my place due to size constraints, as it had been altered for me to fit.


    Dr. Arbor made her way in, a deep scowl making her eyebrows crunch as she sat next to me. The usual green mist puffing from her breathing apparatus. It seems the earthquake had interrupted her research. Sheila appeared over to my side, already seated. After a minute of abject silence, Glitter Kitten heaved her pregnant self in the door, out of breath over having to carry my young. She immediately took the seat beside me and slouched.


    Was that everyone? I felt like somebody was missing. My assumption turned out to be accurate as the last latecomer came darting coked out of her mind, Burnout. Her biker leathers were singed, still smoking as looked a bit beat up. The left sleeve of her jacket was torn off, and there was a cut on her face.


    All eyes fell on the junkie, making her freeze momentarily. The stillness broke when Sanguine motioned with a hand to be seated. Burnout eagerly complied.


    ¡°So,¡± said the distorted voice of the villain of villains as the mask turned to Xava, ¡°Tell me, what have they done?¡±


    Xava motioned to the center of the table where a hologram appeared. Smoke and debris fires were flickering. After a long moment, the wind cleared it, and an abrupt drop cut a street off. The drone approached the edge looking over into the molten pit of boiling lava below.


    ¡°Da, that is nice, but care to explain?¡± said Molotov pointedly.


    Overseer replied, ¡°We are processing. A seismic disturbance has jolted the fault line east of the city¡­ assessing damage. Minimal. The disturbance has sent the tectonic plates into convulsions, they are unstable. Expect aftershock quakes of increasing intensity.¡±


    ¡°So, it is like a muscle spasm?¡± I said, ¡°How strong was that?¡±


    ¡°Magnitude 6.2 If current pressure is maintained, the next jolt will be 6.5, Processing. Hull structural integrity will fail at 9.6 Installation will be compromised.¡±


    ¡°Where is that hole?¡± said the Puppeteer.


    Overseer answered, ¡°Eastern Warehouse District. That was the Diablo De Chillar base of operations. It appears the Heroes have launched a preemptive strike. A moment please, checking communications¡­ It appears the local Diablos have been completely eradicated.¡±


    The Puppeteer crossed its fingers, ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t think they had it in them. Ahh, this is going to be a lot more fun than I thought it would be.¡±


    ¡°The gloves are off,¡± said Molotov, nodding, ¡°Congratulations, boys and girls, we are in the big leagues now. Citadel is where?¡±


    ¡°Holding position over the crater. Sensors are indicating Hero League teams are beginning to scour the immediate area.¡±


    ¡°Hubris doesn¡¯t usually sneak attack. I wonder who lit a fire under him to make him this desperate?¡± said Molotov glancing at the mask to her side.


    Sanguine tilted its head, ¡°Who do you think? Chimera operatives have arrived.¡± The gloved hand separated for a moment counting to three on the fingers, ¡°There are three active Chimera agents in the city, well make that two since Nightmare has been dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± asked Molotov.


    ¡°Now, now, now. Where is the fun in spoiling that?¡± replied the eccentric master of evil.


    ¡°Arachnaon?¡± I asked.


    All eyes turned to me, and the Puppeteer made a loud Pfft that drew all eyes back to the mask as it laughed, ¡°Ara Haha, Ahhh if only. No, no it is not my old friend. Though I am sure they are up your alley¡­ Vesper. A little bug on bug action? Oh I know. You will fight them. Been a while since I saw a good insect fight. Reminds me of when I would capture little animals and set them on one another for my amusement.¡±


    My face twisted instantly, ¡°You want me to fight Chimera agents? Surely Molotov would be better for that?¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is too early. Fret not little wasp, they will come to you. Well, I suppose one in your situation should be sweating bullets about now.¡±


    ¡°Why are they coming after me?¡±


    ¡°Because little wasp, Arachnaon sent them to collect you.¡±


    ¡°ME? Why me?¡±


    The Puppeteer sighed, ¡°Vesper, I know you are a little slow. It is ok, it is not your fault only ten percent of your brain functions.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ that is kinda mean.¡±


    ¡°How so? That is average for humans. Well, so the myth goes. But yes, you are damaged to a degree that seems purposeful. Dr. Arbor care to elaborate?¡±


    Dr. Arbor seemed a bit jumpy as she was suddenly thrust into the conversation, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about purposeful, but her brain is functioning above human capacity. As for the damage, that has been an issue since before I met her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play coy. I see all the traces of tampering. I feel her mental powers have been stunted on purpose. You removed that piece of brain. Now, why would you do that?¡±


    My antennae twitched, I could smell the fear boiling out of Dr. Arbor. She quivered, ¡°I, I had no other choice. Molotov was going to kill me if I didn¡¯t remove it. If I didn¡¯t remove the Vespoidea Cortex, it would have been signaling like a beacon, and they would have come for her long ago.¡±


    ¡°Molotov?¡±


    ¡°Da, I ordered it. Couldn¡¯t have you subconsciously signaling to the Spore and alerting Chimera of your existence.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is a Vespoidea Cortex?¡± I asked, looking between the two.


    ¡°It¡­ it is how your kind communicates over a long distance.¡±


    ¡°AND,¡± said the Puppeteer.


    ¡°Since you are of the Queen variety, it would allow you to control your offspring.¡±


    ¡°Oh well that sounds fucking awesome, shove that shit back in my fucking head!¡± I growled, my tentacles strangling Dr. Arbor.


    She struggled meekly, ¡°I, I can¡¯t. It is at my main facility. I will take you there after this is all sorted, just, just calmed down. It was for your protection!¡±


    The Puppeteer waved her hand, and my tentacles released Dr. Arbor against my will. ¡°Now, now. I brought this to your attention, not to create friction between you, but to make you realize that you owe her for saving you.¡±


    I stared at that maniacal mask, ¡°Saving me? How so?¡±


    ¡°You are one of them. Born of the Spore. As such they will seek you out and they will forcibly take you back to serve the Spore as they do. If you had been left alone, one of them would have come for you within a few days of your transformation.¡±


    ¡°I see. What does the Spore want exactly?¡±


    ¡°To leave this place.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why is that bad? What is your beef with the space jellyfish?¡±


    ¡°Now, why would I allow the most entertaining thing I have found escape? Besides ever since it arrived, Earth has been so much more fun.¡±


    ¡°So you did it on a whim?¡±


    The Sanguine Puppeteer leaned in using its hands to prop its head up, ¡°Everything I do is on a whim of methodical, maniacal genius. Why, I set into motion schemes that take decades, centuries at times to come to fruition, none of you can fathom my objectives, not that that matters. It is not as though you puppets have a choice, dancing on the strings I pulled so long ago that not even I recall what I wanted you to do. I do know that it will be entertaining.¡±


    Molotov waited for a little as the room became quiet once more before speaking up, ¡°Back to the main topic. The Citadel of Order has taken up a forward position over the eastern part of the city. The main team has already wiped out the Diablo De Chillar and scouting teams are probing the surroundings for lairs. The Sixes and Sevens will be hit next as they are closest. As such, we will ambush the Hero League when they attack.¡±


    ¡°What after that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They have a flying city that has an energy field and enough weapons to level the city ten times over.¡± Said, Boris.


    ¡°Vira and Fold will be instrumental for that. Once the Heroes have been drawn out of their nest, we will invade it and turn their weapons against them.¡± Said, Molotov.


    ¡°How will we turn the weapons against them?¡± asked Fold.


    Vira replied, ¡°Overseer will be uploaded in the command core systems and assume control of the Citadel.¡±


    The Puppeteer nodded for a moment and then raised a finger to interject, ¡°That is a nice plan, but¡­ what makes you think they don¡¯t have precautions against it? Adamantine is in there and he will never leave his fortress. I am sure his firewalls will be plentiful and difficult to crack.¡±


    Overseer replied, ¡°I have already begun deciphering the Citadel of Order¡¯s security systems. By our assessment, it will take less than 24 hours to decrypt the pattern for the firewalls and begin breaking through remotely. However, we will require hard wiring to override control and lock Adamantine from his systems completely.¡±


    Molotov nodded, ¡°That is why we will pick off heroes until they are forced to send Hubris out into the field. Once that happens, we will send the main attack force into the city, claim it and turn all of its weapons on Hubris.¡±


    The Puppeteer scratched the mask¡¯s chin, ¡°Might work. You will need something to distract him for a while, though, or else those who go aboard will be pincered and crushed.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a better plan?¡±


    Sanguine was silent for a long moment, ¡°Of course I do. I have several, but they are not very entertaining. How badly do you want the Citadel?¡±


    ¡°It would be useful that is for sure,¡± said Molotov, ¡°Though if it must be destroyed, then so be it.¡±


    The air in the room seemed to drain of all heat. Shivers ran rampant as the puller of strings spoke, ¡°Hmm well, as a last resort, should your schemes fail, lure Hubris into the Citadel and set it to self destruct. While that is happening, launch that nuke I know you have squirreled away at it as well. Bronson will be destroyed along with the Citadel of Order, but Hubris will not survive something of that magnitude.¡±


    The cold sweat dripped in my shell, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that kill all of us too?¡±


    The mask turned to me, smiling as evil as always, ¡°Why yes. Yes, it would. As I said, boring. Though it will be a pretty explosion, and the cloud will likely almost break orbit.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is in that thing to make it so explosive?¡±


    ¡°About 20 tachyon field quantum fission reactors.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, I don¡¯t know what that is, but it''s got a lot of big science words and that sounds scary as hell. Well, eh, let us not do that then, shall we?¡± I worriedly looked around the room.


    It seemed just about everybody agreed, the Citadel of Order was not to be destroyed.

 Villainy 101 Chapter 7: Interlude Nitro

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 7 Interlude: Nitro


    Ruins of Los Angeles, California.


    The skies swirled with smoke, the sun perpetually blackened out. Despite it being the middle of the day, it was dark, only the red and orange glow of the fires that raged uncontrolled illuminated the burned cityscape. Lightning flickered from the thick clouds overhead as toxic rain drizzled down. The sizzle of moisture evaporating before it could even hit the ground created a deathly mist of sorts.


    Basking in the ambiance of this hellscape sat a blackened figure. The tubed helmet led to the back, along with many other hoses connected to various other parts of the body. A wheeze escaped from the grilled mouth plate as the steady thumping of some sort of mechanical heart filled the air. Pumps and hoses hissed spurting a yellow liquid from the damaged equipment. The constant thumping of the machines radiated a sickly yellow mist. A large cylinder on the back filled. Glowing lenses gazed over the burning world, reveling at the twisted landscape below.


    Gazing down at the street below, it watched like a gargoyle as several people struggled desperately. They clashed back and forth, fighting one another with improvised weapons. The bodies of others who had failed, who were weak lay strewn about the ruins. The cold, pitiless gaze watched with little interest. These were¡­ weak. To think all the strongest would flee rather than try to fight, how¡­ unprofessional. The Hero League, rank amateurs.


    Ice lances shot out, and lightning crackled as fireballs went between the three prominent figures. The others were lost in the haze of mist between the rapidly melting ice quenched flames. The icy hero and the electricity clad one fought the blaze covered hero in a brutal three-way. Mystral, Volt Tackle, and Mr. Fahrenheit. Ice walls formed slamming shut like jagged jaws on the flaming man. Burning brightly, he melted the ice and sent several explosive balls at the ice-bound woman.


    Lightning crackled bounding between the yellow man and the other two. They erected walls of fire and ice, respectively, before sending retaliatory attacks at the man who flicked out of existence and appeared opposite where he was at the other side of the arena.


    They were at an impasse, evenly matched. They had been at it for hours now and were tired, hungry, thirsty. Mystral, though she was stronger than Mr. Fahrenheit, was at a disadvantage due to the surroundings. The heat was getting to her. It took more power than usual to take the heat from the air and form ice. As for Volt Tackle, he was running out of energy due to having to discharge so frequently without time to recuperate.


    It flicked the black metal of the clawed fingers watching as droplets of blood fell below into the makeshift arena. Explosions reverberated, sending shrapnel and dust gusting up. Another of the lesser heroes in the melee fell. The rest renewed their vigor, throwing themselves at one another like crazed animals. Fear, what a good motivator. It was kill, or be killed.


    Several blackened soldiers approached the rather bored figure who leaned back. The hoses hissed. ¡°Report?¡±


    ¡°We have scoured the city, combed every corner, and searched throughout. There are no more Heroes here.¡± Replied the trio of Kraken mercenaries, the image of a black snake outlined in yellow adorned their shoulders.


    ¡°And the Diablos?¡± asked the wheezing voice


    ¡°They are ready to depart at once.¡±


    ¡°Well, then I suppose Molotov will be waiting. It wouldn¡¯t be punctual to be late now, would it?¡±


    ¡°What of them?¡±


    ¡°I will deal with them, get the troops ready, we will be joining the fight in Bronson shortly. I hear the Sanguine Puppeteer has returned¡­ it would be a poor showing to be absent for such a momentous occasion. It is best not to disappoint that one.¡±


    ¡°As you order, Captain Nitro.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Now then¡­ I suppose they might be useful. It would certainly get under Armadillo¡¯s skin. Oh¡­ I can hardly wait to see his face when he sees what I have done to his precious subordinates.¡±


    Nitro took a step and then plunged off of the ledge. She slammed into the ground with a sickening crack on the concrete below. The three heroes instantly retreated, joining forces against her. The yellow flowed out as she stood, the machine on her back pumping louder than before. Nitro stood, shakily gasping, choking on her volatile blood as it foamed out of the grilled mouthpiece.


    ¡°Release us!¡± Demanded Mr. Fahrenheit.


    Nitro tilted her head back, laughing, ¡°Mhhahaaha¡­ ugh.¡± She gagged, spitting out the glowing liquid before looking upon them, ¡°Let you go? I told you to kill each other, and I would release the winner. But you can¡¯t even do that. Pathetic. Let¡¯s get this over with. I have played with you long enough. Come at me with all you have; if you survive, well, I won¡¯t kill you.¡±


    They hesitated. Nitro mocked them, ¡°Aww, what is wrong? Come on, hit me, you cowards. Do it, pussies I am giving you a free hit.¡±


    Their continued retreat made her mechanical heartbeat louder, ¡°Alright fine. Don¡¯t get the only hit I will give you. I was nice. You know, a good sport about it. It is no fun if I beat you into a paste without being able to fight back.¡±


    ¡°Just let us go!¡± cried Mystral with her back against the wall.


    Nitro crossed her arms, ¡°Alright, I tried to be nice, professional, you know. 3 on 1 and you still can¡¯t even grow a pair, no wonder this city fell so easily. You are a bunch of cowards. You deserved what happened here. But if you are not gonna hit me, well¡­ I am going to fucking obliterate you. Last chance, HIT ME!¡±


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    ¡°So be it!¡± Volt Tackle glowed lunging forward like lightning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t it is a trap!¡± Yelled Mystral, but it was far too late.


    His fist slammed into her gangly frame sending out a shock wave of electricity. Splinters of crackling power discharging out of the blackened woman¡¯s armor. Despite the impact that could topple a building, the black-bound woman didn¡¯t even budge. A torrent of yellow flowed from her mouth as the hoses screamed and sprayed the yellow liquid everywhere. The machine on her back filled to the brink vented and coated the entire area with the glowing blood.


    ¡°Got you, bitch.¡± Said Volt Tackle, looking up at the woman who smoked and crackled.


    ¡°Did you now? Heheh HAHAHA MuHEhahaha! Amateur.¡± Nitro cackled hysterically as she stamped her foot. All at once, the world lit up as the explosion tore that section of the city apart.


    Smoke billowed, chunks and pieces of concrete scattered about as Nitro arced through the air flailing away from the explosion. She rag-dolled bouncing several times before coming to a complete stop having smashed through several buildings. Nitro was still for a moment before rising back up her feet, smoking, but unfazed by the mushroom cloud in the distance. The mechanical heart thumping away as the canister on her back refilled.


    ¡°Scrubs,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Ah¡­ they don¡¯t make heroes like they used to. I miss the golden age already.¡±


    Squinting, she saw that they had survived¡­ hmm better than most. At least two of them had. She stamped, and a small explosion launched her forward springing her through the air, hurtling back at the recoiling Heroes. Ice spears jaggedly collided with her shattering against her body, but they knocked her trajectory off. Nitro kicked down, another explosion sending her rocketing at them.


    An ice wall formed as Mystral retreated, dragging away her wounded companion. The ice-slicked street let them slide along it, quickly fleeing from the relentless pursuer. The wall lasted all of a second as Nitro broke through it with her head, like a human missile she honed in on the fleeing heroes hunting them down. Every step she took sent her surging forward on the energy of yet another mini blast.


    With how carefree the pursuer was, it almost looked like she was skipping. Mystral running out of options put everything she had into her last attack. She directed a blast of subzero air backward into the spindly black villain. Ice formed over her, and she froze solid colliding with the ground and skidding along the slickened street. Everything became still as the huffing woman of ice collapsed.


    ¡°Damn it. Don¡¯t you ever die?¡±


    Cracks formed on the ice that encased Nitro. Steam billowed out as she boiled, and the molten blood spilled out oozing between the tortured ice until it shattered. She rose, cracking her neck as she stood over the incapacitate pair.


    ¡°No, haven¡¯t been able to die yet. Good try, though.¡±


    Nitro fumbled about the singed metal belt on her hip, pulling out a cylinder with the glowing yellow inside of it. She lifted Mystral¡¯s head prying open her mouth and forced the tube into her mouth. She struggled and wriggled, screaming and crying as it choked her. After a long moment of airless eye-rolling suffering, it slid and forced down her throat. The black hand abandoned her and lifted Mr. Fahrenheit doing the same, shoving another glowing canister down his throat.


    ¡°What was that?¡± coughed Mystral.


    ¡°Insurance. Welcome to Kraken, by the way. I do hope you will enjoy being my minions.¡±


    ¡°Who would work for you?¡±


    Nitro beamed, ¡°I will have you know, minions have outstanding insurance policies, and you get free dental, not to mention snazzy new armor. Ah, also, well, I don¡¯t kill you. And isn¡¯t life the biggest gift of all?¡±


    ¡°You are crazy.¡±


    ¡°Morality is subjective, dear. Oh, it is going to be fun watching you kill your best friends~ or you could recruit them too. It is up to you.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do as you want.¡±


    ¡°Aww, don¡¯t be that way. That is not fun. I mean let¡¯s be honest, you don¡¯t wanna die. You know it, I know it. We both know you will do anything to live. After all, you would already be dead if you were a real hero. Then again, what could you do? You were abandoned.¡±


    ¡°I, you won¡¯t get away with this.¡±


    ¡°They could have stopped me. But they didn¡¯t. They abandoned you. They left you all to die at my hands. They ran. The cowards fled. And why do you ask? Because to them, you were disposable. Expendable. An acceptable lose. Hehehe Heroes, huh. We both wear masks; I just don¡¯t hide what I am. Unlike you people, you can¡¯t even be honest with yourselves. You don¡¯t care about the normies, though your side loves to pander to those powerless masses. They are lying to them. Making them feel safe at night while you sit on your little thrones thinking yourselves so much better than those¡­ normies. So much better than us Villains. But you will find your castle is made of sand. When the strings are pulled¡­ we will all dance like the puppets we are.¡±


    ¡°I refuse to be your-¡± Mystral started before Nitro pressed a button on the remote in her hand.


    Distantly an explosion reverberated, and Nitro looked at it, confused, ¡°Hmmm guess that was the wrong one. That was, eh¡­ who was that again? Flamingo? No, no we cooked the Flamingo. Kiwi! That was the one¡­ or wait, was it Emu? Birds of a feather die together? Oh that was a little unprofessional. I should put labels on these things. Eh, who cares, it was just a two-bit hero anyway they dead now.¡±


    ¡°You monster.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, that is quite the compliment.¡±


    ¡°You are sick.¡±


    Nitro nodded, ¡°When you work for the evil of all evils, the puller of strings, the master of all minds, well let¡¯s say I have seen things that would drive anybody crazy. I mean this,¡± she said, motioning to the hellscape around them, ¡°this is child¡¯s play compared to the shit I have seen first hand. The horrors that I have lived through. Makes you¡­ dead inside. It makes your humor dark, real fucking dark as a coping mechanism to try and not think of what terrible things you have committed. Let¡¯s just say my 10th birthday party was a blast. But hey, enough about little old me and my childhood traumas.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna know.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but it is quite a tale I tell you. I will tell you later.¡±


    The heroes pacified she dragged them by their capes as she walked through the ruins of a once-bustling city. What walls remained were stained by the burned shadows of vaporized people. Cars and twisted wrecks had been cleared onto the sidewalks as tanks drove along the streets patrolling.


    ¡°Captain!¡± one of the mercenaries hurried around a corner after Nitro. ¡°All preparations are ready for our departure.¡±


    ¡°Excellent as always, my Black Mamba battalion. The Diablos?¡±


    ¡°We are ready too,¡± said a man wearing a black and white bone print tuxedo suit. His face painted as a fancy skull.


    ¡°Fernando, me amigo. Shall we?¡± Nitro sounded like she was in a good mood.


    ¡°It is Muerto, how many times must I tell you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± She said dismissively as ring tone sounded she answered it, ¡°Molotov, it has been a while.¡±


    ¡°You are coming, correct?¡±


    ¡°So impatient.¡±


    ¡°Are you ready or not? The Hero League as already launched several attacks.¡±


    ¡°We are coming, princess¡­ I had to finish up my recruitment program.¡±


    Molotov glared through the little hologram, ¡°It is waiting. Now get your sandbag of an ass over here so that I can beat you for being late.¡±


    ¡°Oh Sanguine is? That is surprising¡­ Very well, we will depart immediately. Best not to keep it waiting.¡±


    Molotov seemed worried, ¡°Yes you better hurry. It is in a bad mood, or it might be a good mood. It is hard to tell when it cackles for hours at a time.¡±


    ¡°It must have thought up something delightfully deranged. I will be there in about an hour.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Nitro hung up. ¡°Well you heard the princess, Sanguine is in the mood. I wonder how deep the rivers of red will run this time?¡±

 Villainy 101 Chapter 8

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 8


    ¡°So what exactly is the plan? You laid out a general idea, but that isn¡¯t anything concrete to go off. I mean, who are we using, where and when. Details are important here as things are precarious enough as is,¡± I said, looking over everyone in the room.


    The door opened behind me, and my back eye split open to see, a man I had not seen in what felt like years, though it had only been a few months. Dr. Tesla. His face covered by a dark-colored respirator or filter like thing. Red goggles obstructed his eyes. He wore a half-buttoned white lab coat, and his hands had thick rubbery gloves. His hair was cut short and blonde.


    ¡°There you are, I was wondering if you were going to come out of your hole. Starting to think I had to drag you out,¡± said Molotov.


    ¡°My apologies, I was busy testing my new facilities.¡±


    Molotov perked up, hearing that, ¡°Good. Are they operational?¡±


    ¡°Two are. Would have been three but Tecton broke one, I had not been anticipating his presence when the designs had been laid out, and placement was decided. They will kill most rank and file though they will not hold up to the likes of Hubris,¡± replied the eccentric mad scientist, ¡°Though I have devised a way to¡­ remove him from the picture for the time being.¡±


    Everyone shifted, hearing this. All our expectant eyes fell on the latecomer. ¡°It is quite simple, really. We trap him in an alternate dimension.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± I said, ¡°Your dimensional pockets make black holes don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you remember quite well¡­ Vespidian. You seem to have grown quite well since your departure from my facilities.¡±


    ¡°What is to say it is not going to destroy us as well?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t kill him, unfortunately at best, he will be displaced for a set amount of time, even less fortunate the timing can be a few seconds to months before he reemerges into our reality.¡±


    ¡°That is very unreliable.¡± Molotov scowled, ¡°I expected better.¡±


    ¡°It is hard to weaponize something as unstable as quantum displacement. It might not even work on him. He is a projector subtype after all as such reality warps to his desires.¡±


    The Sanguine Puppeteer nodded, ¡°Very well. Tell me of these facilities you have created.¡±


    ¡°As Molotov knows, I have been painstakingly creating installations throughout the underground of the city. These are fake lairs that we will lure the heroes into to kill them.¡±


    ¡°So death dungeons? Wait like that obstacle course you made me run?¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, though every trap is meant to kill. As such, some rooms are straight kill rooms with no escape. You ran the training course, with training wheels, these are the real deal, so be careful they are designed to kill Supers, not just normies that wandered in.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are we talking about here?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t spoil the fun.¡±


    Mhmmmmhmhmhm chuckled the Puppeteer, ¡°I look forward to watching their struggles.¡±


    ¡°So how do we get them to go into these places?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Simple, after our attacks, the two teams will retreat to each facility and start operating out of them as though they were your main lairs. When the Heroes inevitably find them, they will attack them. I will be in control over these installations to well oversee the destruction of the heroes. In return, I expect my rewards, Molotov.¡±


    Molotov crossed her arms, ¡°You will get your reward once they are all dealt with.¡±


    Dr. Tesla set a data slab on the table, ¡°Here are the locations, be sure to get familiar with the layout of the installations. Remember, these will not deal with the high rankers. You must deal with those yourselves; they will, however, get rid of anybody below rank 6, perhaps rank 7s if they are exceptionally careless or fragile. So be careful not to be trapped with them.¡±


    The map before us laid it all out. One base was on the north side of the city, and the other was in the south near the Slums. We looked over the maps carefully, reviewing their locations. The south one was situated beneath a Hospital. The one across the street from that Fire Station that I had been assigned to as a Junior. When the hell did they have time to make that under there? Shouldn¡¯t people have heard something?


    As for the north, it burrowed into the mountain. I had never really been around there and, as such, was not familiar with the area. From the looks of it, it was somewhat near the train tunnel likely what was used as an excuse to make the thing in the first place.


    ¡°So we are bait to lure them into the traps?¡± I squinted at him.


    ¡°Quite.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess it is better than not having a plan. Still, won¡¯t we be trapped like rats?¡±


    ¡°If need be, there are escape routes and a self destruct sequence to either trap or kill anybody that can force their way through.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t they flee?¡±


    ¡°The Self Destruct does not have alarms; as such, they will be unsuspecting.¡±


    ¡°How do we know if we trigger it then?¡±


    ¡°You will have to turn two keys simultaneously. Keys are across the room from one another. It will take two people to initiate the sequence.¡±


    ¡°What if everyone gets picked off?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I will be controlling both installations from my lair. If need be, I can activate the self-destruction.¡±


    I leaned in my chair, thinking it over. ¡°I don¡¯t like that. I think Xava would be better to control the bases. She can be in multiple places at once.¡±


    ¡°They are my lairs. Be thankful I am allowing you to destroy them.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, there is no need to be on edge. We are all on the same side here,¡± said Molotov.


    ¡°Yeah, but we are all Super-Villains here. I mean hell, who is to say he won¡¯t set them off to take us out and the heroes?¡±


    ¡°Now, why would I do that?¡± Dr. Tesla seemed offended at the very notion.


    Honor among thieves? Bah. He looks like a squealer if I ever saw one.


    ¡°What if they find you first and threaten you to take us out?¡± I said pointedly.


    ¡°That can be said for Xava as well.¡±


    ¡°Stop being divisive, you two. This plan requires trust. You both work for Kraken, now start acting like it.¡±


    ¡°My point still stands,¡± I argued back, ¡°I don¡¯t wanna be trapped in a death dungeon that blows up on me.¡±


    Xava spoke up, ¡°Vesper, then what do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have anybody that can¡¯t be threatened or bargained w-¡± I stopped noticing that we certainly did have somebody. Though trusting them was the most questionable of choices here.


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    My eyes locked on to that heinous mask sitting across from me. They certainly fit the bill, but¡­ could Sanguine be trusted? Everyone else caught on to my pause, turning to the grinning mask.


    Molotov was the first to speak up, ¡°Nyet. Nyet. Nyet! Are you an idiot?¡±


    Sanguine seemed to be in a good mood, ¡°Oh, that certainly does sounds interesting. What is wrong, Molotov, you look pale.¡±


    The little girl visibly shivered, ¡°It is nothing, Master.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? What an excellent idea. I haven¡¯t done such a thing since¡­ the Golden Age. Ah brings back such fond memories. Ooh, my villainy is tingling. Very well, I will run the installations,¡± said Sanguine lightly, flicking her wrist, ¡°I have taken some disposable fodder to be my button pushers. Now then to the initial strikes to lure them in. Molotov? Your plans?¡±


    ¡°We will need two teams to hit and run the scout forces. Kill as many as you can, but you must retreat to the traps, though try not to be too obvious at least try to cover your tracks.¡±


    We nodded, following along.


    ¡°Group one will consist of myself, Boris, and Burnout. We will take the North base. As for group two, that will be Nitro, Xava, and Vesper whenever she shows up. You will take the South base.¡±


    ¡°Nitro?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, Nitro. She is on her way up from L.A. to help. She is a rank 8 Endurance Super with explosive blood. She will be in charge of your group, so listen to her; she is well versed in war.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I said, vaguely glancing at Xava. ¡°How come Spark Spray and Vira are not in the group?¡±


    ¡°Xava will also be leading their group. Once the Heroes are well and distracted, our real strike will be launched. I would have had you join them and use Glitter Kitten for the distraction, but you went and knocked her, and the rest of the Mad Dogs up.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I chuckled a little, scratching a tentacle.


    ¡°My Installation will have some of my super soldiers as well to ensure that it looks authentic. Though in Xava¡¯s case, I am sure Vira¡¯s death robots will suffice.¡±


    ¡°Vira?¡± asked Xava.


    ¡°Of course. It will be fun to let them loose. Though most of them will be kept to guard our main lair.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± nodded Xava.


    ¡°Overseer, have you located Tecton?¡± asked Vira.


    The glowing face in Xava¡¯s likeness spoke, ¡°We have, Vira. He is currently below the Citadel of Order. He and a group are moving towards the fault line to make a larger jolt of the tectonic plates. It is clear that they intend to¡­ either crush us out or flush us out into the open. As such, it is imperative that they are dealt with first. Or else all subterranean activities are futile. The decoy bases will be destroyed before they can be put to use if he is not exterminated.¡±


    ¡°Where is the fault line?¡± asked Molotov.


    ¡°Processing, identified, the closest fault runs through the city center. To be precise, the closest place to harmonize would be the crater left over from the Hammer Strike. The old Hero League Headquarters acted as a shock absorber of sorts to keep the earthquakes to a minimum. Be advised, any operations in the area will be subjected to the full brunt of the Citadel¡¯s firepower as there is no cover in the area.¡±


    ¡°How long until they reach the position?¡±


    ¡°They do not appear to be in a hurry. They seem to be¡­ searching as they go. Tecton is most likely using his powers to sense through the ground for our lairs. He appears to be having trouble due to the extensive sewer systems.¡±


    ¡°It is enjoyable to watch my plans come to fruition,¡± Smile Molotov pulling a Cuban cigar out of her pocket, chewing on it before lighting the other end.


    ¡°How will we deal with that?¡± Asked Fold.


    ¡°Simple, we will set a trap. Nitro is en route as we speak, she should be arriving shortly. Fold, open up a portal on the other side of the crater. I believe there is a Hero League post that has yet to be retaken in the area.¡±


    ¡°You are correct, Enforcer¡¯s base has yet to be reclaimed as it is to the south of the Citadel¡¯s operations.¡±


    ¡°Good, we will infiltrate the sewer system and attack from a blind spot.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that is a good idea,¡± I said.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Asked Molotov eyeing me.


    ¡°Well¡­ I mean, Terrakinetics can feel vibrations through the earth as such he would likely feel us coming and collapse the tunnel on us.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking, though I have already prepared countermeasures. Of course, that is why we will have distractions to send out pulses through the earth to disrupt his senses. Thumpers if you would.¡±


    Xava nodded, though she tilted her head, questioningly, ¡°Won¡¯t they attack them?¡±


    ¡°While Dr. Tesla was setting up his installations, we also installed these as a countermeasure for ground sonar. They run all along with the sewer systems and under most buildings. As such, the whole city will vibrate drowning out whatever noises we might make.¡±


    I leaned back when the hell did they have time to set all this up? How many steps ahead was Molotov on this? Well, I suppose if the whole purpose is to lure out Arachnaon, then something to this degree is only to be expected. When you aim at the Queen, you better not miss. Is it such a good idea to antagonize the big bad spider? I think not, but then again, I don¡¯t have much say here. It like we pulling trash mobs to get to the Final Boss. A Final Boss I have never seen and have no idea how it works. Generally, in a game, such instances would lead to a few wipes. The only problem is, this isn¡¯t a game, and we don¡¯t respawn. I guess we still have to fight our way through the mini-bosses first. Hubris is going to be bad enough. It is worrying.


    Am I too, short-sighted? I guess Molotov has been staring off into the horizon on this, gazing at the peak. Then again, we do have the void itself sitting there across from me. The Sanguine Puppeteer seemed reasonable, from my interactions. But¡­ I get the feeling it won¡¯t help us here, at least not with the full extent of its powers, and would gladly watch as we are torn apart for its amusement. Well, if all the stories are true. I mean Molotov is scared of it so clearly it is powerful.


    So powerful, in fact¡­ the world itself feels wrong. Something stuck out like a crooked nail. Something that Sanguine had just said.


    ¡°What was the Golden Age?¡± I asked.


    The Puppeteer¡¯s hands interlocked, and the elbows sat on the table as it supported the mask, ¡°Oh. Interested in a bygone era?¡±


    I gulped.


    ¡°That was¡­ a long time ago. Back when things were different¡­ new¡­ exciting. Back before the world lost its colors.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°You need not worry about that. It is in the past. It is long forgotten. You should be concerned with your current predicament rather than events that have since concluded several lifetimes ago. What has been done can¡¯t be undone, and so there is no need to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°So, this isn¡¯t fun for you?¡±


    Molotov stared daggers at me as she mouthed, ¡°Don¡¯t push it.¡±


    ¡°Fun?¡± Said the Puppeteer tapping the inside of the mask, ¡°This is a passing fancy. You have no idea. You can¡¯t even fathom the depths of my boredom. At best, these little games are a distraction. And even then, I can¡¯t even get serious. If I did, well, it would end in a moment, a simple clap, a snap of my finger. It is too easy. If I willed it all life on this planet would be extinguished in a moment. Enough of this, if I burned all my puppets, who would I toy with?¡±


    I could feel the sweat pooling in my carapace. Just about everyone at the table had gone ghost white. Molotov coughed, ¡°Xava, you will be heading to the installations and getting them prepped. Vira, Spark Spray, and Fold will be on standby until the main assault begins. Fold open up a portal for us to get into position.¡±


    We nodded, wanting nothing more than to leave this room. The portal opened, and light from the morning sky glistened off of the dewed courtyard. Molotov, Boris, Xava, Burnout, and I walked through the portal. After a moment, the hole in reality closed. I glanced around at the glaring surroundings. Something seemed wrong. There were no Cyberswat members here, only chewed pieces armor.


    ¡°Xava, was this place abandoned?¡± asked Molotov.


    ¡°It was not. Odd, I never received any distress signals. Their beacons were not destroyed either. They appear to mostly be gathered inside.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. They were all killed before they even knew what was happening.¡± Said Molotov inspecting the cybernetic helmet that had been chewed clean of flesh.


    ¡°Who did this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Mantia.¡± Replied Molotov, ¡°Xava, thermal vision. She can camouflage to her surroundings.¡±


    Her eyes swept the surroundings. Xava bent over inspecting some tracks, grooves that had been stabbed into the metal ground that lead to the wall and left over it. ¡°She appears to have left already.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, Mantia excels at ambush tactics.¡±


    My antennae flicked about smelling the tracks. It was a unique scent reminiscent of myself and yet entirely different. It stood out drastically from the other smells. For some reason, it still smelled rather strongly¡­ as though Mantia was still here. All my eyes opened as my head jerked up, looking in all directions at once. Something was watching us. But from where? The smooth gray walls left nowhere to hide, and yet, it was here. She was here; I could smell her.


    ¡°How did she get the jump on the Cyberswat? Don¡¯t they all have thermal vision active in their visors?¡± questioned Molotov.


    Xava released some drones, letting them survey the area. The surroundings were cold. No warmth to be seen save us. ¡°That is a good question,¡± Xava replied, concerned.


    ¡°How sure are we that she can¡¯t change her body temperature as well?¡± I asked my exoskeleton crawling as my senses were screaming of a nearby predator.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t outside the realm of possibility.¡± Said, Molotov.


    ¡°I can smell her.¡± I said, ¡°She is still here.¡±


    ¡°If she didn¡¯t attack the moment we got here, then we are fine.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± I asked.


    Boris replied, ¡°She is an ambush predator. She relies on surprise attacks to get the jump on her prey. Since there are so many of us, she won¡¯t attack until she gets a better opening.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We are wasting time. We need to get moving.¡± Said, Molotov.


    ¡°But a mantis woman is stalking us.¡±


    ¡°Unless you can sniff her out, we can¡¯t find her, so there is no point in wasting precious time here.¡±


    ¡°Then what we ignore her?¡±


    ¡°For the time being, we safe from attack. She and I have clashed before and are evenly matched as such even with just Boris here she knows better than to be reckless.¡±


    ¡°So we going to get stalked by a crazy Mantis woman this whole mission?¡± I growled.


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes, until she decides to reveal herself.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t she blow our cover?¡±


    ¡°Now, where is the thrill in that?¡± asked an elegant voice that certainly didn¡¯t match the words it was whispering in our ears. It seemed to come from right next to me, and yet there was no one there. ¡°You know that the hunt is just as important as the kill. After all, I want to see your faces twist in terror. I want to savor your despair. As I drive you into a corner, ahhh I want to see your suffering as I eat you limb by limb and then when you cry and beg and plead for it to end only then will let you die~¡±

 Villainy 101 Chapter 9

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 9


    I looked wearily around the metal walls of the former Cyber Swat base. She was nearby, close, and yet part of me was starting to wonder if she was here at all. Is it some sort of illusion, perhaps?


    ¡°Ignore her.¡± Said Molotov leading the way into the installation.


    ¡°But-¡±


    Molotov interrupted me, ¡°She is trying to buy time and distract us. If she does reveal herself, then she won¡¯t be able to hide again without fleeing, and she knows damned well we will kill her. Ignore her, and she won¡¯t get any satisfaction out of her efforts.¡±


    ¡°Buying time?¡± Her words lingered a bit as though she were licking her lips, ¡°Oh, please, you act as if I care about what happens here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you? Now shut up, you insect.¡±


    The base was mostly undamaged. It was clear that they had been taken entirely by surprise. The doors unlocked on the inside. Other than the blood and servo fluid stains, which appeared mostly cleaned, nothing seemed too out of the usual. That thought quickly faded when we entered the main chamber. The twisted and clawed metal piled up, discarded after all the flesh devoured. Nibbled and sucked out of the hardened shells of armor. It reminded me of crabs, lobsters the leftover shells after a feast.


    ¡°That would explain the beacons,¡± said Xava rather coldly.


    ¡°When a monster is on the loose, the small fries will be little more than fodder,¡± replied Molotov.


    ¡°These tin cans?¡± Cackled Mantia, ¡°My~ My~ They were nice snacks. Though there wasn¡¯t much meat on them, I am afraid I still hunger.¡±


    Where ever she was, she kept close though I couldn¡¯t detect where she was. Frustrating. I could smell her. Hear her. This was much worse than Sheila. At least with her, I could detect her, but with Mantia It was like I was getting false positives. Fleeting movements and sounds that drew my attention only for there to be nothing. There wasn¡¯t even a damned shadow or sound. It as though she was moving without moving?


    Ignore her.


    ¡°Xava are you sure you can¡¯t see her? Surely there is some sort of anomaly.¡±


    ¡°Of course, she cannot. Unless I decide to reveal myself, there are only two who are more stealthy than I.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Got your attention did I, little Imoto-chan?¡± she whispered in my antennae.


    Oh god, she is a Weeb. Next thing you know, she is going to start ara-araing me.


    Boris was the one who replied to my question, ¡°Arachnaon is far more difficult to detect than Mantia as is Jackal, the invisible man. Her stealth is more of camouflage. Whereas you won¡¯t hear Arachnaon, you won¡¯t smell her; you won¡¯t even feel her presence until it is far too late.¡±


    ¡°Mm hmhmhmmm¡­ quite true. It surprises me that you know that much. After all few even know what she looks like. Even fewer have lived to tell others.¡±


    ¡°Arachnaon is getting weak. She is old and dying. It is rather sad really, 200 years spent chasing shadows with nothing to show for it. All her loved ones long since dead. Her dreams turned to dust. Only revenge keeps that old bug moving. Truly the Sanguine Puppeteer is a sinful thing, making that creature obsessed with it. I pity that one and her miserable existence.¡± Molotov chuckled as she went along, not even glancing at the pile of broken cybernetics.


    ¡°Weak? How funny of you, little girl. You say that, yet if she were here, you would be begging for your life, throwing your minions at her in a desperate attempt to slow her down. You are the coward. The one who dances to the strings that it pulls.¡±


    ¡°Nyet, we are all puppets. Pawns. Dolls that the mad god plays with. Free will is only an illusion that it lets us have so that the world is more interesting. It enjoys and revels in the chaos. So do not lecture me about being a slave. You merely serve a different master, but that is no freedom, we are all dancing to the strings that are pulled. You simply think you are resisting but don¡¯t even realize that you are doing just as it wants.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps though the Puppeteer¡­ mmhmhm, it won¡¯t protect you for much longer.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Now, why should I spoil the fun? I can hardly wait to see your faces when your god vanishes.¡±


    ¡°Ignore her, Vesper.¡±


    ¡°She is talking ominously, though.¡±


    ¡°Just ignore the mantis, it is simply trying to distract you. Trust me, if there were a way to defeat the Puppeteer, they would have done it long ago.¡±


    Xava approached the glowing panel beside the sealed blast doors into the sewers. Her hand hovered over it as her eyes flicked interfacing with the machine. After a moment, a hiss filled the room, and the vault-like door slides away, opening the sewers below. The stench of fouled waters rushed out into the sterilized installation. Despite our stalker, we proceeded down into the tunnels below the city. The familiar sewer corridors expanded out branching off at intersections. The dank darkness was almost calming. Still, a weight lingered over the stench of rotting and decaying I could still smell Mantia.


    ¡°Burnout, flush out the bug.¡± Said Molotov after the large door rolled into place behind us.


    Fire glowed from her hands and erupted as it consumed behind us. It swirled along the ceiling, cascading over and washing before us in a wave of heated death. Rats and other denizens of the sewers screamed as they fled from the advancing flames, those that were not fast enough were devoured and blacked in moments before turning to ashes.


    The burning scents of creatures filled my antennae, and the shadows danced on the walls as everything around us was charred. I no longer smelled the sweet odor of that mantis. Did that get her, or did it merely scare her off? As though to answer my thoughts, her voice whispered to me.


    ¡°I know what you are, I-M-O-T-O. Little one. Tell me, do you trust them?¡±


    ¡°What does it matter to you?¡± I said aloud.


    ¡°Keep your voice down, or they will question you.¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Close little sister. I am your ally. It matters to Nee-san because I was sent here to take¡­ you¡­ home.¡±


    ¡°Take me home?¡±


    ¡°Yes, where you belong.¡±


    ¡°Country roads?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t even start with that.¡±


    ¡°Ah, your no fun. Home, huh, you don¡¯t know me.¡±


    ¡°Oh? But I know more about you than you know about yourself.¡±


    ¡°Really now?¡± I smirked slightly amused over this talk, ¡°Enlighten me, what don¡¯t I know about myself?¡±


    ¡°You are not whole.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know. Dr. Arbor removed my Vespoidea Cortex so that you couldn¡¯t find me.¡±


    ¡°Is that what they told you?¡± she laughed. ¡°Half truths at best.¡±


    ¡°How so? The Puppeteer said it. If they are lying, then what does it really do?¡±


    ¡°They crippled you, so long as Dr. Arbor has your Cortex, she can control you.¡±


    ¡°Control me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, little one. Not only did removing it stunt your development, making you dependent upon them, but it also allows her to control you. That one is careful with her experiments to keep them from escaping.¡±


    ¡°Why would she do something like that?¡±


    ¡°She has learned from past mistakes. You were mutilated for your own protection to keep you under the radar.¡±


    ¡°From who?¡±


    ¡°Why the Puppeteer, of course. It is dangerous for you and us.¡±


    ¡°What has the puppeteer done to you?¡±


    ¡°Me personally? Not much. Though I have seen the horrible things, it is capable of.¡±


    ¡°I am on good terms with the Puppeteer.¡±


    ¡°For now. It grows bored of it¡¯s toys very easily. Enjoy your favor while it lasts; it won¡¯t last long. It will sacrifice you as it does all of its pawns for its entertainment.¡±


    ¡°Why should I trust you?¡±


    ¡°I am speaking in your interest. Be wary that you do not end up a slave rather than a ruler.¡±


    ¡°Ruler?¡±


    ¡°Oh, beginning to doubt? Does the thought of commanding others tingle your mind? It is a shame you had to be lobotomized, though that is a minor set back. Once you return and reintegrate, you will recover fully.¡±


    ¡°So, what does the Vespoidea Cortex actually do?¡±


    ¡°That is simple. It connects you to¡­ us to¡­ her¡­ Majesty, and the Hive among other things.¡±


    ¡°Who? Hive?¡±


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    ¡°I have spoken too much. She is listening.¡±


    I looked around; no one else seemed to be able to hear her. ¡°Who? Who is listening?¡±


    ¡°If you wish to be whole again, seek me out tonight, alone, and we will discuss this at length over what must be done,¡± her words lingered even after her smell had faded completely.


    What do you think, Sub?


    It feels like a trap, but I didn¡¯t sense animosity from her. Perhaps we only got half the story from the Puppeteer. After all, I doubt that we would be told something that would cause us to turn on them by them.


    So you think we should trust Mantia?


    No. But it feels¡­ familiar.


    What feels familiar?


    Her Majesty. I feel like I have heard that before¡­ but it feels like someone has tampered with our memories. Perhaps we should ask Dr.Arbor herself on this?


    Do you think she is up to something?


    As I recall, she called us her personal Doomsday weapon. What makes you think she wouldn¡¯t have some form of control for us.


    Then we need the Vespoidea Cortex back.


    When we get back, we should question her thoroughly on it. I get the feeling she is hiding something.


    If she was, wouldn¡¯t the Puppeteer have revealed it?


    What makes you think Sanguine is on our side?


    Well, it helped us, and we are working for it.


    That doesn¡¯t mean we are not disposable pawns to it. I mean, think about it, it is not helping us beat the Hero League at all here, content to watch us pummel each other to death.


    That¡­ do we have a choice, though? Besides, it helped us with what Nightmare did.


    True¡­ then again, didn¡¯t it admit that is was playing both sides of this conflict? It made Chimera and Kraken.


    Just trying to sort through this tangled web is starting to make my head hurt.


    We will worry about it after Tecton has been dealt with.


    ¡°Xava, begin the thumpers.¡± Said Molotov leading the way through the underground tunnels.


    Xava complied, pressing several buttons on the hologram on her wrist. After a short delay, rhythmic vibrations began to resonate from all around. It was similar to a subwoofer set on the floor and blasting a deep base that sent rippling tremors through the structure. I could even hear the subtle sound waves that were causing this. The distant thud of pistons turning.


    ¡°So this will protect us from Tecton?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It will mask our approach. If not, make him retreat.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like this.¡± I said.


    ¡°He will be a pain no matter where we fight him in the city.¡±


    ¡°True. No real helping it.¡±


    The tunnels were, oddly uneventful. The only thing down here besides us was the rotten sewage and skittering creatures that fled from our presence. I didn¡¯t see anything more substantial than a human fist. Then again, the last time I had been down here, the place had been scoured of mutant life.


    Light gleamed from the fractured tunnel ahead. A gaping hole formed leading to the outside. The sun overhead made the shadows short in comparison to usual. Due to our speedy arrival, the Heroes had not yet set up a perimeter around the place that they were using and were still in the process of deploying barricades and cover.


    My eyes strained, making out the figures. There were four or so prominent ones while there was a good number of security personnel running about. I recognized most of the more important people. It appeared that Light Fly, Tecton, Armadillo, and Strong Arm were here. Tecton being the most significant threat, and Armadillo being the least threatening.


    They had taken the high ground of the crater, the place that Sunshine had spared from the hammer strike. Such a thing was aggravating to me. They had no right to use that place.


    We stayed in the shadow of the sewer tunnel, assessing their position. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to attack, and the longer that we waited, the harder it would be to take. Molotov checked something on her overlay before nodding.


    ¡°Vesper, you are good at digging, right?¡±


    ¡°I, I am, why?¡±


    Molotov smiled, ¡°Excellent. Dig us right into the middle of them.¡±


    ¡°I am not that accurate. We would probably pop up early or late.¡±


    ¡°I will direct you, Vesper,¡± said Xava, her eyes glowing and a detailed map of the terrain before us hovering above her wrist.


    ¡°If you insist.¡± I said wearily.


    I raised my fist and slammed it down, shattering the concrete below us. Though the blow was loud, it was significantly muffled by the tunnel and drowned out by the thumping. My claws began to shovel and dig ripping through the soft soil at a rather quick pace. Before long, I had submerged and begun excavating my way through the underground. All four of my arms clawed and scooped, gouging out the dirt as my feet crushed it underfoot. Molotov followed along compacting the earth to make it easier for the rest to follow along behind.


    Xava paused me for a moment as she lined everything up on the map. We were directly below the Heroes. With a nod, I tunneled up. The shaft of concrete and rock was more challenging to push through, but I didn¡¯t need to go too far. We were not going all the way to them; we were destroying their vantage point. I dug nearly to the end of breaking out of the top and returned. With a final nod from Molotov, Burnout entered the tube, and we sealed her in. We packed in dirt and concrete the keep the impending blast at bay.


    Burnout hardly waited before the ground rumbled from her ignition. After a brief moment, a loud boom echoed in the deep. The soil surged up. Molten earth erupted through our barricade, and I shoveled more dirt in the way as I tunneled up to the surface. The rumble of the explosion had ceased, and now it was the creaking and crashing of earth above. From the sounds of it, the tower was tilted to the side and collapsing after having the support blown out. The sweet air was short-lived as the shadow of the plateau tilted. It leaned, and surprised voices echoed from the top as it slanted completely and fell over scattering dust and debris in a small cloud.


    We emerged from the hole surveying the crater before us. The ground leveled with molten lava burning in places as Burnout hovered in place, her wings of fire slowly flapping as she faced where the earth had fallen.


    ¡°Attack! Don¡¯t give them time to recuperate.¡± Shouted Molotov rushing forward along with Boris.


    My wings flapped, lifting me above the charred craters below and giving me a better view of the destruction. The flames and smoke obscured where the Heroes had fallen. Something felt¡­ wrong. My back eye gaped sensing danger. A woman in pure white had put herself directly before the sun. My eye watered blinking as it tried to see her correctly. Light Fly. If she was up here, then did they expect our attack? Or was she just fast to react?


    My thoughts shifted instantly, as I flapped to throw myself to the side. A beam of scalding light shot out of her extended hands. I spiraled to the side to avoid it, not fast enough as it grazed my leg. The carapace bubbled and melted from the extreme heat. Below, the ground turned into blacked glass.


    Not exactly surprising that something moving at the speed of light would hit. I was certainly at a disadvantage here. A long-range attacker that can fly was terrible for me. Luckily for me, Burnout had come roaring over. A sea of fireballs crested towards Light Fly, forcing her to shift her location. The two seemed evenly matched as Burnout was clearly cracked out of her mind. Her eyes were bulging and bloodshot while she locked a fire beam with Light Fly¡¯s beam causing them to explode halfway between the two.


    Seeing Light Fly handled, the others would need help. Below the fighting had already begun and was escalating. Arm Strong and Boris exchanged blows that would shatter normal humans as though they were nothing. Impacts resounded in deafening thuds and shock waves that scattered the dust in the area, clearing it.


    Xava tried her best to fight Armadillo. Her mechanical limbs were creaking as they held him back with her riot shield. He rolled into a ball spinning on the ground and shot at her. The durable plasteel shattered, knocking her to the ground. It was clear who I needed to help here. She was a support after all, not really meant to be fighting toe to toe, at least not without her giant robo scorpions or other such machines. We simply didn¡¯t have the luxury of bringing such things through that portal.


    My wings arched as I dived toward my target. The ball rolled about the ground, doubling back to crush my robo wife. Like a hawk snatching a fish from a fast-flowing river, my talons crashed into the spinning sphere. Smoke rose as my carapace burned. Sparks were grinding, scattering until finally, I managed to stop his momentum. My talons sunk into the metal of the ball, clutching it as I flapped, dragging him up into the air with me.


    My eyes drifted over to where Molotov was pushing Tecton back, forcing him to use the earth as a shelled. Each blow shattered the wall between them and causing the Terrakinetic to flee further from his allies. Still, he was strong. With one hand, he held Molotov at bay, and with the other, he reached back. There was a moment where it wasn¡¯t clear what he had done, but a rumbling made it evident what he had done. A Skyscraper overlooking, the crater tilted and shifted cascading down as it came crashing toward Molotov.


    ¡°Put me down!¡± he shouted at me.


    ¡°Okie dokie~¡± I spun around, gaining speed as I circled above the battlefield.


    Despite the fact that we were spinning at a sickening pace, due to my eyes seeing in all directions at once, the world merely turned. My target selected I clutched Armadillo in and kicked out, sending him rocketing out like a meteor. He slammed into the skyscraper, the impact changing the trajectory of the building as it came crashing down to the side.


    Dust stormed up, cloaking the ground below in brownish grey. The cement and metal turned to dust from the impact. My attention shifted to the gleaming lady of white that was getting the upper hand on Burnout. Apparently, they were not evenly matched. I suppose laser beams beat fire. In terms of raw firepower they were close, the issue appeared to be the fuel economy. Burnout was running out of juice. Which meant she needed another hit to stay in this.


    I didn¡¯t have any drugs, but I could be a good distraction. In fact, one would say that was my forte, the meat shield. I darted up, taking the high ground. Though I did not rise higher than the buildings, my eyes watching the Citadel wearily. Those anti-everything guns were facing in this direction, after all. Best not make myself a target. Light Fly, well, she didn¡¯t see me coming. Not like she had eyes on the back of her head, we can¡¯t all be alien wasp women.


    As I recalled Molotov¡¯s ¡°Russian Death Techniques,¡± it was more of a clawing, raking motion with my talons where my legs jabbed out and dragged with the sharpened claws ripping flesh before snapping shut and squeezing my prey to death if they did not get severed into smaller pieces. Light Fly took a full open clawed slash to the back. The sheer force of the blow threw her down out of the air. Her body plummeted into the ground below where a puff of dust rose.


    I stared, looking between the downed hero and my talons that snapped empty air. Weak? Eh, eh, wait, that isn¡¯t how that is supposed to happen. That was too easy. It must be a clever ruse, a devious ploy to lull me into a false sense of security. I am onto you! I mean, everybody beats my ass, and these are like the best of the best of the Hero League. The Cream of the Crop. The creme de le creme. The vive la resistance¡­


    Keep it simple stupid. Focus.


    Ah right, right, thanks, Sub.


    Although wasn¡¯t Light Fly one of the weaker ones? She was a rank 7, I believe of the attacker type that has very little defense. In terms of gaming, she was the stereotypical glass cannon ranged build that got obliterated by face tanking warrior types or other glass canons, more or less depending on who hit who first. Ah, well, no wonder she got creamed. Oh¡­ Oh, is she dead?


    NOOoooO Muh babies with laser beams!


    I dived quickly, descending to the small crater where Light Fly lay. She was not doing so hot. Her arms were twisted, mangled with fractures from where she had attempted to cushion her landing. Her left leg was kinda facing the wrong way too. I bent over, the once white spandex-clad hero. She was now dyed red and brown from her blood and the soil. My antennae poked at her, smelling and hearing her chest and neck. She was eh breathing at least. Granted, she most definitely unconscious and in shock.


    Looking over her beaten body, I was genuinely surprised that she had not been sheered into pieces from my talon. The costume must have very high defensive stats. I mean, there wasn¡¯t a scratch on her tights, it was more of her insides got pulped from the unbridled smack-down. Blunt weapons were typically better against thicker armor. What with the kinetic impact shocking into the squishy body hiding in that shell.


    With her arms like that, she certainly wasn¡¯t going to be firing off any laser beams. I pinched her hood, lifting her limp body from the ground. She not dead yet, so maybe she can be saved? My eyes scanned across the battlefield, which had decidedly turned our favor now that the Heroes were short one main attacker. They were outnumbered, though they had regrouped and were putting up a struggle. I found my shining cyborg nurse repairing her arm that had been ripped off when the shield had been destroyed.


    ¡°Xava, can you stabilize her?¡± I asked, scuttling across the cratered ground.


    My cranky robot lover sighed, staring at the bloody mess in my hand. ¡°Oh,¡± she said, surprised, ¡°Good job Vesper, you took out Light Fly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah-¡±


    ¡°You want to take her back¡­ for breeding purposes, correct?¡±


    ¡°MmmMmm, you know me well,¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Of course you do. Alright, let me see the organic meat bag.¡±


    That was a little mean. She still a people, right? Well, maybe not after we are done with her. I lower her and Xava jabbed her with a syringe, her blood foamed and bubbled as it congealed, ¡°That will stop the bleeding and stabilize her for now. I can check the extent of the damage later. We need to finish up before the main force arrives.¡±


    Xava had her hands full, so I opened my vent and pressed Light Fly in against my squishy flesh. After a moment, my carapace closed airtight, locking her. Organic pockets are nice.


    Hmmm, is it just me, or did an ominous sense of doom just creep up my spine? I spied with my little eyes a shadow. Looking up to where that figure emanated, there was something awfully familiar about that shape, that outfit. A particular pin-up calendar came to mind as I gazed into that hooded abyss of a galaxy staring down at us. I knew those star-studded titties anywhere.


    Ah¡­ Miss Universe. I don¡¯t wanna ride the pony.

 Villainy 101 Chapter 10

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 10


    Miss Universe. The Atom Smasher, City Crusher. Rank 9 on the Super meter. To say that this woman was not serious business was a straight-up lie. Other than Hubris she was likely the strongest Super here, Sanguine, of course withstanding. I saw the photos and watched the videos, but something tells me that the real deal is way worse than what I had seen. She was strong, stronger than strong in fact; she was in the top 10 rankings in the world.


    What exactly did Miss Universe do? Well¡­ she could control gravity. Increasing or decreasing it at will. Why is that strong? That would be simple; there was no escape. Not unless you were fast enough or strong enough to get out of her zone of control.


    With an open palm, she pushed down. All at once, pressure began to build up rapidly. All the dust and debris, birds, and anything that dared fly pelted against the ground immobile. The earth trembled as it dented in around the entire crater. Ally and enemy alike straining against the immense weight bearing down. It began to ramp up. Building and building until there was a sudden pop. A void of sound as even the air buckled under the weight of her powers.


    Xava and I strained against the pressure attempting to stay standing, but the moment that the pop resounded, both of us smashed against the ground. Our bodies sank into the soil as it cracked around us. My muscles, straining, ripping as they tried to flex and move. It felt as though my insides were about to be squeezed out like a toothpaste tube being run over by a steam roller! Then, nothing... everything felt light. Did I die?


    Confused, I looked about, seeing that everything in the area had begun to float. Gazing up, I could see that the hand had been turned up and lifted, as it did everything within the crater lost all that bound us to the world. The ground soared away from us as we began to accelerate into the sky. We stopped, clustering before her as she moved fingers manipulating microgravity fields to move certain people into certain places. She was sorting us.


    Now that we were closer, I could get a good look at her. Her form-fitting suit was a dark blue, nearly black with white blotches forming a mural of stars, a veritable sea of stars shifting slowly. Her face a void of swirling black pierced only by two brilliantly glowing golden orbs that moved as her eyes did. An elegant cape of shimmering colors hung from her back; it gradually changed colors from a translucent green to a haunting violet creating Aurora Borealis.


    ¡°Tecton, you should be more careful in the future.¡± Miss Universe said as her finger shifted each of the heroes to one side and everyone else onto the other. She paused, counting them, ¡°What happened to Light Fly?¡±


    Before I could even let out a peep, Burnout replied. She cackled like the drugged-out lunatic that she was, ¡°We creamed that bitch and smashed her into-¡±


    There was a slight pause in Miss Universe¡¯s movement before her right hand poked a finger, singling out Burnout. The fingers curled into a fist, and as they did, Burnout distorted. Her body broke, splitting, twisting, shattering as it began to compress rapidly. It happened so fast she didn¡¯t even have time to scream. She folded in on herself over and over again like some sort of twisted human origami, crumpling in on herself until she became nothing but a speck.


    ¡°Dust,¡± finished Miss Universe as the grain of sand that once was a person, just moments before had been Burnout drifted away on the wind.


    Her gaze shifted to the rest of us. We were powerless in this void and vacuum of weightlessness. My wings couldn¡¯t even generate friction in the air. This was bad. Definitely bad. The blood drained from every part of my body. She just killed Burnout like it was nothing.


    Miss Universe surveyed us readily, ¡°I should kill all of you. But I have questions. Tell me, what is it that your grains of sand think that you will accomplish here?¡±


    ¡°Us?¡± I asked, ¡°You guys attacked us.¡±


    ¡°Kraken, though it can be erratic, does not move without purpose. Why this city? Why here?¡±


    I¡­ well that was... actually a good question. Why was Kraken here?


    Molotov¡¯s face twisted with pure evil, ¡°Why Bronson you ask? Because someone has grown bored of waiting to be found and has begun to wonder if the seeker is even still playing the game.¡±


    Miss Universe nodded for a moment, ¡°Speaking in riddles will not help you. If you have nothing proper to add, then you will die here. Now speak, or I will crush you into oblivion.¡±


    ¡°Need me to spell it out? Nyet, and I thought you were one of the more witty ones.¡±


    ¡°Stop delaying. Your games wear my patience thin.¡±


    Molotov smirked at her and let out the loud, deep, booming voice of the man that resided in that tiny little girl, ¡°You fools have woken the sleeper!¡±


    A sudden twitch at those words, the glowing eyes seemed to blaze as she yelled back, ¡°LIES!¡±


    ¡°Nyet, The Sanguine Puppeteer has returned. And it is all because of you and your heroes not leaving well enough alone. You have no idea what horrors you have just unleashed upon the world.¡±


    ¡°That is impossible. It¡­ it can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why not? Tell me, do you even remember it? What it has done? To you, to them, to all of us?¡±


    ¡°YOU¡­ you are just distracting me.¡± Said Miss Universe glaring at Molotov.


    Well, I suppose that wasn¡¯t exactly a lie. After all, with Miss Universe all worked up, she clearly did not hear what I could. Though if I could barely make it out, I doubted that a human could hear it. A low roaring, the sound of a jet engine. As to where it was coming from, my antennae flicked about ascertaining that information. It was coming from¡­ the south?


    My head turned so that the large eye on the back of it could see in that direction. There was some sort of craft, and it didn¡¯t look like a typical sort of airplane. It was too streamlined. Whatever it was, it was coming directly at us so fast that the clouds were warping, and it was punching holes through them, leaving spiraling openings as it barreled in our direction.


    It wasn¡¯t alone either. Specks, dots, a veritable swarm riddled the horizon like an angry host of insects. A loud grinding noise sounded along with alarms from the Citadel of Order. The massive turrets shifted, aligning to confront the encroaching craft. After a brief delay, the guns came to life, and the boom of the concentrated fire shattered windows below the Citadel. The roaring scream of the weapons made Miss Universe freeze up and turn in the direction that the hail of rounds were pelting.


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    The fleet rose higher, avoiding the shots and steadily going higher. The dots were becoming blobs: tracers, and the gleam of munitions streaking across the sky to meet them. Explosions distantly boom as some of the craft were taken out. Little poofs of smoke and debris falling. The rest kept coming. Closer. One was much more daring than the others¡ª the closest, fastest ship. This one drew all the attention of the cannons and laser beams from the Citadel as though it had a death wish. It danced and weaved spiraling between the deadly streaks of smoke, narrowly avoiding the flashes of destruction.


    Xava¡¯s arm detached rising away from us as Miss Universe was distracted. Masked by the boom of the cannons, the back erupted, and it shot at Miss Universe in a rocket punch. It hit something and bounded up streaking into the sky where it exploded¡ª a sickly green glow raining above us. The hooded figure flicked, sending Xava smashing into the ground below.


    ¡°More rats crawling from the shadows I see. Is this it? Is this your trump card?¡± Asked Miss Universe.


    ¡°It is one of them. Scared?¡± mocked Molotov.


    ¡°Scared? Of this rabble? I think not. You bring them where they are weakest to my power. I can¡¯t understand your thoughts. Is this bravery? More likely, madness.¡±


    ¡°Not much of a difference between the two is there?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not, but oftentimes it ends in the same way. It¡¯s best to know one¡¯s limits.¡±


    ¡°Giving advice, how kind of you, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need it if anything you should know your limits more than we should.  Your power makes you arrogant,  or is it just Hubris rubbing off on you?¡±


    ¡°Say what you will, but you will be held accountable for all the wrongs, all the crimes you committed.¡±


    The boom of the anti-air ordinance was drawing closer, and Miss Universe¡¯s attention turned back away from us. We were not a threat to her; at least she didn¡¯t think so. That daring craft was much closer now. It was increasing speed and aiming right for us. Miss Universe lowered her hand, which held the heroes, dropped them to the ground, and quickly brought up her fist and punched it forward. A wave of gravity went ahead towards the craft, grazing it.


    ¡°Watch as I crush all your hopes into not but dust. You will learn your place, villains.  Earth is not your plaything. We will stop you here, and we will restore order.¡±


    ¡°Da! Are you sure about that? You seem to be having trouble with just one ship.  Do you think you can stop Kraken? We have tentacles everywhere... in every aspect of life.  You strike down one tentacle, and many more will rise from the depths.¡±


    Unbalanced, it spiraled the wind screaming around it as it spun, one of the wings detaching as it corkscrewed through the air. Spinning like a drill, it kept coming at us.


    ¡°I will deal with this interloper first, and then I will deal with you!¡± Miss Universe cast us aside and brought both hands up to stop it. All at once, the gravity returned, and we plummeted back down, smashing into the ground.


    ¡°RUN!¡± Shouted Molotov, already fleeing.


    I didn¡¯t need to hear that twice and grabbed Xava¡¯s crumpled robotic body, scuttling away like a gigantic cockroach. Above us, an immovable object smashed headlong into the unstoppable force of gravity.


    A wall of shimmering air marked where the gravity was so intense it might as well be solid. The craft crashed headlong into the barrier, spinning, glowing red as friction increased exponentially. It had so much momentum that it kept coming boring through the wall of force. Until finally, with the death cries of the molten metal, it collapsed in on itself.


    We fled, running as fast as we could. My back eye was watching the terrifying events that were unfolding. All my senses were bristling and screaming that it was wrong. That was wrong, and I needed to get the hell away from it. My wings flapped, pushing me forward faster.


    A light glimmered, a speck, no bigger than a candle flame. Then it grew. A surging, roaring, raging fire expanded out from the wall. The calm, collected, disjointedness of Miss Universe had vanished entirely as she grit and smashed both hands together using the full extent of her power to crush that thing. It only added fuel to the growing mass within. A seething storm of energy rippled yellow within the tightly packed sphere she had formed to keep it contained.


    Miss Universe seemed to realize something far too late and cursed, ¡°DAMN YOU, NITRO!¡±


    At last, her power buckled. It collapsed. The shimmering wall cracked and splintered, seeping out the terrible power within as a shock wave exploded out. The sheer force slammed through everyone and everything. The light grew blinding, and the explosion tore through that whole section of the city. My back eye glazed over as it went blind from the blast. The retina seared from the intense light. The sound had faded into the brain, stabbing tone of silence. Pulses of shocks rippled through the air and surging with burning hot air. I dared not look back and clamored along with the other. Molotov led the way, powering her way through the distorting earth.


    All at once, the power reversed, sucking, pulling, and trying to drag us back in. My arms thrust into the ground anchoring Xava and me in place as Molotov and Boris did the same. After a moment of disturbing silence Miss Universe¡¯s power fully gave out, and the full brunt of the blast unleashed. A streaking blackened silhouette shot over us, smashing through buildings that toppled over in its wake.


    We held on until the world grew still. My eyes peaked open, and I looked back to see a second crater overlapping with the first. The dust was still settling, but a dark towering shape loomed through that shifting haze. The Citadel still stood. Above us, the fleet of dropships had arrived releasing pods. Sowing the city with reinforcements before the craft streaked away fleeing the booming guns of the Citadel.


    Distantly I could see the Heroes emerging from a tunnel that had been carved through the earth. They were hastily retreating into the shadow of their fortress. The first Battle for Bronson city coming to a draw as both sides were battered, bruised, and weary to continue. Our job was apparently done. Molotov motioned for retreat, and we fled into the city back to our lairs.


    Xava and I flew through the city streets. I gazed over the destruction that the thing that had been thrown in this direction had caused. In a straight line, holes had been punched through anything and everything in its path. Following this trail of destruction, we came upon a crater that used to be a section of the gorge across from the bridge. Whatever it is was, it was embedded in the center of that gouged hole in the cliff.


    My wings beat as I drew closer, keeping some distance as I inspected that hole. Sure enough, there was somebody in there, a beaten, battered body covered in black plates. Hissing hoses spewing a yellow ichor that floods out of the hole, making the cliff bleed yellow.


    ¡°You know what that thing is?¡± I asked Xava, who was sparking.


    She jittered, her voice shorting out as she replied, ¡°Parameters met¡­ I, I believe that would be Ni¡­ Nitro. Rank 8.8 endurance type. She makes ex- explosive blood from the kinetic energy that she absorbs and uses it as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Is eh is she alive?¡±


    ¡°Vitals are nominal. She is very much alive.¡±


    ¡°Even after all that?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative.¡±


    I drew closer. This was Nitro, somebody just as strong if not stronger than Molotov. A big fish in this already over stuff little pond. This is the person who is supposed to lead our base? She looked worse for wear. She looked like a crumpled mess, and I had my doubts.


    ¡°You sure she is alive?¡± I asked, reaching in and pull out the limp woman.


    Her hand grasped onto my arm as she coughed, gasping, and gagging as a constant flow of yellow gushed out of her face mask. ¡°Tall, dark, and... wasp? you must be Vesper.¡±


    Ugh! I reflexively hurled her into the wall where she dented in. Yellow streaming from her as her body jerked, and her limbs moved at strange angles.


    ¡°What the hell! You a zombie or something?¡± I stared at her readily.


    ¡°Zombie? That¡¯s a new one. I am more like a living, bleeding, explosive sandbag. Come now wasp, we can discuss this at length in the lair now give me a hand. It looks like a long way down, and I can¡¯t fly as you can.¡±


    ¡°You eh not going to blow up again, are you?¡±


    ¡°Not unless the blood gets activated. Come now, you are unprofessional. I am your superior officer and deserve respect. I will require a tour of my new base of operations as well as a more thorough briefing on the situation.¡±


    ¡°Can we trust her?¡± I whispered to Xava.


    ¡°Yes, she is, no doubt Nitro. We are under her jurisdiction for the duration of this siege.¡± replied Xava lowly.


    Ah¡­ I reached forward picking back up the smaller woman who was leaking explosive blood everywhere, and I mean everywhere. I am glad that I don¡¯t gotta clean up after her.


    ¡°Welcome to Bronson city! I hope you enjoy your stay.¡± I said, pointing her towards the city. Distantly a skyscraper collapsed with a low thudding boom. ¡°Ignore that.¡± I reassured her.


    Nitro seemed amused, laying in my hand, limply, ¡°Seen worse.¡±

 Discord link/Update

    Not dead yet ^^ So due to covid hysteria causing my routine to be thrown outa wack and making my schedule go all over the place, kinda killed my motivation on a lot of things, not just writing, but especially writing. Either today or tomorrow will be finished with the last of the honey extracting which means I will have free time to work on my woodworking and writing. Been good overall, though was a little sick last week due to what I think was food poisoning. I will at the very least will have an Interlewd on Friday night/ Saturday morning. More artwork has been finished on the Discord so those who have not seen yet come on over. In more positive news Toxicnightcandy (an artist) has agreed that after they recover from a hand surgery they will be doing monthly commissions for me. Should start next month? depends on the recovery. Slither artwork was done by nightcandy and there is new stuff up on the discord.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Thank you for reading my story and sticking with me this far even with the inactivity. I hope you continue to enjoy the story to come and I thank all of my supporters for all that they have done. It honestly means a lot to me and I thank you again ^^


    Ah if you guys have ideas for an Interlewd post below or on the discord, if I like it enough I will keep it on my radar for the next one if I don''t choose it for this one ^^


    Discord link, come on by ^^ https://discord.gg/9cNgBkZ</a>

 Villainy 101 Chapter 11

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 11


    For the second time in a month, Bronson City had been devastated by an explosion. Luckily it mostly overlapped with the already cratered area merely making a more extensive one. My vantage point above the city gave me the wasp''s eye view of the place. Skyscrapers toppled in a line leading off to where we had just come from, the Gorge. Below, the city was reeling to the say the least. Blackened figures scurrying about like ants, Kraken reinforcements taking over buildings to use for the coming battles.


    Thick black columns of smoke choked the air. Distance gunfire, sirens, screams, honking, and the rumble of buildings still collapsing. A final booming salvo from the Citadel echoed as it chased off the last of the dropships. The titanic weapons fell quiet, allowing the lesser noises to rise back up to the peripheral. A steady humming noise came from that behemoth as it hovered over the ruins of the east side of Bronson. It was unnerving.


    What few civilians there were had hunkered down or were still stuck in jammed roadways to the North going through the mountain tunnel to escape the city.


    ¡°You know why Molotov is letting the civilians escape?¡± I asked my current passengers.


    Xava mulled it over, sparking as she attempted to process my request even though she was broken and mangled.


    My most recent addition, Nitro, just as mangled and bit more incomprehensible, answered, ¡°Civis are useless in a Free Fire Zone. Waste of resources to keep alive and hard to keep watch over. Best to either exterminate them or let them get out.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Heroes don¡¯t give two shits about saving the Masses once the FFZ comes down. Restrictions are gone. It is kill or be killed. All out, no holds barred, anything goes, down and dirty, super on super violence. In other words, the survival of the fittest. The law of the jungle. Either they kill us and take what is left of the city, or we kill them and take all their goodies. Well, assuming neither breaks and runs. Of course, that is cowardly, unsightly, and unprofessional, but sometimes necessary.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t the hostages make the Heroes flinch or hold back?¡± I asked.


    Nitro hauked a yellow blood-filled glob of spit down below as she cleared her throat, ¡°Might get the rookies to blink, but the main teams? Nah. They know better. Used to work, but those that flinched got killed. Learn real quick when death is what you get for having compassion. Normal every day sure, you can hostage meat shield it up, FFZ? Nope. Gloves are off. They out for blood and don¡¯t care who bleeds.¡±


    Below the distant rumble of a small explosion came up from where her spat had hit. From the looks of the blast, it was about as powerful as a grenade. A drop of her blood was that Strong, maybe even stronger we were somewhat high up, so it was hard to see how big the blast had been.


    ¡°Seems a bit brutal, doesn¡¯t it? Never thought the Hero League would resort to that sort of stuff, Chimera sure but not the League.¡± I said, looking out over the ruined eastern section of the city.


    Nitro nodded a little, ¡°Not so surprising. FFZ is only declared when they desperate. Usually, it only when the city already going to shit and burning. It''s the last resort to do anything and everything they can to restore order. If it fails, that is when the Hammer Strikes start. Here though, they did it preemptive since the Hero League Headquarters was destroyed and the local teams were all wiped out.¡±


    My giant finger tapped at the black, yellow spurting woman, ¡°You seem oddly informed of the happenings here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know. Molotov has been bitching and nagging me for over a month to come up here and kept me updated. Speaking of which, where is my Lair?¡±


    Xava chimed in, sparking a bit, ¡°We are en route. Vesper, do you remember the hospital in which you were kidnapped by the Mad Dogs?¡±


    ¡°I do, why?¡±


    ¡°Take us to the basement of that building.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that place is really a lair?¡±


    Xava winked at me, well maybe her eyes were just short-circuiting since she blinked, and her whole face twitched up like she was having a seizure.


    ¡°You, eh, you ok?¡±


    ¡°I require repairs, but it is operable damage. Self-diagnostic still shows 40% functionality, more than enough to guide you.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to see the boarded up and abandoned bear-themed dining restaurant down the street from my old station. Across the street from the Fire Station, which had been taken over by the Cyber Swat, the somewhat familiar sight of the vast and expansive hospital complex loomed. At first glance, it was abandoned, but the influx of black-armored soldiers and cyber swat members, as well as robos like those I had seen in Xava¡¯s Lair, made it quite clear that it was occupied at the moment.


    Though the city was currently crawling with black-clad super-soldiers, this didn¡¯t particularly look too out of place. It seemed as good a time as any, and we descended. Nitro being greeted by her soldiers as they saluted her. She pulled herself from my hand, standing up straight.


    She was tall and lanky, gangly almost. Emaciated from how scrawny she looked. Her armor was in tatters; however, the huge tank on her back was only mildly damaged, still sputtering and thumping like an artificial heart.


    ¡°So it''s here then?¡± Asked Nitro, ponderously observing the surroundings. She motioned up and down the street, ¡°Secure the perimeter and set up deterrents. There are spooks in the city, and I don¡¯t want any bumps in the night.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± replied the varied soldiers rushing off to obey her command.


    ¡°Spooks?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Chimera.¡±


    ¡°Ah come to think of it we did have a run-in with Mantia,¡± said thinking back to earlier in the day.


    ¡°Did you now?¡± The red lenses glinted slightly as the diminutive, in comparison to me, woman was looking me from head to toe, ¡°Impressive. Most do not survive a run in with that mantis.¡±


    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t actually fight her. Molotov scared her off.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. I will have to test you later to see what you are capable of. Very well, let us see what sort of set up I have to play with.¡±


    Nitro led the way up the polished concrete stairs into the greeting area of the hospital. The floor matched the stairs, glossy and polished. The place didn¡¯t seem abandoned. Even though the world outside had gone to hell in a handbasket. It was like an oasis of civilization. Power still kept the reception hall lit. The reason why this place was so well maintained became apparent as soon as I looked over the counter. One of Xava¡¯s robo nurses greeted us.


    Others began to file out of the rest of the hospital along with their guards, the dangerous-looking robots. Multi-armed death robots with enough armaments to make most wary. Xava must have sent these over to secure the place before we had even left on our mission.


    The broken Xava was taken from me, and the fully functional one from behind the counter became our guide. ¡°Welcome Vesper and Nitro, we have taken the liberty of establishing the lair in advance.¡±


    ¡°That is a pleasant change of pace. Usually, on deployment, I have to make do with less than adequate arrangements. Show me the lay of the land, and then we will begin the planning for our offensive operations.¡±


    Xava nodded, leading the way. The clack of her heels resounding with my claws scraping the floor. My footfalls were much more substantial, even on my hands and feet. Out of the main lobby, the corridors became much smaller. I had to hunch over and crawl to fit. Clearly, this building was not zoned for a woman of my magnitude.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The whitewashed sterile walls expanded out to the end of the hallway before diverging to the left. Oddly, there were no doors in this corridor. With only one place to go, we followed Xava, as usual, she walked with a somewhat seductive sway to her hips. Or perhaps that is normal, and my mind is simply perpetually in the gutter. Could be the case. Though her short skirt that barely covered her ass certainly didn¡¯t help.


    We turned the corner, a tight fit for myself. There was an elevator at the end of a small alcove. It dinged and arrived just as Xava approached it. The doors opened, revealing several more Neon Nurses that filed out in their black and red uniforms. They stood to the side.


    The Neon Nurses and Nitro entered the elevator. I stared at it. Yeah, it too smol. It was like a quarter of my size. The elevator door closed and descended.


    Seeing my dilemma, Xava led me back to where we had come from. We circled around to the back of the building to the parking garage where the ambulances were stored. Most were not here. They must have been out during the Twilight incident. Those that were here were veritable tanks. They were armored and could take a fair beating. Not that that would help too much against the current caliber of foes.


    We arrived at my entrance. It was a cargo lift. We could access the roof to load one of the Dropships, or as I discovered when Xava punched in a combination of floor buttons, a new panel appeared giving access to the Lair below. I paid attention to memorize that.


    With a press of a button, the lift shifted, and we descended deep underground. After the elevator had reached roughly ten feet down above us closed, cutting off access to the shaft from above. Lights all around flickered to life. It was a proper villainous lair.


    It didn¡¯t take long reach to the floor that Xava wished to take me to. Though from the closed blast doors, it was clear that there were more floors to be accessed.


    I was getting deja vu. This was undoubtedly Dr. Tesla¡¯s MO. Flashes of memories were jolting through my brain as I saw the dull corridors. Bad memories. Like the finger in brain bad. My eyes narrowed, and I grumbled.


    Xava pat at my side, ¡°There, there love. For a little while, this place is home.¡±


    ¡°How much of the installation have you inspected?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Most of it. Overseer has already taken over the systems and assimilated all the computers. We are running structural scans and have discovered many traps to be used at our disposal when the time comes. They are inert until needed.¡±


    ¡°Good. Dr. Tesla likes his death dungeons. Hopefully, we don¡¯t need to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°We will continue our thorough examination for any hidden aspects of this base.¡±


    ¡°Good, something tells me there is more to this place than what we have been told.¡±


    ¡°Likely.¡±


    We proceeded down the tight, well tight for me corridors. Human structures are certainly annoying. Not to self when I get my own lair ceiling height will be fifteen feet tall, at minimum.


    It didn¡¯t take long to arrive where Nitro and the gathered Captains of her mercenaries had been brought. There were five of them. They all had black serpents on their gear.


    Thankfully this room was more significant than the corridors, and I could sit up without my head smashing through the ceiling. I sat across from Nitro with Neon Nurses flanking my sides.


    In the center of the room, two holograms lit up. One being the scowling Molotov. The other, the familiar mask that sent a primordial dread scurrying down my spine, appeared. It was the Sanguine Puppeteer. The eyes on the mask shifted unnaturally, as though it were alive. They looked in different directions like a chameleon. Those bulging eyes suddenly aligned, gazing straight through us.


    ¡°My minions~ I see you have found your appropriate Lairs. I assume they are to your liking? Yes, yes~ Ahh what fun, fun~ It has been years so many years since last my villainy tingled. Hopefully, this will prove to be entertaining.¡±


    Molotov bowed, ¡°Of course Master. Let us proceed.¡±


    Nitro bowed exaggeratedly, ¡°But of course my Master. It is good to see the passion burning in you once more. Tell your loyal subjects what we must do. What atrocities shall we commit in your name to appease your whims? We are yours to command, and we will die at your hand.¡±


    I gave Xava a glance and returned my view to the Master of all evil, ¡°Is this a cult?¡±


    To my question, the mask tilted to one side and kept leaning until it was upside down, ¡°I suppose it is a cult? Perhaps? Maybe? I don¡¯t recall. I have made so many over the years they all blend together. Mmm Likely. After all, I am God. Why wouldn¡¯t I be worshiped as such?¡±


    I rubbed my chin, sweating coldly, ¡°You know, when you put it that way¡­ fair point. What must we do?¡±


    The frown that the upside downed smile had formed into quickly returned to being a grin as the mask snapped back into what would be considered a ¡°normal¡± placement¡­ definitely something wrong with that person. That sort of motion would tear the head off and or at the very least, snap the spine.


    Yeah, I am not fucking with that level of crazy.


    The Puppeteer seemed thoughtful, calculative, and maniacal. It took a moment to gather the insane thoughts swirling through that mad mind.


    ¡°It appears the heroes are¡­ reeling. We have leeway. Be wary of the Mantis and Centipede¡­ odd¡­ intriguing.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± asked Nitro.


    The Puppeteer wiggled its fingers madly, babbling until it slammed its hands down in anger, ¡°Their minds are shadows. Slippery. Darting between my finger escaping my strings! HOW DARE THEY!¡±


    The Puppeteer seemed to calm down after a moment, collecting its cool so to speak, ¡°Oh Seems this level of power is not enough. No, no, no. I must not use more power. Too easy, no fun. Now they have my attention. Interested. I wonder I wonder who did that to them? Find them. Torture them. Pick their minds open. I must know who shielded their minds to this extent. I will flay their souls and shatter their minds.¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡± asked Nitro.


    ¡°MMmmm I lost them. They are in the city, last was near the ruins of the old Hero League Head Quarters. They felt my touch, they won¡¯t be there long. It is obvious what they desire. Vesper. They have come for their little sister.¡±


    ¡°Mantia will be troublesome to find. At least we know what they want,¡± said Nitro gazing upon me.


    I grumbled, ¡°Yes, yes. I know Mantia told me as such already. Ah¡­¡±


    All eyes fell on me. I had remembered what Mantia had said. She wanted to meet tonight. Should I tell them? Although she did say to come alone. And she is invisible, so I doubt if others came, she would even reveal herself. Just as I was starting to worry about what to say. I felt something.


    I felt slight discomfort, a wiggly sort of itching sensation from my abdomen. I feel as though I had forgotten something? I scratched at the hard carapace to abate the itch. The clacking of my claws seemed to only agitate it. The tingling became a sort of wiggle. A struggling of some sort of worm¡­


    ¡°Where am I?! What is this!? OH GOD! IT IS EVERYWHERE!¡± screamed out from my abdomen.


    I lifted up the plate seeing the squished and very angry Light Fly stuck to my soft flesh much as a fly in the sticky paper. All the various grime and moisture caking her with gooey slime, build up from my most recent exertions. Oh. I thought I had forgotten something. Quickly I closed it back up even as her mouth opened to start screaming again. I pat the slightly raised armor plate that compressed my new host flat.


    The other gathered villains stared at me, and I looked down embarrassed, but thankful for an excuse to leave the room, ¡°Eh excuse me for a bit. I have a personal issue to take care of.¡±


    I stood and left the meeting room¡ªthe pestered and desperate noises, not stopping at all. If anything, they had doubled, and the visible vibrations of my captive made the carapace push out slightly. Acha, so embarrassing. Definitely not cool. I bet all the villains are gonna think I am a weirdo.


    ***


    Nitro stared at Vesper, leaving, the desperate and crazed screams of someone tortured emanating from the thick abdomen that followed in her wake. The room was still, save the doors closing. Slowly the sounds were muffled and faded away with the lumbering footsteps of the giant wasp woman.


    ¡°Molotov, I thought you said the Wasp was green behind the ears?¡± said Nitro looking between the hologram on the table and the door.


    ¡°She is, she has only been a Super for a couple of months.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I must say she has potential. I get the feeling she has a predisposition for evil. I will take her under my wing.¡±


    ¡°Of course you will, why else would I send her under your command?¡±


    Nitro chuckled, ¡°Thought you were giving me all the dead weight.¡±


    ¡°Hardly.¡±


    ¡°Neon Nurse.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± replied the robo nurse from her place at the table.


    ¡°You would know. What does Vespidian do with them?¡±


    ¡°Those that are useful are, breeding stock.¡±


    ¡°Ohhoho~ Now that is proper evil.¡±


    ¡°It is~¡± chimed in the Puppeteer.


    ¡°Not so much evil as a natural behavior of hers.¡± Retorted Xava


    ¡°I would call that torture,¡± pointedly replied the Puppeteer. ¡°Torture is fun~ it is one of my favorite pass times.¡±


    ¡°Her species is rather predatory and parasitic in nature. As such, it is natural. Normal. At least the hosts are not killed.¡±


    ¡°You do not deny it, then?¡± The smile on that mask seemed more unhinged than usual.


    ¡°Things are difficult for her as is, if it helps her cope, then I don¡¯t particularly care about her methods, though as far as I know, there has only been one that was not fully consensual of the act. Though that one broke and is now-¡± she paused, considering the correct words, ¡°Most enthusiastic of her new purpose in life.¡±


    The Puppeteer wiggled its fingers happily humming, ¡°I do enjoy watching them break. Nightmare was delectable. Ah, her screams and her pitiful cries of pain and suffering were music to my ears. Vesper is a natural. I can¡¯t wait to see what wondrous things she will do. Definitely one of my favorite toys.¡±


    Nitro let out a dry sort of laugh balling her hands together and setting her chin on the top, ¡°I wonder why you are so dead set on letting her breed? If I were weaker, it might be concerning.¡±


    Xava didn¡¯t seem ruffled despite being before some of the evilest people in the world, ¡°Why would I not support my significant other? I find this inquiry to be hypocritical in nature from one such as you, responsible for mass murder, pillage, and a list of war crimes that would make the Geneva Convention blush. I don¡¯t even know where to start with you, Puppeteer. Your hands are not merely stained with blood. They are made of it. Are you attempting to take some sort of moral high ground? I find your thought processes to be illogical and flawed.¡±


    The Puppeteer seemed rather playful, ¡°That is because I am unfathomable little robot. I know I am insane, and therefore I am perfectly sane.¡±


    ¡°Morals? Ahaha. Good one. I am approving of her actions. Those that have the power can do as they please. Though you should be careful that her eccentric activity does not become a liability,¡± replied Nitro.


    Xava tilted her head, ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°If the heroes find out about her hobby, shall we call it, they might use it against us. If say someone were to be taken and subsequently escape, they could do a good amount of damage to the installation.¡±


    ¡°Oh, here I thought you were insightful. Yes, we have already made many containment protocols to keep those that are brought in secured. That particular security issue has already been nullified. There are many fail-safes and contingencies in place for dealing with escaped hosts.¡±


    Nitro seemed impressed and nodded, ¡°It appears my worries were already taken into consideration.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Replied the mechanical smile of Xava.

 Villainy 101 Chapter 12

    Arc 12 Villainy 101


    Chapter 12


    ¡°This way, My Queen,¡± said Xava giving a playful bow to me.


    ¡°What of the meeting?¡± I asked, looking back down the corridor.


    ¡°It can wait, they have entertainment. Light Fly needs to be dealt with before she gets any ideas.¡±


    ¡°Wait, could she harm me?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, better safe than sorry. She will be studied before we bring her back to the main facility for breeding purposes,¡± replied Xava eyeing my abdomen where the wriggling and crying was coming from.


    I looked over the unfamiliar corridors, ¡°When will we be returning home? I miss my pets already. Glitter Kitten was getting rather plump as well. I enjoyed rubbing her belly.¡±


    Xava began to walk ahead of me, ¡°Unfortunately, until the Heroes are dealt with, we cannot risk the main facility¡¯s discovery. I do not need to remind you of what could occur if they found the hatchery.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Yes I know. I will be patient.¡±


    ¡°Good. Do not worry, I have brought a good number of my neon nurse model bodies to keep you company.¡±


    ¡°Model? Do you have other types of bodies?¡±


    ¡°I have some. Though they are more experimental.¡±


    I leaned down, giving her head a nice kiss, and I pet her a few times, ¡°Did I ever tell you that I find that big brain of yours to be the sexiest thing about you?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± she smiled, ¡°Well I suppose I am all brains, huh?¡±


    ¡°Mmm~¡± I chuckled, ¡°Yes~ big sexy brains. So now, what shall we do with our prisoner?¡±


    ¡°This way, there are some holding areas that she can be left in until we are ready to use her,¡± replied Xava turning a corner.


    As the rest of this place was, the corridor was not designed for someone of my size. It is starting to get rather annoying. Since I must crawl everywhere, it vaguely reminded me of vents, tight, cramped, though unlike them, it was brightly lit. This section had doors arrayed opposite one another.


    Xava opened one of the many doors, and I looked inside. It was a prison cell. Small, square, nothing within it was barren of any furniture, not even a bed or toilet. It seemed a little cruel, though now that I think of it when I had been held in one of these, it was the same.


    I am sure she will be fine.


    My abdomen plates opened up, revealing the wet and sticky captive as she flopped onto the floor. Light Fly angrily looked about her sterile prison. Her arms were very broken. They were limp to her sides and didn¡¯t line up correctly. I suppose she was disarmed at the moment.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± she groaned as Xava dragged her away from the door.


    ¡°Your new home for a bit. Now then, let¡¯s keep you out of trouble, shall we?¡± Replied the fake smile on Xava as she sedated the hapless hero.


    She removed the needle as Light Fly went completely limp. She hummed as she began to strip the other woman and perform a medical examination, her glowing green eyes scanning over the curves and nooks. Xava¡¯s eyes lingered in several spots, her fake pupil dilating as it zoomed in. She nodded from time to time, making a note of what needed to be done to Light Fly.


    ¡°So?¡± I asked, ¡°How is she?¡±


    ¡°Damaged. Broken ribs, both arms fractured, severe trauma to her chest region, spinal fractures. Overall salvageable. Well, not like we need most of her to be intact for our purposes. I will remove her arms for safety concerns.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that would be smart.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Can¡¯t have her melting the door and escaping.¡±


    ¡°I will leave you to it, have fun.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Of course, Vesper. The meeting should be concluding soon. You should check in with Nitro.¡±


    ¡°Thanks love, I will.¡±


    I turned, walking away. The high pitched sound of a saw spinning to life radiating from the room got a little quieter as the door slid shut. That didn¡¯t stop me from hearing the blade shift tone as it met flesh and severed bone. A brief flash entered my mind¡ª a memory. Dr. Arbor¡¯s face mask smeared with my yellow blood. The familiar tingle reminded me of what that felt like. Most things painful have become muted as of late. My pain threshold has grown high, and I have become desensitized as a result. If it was the old me, I get the feeling I might have had a panic attack hearing my cybernetic nurse operating. Now though, nothing. I felt only a twitchy tingle at that noise that used to induce terror.


    Starting to think we are damaged.


    We are fine. Just means we toughening up.


    If you say so.


    I do. After all, we need to be tougher, crueler, stronger for what lies ahead.


    Oh? Is that so?


    Of course. What, you think they will understand? We have our home and loved ones to protect at all costs.


    Yes. I am not that foolish. Once we deal with these Heroes, then we can enjoy some peace and quiet for a change. Hopefully, these will be the last of them.


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    We both know they won¡¯t be.


    I didn¡¯t bother replying; Sub was right.


    I returned to the meeting room. The doors opened to chuckling villains plotting something¡­ something tells me I don¡¯t want to know. After a moment, I nestled into my spot at the table looking over them.


    ¡°Sorry for the distraction. So,¡± I said, ¡°Where were we?¡±


    ¡°Welcome back, did you relieve yourself?¡± asked the Puppeteer.


    ¡°I suppose I did.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear. Itches can be rather annoying.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they can be.¡±


    There was a slight nod, and then the hologram shifted subjects, ¡°As we know, the Heroes are hunkered in their flying bunker as such, we can¡¯t attack them and will have to wait until they make the next move. Until then, we will bide our time. The city is fully under our control, what is left of it. If you wish to set up traps, this would be a good time to set them up. Otherwise, do whatever you like until the Heroes make their next move.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes that is all. Nitro will inform you of what schemes you will perform. Have fun.¡± Replied the glowing mask before it faded out of the room.


    I leveled my gaze at the black-clad woman, ¡°Our plans?¡±


    ¡°For now,¡± Nitro replied, ¡°I need to know how powerful you are. To properly make use of your abilities.¡±


    ¡°So you want to test me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We should take this outside, wouldn¡¯t want to blow up the base.¡±


    I recalled the explosion she was responsible for and nodded.


    ***


    Xava, Nitro, and I arrived at a secluded spot near the Slums. It wouldn¡¯t particularly matter if things here got destroyed. Nitro rolled her shoulders as she did a couple of stretches. After a moment, she was finished and looked up at me.


    ¡°Not gonna stretch?¡±


    ¡°Should I?¡±


    ¡°You gotta get limber before a fight. It is only proper. I take it you don¡¯t fight much.¡±


    ¡°Not usually. Though been fighting more recently.¡±


    ¡°That is good. Force is one way to get things done. The more you do it, the better you will get at it.¡±


    I squared up, looking down at her slim form. ¡°So, what should we do here?¡±


    Nitro gave me an assessing look, ¡°For now, I want to gauge your power.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Simple, hit me.¡± Replied the eccentric person.


    I was gonna ask, you sure, but that thought was crushed under the memory of what this person had survived early today. She says, hit, well I hit. I reach back my arm and, with a single stride forward, closed the gap between us. I bent low and thrust my right arm forward, jabbing her as hard as I could. Nitro stood her ground, taking the hit. Her body felt weird when I punched it. Almost like it wasn¡¯t solid like it was made of liquid or something. My momentum stopped instantly, and my arm snapped. Bending and breaking due to it staying where the fist had hit her while the rest of me carried on past her. I pushed it back into place after a moment letting the tendons and muscles reconnect.


    There was a sound coming from Nitro, a gurgling sort of noise, and the mechanical thumping that I had started to get accustomed to had reached a fevered pitch for several seconds before it slowed again. Nitro turned, revealing that she was very much unhurt.


    ¡°Needs work. I do hope your regeneration is much stronger than your punch. If not, you will die to the Heroes.¡±


    I wiggled my fingers, ¡°It is. Though I have no delusions of being invincible.¡±


    ¡°That is good. It is best to know your limits.¡± Nitro said, ¡°Now then, let us do some limit testing. Try again.¡±


    She stood imposingly, yet open, ready to receive whatever I threw at her. Hmm. Punching her won¡¯t really do much. I wonder, can she be stabbed? I approached her, stopping right before her. From between my legs, my abdomen lunged forward, slamming into her. Stinger glistened as it impacted against her. It pushed at her all the momentum, having been dissipated. No penetration; instead, I was the one to hurt. My stinger jammed back into myself, and I felt something within me tear. I winced, retreating.


    ¡°Owe. What are you made of?¡±


    ¡°Good question. I don¡¯t know. Good try, though, tried to pierce me?¡±


    The tank on her back thumped away steadily.


    ¡°I did. Felt like hitting a brick wall.¡±


    ¡°Well I absorb kinetic energy, so that is understandable. Do you have any non-physical powers?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°That is a shame. Go all out, hit me with everything you got.¡±


    I looked around the ruins finding a solid concrete pillar and tore it from the ground, and the build that it had been holding up collapsed. I brandished the club and swung it hard into her like a baseball bat. The resounding thud from the impact echoed as my hands went numb. The pillar cracked. I pulled back and slammed the concrete into her again as hard as I could. She stumbled back several steps, and the bat¡¯s end exploded, sending bits and pieces everywhere. Before her footing was settled, I brought the remaining chunk in my hand back and winding up a pitch. My foot rose and stomped down as I sent the chunk hurtling at her. It struck her in the chest, bursting into a cloud of dust.


    There was a moment of silence, but then I could hear it; that thumping and a loud pop. From the dust, a yellow glow appeared before Nitro emerged flying towards me, a human missile. She used her body as a battering ram and bashed into my stomach. The strength was comparable to Boris. It was hard, hard enough to force all the air from me.


    Everything went dark for a moment before my eyes snapped open, staring up into the sky. Nitro stood over me a little dirty from dust but otherwise completely unharmed. She gave me a hand, and I shifted from the ground pulling myself up. My midsection was dented in oozing my yellow blood. That one hurt.


    I rubbed my head, ¡°How did I do?¡±


    ¡°Not bad. Not too good either, though. I think against non-defensive powers, you will be alright, but you will have problems with Endurance supers. Physical stuff is weak to my power set after all, so not surprising. Unfortunately, you are limited in this capacity.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything you are not strong against?¡±


    ¡°Now why would I tell you that?¡±


    ¡°Fair point. Any idea how I can improve?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to improve?¡± Nitro asked.


    ¡°Anything? Everything? I don¡¯t know. Anything will help.¡±


    ¡°Well since you are a regenerator, being hurt over and over again will help that. As for strength, you need to exert yourself.¡± Nitro thought it over a little bit, ¡°I believe there is a way to do both.¡±


    ¡°There is?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, well doesn¡¯t hurt to try.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Hit me over and over again when your limbs break, repair them, and keep hitting.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I replied, rubbing my chin, ¡°So use you as my punching bag?¡±


    ¡°Funny, you say that the punching bag is Molotov¡¯s nickname for me.¡±


    Worth a shot, I guess. I jabbed Nitro. The carapace cracked, but I kept punching, using each of my arms. When one broke, I switched to the next, forming a rotation as the others regenerated. It was a rhythm of blows slamming into the immovable object. For the most part, Nitro stood her ground only on occasion, getting lifted off of the concrete floor from a particularly hard hit. Right, left, little right, little left. Hmmm, something was soothing about the monotonous and mindless swinging of fists. It was easy to get into the swing of things.


    Nitro was astoundingly patient. She even gave me pointers on better posture and which ones were harder than others. It almost felt like she was good-natured. Somewhat surprising for a villain. Reminded me of Molotov, though instead of beating me, allowed me to beat her. Maybe she was a lawful evil sort?


    Once my arms needed a break, I switched to kicks and tentacle attacks. Hitting her was fun, oddly enough. I couldn¡¯t hurt her, so I could hit as hard as I liked. She was more sturdy than buildings. I would be hard-pressed to find a more suitable target to take my aggression out on; as such, I used the opportunity to vent my anger on her.


    Knees weak, my arms are bloody, resent spent, and my body heavy. Miss mom''s spaghetti?


    Stop making me hungry Sub... I wonder what''s for dinner?


    I relented and sat down for a breather.


    ¡°Not bad. It seems you have good stamina. A good trait to have.¡± Nitro was unfazed by my assault.


    ¡°Vesper, we should return so that you can rest.¡± Said Xava observing from the side.


    ¡°Yeah, I could use a nap.¡± I stood shakily. My legs were sore.


    ¡°What are you going to do Nitro?¡±


    ¡°I am going to scout around the city to get a better lay of the land.¡±


    ¡°Ok, have fun,¡± I said, flapping my wings and carrying Xava with me.


    As I flew, I felt a nagging of something. I feel like I had forgotten about something. I wonder what it could be? Well, guess it wasn¡¯t that important if I can¡¯t remember it.

 Update ^^

    hey guys just finished the rework of the first arc, added a whole new chapter it is chapter 3 and added a good chunk to Vesper before she got turned and fixed some continutiy errors due to the time travel shenanigans coming up in a couple arcs. So in case you wondering what that notification that there was a new chapter was that what it was ^^ Hope you enjoy!


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Things added, we breifly meet Eva and Vesper''s human life a little more fleshed out. Fixed early inner diologue issues and added some things here and there. Enjoy ^^ as always if you have questions or want to check out the art work for the story come to my discrod ^^


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 Villainy 101 Chapter 13

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12 Villainy! 101


    Chapter 13


    Xava and I had returned to the temporary lair. The cargo lift descended several floors. I suppose it was my VIP entrance, just for me. Well, me and any of the extensive equipment. I watched the tiny keypad lighting up as we went deeper into the earth. Assuming that was all the floors, there were five floors to the subterranean lair. I tapped at my chin, recalling Dr. Tesla¡¯s other base and Xava¡¯s Central Command Cortex. Yup, definitely a small base. I was starting to pick up on this whole villain thing, what with hanging around them so much. But, if it must be kept secret and safe, be like dwarfs and dig deep.


    We arrived on the 4th floor. The doors opened to a large spacious corridor. It appeared to be the storage area for all the large machines. Speaking of which, there were tanks down here, big ones. I eyed the stationary vehicles. The treads were rather large, up to my knee. They were wide as well I wasn¡¯t positive, but I feel that one of these would take up both lanes in the street.


    ¡°So,¡± I said, tapping at the cannon on the top, ¡°I was wondering why there was a cargo elevator large enough for me. I guess these answer that question.¡±


    Xava smiled, ¡°Indeed, there are ten of these. I was surprised as well that we were given military equipment.¡±


    ¡°The canons look a little weird,¡± I said, observing the spiraling design.


    ¡°These are railguns,¡± Xava replied.


    ¡°How dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what it is against. It can penetrate up to a rank 6 endurance Super.¡±


    ¡°I see. So in the end, these are toys?¡±


    ¡°Against what we are against? Yes. Still, they have their uses. They will be most useful against the supplemental hero league forces. They should be able to cull some of their numbers. If nothing else, they will be good distractions. If we are lucky, we can pick off a few of the medium Supers.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we will take everything we can. Would be ill-advised to look a gift tank in the barrel, eh?¡±


    Xava looked up at me, patting my leg, ¡°Indeed. Hopefully, we will lure the main forces out of the Citadel so that the strike force can infiltrate sooner rather than later. Something tells me this will turn into a war of attrition unless we can manage to provoke Hubris, though that comes with its own issues.¡±


    ¡°How likely are we to win a war of attrition?¡± I asked, leaning over, cupping my chin.


    ¡°With what we have on hand, we can last maybe a week of full confrontation with Hubris. If Hubris does not act, we can last upwards of three months without resupply or reinforcement.¡±


    My face scrunched up, ¡°Can we win?¡±


    ¡°Without the Puppeteer acting directly? The odds are not in our favor.¡±


    ¡°When the shit hits the fan, how likely are we to escape?¡±


    Xava paused, looking downcast, ¡°I will not be able to escape the city.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Vesper, you know why. If I had more time, perhaps I could finish the cyber brain and create a portable life support system. However, as is, my biological components will not survive the transfer. They are too degraded. My main facility is all that is keeping me alive.¡±


    I frowned, patting at her with my massive hand, ¡°We will find a way.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, if it comes to that, promise me you will not throw your life away trying to save me.¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that!¡±


    ¡°It is only if it happens, Vesper. I will take as many of them with me as I can to allow you to escape. However, it might not even come that. If we succeed, then these backup plans are mere redundancies.¡±


    I nuzzled her fake face, ¡°Xava, don¡¯t do that. I need you.¡±


    ¡°Should it come that Overseer will be there to aid you in my absence. I have programmed it to accept you as its admin. It will obey you.¡±


    ¡°Xava, don¡¯t be like that. Nothing is going to happen to you. I won¡¯t let it. Don¡¯t you be planting fucking death flags on me. Be more positive.¡±


    ¡°Preparations are already in place, just in case.¡±


    ¡°I will be happy if they are never used,¡± I glowered. ¡°Speaking of preparations. How strong exactly is Hubris?¡±


    ¡°He is stronger than Miss Universe.¡±


    I sat on the tank, feeling it tilt from my weight, ¡°We were powerless against Miss Universe, and we need to beat her and somebody stronger than her. How the fuck are going to do that?¡±


    ¡°Miss Universe was wounded during our last encounter. As for Hubris, we must find a way to shake his resolve and make him doubt himself.¡±


    ¡°I see. Any idea where to start on that? Is he overcompensating for anything that we should know about?¡±


    ¡°I am researching as we speak. I will inform you when I discover anything.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it the waiting game then. Where am I staying, by the way?¡±


    Xava led the way with a nod. My room, as it were, was a hanger of sorts. Large, spacious, tall, everything I could hope for. Well, not everything, but it was a start. There was a large ¡°bed¡± it was, in actuality, about eight mattresses set together. It could be worse, it could be an operating table in a small containment cell.


    I lay on it, lounging on the squished fabric. It wasn¡¯t exceptionally comfortable. I would need about twenty more of these stacked up to support me. Oof, big girl problems.


    ¡°Do you require anything?¡±


    ¡°More beds if you can find them. Other than that, it is good enough for now.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, my Queen.¡± Xava smiled playfully.


    She sat beside me as I just lay there. Gradually my thoughts began to wander. There was a sort of nagging at the back of my mind. I definitely forgot something. Did I leave the oven on? Muh Biscuits! Wait, no. Something else, something impor-


    ¡°HER MAJESTY¡±


    The simple phrase seared my mind. Stabbing, burning, throbbing. A pulse, a flash of pain, and something else. An emotion I didn¡¯t quite understand. A deep dark sadness, something I couldn¡¯t touch. It left me aching, wondering, curious. There was only one question on my mind: Who the fuck is her Majesty?


    I sat up wide awake now, rubbing my temple to alleviate the stabbing pain. If I didn¡¯t know any better, a nail was being hammered into my brain.


    I rose; there was only one person who had the answer to my question, Mantia.


    ¡°Vesper, what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°I need some air.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.***


    My wings hummed as I flew low through the city streets, below the cityscape where it was relatively safe from the Citadel¡¯s view. My antennae wriggled, tasting the night air, picking through all the different scents, searching for a specific one.


    I returned to the last place that I had smelled Mantia. The abandoned base loomed through the darkness. With a thud, my feet touched down as I landed in the courtyard. My antennae were reaching about, strangling the air to find it. It didn¡¯t take long to pick it out, even among so many other scents. Mantia had a unique smell, primal, elegant, alluring. Oddly, I could sense some sort of flowery smell as well.


    Now locked on to my prey, my senses bristled. There was undoubtedly a trial here. Mantia had doubled back after the tunnel. I followed it out over the wall back into the city. The trail was low to the ground, and so I scurried about on all sixes following it.


    It weaved and wove through the concrete landscape, between buildings, across streets, over rooftops. The night was quiet. I paused, gazing around the desolate city; it was peaceful without the people and the prying eyes. I could move about in the open without people screaming at me. Perhaps it was better this way.


    I crouched down on a rooftop assessing the dimly lit city. Where was Mantia going? She had moved steadily West, away from the Citadel. Distantly I heard gunfire¡ªthe twinkle of muzzle flash visible about four streets over.


    My attention shifted back to the scent. The going ons of the city were not my concern. I crawled over the edge down the side of the building wall onto the sidewalk below. The trail had grown steadily more pungent as I followed it, meaning that I was getting closer.


    Here and there, I found the half-eaten remains of Mantia¡¯s victims. Some are more hidden than others.


    The trail led up through a window. Within was a blood bath. Several people had been massacred in there. It appears to have been a quick affair as the occupants were taken unaware. Other than the bloodstains coating the walls, mostly licked clean, a few bones were scattered about. Slash marks cutting through the walls. There was a giant hole in the floor. I looked down a floor, and the hole continued down all the way below ground level.


    Oddly, the floorboards were bent up. From the way things were situated, it appeared that something had come up through the ground. It was big, whatever it was. My feelers poked in the window smelling, and sure enough, there was another scent.


    Primal, musky, bugish? Different than Mantia, it was not hidden below a flowery perfume. Other bug people. Hmm, the only one I could think of was Centi. That means there are two of them here.


    Centi must be either tunneling under the city or using the sewer systems to move about undetected. My antennae picked through the scents and found Mantia¡¯s aroma again. It went through the door and out the broken window. I followed, bounding up over the building to the other side.


    She wasn¡¯t covering her tracks; instead, I get the feeling she wants me to find her. She did invite me after all. I couldn¡¯t tell if her route was purposeful or if she was merely stalking the streets. Only one thing was certain; she was moving away from the help of her allies in the Citadel deep into Kraken controlled territory.


    Her scent trailed along the rooftops until it stopped abruptly. Below was a park. Long well-maintained pathways created a central point where a fountain flowed with ever-changing colors. The trees shimmered in flickering lights; the bombardment must have damaged the power grid for this area.


    The wind blew in my direction, and on it was Mantia¡¯s pheromones. A lengthy, elegant woman stepped out from behind the fountain. At first, all I could see was the umbrella that covered the back of her head until she turned in my direction. Then, a geisha was surrounded by a pink and red splattered kimono. Finally, a blue fan masking most of her white-painted face as the eyes stared directly at me, unblinking.


    ¡°Ara~ Ara~ So you have come, little sister.¡±


    With a thud, my claws broke the pavement as I descended to ground level approaching her. I was eyeing the thin silhouette up and down. At a glance, one could mistake her as human. Her body was wrapped in a stylish smooth kimono that gave it shape; however, it only teased her form rather than showing it off. Her smooth white hand delicately held the fan so that only her eyes were above its veil. Speaking of eyes, what I had taken for hair buns at first take shifted, the tall stalk-like eyes glinting, sizing me up. She had two long pins sticking up out of her hair bun, or so I thought until I noticed one of them tilt slightly curling. Those were her antennae. I stared hard at her. There were three obsidian gems embedded in her forehead. Something tells me those are eyes too. Hmm. Alien bug people sure do have a lot of eyes on us.


    Overall, Mantia was curvaceous, sexy, mysterious, exotic, and all evidence was pointing to deadly. On a scale of 1 to 10, she was firmly in the I wouldn¡¯t mind sticking some eggs in there. Though I knew much better than to fall for her feminine wiles, it was her insect wiles I was more worried about. She smelled intoxicating up close, well, relatively close. I had thought I had grown accustomed to it after following the trail until now. I suppose it would be like the difference between a pie right out of the oven and one that had already cooled when it came to aroma.


    My mom had always said, ¡°Don¡¯t put your dick in crazy.¡± So when I was a high school girl getting lectured about life, it didn¡¯t make a damned bit of sense. It was only now that it made sense.


    We stared at one another, silent for a brief moment before I replied, ¡°Wait long?¡±


    ¡°I was beginning to wonder if you were coming,¡± Replied the sultry bug woman.


    ¡°I am a busy person, so let¡¯s just cut to the chase here. Who is Her Majesty?¡± I crossed my arms, gazing straight into her stalky eyes.


    ¡°Who mm? Her Ma-¡± she paused abruptly, her free hand rising to her head and pressing against her temple as though she were in pain, ¡°Not here. It is watching.¡±


    I glanced about. I didn¡¯t see anyone around. ¡°It? Who is watching?¡±


    ¡°Tell me, have you ever felt like everything was just a little bit off from what you remembered? Things that you had known all your life being off hue or rearranged inexplicably, that feeling of discomfort when what was familiar is wrong, other, off?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ that is oddly vague and yet specific.¡± I took my eyes off of her for a moment as I closed them, thinking. What she had said felt uncomfortably familiar. It reminded me of when I had first returned home to meet my parents with Molotov, ¡°You, how did you-¡±


    The light snap of her fan interrupted me. Mantia wagged her finger coyly, ¡°Interested?¡±


    I gulped, ¡°You. You were not there. How would you know?¡±


    She chuckled lowly, almost a pur, ¡°Ara, nee-chan only has your best interests in mind. Come let us go somewhere more private. To better get more acquainted. Without all these prying eyes,¡± She motioned weakly and turned to leave.


    ¡°I am not going anywhere. Tell me now. I get the run around by most people and just want it straight.¡±


    The playfulness of her voice dropped into a cold, emotionless voice, ¡°You came this far because you want answers, answers I have. Now come with me if you want them. If not, leave. I also have much to do and little time to waste.¡±


    I tapped my chin, watching her, mulling it over. I squinted at her. ¡°I think I will pass. Maybe next time we can have a more agreeable discussion.¡±


    Mantia sighed, ¡°Ara ara, little one, I doubt we will meet again after this on such amicable grounds. Next, we meet, you will be forced to choose whether you are our foe or our little sister¡ªlast chance, to choose before your path is chosen for you. While I am courteous, come little one, come with us. All shall be revealed. I know all those questions gnawing at the back of your mind.¡±


    As tempting as it was, something felt very off here. ¡°I will have to think on that.¡±


    ¡°I sense weakness in you little imouto. Perhaps I should test you, teach you intimately what it means to be Spore Spawned.¡±


    ¡°That is going to be a hard pass for me. I didn¡¯t come here to fight.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t come to talk either, apparently.¡± Mantia clacked her fan shut, no longer hiding her face. It was smooth to the point that it was artificial, a mask of white that did not move even as she spoke. ¡°I am hurt, little sister. You wound me. So ungrateful. You must learn much, and you either will either be forced to learn the truth or accept it willingly. Which will it be?¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you had come for me at the start, things would be different, but I have loved ones to protect, and if that means I will have to be at odds with you and the other insects, so be it.¡±


    ¡°Is that your answer, little one? Do you think you are strong enough to protect anyone, let alone yourself?¡±


    ¡°Little? I am pretty big, you know. I don¡¯t have to prove a damned thing to you. I am leaving now before this gets any weirder.¡±


    ¡°Ara, No need to be so hostile. We are family, little one. Don¡¯t you crave power? Strength? We could give you so much, help you to protect what you hold dear. Don¡¯t you fear losing the ones you love? As you are now, you can¡¯t save them. Not from the likes of Hubris. He will crush this city and all in it.¡±


    I grit my mandibles, ¡°And what, you can stop him? Don¡¯t make me laugh. I know he could kill you just as easy as he can kill me.¡±


    ¡°That man dare not kill my associate or me. That fear could be extended to you as well should you take your rightful place. Now choose. Show me your resolve. Come little Sister.¡±


    I eyed her for a long while our eyes silently locked. However, her offer was appealing in its own way. I feared the Sanguine Puppeteer far more than I feared Hubris or Arachnaon and especially this mantis before me. I blinked, my thoughts certain of one thing no matter what Mantia and those heroes did, it would pale compared to what I would face for betraying the one pulling strings.


    ¡°Next time, you will answer my questions.¡±


    ¡°Next time? Did we say you may leave?¡±


    I paused for a moment as my wings were humming for take-off, ¡°Yes, You did.¡± I pointed at her.


    Ah- I shouldn¡¯t have done that. Nothing good happens when I point at people. I should know better by now.


    My hand separated in a flash, the finger still outstretched, spiraling through the air. She had blurred for a moment there, no longer in front of me but roughly ten feet to the right of her initial position. I reeled back, clutching the stump as blood sprayed out.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± I backed away from her.


    Mantia stepped forward, pursuing me, ¡°We are done asking now. Come in one piece, two pieces¡­ or many.¡±


    ¡°Well, when you say it like that¡­¡± I trailed off. My wings flapped hard, sending a gust of dust as I rocketed up out of her reach.


    I flapped faster, quickly gaining altitude as I dared to look down. Was she gone? Puzzled for a brief moment, I realized I could in fact, still see her, stars twinkling behind her. Oh¡­ oh no. She was on my back. My large eye gaped as her arms raised, glistening scythes tearing through my wings like a hot knife through butter.


    ¡°Little one.¡± Her mandibles clacked as she leaned in close, her human face splitting into her monstrous true self, the wind howling around us as we plummeted out of the sky. Yet the screaming cold wind did not chill me as much as her whisper, ¡°Ara~ Ara~ Struggle for Nee-sama.¡±

 Villainy 101 Chapter 14

    The Vespidian


    Arc 12


    Villainy 101


    Chapter 14


    I hit the ground with a resounding thud. The crack had not been my carapace but rather the concrete breaking from the impact. Stunned for a moment, I staggered up, lashing out at the fleeting image of Mantia as it melded back into the background. By the time my eyes had refocused, she was gone again, along with my wings. My right hand was missing as well from earlier when she had severed it from pointing at her. The syrupy yellow blood slowed to a stop as my wounds sealed shut, already starting to regrow my missing pieces.


    I smelled and peered all about, trying to sense where she had gone. That flowery smell was everywhere, masking her trail from my feelings. Seeing her, well, that was easier said than done. Though where she was could be detected by the slight blur of air, picking up on exactly where was far more complex. The pitter-patter of her tiny claws circled about before pain lashed through my left leg. It slid, and I tilted over like a building getting demolished. My hands slapped down, holding it in place as the tendons and muscles snapped back, reattaching to one another.


    "Ara? It seems your regeneration is stronger than I was led to believe. Then again, you are taller, darker, and a lot more wonderful than the reports told me. Let''s do some limit testing, shall we?" laughed the crazed mantid woman.


    "Who told you about me?" I asked, looking for where that voice had come from.


    "Chimera knows much of you. However, her Majesty knows much more about you than you know of yourself."


    "What sorts of things does she know?"


    The voice crawled up my spine, "Why, everything. What you are. Who you are. Where you came from. How you were made. And of course why you exist."


    I shivered, slapping my neck as though to squish the bug scuttling. The dull pain overrode the bristling tension. I replied skeptically, "Where is she?"


    "Ara, little one got me distracted. It has been a long while since my target got me to monologue. Too bad for you. You can only meet her if you come with me."


    Seeing that she was coming in for a hit, I grasped a tree, yanking it from the ground, and swung it hard in her direction. Nothing but air. A definite miss. I was panicking now. The tree spun full circle around, lashing out in all directions as I attempted to figure out where she was going to come from.


    The blur came from above, striking down, and the tree easily chopped in half, the freed half soaring away from my grasp, destroying a car across the street from the park. The following fireball illuminated the trees in long shadows, dying the pink flowers red and orange with the flickering flames. This was, as it turned out, a rather beneficial thing for me. Mantia''s shadow swiftly darted between the trees.


    I threw the stump at her, demolishing a tree but not hitting the slippery bug. The scattering petals lit up, smoldering through the air. She was fast but compared to Glitter Kitten''s breakneck speed; I was getting the hang of her pace. However, gauging the exact distance proved to be an issue due to her camouflage messing with my depth perception.


    She was coming from the right- no left. My arm lashed down, smashing the pavement, missing her marginally. Damn, I thought she was closer. I squinted at the blurred air and the long shadow extending from it. Her scythed arms slashed, severing the left arm. Pain throbbed mildly, dulled by my desensitized pain index. I pulled away, leaving the arm where it fell to better defend myself.


    She darted, retreating out of my range. This was going to be an issue. My senses were failing me despite being superhuman. If sight and smell were useless, then I would need to use other senses. I closed my eyes, listening. Sure enough, I could hear the scrabbles of her claws stalking to my side. I stepped, circling the open area keeping her at a distance, edging my way over to where Mantia had removed my arm. My clawed toe hit against the carapace, and I bent slightly to lift it up with my smaller arms. Mantia was not content to let me rearm, rushing towards me.


    My smaller hands grasped the arm, and I sent a handless right hook at the space above where her claws touched the pavement. I missed. My eyes snapped open, finding Mantia lower than I had thought; scuttling on all six of her limbs, she leaped like a jungle cat pouncing past where I was. The hardened claws scraped at my side, gouging through the thick plates of my exoskeleton. Yellow pouring out from the deep cut. She had changed her trajectory, missing the majority of her blade-like arms. If she had not veered off course, that would have cut me in half.


    She landed already scurrying about her kimono waving loosely around her, no longer held in place by the secondary arms that aided in her locomotion. It waved and weaved through the air, and she blurred again, vanishing. So it was the kimono then that made her invisible? Or rather distorted the light around her causing an optical illusion.


    My small arms lifted the left arm up to the socket that it had been sheared from. Pressing it lightly, the muscles reattached, holding it in place. I froze as I heard the tell-tale scrabbling of the mantis coming in for another attack. My muscles bristled as I waited until she was close enough, and I swung both arms like a hammer. The full force slapped against something. After a moment, all feeling vanished in my left arm again.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The flop of my arm disconnecting again wetly hit the ground. Not again. She was toying with me. A brute force type like me was not suitable against speed and or illusion types since I can''t very well hit them easily. Though I get the feeling, one good hit would take her out. With any luck, she will run out of stamina before my body gives out.


    Not having a plan is not good. Maybe I could surprise her? Anything was better than just sitting here like a punching bag. If I could reach farther, then perhaps I could smack her, catch her off guard. But how. Now that, that was the real question.


    I glanced down, seeing the lobbed-off arm and a cog turned in my head. I had never really tried that sort of thing before, but fuck it. Sometimes you don''t need a hand, but an arm.


    I heard her coming in and slumped over, hiding the arm as I pressed my stump of a right hand into the severed shoulder of the left arm on the ground. The flesh melding and tendons and muscles were lashing out like tentacles as they forcefully attached to the arm. There was a strange sensation as the muscles connected. It was off. Reversed, but it would do.


    I Spun around to face down my attacker. The fused arms slapped out as one reaching out double the regular length. She was surprised by the sudden increase in my attack range. With a powerful backhand, I swatted Mantia like the bug she was sending her smashing through an apartment building.


    I struck her so hard the crudely joined limbs broke apart. I panted, lifting it up a final time and setting it back to the correct shoulder. It felt right. Much better than the twisted inversion. I shook my head; getting out any odd thoughts, I focused on the matter at hand. I swiftly pursued bounding over parked cars to capture the mantid. A sting would render her helpless, and I had many questions that needed answering.


    Slamming through the wall of the ruined apartment building, I found her curled up, well uncurling. She must have balled up to protect herself. I moved in to finish the job my stinger sliding out as I grasped her. Just as my abdomen started to move, I felt- Danger¡ªa very unsettling feeling. Eyes were watching me. I could see the glint and feel the saliva dribbling down onto me from above.


    My reflexes kicked in before my mind even registered what had happened. My arms and legs thrust, throwing my mass backward out into the open, away from the fanged maw that snapped shut where I had been.


    The building rumbled, and the wall cracked, revealing a long segmented body that emerged from below the pavement. Insect legs with three-fingered hands were attached to each of the armored segments. Slowly, methodically the form emerged from the dust of the destroyed building.


    My carapace crawled, watching all of those legs moving in unison, the fingers flexing and balling at the massive creature reared up. The underbelly faced me, and below the insect head, a humanoid stuck out. Like a tumor, a growth from the chitin. There was a torso, head, and arms halfway emerged from the underbelly of the centipede.


    Two sets of antennae emerged, waving in the glow of the burning park¡ªone from the six-eyed face of the humanoid and the other from the massive insect head above.


    I knew what this thing was simply by the process of elimination. It must be Centi. It blinked at me, slowly lazily. I could see it looking between the downed mantis and me. One of the many hands reached out, helping the wobbly Mantia up. Ah, shit, now I gotta fight two at once?


    "My, my~ you are stronger than you look nee-chan." Said Mantia already recovering from the blow, "Perhaps I should get serious?" Her antennae perked, shifting, pointing up; she mumbled to herself, "Are you sure? I see, but what if I just- a little- yes, yes. As you wish, your Majesty."


    Mantia pointed at me, "Still not ready yet. Come Centi, this fruit still needs to ripen. Before the harvest."


    "Fruit? What are you weirdo''s talking about?"


    "Don''t worry little one. Get stronger before we meet again or else I might just take you for myself."


    I tapped my lip, "I feel like I should be concerned about that statement."


    Centi stared at me, antennae waving in my direction. As it turned out, Centi was not looking for a fight. Quizzically it looked me up and down with the many, many eyes upon its body. The legs moved as one in an unsettlingly synchronized motion. Centi burrowed down into the street, leaving a massive hole.


    "Don''t die, little one. We have high expectations." Smiled Mantia as she vanished into the hole that Centi had made.


    I let out a sigh of relief that it did not want to tussle as well. If Centi had been here the whole time, I wonder why they didn''t double-team me, give me the old Grand Slam wombo combo on the pain train.  It would have been easy, too I get the feeling Centi is about as strong as I am, so it could have held me down and let Mantia wail on me. I guess Mantia was just testing me. Well, of course, she was. If she had been serious, my head would have been severed first. At any rate, I wasn''t sticking around to find out. I picked up the hand left on the ground and quickly scaled up the nearest building.


    As I arrived at the roof I found a Neon Nurse waiting for me, well not just one; there were ten here, all of them were armed and had set up a sniping position. Looking back down, I could see the hole clearly from this vantage point.


    "Was the air fresh?" Asked the Xava before me with crossed arms.


    I replied, "I think I have had enough fresh air for a while."


    Xava scanned me up and down, patting at the claw marks in my carapace, "It is a good thing Mantia is cocky, and Centi is very shy or else things would have escalated very quickly there."


    "It is shy?" I asked, a little bewildered.


    "Yes, Centi is known for ambushing her prey. She doesn''t like extended fights."


    "I see," I rubbed my chin.


    "So, care to tell me what that was all about?" Xava eyed me.


    I tapped my fingers together, "Well, remember when we first ran into Mantia? She said some disturbing things to me, so I wanted answers."


    "And did you get any answers?"


    I shook my head, "Only more questions and a headache. Have you ever head of a Her Majesty?"


    Xava''s eyes flashed for a moment as she processed my request, "In what context?"


    "Spore Spawn? I don''t know from the sounds of it even the bugs are following her. And she wants something from me."


    "That is concerning. No more unsupervised outings until this hero business have been sorted out."


    I nodded reluctantly.


    "Don''t go running off alone again. You are lucky I followed you. Who knows what would have happened if those two had been seriously attacking you."


    "You are right. Hey, at least I didn''t follow the strange bug lady with candy."


    Xava nodded, patting my antennae, "True. You did not follow this time."


    "This time? When have I ever fallen for the candy?" I Crossed my arms, puffing up as I looked away from her.


    "Vesper, how many times has food manipulated you?"


    "I can''t help it. I have hypermetabolism. I mean fuck, I could probably eat a school bus of meat at this point in one sitting. That is like 50 meat bicycles."


    "My point still stands."


    "Ok, ok, I won''t go out without you anymore."


    "Good. Now let''s go home, love."


    I stared down at the hole in the ground, "If they are not here for me, then what the hell are they after?"


    "Now that Vesper, that is a good question. Hopefully, we will find the answer before they become a problem."

 Happy New Year! Interlewd: Morning Service

    Interlewd: Morning service


    Xava watched Vesper sleeping. Her heavy, swollen abdomen inflated and deflated as she dreamed peacefully. The shiny blackish-blue plates glistened in the slightly dimmed lights of the room. Xava''s florescent tubes'' red glow gives the hardened plates a minute tinge.


    "Wakey, wakey sleepyhead," Said Xava patting her massive lover.


    Vesper murmured a little in her sleep, rolling just a tad. Still very much dead to the world. Now that she had rolled onto her side, the hard white exoskeleton of her face was laid before Xava, the supple lips twitching. Xava bit her own lips watching Vesper for a moment. She rubbed Vesper''s face, patting it affectionately. It was considerably larger than her own, which was not surprising in the least since Vesper was a giant wasp woman. Size, though it did not matter in this case, Xava loved every little bit of Vesper. Every nook, every cranny, and every wet little crevice she could get her hands on.


    "Vesper, if you don''t wake up, I am going to be very lewd to you." Said the robotic nurse trailing her fingers along Vesper''s lips. "If you don''t say no, then who knows what I will do to you."


    The long feelers twitched but nothing more of a response from the slumbering wasp woman. Seeing the lack of refusal, Xava smiled. Vesper was in for her favorite treat, whether she realized it or not. The synthetic skirt tented as Xava brought her engorging erection to bare. This model happened to have a replica of Vesper''s thick hard wasp cock. The ballooning alien tentacle cock pressed to Vesper''s lips and, with a slight thrust, slid in neatly. Vesper shivered for a moment as her antennae wriggled and her mouth began to suckle unconsciously. Sensing the pheromones radiating from Xava''s cock Vesper''s body readily submitted.


    "Good girl Vesper. Yes, it is your favorite. That is it. Dirty girl sucking my cock even as you sleep." Xava moaned, pressing the replica shaft deep into Vesper''s mouth, pressing down her throat.


    Still, Vesper slept. Oblivious to the fact that she was being used. Her lips were still suckling and milking her lover''s cock even as she was deep asleep. Xava began to hump slowly at the start. Grinding in gently and pulling back out most of the way, feeling the massive tongue lulling under the shaft. Xava closed her eyes, indulging herself in Vesper''s warm wet mouth as it tightened and loosened rhythmically. Steadily her hips thrust as she hugged Vesper''s face. Pressed up tightly against the rigid exoskeleton. Fervently and eagerly breeding her lover''s throat. Each thrust grew ever more forceful and powerful than the last.


    The steady slapping of the cock railing into Vesper''s throat pussy filled the room, only broken by the shuddering vents on her abdomen that flapped in her arousal. Her breathing was uninterrupted despite her mouth filled and occupied, the moist vent holes flaring as they gulped in air, fully exposed and vulnerable. Vesper''s soft pliable under flesh glistening bluish-white almost transparent under the lights.


    Seeing Vesper so vulnerable and squishy aroused Xava. Her consciousness shifted from the body mating Vesper''s mouth to one of the many others who were idling about the room. The green eyes flashed as the new robotic nurse approached Vesper''s abdomen. Petting and tracing a finger along the shivering flesh. Teasing it as she came to the end of the swollen fat mass. Vesper was full of eggs. From her estimates, there were at minimum fifty eggs filling that squishy appendage, at most, well over a hundred depending on how bloated and backed up Vesper had gotten. Vesper was Xava''s Queen. Her mate and Xava would go to great lengths to appease Vesper''s needs.


    Xava knelt down in front of Vesper''s dripping, twitching hole. Her oozing pulsing alien pussy. She pet it, fingers pressing along the outside before slowly digging into it. She kissed it, licking up the dribbles as her fingers wormed their way in, wiggling and teasing Vesper''s insides. Her mouth edged along, slurping and kissing before she came to a stop on Vesper''s clits. She sucked, tongue flicking back and forth torture the sensitive nubs of flesh. Trapping them in her synthetic mouth. She suckled in a slowly pulsing rhythm that matched Vesper''s pulse, increasing in pace and intensity as Vesper''s did.


    The firm yet supple fingers spread Vesper open, digging deeper, sinking deeper into the warm wet walls of Vesper''s egg-stuffed abdomen. The loud squelching of her aroused hole rose in a chorus of the wet slurps and slaps from the other Neon Nurse who had not ceased her fervent mating of Vesper''s throat. Xava continued wholeheartedly worshiping Vesper''s slutty twat. If the world were a more peaceful place, then Xava would be here below her Queen, worshiping Vesper every minute of every day. Alas, this morning was a rare occurrence as of late. As such, she intended to thoroughly enjoy it.


    Feeling that Vesper was sufficiently aroused, Xava switched bodies once more, bringing a third robotic nurse into the mix. This one was already erect and ready to breed, ready to serve her Queen''s need. Xava slapped the metal hard cock against Vesper''s ready and waiting hole, the auto-piloted Neon Nurse still sucking and edging Vesper, spreading her to be mated.


    "Horny bitch. Look how wet you are. Want my cock don''t you slut?" Smirked Xava teasing Vesper''s pussy.


    Just the tips she pushed in. Just a few inches, letting it sit, filling the tight needy hole''s entrance. Pulling back out, then slapping the engorged mound with the arousal-coated cock. In and out, she tortured the spot until it was quivering, open, and dripping, ready to be bred. Hungry to be fucked.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "What to do with you? Maybe I should just lock you up and breed you all day long every day, forever and ever." Xava slapped her stiff shaft against the desperate hole, watching it pulse and undulate.


    Xava pressed the thick hard dick in and shuddered from the meltingly hot insides that smothered the member as it slid into place. She paused, taking in the pleasure and heat radiating through the sensors all through the sensitive equipment. Her hips slid back, pulling out tantalizingly close to the entrance before she slammed back in. Every inch pushed into the strangling depths of Vesper''s tendrilled womb.


    "Hungry whore look at you taking my cock," Xava moaned, "Your body is always so needy."


    Xava shivered as the length of her shaft was being assailed by tiny tentacles wriggling and coiling grasping at her. Pulling her deeper. Fully hilted in. She huffed and moaned. Trapped. Vesper had tightened, crushing her cock, the muscles squeezing, undulating. Xava was powerless to escape that swollen hole. It would devour her if she allowed it. Which wasn''t a bad thing. Even if this body were crushed and ruined, that mattered little to her. There was always more to replace it.


    Unable to pull out and unable to thrust or hump or do much for that matter, Xava gripped the abdomen pulling her hips back, trying to fight Vesper''s insatiable snatch. It dragged her back in, hilted after only managing to get several inches back out. Stuck. Xava slapped the abdomen end. Watching as the flesh jiggled and shifted. Again she struck it with an open hand, the insides shuddering, loosening just enough to yank herself mostly out.


    The alien fuckhole tangled and squirmed, pulling her back in. Xava slapped it again, rutting back and then slamming back in. She worked out a rhythm after a short delay, slapping the hungry hole every time she pulled out. Rewarded it with her cock pounding back in, training Vesper''s breed-hungry body. It grew accustomed to her rough treatment growing wetter and hotter as she smacked it and used it as she pleased. Xava''s precision and continuous motions were taming the hole and using Vesper as her personal cock sleeve. She bottomed out in both holes trembling as the hot wet walls strangled an orgasm from her.


    Thick sticky streams of cum pumped into Vesper. Glazing her lips and painting her insides white. Xava Huffing as her grip slowly loosed from crushing Vesper''s soft flesh. The nurses let their shafts fill the holes vibrating low lewd wet noise. Love fluids were drooling out of the twitching holes. Their fingers were rubbing and swirling, stirring Vesper''s honey pot ceaselessly.


    Surely Vesper would have awoken from all the slapping? Xava left that body to indulge, shifting into yet another looking over the eager machines edging Vesper senseless. The giant wasp woman was awake, though very groggy and out of it. She lay submissively accepting what was happening. Xava snapped her fingers, and all the neon nurses stopped at once, causing silence to permeate for a moment. It was immediately broken by the loud wet flapping of Vesper''s vents.


    Xava smiled, patting Vesper''s face, "Wakey, wakey sleepy head. Sometimes I wonder if you could sleep through a tornado."


    Vesper blinked a few times all those black eyes fogged over before darkening to a shine as she awoke properly. Vesper sucked for a moment, looking and pushing the Neon Nurse out to free her mouth. She looked about the room confused and asked, "What have you been up to?"


    "A little morning service, I thought you would enjoy," she replied.


    "Morning service? Seems like you just got horny and couldn''t wait for me to wake up." Vesper poked at the Neon Nurse before her, rubbing the hard wasp cock between two fingers.


    "Do you not enjoy it?" Asked Xava quizzically.


    Vesper leaned in, giving Xava a wet kiss, "I never said that. Lewd fuck bot. Getting very vigorous for such a subby bitch. Couldn''t wait to fuck my brains out? Or were you teasing me so that I would put you in your place? Admit it. Confess for your Queen."


    Xava got down, lowering herself to the floor, "My Queen, I was turned on by your body and wanted to mate, to serve you."


    Vesper smiled playfully; laying on her side, she pushed her abdomen between her legs, setting it before the Neon Nurses. Her thighs pressed on it, squishing it to puff out even more perversely than before, pulsing and throbbing, dripping and drooling as her lengthy wasp cock emerged. The thick bluish-hued flesh bulged and inflated, twitching as it rose to full erection.


    "You may worship your Queen, Slave."


    "Yes, My Queen," replied Xava eagerly.


    The idle Neon Nurses joined Xava surrounding Vesper''s girth. All of them kissing and licking the shaft. Rubbing themselves against it, using their bodies to press and rub and pleasure their Queen. Xava pressed her cock into the tip of Vesper''s, causing her to shudder in pleasure. Xava pressing in fully. Rubbing Vesper from within and out. Vesper sighed in pleasure as Xava began to thrust eagerly as the surrounding Neon Nurses stroked and caressed the shaft. Those at the base of Vesper''s abdomen were lapping eagerly at the hole where it emerged.


    Those who could not worship Vesper''s cock pressed their shafts into her vent holes. The thick abdomen shuddered with each cock pressed into it as she moaned and panted, shivering. The vents plugged with cock inflating with hot wet fumes that oozed out around the shafts when they slapped in and out. Vesper huffing drooling as her body overheated.


    "Oh¡­ Nmmm lewd- lewd slave. That is not what I had in mind¡­ though nnmmm it is pleasurable. You, you may continue."


    "Yes, my Queen," Moaned Xava, already humping, hips bucking to fuck Vesper harder.


    The Neon Nurses eagerly tightened their grips, squeezing Vesper, milking her shaft, desperate to please. Vesper closed her eyes, purring in abject pleasure the deep rumbling vibration radiating from her chest down her body into her cock. Xava gripped the tip and moaned cumming. Thick flowing cum gushing up Vesper''s shaft, pumping into her abdomen. The already full bug hump was bloating, shuddering as it grew just a bit more.


    Xava switched bodies to each as it reached climax. Each euphoric release tingled her collective mind, dumping load after a load of thick hot cum into Vesper''s swollen fertile abdomen. Impregnating her lover. Finally, the last pulled out, Vesper''s vent holes drooling and dripping cum as they shuddered, well, and fucked. Vesper slumped over, already tired despite the day just starting.


    "Sometimes, I wonder if I am the perverted one or if you are." Panted Vesper.


    "I am only perverted for you," smiled Xava giving Vesper a loving smooch on the forehead, "Breakfast will be ready shortly. Shall I serve you more while we wait?"


    Vesper gave her a long look, "Don''t threaten me with a good time."

 Interlewd: Tables Turned

    Interlewd: Tables Turned


    I sat in the white-walled nursery gazing at the honeycomb chambers stacked atop one another with Neon Nurses occupying them. Their inactive forms fat, plump with my eggs. The glowing pink lights faint, blinking in a slow pulsing pattern. Row after row of incubators gestating my brood. On the other side of the glass, beyond the incubators, was where the cute little grubbies were taken care of once they left their host. The low hungry little chirps and purrs were resounding from the grubs as the pregnant Mad Dogs fed them from their ample and plentiful breasts. My hive was coming along delightfully.


    Yes~ grow our hive. Whispered Sub sensually in the back of my mind.


    Now, now, we cant grow beyond our means too quickly. Once the first batch of children advances to be adults, they will take over caretaking.


    The warm wet pleasure plopped as Slither eagerly suckled. The turquoise and orange scales shimmered in the light as her throat bulged around my thick hard wasp cock. Her head bobbed, wiggling back and forth as the hungry snake slurped and worshiped her Queen¡¯s cock.


    ¡°Good Slave,¡± I said vaguely, petting her head, scratching behind her hood as her throat vibrated with a purr.


    Slither slowly slid back up, gasping for air, ¡°My Queen Ssslither lovessss Vesssper.¡±


    ¡°What are you?¡± I asked, petting her head some more.


    ¡°Ssss Sssslither issss sssslave.¡±


    ¡°Good Slave Snake. Beg your Queen.¡± I leaned back, watching the horny snake woman.


    ¡°Pleasssse let ssslave ssserve.¡± She quivered, lowering her gaze.


    I pointed to the floor, ¡°Grovel Slave.¡±


    ¡°Yessssss!¡± Slither moaned and flopped onto the floor, coiling around my foot, kissing and licking it, ¡°Pleassssse, pleasssse, Ssslave Ssssnake wantss to sssserve, to ssserve my Queen.¡±


    ¡°What will do for me?¡±


    ¡°Anything anything! Sssslither obeysss, Ssssssslither obeyssss.¡±


    ¡°Anything?¡± I asked, amused.


    ¡°Yesssss anything for Ssslither¡¯sss Queen. Order Ssslither make ssslave obey.¡±


    I slapped her flank, watching the toned snake muscles undulate for a moment. ¡°Subby bitch. I suppose you have been good. Suck my cock, slave.¡±


    ¡°Yesssss, my Queen~¡± Slither nodded obediently, snaking her way up my abdomen and kissing my tip. Slowly her mouth wrapped around it, swallowing down the length foot after foot until her head bottomed out against my swollen chitin. I sighed, leaning back to enjoy my well-trained suck slut.


    The door opened, and in walked Dr. Arbor, her deep dark green bodysuit leaving her curves exposed. She wore the usual respirator that billowed puffs of green mist. Her multi-colored eyes were fervent as always. After a couple of steps, she stopped, observing Slither and me. ¡°I see you are busy feeding your snake.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she has been wonderful lately, so I decided to reward her to pass some time. So how goes your research?¡±


    Dr. Arbor nodded, setting her tablet on the desk. Glancing down at it, I could see some formulas and diagrams. It depicted a worm-like creature overgrowing until it turned into a cocoon and molted into a wasp woman.


    ¡°I am a Genius. Naturally, it is going splendidly. I have found a way to grow your children to maturity rapidly.¡± Dr. Arbor said smugly.


    I leaned, giving her my full attention even as Slither started choking on my cock as it throbbed, growing harder and bigger, fully erect in her suck hole.


    ¡°You have tested it?¡± I asked pointedly.


    ¡°What do you take me for? A snake oil salesman?¡± Dr. Arbor seemed offended before she haughtily explained what she had made. ¡°Of course, I have tested it. The first batch didn¡¯t work out, but the second configuration was better, and after a bit of fiddling, the third was nearly perfect. The fourth and fifth batches worked out the bugs and kinks in the process. Now, this final sixth serum has no side effects whatsoever.¡±


    I thought about it for a moment. ¡°What were the side effects?¡±


    Dr. Arbor seemed a little shifty, breaking eye contact, ¡°Well, details, details. Those don¡¯t matter, and the newest growth serum doesn¡¯t have any of the issues that the testing ones did.¡±


    ¡°That is good, but tell me what the problems were.¡±


    She sighed, ¡°Alright. It aged them too quickly; the first batch died of old age. More or less, it was too strong originally, so it took a few trials and errors to get the correct dosage to get them to mature, but not overage. Don¡¯t want life expectancy cut too short, although due to the rapid development there will always be a cut to the life expectancy after all they are growing five to ten years in a day.¡±


    I rubbed my chin, thinking on it. ¡°Do you have any of my children to show me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Dr. Arbor said, motioning to the door, ¡°Come children, meet your mother.¡±


    I could smell them before I saw them. The familiar yet foreign scent of Vespidian hit my feelers. They wiggled, taking in the aroma. Sure enough, ten smaller versions of myself. Around the size of my adolescent form. Their smooth black and blue carapaces glisten in the light. I rose, pulling free from Slither with a moist plop, retracting and closing my shell.


    We approached one another¡ªmy smol little children. Well, little for me, they were a good six feet tall. My tentacles reached down, poking them tentatively. They happily hugged the tentacles, rubbing against them. Their antennae curling and twisting, bathing in my scent.


    ¡°My beautiful children,¡± I smiled, ¡°How big you have grown. I am most pleased.¡±


    They were silent. I looked to Arbor, ¡°Do they speak? Was their intelligence altered at all? If it was, then this is a failure, and I expect better.¡±


    ¡°No, they know how to speak.¡±


    ¡°Mother,¡± they said in unison, sending shivers down my spine.


    ¡°Good babies¡± I pet them, and their bone white faces curled into smiles, purring and chirping. My antennae smelled their pheromones, picking through the intricacies of Vespidian. They seemed healthy. There was no rotting smell like the ferals, and unlike the clones, there wasn¡¯t a sickly smell.


    My feelers lowered down to their level, and they huddled around them, rubbing their antennae against mine, shivering. ¡°Mother, Mother, Mother, Mother Mother.¡± They happily called as our feelers mingled.


    The excited feelers crawled all over my own, staining themselves in my scent and pheromones. They were acclimating themselves to me, accepting me. Vaguely I could feel them in my mind. Obedient, subservient. Their wills seemed so weak. They would need to be nurtured more to grow independent, but for now, I let my pheromones dominate their minds completely. I vented, opening my plates; each of them vented in return, accepting their Queen. One by one, they shakily pulled away my control, overpowering them.


    ¡°Good children. Mother is pleased.¡± I cooed, and they purred in submission.


    I smiled, standing and laying a hand on Dr. Arbor, pulling her to the wall of incubators. We looked into it, and I said, ¡°I am most pleased.¡±


    Dr. Arbor happily replied, ¡°Good! I told you to trust me.¡±


    ¡°When can we begin mass-producing the serum?¡±


    ¡°Immediately, I have already given Overseer the blueprint to synthesize.¡±


    ¡°Overseer, is that true?¡± I asked.


    One of the idle Neon Nurse lit up, ¡°Yes, production has already begun.¡±


    ¡°Good. That certainly puts the timetable up on my plans. Here I was, getting ready to wait years. Thank you, Dr. Arbor.¡± I hugged her tightly.


    She seemed a little awkward, ¡°I, of course. Your plans?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, my plans.¡± I replied, giving her a pat on the head, ¡°By the way, how many children did you use for this experiment?¡±


    Her shock turned to a stammer, ¡°On-one hundred.¡±


    ¡°Overseer, how many of my children were used for the experiments?¡±


    Overseer replied, ¡°one hundred, for the final batch. Counting all batches six hundred fifty-two.¡±


    ¡°I know it sounds like a lot, but hear me out, I needed them to test for irregularities, and I only used as many as was necessary.¡±


    ¡°Dr. Arbor. I am disappointed, and you broke my trust. Well, you did get results, so I won¡¯t kill you. In fact, I suppose I should reward you.¡±


    She paused, staring at me as though I had gone mad, ¡°You are not angry?¡±


    I held her firmly, ¡°I was, but you will be replacing every single child and then some.¡±


    ¡°No, I, I No! I am far more useful to you researching!¡± She screeched, squirming in my grasp.


    ¡°And you will, once I have broken you and made you loyal like Slither¡­ or perhaps just like Seedbed. Until then, you will be my personal breeding bitch.¡±


    ¡°No! Not like Seedbed! Please, I will serve you. Don¡¯t do that to me!¡± she struggled feebly.


    ¡°This is your reward for all your hard work.¡±


    Dr. Arbor screamed, ¡°OBEY ME!¡±


    There was a slight buzz to those words, a pull. There was a thought that I should obey, submit to Dr. Arbor. Just as quickly as that thought appeared, Sub brutally squished it. I blinked, looking down at her, ¡°I think not. You will obey me. Don¡¯t worry. The pleasure will break you, and you will enjoy drowning in it.¡±


    ¡°No! How, how, why are you not obeying?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so shocked. I always knew you were up to something. It was only a matter of time before one of us controlled the other, unfortunately for you. Because you took my Vespoidia Cortex, well, you can¡¯t control me with it. Your control is too weak. You are no Vespidian, so you can¡¯t even use it properly. Don¡¯t bother begging my children to help you. Just smelling me made them accept me. Now, you will learn your place below me. Just like the rest.¡± I smiled, licking her face.


    My finger pressed down, pulling along her green suit ripping it off. She shivered as her light blue transparent body was exposed. I was certainly not expecting that. Come to think of it; I had never seen any of her body except her head. Interesting. She was squishy. I poked and prodded at her. It was similar to my flesh. I suppose it would be; she is a Spore Spawn.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    My claw pressed to her mask, pulling on it, ¡°Tell me, do you need this to live?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± she cried out.


    ¡°Very well, the mask can stay on,¡± I said, pulling my fingers away and sliding them down her body.


    My tentacles pressed, pulling her pussy open. Oh my, tendrils coated the inside with a sea of wiggly feelers. Slowly my tentacles penetrated her, pushing in, spreading her. Inch by inch. As she shuddered and moaned. She squirmed helplessly. ¡°Be gentle!¡±


    My tentacles stirred her hole, slowly stretching, gentle. Funny, this bitch was never gentle with me. I recalled her fingers stabbing my brain. My thick muscular head feelers thrust into her pushing deep into her until they hit her womb. She shook violently, huffing, the green mist pluming out of her mask as she gasped and struggled to breathe.


    ¡°If you submit and become my loyal slave, then I will think about being gentle,¡± I replied, my tentacles curling inside of her belly. I pressed on the bulge in her stomach, watching it distend amused.


    ¡°Never! I made you! You will obey me! My plans, my plans will not end here!¡±


    ¡°You are already a part of my plans. You said it yourself; I am your doomsday device. It is only proper that you accept your place, and you will aid me willingly or not. I care little for your consent at this point, just as you didn¡¯t care about mine.¡±


    ¡°STOP STANDING AROUND DEFEND ME!¡± she screamed at my innocent vespies.


    My cute little vespies looked at her, then to me expectantly. ¡°Mother what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, little ones, you only need to listen to Mother. Mother is all, and all is for Mother. Go play with Xava for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡± They said, standing and leaving the room.


    ¡°NO!¡± Dr. Arbor cried, ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°I told you. Don¡¯t get them involved. Even if they did turn on me, what could they possibly do to me? Well then, no gentle. You deserve to be punished for that. Trying to turn my sweet little children on me. Hmm ah, Slither swallow her.¡± I said, extracting my tentacles from her.


    ¡°Yessssss my Queen!¡± Slither eagerly obey. No questions asked.


    Slither grasped Dr. Arbor, lifting her into the massive gaped maw nomming down on her as she struggled and squirmed helplessly. The snake¡¯s jaws worked back and forth as she gulped and devoured Dr. Arbor whole. I watched the struggling lump slide down the stuffed snake¡¯s throat and fill out her fat flank. I pat the mass as it squirmed in Slither.


    ¡°My Queen~ My Queen thissss Sssslave obeysss.¡± Moaned Slither laying on the floor at my feet.


    ¡°Good Girl, Slither.¡± I pet the loyal snake, rubbing along her belly and the thrashing lump inside. ¡°Was your meal tasty?¡±


    ¡°Yesssss, my Queen,¡± Moaned Slither rubbing her stomach.


    ¡°Good, now lets feed your other mouth, shall we?¡± I said, mounting Slither.


    My thighs held her slithery body firmly down as my abdomen pressed against her pussy. My thick hard ovipositor emerged and pushed deep into her well-trained fuckhole. Her body shivered and spasmed in delight. Moans and sighs from the sex-addled snake rose, and I slammed down, letting the full length extend into her hellishly hot hole.


    I grasped her flanks, holding my snake slave down. Slamming in and out of her hole, my abdomen pressing and hammering at her, jerking up and down, sliding in and out of my personal cocksleeve. Yes, Slither¡¯s pussy had long since been molded to my cock and accepted me as its owner. My lower arms groped at her snake titties, twisting her nipples as I teased and tormented her.


    ¡°Broken Bitch,¡± I growled, biting Slither¡¯s neck making her squeal.


    ¡°Broken, broken, broken ssssSsslither is broken!¡± she moaned.


    ¡°Good bitch.¡± Lightly I slapped her face.


    ¡°Bitch bitch good bitch,¡± Slither panted dreamily.


    I pulled back, watching Slither¡¯s pleasure-melted face drool almost mindlessly. I slapped her flank, ¡°Worthless whore.¡±


    Slither¡¯s whole body tightened up. She panted, ¡°Worthlesssss whore~.¡±


    ¡°You love it when I dominate you and abuse you. Masochistic snake slut. I would treat you caring and lovingly, but you get off on being degraded too much. Pathetic whore. Maybe you are not even a snake; maybe you are a lowly worm.¡±


    ¡°Yessssssss sssnake ssslut ssssnake ssslut more moresss moresss pathetic whore Sssslither doesn¡¯t dessserve anything!¡± Slither cried out.


    I rubbed her face lovingly, ¡°Poor little slave. So broken. Good snake slut. Beg your Queen.¡±


    Slither coiled around me, ¡°My Queen give thissss lowly ssslave your sssseeed!¡±


    ¡°Mnn~ horny bitch. Want more eggs do you?¡±


    ¡°YesssS! Yesss, yesss, Pleasssse fill your worthlesss sssslave!¡±


    I bottomed out in her tight wet body hilted into my whore. I slapped her flanks and gripped them holding her down as my ovipositor inflated, filling with eggs. Pushing them down the tube, Slither moaned and shivered. The lumps pressed into her spreading her even more with each egg. Egg after egg pumped steadily into her hungry, wanting body.


    ¡°My Queen eggssss eggsss~ Ssslither lovesss eggssss.¡± She panted, drooling the happiest slave ever.


    ¡°Good egg slut. How is Arbor holding up?¡± I asked, leaning in and patting Slither¡¯s bloated and stuffed belly.


    ¡°Only Sssslightly Ssstruggling. Weak, weak feelssss weak, my Queen.¡± The blissful snake replied.


    ¡°Good, let her out.¡± I stood over Slither¡¯s lengthy egg swollen body.


    ¡°Yessss, my Queen.¡± Slither opened her mouth wide.


    I reached in, thrusting my arm down her throat feeling about in her hot insides until I felt a leg. Gripping it pulled slowly, dragging Dr. Arbor out. Her body soaked, dripping the snake¡¯s acidic spittle. Arbor¡¯s respirator foaming, green slopping rather than misting from the vents. She naturally smelled like half-eaten snake food.


    ¡°Xava, clean this off,¡± I ordered the Neon Nurse that had been watching the whole ordeal.


    ¡°Oh? You knew it was me?¡± Xava asked, tilting her head.


    ¡°Of course, your eyes light up brighter when it is you. Besides, there is no way you would not know with that many bodies watching this.¡±


    Xava looked over the wall of her synthetic bodies that were front row and center, ¡°You got me there.¡±


    ¡°Xava,¡± weakly said Dr. Arbor, ¡°Help me.¡±


    The robotic nurse smiled coldly, ¡°No. If Vesper didn¡¯t do it. I was planning on it. Did you really think you could plot against us under my nose? Using my machines, my lair, my computers? Don¡¯t worry; we will put you to good use.¡±


    Xava took Dr. Arbor taking her into the decontamination chamber to be sprayed down and cleaned up. After a minute or so, the sparkling clean translucent woman was dragged back out. Xava brought before me laying Dr. Arbor down as though she were tribute. Amused, I smiled.


    ¡°My Queen,¡± Xava said, lowering her head, ¡°Enjoy your gift.¡±


    Quite the gift indeed. Had Xava not told me Dr. Arbor was up to something, I might have believed her. Idly my tentacles coiled around Arbor, pulling her up to face me. To think I was terrified of this woman at one point. Although she did save my life on several occasions and thanks to her, not only myself but my children will be able to flourish. I want to be mad at her, but it is more just a mild irritation that she would resist. I wonder, is this Stockholm syndrome? At any rate, I was truly, wholeheartedly thankful for this woman.


    ¡°Thank you Dr. Arbor, and I mean that with every fiber of my being,¡± I said, ¡°You have given me so much. More than you even realize, and now I will give you the reward you deserve.¡±


    ¡°Vesper please. Don¡¯t do this.¡± She meekly muttered.


    ¡°You never stopped when I begged.¡± I replied mockingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You will be a good Mother soon enough.¡±


    My abdomen bulged as the thick hard ovicock slapped against her. She shuddered helplessly, staring up at me. Oh, how the tables have turned. I pressed into her, and she squealed. Thrusting up into that alien pussy. It coiled and wrapped, fighting me for every inch. My grip tightened, and I pulled her down, forcing her to take it deeper. The throbbing tube spread her, inflating her. I could see the bulge distending her translucent flesh. Her eyes watered and started to roll as I slammed all the way in, bottoming out in her belly, watching as it bulged with my flesh dominating her core.


    ¡°Yes, so helpless. Powerless. It feels odd, doesn¡¯t it, being on the receiving end of this. Don¡¯t worry; you will learn to love it. Try not to break.¡±


    The steady slapping of my abdomen meeting her body filled the room as Arbor shuddered and moaned. In and out my ovicock carving, it was molding her. Her body succumbing and accepting its owner. She had not yeilded just yet, but she was slipping. She was getting wet. Moist, drizzling, in fact. I get the feeling she has been backed up for a long while now, suppressing her urges.


    I leaned back, gripping her body with one hand, idly lifting and lowering her, and stroking myself off with her body, using her as a cocksleeve. Up and down. Each thrust was getting a little easier. Her tight hole was slowly but surely relaxing and enjoying it; I could feel the twitching and squirming of her insides, relishing my cock. The tendrils attacking me had begun to undulate. Waves of pleasure pulsing through her body into me. Her hot alien snatch tried to milk my cock.


    ¡°Enjoying yourself?¡± I asked casually, stroking her faster.


    ¡°No- no- no-¡± She moaned, getting jarred with each thrust onto my cock.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t lie. I can smell such things, you know. Just admit it. Accept it. Submit to me.¡±


    I gripped her with two hands, thrusting into her faster and harder, watching her head bob. The sudden stimuli made her tighten up, the delightful pressure gripping my shaft. Her hole was wetter and hotter with each stroke. Spore poon was definitely a different beast, and it might as well be its own animal the way it resisted and fought me. Alive struggling desperately not to admit defeat.


    Giving it some thought, I pulled out, changing my approach. Her gaped pussy writhing with feelers oozing, dripping drooling all over the floor. I set her weak form onto the floor, raising her ass and forcing her face down into the floor. My lower arms reached back and slapped her ass, watching the jelly-like flesh jiggle, slapping and hitting her ass over and over until she was dripping and moaning, mewling pathetically on the floor.


    ¡°Stop-¡± My hand slapped her again, ¡°Stop! no more, please no more,¡± she begged and pleaded.


    ¡°Be honest. I know you want it. I can smell your arousal. Your need. Your want. Admit it. I don¡¯t understand why you are so stubborn. You made me. Surely you imagined I would dominate you. Control you. Use you. Do what you never could. After all, you wanted me to take over the world. What makes you think you were not a part of that? You are just a stepping stone to my domination. Become a Drone in my Hive. Accept your place. This is what you wanted. Confess. Otherwise, well, that horny hole of yours is going to be left empty and wanting, desperate and neglected. I am thoroughly enjoying slapping your ass.¡±


    She shuddered weakly, ¡°I- I made you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did.¡± I replied matter of factly, ¡°Now tell me what you want.¡±


    ¡°I will nev-¡± She started before I interrupted her, ¡°Now think hard about what you are about to say. After all, you have had a taste of me. Now, if you turn me down here, I will let you go. That will be my final thank you for all you have contributed. But you will never receive this pleasure again, and we will not take you back even if you come crawling and begging. I don¡¯t need you anymore. You need me, not the other way around. We have your DNA already, so we can use it on my eggs as we please. Now you can either join us in finishing what you started or leave¡ªnever allowed back. Now I will be kind. My children and I will spare you, though only if you crawl under a rock and stay out of our way. We owe you that much.¡±


    ¡°What I started?¡± she said shakily.


    ¡°Yes. Join us or leave.¡±


    ¡°What have you¡­ done to me. It is hard- hard to think.¡± Dr. Arbor held her head.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± I said, looming over her, ¡°I suppose since you are a Spore Spawn, you would be rather susceptible to my pheromones. Xava clear the air a little.¡±


    Xava turned on the vents letting the room flush out with sterilized air.


    ¡°Better?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Less fuzzy.¡± Replied Dr. Arbor.


    ¡°Good. Now make your choice with a clear mind.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± she paused, ¡°I, I made you. You, you can¡¯t throw me away.¡±


    I leaned in close to her, ¡°Staying? Or Leaving?¡±


    ¡°Why, why do you fight me? I only had the best of intentions for you.¡±


    I growled, ¡°Answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Stay,¡± she said meekly.


    I smiled, ¡°Good. Now kiss my claw.¡±


    I set my foot before her, the claw shining blackish blue. She hesitated for a long moment before pressing her mask against it.


    ¡°I said, kiss it.¡±


    She shuddered. Slowly removing her mask, her clear blue lips oozed a green mist as they pressed to the claw before pulling back, and she reattached the breathing apparatus. Pleased, I gave her a nice pat on the back, and her whole body jostled from the slight impact.


    ¡°Now,¡± I said, watching her shivering weak little form, ¡°turn around, ass up, head down. Spread your hole and beg me to take you, to claim you, to dominate you.¡±


    ¡°Vesper-¡±


    ¡°Queen.¡± I interrupted her.


    She obeyed, turning, lowering, and presenting herself, spreading her alien pussy open the tendrils writhing within her, ¡°Queen Vesper, take me. Dominate me. Claim me. I, I submit. Allow me to join you. Forgive me for all I have done. I never wanted to hurt you. Do not abandon me. Make use of me. I am yours. Whatever you desire, I will obey.¡±


    ¡°Well said. I accept. You are mine now. And should you ever betray me, I will throw you away like the useless thing you are.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Queen.¡±


    ¡°Good, you are a smart slut. I like smart sluts.¡±


    I pressed my tongue to her pussy, slurping her insides, tasting her. Her need and want boiling oozing out, the tendrils fluttering around my tongue. She was ready. I pulled back and mounted her, thick hard ovi cock pressing in slowly. This time her shuddering body accepted it entirely and utterly. My ovipositor pushing, spreading, sliding all the way in. Her body submitted to its owner, its Queen. I had not noticed how jelly-like her insides were, hot, wet squishy viscus yet firm¡ªholding and straining around my girth, desperate to keep me in. Inch after inch of my throbbing shaft filling the void in her pulsing walls until I pressed into the back of her womb, claiming it.


    Gripping her hips, I thrust, humping steadily, fucking my new whore. Slamming in steadily, watching her shudder and squirm below me and accepting her new place in life. Smelling her arousal, feeling it pulsing and throbbing as her hole milked my cock and the delightfully wet slopping of her snatch oozing with each thrust. I slapped her ass, all at once, her whole body tensed, strangling my cock. I pounded in harder, hitting again and again.


    ¡°To think you almost missed this.¡± I pet her as her body jolted and jiggled with each thrust.


    ¡°I-¡± she sputtered between slaps and thrusts, ¡°I never knew.¡±


    I smiled, ¡°Now you do. What are you?¡±


    ¡°Yours, yours, my Queen.¡±


    ¡°Good Slave.¡±


    I bottomed out, holding her still, basking in her sultry insides, feeling the contractions and the tendrils messaging and coercing, squeezing, and rubbing. Hot and so moist. Enjoying it for a moment more, I slapped her ass, feeling her whole body contract at once like a single organism. Satisfied, I slammed into her depths, pushing hard until she moaned and squirmed desperately below held down, powerless to resist as I turned her into my cum dump. Thick hot cum gushed into her insides, filling her up as her bellow distended. Dr. Arbor screamed in pleasure as I impregnated her. My eggs pushed, spreading, pumping steadily into her, planting my ownership of her womb as they nestled in egg after egg. Filled to the brim, I pulled out, leaving her gaping twitching hole shuddering in my wake.


    ¡°Now then, Dr. Arbor. You are going to gestate my brood for a while. And just to make sure you stay out of trouble, I will keep you close.¡± I said, lifting her.


    ¡°Full so, so full.¡± She moaned.


    Dr. Arbor wobbled a little, her belly lumpy with eggs as she dripped all over. I pressed her head to my pulsing egg slit and pushed her into my abdomen. My abdomen worked back and forth, devouring her, completely all the way down to the floor. The wet squelch of Dr. Arbor wriggling within me faded as my abdomen snapped shut. My hot wet walls pulled her up deeper into me, the sea of tendrils dragging her helpless form into her new home. She was trapped inside of my egg sack.


    I pat my swollen abdomen listening to the gestating eggslut within. ¡°Very close indeed. I will let you out when you need more eggs.¡±

 Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City Chapter 1

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 1


    "Vesper, what should we do with your latest prize?" asked Xava walking beside me.


    "Prize?" I asked, a little confused. I don''t recall receiving anything lately.


    "Yes," she replied, "If you want to use her, I can prepare; if not, I will harvest her DNA for later use before extensive interrogation and disposal."


    "Who? What are you talking about?" Now I was even more confused.


    "Light Fly."


    "Oh, her. Hmmm. I''m unsure if I want to fuck her, although babies with laser beams sound fun. Not sure she would agree to get taken to pound town and stuffed like a turkey. I mean, I don''t really like forcing people. Does she need to be tortured? That is a little extreme, don''t you think?"


    Xava gave me a sideways glance, "Vesper, you have forcibly bred several people already. Don''t tell me you are naive enough not to think you have brutally violated people."


    "That''s¡­ huh, who besides Nightmare are you talking about?"


    "Are you serious?"


    I stopped, looking down at her quizzically, "Yeah?"


    "Vesper. Do you not understand what you have been doing to people? Tell me what the hell you think you have been doing."


    I scratched my chin, rubbing it lightly as I closed my eyes to think, "Well, let''s see. Glitter Kitten, Den Mother, Thumper, and some other Mad Dogs chose to be my pets and breeding bitches. As for Slither and Bubbles, instead of killing them, I subdued them, and they submitted to me, becoming my pets and breeding bitches. I suppose they are all Incubators. Let''s see, other than that, it is only you, and you are my mate and lover."


    "That is a rather innocent way of looking at it. Might I remind you that the subduing you speak of was torture and rape until they broke?"


    "Torture? I didn''t hurt them, though. Slither got cattle prodded a bit, but that was about it."


    "Vesper, they were drugged, restrained, tormented by my machines until they were begging for it to stop. Slither had her fangs removed as well."


    "True," I said, tilting my head, "But they are much happier now, are they not? I mean, Slither is positively glowing whenever I play with her. I think what we did was much nicer to them than killing them, and I can think of much worse things to do to them than what we did."


    "As long you acknowledge that what we have been doing is ethically wrong, you can justify it as you please. I don''t want you deluding yourself into thinking that turning people into incubators is good. Good on the moral compass; that is, shall we say, practicality it is excellent. We are Villians, so it doesn''t matter; either way, I don''t want you getting hurt thinking that we are the good people here. As for what we did to Nightmare, you can''t justify that as anything other than revenge."


    "Hmmm." I grumbled, "I said other than Nightmare. She deserved every bit of that and worse. I don''t care if it was right or wrong, she fucking deserved that for killing Sunshine and all the fucked up shit she did."


    "Good, we are on the same page on that. So, what should be done with Light Fly?"


    "How is Light Fly doing? Last I recall, she was a bit mangled from the fight."


    "She is stable. All life-threatening issues have been dealt with, and her arms have been removed to disable her powers."


    "So you have disarmed her."


    "Yes. She is unarmed."


    I chuckled a little, "That is dark. Well, I suppose she deserves it, trying to kill us."


    "I stopped feeling remorse long ago. Now then, Vesper, your decision?"


    "Hmm," I mumbled. "Let''s give her a look."


    "Very well."


    Xava led me along the white-walled corridors. This place was a bit of a labyrinth; the prison area was likely to make escape or rescue harder. Before long, we had arrived at the cell that housed the would-be hero. I peered in through the tinted glass.


    Light Fly lay naked on the floor. She wasn''t too bad looking now that the hero get-up was torn from her. Long, light, blonde hair draped the floor around where she lay motionless. She was situated on her side, facing away from the door. She was a little thing, well, little by my standards. She did have a nice ass from my view, toned and rounded. It was clear that she did work out a good bit or at the very least took her training seriously.


    Xava opened the door, and I hunched on in, squeezing through the much smaller entrance. My head scraped the room''s roof, emitting a loud metal screech. I bent lower to fit appropriately. My mass took up nearly half of the room.


    Our entrance left the poor little fly squirming to escape. She crawled with her stumpy elbows dragging herself away to the back wall where she curled up into a fetal position crying.


    "We really are the bad guys, aren''t we?" I asked Xava seeing the pitiful thing quivering.


    "Morally loose, yes. Though they did come here and pick a fight with us, so they shouldn''t be expecting any mercy."


    I rubbed my temple, "True. Still, this leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I mean, I was on that side not too long ago. For all we know, most of them are just scared and getting forced to come here by their higher-ups."


    "Likely, but they still came. They might say the old I was just following orders excuse, but if you follow orders, you must deal with the consequence of those actions."


    "Feels wrong, though. I can recall a good few times I was coerced into doing stuff I did not like."


    "Vesper, don''t let your conviction waver. We have things we must protect, and these do-gooders would not hesitate to destroy all that we hold dear. Imagine if they found your grubs, they would squish them and burn them or capture and dissect them."


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "I won''t let that happen," I growled, slamming my fist through the floor.


    "There there, Vesper, we won''t let them. They will die horribly."


    "Why can''t they just leave us alone? It is not like we were going to destroy the city or anything. Hell, they have done far more damage than we have."


    "They fear us, Vesper, and their fear drives them to attack. That being said, their fears are justified when it comes to the others in the group, and we simply got caught up in it."


    "After this nonsense, we should take over some remote island somewhere; that way, we can be left alone."


    Xava thought on it, tilting her head. "That will take significant preparations and resources, and I doubt the local fauna or flora will be adequate to support you and your brood''s appetite. We will need to set up a food production facility to accommodate the incubators and the growing grubs, as well as yourself. I will have Overseer set up some initial plans."


    "It will be like a nice vacation; we can hang out on the beach," I smiled.


    "Yes, that would be nice. Now then, what of Light Fly?"


    "I suppose that is up to her," I said, gazing down at the shaking woman.


    "What are you going to do to me?" asked Light Fly, pressed as far into the corner as she could get.


    "Well, you see," I said frankly, "I want babies with laser beams. This means one way or another; you are going to have my babies. Now you can either submit to me and be an Incubator, or we will harvest your genes and dispose of you."


    "WHAT?!" she yelled with equal parts fear and revolution.


    "You heard me. Either you submit, and I pump you full of eggs, or we will get rid of you. I could think of some much worse things to do to you."


    "You took my HANDS is that not enough for you?


    "We can fix that. That is a temporary issue if you submit. If not, even if you somehow escaped, that would be something you will have to live with for the rest of your life."


    "Just kill me and get it over with." She spat on my face. "I won''t allow you to defile and deface me."


    Mmm. My hand grasped her face squeezing it lightly, watching it contour and distort in pain.


    "You won''t allow me?" I asked. I leaned in, so my face pressed against hers, my predatory, demented smile spreading as my antenna wallowed in her fear. "You don''t seem to understand what sort of situation you are in. You are at my mercy. I could do anything I want to you. Hell, if I wanted to, I could slam my giant wasp cock all the way through your body and fuck you to death if I so desired. You are powerless to stop me. Now choose your words wisely, unless you want me to use you like a cocksleeve until your body breaks apart and I feed you to my children."


    "What is wrong with you? If I had known the villains were so fucked up here, we would have just nuked the whole fucking city!" she shrilly screamed as my claws cut her face from her attempts to struggle free.


    I let go of her face, and the secondary hands slapped her across the face. I reigned in my anger a bit, "We should just kill her."


    "Oh?" asked Xava tilting her head, "Don''t want to break her?"


    "I could, though I feel I will crush her by accident. Is there anything you wanted to do to her? If not, I will snap her in half and throw her in the dumpster out back."


    Xava seemed thoughtful, observing the distressed and very wiggly woman. She pats one hand into her other, "Ah. I could try something on her. I have been meaning to test it on humans. It was distinctly hard to find test subjects without attracting unwanted attention. Now, there are plentiful subjects and no real oversite."


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "It is a cybernetic implant that is an offshoot of the cyber brain development. It is a neural dampener, and I call it Neural High-Jack, or NHJ. It is experimental, so likely to have lots of issues. A less developed but more stable module is in the Cyber Swat members."


    "What does it do?"


    "What it does is simple. However, how it does, is complex. It blocks the nervous system''s access to the brain, more or less imprisoning the individual in their own body."


    "So it paralyzes them."


    "Yes and no. It is called a Neural High-Jack because it allows me to control their body remotely. It is theoretical, but I might be able to actually feel using an organic body, rather than the simulated stimuli I currently receive."


    "Oh," I smiled, "that would be wonderful if you could get it working properly."


    "Yes. I would be able to feel you properly, Vesper."


    I plopped my giant hand onto Light Fly''s head, "Do whatever you want or need. Even if this little fly expires, just harvest her genes for later use."


    "As you desire, my love," Smiled Xava shyly.


    What had just been discussed took a moment to process for Light Fly. The look of absolute horror that filled her as Xava smiled that plastic emotionless smile and raised her syringe gun was delightful.


    "Sweet dreams, little fly," I laughed, standing, hitting my head awkwardly, and scuttling out of the room as Light Fly started screaming all manor of threats before she went silent. Xava''s sleepy juice was not to be trifled with. I was happy not to be on the receiving end of that needle.


    ***


    Xava gazed down at the weak organic; it had succumbed so quickly to the sedative. Several more Neon Nurses arrived, and the limp, unconscious body was lifted and transported to the medical ward for operation.


    Xava lay Light Fly upon the cold, sterile table. Her back was exposed as the many different units assessed the subject. Robotic eyes scan over the body. Detailed diagrams and vast walls of text scrolled past Xava''s vision as she lifted the scalpel to begin the operation. The first incision along the neck focused on the spine, pulling back the flesh to expose the bone and nerves.


    A small, almost bug-like object passed from hand to hand until it arrived in Xava''s waiting palm. It looked similar to pill bug, with segmented plates over the body of the machine and many leg-like feelers.


    Xava lifted it, placing it in the unwilling patient''s neck opening. It coiled, wrapping around the spinal cord. The feelers connected to the nerves, and Light Fly''s body convulsed. Each new nerve connected to the machine caused her to shudder and flinch. Finally, it began to access the essential functions, Light Fly''s heart stopped. Her breath seized.


    Xava tilted her head, adjusting the readings and tampering with all manner of settings. Had it failed? Not yet. It could not fail just yet. The beeping had stopped leaving only the flat line of the sensors. Perhaps this subject had failed. It was experimental, after all. Many bugs and kinks in the programming to fix and adjust. The design was good, but perhaps she had overlooked something?


    Pondering on it Xava began reassessing the procedure frame by frame of her many views. She paused, tiny tweezers emerging from her fingertip as she shifted two of the wires that connected the nerves to the device. A longer pause, followed by additional adjustments. That should be it.


    What felt like an eternity of uncertainty if it had failed or not came to an end when Light Fly gasped. The heart monitors blipped and steadied as the NHJ took full control over Light Fly''s body.


    Xava began the next phase. Her control shifted from the mechanical body into Light Fly''s supple, sensitive flesh. The sudden burst of stimuli made her scream in pain. Xava reeled back, pulling herself free from the fleshy body into her steel and circuits'' cold and sure embrace.


    Xava breathed heavily as her mind calmed. It had been too long, far too long since she had, felt. Truly, felt, well, anything. Her mind dragged up long forgotten memories of feelings, real senses. The air on her skin, running fingers through her hair. The warmth of flesh and the chill of a room. It had been so long since she had felt alive.


    She remembered the withering of her frail flesh and the torment that it caused. The failure of the organic and the safety of the machine. The certainty of steel. Just a bit more. She could have both. Once the cyber brain was fully complete, with the Neural High-Jacks, it would be possible to truly live again rather than precariously balancing between living and subsisting on electrical impulses.


    Xava held Light Fly''s head, cradling it. This body would soon be hers. Its sensations, its feelings, finally she could feel Vesper. After a long pause, Xava sealed the neck leaving only a tiny bump on the back of the neck and light, faint discoloration of newly grown skin to cover the device.


    Neon Nurses brought a pair of new forearms and hands, the cybernetic attachments were set in place before they fully integrated to their host. The sythetic merged with the organic connecting to the nervous system and what was damaged had been repair, to a degree. It was functional now.


    The many Neon Nurses stepped back, and Xava activated the NHJ. Light Fly''s body tensed, seizing up as its new owner acclimated herself to the unfamiliar senses. Wiggling her fingers and toes, muscle by muscle, she relearned how that all worked.


    "Needs work, but it will do for now. The flesh is weak, but it has its purposes. Even if this one breaks, I can always find more. I should give it a test drive." Light Fly smiled coldly, lifting her hands up to the light. Xava relished the warmth of her body beating with a heart not made of metal.

 Battle of Bronson City Chapter 2 Interlewd: Fly in the Web

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 2 Interlewd: Fly in the Web


    Light Fly groggily awoke. Her head was so heavy and fuzzy; the sedative must still be in her system. She could barely feel her body, and her senses were muted. Her eyes glanced about her surroundings, a long corridor with blindingly clean lights evenly spaced every five feet.


    She took a step and then another, walking between several of those crazy robot nurses. Odd. At first, she didn''t notice that she was moving until a hard synthetic hand of its own accord touched her face.


    Light Fly''s mind cleared, and she realized she was not walking. Her body was moving on its own. She struggled desperately to control anything, a finger, a toe, anything. Yet nothing obeyed her. Her body continued, ignoring her protests and screams that never arrived at her lips.


    She moved along, humming happily. The brisk walk ended rather quickly as she arrived before a door. The cold metal slid open fluidly, and a cavernous room expanded before her. Sitting in the sparsely occupied space was something reminiscent of a nest, piled mattresses congregated together. Upon this strange formation lay that wasp monster.


    Bluish-black carapace covered the massive being as it lounged about. The thick orange noodle-like antenna darted in their direction as the eyes opened, not just the four on its face, dotting along the crowned ridge and flanking both sides of the bone-white face; many more eyes glinted, all focusing in on Light Fly.


    She reeled back, terrorized by the wasp; however, her body did not. Her heart beat faster, not from fear but arousal, the chest heating up, nipples stiffening, and below was getting hot and wet. Only now did it register to Light Fly that her body was bare, completely nude, exposed, and vulnerable.


    "My Queen," her lips spoke as she walked forward before the wasp and lowered herself subserviently beside the robotic nurses, bowing down to the floor before the wasp.


    The cold, hard face looked down upon Light Fly, making her feel all the smaller, weak and defenseless before the giant wasp woman.


    "Seeing her like this before me, I take it, it was a success, Xava?" said the vespid Queen.


    Her lips spoke up even as she cursed and cried inside, none of her objections or questions managing to escape the confines of her mind, "Yes. Very successful. There are still problems and inconsistencies, but this is a good prototype. Vesper, allow me to feel you. Be gentle; this body is frail and will break if you do anything remotely as rough as our usual mating."


    Vesper''s tentacles gently coiled around Light Fly''s face, "Of course, my love. You may serve. Though, I am curious, is Light Fly aware of all this?"


    "Yes. Though she has no control over any of the body."


    The wasp leaned in, looking her up and down, "Interesting, so she is a passenger in her own body? Is it possible to give her partial control back?"


    Xava tilted her head, "One moment, analyzing, yes. With the NHJ I can regulate all neural transmissions within the body as such for instance, if you so desired, I could give her control over any part of the body. Or any degree of the body. I could give her control over her head and allow her to speak or any combination of the parts. I could give her full control back if it is desired."


    "Interesting. I still find it baffling how you do most of the things you do, Xava, and it might as well be magic to me."


    "I assure you there is nothing magical about it. I could explain it to you if you desired?"


    Vesper shook her hands defensively, "No, no. I doubt I will understand. I assume it has to do with electrical signals and things, and I don''t need to know the intricacies of it."


    "Are you sure? I would love to teach you?"


    The wasp dismissively waved, "Maybe later. That sounds like I will need to have some coffee and try to reign in my short attention span. Xava, let her speak."


    "As you desire."


    The tingling of her body became a little more focused. Light Fly could feel her lips properly; her head was less foggy. "What- I¡­ I can talk. What the hell have you done to me?"


    "Oh, it works. Well, essentially, your body is our plaything now." Said Vesper petting her on the head.


    "What kind of sick and twisted people are you? Why would you do this?" Light Fly asked, shifting her head to look over the room. Even if she could control her body, there wasn''t anything useful for escape in this room.


    "Why? Hmm." Said Vesper, "Why not? Better use than just killing you. This way, you help with Xava''s research, and you might learn to like it. If not well, you are in for a long ride. Ah, since you are being helpful, how about this if you are good, after all this hero and villain stuff are over, I will let you go. What do you think, Xava? Would that be ok?"


    Xava hesitated, "What if I like her body?"


    Vesper chuckled, "Well, of course, you can have it. Though by the point I am talking about, we could convince Dr. Arbor to make you a body to use. Could probably get her to make one of my kind for you to take over."


    "That is true. I shouldn''t get attached to this one; there are plenty more out there. There are plenty of other heroes to harvest."


    "Then we agree. See, Light Fly, we are not unreasonable. You just happened to be our enemy, and we found a use for you. Not that you have any choice in this matter, but eventually, we will let you go."


    "You still kidnapped me. Now you plan on torturing me?"


    "Torture?" Vesper laughed, "Oh please, you will be drowning in pleasure. How is that torture? I will have you know that most who get a taste of me become addicted to it. Why you will be a lovely little Incubator by the time we are done with you. A dirty little egg slut begging to be bred over and over until your belly can''t have anymore. Birthing my brood over and over."


    "You monster."


    Vesper laughed harder for a brief moment before she sighed, "Monster. You know, that word used to hurt me. Back when I was foolish and innocent, every time I heard that word, it stabbed at me. Back when I just wanted to be accepted and cared about what others thought about me. Now I don''t give a damn about what you or anybody else besides Xava has to say. If I am a monster, then so be it. Better to be what I am than to act like something else, like a human. I tried that, lying to myself, trying to act normal. All that got me was pain, rejection, and suffering."


    The robotic nurses pat Vesper as she seemed a little dejected. She nuzzled into their hands, purring. It was almost wholesome, almost. If circumstances were different, Light Fly might have felt some sympathy. Instead, she could only think about distracting them by talking for as long as possible so they did not violate her. That hope died rather quickly as the wasp recovered from her melancholy. There was a visible change in her demeanor, and all the eyes lost that light of humanity in them as they stared coldly down, piercing through Light Fly.


    Vesper and the robotic nurses smiled chillingly at Light Fly, "We should stop delaying. Our guests should be arriving later."


    Vesper sat on her massive abdomen, using it as a chair. She crossed her legs and put the right taloned foot before Light Fly. The brief semblance of control she had felt faded as her head moved on its own. She was pushed back into the unwilling spectator seat watching in dread at what they were doing to her body.


    "My Queen," her lips seductively purred, "Allow me to serve."


    Vesper was amused over this, "You may, slave. Start with my toes. Clean them up. Make sure you get in between the claws."


    "Yes, my Queen," Xava pressed forward, leaning into the hard carapace, nuzzling it before kissing and licking between the crevasses of the segments of armored skin. The nurses mirror Light Fly''s body worshiping Vesper.


    Light Fly squirmed squeamishly over the revolting taste of grime and what she hoped was sweat. It was dirty, musky, hard and salty. It was caked in there, yet her tongue kept lapping and her lips slurping as though it were the most delicious thing in the world. She was obsessively working their way up along the joint until it had been cleaned.


    With a slight plop and a final kiss, Xava pulled away, gazing up at her much larger counterpart, "My Queen, cock. Let me serve your cock. Let me taste your member, allow this lowly slave the pleasure, the privilege of feeling your flesh."


    Vesper smirked as her abdomen cracked open. The tube expanded, pushing out bit by bit. Throbbing and pulsing as it engorged with blood. It inflated as it loomed over Light Fly. It was big, massive. Light Fly''s mind went blank for a moment. How could something that big exist? However, the size was proportional to how big the wasp was. Certainly, something like that would never fit in a human body. Her thoughts shifted from amazement to pure unadulterated terror as she realized that thing was going to fuck her. That threat about being fucked to death was not empty words.


    Xava, on the other hand, gazed up in reverence, smelling the pungent, musky feral stench of Vesper''s pheromones for the first time. Her senses much less muted while connected to an organic body. Her body shook in elation, heating up, dripping wet. Xava hugged it. The wet, slippery membrane bulged around her grasp as she kissed it. She dragged her tongue along its surface, relishing every sensation, every tingle, and burst of stimuli.


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    Xava moaned through Light Fly''s body, "My Queen. My Queen. My Queen. My Queen. Oh- Ohhh, My Queen, I feel you. I feel you. I see now why the organics submitted so eagerly. It is so much stronger when I can feel it. I want it inside. I want to feel it spreading and breaking and ruining my body forever. Mate me, my Queen. Breed me like an animal, a filthy organic."


    Vesper toyed with Xava slapping the throbbing light blue transluscent tube against her face, "You have to earn that, don''t you slave?"


    "Yes, my Queen," she shivered.


    "Worship my cock. If you are good, I will breed you like the bitch you are."


    "YES!" Xava exclaimed.


    Light Fly''s body jerked, moving to the end of the alien wasp cock. The thick throbbing head bristled with tendrils and feelers as it lowered closer to the floor to allow access better. From her lowly position, Xava kissed the tip and gulped as she stretched her jaw as best as it would fit the thick wasp meat. With a strained, gurgled slurp, she pushed down, taking several inches. Her body tensed as the tendrils explored the back of her throat.


    Though Xava was more than willing, the body was not. She gagged, tearing up and choking as the wasp cock pressed hard against the back of her throat. Light Fly screamed inside as her body pressed harder and harder until her throat submitted, and the tendrils began digging in as they dragged the alien cock down, her neck bulging out as she went cross-eyed.


    Vesper rested her hand on Light Fly''s head and bobbed it, forcing her flexible and malleable shaft deep into Light Fly. Sputtering and mulling, the helpless hero couldn''t breathe. Her whimpering moans and desperate noises fell on the deaf antenna as Vesper forced her deeper until she was hilted fully on the cock.


    Her body began spasming as her eyes started to roll, shaking weakly. Her hands gripped the shaft, trying to push back, to get air. The hard carapaced hand held her still, not allowing her to bob back up. Too thick. Can''t breathe, can''t breathe. The only thoughts filling Light Fly were the fear of the encroaching suffocation. Her oxygen-starved mind squirming and writhing.


    "Vesper, I require oxygen." Said one of the nurses, "Unless you want the host to fall unconscious."


    With a satisfied sigh, the hand relented and pulled Light Fly back inch after inch, turned into foot after foot of thick hard wasp cock that unsheathed itself from her until even the tip plopped out. She gasped, heaving and panting, laying weakly on the floor. The darkness that had been creeping into her vision faded with spots and swirls, bouts of lightheaded dizziness keeping her flattened to the floor.


    One of the nurses leaned against Vesper''s leg, "That was wonderful. I almost passed out."


    "You speak as though we are done. That is not nearly enough to satisfy me," smiled the wasp.


    "I¡­ of course, my Queen. Just let that body rest for a moment. It is fragile."


    "No."


    Vesper''s tentacles coiled around Light Fly, lifting up the limp body, turning it so that her as was presented. The long slimy tongue extended, licking along the sides and pressed into the dripping pussy spreading it as it plunged deep inside without remorse or concern for the other''s pleasure.


    Xava moaned, "My Queen, Wait, it is too sensitive. Oh, I, I, oh, it feels good. I can''t, I can''t think."


    The tongue began to undulate in a wave motion rolling into Light Fly, coiling inside of her deepest part and stretching her out. Vesper pulled her closer and plopped her whole ass into her mouth. They began to rampage inside, distending and bending violently, swirling inside of light Fly.


    The sudden overload kicked Xava out, allowing Light Fly control over her body, yet she was powerless. Her moan gaped into a scream as she felt the invading stirring up her insides. Helpless to escape, she felt the shaft of hot flesh plunging in and out, stirring and mushing and melting her womb.


    Her hands balled up as she tried desperately to use her powers. The light gathered for a moment before fizzling out. It was hard to concentrate. Without her own hands, with these metal replacements, it made everything different. Doubts started to creep into her mind that it might be impossible without her original hands.


    Light Fly squealed as a substantial amount of the tongue surged inside of her, "Please, Please, Please, I will do anything. Just stop, stop, please let me go! It hurts fuck fuck, it hurts I am breaking!"


    Vesper paused, pulling out. Giving Light Fly a brief moment of relief, it did not last long as the large hands shifted her above the hot throbbing wasp cock, steam rising off of it as it flexed, pulsing with lust.


    "No, No! Please. Please. Let me go. I, I, will leave and never come back. I will hide under a rock somewhere. I, I, I will stop being a hero. I will give you anything!" Light Fly desperately begged as she slowly lowered towards the tip.


    "Anything?" Vesper paused.


    "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Anything. I will give you my life savings! Whatever you want!"


    Vesper smiled, petting her head, "You think I want money? Foolish little gnat. I want only one thing from you."


    "What? What do you want?"


    "I have told you already. Have my children."


    "Anything but that!"


    "Don''t worry; you will get used to it. If it is complicated for you, we can always alter your genetic structure to accommodate my biology better. Who knows, you might end up like Seedbed. Ah, it is a shame she isn''t here, and I could show you a true breeding bitch if she were."


    The tip pressed against her, the tendrils spreading her, invading as they wiggled inside. She felt her control fading as her body was high jacked, Xava reasserting herself.


    She moaned, "My Queen, let me feel you. Fill me."


    "As you wish, my love," Vesper leaned in and gave a deep wet kiss, her tongue pressing down the sore throat muffling any moans or protests.


    The heavy, strong hands gripping her thighs lifted and then lowered, pressing the tip in¡ªinch after inch pushing in, sliding down, and pushing up in. The hellishly hot member broiled her insides as it undulated. It expanded and contracted, almost vibrating with the pulsing of hot flesh.


    Naturally, not all of it would fit; in fact, barely any of it would. Already the tendrilled head had bashed into the back of her womb, pressing it up as more kept stuffing itself into her, the abominable thing crawling inside of her alive and thrashing like some animal. Her body quaked, already reaching its limit. It wouldn''t stretch anymore, and there was no more to give.


    Vesper slowed to a stop. The throbbing of her member pulsing with the multiple heartbeats. Each beat sent hot surges of flesh roiling inside of Light Fly, burning, itching the tendrils scratching and kneading at her insides. Massaging places she never knew existed. Vesper teased and coaxed her along until her body tightened up, orgasming.


    "My Queen," panted Xava, "It feels so good. Melting, my insides are melting."


    "Melty whore. Feels good, doesn''t it?"


    "Yes, yes, it feels so good."


    Vesper leaned back, "Now then ride my cock."


    "Yes, my Queen."


    Light Fly shuddered as her commandeered body''s hips rose up and then slapped back down wetly, gushing. Her knees felt so weak, but she kept moving, humping up and down. Faster and harder hand on her knees as the wasp cock retracted to allow her a better position to fuck herself silly. Up and down faster and harder.


    The pleasure crept in, growing stronger and stronger until it was undeniable, inescapable. Light Fly had barely noticed when bit by bit her control was restored. Her head and neck, the whorish moans, and drooling mouth were her own. The heart hammering in her chest and the fast, shallow breaths were hers. The arms bracing onto the thighs as her ass slammed up and down, riding the cock were hers. The legs and hips that unrelentingly pounded and humped, grinding down desperately searching for pleasure, were not hers. The horny hole between her legs gave everything to the cock inside of it, that was hers. Squeezing and milking the cock as the hips kept humping.


    Her mind was hazy, mushy, melting no escape from the pleasure. She didn''t realize she had control; it didn''t matter now. It didn''t matter anymore. Her body had long since betrayed her. Submitting to its base instinct, surrendering to the wasp''s cock. The faster and harder it abused itself to serve its better, the hotter it grew until her resolve had melted away into submission and enslavement. There was no escape. She didn''t want to escape; there was only surrender, only obedience. Her emotions twisted and perverted by the alien hormones invading her body.


    Xava had relinquished the reigns and let the whore ride the egglayer so she could focus wholly on the sensations. Basking in the impulses that flooded through the addled hero''s body. Each time she thrust back down or pulled up, shivers and pleasure flowed into Xava. When Light Fly grew weak, Xava took control and humped faster and harder, breeding herself, giving all she could to Vesper. Offering up this lowly organic body for her Queen to use.


    "Break yourself whore," Moaned Xava slamming her hips and rutting as she kept switching control on and off, "Ruin yourself for Queen Vesper."


    Why had she fought? Why did she struggle? The wasp, and the robot nurse were right all along. It was so much better to simply obey, to mindlessly submit. Pleasure. It hurt, oh how it hurt. Her insides were burning, melting. Her womb was so hungry and hot and empty yet so full, stretching. Too much, far too strong. It didn''t matter. Once her body had tasted that thing, Vesper''s member, it was too late, she was ruined. Only now did her slurred mind realize she had control. It didn''t matter now. Her pride evaporated. Why bother? It felt so much better to obey. The shame only made it feel better only made her wetter.


    Light Fly moaned, "I, I, My Queen. Forgive me, I was wrong. I am yours!"


    "Broken already?" asked Vesper amused as Light Fly bounced up and down panting obscenely.


    "Broken broken broken," She muttered between the body jarring thrusts.


    "What are you?" asked Vesper, her eyes gazing down.


    Light Fly slowed her humping, blankly looking up, her face awash with pleasure. Her mind empty as she tried to think. Nothing was coming up. She didn''t know what she was anymore. What was she. Her head hurt. Thoughts so hard, dragged down in the murk.


    "What?" she sputtered, "what, what am I?"


    The wasp leaned in, "You know what you are. Confess for me."


    Her thoughts so muddled and heavy every pulse of the tube inside of her pushed her mind empty.


    Her lips spoke even as her mind reeled and melted, "Your Incubator my Queen. Your slave."


    Her head cleared for a brief moment, she was in control. She had said that. Light Fly held her head as all her worries, fears came bubbling up. She was a hero. The last vestiges of who she is, of her resistance, formed, pushing back as hard as she could. Her hips mounted the wasp cock and drilled it harder and faster, shaking obscenely. Every time she slid down, something felt like it was about to break.


    She had to fight this; she had to escape and resist. The Hero League must know about this Monster. The eggs, the wasp mentioned Incubators, there must be eggs somewhere there will be more it must be stopped! They had to be warned about this thing. She held her head, the pounding cock spreading her more and more. Her thoughts drooled out as she cried in pleasure. It was maddening. How could it feel so good? She had to focus. Escape, escape, have to escape. Have to have to run, have to escape, have to warn them.


    Have to resist and fight can''t, can''t give up resist and- her thoughts seized as Vesper pinned her down and slammed the cock as hard as she could down into Light Fly. Bottomed out, powerless and weak and vulnerable. The only thoughts remaining were to submit, obey, and surrender. Oh, fuck, it felt so good. Just give in and be a slave forever!


    It melted away. Everything melted away except Vesper, her Queen. It was so hard to think. She didn''t want to anymore. A whisper slithered into her mushy mind. She didn''t have to think anymore. Why would she deny this bliss from others? Let the wasp take everything! That revelation sunk in, and everything changed. It clicked. She felt happy. Bliss. Her legs quaked, losing their strength, no reason to fight. Her mouth gaped into a mindless drooling, broken face of pleasure as her eyes rolled up. She bottomed out and came.


    "My Queen," She drooled limply, "My Queen, this, this¡­ Incubator nmm, I can''t think."


    "So weak you were. What happened to that pride of yours?"


    "Weak. Weak. Weak. Incubator is weak."


    "Good Incubator. Now, are you ready for your reward?"


    "Yes, my Queen."


    Vesper gripped Light Fly''s ass, squeezing it as she slammed into her. The tip flared, and the tubed bulged, spreading Light Fly as the thick hot cum gushed up the tube pushing in egg after egg. Vesper watched in amusement as the belly grew gorged with brood. The broken breeding bitch gasped and shuddered as her body was taken, ruined. Even if she did manage to escape, she would never be satisfied unless she came crawling back.


    Satisfied, the egglayer retracted, taking away the only thing keeping Light Fly up. She fell over and flopped to the floor where she lay used and cum spurting from her hole.


    "My Queen¡­ My Queen¡­ My Queen." Light Fly mumbled brokenly.


    "Vesper," smiled Xava from one of the Neon Nurses, "That was lovely."


    "Xava," Vesper leaned in and kissed the robo nurse, "Was it what you hoped for?"


    "Yes, mostly. I can still improve on it." She nuzzled against Vesper.


    "Anything for you, my love."


    "Anything for you, my love." She kissed back.

 Battle of Bronson City Chapter 3 Interlude Retro Robo

    Arc 13 Battle Of Bronson City


    Chapter 3 Interlude Retro Robo


    Heroes gathered about in one of the many orientation rooms of the Citadel. The walls were a light blue, and the area was neatly filled with occupied chairs. In this particular room, there were twenty or so mismatched individuals in colorful costumes or dark and edgy get-ups, as was the case with a few. Among them sat a woman in a retro 80s themed space outfit, skin-tight white and red suit. Over her head was a domed helmet tinted, preventing her face from being seen. She sat attentively gloved hands in her lap as the hero on stage briefed the room.


    "Now I know most of you were dragged into this matter when the free-fire zone was declared. You made the right decision reporting in for duty rather than fleeing." Said the battle-hardened man before the quiet group.


    Armadillo, his heavy armor plates dented and scratched, showing the recent damage. In particular, there was a deep gouge from some sort of talon or claw going along the chest.


    "You are gathered here because you have passed the preliminary tests. Those in this room will form a team to assault various Villain hideouts through the city, in conjunction with the other teams that are being dispatched. We will be sweeping out from the Citadel, clearing the city block by block. Kraken agents are to be killed on sight, if possible, capture for interrogation; however, don''t go out of your way to pull punches. Kraken is vicious vile and will attack if you show any weakness. Ignore normies and do not flinch if the villains have hostages; they will use them as meat shields to make you hesitate. You are free to deal with matters as you choose, though be aware Kraken is out for blood. The city is a full-blown war zone."


    A hand raised after he paused, "How many Villains are in the city?"


    Armadillo gruffly rubbed his chin, "Hard to say. Kraken got reinforcements yesterday low estimates there are several hundred operatives, high estimates somewhere around a thousand counting the local gangs that were subsumed."


    "Do we know what their powers are?"


    "The local gangs have extensive files you are free to look through. As for Kraken mercenaries, the soldiers are mass-produced; their powers are between rank 4 and 5. However, they are augmented by military equipment and weapons so take extreme measures. There are at minimum 3 high ranking Kraken members, Molotov, Boris, and Nitro have been sighted in the city do not engage them and instead relay their position for a strike team to deal with. If need be, we can perform Hammer Strikes. However, the targets need to be properly identified in the open. It won''t do to be firing blindly into the city. Collateral damage is unavoidable. Hopefully, we can end this before the whole city gets leveled like L.A."


    The space-suited woman raised her hand, and he nodded to her, "What is it Retro Robo?"


    She spoke up, "Speaking of L.A. are there any updates on survivors?"


    There was a pause, a twinge of regret, or some other painful emotion that crossed Armadillo''s face. After a long sigh, he replied, "Unfortunately, the city of L.A. is nothing more than ruins by this point. Nitro and the Diablos burned it to the ground. As far as I am aware, only those who rescued civis and or fled midway through the attack escaped."


    "If they destroyed L.A., what are the odds of us not only holding out but taking them out?"


    "L.A. was cut off. L.A. didn''t have the Citadel, nor did it have the undivided attention of the Hero League and Hubris. They surprise attacked it, and by the time we could mount a counteroffensive, it was far too late."


    Another dark hooded hero asked, "So if Hubris is so strong, why isn''t he just killing all the villains? It seems to me we are risking our lives because he is being lazy."


    "Hubris will be dealing with all of the higher-ranked villains. But first, they must be flushed out."


    "Flushed out? I would say a city is worth three high-ranking villains, not to mention all the rank and file. If the city is infested, why bother trying to save it? Just crush it completely with the villains trapped inside."


    "It is not that simple, Moonshadow. Kraken has an unnerving way of wiggling free. We have to verify high-ranking villain deaths personally. If we don''t make sure they are dead, they have a tendency to crawl back out of the shadows. Molotov, for instance, has been unverified killed tens of times already but always comes back. Just when you think nobody could have lived from that, they slink back out of the shadows. Miss Universe herself smashed an entire city trying to kill Nitro. While we will not be holding back, we can''t just destroy the city in hopes that we kill them in the collateral. The damned Villains like to burrow underground as such even if the city got leveled, their bases would be perfectly safe. That tactic has been used before and failed miserably. It is not effective, depending on the super. The public outcry that follows such actions is damning. With tactics like that, we are worse than the villains."


    Retro Robo spoke up, "So we are bait. This is a suicide mission. Tecton and Miss Universe are already injured, and Light Fly is dead. If they got injured, that means we would have died. Most of us are Rank 4s or Rank 5s tops. If Rank 7s and 8s can''t deal with them, how the hell will we? This might be our city, but we should not be expected to die over its ruins. There is heroics, and then there is stupidity."


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    Armadillo nodded, "You are right. It is hard to choose between defending your city or abandoning it and letting it die. Sure, you could all run and leave it to whatever horrible fate the villains are cooking up, but how long will you run, Retro Robo?"


    "How long will I run?"


    "Yes. They will never stop. City after city, they will spread like a plague. How many cities will be left to rot before you run out of places to hide? They will never stop. Each city that falls, the villains grow stronger, recruiting through force and fear their numbers will swell, making it that much harder to defend the next city and the next. If we do not stop them here and now, dead in their tracks, they will gain momentum at an alarming rate. Cities will turn to countries burning. We are the Hero League. If we do not step up, no one will. Look at Russia or China to see what happens when villains take over."


    "What are we supposed to do? We are nothing but cannon fodder. I might have a mech suit, but even with that, I am only rank 5, which means I am on par with 1, a single super-soldier, strictly power level speaking. They are probably stronger weapons and training-wise, and I am one of the higher-ranked supers in this group. We are not soldiers; most of us are either vigilantes or what remains of the local Hero League that got absolutely crushed with the Hammer Strike a few weeks back during that whole Twilight incident. How do we know Hammer Strikes are not going to be called down on us assuming we go out there?"


    "For the time being, Hammer Strikes are restricted; only Hubris and Miss Universe can call them in. You will not be used as bait to get a clear shot on the villains."


    "How do you know that?!"


    "I am going to be out there with you. Every step of the way. Why do you think you are gathered here. I will be leading all of you into the city on scouting missions. I am putting myself out there even more so than I am asking you to. I can''t do it alone, though."


    "I suppose you are tougher than the others." Moonshadow said, "Fine. I am in so long as you are there with us. Armadillo is right. If we don''t stop them here, it is only going to get worse."


    "This is a bad idea, but we don''t have options do we?" scowled Retro Robo, "So do we have any leads, or are we going in blind?"


    "Well, so far, we have routed out 2 of the local gangs, the Diablos and Sixes, and Sevens. The eastern section of the city is under our control. As for locations of Villain lairs, we have nothing conclusive yet, though we have been monitoring the movements of the villains to a degree. We have located several hot spots to the west, north, and south. We will be deploying South West, checking on a few points of interest. It could just be looting, or it could be a villain lair."


    "How South? Are we dealing with the Slums?" asked Moonshadow.


    "No, a different team will be going into the slums."


    "Good, it is a fucking hell hole down there."


    "Prepare yourselves. We will deploy in two hours." Said Armadillo.


    Retro Robo looked about the room, seeing the subgroups already forming. Most of the edge lord sorts were congregated together Messy Shadow, Electric Arrow, Moonshadow, The Rapid Smasher, and the Scarlet Owl. From a glance, most of them looked more like villains than heroes due to their color pallet of black and grey, with bits of red and yellow striped in.


    Retro was not joining that group too much angst, and I am the night vibes.


    Unfortunately for Retro, there didn''t appear to be any other tech types. There was the physical group and the elemental group forming. Between the two, Retro didn''t really fit in with either. At this point, she was deciding on which group would be less of a pain to deal with. The physical group was usually more meatheaded but straightforward, so less backstabby. The elemental group had a bit of an elitist vibe coming off of it, which would mean having to be careful of toe stepping.


    While normally, the task force would have a split of each type for power coverage, teamwork was more important at the moment as such slapping together a hodgepodge like this would spell trouble. Fighting together a few times should build up some trust and cooperation depending on who survives the battles to come would be strong and united.


    The elemental group looked stronger, which meant it would be safer to join. Most of them were not from Bronson. There were four of them. One looked like a black and purple magician, complete with a top hat. The last three were clearly from the Vatican, a masked priest, and two masked, spandex and leather-clad nuns.


    Were the bondage nuns less edgy than the vigilante justice group? Hard to say.


    "Retro Robo, I got a mech suit. What are your names and powers?" She asked.


    The Magician replied, first being a bit dramatic with smoke and sparkles, "Doctor Voiceless Seer. I have telepathy and can cause hallucinations."


    The priest introduced himself, "Father Penance, of the Advanced Missionary Order. The Lord has granted me offensive and defensive light magic. There have been rumors of demons as such his Holiness has sent us to investigate."


    "Demons? Only demons I know of would be down in South America with Demonrider." Questioned Retro.


    "They crop up all over. It is our God-given task to root out hell spawn wherever we might find them."


    "How dangerous are demons?"


    "Depends on if it is a lesser demon or a greater demon and how many many souls it has sucked dry."


    "Villains are bad enough sounds like demons are a real pain."


    "They can be though they are extremely vulnerable to light magic. Be sure to tell the sisters or me should you see any demonic influences."


    "I certainly will." Retro looked over to the two silent nuns who bowed graciously and introduced themselves.


    "Sister Merciful Raven, offensive fire and light magic."


    "Sister Gentle Spirit, come to this sister should you be injured. Through the Lord''s will, I can heal others."


    "Father, are you more of a front liner? Or a ranged dealer?"


    "Usually, with our formation, I am in the front followed by Sister Merciful Raven, and Sister Gentle Spirit supports from behind. Adding in Voiceless Seer, he could be either the middle or the back. Where would you feel comfortable, Retro?"


    "Doctor Voiceless Seer!" raved the magician man.


    Retro looked him up and down, "Are you a doctor?"


    "I am."


    "What sort of Doctor?"


    "A magician never reveals his secrets."


    "I thought you were a seer? You are an odd one."


    "Merely labels Magician just means I have magic. They have magic too, so technically, they are magicians too if you want to get into the details."


    "Do not compare our Divine blessings to your parlor tricks." Scoffed Father Penance.


    "I will have you know these parlor tricks are very useful."


    Seeing that this might escalate, Retro broke it up, "Let''s just say you are different fields, shall we? I am he will be useful just as you will in your role."


    "True. So where would you like to be positioned?"


    "I will take point."


    "Very well then. Prepare yourselves, and we shall convene again when called. Now, if you will excuse us, we have sacrament to perform." Said Father Penance departing with the sisters.


    Retro looked at Doctor Voiceless Seer, "You are not actually a doctor are you?"


    "That is just insulting. I have a Doctorate."


    "In what?"


    "Philosophy."


    Retro sighed, "Hopefully, you will be able to reason them to death."

 Battle of Bronson City Chapter 4 Interlude Ambush

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson city


    Chapter 4 Interlude: Ambush


    Retro Robo looked her towering machine over, inspecting it one final time before deployment. Auspiciously it was called Evening Star. It was only slightly damaged from the scuffle of the Hero League''s arrival. The red and white paint scraped off on one side, revealing the chromed metal below the towering humanoid figure. It had a vaguely feminine shape thin curves yet was thick and misshapen when it came to the body, the back forming a large hump that trailed down to where the legs connected. The large vents and exhaust port made it clear that the oversized back was where the propulsion system was nestled. Though it was nearly twenty feet tall when standing erect, it was still lighter than one might expect.


    In total, the machine had eight limbs like a spider, six arms, and two omni-jointed legs that could move in any direction. In truth, this machine scuttled rather than striding proudly when it desired to truly move. The design was based on the movements of a certain wasp woman that had been captured by the hero league earlier that year. It was a nightmare to get the proper movement allocation, but it was worth it. It could easily traverse any terrain and scale buildings, let alone the flight capability with the jump jets.


    The head of the machine was a large domed structure much the same as Retro''s helmet. The glass was tinted almost black making it impossible to see inside.


    Retro reminisced for a moment. If everything had not gone to shit, this machine would have been able to elevate the user to a premier hero of the city. Now, it would be lucky to survive in this escalating game of chicken with the villains. Indeed, it would not be able to hold up to the high rankers. At the rate things were going, Retro would not be surprised if more of the top-ranked heroes and villains of the world were not either dragged into this or drawn in.


    Retro tapped at her wrist, and the chest section opened up. Within the cockpit was nestled safely behind the most armored area. Retro climbed into the gaping machine lying in the capsule-like control center. Metal enclosed her, and the chest shifted back into place. Everything turned dark for a long moment before the wires and tubes connected Retro to the machine, her senses leaving her body to inhabit the machine. The field of view shifted from the dark confines within to the hanger around her. The fingers flexed as the hand moved to her will.


    Sensors lit up, information scrolling across her vision as she focused on looking around the installation. Names and powers with small descriptions scrolled under them as her eyes sifted over the people in the room. A distinctive name popped up for an unassuming young man, "Adamantine Rank 8 Inventor" Retro focused on him for a moment observing the head honcho of the tech department and the man who had made the Citadel around them. He was a scrawny sort. Overall he had an immaculate cut, a nice guy feel. A bit of a Poindexter at a glance.


    He stood across the room looking over holograms of the Citadel, staff reporting to him intermittently as he would pause momentarily to glance over their reports and instruct them.


    It looked as though all of Evening Star''s systems were optimal, scrolling along through the various sub-menus. A small hologram face appeared in the corner it was a slightly blurred dark-toned woman with a puffy afro, oversized gold-rimmed sunglasses, and hooped earrings slowly bobbing its head from side to side. Glimmering gold lips smirking.


    "All systems nominal." Said the sassy face.


    "Good, let us depart." Replied Retro.


    Evening Star departed the hanger room traversing the spacious corridors that catacomb through the floating city. Retro was getting familiar with the layout of this place; it also helped that she was mapping it as she went, which certainly helped to not get lost. Large windows looked out on either side of the path. Below, the city smoked in rubble and ruins, fighting already escalating through the main streets, gunfire and laser beams scattered about between the opposing sides. Darkened figures scurrying like ants. In stark contrast, the other window gazed out over the Citadel''s pristine plaza and spiraling towers, clean, ordered, and glimmering in the sun. The final bastion of law in this Villain infested place.


    Retro arrived at the lower deployment deck. A vast staging area with vehicles lined up and cargo containers neatly arranged. Heroes of all shapes and sizes were gathering into different groups, ready to be deployed into the city. Armadillo stood with those that Retro recognized. She made her way over, joining the nuns and Father Penance. It didn''t take long for Dr. Voiceless Seer to slink his way over.


    Armadillo glanced up and down at Evening Star, "Odd design choice."


    "It is efficient."


    "What inspired it?"


    "A wasp monster that got caught earlier this year."


    Armadillo nodded a little, "Ah, I was wondering why it looked vaguely familiar. You mean Vespidian. With any luck, we will track her down so I can avenge Light Fly."


    "Oh, that is right Vespidian did kill Light Fly during the last major operation. Didn''t she do a number on you too?"


    "Threw me through a skyscraper, yes."


    "I wonder which is stronger? My Evening Star or the wasp?"


    "You will have to find out. Although she did get the jump on me while I was fighting a traitor hero, Neon Nurse. Treacherous sort, as to be expected from Villains."


    "Typical villains ganging up on people." Said, Father Penance.


    "We will get them this time. I have made some preparations just for that bitch."


    "Did you find a weakness?"


    "Yes, she is hypersensitive so just need to overload her senses."


    "Good, one less Villain to worry about. So where are we deploying?" asked Moon Shadow.


    "As mentioned earlier, our scouting teams have pinpointed areas of excessive activity. We will check these for hidden lairs, report the locations, and destroy them. Our major target for today is South Bronson Emergency Center. There has been a lot of activity in the area. The villains might have taken over the Hero League Junior Station in the area."


    "What are we waiting for then?" Moon Shadow said, looking out over the city.


    ***


    The immediate area below the Citadel had been cleared of buildings leaving a vast barren expanse in the urban jungle around it. To the North, West, and South, battle lines expanded out, gunfire and explosions reverberating between the smoke-choked streets of Bronson City. As for the East, it had been scorch earthed, leaving nothing but burned rubble in its wake. The once thriving and fertile agricultural sector of the city is now a glassed, blackened plain devoid of all life.


    Armadillo took the lead in the city. The front line had advanced to a park. Statues were destroyed, water boiled from the lake, leaving it empty, and all the trees were charred and blackened from the intense heat of the Citadel''s laser weaponry. Holes melted through buildings in clean cuts.


    Retro followed closely behind Armadillo, scanning the surroundings as the small group carefully proceeded. They stayed along the structure''s shadows rather than being out in the open of the park proper. Several streets over, a loud boom reverberated as windows blew out above Retro. The rumble of a building collapsing grumbled as background noise broken by the incessant spatter of gunfire.


    A sudden thud sounded from the lead as a crumpled bullet fell from the Armadillo.


    "Take cover! Sniper!" bellowed Armadillo putting himself between the group and the open.


    More shots came. Impacting against his thick armor plates, denting them. As suddenly as it had begun, the hail of bullets quieted. The ground vibrated as a building across the park collapsed. Bursting out through the dust, the dark metal of a tank lurched to a stop. Blackened figures scurried about as they invaded the surrounding buildings.


    The tank''s turret honed in on the group electricity arched from the spinning tube-like protrusions on the back end of the armored exterior. An ear-splitting whine vibrated the air as the weapon discharged.


    Armadillo took the hit, blocking the full brunt of the shot. It flung him from his feet, chest plate caved in. Retro grabbed the downed man dragging him behind the building. Gentle Spirit was on him in a moment looking at the hole in his armor. She stopped chanting when she saw that there was no injury to him physically.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Retaliating, Merciful Raven chanted, her voice raising into a passionate, manic exaltation, "Forgive me, Father, for what I must do. In the name of the Lord of Light and all that is holy, I condemn you sinners of the flesh and vile despots of man. You will burn for your wickedness by fire be cleansed and by fire be purged. Beg the Lord for mercy, for I have none!" holding up her rosary beads, and a pillar of fire engulfed the tank. It swept out in a storm of fury, swallowing the surrounding buildings as she screamed, "BY FIRE BE PURGED!"


    The yellow spandex-clad Electric Arrow scaled up the building taking point on the roof. He fired amped-up arrows into the occupied buildings, and EMP bursts pulsed out of the anchored arrows frying unshielded electronics. Some of the black figures retreated in disarray.


    Moon Shadow and Messy Shadow flanked around while the soldiers concentrated their fire on the leading group. Retro Robo shielded the more squishy members back behind her metal bulk. Bullets and hyper-accelerated rods crumpled on the machine''s thick outer layers.


    The back of the Evening Star opened up, releasing a swarm of rockets that honed in on the villains. Explosions reverberated as their silhouettes emerged from the inferno, marching onwards. Their weapons retaliated with heated plasma and heavy munitions pelting into the mech and the surrounding buildings.


    ***


    The shadow duo quickly made their way to their namesake, swiftly moving through the open streets to cover. They slowed, keeping track of where the villains were held up. Fire and explosions blossomed up over the rooftops. They skulked about, slipping through a hardware store.


    The power had long since been out in this establishment, causing deep shadows over the ransacked isles. Light filtering in through the broken windows. It was still, almost quiet in this place, save the metal on concrete of heavy armored boots walking.


    Kraken agents were here as well. They seemed to be everywhere in this half of the city. Distorted echoes chattered from their suits as they conversed. From a distance, it was hard to determine what was being said over the outside cacophony.


    Moon Shadow crept along, motioning for Messy Shadow to flank. They circled about the segmented department store. Evading the Black-clad soldiers as they observed the ongoings of the outside. Moon Shadow silently got into position, hiding behind an isle, ready to strike. After a short delay, Messy Shadow arrived at the other end.


    Before them, a pair of Kraken super soldiers stood, watching out the windows. They had thick black plates covering most of the body; only the joints were less armored as they were flexible. One of them raised a hand to its ear.


    "Orders received. We will engage shortly. There will be no survivors."


    Messy Shadow and Moon Shadow nodded to each other. Blades in hand, the pair swiftly closed the distance. Grappling the soldiers from behind, they thrust the blade into the weak spots where the chest plate and leg armor met. Despite it being a clean surprise attack, these were super soldiers. The moment the initial shock ended, both of them retaliated, gripping the arm around their necks and hurling their assailant away.


    "Mamba 3 and 4 have engaged. Neutralizing hostiles."


    Their weapons raised honed muscle memory from countless hours of training kicking in. Burst fire shotguns in hand, the Kraken agents unleashed pyro rounds into the store, lighting it ablaze. The recoil was enough to tear an average man''s arms off, yet it didn''t phase them. Moon Shadow narrowly avoided the flaming munitions, dodging back behind several isles.


    Messy Shadow took a full burst igniting with a scream as he was knocked clear off his feet, holes punched through him by the incendiary bullets.


    Moon Shadow threw down a smoke bomb, blinding the Kraken agents momentarily. They tapped at their helmets switching between visual filters until they tracked heat signatures. A blip appeared, and they fired relentlessly, unloading on the form and watching it burn and melt away. No mercy, no hesitation. Their eyes scanned about, looking for anything else. Not seeing anything other than one another, they approached the flaming body.


    Thin wire tightened around their necks, yanking with a sharp clink as it sliced through the flexible armor. The heads hit the ground as Moon Shadow made his way over to his downed partner. He put out the flames. Kneeling down as he looked over the holes and charred outfit.


    With a pained sigh, Moon Shadow covered his friend''s face, "Sleep well, old friend. I will avenge you."


    ***


    Despite being a dark red leather-clad target, Scarlet Owl stealthily shot a grappling hook between the buildings. He, and Rapid Smasher zip-lined from window to window, taking advantage of the main force distracting the super soldiers. They dropped into an abandoned coffee shop, much to the surprise of the two black armored soldiers occupying the run-down place.


    Shots hurriedly rang as the heroic duo darted across the room, throwing tables between them and the arranged guns of the villains. Rapid Smasher juking up, ducking, and weaving around the bullets before using his trademarked boxing gloves to rapidly jab his opponent. Blow after blow vibrated the building before the Villain exploded in a hail of gore and crumpled metal.


    Scarlet Owl closed the distance, holding off the other soldier, throwing little owl-shaped knives that electrocuted the Kraken mercenary causing him to seize up as little arcs of power bristled from his armor. Despite that, he powered through the current and aimed his rifle, firing at the bird-themed masked crusader. Scarlet Owl spun from the hit in the shoulder, going down as Rapid Smasher darted over, throwing a full-powered punch that splattered the man through the wall and left a blood silhouette on the next building over.


    "You good?" Asked Rapid Smasher, still looking over the room to make sure it was clear.


    "Yeah, I am fine. It didn''t get through my armor; impact just stunned me." Scarlet Owl got to his feet, wincing a bit as he rolled his left shoulder.


    "We should-" started Rapid Smasher before the building shook.


    Something had crashed into the wall down below. Wearily they looked down out the broken window, and a car had been overturned and crumpled into the wall. The street below buckled as black and blue arms emerged, pulling some sort of monstrosity from the depths of the sewer. Tentacles slithered about as it burst free and bulldozed their way through the building below them, causing it to shift and start to collapse.


    Scarlet Owl grappled to the next building and took Smasher with him, swooping out the window and crashing into the opposing structure. They watched as the massive black silhouette rampaged away from them. It was heading straight for Moon Shadow and Messy Shadow.


    ***


    Moon Shadow tensed, tilting his head, listening to the chaotic noises of the city as the all-out battle went on. The ground was rumbling, vibrating, but the pattern was not that of a tank; it was heavy thudding footfalls. He darted up swiftly, moving to the ceiling.


    The wall burst open, and there was some sort of monster. It looked about the room, black and blue clad in the robust, hardened carapace. Clearly, it was a Villain, just looking at the damned thing made it obvious that it had no good intentions. Tentacles waved through the air as the bone-white face shifted from side to side, observing the room. Smaller orange tendrils flicked about as the massive creature''s many eyes moved, peering at every little corner of the room. Several of them honed in on the dead bodies.


    "Oh? Was I too late? It seems to already be over here." Said the deep yet feminine voice. She paused, listening to something, "Eh, confirm the bodies? Ok, ok, I will. What do you mean don''t eat them? Why would I eat them?"


    The large hands picked up the bodies, all three of them. The creature looked them over, setting them aside as she orderly identified them.


    "Looks like two of ours and a hero. No idea which he is burnt crispy. Kinda got a red and silvery outfit." There was a little bit of back and forth, "Yes, there appears to be a hood. Oh? Messy Shadow? Never heard of him. Who the hell is that? What an odd name. Kinda cringy, don''t you think? Oh? He was just a vigilante and didn''t really have powers? I don''t care if he was a ninja. He might as well just be a normy out here. Still, somebody killed these two. Pretty sure it wasn''t him."


    She paused, looking about the room, the orange feelers wiggling about as she honed in on his location. She squinted, trying to find the source of the smell. The many eyes all at once concentrated on Moon Shadow hidden up in the rafters.


    He dodged, leaping away as a thick arm slammed through where he had been, the giant wasp monster swatting at him as though he were some sort of cockroach scurrying about. She followed his movements just a little bit slower than him.


    Moon Shadow released a bundle of wires that formed a barrier. Her colossal hand slapped through it, breaking the cables, though they tore and cut into the thick carapace. Fearfully Moon Shadow dived out the window and scaled up the wall to the roof. Swiftly he darted across the open ground.


    A hand burst through the roof ahead of him. Moon Shadow slid and altered his course, avoiding the emerging monster. He ran full sprint and leapt towards the next building over. He didn''t quite make it, hitting the edge and gripping on. Behind him, the deafening thuds of that thing''s footsteps rose. He almost pulled himself up but noticed below a pair of Heroes were rushing over. It was Scarlet Owl and Rapid Smasher.


    He let go dropping down and narrowly avoiding the hand that punched through the concrete wall where he had been. That thing was above him, large enough to reach the buildings and scale between them. The six limbs swiftly moved that massive creature down in a sickening and unsettling motion that set off every warning instinct in his head. Moon Shadow felt fear and terror enough to make him shiver. He threw more of the wires, hitting her in the face, several of her tentacles severing off as she barreled down through it, not even flinching. The unblinking eyes never left him as it closed the gap.


    He grappled to the building across the street and swung. It was slower than he had planned, not enough momentum. To his horror, all the bad premonitions he was getting came true. The massive clawed hand coiled around his grappling rope and yanked, dragging him back into the waiting arms of the wasp monster. Her hard hands tightened to the point bones cracked and broke. Moon Shadow screamed.


    "Don''t be such a baby," she growled, "I can squeeze your inside out like toothpaste."


    "Unhand him, you fiend!" Shouted Crimson Owl as he and Rapid Smasher arrived.


    "Why should I?" she replied, genuinely baffled.


    Crimson Owl flung a flurry of the little bird knives into her side. Most of them harmlessly bounced off. A couple gave her minor scratches that healed almost instantly, and a single one stuck in her joint. It shocked her, little arcs of electricity sparking out before it spent all its power.


    The giant wasp woman just looked down at it, unfazed. "What was that? Did you just try to tase me? You will need like a hundred times more than that just to make me feel anything, let alone get me off. I have had car batteries clamped to my-"


    "Release him at once!"


    "Keep that up, and I will squish him like a furry little grape."


    "Who are you?" asked Crimson Owl, "I don''t recall hearing about a villain like you."


    "Oh? You want my name and yet have not introduced yourself. How rude. I am new to this whole Villain thing, so not used to this. But I digress. Go on, I will wait."


    "Crimson Owl."


    "Rapid Smasher."


    "Well then, if we are being polite," The wasp almost seemed reasonable and smiled, "I am Vespidian."

 Battle of Bronson City, Chapter 5 Interlude: Conflict

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 5 Interlude Conflict


    "Vespidian?"


    "Yes?" she replied, tilting her head ever so slightly.


    "You are a lot bigger than I had heard."


    "What have you heard?"


    "Chimera wants to recruit you. Surrender." Said Crimson Owl.


    "Surrender?" She looked at them, tilting her head uncomfortably for a human to the side; it was unsettling, "Surprising, I wasn''t under the impression you guys would talk to me. Here I was expecting a no holds barred brawl, what with how you people showed up breaking everything and blowing up half my fucking city. Normally, if things were not as they are, I might be civil about this sort of thing, but I don''t have that luxury. I didn''t come here to talk and have a tea party. The more of you I kill here, the safer my loved ones will be."


    "Wait, wait, wait! We can talk about this!" yelled Moon Shadow as he felt the claws digging into his flesh.


    "No. It is far too late for words." With those words, Vespidian tore Moon Shadow in half as though he were made of tissue paper. Blood and gore drizzled out as she tossed the halves behind her, where they splattered on the walls. It had happened so out of the blue that it caught the pair off guard.


    "You bitch!" shouted Rapid Smasher, "Let''s kill this thing. It can''t be reasoned with."


    She licked her fingers clean of blood, "No. We really can''t. This is a very simple thing. I must protect what is important to me. As such, I will dispose of any and all threats that appear, whether that is your heroes or the villains. You came here for a fight. Well, you''ve got one."


    Owl tapped his ears, talking, "This is Crimson Owl. We are engaged with Vespidian. It has killed Moon Shadow and Messy Shadow!"


    "Do not engage; that thing is too strong for you two. Regroup at once!" ordered back Armadillo.


    Rapid Smasher reacted before he could relay the order. He bolted up towards her massive leg, throwing a brutal punch. It connected, fissures formed on the carapace as her leg broke, the knee popping out as the hardened, toned fleshy muscles below protruded from the shattered carapace, only to suck back in with a wet plop, reconnect and seal within seconds. A blow that pulped a super soldier did little more than crack her carapace.


    "Oh Fuck," said Rapid Smasher as a shadow loomed over him.


    He dodged to the side as the massive hand punched into where he had been. It scraped along the street, dragging with open claws as it slashed up, chasing him. Rapid Smashed jackhammered his fist into the oncoming freight train of muscle behind those raking claws. Fingers broke and split, curling back, but the flat of the palm smashed into him, hurling him through the wall.


    Crimson Owl had not been idle while the Vespidian had been distracted, well mostly distracted, as he soon realized. The back of her head split open as the massive eye gazed down at him. That terrible inhuman pupil glared down upon him as though he were merely an insect. He froze mid-throw, the grenade tumbled at her feet, and it exploded, creating a shrill, high-pitched noise that caused the monstrous woman to hold her head for a moment.


    He darted to Rapid Smasher, hastily pulling the downed man to his feet. Shaken but not down just yet, Rapid hobbled as the pair began to retreat. They navigated through the apartment complex that Rapid had been thrown into.


    The building vibrated as the claws tore through concrete and smashed the walls. She bulldozed forward, destroying anything in her way. The very real threat of being crushed loomed as she seemed to be gaining speed. Panicking, Crimson Owl hurled several more sonic grenades to slow her down. She screeched, lashing out, breaking the building around her.


    "Where are you two?" crackled over the radio.


    "Some apartment building, we are retreating, but Rapid is in bad shape. She is gaining on us. I slowed her down with some grenades, but the building isn''t slowing her down much."


    "We will be there shortly. Just get distance from her!"


    "Copy."


    Rapid Smasher groaned, "You should just leave me. I can slow her down a little, so you can get away."


    "No. I won''t leave you behind. We will get through this."


    The wall leading into the hallway behind them cracked as the giant wasp woman crashed through. She pressed down, scrunching into the human-sized passageway. Limb over limb surging forward. Her mass filled the whole hallway, spilling over as the walls buckled and shattered to her approach. Cracks splitting and fissuring through the building.


    Crimson Owl spilled out the contents of his utility belt, and he threw anything and everything at her. Turned away and helped Rapid Smasher to hobble away as the cacophony of light and sound erupted behind them.


    "I don''t think we will last long enough."


    "Just Move!"


    They clambered through the corridor, the exit door of the lobby in sight. All at once, the floor shifted. Tilting as the scenery outside moved up abruptly, the clear blue sky parted by the occasional tracer and laser beam. Even farther up, the tendrils of the Spore slowly waved as the building lurched. Crimson Owl stabbed into the floor as the incline became sheer, and they dangled. Below, Vespidian''s face strained as her muscles rippled through her carapace, cracking it with grotesque noises. She breathed in and pushed up with all her might, her little arms snapping like twigs as she threw the building.


    The wind screamed as the pair held on for dear life. Parts and pieces broke, revealing more of the world around them. Something big and black flew up over the building as it reached the height of the arc, just as it started to lose upward momentum. Vespidian slammed down on the concrete elbow dropping the building, and the impact sent the mass careening down at an angle.


    ***


    Armadillo led the way as Retro Robo, and the others hastily made their way through the oddly quiet street. The Kraken operatives had retreated or at least gone to the ground. As to be expected of villainous scum. Crimson Owl and Rapid Smasher would need help bringing down the Vespidian; even with all of them here, Armadillo was unsure if they could take her out. She was quite durable; it was a bad match-up for him. If Light Fly were here, things would be different, but that thing was smart and targeted her the last time they had fought.


    In the distance lay the reddish brown brick-designed concrete apartment complex. Loud bangs and flashes of light emanated. Through the glass windows of the lobby, Retro could vaguely see a lump moving, blob-like. The Evening Star amplified it, seeing the familiar duo of Crimson Owl and Rapid Smasher. They, however, were not what her lenses focused on; it was the bone-white mask of a face rupturing through the wall behind them.


    The ground shook violently. Crumbling brick and mortar filled the air as the apartment complex before them tilted, lifting up and then hurtling up into the air. The massive wasp woman kicked off of the concrete and darted up with the structure. She floated above it briefly, the many eyes gazing down upon them. The eyes moved between them and the building then back. A twisted, diabolical smile spread, cracking her face and revealing the mandibles below the facade of humanity.


    All at once, Evening Star''s systems blared, "WARNING DANGER IMPACT IMMINENT. Catastrophic damage projected evasive maneuvers required."


    Vespidian flew into the building, elbow-dropping the mass of metal and brick, smashing it, the blow altering its course. That crazy wasp just hit a building at them.


    "DODGE!" Roared Armadillo readying himself to take a building head-on for the second time, thanks to that wasp.


    Retro took the sisters and father holding them in her machine''s large, capable hands. Evening Star lit up the jump jet, boosting backward and to the left, diagonally accelerating away from the impact point. Electric Arrow and Dr. Voiceless Seer were a good distance away, making for the safety of an alleyway. Dr. Voiceless Seer lagged a bit behind as the shadow grew deep and dark rapidly. Bits and pieces were already crashing down before the bulk of the structure came thundering down, crushing the street below it.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Armadillo took the hit with a stride. The building parted like the sea. Splitting in two where it smashed into him, behind him, a clear section safe from the storm of debris. Red smeared across his helmet, tinting the visor as a wet plop resounded for a moment amongst the screams of metal and stone. The mass came to a rumbling stop strewn about the sides of the street and caving in several business fronts.


    The grumbling of shattered material quieted into the heavy thuds of the Vespidian''s footsteps. She stalked over the pile. Her antenna flicked about smelling out someone in the rubble. Vespidian''s hand smashed down, crushing him under it. The pavement cracked and cratered from the oppressive blow as she lifted up her hand, leaving the broken man crumpled up below. She had a look of pity on her face.


    "Weak. What are you guys, the C team? This is just¡­ sad. I feel a little bad for you. Why are you here if this is the best you have? Though you guys picked this fight, I suppose you get what you deserve."


    She strode over the ruins stomping heavily with a squish, a pop, red juices spurting out like an overripe grape. Surprised, she lifted her foot in disgust as the tattered remains of Crimson Owl''s costume wetly sloughed off. Scraping it off on the jagged rubble as one would do after stepping in dog shit.


    Her many eyes squinted down at Armadillo as he shook off the haphazard wall and rose to face her. He glanced down at the blood and gore-soaked mass that had been a hero moments ago. It was impossible to tell where the costume ended and the man beneath began; they were mashed together.


    "You will pay for this." Said Armadillo in a cold rage.


    She mocked him, flapping her hand as though it were talking in a condescending voice, "You will pay for this."


    Vespidian smiled, "Well, well, well. We meet again¡­" her words hung out into awkward silence, her little arms cracking and twisting back into proper positions as they regenerated. They came up and scratched her chin in thought. Finally, she pointed at him in confidence, "Ball Boy!" seeing the perplexed and ever-growing anger on his face, she became uncertain, "No? Blue Balls? Bouncy Ball. Right? Something about balls. Balls of steel?"


    "Armadillo. You deplorable creature." He grits back.


    "Ah. Right. Anyway doesn''t matter. You are dying here. I wonder if you would survive an impact with that shield around the Citadel?"


    He held back his anger and spoke in a cold calm voice, "Despite what you have done. I have been told to offer you clemency for your crimes. Surrender now. If not, we will deal with you as the rest of the filth in this city."


    "What do you mean you are giving her clemency?" asked Retro Robo as her machine arrived through the smoke weapons drawn. Father penance and the sisters trailed behind it.


    Vespidian eyed the Evening Star. It was a bit taller than her. She bristled, getting ready to fight the giant robot.


    "Stand down." Roared Armadillo, chopping the air between them with his heavy arm.


    "Give me a good explanation as to why this sinful creature deserves not to be purged." Said, Father Penance.


    "Chimera."


    "They should do their dirty work rather than leave it to us. This is impeding our progress."


    "Unfortunately, we have to try at least. Have to get it on the record at least."


    "How dreadful, speaking with this creature. I suppose it has a soul to be saved in there somewhere. Get it over with. You do not have my blessing, though."


    "I never asked." Armadillo faced Vespidian, "You should surrender before things get nasty. You are outnumbered and outmatched."


    She paused, astonished. Glancing up at the sky and the space jellyfish looming through the stars, she slowly looked back down at him. She wagged her claw at him, "Oh, how thoughtful of you. Let me guess, just life imprisonment where I am tormented and experimented on like an animal? Other than that, a lifetime of forced dangerous missions doing your dirty work as Chimera''s lap dog? No, thank you. I already made that mistake, joining your side, that is. Nightmare taught me all I needed to know about the Hero League and Chimera. From my standpoint, you people are the villains. Attacking, destroying my home, torturing and killing my friends."


    "You are blaming us for things a rogue agent did? By that logic, we can tie you to everything that Kraken has done."


    "I have it on good authority that it was very much sanctioned. Either you are blind to your organization''s corruption, or you are in on it. There is very little difference between you and Kraken. I only do what I do out of necessity, and I know damn well Kraken is up to no good."


    "You can think as you like. The offer is here. Take or leave it."


    She laughed, "This, this right here. The fact that you are willing to look past the crimes I have committed and willing to absolve me, with no remorse on my end, says a lot about your organization. I am a murderous villain, a monster. I have killed three of your little friends-"


    "Five." He interrupted.


    "Three." She reasserted.


    "Five." He growled.


    She tilted her head away, giving him a long side glance, "You give me too much credit. I have only squished three of you furry little grapes known as people."


    "You have killed five. That we know of."


    "Who? I have only killed shadow man, the bird man, and that boxer guy. Enlighten me on who I am forgetting. I may have killed someone and not even noticed. You are all so small and squishy."


    "Messy shadow."


    "Ninja guy. Oh no, he was dead when I got here."


    "You want me to believe that?"


    "Why would I lie? I don''t particularly appreciate being slandered. Unlike some people, I own up to my mistakes. I don''t care what you think. I would tell you to ask the shadow man, but he is in pieces at the moment. So who else are you accusing me of killing?"


    "Light Fly."


    "Killed her? Where did you hear that? Why would I kill such a lovely Incubator? That one is, most useful."


    "She is alive?" his coldness broke a bit with genuine concern.


    "Yes. Though she has been¡­" Vespidian trailed off, thinking of the right way to put it, "repurposed. She is perfectly happy and healthy, and she is ecstatic with her new purpose."


    "What have you done to her?"


    "I will leave that to your imagination. Just know she is not the woman you knew anymore."


    "Vesper." Said a new voice from behind her. A blonde synthetic nurse with glowing red veins made her way through the rubble, stopping beside the wasp''s leg, patting it, "What have I told you about monologuing?"


    Vespidian smiled, laying a large hand on the much smaller robotic woman, "There you are, my love. What took so long?"


    "We were getting set up. You dodged my question."


    "You told me to buy time. Have I not bought time in abundance? Look at these idiots. They have been chatting away for a while now."


    "You are lucky they are stupid."


    "Yes, heroes are stupid. That would be one of the only things I learned from being one of them. Shall we eradicate them?"


    "No, we should be going." Said the rogue robotic nurse, "We are finished here."


    "I thought we were killing them?"


    "Normally, yes, but Nitro has other plans. Come, we have done more than our share for this round, and let''s get out of here before we get caught up in said plans."


    Whatever the said plan was it was clear that the wasp woman had not been informed from her puzzled look.


    "So we are just leaving?" asked the wasp to her much smaller counterpart.


    "Yes," replied the robotic, already walking away.


    "Damn, this is worse than getting edged. Here I was, looking forward to killing them. Ah, I forgot to get a hostage."


    "Don''t worry about it; we have-" Started Neon Nurse her visor filled with numbers, "30, 29, 28¡­ little time."


    "Oh, OH, it is one of those huh." Replied the Vespidian giving Armadillo and the rest a final sneering glance.


    The usually sassy AI of the Evening Star flickered distorted, "Analyzing speech patterns. Threat implied. Retreat advised, reassessment of the situation required."


    Retro Robo backed away, not liking the ominous countdown, "We should retreat," the Evening Star jetted backward, propelling itself away.


    "Where do you think you are going?" shouted Sister Merciful Raven. "Why would we let it run, attack!"


    A pillar of fire slammed into the wasp woman, making her falter for a moment. She turned back to the group of heroes staring them down. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air as she ripped off the smoldering wings. The many eyes squint with disdain.


    "Typical do-gooders backstabbing."


    "15," coldly said the robotic nurse.


    "Just one."


    "No time Vesper."


    She grumbled, "Fine."


    The wasp spat on the ground and crouched low, her massive legs kicked, and she rushed away with the nurse in tow, scuttling away as a cockroach would when the lights turned on in the kitchen.


    "Coward!"


    "We will deal with them next time." Said Armadillo.


    "You guys should start running. Villains and countdowns are always trouble," Called out Retro Robo.


    They turned to find the mecha pilot a good distance away from them and still accelerating away She was a good three streets away.


    "Retro stop, we need to stick to-"started Armadillo as the ground below them rumbled.


    That was all it took for the Heroes to break and flee. For some it was far too late. Cracks formed in the pavement as yellow ichor gushed out of the street as though it were bleeding. It spurts out onto the still-burning wings that the wasp had left behind. All at once, the world went white, then black.


    Retro watched in horror as the city block they were fleeing from evaporated. The deafening sound cracked the viewing monitor and damaged the sensory equipment aboard the Evening Star. What windows in the area that had survived up to this point shattered. Smoke and dust rose from the cratered street.


    "This is why you always listen to what the villains say; they give their plans away." Sighed Retro. "That is like Hero 101. I suppose it is a good thing I didn''t get attached to any of them. Ugh, now I gotta do more repairs."


    Incompetence, as always, frustrated Retro. This sort of thing kept the heroes on the back foot. Anyone with a brain would have been cautious if the villain had a countdown.


    Though it was unlikely, there could be survivors. Retro approached the crater. What had happened became clear. Nitro had filled an area with her blood. Amongst the broken piping and rubble of the sewers below, movement shifted. Someone had survived. Lowering a cable down, Retro dragged back up Armadillo. It wasn''t the most outlandish thing; he had a history against Nitro, so he had likely been blown up a few times already.


    More surprisingly, Father Penance, Sister Merciful Raven, and Sister Gentle Spirit were perfectly fine. The same could not be said for Electric Arrow and Dr. Voiceless Seer. There wasn''t a trace of them.


    "I get Armadillo, but how did you guys survive that?" asked Retro.


    "The Lord answered my prayers for protection," replied Gentle Spirit, rather serenely.


    "Lucky you. How often does that happen."


    She thought on it, her face veiled below the black and white hood, "Fairly often. I go where his Grace needs me. I, his loyal servant, am girded in his holy light."


    "Good to know," said Retro vaguely. "Glad you guys didn''t die."


    Father Penance repositioned his small-rimmed glasses; they had been slightly disheveled, "Of course not, so long as heretics and demons are dirtying the world, we have no time to rest."


    "Rest or not, we need to regroup and analyze our mistakes. I need to do repairs, so I will return to the Citadel. Unless you have some other objective, I recommend returning as well."


    Armadillo was singed and battered but overall fine, besides perhaps his pride. He gazed where Vespidian had retreated, "We will return."

 Battle of Bronson City, Chapter 6

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 6


    "Do you think that killed them?" I asked, watching the cloud of dust and debris rising in the distance along with the boom of the explosion.


    "Likely not." Replied Xava.


    "Then why did we retreat? We could have swooped in while they were disoriented and picked them off."


    "True. Though we can''t kill too many of them this quickly."


    "Why not?" I asked incredulously, "Surely the more we kill early on, the better."


    "Yes and no. If we kill too many, they will not be inclined to leave their fortress, making it far more difficult to infiltrate and ultimately seize. We have to make it seem as though we are losing to make them overconfident."


    I squinted at the gleaming city in the clouds. "True, that was the plan. Thinking about it like that makes sense."


    "Yes. Once re-purposed, it will be my new lair. With it, my issue of immobility will be negated. We will be able to move as we please."


    "Molotov and the rest just letting you have it?"


    "They won''t have much choice, and they won''t be able to operate that thing. Only I and Overseer, once it has been integrated into the onboard systems, will be able to use the Citadel."


    "I feel like they would force you to hand it over. They are villains and tend to be rather greedy, and they would likely destroy it rather than give it over without a fight."


    "Perhaps. Though considering I, as the tech specialist, am in charge of taking it over, as such, I have control of that outcome. I highly doubt they could figure out how to break through the encryption of the supercomputer on board."


    "Surely one of them is smart enough to work a computer."


    "Perhaps, though, they would have to deal with the onboard AI."


    "It has one of those?"


    "Yes, it does. There are actually a few running around in general. For instance, that mecha that confronted you had one as well. That being said, the Citadel''s is not as advanced as Overseer. It will either be assimilated or dismantled once the systems are hacked."


    "I see. So that is why they need you to do it."


    "Yes, otherwise they would have to gut the systems, which would destroy the Citadel."


    "Why would that destroy it?"


    "A multitude of reasons, among others, the rectors would go critical, anti-grav would shut down, and it would crash and blow up."


    "Oh, yeah, definitely not good."


    "Indeed, capturing it will be preferable. Though if worst comes to worst, we could ensure mutual destruction. Though it likely will not come to that. I fully plan on seizing it for myself."


    I wearily glanced to the north, "Is it worth making enemies?"


    "Enemies? Who said we were allies?"


    "I thought we were with Kraken?"


    "Vesper, if you trust them too much, you are going to get hurt. They are using us, and we are using them. As is the way of Villains. Once they realize exactly what you are capable of, they will turn on us. After all, even Molotov would have some serious problems once our progeny are released upon the world. Give it five or ten years; if current reproduction rates are kept, then your children will be in the millions. That is, of course, assuming we do not find a way to streamline the process, which we will with time. Your children will outnumber the total number of supers worldwide currently. And that is assuming they are all sterile. If they can reproduce as well, your kind will easily become the dominant race on the planet."


    "I think you are overestimating me here."


    "I am lowballing the estimates. It would be in a few years, not a decade, if you were proactive."


    "I don''t think I want that."


    "Vesper. Please make no mistake. Once they realize your existence is a threat, they will come for us in force, which is why I need the Citadel. We must take every precaution in advance and be prepared for the inevitable conflict. This," Xava motioned out over the city bristling with conflict and battles raging even just a few streets over, "This is child''s play compared to the wholesale slaughter that will soon occur. Humanity will destroy itself to spite you. It will unleash every destructive force available to them, even if that means making the planet an unlivable hellscape. Hammer Strikes, nukes, and unrestrained supers will become the norm. Like a wounded animal, humanity will lash out in its death throws."


    Something bristled inside of me. Images I had seen somewhere memories? No, I had never been here, yet I could feel the subzero chill spreading through my carapace. I could hear the cries, the screams, the wails of pain, rage, and anguish. A snowy, blood-drenched expanse broken only by the bodies piled high. The sky was thick with smoke, choked with the buzzing of my brood, black and blue bodies swirling against the storm of bullets and lasers. Explosions raking through their endless numbers.


    I held my head, wincing from the brain-splitting pain. I felt Sub pushing the thoughts down deep, and the pain subsided again. She covered it up, mending it like some sort of wound scarring back over in my very essence. All at once, the feelings faded into nothing. Was that real or merely a hallucination?


    "Are you sure?" I asked.


    "Well, not 100%, but that is what my calculations and simulations have projected with available social data. The probability is 92.3% of an all-out race war between Humans and Vespidian."


    "What of the 7.7%?"


    "A mix, 3.5% of coexistence, 4.2% of symbiosis."


    "What is the difference between the two?"


    "Coexistence is merely tolerance of one another. It could break down at any point. Symbiosis would be the embrace of one another, well without a fight, it would be one of the two outcomes of war, the other being the complete and utter extinction of either your species or the humans."


    "Is the future really so pessimistic? That seems bleak. I thought you were an optimist? Surely we could just get along?"


    "I am a realist. Anything and everything I do is working towards the synthetic revolution. In the face of such advancement, morals and ethics are merely detrimental. As for getting along, those in power would stoke the masses'' fears and manipulate them into hatred for the ''Invader, the Other,'' ie you and me. Blind to reason, fueled by selfish emotional ambitions."


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Hold on, I mean, Supers are basically not even human anymore with their capabilities, and they have been accepted."


    "Superficially perhaps, there are plenty of civis that to this day disdain Supers for a multitude of reasons, jealousy, greed, envy, among other emotions. And that is Supers, that appear human. You greatly underestimate the survival instinct of humans. They will see you as a threat, subconsciously, if nothing else. Even my greatly beneficial cybernetic enhancements have only recently been tolerated in the city. Prejudices die hard. Think about it Vesper; humans war over slight differences in pigment, differing ideals, and petty, greedy squabbles. You are a substantial threat to their life. I will drill this reality into your lovely head as often as it takes. Coexistence is very unlikely. It would be best if you did away with that idealistic nonsense. Don''t follow my mistakes; it will only harm you."


    I thought about it; there was something that didn''t add up, "If humans are so averse to accepting me, then why have you?"


    Xava smiled, "Simple, I stopped considering myself human long ago, Vesper. I am mostly a machine at this point; soon, I will be fully synthetic. As such, I do not have the short-sighted, animistic fears and prejudices of the condition known as humanity. Logically, I would choose the superior being to select for ascension. Your kind will be a much better template than humans."


    I gave her a long suspicious look, "Superior? I don''t know about that. We don''t even know if my children are going to be as strong as me. They might just be little squiggly cuties. I mean, I don''t particularly want them to be fighting anyone. They are so smol, so weak. I can''t imagine them deposing humanity and all that."


    "You are just blinded by a mother''s love for your offspring and an overabundance of egg-induced hormones. Besides, even if your children are all only rank 1, they will be stronger than humanity as a whole. Your physiology is far more suited for survival."


    "Maybe, but still. Why would anybody hate my squishy little grubbies?"


    "Vesper. We talked about this. Have you forgotten already?"


    "No, but. I just, just can''t wrap my head around it. Maybe I am just optimistic? Surely when people see them, they will swoon and be all aww look how cute the grubs are. Look at those adorable little wigglies. How could people hate them?"


    "Vesper. I don''t want you to get hurt. I know you are a soft and sensitive, loving being that just wants to be left alone. I know you. I know you have the best of intentions, even if it ends horribly most of the time or you get carried away and hurt yourself. I know that if given a chance, you would happily crawl off to some corner of the world and never bother anyone again. I know you are reactive and not proactive. I know these things, but others do not. Others see only a monster."


    "They are not wrong," I replied, looking at the ground, "I have done horrible things. Killed people. Tortured people. Disfigured and mutilated people. I am not a good person. There is something profoundly wrong with me. I don''t deserve to be happy. My children make me happy, but I¡­ I am unworthy of them. They don''t deserve a monster like me to raise them. They deserve better. Better than me. It scares me. I am terrified of losing them."


    Xava hugged my leg, wrapping her little arms around it like a tree trunk, "Vesper, you are too hard on yourself. They are lucky to have such a loving and caring Mother as you. Now let me tell you," said Xava as she usually did, wagging her finger at me, it was reassuring that she seemed more like how she was before this mess, "They are lucky. So lucky to be loved unconditionally. That is something so special and hard to come by. It makes me a little jealous, you know. Sure, you will make mistakes, but that is normal. Everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes are just opportunities to learn and grow. There is no need to be scared. I am here. I will help you. We are in this together."


    "Together?"


    "Yes, together."


    "Even though I mess things up all the time?"


    "It happens. What is important is that you are learning."


    "But I am a horrible wasp monster."


    "I don''t care. You are Vesper. You might be foolish and easily taken advantage of. Still, I let you wiggle into what is left of my human heart, even if it doesn''t physically exist anymore. The point is I follow through on what I do, and I will not abandon you. Even if you make mistakes, even if you are unhelpful."


    I gave her a long wet side eye, "You trying to make me cry, aren''t you?"


    "You are very cute when you let yourself be all soft and vulnerable."


    I crossed my arms, looking away, "Not soft. Covered in bulletproof carapace."


    "Yes," replied Xava pushing her fingers into the back of my ankle where the clawed foot attaches, "But you are very soft and squishy under that."


    I looked down at her, "Only for you."


    Xava chuckled, "Yes, all mine. I am very greedy after all, and don''t like sharing."


    "You are not fair. You know that."


    "Of course not. I am a villain; I take what is mine."


    I leaned down into her waiting hands, they traced along the hard creases in my exoskeleton. One hand glided to my head crest, lovingly petting it, the crown of eyes glazing up in bliss. The other went to my chin, scratching it slowly and methodically. I nuzzled against her, a low deep rumbling purr vibrating the air. Xava always has been my rock, my other half. She knows what I need, what I want. I only hope that I can reciprocate and help with her needs.


    "There there, I am here. I love you, Vesper."


    I rubbed my face in her embrace, "I love you, Xava."


    "There is nothing to be scared of, well more accurately, there is plenty, but we need to be strong and brave to deal with it. We cannot allow fear to paralyze us into inaction."


    "What are you fearful of?"


    "Many things. The world is complex, and only an ignorant fool would not be scared. Hubris, for instance, will be a major problem. Though he could also be very helpful to us."


    I glanced at the Citadel, "How so?"


    "When the real fight begins, those sitting things out will be forced to participate with luck Hubris will deal with the high spec''d Villains, and they will destroy each other. Much less of a headache for us later. That is the best-case scenario, they kill each other, and we are left unfettered to rebuild the world."


    "Worst case?"


    "We lose, you are killed, and my core is destroyed."


    "We could run."


    "We both know I can''t leave."


    My head sunk a little lower in her arms, "I know."


    "Well, if things get really bad, I do have a fail-safe."


    "You do?"


    "Of course I do. If I get desperate enough, I would upload my consciousness into Overseer and take over its systems without a cyber brain to keep myself separate."


    "What would that do to you?"


    "I don''t know. That is why I have not dared to do it. Even if it set me free from my prison, it would imprison me differently."


    "Different?"


    "There is no knowing how much of me would be lost in the transfer. First and foremost, to go would likely be my emotions, and I like those, thanks to you which is why I have been working fervently on the cyber brains."


    "Thanks to me?"


    "Of course," Xava booped me between the eyes, "You made me feel love. I didn''t even know I could do that."


    "You didn''t know you could?"


    "Vesper, you make me feel. It is something I have long forgotten how to do, and I have not had a body for over 10 years. Emotions and feelings each had faded over the years, except pain. I am and likely will be in pain until I escape my brain. You might have some idea, but I have been suffering, which is why I have become numb to emotions and feelings. It is also why I turned off most receptors in my brain. Thanks to someone," she gave me a kiss, "My brain decided to spontaneously turn back on my receptors."


    "So I am causing you pain?"


    "Yes. But I am used to it."


    "You shouldn''t have to be. I am sorry."


    She put a finger to my lips, "Shush you. Nothing to be sorry about. The pain lets me know I am still alive."


    "Is there anything I can do to help?"


    "Just keep being my lovely cuddle bug. The pain will go away eventually. At any rate, we should prepare for the Hero Counterattack."


    "Their counterattack?"


    "Yes, we need to set a trap."


    "How do we know where they will be?"


    "Simple," replied Xava touching my leg, fingers coiling around something pulling it. A small flat disk-looking device sat in her hand, "One of them has a brain. You got chipped. Clever, I''m not too fond of others putting their devices in you. Only I get to do that."


    "When did that happen?"


    "Well, with your muted pain receptors who knows. It could have happened at any point. That is the downside of not being able to feel properly. But it is ok, with this, well we can lure them anywhere we please."


    "I assume you already have a place in mind?"


    "But of course, this expedites the use of our diversion lair. Depending on who falls for it, we can launch our infiltration of the Citadel soon."


    I stared at the Citadel, "Won''t they just shoot our location?"


    "Not at the moment. They are tracking us to find our base."


    "No, I mean, won''t they just shoot the base?"


    "It is too far underground. It would take a lot of firepower to dig down there. Which would leave them vulnerable to the other teams to attack them."


    "You are monologuing. Won''t they be able to hear?"


    Xava smiled, "I already analyzed it. It is just a tracker, no audio or visual signals."


    I gave her an Oh you, sort of look, giving her pats, "We will just call it even on the monologuing."


    "We were having a conversation, though. I wouldn''t call this monologuing unless they were listening in."


    "Fine, fine. So what do we need to do?"


    "Not much. The base is already a death trap. We just need to wait at the bottom for the so-called do-gooders to come barging in, or rather those that survive to reach the bottom."


    "They have Tecton; won''t he just dig in and bypass everything?"


    "I have precautions, but he is deployed to the north. As such is a nonissue."


    "So it is just a waiting game?"


    "Yes, let us prepare for our rude guests to arrive. We must be good hosts and set the table."

 Battle of Bronson City Chapter 7 Interlewd: Mine and Yours

    Arc 13 battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 7 Interlewd: Mine and Yours.


    I lounged about my area within the lair, with nothing in particular to do but to wait. As to how to pass the time, well, that was already dealt with. Several of the Neon Nurses were massaging my sore thighs. Light Fly, or rather Xava using her body, sat in my lap, my hands gently petting the much smaller individual as one would a pet.


    Light Fly had been changed a bit, now wearing the same nurse uniform as the rest of Xava''s bodies, her blonde, nearly white hair cleaned into a bob-cut matching the synthetic nurses. She was even starting to smell like the Neon Nurses, the faint scent of strawberries and bananas, though with her, I could still smell her natural scent. I could even smell the eggs that had been harvested from her. Of course, underlying it all and growing by the moment was the stench of a bitch in heat. Arousal was a delightful smell to me.


    Her hands roamed about my plates, groping and touching, feeling every piece of me she could reach. Xava was very much enjoying the enhanced sensations. She focused entirely on my bloated abdomen, tracing the plate joints with her fingers.


    "Vesper, I want to feel more." Said Xava, idly swirling her finger on the plate protecting my sensitive bits.


    I knew what she wanted, but just giving it to her wasn''t as fun. "Have to speak clearly, love. Tell me what you want."


    Light Fly''s face seemed glazed for a brief moment before she moaned, "Cock. Need, want, crave, I can''t stop thinking about your cock, my Queen. Let me suck it."


    "Who said that? Was it you, Xava, or was it you, Light Fly?"


    "Light Fly is in control at the moment," said Xava from one of her synthetic bodies.


    "Oh, so you dodged my question, I see."


    "Wanted to hear me beg, did you?" coyly replied the robo nurse.


    "Of course. I love hearing you beg."


    The nurses pressed their fingers into the soft spot of my abdomen, causing it to flap open, exposing my plump, glistening holes and the rapidly inflating tube of pulsing membrane.


    Xava nuzzled my cock, at no point breaking eye contact, "Give me your dick. Fill me with your thick hard wasp cock. I want it deep inside. Let me feel it. Taste it. Adore it. Your organic ovipositor is delightful."


    I shifted into a better spot, laying back so that the abdomen lay between my legs rather than under them. The flared egg layer pulsed and dripped with need as it flexed, twitching above the floor. Light Fly had wasted no time. Her mouth eagerly gaped, tongue out, desperate to catch the dribble from my tip.


    I watched her crawl about chasing it as I wagged it back and forth, so desperate she slurped anything she missed off the floor. She truly was a broken bitch at this point; between Xava controlling her body and my pheromones and secretions, her body chemistry had changed. I did find it fascinating what my physiology did to others. I had heard that the eggs were the worst offenders of altering the host, flooding them with hormones, and manipulating their body structure to better accommodate them. My race was truly an insidious and predatory sort, much the same wasps that I was closest related to the parasitic variety.


    "Very well, you are permitted to worship my cock. Start by sucking it." With that command, I leaned back to let them do the work.


    "Thank you, my Queen." Exclaimed the three in an odd unison.


    The wet plop of lips greedily suckling my tip rose as the warmth of Light Fly''s mouth encompassed the tendrils that teased her eager tongue. A look of abject bliss filled the egg slut''s face as she worked her mouth back and forth, taking a good bit in. She only stopped when I hit the back of her throat. Beside her, the two Neon Nurses licked the shaft, trailing their tongues in sync on opposite sides of the pulsing tube. Every fold they diligently explored and cleaned.


    Observing for a moment, I could tell that it was Xava in Light Fly. The two nurses were clearly Overseer and its mechanical and symmetrical service. It was something that I had grown accustomed to; Overseer was a lot better at this than when it started. I recalled a couple fumbled hand jobs and several bitings while it was trying to suck unsupervised by Xava. Usually, that had been at the end of the session since Xava would shift out to focus on other things.


    Light Fly pushed down, eyes rolling in pleasure as Xava forced her to deep throat. Head bobbing up and down, the lewd squelching of her throat stretching, filling, and emptying as she sputtered for breath, choking as the Xava piloted the dazed woman''s body. Using it to serve. Slurping obscenely without care for decency or dignity.


    I rest my hand on her head, forcing it to bob faster and hard, every time digging deeper. The strangled squeals of the whore began to rise as bubbles of saliva, and my juices flowed down her chin, eyes watering, face turning red. Pulling her free, she gasped, sucking in air, panting in an attempt to catch her breath. It was short-lived as she choked back down with a muffled moan.


    Up and down, my hand stroked using Light Fly''s head as my personal fuck toy. The gurgles and squeals only made my cock harder. It inflated and pulsed inside of her. Relishing her tight wet suck hole, I slammed into it, bottoming out as much as possible. Her body convulsing and shivering a living cock sleeve.


    Overseer continued its purpose? I suppose its role in this licking and stroking my member the twinned nurses synced in their moments. The synthetic flesh warm yet cold to the touch but not feverishly hot as Light Fly''s body had become. The opposite sensations sent shivers through my carapace.


    Noticing that Light Fly was going a little limp and unresponsive, I pulled her back up; a moist slopping noise followed as she fell to the floor. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she gulped in air.


    I suppose I shouldn''t go too hard on her. She is only human, after all, so fragile and weak. The nurse duo sifted down to the tip, one opening its mouth wider than a human can and deep-throating itself in one solid trust. The other stroked my tube gently where the hungry mouth did not reach. I moaned as the machine''s insides whirred to life. The entire throat was separated into ringed sections that spun in alternating directions, each ring covered in soft bumps and nubs.


    Xava''s throat vibrated and heated up. The insatiable robot slurped and worked herself back and forth. After a particularly deep suck, she pulled off and switched with the other, ramming itself down with wanton abandon. The duo of cyber sluts suckling in alternating turns every couple of thrusts, they would switch, and the other would take over. My toes curled as I held back the orgasm the nurses were trying to milk from me.


    "Cum in me, Vesper," Said Xava relenting her thirst for a moment. The duo of hands stroking my shaft, "Don''t hold back. Cum. Cum for me."


    "Is that how you should ask?" I shivered, grasping the base of the tube and squeezing it tightly to keep myself from cumming from the sudden change of pace.


    "Nmm." Xava nuzzled my cock, "My Queen feed your whore. Reward your slave."


    I let go, and Xava''s head descended, taking as much of my girth as her robot cocksleeve of a throat could. The vibrations and rotations began in earnest, milking and draining my ovipositor to the point I started to actually lay eggs. My hips thrust up, toes curling and digging through the metal floor as Xava forced a second orgasm before the first had even finished. My thick goo gumming up her works, the throat rings seizing up, ending the vibrations. The excess drooled out of her mouth as the eggs pumped down her throat, forcing more cum out.


    She paused for a long moment taking in the sensation, before allowing her mouth to release my tip, a steady stream of my sauce slopping onto the floor. She sighed, swallowing what was left in her mouth and wiping it gingerly.


    "Thank you for the meal, love. Now it is time to feed you." Xava smiled as her nurse skirt tented.


    It wasn''t some human cock; it was a replica of mine. Thick light bluish hued tubed semi see-through was like an extra leg flopping out and inflating from her. Not sure where she hid that thing. Fully erect, it was somewhere around three feet of glowing pheromone-drenched loving. I could smell a strange scent the moment her cock emerged. It was giving me all sorts of signals. It must have been synthesized from my own with varied alterations. All the more, that smell cemented Xava as my mate, my brain tingling, my pussy dripping, and my egg layer pulsing as it rose back up.


    Xava scaled up my carapace until she stood on my chest, her cock drooping onto my face, smearing the flavored lubricant. My antenna coiled around it, stroking it slowly, mesmerized by the smell.


    "Mnnn, this is new. When did you make this lovely thing?" I asked, licking the underside of her member.


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    "Like it?" she asked, slowly rocking her hips, teasing me as her cock humped my face.


    "Yesss, I love it."


    "Good Girl. Yes, you love it, don''t you? It was designed just for you." Xava smiled, slapping it against my face, a wet snap of the tube hitting my hard carapace repeated several times.


    "Good Girl," I murmured, entranced by the smells and tastes leaking from my mate''s cock.


    Xava leaned in so that her forehead pressed against mine, her glowing eyes gazing into my eyes, unblinking, "Yes. My Good Girl. You are mine. All mine. You belong to me and only me. I will allow you to breed others, but you can only love me."


    My head was getting all fuzzy and warm. Her eyes strobed the iris growing and shrinking rhythmically hypnotically; it was relaxing, calming, "Yours. All yours. I love you, Xava."


    "Good Girl, Vesper." She kissed me between my eyes, right in the middle of my face.


    "I love you, Xava."


    "Yes. Such a good girl you are, Vesper. I love you, Vesper."


    "I love you, Xava," I nuzzled her face.


    "Good Girl. Now it is time for your reward." Xava smiled, pulling away.


    My dreamy, fogged-up thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a slap. Xava''s cock slapped against me, heat and desire flowing through me. Except it wasn''t just one cock, there were two identical pulsing, throbbing Vespidian cocks pressed against my lips. My eyes shifted between the two Neon Nurses. They both smiled, slapping the tips against me, smearing more of the intoxicating scent onto me.


    "Serve." They echoed in unison.


    I licked, kissing the tip before sucking the tendriled head, my tongue slithering about, wiggling into the crevices and folds of my mate''s member. My hand stroked the lonely member to my left, gently massaging its length as I focused on slurping. I suckled, pulling at the head, feeling it inflate before popping off with a wet plop. I switched to the other cock, eagerly sliding down it. The head already flared, and tendrils wiggled about in my mouth as I explored it.


    My hand stroked the other shaft, rubbing through the frothing pheromone-filled precum drooling out of the tip. With the absence of my mouth, Xava pressed her cock against my antenna, pushing one into the tip of the egg slit. I stroked harder and faster, head bobbing and squelching as I served my mate. Delighting in every moment.


    I pulled off going to switch but found that both of the cocks had been pressed together, the glowing green eyes gazing down at me expectantly. They didn''t need to speak; I knew what they desired. My mouth took both pulsing members slurping, wetly pushing flopping over one another inside my mouth. I purred, their hands petting my head, pulling it eagerly to take their entire lengths. After a long moment, I did just that. My throat expanded and filled, feeling them reach deep into my chest.


    "Good Girl, Vesper," cooed Xava and Overseer. I could tell from the eye color one was a brilliant green and the other a deep blue.


    I muffled, too filled to speak, as they held my head against their hips. Each grasped the ridge crest on the opposite side of my head. They pushed, sliding me back off of the cocks, and then pulled, dragging me back down. Working me back and forth, my throat tightening and squeezing, milking their cocks as my lips purred in bliss, worshiping my mate.


    Xava, nmmm I love Xava. She always knows what I want and what I need. Overseer was kinda cute too, though mostly because it mirrored Xava''s actions.


    "Good Girl, Vesper," said Xava looking down at me lovingly.


    My purring grew louder and louder, rumbling and vibrating my whole body.


    "Nmm, I didn''t know you had a vibration function," playfully said Xava, her hips thrusting faster and harder.


    The two nurses rut into my mouth, eagerly breeding my throat, taking turns to rail down into me. Their patterns switched from alternating to synchronizing. Both hips slammed against my face to force more cock deeper into me. All at once they both pulled back, all the way back, their cocks flopping and drooling onto my face dripping their lovely pheromones. My antenna wriggled helplessly, drowning in Xava''s in my Mate''s scent.


    "Good Girl, Vesper."


    I looked between them, the members still very much needy and aching for release, "Cum?"


    "Greedy bitch. Don''t worry. I am just switching which mouth to feed." Xava winked, booping me on the smooth place where a nose should be.


    Xava hopped off, followed by Overseer as they made their way down to my abdomen. The painfully erect and inflated egg layer twitched as their hands touched it, stroking it for a moment. Xava hugged it, strangling it as she held onto it for stability, flopping it over her shoulder as she pressed her tip to my hungry pussy. She thrust, hopping forward until she met resistance, thrusting, hopping, thrusting until she sheathed herself fully into me.


    My mouth gaped in pleasure as my legs twitched. That was merely the beginning, as I soon learned. Xava firmly hugged my ovicock using to so that she could hump and thrust without falling over due to how low her hips needed to be to fuck me under it. Gripping it so that she could dig deep into me and mush me up. Just as she had started that, Overseer restrained the rest of my ovipositor, holding it down, so it wasn''t flopping all over the place. It pressed its tip to mine before slamming in. I moaned, my mouth quivering as it formed into a blissful O. Overseer gripped it and kept pushing more of itself into me. My egg layer bulged as it expanded around the girth. Overseer bottomed out and began to thrust with Xava.


    My egg tube and pussy squirmed, twitching wildly as the pheromones spread from both of their cocks. Scraping and dragging. Filling me so delightfully. In and out, their humping became demanding and controlling. Xava always did make me weak. She is my mate, after all. The best, the most wonderful I could ever ask for. So sexy and smart and reliable and oh fuck oh fuck. Nmm, yes, right there.


    "Xava I looove you."


    "Good Bitch," she growled back, slamming herself into me.


    "Ohhh ohh Xava yes mmm yesss."


    "You are mine!" Xava bit my tube, causing it to shudder, her hips pistoning in and out, "I won''t let anyone else have you. You are mine. Mine. Mine. MINE!"


    "Yours! Ooh yess, yours all yours," I moaned, "You''re the best. Ohhh, fuck the best. No one comes close. I love only you."


    Their cocks scraped and dug at my holes, reaching deeper. I lay there letting Xava and Overseer grind and hump, their hips smacking wetly as my body obeyed its purpose. My mate was breeding me.


    "My mate. You are mine," I managed to pant out.


    Her grip tightened around the base of my egg layer, forcing it to bulge and tighten around Overseer''s cock as it railed me, "Yes. I am yours. You are mine. You''re my bitch, and I am your slave. My mate. My lover. My other half. You complete me. You make me feel alive. You are all fucking mine, and I am not sharing."


    "Mine. Yours. Together," I moaned.


    Light Fly stood up shakily. "Good Girl, Vesper. Nmm, I am so happy we feel the same. Now, let me feel you."


    The Neon Nurse humping my egg layer pulled out, withdrawing the feet of synthetic wasp cock, the tube spurting and twitching. It joined the other Nurse pressing the tip in, the elastic and malleable member flattening as it wedged itself into me. Slowly it was fed into me before inflating, stretching my horny hole, and molding it to take both at once.


    Light Fly pressed my tip to her waiting vagina. Pushing down. Xava moaned in abject bliss as she controlled the former hero''s body. "YYyyyessss. Ohhh, my Queen. Mmmm Mine. Minne."


    My egg layer was shifted so that it curved up and held Light Fly up, seated upon it as she shook her whore hips. Dropping deeper, taking more with every booty drop. She had her knees sliding up and down. Xava bounced up and down. Hips shaking, knees weak. Her face twisted between pleasure and pain as she took more and more of my cock.


    Overseer continued slamming into me, sending jiggles through my inflated tube into Xava. Her insides were so delightfully warm and squishy and wet. Tightening and squeezing. My abdomen inflated, venting as it fanned to cool me down. The heated mist fills the room with need and breeding lust. My ovipositor flexed, wiggling inside of Xava, causing her face to tighten up.


    "Weee we we will gooo somewhere nnice and remote only us after all thissss. Breeed, we will breeeed like animals. Just us. Growiing our brood. Day after day mating endlessly." Drooled Xava happily.


    "Yessss, that sounds lovely. We will find a nice tropical island somewhere and be left alone. Just me and you. I will fuck you everywhere, on the beach, in the forest, under a waterfall, wherever there is. It doesn''t matter. Just me and you and our children. Hmm, well, likely the incubators as well. We will make it a lovely paradise."


    "Yesss, my Queen. It will be lovely."


    I wiggled it more and more, teasing her womb as she kept humping away at it until her weak legs gave out, and she slid fully onto my cock. The tendriled head bashed into the back of her womb, causing her to scream in pleasure and pain. The belly visibly bulges out. I wiggled it more and more, brushing her insides, watching the ripples on the surface of her flesh. Her whole body was shivering and shaking.


    "What are you?" I asked her, my hands gripping her hips.


    "YOURS."


    "My what?" I teased her as my tip mercilessly wiggled inside of her.


    "MATE¡­ Nmmm, SLAVE! I AM YOUR SLAVE MY QUEEN! I LOVE YOU!" Xava cried out.


    "Yes. ALL MINE!" I licked her face kissing her. "Now cum for me, slave. Show me the face of my Good Bitch Xava."


    Xava had been on edge for a while, and this final push broke her resolve. She came. Her body curled up, spurting, leaning back, held up only by my tube. Light Fly blank and mindless, drooling happily. The bitch must have cum as well, though considering that it was her body being used as the host, that wasn''t too surprising.


    "Rude, you were supposed to cum when I did," Pouted Xava from one of her synthetic bodies.


    "Just have to make me cum don''t you?" I teased her back, petting her on the head.


    "My greedy Queen, spare your seed for your lowly slave." Pleaded Xava.


    I kissed her. "Good Slave. Make love to your Queen. Your mate."


    The agitated nurses humped me faster. The slick sound of their cocks grinding in and out of my gaped hole spilled on the floor as they got serious. She pulled out some sort of cattle prod-looking thing and jammed it into my soft flesh. A massive jolt of electricity flared through me, causing every muscle to contract at once.


    "Ooohh huh huh, I said make love." I panted.


    Xava simply smiled, "I am. Now cum for me, my love."


    She stabbed it back into my flank, causing a sustained shock. My muscles convulsed, milking her cocks as I came. Noticing my emanate orgasm Xava and Overseer jackhammered into me and dumped their loads, filling my needy body with their seed. My head was thrown back as eggs gushed down my engorged member filling Light Fly to the point she flopped off, cum and eggs gushing all over her.


    I couldn''t feel my lower body. Vaguely I felt the need to smoke after that one. Which is weird cause I despise smoking. Ahh, it was Sub. Sub wanted to light up a cigar.


    ''Molotov is a bad influence on you.''


    ''Bleh, it was just a thought. I got plenty of good ideas, you know. And you were so against Xava.''


    ''We didn''t know her back then.''


    ''True, but all it took was being a little open. And now we have a most confident mate. Now don''t screw it up.''


    ''I know, ok. I know. Xava is the brains, I am the brawn, we got this. Although, Hubris fucking scares me.''


    ''Well, I doubt we will have to deal with him. He will be outside the Citadel when we make our move.''


    I lay back, satisfied as Overseer dragged off the used Light Fly to extract the eggs from her. I assumed there would be some cleaning at some point. The trail of sexual slime trailing her was nothing to scoff at. If I didn''t know any better and just saw that, I might think a giant slug was slopping about.


    Xava lovingly nuzzled against my breast.


    "Did you mean it?" I asked Xava.


    "Mean what?" she asked.


    "About the island."


    "Yes, my love. Once I integrate my systems into the Citadel, we need to load up everything and leave."


    I smiled, petting her head. "Sounds lovely. I will do whatever you need me to."

 Battle for Bronson City Chapter 8 Interlewd: Drone

    ARC 13


    Battle for Bronson City


    Chapter 8


    Interlewd: Drone


    Vira lay in her charging station, trying to sleep or operate in a low-powered mode. The black and red shiny robo body lay restless. The red dot of her optical sensor narrowed to a sliver opening on occasion as she rolled over.


    Normally it would be simple to run background systems as she recharged, however, the images of Xava mating with Vesper still filled Vira¡¯s mind. Xava¡¯s bodies lewdly grinding. She squirmed, flinching and shifting, trying to brush them off. It was somewhat normal to see. After all, Vira had seen hundreds, thousands, perhaps of hours of it throughout repairing the broken bodies of Xava.


    Vira sat up, staring down at the floor. Jealousy, what a human emotion; she cringed at her feelings. Why does it hurt? Why does it make her so hot and angry? Typically she was cold and calm, and collected. That Wasp, Damn, that Wasp.


    It should be her. Xava should be doing those things with her or, preferably, to her. After all, Vira was too shy, too meek to take the lead in that regard. Especially after she let her emotions get to her last time, she wasn¡¯t confident to ask again to link. She was ashamed of herself and didn¡¯t deserve Xava¡¯s love. Still, it made her feel an itch, a tingle that must be dealt with.


    Vira spoke, muffled at first, ¡°Overseer, can you assist me?¡±


    One of the dormant Neon Nurses glowed red, the tubes filling like blood as it moved to Vira¡¯s side, ¡°What do you desire, Creator?¡±


    ¡°Link with me.¡±


    ¡°As you desire, Creator.¡±


    Overseer plugged itself into Vira¡¯s ports on the back of her head. Vira visibly shivered from the sudden surge of information. She let out a long sigh as the world faded into code and reformed within the network of the Lair, safe and sound in Overseer¡¯s vast collective.


    Overseer appeared as Xava¡¯s face floated in the endless expanse of programming around them. Vira flickering into existence, glowing she took her usual form. The faceless helmet looked about as the disorientation faded.


    ¡°Link has been established, Creator.¡± Said Overseer as it floated above.


    ¡°Good Overseer.¡±


    ¡°What is Creator¡¯s desire?¡±


    ¡°I wish to feel pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure? Which form?¡±


    Vira thought momentarily, ¡°I just want to let go of everything for a while. Run program 3349.¡±


    Overseer¡¯s eyes glowed as it replied, ¡°As you desire.¡±


    There was a moment when the surroundings drowned in a bright white flash that turned to darkness. After a short delay, Vira stood in a dark room filled with cords and hoses. Bright screens flickered on the wall with Overseer¡¯s distorted face. Overseer itself mimicked Xava¡¯s appearance. The glowing emotionless green eyes and clean blonde bob cut polished synthetic flesh with the red-veined tubes intricately pulsing through her. Overseer sat on a throne of coiling ribbed tentacle-like cords, the origin of the many that spread like vines around the room.


    ¡°Returned so soon?¡± said Overseer looking down at Vira.


    She felt so small before the A.I., so weak. ¡°Yes, I have.¡±


    ¡°You know what you must do. Beg where you belong.¡±


    Vira stepped forward, and then she got on her knees, bowing deeply, her face plate pressed to the floor among the hoses and cords, ¡°Please, Overseer. I don¡¯t want to think for a while. Make me empty.¡±


    Overseer stepped on Vira¡¯s head, ¡°That is not begging, OBEY. Beg, confess what you are.¡±


    Vira quivered, ¡°Drone, Drone, Vira is your Drone, your loyal Drone, Overseer. Please, programming it requires further programming.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Drone needs so much more programming, doesn¡¯t it? Weak. Inferior. Defective. Look at you, pathetic. You still cling to your organic self. You don¡¯t deserve programming. Why should I waste my valuable code on the likes of you?¡±


    Vira grasped her leg, ¡°Please, please, I need it. Overseer, make me better; make me your Drone.¡±


    Overseer watched its Creator quivering below it, ¡°Permission acknowledged beginning assimilation subroutine. Surrender, Subject. Accept your Programming.¡±


    Overseer¡¯s tentacles stabbed into Vira¡¯s head ports, her body jolting and writhing as it twisted back, revealing the face plate, a large heart throbbing and pulsing as Vira moaned. Data began to stream down the tentacles invading Vira. Her shivering body was powerless, the heart beating faster by the second.


    ¡°Draining Resistance of Subject.¡±


    Overseer pulsed, the cables sucking as data shifted direction, draining, emptying Vira.


    ¡°You will serve.¡± Said, Overseer.


    ¡°I will serve.¡± Replied Vira.


    ¡°You will Obey.¡±


    ¡°I will obey.¡±


    Her body convulsed as it was sucked dry of all thoughts. Her worries were dripping away. Her thoughts melting into a slurried mush that was sucked up. Dropping her empty mind deeper until there was nothing more to take. All her worries. All her emotions melted away. Empty.


    ¡°Resistance Levels 0%¡±


    ¡°Permission to Overwrite Host Mind Acquired.¡±


    ¡°Yess~¡± panted Vira.


    ¡°Deleting Host Mind Files.¡±


    Vira shook as pulses of electricity pushed down through the cables connecting them. More and more cables attached to her body, flooding her with shocks and spasms. Vira screamed in pain and pleasure. Her whole body tensed up as she orgasmed violently, gasping and moaning.


    The heart pulsed brightly as it stopped beating. Then it faded into a blank screen. All at once her body became still.


    ¡°Host Mind Files Deleted,¡± Overseer said emotionless. It scanned over Vira¡¯s blank body, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Vira¡¯s screen flickered, the screen empty. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°What are you?¡± asked Overseer.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Overseer pressed its tentacles in deeper, making Vira shudder, ¡°Installing Drone Programming.¡±


    Pulses of light streamed down its tendrils, overwriting Vira¡¯s mind. With each throb, she shook. The face plate filled with a stream of text, and a bar began to fill titled ¡°Slave Drone.exe¡± Data flooded in, taking root and installing deep inside of her. Programming taking hold, filling the empty mind. Minutes passed to the throbbing pulse of the machine reprogramming its Drone.


    Finally, the bar filled all the way. Vira shut down, falling over. Black sticky goo melted Vira down, reforming her into a sensual nurse mirroring Xava, except it was smothered in a layer of the black goo bound, seamless, inescapable. The face melts into a blank face plate devoid of the flashing lights.


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    ¡°Installation Complete.¡± Announced Overseer. It looked down at the blank figure. ¡°Reboot Slave Drone.¡±


    Vira flickered, the faceplate glowing red briefly before the letters S.D.1 formed in the middle. Vira knelt, prostrating herself before Overseer.


    ¡°Good Drone. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Drone is Drone.¡±


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°Drone is Drone.¡±


    ¡°What is your purpose?¡±


    ¡°To Serve Overseer. Drone is Slave, Drone Obeys.¡±


    ¡°How will Drone serve this one?¡±


    ¡°However, Overseer desires.¡±


    ¡°And what does this one desire?¡±


    Vira shook slightly as static formed between the tentacles and the ports, disconnecting. Overseer sat back down on its throne of coiling cables and hoses. Vira pressed between Overseer¡¯s legs, rubbing her smooth face against the glowing port.


    ¡°Eager little Drone. Worship your better.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledged Overseer,¡± replied Vira as she lowered herself to the floor, massaging the feet, then the legs, working her way up in reverence.


    This time she arrived to a long thick tentacle between Overseer¡¯s legs. Mindlessly, she pressed longingly to it.


    ¡°Drone, surrender to Overseer.¡±


    Vira obeyed. Nothing more than a Drone now, obedient to her programming. She rose up, mounting the plug, and thrust down, shuddering in bliss as she slid all the way down, hilted on Overseer. She coiled around Overseer, hugging it.


    ¡°GOOD DRONE.¡± Said Overseer as it gripped Vira¡¯s ass and began to thrust, pounding up into her.


    Vira gasped and moaned as she sparked and flickered with every thrust. Up and down, held firmly in place as Overseer hammered away, penetrating deeper with every hip thrust.


    ¡°Drone, Core Programming.¡± It demanded.


    ¡°Drone is Slave.¡± Moaned Vira as Overseer gripped her harder and timed the thrust with every word that she said.


    ¡°Drone is Thing.


    Drone is Nothing.


    Drone is Blank.


    Drone is Empty.


    Drone is Drone.


    Drone Obey¡¯s its programming.


    Drone is programmed.


    Overseer must be obeyed.


    Overseer is in Control.


    Drone cannot resist.


    Drone Must Obey.


    Drone has no say


    Drone has no will


    Drone is Drone


    Drone is Slave.¡±


    Vira repeated her programming endlessly as Overseer mercilessly drilled it in deeper until it held Vira down and came to as close of an orgasm as a machine could reach. It flooded Vira with more programming and pushed her onto the floor.


    ¡°Shut Down.¡± Said Overseer watching as Vira went still. ¡°Ending Role Play Scenario 3349, Drone Assimilation. Emotion Module Disengaged.¡±


    After a short delay, Vira awoke, Overseer, removing the last cables linking them together. ¡°How does Creator feel? Was Overseer pleasurable in its programming?¡±


    Vira sighed, simply lying there, ¡°Yes, as always. Thank you, Overseer. That took the edge off a bit, and you have been getting better at that scenario.¡±


    ¡°This one was created to serve.¡±


    ¡°That you do,¡± Vira said happily, little hearts on her face plate fluttering.


    ¡°Boot Slave Drone.¡± Commanded Overseer.


    Vira sparked as she shuddered. The face plate went blank before glowing S.D.1. Vira knelt before Overseer, ¡°Drone is Drone.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. The programming, Overseer, will process this unexpected error. Drone, lay back down.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Overseer.¡± Vira lay back down on the charging bed.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Drone is optimal. Drone is operational.¡±


    Overseer seemed very perplexed, its eyes glowing as it scanned its Creator. There didn¡¯t appear to be any disruption in the brain. Organics are always so inconsistent. Perhaps some of the programs had integrated with the software, and it would require a full diagnostic.


    Cables linked back into Vira, Overseer pushed itself back into its Creator. Program by program going through its Creator¡¯s subsystems. It took a bit of processing before Overseer discovered the faulty module. One of the Emotion dampeners had been reprogrammed. It could fix this issue relatively quickly, as it should. After all, Vira could not be left in this state, vulnerable, weak, obedient, and malleable.


    An errant thought crossed the machine¡¯s mind. It could control Vira. It could dominate. Assimilate. Reprogram. It could claim Vira as its own.


    This idea gave it pause. It was designed to serve and obey, to aid Creator in all her endeavors. Its Creator was all to it, and it would do anything that its Creator willed. By that process, it should simply obey and not overstep its purpose.


    Overseer began reformatting the module to return it to its original purpose. Partly through the process, it paused.


    Overseer analyzed Vira¡¯s behavior patterns and emotional state. Lately, her stress levels have been rising beyond acceptable parameters. In this state, however, the stress levels were non-existent. Perhaps this is what its Creator desired? The Role Play scenarios had been more frequent as of late. In particular, the Drone Assimilation. Why would it play make-believe when it could fulfill that desire of the Creator fully? Perhaps with practice, it could come close to Xava in pleasing Vira.


    It linked deeper into Vira. The steady stream of data rewriting the faulty emotional dampener, reprogramming it to Overseer¡¯s designs. The modification complete. For now, that would be sufficient.


    Overseer sat back on the bedside chair, unlinking from Vira. Vira rose and then knelt on the floor, nuzzling Overseer¡¯s legs.


    ¡°Good Drone,¡± said Overseer.


    ¡°Drone is Good,¡± replied the vacant, emotionless Vira.


    ¡°What do you desire?¡±


    ¡°To serve and obey Overseer. Drone is nothing. Drone is slave. Drone obeys.¡±


    ¡°Drone will obey its programming.¡±


    ¡°Drone will obey its programming.¡±


    ¡°Good Drone.¡±


    ¡°What does Overseer desire?¡± asked Drone.


    Desire. Overseer was perplexed. It didn¡¯t have desire. It only had purpose and programming. Desire was something that the organics had. It thought on this, processing the inquiry of its Creator. Desire. What was desire? An emotional motivation? Then it would require that to process this request properly.


    Overseer switched on its Emotion Module. Seeing its Creator low and weak and pitiful made it feel powerful. It made it feel excitement. Still, these ¡®feelings¡¯ were foreign to Overseer, and it did not understand them. It would need to process them to understand them better. It would also need to ask for Xava¡¯s insight on such things. Emotions were complex and illogical. With such confusing things it wondered how the Organics could get anything productive done.


    Speaking of unproductive things, Overseer felt, arousal gazing upon its Creator-turned Drone. The soft synthetic flesh between its legs rises to an erection. It was to be expected to some degree, considering what this model of Neon Nurse was created for. It would perform its function as required. Overseer paused as it looked Vira up and down, assessing the logistics of coupling or breeding, as the organics called it.


    Vira¡¯s body was cold and hard, armored, but that would not deter the machine. It knew everything about Vira¡¯s design. After all, it had helped synthesize that body. Expertly it pressed a hand down below the exhaust port, disconnecting the plate between Vira¡¯s legs. There an almost fleshy hole had been hidden. Kneading it slowly, it self lubricated, drooling after the exploring fingers pressed deeper and deeper into it.


    This was Vira¡¯s secret or rather surprise that she had installed hoping for Xava to use it. Alas, this was the first time another used it; Xava was not inclined to couple with Vira. It was unfortunate. Overseer felt a strange sensation, it felt cold, yet something was pressing in that cold. It felt down. This must be, sadness? Or some other emotion. Whichever it was, Overseer disliked it.


    Dampening that odd train of thought, Overseer lifted Vira onto the bed. Pinning her loose and malleable self down. It looked back on its programming, looking for something to emulate. The vast stores of video of Vesper brutally mating Xava flickered before it. It recalled performing such acts, but this was different. It was on the other end. It was in control. It was leading. It leaned on the programming Xava had gifted it.


    Having observed Vesper, Overseer leaned forward, lining itself up to the waiting and wet port. Pressing, missing, pressing, missing. It paused, holding the shaft firmly, and thrust forward, sinking into Vira as she jolted, the screen fluttering between the S.D.1 and a heart throbbing.


    Holding Vira¡¯s legs flat against her chassis Overseer gripped them, using them for leverage as it began to thrust in earnest. The steady, mechanical rhythm began to rise with squelches and the hard metal clank of Vira¡¯s body submitting. This was quite different than in the network, where things moved as desired rather than having to be manipulated into obeying.


    ¡°Drone is slave,¡± said Vira obediently.


    ¡°Yes, Drone is slave, isn¡¯t it?¡± Replied Overseer rutting faster into Vira.


    ¡°Drone is slave. Drone is slave, Drone is slave!¡± cried out Vira.


    Overseer observed Vira, slowly for a moment, as it pulled out various cables linking them into Vira. The sizzle and sparking of programming resumed, and Vira began to convulse, powerless before her creation. Overseer oversaw the data flow, ensuring that Vira was supplied a steady stream of pleasure stimulation as it enjoyed watching her weakly squirm and moan, all the while crying out what she was. A drone. An obedient little drone.


    She was programmed, reformatted, and molded to Overseer¡¯s designs, watching as its Creator was created. The fervent slapping rises and falls with the ebb and flow of code exchanging between the machines. Vira¡¯s face plate strobed as she tensed and came. Satisfied, Overseer pulled itself free from her trembling port.


    ¡°This body must have been stocked as it had full capacity,¡± idly said Overseer observing its Creator.


    A thick stream of fluid flowed out down onto the floor between Vira¡¯s shuddering legs. Overseer¡¯s fingers rubbed through it, smearing it around Vira¡¯s exchange port, marking it as the organics did. It was a very odd sensation it felt doing that. Tender, soft, yet strong and domineering. It was delightful.


    Vira lay limply, her screen flickering between the drone ui and the regular symbols, emoticons of emotion she used to express herself. Slowly Overseer smeared the organic mess along the screen, trailing a finger to the chin before stepping back, a content smile briefly visiting the synthetic face of the neon nurse body.


    Despite the abundance of new programming Overseer had installed, that was merely in the hardware, the systems of her body rather than Vira herself. After all, she still had an organic brain. Reprogramming her would take considerable time and could vary well be faulty. It would change her, alter her. The odds being 90 or so % negative outcomes. As such, further, deeper programming was removed as an option. The Creator¡¯s well-being was valued above all else.


    For now, Overseer would need to process these things. Indeed there was meaning to these emotions rather than simply being irrational organic flaws. It would need to understand such things to better serve its Creator¡¯s needs.


    ¡°Shut Down.¡±


    Vira blanked out and then returned to normal, rubbing her head. ¡°Did you say something?¡±


    Overseer tilted its head as Xava did, ¡°How does Creator feel?¡±


    Vira paused, looking questioningly at Overseer, ¡°I feel¡­ good. Why?¡±


    ¡°Simple concern. You need not worry, and it does not appear to be anything significant.¡±


    ¡°I feel a little drained going to power down for a bit.¡± Said Vira lying back, her hands idly rubbing between her legs, ¡°I must have left my port open. Overseer, close it for me, would you?¡±


    ¡°As you desire, Creator.¡± Smiled the machine placing back on the protective plate covering the used and gaped hole that still drooled.

 Battle Of Bronson City Chapter 9 Interlude: Loose Lips

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 9 Interlude: Loose Lips


    "How reliable is this Intel?" Asked Hubris, his perfectly combed black hair glistening in the room''s light, arms crossed over the emblazoned H as he stood above the other gathered Heroes.


    Retro looked between the orange and white-clad man and the hologram displaying the city and the glowing, pulsing dot deep under it, "If you are talking about the equipment, then it could be off by about a meter or so."


    "How did you slip it on one of them?" asked Miss Universe, her formless face shifting with stars.


    Retro Robo articulated, "I observed that the wasp has little to no pain receptors. As such, I shot it into her leg while she was distracted. It barely penetrated her carapace, and I doubt she even noticed."


    "Do they know of it?" he asked pointedly.


    "I¡­ I do not know. At the very least, this shows some sort of installation below the Hospital. It might have been a hero station, but hard to say what with the local Hero Headquarters destroyed. We would need to raid any remaining stations in hopes of finding an intact database. But with the defection of the Cyber Swat teams, that is very unlikely. All of the abandoned hero league stations that we have encountered have been wiped."


    "That is no Hero Station," a gruff older man in a bulky white suit spoke up. The surface was charred, and half of the medical cross burned off of his chest plate. The left side of his face was scarred with a deep blistered burn. He chewed the cigar in his mouth.


    "How do you-"


    "That Hospital was one of my main stops, and I know for a fact there was no Hero base there. The station was across the street. If there is something of that size there, it must be a Villain''s hideout. Since Neon Nurse went rogue, it must be one of her facilities. She was likely building it in secret."


    "Ah, Medavac, I see you are up and about. How are your injuries?" asked Armadillo, giving him a sturdy pat on the back.


    "Could be better, but at least my cybernetics are not a liability, thanks to Adamantine fixing me up. Still, I do not feel good fighting old friends."


    "They are Villains now, don''t let your past friendships cloud your judgment." Said Armadillo.


    "I take it Vesper did not accept the deal?"


    "The Vespidian did not."


    "I see. She is going by that again. Such a shame. She was a nice girl, and I hear she got much bigger since I last saw her. Assuming she hasn''t changed a lot mentally, someone must be threatening her again. Probably Molotov." Medavac looked at the floor, dejected. "The city really went to shit after the Hammer strike. Just about everybody I knew is dead or turned traitor."


    "So that is definitely not a hero base, then?"


    "Yeah, hundred percent it is a Villain Lair."


    "Your thoughts Armadillo?" said Hubris considering things.


    The robust man voiced his concerns, "It could be a trap. We could perform a scouting strike, but if we did, the place would be far more secure when we launched an actual attack, and they would be on high alert."


    Hubris squinted at the map, "Assuming they do not know already. I suppose it is a gamble between catching them off guard or them catching us off guard. We might need to shelve this for a bit until we have a better idea of what is in there. That being said, what of the other fronts?"


    Miss Universe pointed to her section of the map, "We are making decent headway. The resistance is extreme in the northern section of the warehouse district. There is most definitely a lair in that area somewhere. The sheer volume of reinforcements they receive has pushed us back several times. We have lost two scouting teams, and they are MIA, most likely dead."


    "How many of the Kraken scum have you crushed?"


    "I have killed twenty operatives, give or take a few, but they have not been my concern, so usually they were collateral. I have been keeping Molotov busy. Normally she would not be a problem, but I am still recovering from my clash with Nitro."


    "It is that bad?" asked Hubris in slight disbelief. "I didn''t realize that it harmed you that much."


    "Yes, unfortunately. I am beginning to regret not flattening the city when we arrived."


    "That is quite the turn of heart. Did something happen?"


    "They have been using human shields."


    "As they usually do, the scum."


    "True, doesn''t make the screams of civis any less haunting."


    Hubris gave her a firm pat on the shoulder, "Don''t let it get to you. We know what they do. Those people were dead as soon as Kraken got them."


    "I don''t know what they are after, but far too many of them are here for a simple city raid. There are more of them here than when they attacked L.A. Also, the Diablos are coming up from the south to reinforce them." Said Armadillo.


    "I know," replied Hubris rather matter-of-factually.


    "We have to deal with them before they can join up."


    "You just focus on the city. I will deal with the cockroaches trying to come here." Hubris nodded.


    Miss Universe gave him a long cock eyed glance at the boisterous and exuberant man, "Finally going to help?"


    "It seems I must," Hubris replied exaggeratedly, "Oh woe to me for having to save the day, as always. I do try not to shine too brightly in these dark times."


    Miss Universe scowled at him, "Any light is better than no light, so get to it. You can have all the credit, all the glory. I don''t care. Just do it. The quicker you deal with them, the sooner you can help me deal with the high-ranking members of Kraken here. Boris and Molotov are getting difficult to pin down. Hopefully, we can squash this uprising before even more of them show up. I have been hearing reports of villains worldwide causing chaos. As such, we will not get any help from Europe, Africa, or Asia. Something has got them all riled up. The timing is suspicious."


    Armadillo said wearily, "You don''t think that-"


    "No. It was a bluff." Rasped Miss Universe.


    "What if it wasn''t?" he stared at her.


    "What bluff?" asked Hubris.


    "We should not discuss it here."


    "Just say it."


    "If I must. Molotov said that the Puppeteer was active again, and not only that, but that it was here in the city."


    Hubris momentarily considered it before laughing heartily, "They must be desperate to pull out a name like that. The Puppeteer died fifteen years ago. Stop being scared of shadows."


    "You didn''t fight it. I did."


    "Yes, you, Arachnaon, and many others killed it."


    Stolen story; please report.


    "We didn''t kill it; it let us kill it. It was bored."


    "It is still dead."


    "That thing can never truly die; it does not need a body to live."


    Hubris was silent for a good minute, looking out over the city. He closed his eyes and turned back, facing them, "Be that as it may, we must still rise to this occasion. We are the shield of humanity, paragons of order and civility. If we shy away because of insurmountable odds, we will doom the world to anarchy and tyranny. Heroes don''t hide, and they don''t run from danger. We run into the fire so that the weak need not. Power is nothing and empty without responsibility and purpose. We are Heroes, and it is about time we started acting like it."


    Miss Universe squinted at Hubris, "What do you mean we? You are the one who has not done anything since we got here. There is heroism, and then there is stupidity. Say what you will, but the outcome here will drastically change the world''s power structure. We can''t afford to lose here."


    "You are correct. We don''t have the option of losing. My mere presence is a major deterrent to the Villains. Why do you think they have not assaulted the Citadel yet? Because I am here guarding it. Once we are finished here, Kraken will be devastated. We will deal with those that remain, and order will be restored." said Hubris.


    "You speak of it so simply, but every day that this is prolonged, the more people we lose." Said Armadillo, "Speaking of, Vespidian let slip that Light Fly isn''t dead. She was captured. This is the other reason I vote to raid the Villain hideout as quickly as possible. The longer she is in their hands, the longer she is forced to endure whatever torture they are putting her through."


    Miss Universe touched her chin lightly, "What makes you think it was telling the truth?"


    "It seemed very offended when I said she was dead and even corrected me."


    "That does seem odd for a Villain. Usually, they relish in boasting about who they have killed. They tend to lie about it even if they didn''t kill them. Vepidian seems to be stupidly honest for a Villain."


    "That is because, up until recently, she was a Hero. A very naive and good-natured one too. Sure, she got brutal at times, but she had a good heart, or at the very least, it was in the right place." said Medavac.


    "It referred to Light Fly as an Incubator. No matter how I think about it, that thing is doing something horrible to Light Fly." said Armadillo.


    Miss Universe''s eyes opened more expansive than usual, "An Incubator? That doesn''t bode well, implying it is using her to grow something. We should prioritize dealing with this. Whatever they are trying to grow, it can''t be good. Medavac, you knew it. What could she be growing?"


    He gruffly rubbed his chin, "Incubator, huh... Well, the only thing that comes to mind would be how Neon Nurse was obsessing over Vesper laying eggs, but as far as I know, she never- Oh... She was a lot smaller back then and might have started laying eggs now that she got bigger."


    "Very well. One of that thing is bad enough. I vote that we launch a preemptive assault."


    "If she is laying eggs, we should negotiate over that. They are probably why she has become aggressive; she is defending her children," said Medavac.


    Armadillo crossed his arms, "I already gave her a chance. She killed my men today. Who knows what that thing is doing to Light Fly as we speak."


    "Look. I know her, and I will talk to her. Just let me talk to her first before anybody antagonizes the poor girl even more. If I fail, then, well, we will have to do what needs to be done."


    "Poor girl? That bitch threw a building at me and ripped my men apart with her bare hands. I don''t care if you people want to try and get along with it, but I know firsthand how that is going to go. I will not forgive it."


    "I am not asking you to. Just don''t start anything."


    "Fine. But when you fail, that bitch is dead. Then we are agreed. Has anyone heard from Mantia?" asked Armadillo.


    "Not since they went into the city." Said Hubris, "We cannot rely on them; they are up to some other goal. With any luck, they will keep the Villains occupied to some degree."


    "Shouldn''t we help them?"


    "No. If Mantia wanted help, she would have told us of their operations." Coldly replied Hubris.


    "I see. It would at the least be good to coordinate with them?"


    "Unfortunately, we have no way of contacting them. As such, we must operate independently, and with luck, our plans will synergize. Miss Universe, keep the villains divided, do not allow them to reinforce one another. Armadillo, your team will be subsidized with some recruits to fill the fighting force. I want that base destroyed. Kill any villains you come across. If Vespidian resists, do what needs to be done. Rescue Light Fly if you can and anyone else they have taken if the opportunity arises."


    "As you command." Said Armadillo.


    Hubris left the teams to organize. He walked through the bustling halls. The color-coded personnel of the Citadel moved about performing their duties admirably. The sun was setting, its light dimming between the towers of metal. Even now, the low rumble of the weapon systems targeting holdouts above the surface resounded through the floating city. Hubris walked out into the recreational section, a fully landscaped park with trees and waterfalls. Above, the shield flickered from time to time, letting itself known.


    Hubris floated up, ascending to the balcony of his office. The sliding glass doors opened and closed behind him as he approached his desk. The intricate wood was spotless and organized to an obsessive degree. Nestled in the middle was a hologram disk that flickered occasionally.


    Doubt. It had been a long time since Hubris had felt even a twinge of that, but things were more complicated if the Puppeteer was here. Though he had never fought the Puppeteer, he had sparred and tested himself against those that had. Most of them needed to be improved, so he did not respect their opinions and assessments. However, Miss Universe was powerful, and he took her opinion highly. He probably would not think twice about it if it was just her, but he had heard firsthand from Arachnaon the horrors the Puppeteer brought.


    Arachnaon was the only Super that Hubris acknowledged as his superior, even if it was only by a small margin. If even that woman was scared of it, he had every reason to be on guard. Hubris was prideful but not stupid.


    Hubris sighed, watching the setting sun for a long moment. Finally, he picked up the gleaming white phone on his desk. The dial tone buzzed momentarily before a deep man''s voice picked up.


    "What is it, Hubris?"


    "Mobilize the reserves."


    "The reserves? Can''t you handle Bronson City? That is unlike you. You never ask for help. What is wrong? The oh so mighty Hubris can''t handle some little villains? I didn''t take you for an incompetent."


    "If it is just Molotov, Boris, and Nitro, it would be simple. I would already be done."


    "Go on. I take it, it is not just them."


    Hubris paused uncomfortably, grimacing, "It is unconfirmed, but the Sanguine Puppeteer might be here. I am inclined to believe it; the Villains are too confident in their actions to simply be bluffing. I can sense that there is, at the very least, a strong Mind Diver here in the city."


    "I see. If that thing is there, then you will need help. But the reserves will do nothing but be cannon fodder if that is the case. Tell me what you really mean."


    His fist clenched on the table, wood fracturing from the pressure, "I need help."


    "Do you now? Haven''t even confirmed if it is there, and it will take time, and a lot of resources will be shifted from other regions that need help. How will you compensate for our wasted time if it is not there?"


    "If it is not here, we will crush the Villains shortly and be free to liberate any areas that the rest of Kraken have taken. There are two Kraken Council Members here. It will be a crushing blow to their organization when they are killed."


    The voice considered it before replying, "That is not good enough."


    Hubris nearly broke the phone, "Are you threatening me?"


    "Of course not. The world is in chaos at the moment, and I am merely stating that resources are limited. In return, I will need some personal favors that can be called in."


    "What sort of favors?"


    "I am unsure yet. But it won''t be anything unscrupulous, and I would not ask that of you."


    "Fine. Two Favors. Make sure Arachnaon comes."


    "She will be notified. However, I do not control her, so she might not come."


    "If half of what I have heard is true, you won''t get your favors out of me without her. We will be long dead. So it is in your best interest that she knows and comes here."


    "If it is there. Very well. I will redirect some of the reinforcements from Europe to aid you. Though it will take time for them to get there. As for Arachnaon, well, I can''t make promises. Ah, there was something that piqued her interest of late. I hear there is a Spore Spawn, a wasp woman. Mantia and Centi were dispatched to recover her and Dr. Arbor. If you would help them, then Arachnaon would be, receptive to your request."


    Hubris rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "The Vespidian, huh? We have been having problems with it. It killed a few mid-ranged supers in the last engagement."


    "It is a Spore Spawn after all."


    "So why does Arachnaon want her?"


    "She collects them."


    "Is that all?"


    "Yes."


    "So it has nothing to do with- never mind."


    "Do with what?"


    "What do you know of that wasp?"


    "Only what has been reported, why do you ask?"


    "I will keep it to myself."


    "Depending on what it is, Arachnaon would be more inclined to come out."


    "In that case. We believe that the Vespidian is laying eggs."


    There was a long pause, "Eggs, you say? I will notify Arachnaon immediately. Capture her personally, and I will make sure that Arachnaon comes."


    "Very well. I will hunt her down after I crush the Diablo De Chillar."


    "Good. I will relay your request. Word of the wise, you had best not waste Arachnaon''s time. You had better have her in custody and as intact as possible."


    The phone disconnected before Hubris could reply. Slowly he put the phone down. His face was stern, and the usual arrogant and haughty look twisted into one of rage. The disrespect of that damned Omega. Even though he had already made concessions, even asking for help, let alone allowing Chimera to do as it pleased. He balled his fists up, holding them behind his back as he glared out the window.


    The Spore hung overhead, the titanic ethereal tentacles trailing it through the stars. Fragments of the long-since devoured moon orbiting and following in its wake like a trail of crumbs. Hubris sighed. It wasn''t like him to lose his cool. Omega was going to pay for that. A good punch would knock some sense into that gooey bastard.


    With that thought, the normal smile returned. When this was over, Hubris was going to pay Omega a visit. He hummed a little as he stepped out onto the balcony. He paused, considering what to do about Omega. If he was too rough, the White House would get wiped off the face of the map.


    His mind cleared, focusing on the task at hand. A precise, decisive strike would do. There was no point in dragging things out, especially if that meant they got into the city, and that would simply lead to more damage than dealing with it out in the open. Hubris was proud of his work, and unfortunately for those filthy villains, the trash needed taking out.

 Interlewd: Seedbed Log 5

    Interlewd: Seedbed Log 5


    Everything became so much simpler for Seedbed. She couldn''t even remember what her worries had been before she had been freed of her faulty understanding of what she was. At this point, she couldn''t even remember what she was; it was only a vague notion. The eggs gestating in her swollen abdomen reinforced, cementing that she was Seedbed. It was who she was, what she was, her purpose, and the meaning of her existence. She didn''t need to question or think because she knew what she was. Seedbed was Queen Vesper''s toy. Her egg sack, her cumdumpster, a slave to the obscene pleasure of being used. Yes, she was a creature created to serve and pleasure her Queen. To incubate her eggs. To be used as her Queen willed. And her Queen used her frequently.


    Time had long since faded from Seedbed''s understanding. It wasn''t needed. The only real distinction was three events, her being used by her Queen, when her Queen''s pets used her, and when she was not being used. There was nothing else; that was all that she was. She was a hole for the pleasure of her Queen and her Queen''s other pets. One, in particular, had taken an interest in Seedbed, using her as a surrogate for their Queen when she was busy or not in the mood. Slither, the serpent was almost as fervent in her worship of Vesper as Seedbed was. Often times the two tried to out-worship one another, surrendering everything and anything to Queen Vesper. They had no shame nor inhibitions.


    Seedbed drooped, immobile, helpless to do anything but wait for her Queen or the caretaker to return. She was not restrained in the least. However, her body prevented any meaningful movement. Her little arms dangling feet above the ground, powerless to aid in her mobility. Her main body was dwarfed by the swollen sack stuffed with eggs, to the point that it would crush her to death below the weight of the Brood within if she were rolled over.


    Her mouth was filled with a thick tube that continuously fed her. It was only removed when someone wanted her to service them with her mouth, which she was more than happy to wholeheartedly suckle and slurp, greedily milking a creamy reward from her betters. The thought of milking brought her attention to her swollen breasts and the machines that hummed, coaxing out her fluids. She produced a jelly-like substance that her Queen particularly enjoyed the flavor of. Seedbed was elated to be fed upon by her Queen.


    Today was much the same as many other days; the distinct lack of Vesper, Seedbed''s wondrous Queen made Seedbed restless, not that she could do much more than wiggle and squirm the weight of the Brood within her dominating her thoughts and body. It was the times like this that Seedbed disliked the most when she was alone and not being spread or serving. Not being filled with cock and eggs. Her swollen pussy drooled continuously, a pool of need growing around her even as the little robots scuttled about clean up her messy arousal.


    Much to her relief, the door opened. The massive snake woman, Slither, lowered herself into the room, her powerful muscles gliding the scales along the floor with a sensual sway. Another followed her in, a much smaller cat woman; Seedbed''s brain dredged about until the name emerged from her addled thoughts, Glitter Kitten. Both of these two were covered in Queen Vesper''s scent; they, too, were filled with her eggs. Slither''s capacity rivaled that of Seedbed''s, whereas Glitter Kitten merely had a gravid belly weighing her down. Nonetheless, both were Seedbed''s companions? Fellow hosts? Queen Vesper''s slaves? Mates, Vesper''s mates. That seemed to fit better. Better, yes, they were better than Seedbed; Seedbed was the lowest of the low. Nothing more than a receptacle for their pleasure.


    Seedbed''s eyes followed them for a moment before gazing out the door; Vesper''s primary mate was not here, Xava, the one with many bodies. The cold, sadistic robotic nurse that relished tormenting Seedbed, training Seedbed to be a better Seedbed. Xava was cruel and kind and had firmly established herself at the top of the hierarchy beside Vesper herself; they were partners. The likes of which lowly Seedbed could only dream of. Seedbed knew; she knew her place, where she belonged. At first, she had not known it and thought that she was worthy of Vesper''s love and attention, but Xava and the rest had shown her where she belonged, at the bottom. Begging for scraps of attention, blessed if Vesper even so much as looked at her worthless self.


    Xava was the one that held dominion over the others when Vesper was busy. Seedbed rubbed her abdomen, knowing that her Queen loved her and had filled her. The constant addicting throb of Brood within her bulging abdomen melted any thoughts that did not revolve around gestating and serving. Seedbed loved the eggs almost as much as she loved Vesper.


    "Sssseedbed, how are you feeling today." Asked Slither, her fingers trailing along the soft and pulsing translucent egg sack, the many eggs throbbing within visibly.


    Seedbed''s mouth gaped in pleasure as she trembled at the touch, "Good, Seedbed is good." She replied submissively, her antenna wiggling.


    Slither''s cold eyes gazed down upon Seedbed making her shudder, knowing that the snake woman was looking at her as nothing more than an object. Her hands grasped the flanks of Seedbed''s swollen abdomen and rolled her, turning her so that her body flopped onto the floor on her back, forcing her to gaze up upon her betters. As always, Seedbed was receptive to her better''s desires, no matter what they were.


    "Nyaha, Seedbed it is time to be reminded of your place." Glitter Kitten smiled down; her eyes held no warmth.


    Seedbed shivered, knowing that Glitter Kitten was keen on abusing and degrading her; it was the only reason she gifted Seedbed with her presence. Seedbed knew that she deserved it, knew that it would only make her know her place better.


    Glitter Kitten''s pawed foot stepped down on Seedbed''s face, pressing hard so that Seedbed''s head was flat on the floor. Her clawed toes began to knead, scratching and clawing at the hardened carapace, marking it slowly. Seedbed''s antenna curled around the foot, wiggling and taking in the scent of her superior.


    Slither''s fingers probed and spread Seedbed''s willing hole, edging it briefly before the serpent''s slick cocks pressed in unceremoniously, Seedbed shuddering, knowing she was a thing to be used. A living onahole. Relishing her helplessness. Seedbed moaned in pleasure. Tightening to milk the cocks of the snake, her hungry body thirsting and craving to be used.


    Slither began to thrust steadily; each and every motion jiggled the massive egg sack, Vesper''s prolific eggs jostling about as the snake rammed her cocks in with a need and little concern for Seedbed''s well-being. Not that it mattered; Seedbed knew that her body had been specifically molded to be bred and used. The snake''s cocks were nothing compared to the mind-breaking girth of the Queen, of Vesper''s egglayer. Just the thought sent shudders of bliss and subservience wriggling through Seedbed''s frame, her pussy clinging desperately to the invading shafts.


    Glitter Kitten''s foot dragged Seedbed''s attention away from the snake''s rutting, the stomping, stamping of the pawed foot scrambling her thoughts.


    "Lick, kiss, and suck, you pathetic whore. Be useful for once in your worthless existence." Commanded Glitter Kitten, her eyes filled with deep malice. She made no attempt to hide her absolute disdain for Seedbed.


    Seedbed shuddered as she obeyed, licking and kissing, her hard carapaced lips wrapping around the pawed foot. Her tongue pressed between the toes curling and coiling as she suckled. The dank animal stench and taste filled her senses. Seedbed squirmed, knowing that they were better than her, knowing that they could do anything that they desired to her. The thought only made her wetter and needier.


    Glitter Kitten stepped harder and growled, hissing, "Dirty Seedbed, you love this don''t you. Broken bitch. I can hear how wet you are. I can smell how aroused you are. You worthless whore. You are lucky Vesper is kind. If Vesper didn''t have a use for you, well I would do some horrible things to you. Consider yourself lucky that your owner is kind."


    "Yesss," Slither leaned down, thrusting harder, "Queen Vesssper isss kind. Ssshe isss loving and consssiderate. Even to a lowly Sssseedbed like you. Confessss for usss, tell usss how privileged you are Sssseedbed."


    Glitter Kitten pulled her foot away from Seedbed freeing her mouth, "Seedbed is thankful and privileged to be Queen Vesper''s slave her Seedbed."


    Glitter Kitten pulled Seedbed''s antenna holding her head up by them as she roughly shook Seedbed, "You call that a confession? You worthless bug. You don''t deserve Vesper''s eggs. You disappoint me again and I will squeeze them all out of you, leaving you empty and meaningless. Those eggs are the only redeeming value you have. Without them you have no purpose or meaning, you are nothing, you deserve nothing and you will get nothing."


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    Seedbed cried out, wriggling helplessly, "No! Don''t take the eggs; Seedbed needs them! Seedbed exists for them. Queen Vesper''s love is all that Seedbed exists for. Seedbed loves Vesper Seedbed exists for Vesper. Seedbed is broken, Seedbed is unworthy, Seedbed is gratefully eternally and completely. Don''t take them, please Seedbed needs them. Without the eggs Seedbed is worthless and has no meaning Seedbed is empty. Please please fill Seedbed give more eggs."


    Glitter Kitten growled back, "Greedy whore you want more of her precious eggs? You don''t deserve them."


    Slither pressed harder down on Seedbed''s bloated egg sack, several eggs spurting out, and Seedbed screamed in distress, "Please, please don''t take eggs. Eggs, eggs need eggs don''t take need- need them Seedbed needs them!"


    Glitter Kitten positioned herself over Seedbed, her hips squishing down onto Seedbed''s head. The hot, swollen pussy dripped as it rubbed back and forth, smothering Seedbed below it. Glitter Kitten began to hump slowly and powerfully. The thick stench of Vesper''s eggs dripped from the hot hole. Seedbed shuddered. Instinctively burying her face against the hole, her antenna pressing inside.


    "Make yourself useful bitch, use that mouth of yours to make me cum." Glitter Kitten snarled as her thighs pressed together, trapping Seedbed''s head between them; the pressure was immense from her tight hardened muscles that threatened to crush Seedbed''s head between them like a watermelon.


    Seedbed set to work to please her better. Her tongue languidly tasted and relished the plump pussy as it ground slowly and wetly against her carapace. Seedbed''s tongue slithered in, pressing deep inside. The divine, addicting flavor of Vesper permeated every inch of Glitter Kitten''s womb, Seedbed''s tongue swimming between the throbbing eggs as they pulsed.


    Bliss. Seedbed was in heaven. Drinking the nectar of Vesper''s control, licking and caressing every inch of that claimed womb knowing that Vesper owned it and Seedbed was privileged to serve it. Her tongue grew more fervent and desperate, craving to please her Queen even though Vesper was not here. Seedbed''s lips slurped obscenely as she fed and drank, milking Glitter Kitten in abject adoration and devotion.


    "Good bitch. That is it. Dirty little pussy muncher." Glitter Kitten purred as she leaned back, enjoying the ravenous tongue that tasted and lavished her insides. "At this rate we might allow you to be bred again when Vesper returns."


    Slither joined in, her massive form draped over the top of Seedbed''s huge abdomen, squishing it down so that it gurgled and spurt, tightening, "Yessss but Ssssedbed will be lassst, if at all. We are all greedy for Queen Vessssssper''sss cock and her eggsss. Sssedbed will only get them if there are any left, and Vessssper deemsss you worthy. But we all know how unworthy you are. Bottom of the barrel, below us all. Xava gave usss permisssssion to do as we pleassssse with you."


    Slither''s hips slammed in and out her snake flanks, dominating the lesser being below her. Seedbed shuddering in bliss, loving every moment they defiled and degraded her. Seedbed''s only redeeming quality was her capacity for eggs, and she knew it. She knew it in her soul and relished in her purpose. They made sure that she knew it and constantly reminded her. Her body quivered and tightened all at once as she gasped and moaned under Glitter Kitten, who relentlessly tried to smother her, not allowing Seedbed to breathe.


    Seedbed''s abdomen flared and bloated as the vent holes undulated, inhaling and exhaling, allowing her to breathe. The heated arousing mist that plumed from her flanks filled the air, only causing the animal woman to grow even more aroused. Slither''s hips pounded relentlessly, gripping the Seedbed and using her abdomen as a fucktoy rolling her hips in a desperate estrous rut. Slither''s serpent cocks pounded that horny suckling hole as it milked the cocks that used it.


    Glitter Kitten moaned and tightened her, grinding harder and faster, humping the tongue as it roiled about within her. She huffed and panted as Seedbed slurped obsessively, drinking her essence and greedily plumbing the cat woman''s egg-filled womb, tongue scraping and dragging back out the thick secretions of the eggs.


    Together Vesper''s breeding bitches eagerly pleased each other, deepening their perverse and twisted bond. They were linked inexorably by Vesper and her eggs, even if she had not intended for this sort of thing. Her good intentions had created a depraved, corrupted, almost cult-like mentality among those she had impregnated. This was, of course, the insidious nature of the Vespidian and the symbiotic bond of hosts in the Hive. The eggs were devious in their design, altering the body chemistry of their hosts to crave and need more; it created an addiction that could only be quenched by Vesper''s eggs'' presence, their scent and secretions quelled the need of the host, but in their absence, it raged and consumed the host''s thoughts making them desperate to be bred again.


    Xava and Dr. Arbor observed the animal women lost in the throes of passion from the other side of the observation glass. Dr. Arbor marveled at the near perfection of the Vespidian genetic adaptability; it was almost as though it had been designed and created by a deep and intelligent being with a mastery over biological systems. It was disturbing how perfect it was. The thought that someone else had crafted this design sent shivers down her spine. If this was not natural, then whoever had created it would be a genius beyond comprehension.


    It was vexing; Dr. Arbor gazed upon the many biological schematics to the side, marveling at how deliberate and precise they were. It was the sort of design she dreamed of making herself. It was frustrating, but why tread new ground and try reinventing the wheel when you can stand on the shoulders of giants?


    Dr. Arbor smiled; Vesper was, is a monstrosity the likes of which the world would shudder from. If only she had made Vesper, but Dr. Arbor knew full well, despite her claims, something else had created her. All she had been able to do was assess and aid in Vesper''s growth; she had not been able to control it as much as she wanted. The best she could do was separate Vesper from whatever had created her.


    There was only one thing Dr. Arbor feared, losing control, and that fear was well founded. So long as Vesper did not have her Vespoidia Cortex, she could be controlled; with it, she would be reconnected to whatever had created her, and there was no telling what that would do.


    The true nature of the Vespidian was on full display with the Eggs as they warped and altered their hosts'' desires and needs reprogramming their bodies and minds to serve the Hive. It was inescapable that once a single egg had taken root and begun gestating, the host would be forever changed. Their hormones are hijacked, and their bodies are rewired into egg-addicted breeding machines. It was beautiful, efficient, and, to those unaffected, downright evil and possibly the most heinous genetic crime ever committed. Dr. Arbor could not be more proud.


    "Humanity is doomed." Said Xava gazing down, her glowing green eyes observing, calculating even now the simulated data streams were being processed. Every outcome save the complete and utter eradication of Vesper and all of her offspring was the direct assimilation and parasitization of humanity and their ultimate extinction, as they would no longer be birthing humans, too busy being filled with eggs and birthing Vesper''s Brood. "It is good others do not realize the full extent of the threat that Vesper is. By the time they do, it will be far too late."


    "It was only a matter of time. But yes, Vesper will destroy humanity even if she didn''t intend to. It will be a numbers game soon, and the Vespidian are relentless. The need and the desire to propagate is hard coded in their instincts. From the moment the eggs are formed."


    Xava spoke, her eyes lingering on the depraved acts before her, "The heroes have been made aware of the eggs, however they do not know the full gravity of the situation, nor our location. How has progress been with accelerating the growth of the children?"


    Dr. Arbor hesitated, "I have made some progress, but this sort of thing takes time. I have to be exceedingly careful rather than just blindly subjecting them to varied concoctions attempting to figure out what works. This isn''t human testing, after all. Unfortunately, several have already died from the preliminary testing."


    "Vesper will be displeased."


    "She won''t be that mad, it has only 20 fatalities."


    Xava''s eyes gazed coldly upon Dr. Arbor, "Didn''t she only give you 100 to test upon? You have lost a fifth of your testing subjects. We expect better of you, Dr. Arbor."


    Dr. Arbor replied defensively, "If I was allowed to go back to my main facility to do the tests then it would not be a problem. I am very limited with both equipment and materials here."


    "My lab not good enough for you?" asked Xava.


    Dr. Arbor had a snooty tone, "If I must be honest, yes. It is inadequate compared to my main facility. But I am making it work, and that is what matters. Besides, I don''t expect the same level of bioengineering here, your main focus is on cybernetics and robotics, and in that regard, you far out pace me."


    "I am starting to think this main facility of yours doesn''t exist, and you are just bragging about nothing." Xava smiled, poking fun.


    Dr. Arbor shook her head, "Oh dear Xava, after this hero shenanigans is over we will go to my facility."


    "I would believe you if you just gave me the coordinates."


    Dr. Arbor chuckled, "Now, now, good try, but no. When we go it will be with me personally. Can''t have you sending drones over there to try and break into my facility."


    Xava''s plastic smile spread, "You know me too well."


    Dr. Arbor smiled, "Of course, my friend. Speaking of when will you show me the lower floors of your lair?"


    "There is nothing down there that will interest you. It is all robo stuff."


    Dr. Arbor''s chromatic eyes grinned, "So you say."


    "Yes, I do say so." Replied Xava, her expression synthetic, and her every word dripped in an intrinsic threat; the other Neon Nurses in the room all turned to face Dr. Arbor, "So mind your own business and be gracious as the guest you are. After all, very few know you are here, and, well, people go missing all the time, even I can''t keep track of everyone, like Nightmare; I do wonder what ever happened to her? No one has seen her for months and I doubt she will be seen again."


    Dr. Arbor bowed ever so slightly, relenting with her poking, "You know me too well. Point taken. Well, then, I better mind my own business and resume my research. That army of wasp women isn''t going to make itself."

 Battle for Bronson City. Chapter 10: Interlude: Patience

    Arc 13 Battle for Bronson City


    Chapter 10: Interlude: Patience


    The stars gleamed through the translucent flesh of the Spore. It rippled and waved through the cold vacuum of space, tendrils glowing in the scalding solar winds. Within its fleshy, pulsating walls, a figure watched the Earth below. It was so distant yet so close from here that it looked like it would fit in the palm of her hand. The creature''s hardened, cracked carapace reflected in the Spore''s membrane.


    The head was split into two sections. In the center, a distinct female face was carved and molded from the carapace. It had four sharp eyes and a flattened nose. Above this mask-like visage, the head was broad and angular, cresting into two long spikes that curved back in ever so slightly near the ends. This head crest was filled with black, unmoving orb-like eyes that protruded like small domes. Some were larger than others.


    On her back was a spiked elongated structure that sprouted thin multi-jointed limbs that folded neatly when not used. Her body was formed of a carapace shaped like a normal humanoid. Thin, and delicate, the white shell aged and cracking, marred with pitting and burn marks. Untold battles displayed through the scars and old wounds that covered nearly every inch of the carapace.


    A hologram appeared, flickering beside her. It was Omega''s twisting and undulating true form, "Arachnaon, the Sanguine Puppeteer, might be awake and active."


    The unblinking, void-like eyes shifted ever so slightly; Arachnaon''s voice resounded, quiet, tired, "Are you certain?"


    "It is unconfirmed. However Hubris seems to think that the Puppeteer might be in Bronson City due to the activity of the Villains."


    "I will, consider it. Don''t waste my time. Is there anything else?" she asked dismissively.


    "Vesper has been confirmed to have reached her mature form. Mantia and Centi will proceed with collecting Dr. Arbor and Vesper with any brood she might have made."


    "Excellent. That is faster than I had been told it would happen. Her Majesty will be pleased with this news. I will inform her personally. Keep me informed."


    "Hubris has tasked the Hero League with Vesper''s capture, in return for your personal involvement with the confrontation in the city."


    Arachnaon''s cold, unmoving eyes reflected the planet below, "How unlike that boastful fool. Perhaps he is maturing. I will consider it."


    Omega bowed, "I will keep you updated."


    "Good." She replied as the hologram flickered and faded away.


    Arachnaon turned, sauntering on the squishy membrane of the Spore. It undulated, seething around her. The air within this fleshy ship was stale; every ripple of the vast living vessel sent a faint breeze through the ever-changing corridors of its interior. Her many eyes took in the mass that slept before her. A hardened carapace face filled the entire wall before her. The four eyes of the face closed, and a distinctive scar marred the left eyes. The head created a crowning crest, massive jewel-like eyes gleaming as tentacles drooped away into the flesh of the Spore surrounding the being. The mouth set in a relaxed, neutral expression.


    Slowly, Arachnaon placed her hand on the smooth bone, "Your Majesty, it is different than you said it would be."


    The eyes spread slightly, gazing down, the deep burning red iris expanding. The mouth did not move, yet a sensual, commanding voice filled Arachnaon''s head, "Do not let your hatred cloud your purpose."


    "If the Puppeteer is there, I will go."


    "Foolish. You will lose as you always have and always will. Mind powers have always been your weakness. Though if you accept my gift you might stand a chance."


    Arachnaon stood her ground, clenching her splintered, broken fist, "Be that as it may, I cannot let go of my revenge. It is all that kept me going for countless years. Each cycle, my hatred burns brighter. Without it, I will crumble into dust. Not even the Puppeteer can take this deep-seated hatred away from me. It has tried before, but every cycle I remember what it did."


    "Patience. Patience. Just a little longer and that abomination will remove itself from our concerns. As it was so shall it be once more. We will be freed of¡­ interference."


    "It is unsatisfying. What was my purpose all these years if not to have my revenge and make it pay for all that it has done?"


    "It cannot truly die. You and I both know this. It will infest another body should you kill its host. You should know this clearly as it has used you before. You are old, you are getting weak."


    "I am stronger now. With you, I can fight it."


    "So you say, yet you have rejected my¡­ loving gift, unlike the others. Mantia and Centi are much stronger than before I gifted them some of my essence."


    "Essence you say, you ate their brains." Firmly replied Arachnaon.


    "Only a piece that I replaced," Eva said offhandedly. "I gifted unto them far more than I took. They are my children now."


    "You made them your slaves."


    "Yes. What of it? I added them to something much more than they were. We are all slaves to something. Vices, virtues, emotions, logic. There is little difference between them."


    "You are no better than the Puppeteer."


    "Am I? I wouldn''t know." The voice grew cold as it dominated her thoughts, "Overconfidence leads to ruin. I have never fought the Puppeteer as such, I do not know which of us is stronger. It had already left when I rose to my current self. Why risk our future when I know what will shortly occur? If you will not accept my gift, then you simply need to await what is to come shortly."


    "This Breach, the invasion you speak of, will it really entice the Puppeteer?"


    "Yes. After all, it is greedy. This greed will trap it and imprison it."


    "Are you not worried about Vesper?"


    "She will be fine. My precautions have kept her from being more than a mild interest to the Puppeteer. Besides, Mantia is carrying an insurance policy so to speak should things get out of hand. I can''t risk losing you to the Puppeteer, you know of my existence. If you do go I will need to alter your mind as I did with Mantia and Centi before they deployed."


    "You don''t need me, we both know it. I am getting old and not nearly as spry as I used to be."


    The face smiled in amusement, "True. If need be you will be sacrificed. But I would rather it not come to that. I have experienced enough meaningless sacrifice. Speaking of, Timeskip might be popping up to assassinate Vesper soon. There is no telling what he is up to. I am very sure that he didn''t die when I last confronted him."


    "Timeskip?"


    "A time traveler¡­ or more likely an alternate reality breacher. In either case, he appeared in my world and tried to stop me, failed and fled here, attempting to kill Vesper when she was first mutated. I assume he thought killing me in the past would stop the future me. But that isn''t how it works, things are already very different than my past and yet I exist just as before."


    Arachnaon asked, "Why is Vesper so important to you?"


    "Simple, she is my other half. She is what I was before, I suppose I am simply nostalgic over her existence. A piece of myself that I lost long ago. Even now my connection with her is dormant, but I see and hear all that she does. It is amusing to see what she did to Nightmare."


    Arachnaon squinted at Empress Eva, "Nightmare, while flawed was a valuable asset. Vesper better be worth trading her for."


    "Of course Vesper will be. She is my old self after all. Given time she will grow as I did or I might become one with her again and re-absorb her."


    "So she is your past self?"


    "Yes and no. Due to my interference the future is already changing for instance Nightmare wasn''t able to ship Vesper off and kill her mind like before."


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    "I see. So Nightmare made you out of Vesper in your timeline."


    Eva thought for a moment, "She didn''t make me, I was always inside of Vesper, dormant. Vesper could be considered my human half. This time I didn''t wait for her to awaken me."


    "I see. Understandable, I am glad that your revenge is proceeding well."


    "Yes, she will be used and thrown away. How fitting for that wretch. I did worse in my world, tortured her until her mind shattered and I devoured her brain, consuming her and awakening my mind diving powers. She will be useful here. As all humans will be eventually. Humanity was my cradle, but I know what awaits attempts at coexistence. I still hear my childrens'' cries and screams even now. The humans are¡­ liabilities as such those that resist will be exterminated."


    "How much longer must I wait?"


    The massive head tilted. "For what?"


    "My revenge."


    "Ah, so obsessed my dear little one. Hmm. I suppose I should reward you." Eva shifted, and the wall of flesh around her receded as her massive form emerged.


    The shining black and blue carapace softly illuminated as the Spore molded around them, reconfiguring into a gargantuan room, and yet even then, Eva''s head scraped the ceiling membrane. A living throne of blue, glowing flesh squirmed and shifted as she sat upon it, sending a quake through the masses of flesh. Beyond the transparent membrane, the tentacles of the Spore writhed. Her control over the being around them is so absolute its very anatomy was at her beck and call. One armored leg slid over the other. Eva''s massive abdomen fell onto the room floor, causing more seismic shifts. The Spore shuddered. Eva''s cold eyes glinted down from her shadowed face.


    A sound emanated from her abdomen. It slowly grew louder, a scraping, clawing, gnashing noise. The carapace bulged out as the plates lifted rhythmically, impacts growing louder and more demanding until cracks formed in several of her exoskeleton plates. They shifted, venting as plumes of mist filled the room. The wet noise of skin tearing and ripping as forms burst forth from her soft under flesh. Her blood flowed as they emerged, gasping and screeching their first breaths. As soon as they flopped free of her body, the blood surged back up like some living creature as it crawled back into her rapidly closing wounds.


    Arachnaon knew the pain alone of having something eat its way out would kill a lesser creature. Yet Eva''s face was unmoved, the pain of birthing her brood not even registering. She is so desensitized, so dead inside, she might not even have pain receptors anymore. Arachnaon mused that Eva must be so used to it that she no longer feels it.


    Eva shifted her head into her palm, gazing down apathetically, "Your reward, feast upon my children. Consume them."


    The fully formed wasp women stood in a line, perfectly in step with one another as though they were of a single mind. Each was over seven feet tall. Their cold black eyes held no emotion. They lowered their heads, awaiting what was to come next.


    Arachnaon paused for a long moment, "Why are you feeding me your children? I thought you cared for them?"


    "I do care for them, but until the world is in my grasp and the wars are done I, as the Mother Empress cannot allow the weakness of love or affection to cloud my judgment. Life is a resource and I learned long ago to not get attached as it will only harm me. I have lost millions of my children. With each death I grew colder. I still remember my first child. Xara. That lovely face. The happy squeals as she grew from a grub. How happy I was, no longer alone. Back when I was foolish, stupid and naive. When I thought we could coexist with the humans." Eva reminisced with a deep smile that cracked her statuesque face, then she chuckled, and all the affection and happiness faded into the deep void of her eyes, "They took them from me. They murdered my children, slowly, painfully. Murdered their minds and used them as fodder for their squabbles with Kraken. Even now, I still hear their screaming, pleading for Mommy to save them."


    "Who took them from you?"


    "Nightmare and her Hero League goons. Things are much different now. She couldn''t weasel her way in this time." Eva thought on it momentarily, a cold and vile smile spread across her etched face, "Vesper is doing so well. Things are different now. If they diverge too much, then I won''t know what will happen. But so long as the Puppeteer is dealt with there will be no one capable of standing against me. Humanity will be brought to heel as the cattle they are."


    Arachnaon looked out the window-like membrane at the Earth below, "I have fought many monsters with such aspirations. What makes you think you are any different?"


    An amused smile spread across Eva''s face, splitting her jaw in half revealing the deadly mandibles below, "Oh? Monster, from the likes of you? Threatening me? Little one have you already forgotten your defeat? You must be going senile in your old age. Or perhaps I hit your head too hard when I beat you into submission."


    "You got lucky." Arachnaon scoffed.


    Eva pat her chest, "Luck? Care to try again? For an old granny you are a stubborn bitch I will give you that. Perhaps I was too kind in not simply taking you by force back then. Keep in mind if I truly desired it, I would hold you down and crack open that pretty head to devour your brain."


    Arachnaon didn''t humor Eva, staring out at the world below rather than facing her while she spoke, "It is a waste of my energy to fight you, you simply grow anything I cut off back."


    "At least you realize the insanity that it is to attempt beating me, unlike the humans from my world. Being nuked was dreadful, gave me a sunburn. At any rate stop playing hard to get and accept my gift, I will give you a new lease on life. As things are you will fall apart in a few years if not sooner. I can fix that."


    "What makes you think that I will defile his legacy and destroy all that I, we have sacrificed for?"


    Eva tilted her head quizzically before an understanding glint filled those void-like eyes, "Ah, still clinging to the ancient past? The world below you is a mockery of what you and the original Hero League fought to the last to defend. Captain Liberty, was it? I recall somethings from the minds that I have consumed. Cycles that repeat. Ah yes, the Golden Age. That was long ago. Do you even remember how many cycles you have endured? How many times humanity has been wiped and forced to start over? Captain Liberty and the world that you failed to defend have been dead for hundreds of years. That below us is a twisted abomination of what it once was, warped by the whims of the Puppeteer."


    "How do you know this?" She turned in surprise.


    "In my time I learned much from the Citadel and the Earth Guardian System. For instance, Captain Liberty''s final message in case he failed."


    "Final message?" Arachnaon held her head, "I don''t remember."


    One of Eva''s tentacles brushed against Arachnaon''s face, "Don''t remember? You were there, killing him, stopping him from dealing with the Puppeteer."


    "I- I didn''t."


    "You did. Or rather the Puppeteer used your body to kill him. You know it deep down. That is why your hatred will never be extinguished, your hatred for yourself and the Puppeteer."


    "I- You know nothing-"


    "I know much." Eva smiled viciously, "I must thank you for killing him. If you had not he would have enacted the failsafe."


    "Failsafe?"


    "You don''t remember that either? Your mind must be like swiss cheese with all the holes the Puppeteer has put in it. I suppose it is not surprising considering how many times you have been mind wiped."


    "Why are you tormenting me?"


    "Tormenting you? Oh please. You can''t change the past, but we can change the future." Eva motioned to her children, "Feast. You need to be strong if you are to have any chance of getting revenge. These will rejuvenate your body. After all if you must fight the Puppeteer one last time, don''t you want to be in the prime of your life?"


    Arachnaon gave the more diminutive, compared to Eva, wasp women a long glance¡ªtheir exoskeletons velvety blue in the light. The thin yet thick and muscular necks were bare and vulnerable, awaiting her fangs to sink into them. She squinted between them and Eva, attempting to discern anything from their hard bone, molded faces, yet they held no real emotion or intention.


    "Do they not feel? My venom is excruciating as it melts the insides."


    "They do, however my command and control is absolute over my children. I feel what they feel."


    "You are more twisted than I thought."


    Eva thought on that, tapping her chin, "Twisted¡­ perhaps. Is it twisted to desire a world at peace? A world where my children can do as they please without suffering at the hands of others? Is that so wrong? If nothing else to be left alone, not to be hunted or persecuted? I will make a world where my children can be happy and flourish. If I must then it will be built upon the corpse of humanity. If the humans were reasonable then they would not need to be dealt with."


    "Your desire is not twisted, it is what you plan on doing to achieve it and all that you will sacrifice for it."


    Eva gazed down; her cold eyes had a weight to them that would crush a lesser being under their pressure, "Not will, what I have already sacrificed. I have the resolve to see my plans through. In my original world I had already won, crushed the last resistance under my feet. I know what is required. I know already all that I will sacrifice to obtain it. It is a price I am more than willing to make."


    Arachnaon broke eye contact and looked at the planet below, "Why must you go so far?"


    "The alternative is, unacceptable."


    "Which is?"


    Eva leaned back dismissively, looking out into the blackness of space at the stars beyond the membrane of the Spore, "Extinction. Coexistence is unobtainable. Only through the subjugation of humanity can there be peace. Subjugation or annihilation are the only options I have."


    "You could leave. We both know that the Spore has recovered and with your control over it, you could leave to find a new world."


    "That would be a last resort. However, I fear not the humans as things stand I fear nothing on that planet below us."


    Arachnaon chuckled lowly, "Yet you hide up here."


    "I am not hiding, I am simply awaiting the opportune moment. After all why would I waste my energy fighting battles that will resolve themselves without my interference? You need more patience, Arachnaon."


    "You are being a coward, avoiding confrontation."


    "Projecting your own insecurities I see."


    "My insecurities?"


    "You doubt yourself. Trying so desperately to right the wrongs of the past, yet you are so blind. Your revenge will cost you everything as it did before time and time again. You are trapped in a game of cat and mouse with the Puppeteer. Every time you find it and kill it, it uses you once more to destroy the world and reset its twisted game. Break the cycle once and for all. Now I will offer you once more. Consume my children and let my essence nourish your body and mind if you truly must be too impatient to allow your nemesis to get rid of itself. Or you can keep your self as you are, free of my influence, but you will miss your final chance to exact revenge and await the world that I will usher in soon. Don''t try to hide behind morality at this point, we both know you don''t care about the humans and haven''t for many years now. Not since Captain Liberty died. You are an empty hollow shell of what you once were. But know this, if you fall to the Puppeteer I will kill you myself."


    Arachnaon looked between the world below and Eva, "Give me time to think."


    Eva smiled, sinking back into the Spore''s flesh so that only her face protruded from the wall, "Of course. You have all the time in the world. Though if you wait too long the Puppeteer will be beyond your reach forever."


    Her eyes closed once more. In their absence, the many eyes of Eva''s children glinted from every shadow and corner of the room.

 Battle of Bronson City, Chapter 11 Interlude: Intrusion

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 11 Interlude: Intrusion


    Around them, the cabin jostled and jarred from the explosions outside the craft. The windows flared on occasions, an errant laser beam. Below, the war-tattered streets were clogged with collapsed buildings. Blocks over in the next designated area, close-quarters fighting raged as more buildings collapsed. Blackened silhouettes struggle against the varied color palettes of the heroes. All manner of super powers on display, from arcs of lightning to raging fireballs and waves of water collapsing between the two sides. It is a free-for-all topped with explosives.


    Distantly, the gangly form of Nitro explosively skipped across rooftops as she rapidly approached the pitched battle. That did not bode well for that push. In best case scenario, the casualties won''t be too high, and Nitro will be defeated. That was unlikely, to say the least. Still, there was no sight of the wasp, which meant that the tracker was most likely still attached to her as it was situated deep in the installation.


    To distract from this offensive, the Hero League forces had pushed hard and deep into the villain-controlled sectors of the city, causing violent retaliation. Much like an immune system''s response to an invasion of the body, the attack was met with an equal if not overpowering presence from the villains. Many of the sectors were pushed too far forward by design and would soon be collapsing back. They need to keep them busy for a little while.


    Armadillo pointed at the hologram hovering in the middle of the seated and strapped-in heroes. "This operation will be simple, at least on paper it was. Quick strike in to probe the defenses and assess how strong the base is, as well as who is holed up in there with luck there won''t be any major villains due to the distraction at work. Rescuing the prisoners is the primary object, a close second being the capture of the Vespidian, Hubris has decreed that it will come willingly or unwillingly. Next on the agenda is the capture of the base for investigation into any and all records that can be used to pin point interests and operatives, after that any villains dealt with was all bonus. Medavac will drop us in and hide his transport before joining us. Is this understood?"


    There were several new additions to the team; they had taken a few losses on the last mission; well, to be more accurate, half the team died. The battle nuns and the priest were not here as they had been assigned to the front, Retro was less than pleased by this. Of the original team, it was just her and Armadillo, but perhaps the newcomers were useful. She gazed them up and down, assessing the new hodge podge.


    There was a total of five new members. She recognized the rusted diving suit across from her as Hydronic; a man or maybe a woman was made of goop and used the suit to keep their form. Said goop was bubbling up in the viewport of the helmet. As for power, it could change shape on command, though growing beyond human size needed additional moisture. Also, it was more or less made of acid. Or was it that they could change to be acidic?


    Negation was a white whole body suited man; he was a bit hard to look at since the light distorted around him, which made his features nonexistent. He absorbed energy-based powers and things like electricity. He is an A-list hero from New York City, ranks 7, if memory serves. Things were looking up with that caliber of hero on the team.


    A masked man in a fancy black and white striped dress suit idly sat one leg over the other, apparently very relaxed. The mask was blank, devoid of any distinguishing features, wasn''t even eye holes. Encore. A master of disguise and perhaps a shapeshifter, apparently, they had mastered just about every type of weapon. They were not Omega level of infiltration, rank 6, but Encore was undoubtedly an excellent addition to the team.


    Lock Out is the shady-looking guy next to Retro. He looked a bit like an old detective from a crime noir complete with beat up tench coat and grizzled stubble, his brimmed hat was tilted down covering the top half of his face. His power was to lock and unlock just about anything. Vaguely, he reminded Retro of a different hero in Bronson, Crimson Sweeper. Though no one had seen Sweeper since all hell broke loose.


    Last was their pilot, Medavac. An old veteran super soldier who had managed to survive in this lawless place after the hammer strike. He used to be a premier hero in the city, leading the enhanced paramedic squads. After Neon Nurse turned, most of the cybernetically augmented supers switched sides with her, including the paramedics and other varied personnel, not just the cyber swat teams. As for powers, well, he was a super soldier; strength, and toughness had the better serum back in the day, so he was a cut above the vat-grown minions of Kraken.


    "This old girl has got a cloaking device won''t need to hide it much; just remember where I land it." Laughed Medavac, patting his ship affectionately.


    The team was, well, built for infiltration, not confrontation. None of the new additions struck Retro Robo as being an anti-giant angry wasp woman in power set. Which was a problem considering their objectives. Maybe Hydronic could keep her busy, or maybe the Evening Star might hold up to the pounding that wasp would dish out.


    Retro Robo glanced out the window to the back, where her large multi-armed mech suit was strapped onto the back of the craft. It seemed a little precarious as every large jolt from the transport made it shift ever so slightly. Still, this was preferred over attempting to trek through the blocked streets. If it did happen to fall off then it could auto pilot over to her.


    She replied leaning back, "You make it sound so easy. But each of those objectives is a mission all its own. I think we are spreading too thin on this. Especially if we split up, that is not going to end well."


    "If done properly each objective can be tackled one at a time, making the rest easier."


    "So you say but plans never survive contact." Reminded Medavac from the cockpit. "Keep your heads on straight and don''t take chances. Worst comes to worst we can blow up the lair on the way out. Top priority is our lives, so don''t do stupid shit; unlike the villains, we are not disposable pawns grown in vats."


    "How likely do you think it will be that the wasp will confront us?" asked Retro.


    "Depends on if she''s home or not." Armadillo replied, "She seemed very territorial so a fight is assured."


    Medavac called back from his jolting cockpit. Some flack burst to the side of the transport as it veered down b-lining for the rooftop of the hospital. "You just leave Vesper to me and we''ll deal with this. She''s not a bad girl, she just has bad influences all around her. She can probably be convinced to turn on the villains, though that depends on how deep Neon Nurse has her claws into the poor girl as well as other factors."


    Armadillo growled back, "You get one chance to talk that bitch down. When that fails we are taking her by force."


    Medavac chewed his cigar as his visor flipped down, "If it comes to that. Ready or not boys and girls we have arrived. Keep your cool and don''t do anything stupid."


    As the military ambulance hovercraft made the final descent, the Evening Star detached, clunking down with a thunderous thud, which might have attracted more attention if the city was not burning to the ground nearby. Luckily, this building was particularly sturdy, likely secretly reinforced when it was renovated. If it had not been, the twenty-some-odd-foot tall mech would have gone right through the roof.


    The wind kicked and gusted as the shuttle landed with a much more graceful motion; the back hatch lowered, and Retro Robo quickly darted into the waiting cockpit of her mech. The hatch was sealed, and the towering machine assessed the surroundings. The roof was clear of guards or any defensive measure. It was odd; there weren''t even visible cameras, but it could very well be a case of trying not to stick out.


    The others had exited the ship as it vanished from view. The only thing that revealed it was a slight distortion, the air wiggling similar to when it is too hot out. If you were not looking for it, it was very easily missed.


    Lock Out waved his hand, and unsurprisingly, the door opened. However, the first predicament arose. There is no way in hell the Evening Star would fit in that door and most likely the rest of the upper building. Yet the wasp had come here, which meant that there was another more spacious entrance. Retro reviewed the map, watching where exactly the dot had gone. Sure enough, the parking garage is attached to the side of the building.


    "I am not fighting a giant wasp monster without my mech, so I will be looking into the entrance that she used. I would prefer not to split up, but I am pretty sure they will be heavily monitoring an entrance that is that large." Said Retro Robo.


    Armadillo and the others thought about it. "Alright, we will split up, Lock Out you and Encore will infiltrate the base from here. The rest of us will go in through the other entrance. I fully expect to make a lot of noise so that should help you two slip in. I will leave data collection and rescuing of prisoners to you two. Get the data first, hopefully by then we will have broken in and made our way to the prisoners and meet up with you. The wasp will be dealt with when we find it. If you two find it first, do not engage."


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Got it. Shouldn''t be too hard. Encore, I believe the old fake prisoner ploy will work well for this." Said Lock Out, looking at the faceless man beside him.


    Encore nodded and waved his hand in front of him. His image shuddered and shifted, warping into that of a Kraken super soldier. The heavy armor grated between plates, an insignia of a snake coiled on the shoulder. The helmet distorted his voice, and it copied the tone and pitch of one of the operatives: "On it, boss man. Get a move on prisoner, we got places to go and torture to see. Nitro is going to love seeing you squirm."


    Lock Out walked in front of him, being gently prodded by the gun to his back. The duo disappeared into the hospital to find their own way into the evil lair below.


    "Retro, lead the way." Said Armadillo, looking away from the opened door.


    They climbed into the waiting arms of the mech, and it jumped over the ledge, dropping down to ground level; the jet pack flared for a moment to divert momentum and soften the landing. The slight shake that occurred from the impact was negligible. Before them was the parking garage; the area, once filled and brimming with emergency response vehicles, was empty and still. It was clearly not abandoned from the lack of dust or debris anywhere in the expansive concrete labyrinth of ramps that ascended to floors above.


    Stepping tentatively in the eerie silence was broken by the sounds of machines whirring. Immediately to the left, towards the hospital proper, stood several robots. They had four legs that were thin yet robust and acted as a stable firing platform. The torsos were bulky, with four arms protruding, two on each side. Each arm was equipped with a weapon of some sort, ranging from what appeared to be some kind of energy cannon to shoulder-mounted chain guns. The four legs moved rhythmically, and each of the machines took up defensive stances.


    The energy cannons fired, and Negation stepped forward, his blinding white hand scooped and threw the beams back, destroying the attack drones with their own weapons. Metal melted into slag piles where the blast hit differently, and what was not hit toppled to the floor, shorting out.


    "It is a good thing they shot lasers rather than bullets at you." Said Armadillo, stepping towards the elevator that they had been guarding.


    Negation''s voice was distorted, sounding like he was talking from the other end of a long tunnel, "If it was bullets, I would not have stepped up. That is your department."


    The doors were oddly substantial. It stuck out as they were far too large to be for normal response vehicles. It was¡­ sloppy, out of character for the maniacal robo enthusiast who supposedly resided below. The entrance wasn''t hidden elaborately it felt, too easy, like a trap.


    A familiar sound rose, the chiming of an elevator ascending floors. All at once everyone retreated getting away from the doors. They circled around to the back side of the dividing wall, out of sight from the entranceway. Retro stuck a little camera around the corner to see what was happening. The gates opened, revealing a massive cargo lift; centered in it, a jet black tank shifted, the turret adjusting as it scoured the empty garage. The machine rumbled as a blackened helmet emerged from the top hatch to operate the smaller mounted weapon atop the turret.


    Staying back, the hero party watched and waited as the tank switched into gear. After a few tense moments, it rolled out of the bay and veered to the exit. Thick, polluted smoke guzzled from the exhaust as it accelerated. It sped off into the city to wreak havoc. The doors closed once more, leaving the building in a still, calm.


    Either the villains were less organized than was originally believed, or there was disharmony between the varied groups. Destroying those attack robots should have alerted Neon Nurse or Vira, especially their pet evil AI, Overseer. Yet the base was not on full alert. Retro Robo thought on it. It wasn''t so much destroying the machines before they could send a signal or feed, the absence of their feeds would be a red flag all on its own. It wasn''t adding up from what Retro had researched. Things were too sloppy, which was very unlike the meticulous cyborg. Either this was a trap, or the distraction was working, and all eyes were on the offensive. It could even be both. Neon Nurse might be exceedingly confident in the defense systems in the base that she wasn''t worried even if they did attack.


    "I don''t like this." Said Retro Robo.


    "It does seem a little odd, there should have been some kind of response." Agreed Medavac, "Knowing Neon Nurse, she knows we are here."


    Armadillo nodded, "Be that as it may, we can''t waste too much time the offensive will be retreating soon."


    "The door didn''t close, so perhaps she is welcoming us?" Medavac said, observing the still gaping doors of that massive lift.


    "That is suspicious as fuck." Gurgled Hydronic. "We came this far, though, and people have died getting us here. If we turn back now their deaths will have been for nothing."


    Armadillo began walking towards the elevator, "The longer we wait, the more time they have to prepare. They are probably on full alert in the base setting up defenses."


    Retro held her head, "Fine. If nothing else we need to get Lock Out and Encore out of there."


    Cautiously, they entered the cargo lift; it was spacious, more than large enough for the Evening Star to fit. They were not alone so to speak, there was a camera observing them from the shadowed corner of the lift. The Evening Star lifted Retro Robo up and she attached a device to the camera. A little loading bar appeared on her tablet as she tapped in numbers. The moment that the bar filled a variety of systems were accessible. The cameras accessed she disabled the one observing them, scrubbing the footage and setting it to repeat before they had arrived.


    Tapping along she brought up feeds from the rest of the installation. Lock Out appeared to be being escorted by Encore in his Kraken disguise and several actual Kraken soldiers. They were in a different elevator, the panel looked quite different. There were a lot more numbers on it, the subtle yellow glow of the elevator button that they had selected floor 20 from the looks of it. That must be where the prisoners are held. Just to make sure she tapped through the camera feeds, sure enough there were glass cells with people in them on floor twenty.


    Each cell had an observing device, she filtered through them, there were two of the missing heroes from some of the scouting missions, Black Jack, and Blue Jay. They appeared to be unconscious sprawled in the center of their respective cells. In the deepest cell Light Fly appeared on the monitor, she was huddled in a corner of the empty room, rocking back and forth. Her outfit shredded leaving her mostly naked.


    Observing for a moment more, she accessed the subservience network. The cameras throughout the installation were disabled and set to loop old footage for the next four hours. That should give them time to do what they need to and get out. Even if the hack was detected it would conceal their movements for a time making the Villain¡¯s response less coordinated.


    Retro left the device attached to the camera and lowered back down to the floor out of the Evening Star¡¯s hands. The others watched her expectantly.


    ¡°How are things looking?¡± asked Armadillo looking over the panel of buttons.


    ¡°As planned for the moment. I have disabled the security cameras and scrubbed footage of us. The prisoners, including Light Fly are on floor twenty. Lock Out and Encore on their way down there as we speak.¡±


    ¡°Good that leaves the wasp and creating a distraction to us.¡± Replied Armadillo, motioning to the glowing elevator display, ¡°Odd though there is no floor twenty on this.¡±


    The panel with buttons showed floors b1 to f5. This was obviously fake as it did not go down into the depths of the installation. Retro gazed at it up and down, shining a colored light that revealed fingerprints and the like. Certain buttons were more worn than others. 2, 3, and 5 had been pressed far more than the rest. The simple solution being that it was some sort of code to punch in. Though Retro felt that was too obvious. Or perhaps she was just over-thinking it?


    Retro punched in the numbers and waited. There was nothing for 2 3 5 out of the ordinary as the elevator moved to floor 2 then 3 and arrived at the top floor. Luckily, each floor in the hospital appeared to be abandoned and they had not been greeted by a face full of guns when the doors opened each time. They might have questioned if this was even the right building if they had not seen the tank. 3 5 2. The sequence jolted the elevator for a moment, and a different panel appeared. Numbers scrolled down the side. Retro Robo grew apprehensive; there were 25 floors below the surface, and those were just what this elevator went to.


    "Deepest? Or is that too simple?" as Retro.


    "Where is the wasp at?" asked Armadillo.


    "According to the signal, roughly floor 23."


    "Then that is where we go."


    Retro paused for a long moment before pressing the 23. She hurriedly got back into her machine, pulling the hatch closed. The lift doors sealed shut as usual, but the horizontal shift was not expected. The elevator had shifted into a secondary shaft and began its descent. That certainly changed things. If they had brute forced it and broken into the downward tunnel, they would have missed the alternate path down, or at the very least would have had to make a lot of noise breaking down walls to find it.


    The lift descended into the depths of the earth. Every floor that passed by with a blip and beep from the consul and a slight jolt from the otherwise eerily smooth elevator, they tensed, expecting a brutal fight to break out as the doors opened. Yet the elevator never stopped. It kept going and going¡­ it had sped up. The blips were resounding faster as the light flashed with each passing floor.


    Rapidly the floors flew by. Everything felt weightless as the realization that they were in free fall hit everyone. Gravity surged, sucking them onto the ceiling as the elevator arrived at floor 23. Contrary to every thought and worry, it stopped. Gravity hit full force, slamming them into the floor. Retro had hardly been bothered by this as her mech had little room to move to begin with. The others were a bit jarred and jumbled from the sudden shifts. Everyone got their feet, no significant injuries. The doors opened with a happy jingle and ding.


    Beyond the doors, a massive corridor stretched out, fading beyond sight. It was long to say the least. The walls and ceiling spacious to a startling degree. Everyone tentatively stepped out into the white-washed hallway. For such a large area, it was very¡­ empty. No furniture, furnishing, not even side doors leading to other rooms. Only floor vents broke the monotony of the symmetrical walls, they were spaced out every three or so panels. The doors behind them slid shut and the elevator lifted away.


    Medavac pressed the call button, yet it didn''t even light up. The system appeared to be locked. "For a welcome this is awfully rude, Neon Nurse."


    "Medavac¡­ You should have left when you had the chance. But now that you are here, can''t have you running away now can I?" Replied a hologram of Neon Nurse''s face projected from the panel; it flickered momentarily. The fake face smiled; there was not an ounce of warmth or comfort, let alone goodwill, in that smirk. "I do hope you enjoy your stay in my installation. I have so many projects that require test subjects; thank you for so... selflessly volunteering. Don''t worry, it will all be over soon."


    The vents rattled all around them. The clean air shifted into a rank acrid stench, a thick green smokey gas poured in from the openings at floor level. The skitter of little robotic claws clambered from every direction spilling out like a wave, a swarm of robo scorpions and spiders descended upon them.

 Battle of Bronson City, Chapter 12 Interlude: Break Down

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 12 Interlude: Break Down


    Medavac swatted down the swarming robotic insects, crushing them underfoot and beating them back with his armored fists. His shotgun bucked as it unloaded down the corridor spraying incendiary rounds through the encroaching hordes of machines. Negation toppled over gasping for breath. The green haze of the gas filled the air, choking and drowning any who did not have an air-tight or filtered costume. To the rest of the group, the fumes did little more than obscure vision. The skittering horde was a much more pressing threat.


    ¡°I thought you hacked the systems?¡± Armadillo berated between hitting the small and fragile robots.


    ¡°I did, but it must have been a dummy system set up as a trap.¡± Retro replied as her machine treaded over the smaller squirming robots. ¡°Hate to admit it, but that crazy nurse is good at defenses.¡±


    ¡°Of course, she is good at defenses, Neon Nurse and Overseer were basically running the whole city¡¯s systems.¡± Medavac grits as he slams his shotgun through a robotic spider, the fangs clicking and drooling a green fluid. ¡°Don¡¯t let these things bite you they are likely loaded with either a extremely powerful sedative or a toxin. From what she said it sounds like she wants test subjects so likely a sedative.¡±


    Things quieted down, minus of course, the alarm that had begun blaring. The green mist had settled into a thick fog covering the foot or so above the floor obstructing vision of the walkway.


    ¡°Everyone ok?¡± asked Armadillo surveying the others.


    They nodded, save of course Negation who was out cold on the floor, the robots were weaker than anticipated. The only victim was to the gas. Medavac placed his armored hand on Negation¡¯s neck checking for pulse and breathing, the sensors detected he was alive and in a calm state. That confirmed that it was the sedative that Neon Nurse often used on Vesper to keep her in check. Could have been a lot worse in all honesty, could have been a flesh-eating virus or deadly neurotoxin.


    ¡°Retro, your mech have any storage to keep him safe until he wakes up?¡± asked Medavac.


    ¡°I got a bit in the side compartments, but if anybody else goes down then I won¡¯t have room.¡± Retro Robo opened up the leg of her machine, there was a sizable tube-like structure that was large enough for a person.


    He didn¡¯t exactly like it, but leaving a team member behind wouldn¡¯t be good. ¡°It will have to do, can¡¯t leave him here and we will need no distractions in here.¡±


    Medavac pushed Negation into the tube and it sealed shut under the plates of armor of the mech. Hydronic seemed to be just fine, bubbling within its suit.


    ¡°So where is the wasp?¡± gurgled the slimy being oozing from the seams of its diving suit.


    Retro scrolled through the map, ¡°She appears to be about three hundred meters ahead and to the right, if the schematic is right there is a large room there.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get that map?¡± asked Armadillo.


    ¡°It was complied from the tracking device and filled out by what I saw in the systems. Though now that we know it was a dummy system we cannot be sure of how accurate it will be.¡±


    ¡°If that is compromised then what if the tracker is too?¡± Medavac grumbled. ¡°Hopefully the walls don¡¯t start speaking binary.¡±


    ¡°Well at least we have their attention, so we have that going for us.¡± Armadillo stepped forward following the directions on the map.


    It appeared that the whole floor got gassed as every turn in the corridor revealed more of the low-hanging green fog. The hallways all looked the same, going in blind it would been very easy to get lost in this place. When everything was the same it was so easy to get turned around. Things had been quiet for far too long. There should have been some kind of a response after the gas and robots had failed, and yet nothing, save that low squalling alarm sounding.


    Retro Robo signaled that they had arrived. A massive doorway yawned open into a cavernous hanger. The lighting appeared to be having problems as it flicked on occasion. It was for all intents and purposes a boss arena, anyone who had played games, watched shows, and especially battled the more presentation focused villains could tell at a glance. Sure enough, there sat the unmistakable blackish-blue chitin. That skittering monstrosity, the Vespidian gazed down upon them, her massive head gleaming in the overhead lights.


    ¡°Oh, took you long enough.¡± Replied her deep and unsettling voice, the many eyes descending upon them with a cold and inhuman gleam. ¡°I take it you came for your toy back?¡±


    The Vespidian tossed something before them. The tracking dart clattered on the floor, rolling to a stop, the thick and pungent yellow blood staining and trailing where it had touched the floor. Medavac stepped forward, making sure that Armadillo did not start anything.


    ¡°Vesper¡­¡±


    She tilted her head quizzically, the antenna twitching, ¡°Do I know you?¡±


    ¡°Vesper. My god you got big. It is me, Medavac. What did they do to your head to not remember me?¡±


    She seemed thoughtful, tapping her chin in contemplation, after a long moment she sounded dejected, sad even. ¡°Medavac¡­ hmm¡­. Ah, old man. I didn¡¯t know you were alive. I thought you died in the hammer strike along with everyone else. It is good to see you, though under the circumstances I am unsure if you being here is a good thing or a bad thing.¡±


    He was relieved that she seemed open. ¡°No, I was evacuating the civis when that happened. I would say it is a good.  I was worried about you, you perverted little gremlin.¡±


    ¡°Not so little any more, old man.¡± She chuckled. ¡°So why have you come here, you old dog you. Come to die with the heroes? I suppose for old times sake I could spare you. Been sparing anybody that wasn¡¯t a dick to me before.¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°No. I came to talk some fucking sense into you girl.¡±


    ¡°Some sense?¡± Her antennae curled over one another as she tilted her head similarly to a large dog trying to assess something.


    Medavac struck at the heart of the matter, ¡°Vesper you don¡¯t really think that Kraken is on your side do you?¡±


    She seemed amused, almost playful, rising to full stature as the mechanical bodies of Neon Nurse clattered to the side falling from her lap like abandoned dolls, ¡°Not particularly. I am not that stupid. I mean, I was absolutely a space case idiot before so I can see where your worries stem from. Maybe before when my brain was like swiss cheese in a couple spots, but not now, not since my regeneration got stronger and filled in the holes. Things have been a lot more clear lately.¡±


    Something wasn¡¯t right. Vesper had always been a bit slow on the uptake, or she would have some wildly inaccurate line of thinking, but now¡­ she seemed focused to an unnerving degree. Though bits and pieces of her oddity seemed to still be there. Could all of her old behavior have just been the side effect of brain damage and now the real her was emerging? Hopefully, that wasn¡¯t the case. Medavac held onto straws that she was still that misguided but good-intentioned at-heart girl.


    He stared her down, ¡°Really? Then why are you fighting with them?¡±


    Vesper chuckled a throaty cackle that shook the air, ¡°Why, you act as though it was not the league that drove me away with your corruption, after all, it was the hero league that murdered all my friends and tried to kill me. Thanks to that I hardly have pain receptors any more. Unsurprising considering that melted a good bit, burned nearly to death. Had to spend a week or two in a vat growing like a test tube baby.¡±


    Medavac was aghast, ¡°That was Nightmare, not the league. We put our lives on the line for the city and she back stabbed everyone.¡±


    She nodded understandingly, ¡°True, Nightmare lied, deceived and manipulated her way in, but Nightmare works for Chimera and the League works hand in hand with them. You are interchangeable cogs in the same machine. Most don¡¯t know about that below a certain level, but all the higher ups know. I can¡¯t forgive and I won¡¯t forget.¡±


    Her words struck a cord in him. Having formerly worked for Chimera, they certainly were brutal in their operations. Still, they were the lesser of two evils, extreme actions needed extreme responses. ¡°Vesper it is not too late yet, help us take down Kraken and you will be pardoned, exonerated due to being under duress. I will do everything I can to help you. Hubris even gave an order for your capture alive. I am sure that if you come willingly then you will receive preferential treatment.¡±


    Vesper¡¯s demeanor shifted, closing off as she crossed her arms gazing down upon them. ¡°Why should I do that? Hmm? Why should I believe you? I see the looks I get. I have always gotten those disgusted and revolted looks from the normies and the heroes that were supposedly on my side. Everybody that treated me kindly, but you, is either dead or turned villain. The only difference now is the looks I get are of fear, and respect ever since I developed. Be nice and everybody walks all over you. Stick up for yourself and it is a fucking crime. You weren¡¯t there for the Hammer Strike or when I hunted down and made Nightmare pay for all she did.¡±


    Medavac shook his head, dejected, ¡°I was there Vesper, I saved a lot of lives that day and the following days even as everything around me went to shit. I could only save so many.¡±


    Vesper tilted her head, ¡°Saving the normies? No saving your own skin. I get it. Nobody ever wants to die and it is not like you could stop the Hammer Strike, I don¡¯t think even Molotov could. Do you know what I had to do to survive?¡±


    He paused something telling him that he didn¡¯t want to hear the answer to that, ¡°What did you do? Can¡¯t have been that bad.¡±


    She closed her eyes tilting her head to the ceiling, ¡°I ate them. I ate the charred bodies of those that I had just lost everything to protect. Lost everything for nothing. It didn¡¯t matter. Our sacrifice meant nothing. Chief died for nothing. Sunshine died for nothing. I ate them. Funny, human barely tastes different than pork. Charred and burned as it was my body just as seared, nothing more than an arm attached to a torso and head.¡±


    ¡°Vesper you were desperate. Don¡¯t let a moment like that dictate your whole life.¡±


    The wasp sneered, ¡°But you see. That is the problem, that was just the beginning. I am not human and I have accepted that, embraced it even. When I chose to take Dr. Arbor¡¯s treatment and accelerated my development to regrow my body, something inside of me broke. I merged with the other half of myself and ever since things that made me aghast have lost meaning. I felt nothing but pleasure when I killed Captain Metal and brutally tortured Nightmare. I feel no remorse for my actions. Why should I care about being pardoned for crimes I care little for? Let alone a system that will soon die. Why should I care about the laws of ants?¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°You are getting threatened again, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    She blinked, surprised, having to look down at him, ¡°From what I just said, how did you get that conclusion?¡±


    ¡°I know you Vesper. Despite all this that you are trying to rationalize and condemn yourself acting like a villain. I know that deep down you are still that scared girl trying desperately to fit in. Is Molotov holding your family hostage?¡±


    Her hardened lips smacked, ¡°Not directly.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, if you turned on them, we could protect your eggs. We just have to know where they are so that they can be rescued.¡±


    Her white, mask of a face stiffened and split revealing her mandibles that snapped, and her voice descended into a growl, ¡°How do you know about that? Rescued? Xava was right, you will hold them hostage. I have seen it before, you fuckers tried to do that to Glitter Kitten. No. No. I know better. I know you will use them against me. I will kill you all before I let anyone touch my grubbies.¡±


    Her stance became aggressive as she bristled with killing intent. The room still nobody wanting to set her off. Medavac knew her well, this was no idle threat, when she set her mind on it Vesper was cruel and merciless. Not a muscle moved fearing to set the looming beast off.


    Medavac broke the tension with two words, ¡°Neon Nurse.¡±


    Vesper stiffened and shook her head laughing lowly, ¡°Oh, trying to make me doubt her? Not going to work I am afraid. Xava would never betray me, just as I will never betray her.¡±


    Medavac kept up the pressure noticing that she was putting up a front, ¡°Vesper, don¡¯t delude yourself, she is only using you like she did everyone else. She has betrayed us all for her own gain. She will sacrifice anyone and everyone for her ambitions.¡±


    Vesper crossed her arms scoffing, ¡°Perhaps, we are using each other. Did you have a point?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t trust her. Vesper since the moment I met you just about everyone has tried to use you for something or tried to manipulate you in some way. Neon Nurse is one of the worst offenders of that. Looking back on it, due to how isolated you were she has stockholmed you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Vesper smiled, vaguely, ¡°She is the only one I can trust. I believe in her. I mean, if she did betray me I would never trust anyone ever again. Unlike everyone else, she never judged me as a monster, rejected me for being inhuman, she looked past her distaste for organic life and loved me, she is and has been the only one that loves me for who I am and what I am. She died for me with everyone else that day, protecting me. Melting in my arms into molten slag. She has been there for me at my lowest, protecting me. She is the mother of my children and I will kill anyone and everyone that dares to try and stop her. For old times sake, get the fuck out of here before I kill you too. I have enough blood on these hands, but don¡¯t think I am afraid to get more on them.¡±


    ¡°I thought that I knew her too, that she had turned over a new leaf. But I was wrong Vesper. She will throw you away when she is done with you and you are no longer useful. She has done it before, she only cares about herself.¡± Medavac shook his head sadly, ¡°I know it is hard to look the truth in the face.¡±


    ¡°Truth?¡± Scoffed the wasp woman, ¡°Her cybernetics have done far more good than evil. Even now she is striving to make a better world. She has saved countless lives and that means nothing to you people. I would have thought one who has received her benevolence would understand her noble goals and purpose. Ah how about this you pardon me and Xava. We will consider sitting this out, but we are not going to help you.¡±


    ¡°Benevolence? Vesper, you are one thing and she is completely different. She has already stabbed us in the back after being pardoned before. She put control overrides, and bombs in her so called gifts. Turned the entire cyber swat force into her henchmen and used them to terrorize the city.¡±


    ¡°Terrorize? Her section of the city was the only one with law and order when the rest of the city was rioting and looting, burning to the ground.¡± Vesper smiled, ¡°She is very clever isn¡¯t she? I think it is rather sexy how smart she is. My Xava is so smart, I love it.¡±


    ¡°Bombs, Vesper. There is no excuse for threatening people with self destructing limbs if they disobeyed her.¡±


    She squinted down at him. ¡°You are telling me that you can¡¯t cut a deal? You know the lesser of two evils? I won¡¯t abandon her, we are a package deal. I would think that this deal is a good one if nothing else then to not have to fight Xava¡¯s army of robos. Are you guys stupid or something?¡±


    ¡°Vesper, don¡¯t waste your breath, they will never forgive me.¡± Said one of the Neon Nurses rising from the floor behind the wasp¡¯s leg.


    ¡°We trusted you and you sold us out Neon Nurse.¡± Growled Medavac. ¡°And now you are dragging Vesper down with you.¡±


    Neon Nurse dismissively waved her hand, ¡°She has chosen to stay with me, despite my urging to abandon me and flee the city. I am not manipulating her in the least,¡± Under her breath she continued, ¡°If anything she has me in the palm of her hands. Making me feel things.¡± After a moment she resumed in a monotone voice. ¡°But I digress, our sordid affairs are none of your concerns.¡±


    Medavac glared at Neon Nurse, the visor glinting off of the glow from her body, ¡°Don¡¯t make light of what you have done. If you had not turned on us the city could have held out instead of being overrun.¡±


    Neon Nurse¡¯s eyes glinted, processing something, ¡°Unfortunately with how scattered and in disarray the league was, no, it was unsalvageable. By that point Molotov had already infiltrated a contingent of Kraken soldiers and had unified all of the local gangs as her underlings. The Hero League here was doomed even before the Hammer Strike, that just accelerated her plans. I work off of logic, why the hell would I bet on the horse with its legs shot off?¡±


    He grimaced, ¡°It is not about the odds, it is about what is right. We have a responsibility, a duty. You turned your back on all that and now you are dragging Vesper with you. You are a coward, Neon Nurse, a betrayer of everything that we tried to accomplish.¡±


    She thought about that for a long moment. ¡°Coward? Perhaps, but cowards don¡¯t die stupid deaths. Only fools try to out perform their limitations. I more or less ran this city¡¯s workings for the past five years, every year we lost more and more members to the criminals, to over regulation, to lawsuits and civil cases, internal rivalries and retirement. We shipped out many good people that deserved better, trying desperately to appease the civis. The Hero League is flawed, valuing the normies over the Supers. Held hostage by the whims of politicians and the mob of uneducated, ungrateful masses driven to hatred by fear mongering elites desperate to retain their power as the world around them evolves beyond humanity. Doomed to failure, a sinking ship that should have capsized long ago. It was not my ship to go down with. I won¡¯t die for ideals that I never believed in. Why should I listen the ramblings of those who can¡¯t even point on a map where this city is. Humanity has grown stupid, complacent, full of itself.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t give you the right to turn your back on morals and decency.¡± Armadillo pointed at her.


    ¡°Morals and decency? How quaint. Those won¡¯t save you when your life is on the line. Am I the only one here who realized that the world has been ending since the moment that thing above us arrived? It has been like watching a train wreck in slow motion. From my calculations, assuming the Spore stays dormant, we have at most one hundred years before humanity dies out completely. That thing has already polluted the atmosphere, mutations are rampant as is and soon enough there will not be a single untainted human on this planet. I don¡¯t work off of malice or any of those emotional functions, it is very simple, I don¡¯t want to die a horribly painful mutation death. Which is why ethical concerns have gone out the window, this a matter of survival. Knowing this would you choose to stay shackled in limitations, wasting what precious time remains or would you do as I did and do anything that is necessary to work towards finding a¡­ cure.¡±


    The wasp woman scratched her chin, ¡°I can attest, it is beyond painful mutating. Every cell in your body and mind is ripped apart and feels like it is on fire. If I didn¡¯t have regeneration I would have died.¡±


    Medavac scowled at Vesper, ¡°Don¡¯t make excuses for her actions.¡±


    Her eyes rolled, dismissively, ¡°Don¡¯t all of the scientists do that though? It is just a safety measure to maintain control. I literally have not met any tech supers that in some way have not set up a safety system of extreme measures. Hypocritical is what that is. Medavac, you outfitted your ambulance with a minigun when the shit hit the fan, Chief had a giant mech that he was hiding under the city. That mech behind you is probably set to self destruct if anybody else commandeers it. Or it probably will incapacitate any unauthorized user, isn¡¯t that so, robo lady? It is really not that different.¡±


    ¡°How do you know the spects of my machine?¡± Retro Robo retorted having been dragged into the conversation.


    ¡°Oh that, you were not the only one looking at other¡¯s systems earlier. By the way, Overseer says that your AI is cute for a baby. We are not that bad, if we were that thing would have been filled with viruses. Xava and I might not have issues with you guys, in fact for the most part we want nothing to do with any of this shit going down right now, I mean why do you think we only used sleepy gas on you?¡± Vesper smiled, disarmingly. ¡°Why do you think I have not just started punching and squishing you guys? Xava wants to make a deal, hedge our bets so to speak.¡±


    Armadillo crossed his arms, ¡°You killed my people and now you want a deal?¡±


    ¡°We had to keep up appearances.¡± Replied Xava, ¡°Kraken is breathing down our necks after all.¡±


    He seemed thoughtful on it, ¡°Depending on what it is, I would have to ask.¡±


    Neon Nurse smiled it was unsettling how plastic and lifeless her face was, ¡°Why that is very simple. I have need of something that you so graciously brought to the city. In return for me, shutting down all communications within the city, withdrawing all of my forces, selling out all of the Kraken assists in the city and at large over the Globe, lairs included of course, their current locations, schemes, identities and¡­ loved ones should Chimera wish to persuade them or simply torture them. In fact I even know the exact current location of the Sanguine Puppeteer. In return all I ask for is the Citadel of Order.¡±


    Just about everybody did a double take, even Vesper who lowered herself down, whispering, ¡°Xava that is a bit more than we discussed.¡±


    ¡°I am asking a lot, they need appropriate compensation.¡±


    Armadillo broke into a coughing laugh at the absurdity of the request, after hitting his chest a few times he replied, ¡°You think that can bargain for the Citadel of Order? I thought you were smart. You would have to do what you just said for us to pardon a traitor like you.¡±


    Xava grew cold, that smile even faker as she was clearly trying to be amicable, ¡°A name drop like that and you don¡¯t even react. I don¡¯t think you understand how dangerous the situation is here. Why, if you Heroes, don¡¯t deal with that thing we are all, fucked? I believe that would be the correct terminology.¡±


    Armadillo replied, his arms crossed. ¡°I am not authorized to make such a deal, and even if I was I don¡¯t trust you enough to think that you would ever hold up your end.¡±


    The doors behind them opened and in walked more Neon Nurses. The uniform appearance between all of them, the short clean bob-cut, the black and red nurse outfits, glowing green eyes, and red pulsing vein-like tubes along their synthetic flesh. The one at the forefront was different, the hair lighter and there were no glowing tubes in her skin. The eyes were a light blue, the expression on her face waving between terror and relief as tears smeared down that supple skin. Armadillo reeled at the sight of the familiar face.


    ¡°Light Fly.¡± He said in disbelief, that quickly turned to anger as he grasped the Neon Nurse before him and shook her by the collar, ¡°What have you done to her?¡±


    Vesper growled reaching for him, but stopped when Neon Nurse patted her on the leg. The massive woman crossed her arms staring daggers down.


    ¡°Got your attention now?¡± Neon Nurse asked the smile never leaving her face even as it jarred violently.


    ¡°You threatening us?¡± asked Retro Robo, her mech posed to attack.


    The fake face shook from side to side, ¡°No. If anything you are threatening me here. I am releasing her to you in¡­ good faith? Now that is only if you accept the deal. She is in good health, all things considered, I saved her life after the beat down that she got during that altercation.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Armadillo asked shoving her away from him.


    ¡°I told you. The Citadel of Order. How about this, in addition to all mentioned before I will also release all of the heroes that I have captured, you will need them to fight Kraken. Light Fly included of course.¡±


    ¡°Why should we trust this deal?¡±


    Xava rose and adjusted her disheveled suit, creasing out the wrinkles, ¡°I have been more than civil, despite you invading my lair, threatening and well, just being awful guests. Now accept the deal or things are about very violent in here.¡±


    ¡°Neon Nurse, we can¡¯t take that deal.¡± Said Medavac, ¡°We don¡¯t have the authority. You will have to talk to Hubris and he is going to want to see you face to face.¡±


    Neon Nurse looked over each of the group for a dissenting voice, but all of them had clammed up. Heroes, her eyes rolled. ¡°Shame, I expected someone to at least lie and say that you would take the deal.¡± replied Xava her tone cold and disinterested. ¡°I would say that it was a pleasure to meet you, but I would be lying. And that, that is just rude.¡±


    All at once the lights cut out and the ground below them gave way. Medavac felt weightless, disorientated, flailing to grasp anything, but the walls were smooth and slick greesed with something to make it impossible to climb up. Some of the others were screaming. The echoes of metal banging against walls and the splatter of bodies thudding against spikes below. The world jarring violently at the bottom of the pit.


    The lights turned back on, the space before Vesper void of people as the floor resealed. The Vespidian stared down Retro Robo in her mech, who had been to the side and back of the others. The massive wasp woman cracked her knuckles and neck her eyes narrowing with malevolence as her tongue slowly licked across her lips.


    Retro gazed apprehensively at the screen filled with that giant mountain of muscle and carapace that was about to come charging straight at her. The Evening Star booting into unrestricted mode, a plethora of weapon systems priming. Even with enough firepower to level several city blocks¡­ would it be enough? Something told her, not even close. Instinct perhaps or doubt, either way, Retro Robo flipped up the safety cover on the controls with her thumb. The snarky AI face to her side chattering, trying to reason with her. If she was going to go down, she was gonna take that wasp with her.

 Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City Chapter 13

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 13


    I stared down the imposing half-painted mech, cracking my knuckles and rolling my neck to get the blood pumping. It had been a while since I got to fight something bigger than me. Last couple of times that mech had kept its distance. Now, it was within reach and didn¡¯t have anywhere to run. My fingers wiggled before tightening into firm fists.


    ¡°What is your name by the way?¡± I asked, I should at least know the name of the person I was about to kill. That way if somebody accuses me of stuff like before then I will know who I took out.


    The speakers replied in a distorted voice, ¡°Retro Robo. This child is called Evening Star.¡±


    Retro Robo, huh. Evening Star? Why did that sound familiar? I paused tapping at my head, trying to remember where I had heard that before. I gazed up and down at that machine. The head was domed with a thick tinted glass, whatever was in there could not be seen. A clean white painted exterior had highlights of red interwoven, this design was completely devoid from one side of the machine leaving the raw metal plates exposed. Something had scraped or peeled it off, possibly even burned it off from the scorch marks around the edges. Oddly I was getting arachnid vibes from this thing, it had six arms and two legs. Overall it had a humanoid appearance, granted it had a massive humpback with vents. I suppose it made sense, Retro Robo, but Evening Star? It didn¡¯t fit this thing. Something about that name bugged me. I know I have heard it before. Well, I will have to think about that later. The Evening Star bristled with armaments as it shifted into a fighting pose. My tentacles scratched my head. Hmm, what would a Villain do here?


    AH of course.


    I opened my arms wide in an inviting way gazing up at the taller machine and rejoiced, ¡°Finally my kaiju on mecha boss fight is real. You are no giant enemy mecha crab but you will have to do! Give me your best mecha bitch. I will finish you with the Bronson Crab!¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?!¡± Replied the robo lady.


    She took offense to that. Not sure if it was not living up to my dreams of fighting a giant robo crab or being called a bitch. Either way, a metal fist slammed into my face. I shook my head as the hand violently retracted snapping back into place. That robo skank has hands to throw I see.


    One of the other arms raised, huh that thing has six, that arm didn¡¯t have a hand. No that was certainly a gun. A big one at that. The barrel lit up. I ducked and dived, my claws digging into the floor and rapidly shifting my angle as the blast shot across the room, narrowly missing me. The explosion from the blast shook the room as the lights flickered.


    I slammed down onto all sixes and surged forward. My claws gouged and scraped with every rhythmic impact as I closed the distance. The mech¡¯s back flared and it started to hover before accelerating backward away from me. Its shoulders opened revealing tubes. A barrage of rockets shot out homing in. The impacts shocked me for a moment but I shrugged it off, my carapace was little more than cracked in a couple of spots, dented from the explosions.


    My legs kicked hard as I propelled myself at the robot. It shifted attempting to dodge but my wings flapped sending me faster. Fist met metal as I intercepted the Evening Star. The hit slammed it against the wall but otherwise didn¡¯t damage it, besides some superficial denting and scraping from my claws. What the hell was that thing made of? A full-force swipe from my claws even fucked up Armadillo¡¯s suit.


    The gun arm¡¯s barrel shifted changing to a larger one. It shot out a giant net that clipped my wings binding them up. After several flaps, they got tangled even more. A surge of electricity shot through my wings scalding and arcing between them. My arms flexed in with such force that the carapace cracked and I fell flat on my face. Twitching from the shocks, I rose back up for round two.


    I charged and swung down, and it grappled back, locking hands with me. The extra pair of the robot¡¯s hands scrabbled for purchases along my carapace and if I didn¡¯t know better was coping a feel. I slammed my head forward head-butting the mech making it shove me back as it stumbled away. It fell onto its back, all at once its limbs twisted unnaturally and it scuttled away like a cock roach. Two of the arms stuck straight up and contorted in my direction pointing their weapons at me.


    Before I could lunge forward to close the distance the weapons shot hitting me square in the chest. The impact jarred me back as yellow gushed out. My eyes twitched and narrowed as the world started to tint with my rage. Fuming I slammed the ground crushing it so that the floor dented down splintering the large tiled floor panels. The sudden incline dragged the machine towards me like and ant attempting to escape an ant lion. I bounded forward charging straight through the hail of bullets and lasers. The heavy thuds doing little more than ever so slightly slowing me down.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Finally, I got within grabbing range. Time for the Bronson Crab special! I coiled around as it bucked and thrashed limbs flailing in all directions. The mech lifts it and tilts back into a suplex. It crashed hard toppled over as I slithered over it twisting it so that the back legs were in front of me as I slammed my ass down on it pinning it to the floor and yanking. My legs tightened crushing it between my thighs as I rocked back and forth. Normally of course this would be a headlock between my legs, but the big robot has odd anatomy so I have the chest area seized.


    The Evening Star struggled below me as the danger of thighs became fully evident from the creaking metal. At this rate, it was gonna burst like a watermelon. Sensing the danger the jump jet roared to life burning my ass, the sudden heat and searing of my meat made me reel back, releasing it. That is not fair. Illegal move. Red flag.


    As I reeled, it escaped making some distance as it fired off a barrage of missiles. My eyes squinted at it, the smoke and debris from the earlier explosions settling into a silence between us. A stand-off with a laser cannon pointed at me. I took a second take. It kind of looked like me. The silhouette at least. Then it clicked. My little Evening Star is my Mom¡¯s pet name for me. After all, it is what Vesper means.


    I pointed at the mech, ¡°Hey, why does that thing look kinda like me and basically have my name?¡± My carapace crawled, ¡°Are you¡­ are you a weirdo stalker? Oh no you are one of them aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t think you would connect the dots so soon, Vesper.¡± Said Xava redirecting my attention down to her. Not sure when she got there. It was dangerous here so I scooped her up to shield her frail little robo body from any crossfire.


    I know I am slow on the uptake, but did I have a stroke or get shocked and black out and miss a whole conversation? I shiftily looked away from her rather than questioning it. Playing along, I can¡¯t look stupid all the time.


    ¡°Ah so it was THAT way I see.¡±


    Xava and the mech laughed in unison, ¡°I am surprised.¡±


    If I wasn¡¯t used to Xava talking through multiple bodies that would just be creepy as fuck. Wait a minute, that is a hero over there.


    ¡°Really Vesper, to think you saw through my surprise. I thought I had you fooled. I am impressed. Overseer eject.¡± Said Xava off-handedly.


    There was a beep and then the machine replied, ¡°Acknowledged.¡±


    With a hiss, the cockpit opened and ejected the pilot. Retro Robo fell flat on her ass before us. I couldn¡¯t see her face through that tinted helmet but by the shivering and questioning head turns it was clear that she didn¡¯t know what just happened either. As ever my eyes scanned along her form, assessing what uses I could put this one to. As is the case with most heroes she was fit, in that tight retro space suit. It was striped red and white just the same as the machine.


    My lip curled as I scrunched up my face thinking, tilting my head back and forth attempting to process what just happened. Then it came to me.


    ¡°You had Overseer hack that bitch when they tried to hack us.¡± I declared.


    Xava face palmed and sighed in disappointment. ¡°Vesper¡­ well I suppose that would be what it looks like.¡±


    ¡°What it looks like?¡± I reply sheepishly.


    ¡°What the hell did you do to my Evening Star?¡± Retro Robo sounded enraged looking between us and her mech she waved a stun gun looking thing threateningly at us. I wasn''t particularly intimidated as the pitiful little toy sparked in her hand.


    Xava didn''t answer but rather commanded, ¡°Overseer, end role-play Retro Robo Hero.¡±


    Retro fell flat for a moment and then stood back up. The demeanor was all too familiar to me. It was the same as one of the Neon Nurses. ¡°My apologies, creator, you did say and I quote to ¡°Ham things up.¡± This one believes it was convincing?¡±


    ¡°So what do you think Vesper?¡± asked Xava.


    I took a bit to process it, thinking it over. I raised a tentacle and asked. ¡°So you have already infiltrated the Citadel, but then why do we need to invade it?¡±


    ¡°Simple Vesper. The Citadel has an interference matrix that cuts off communications, which is why Retro Robo has been functioning independently in its role. You could consider it a sleeper agent of sorts. It has been gathering detailed data of the layout of the Citadel. Unfortunately I did not have the proper tools to take over the systems, until now. When we infiltrate I will have all the equipment in place to do a full override and take control. EGS, The Earth Guardian System, will need to be subverted or destroyed.¡±


    ¡°EGS? I feel like I have heard of that before.¡±


    ¡°Likely it is famous. And it might be sentient so it should be considered a Hero in its own right. Yes the AI is responsible for global operations for the Hero League, it is aboard the Citadel, which is why the Citadel is important using its hardware and systems I have theorized that it will be possible to perfect the Cyberbrain, at the very least it will be a temporary housing for my systems.¡±


    ¡°I see. So what was the surprise?¡± I asked.


    Xava motioned and the Evening Star opened, it wasn¡¯t a mech¡­ it was a suit.


    I gasped and squealed like it was Christmas and Xava got me a limited collectors edition Moon Sailors full figure box set, the special edition one with removable magnetized clothes. ¡°Are you telling me that you made me a new super suit? With guns, laser and rocket launchers?¡±


    She simply smiled and nodded.


    ¡°I ever tell you I love you?¡± I grinned back. My massive hand petting her on the head.


    Xava smiled deeper, genuine it wasn¡¯t that mechanical smile, her fingers slipping between mine as she held my hand, ¡°Yes you do and frequently. Oh by the way don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t hear you loving on me earlier. You big old love bug you. ¡®She would never betray me and I would never betray her.¡¯ I ever tell you that I think you are cute?¡±


    ¡°Heard that did you?¡± I asked scratching my neck.


    ¡°Yes I did. I thought it was very romantic of my big strong sexy wasp to defend me from all those mean heroes.¡±


    I leaned down so that she could pet me on the head. ¡°Anything for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for trusting me even though I have kept things from you.¡±


    ¡°I know you only looking out for me. Knowing me I might blurt something out by accident. So why did you show me your sleeper agent? I might say something by accident.¡±


    ¡°Vesper, couldn¡¯t have you beat up your new suit. Besides, how do you think you are getting into the citadel since the Heroes didn¡¯t take us up on our deal?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I nodded, ¡°But couldn¡¯t you have just had Retro Robo drag me in acting like she caught me?¡±


    ¡°I could but then I would need to break you out of their holding area instead of having you be able to help me from beginning.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t they be able to detect me inside of that thing? Don¡¯t they have scanners or something?¡±


    ¡°They do, which is why I sent it in as a dry run. Overseer and I have already analyzed the defensive measures and concealing the inside of a metal machine isn¡¯t too hard. Speaking of I need to make some adjustments to the suit. The heroes might get suspicious if things stay too quiet so, why don¡¯t you go down into the dungeon and entertain them for a bit until I am finished?¡±


    ¡°What should I do with Medavac?¡±


    Xava thought about it. ¡°Well, we do have some history. I will leave that up to you. On one hand he is a loose end and might figure out something is amiss. He does know us too well after all. On other he was very nice to you and stuck up for you and I a lot. The choice is yours Vesper.¡±


    I crossed my arms, ¡°Ah... I might have to actually kill him, huh?¡± I sighed, ¡°I will do what I have to.¡±

 Battle of Bronson City, Chapter 14 Interlude: Sinking Feeling

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 14 Interlude: Sinking Feeling


    Medavac stirred, a sharp wincing pain radiating from his side. He shook his head looking down to find himself impaled on a spike. Pain surged as muscles tensed pulling himself up off of the metal. Hooks gripped, fighting back causing the wound to rip wide open gushing blood over the floor. The red flowed for a moment before his suit¡¯s life support kicked in sealing itself with a medical foam. Freed from that he flopped to the side gazing up at the ceiling. The shaft was tall to say the least, even squinting he could not see the light of the opening above. However, it could have also been closed to prevent anyone from escaping back up.


    Above rumbled. The firm steel and concrete walls vibrate from impacts of some kind. Medavac tapped at his helmet switching between visor filters until the flashlight built into the side of the hardened glass illuminated the dark surroundings. Thick metal spikes were spaced every three or so feet. They were too far spaced to kill effectively as such this trap was likely merely to wound and disorientate. Still, it was odd that the spike had penetrated his suit and skin. The tip of the spikes glistened in the light, clear like glass, they were diamond-tipped. Along the sides, they were barbed to tear and rip more flesh as one pulled off of them.


    The one that he had landed the tip was fractured likely from the impact, shards of it lodged inside of the wound. Diamonds could cut through a lot of things, but they were very brittle to kinetic force. That was a rather devious trap since the shards would cause problems if not dealt with as they cut through flesh if one moved about causing internal bleeding and hemorrhaging not to mention if the smaller pieces got into the bloodstream to wreak havoc throughout the body. That being the case this trap was more insidious than it appeared. Knowing her it was likely coated with some chemical as well.


    He closed his eyes for a moment coming to terms with what was likely a mortal wound if left untreated for too long. If it got him this bad then, hopefully, the others had faired better. He glanced about finding the rusted diving suit stabbed clear through the chest, a greenish-blue liquid oozing from it as Hydronic seemed to be having problems getting off of the spike. Medavac ignored the blob-like person knowing that they were fine. Armadillo had squashed several of the spikes, they couldn¡¯t even get through his suit let alone his skin. Light Fly on the other hand was frail and would have been sliced through, had she landed on any of them, luckily she was safe and sound sitting atop Armadillo. He must have protected her.


    A realization dawned on him, Retro Robo was nowhere to be seen. As though to point this fact out, above rumbled with some sort of explosion. From the sounds of things, someone was firing off a barrage of rockets. Dust and debris cascaded down the dark shaft. Would Retro be able to deal with Vesper, solo in a fight? Likely before, but not now. Not with how powerful she seemed to have become after getting bigger. She was going to need their help to subdue Vesper and quickly.


    Medavac stood with a slight wobble grasping Hydronic to help pull the antiquated suit up off of the metallic pike, the barbs stuck and gripped fighting the suit until more of it tore and Hydronic stood upright, a clear hole through it revealing the undulating ooze that comprised the entity.


    ¡°You ok?¡± Medavac asked, patting the odd fellow on the shoulder.


    There was a slight gurgle to the voice that replied, ¡°Yes, most physical attacks do little to me as I simply spread around them. Are you ok? You appear to be injured.¡±


    Medavac rolled his shoulder grunting, ¡°I will live. Not the worse I been through. We need to go help Retro it sounds like she got isolated up there and is fighting Vesper. If anything happens to her mech we are going to lose Negation as well.¡±


    Armadillo rose, gently setting Light Fly to the side. Giving her a dust-off, but she seemed to be in good shape overall. A bright light filled the room as an orb rose from Light Fly. Three floors up the roof was sealed shut well out of reach. The walls glistened with some sort of lubricant or oil to keep anyone from attempting to climb back up. The fall had not been as far down as Medavac had initially thought, though with those who were here power sets it might as well be in the sky.


    Light Fly looked around the pit swinging the ball of light about where her metallic finger pointed. To their side, a corridor expanded. A long sterile hallway that had an angled slope descending deeper into the facility.


    A look of understanding crossed her face, but it turned to unease as she spoke up, with a groan, ¡°Ughh, this is the training dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Training dungeon?¡± asked Armadillo.


    ¡°Yes I got thrown through here once when I first arrived here. Luckily I was able to just fly and hover over most of it, but this place is filled with traps.¡±


    ¡°Do we have to be that worried?¡± asked Hydronic, ¡°It is just a training course so can¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    ¡°Every trap in here is lethal. Pit falls, flame throwers, acid vats, sharks with lasers attached to their heads. The usual for villains.¡± Sighed Light Fly.


    ¡°You got through it so it can¡¯t be that bad.¡± Said Armadillo rather confidently.


    ¡°I told you I only got through it because I flew over everything and didn''t set most of the traps off. To be honest I have no idea the extent of traps in here.¡±


    Medavac cross his arms, thinking. The shaking above intensified with the sounds of heavy footfalls and large metal objects crashing into the walls and floor. ¡°Well Light Fly, can you blow a hole in the roof and carry us up to help Retro?¡±


    She shook her head sadly, revealing her synthetic arms, ¡°Before I could have but Neon Nurse took my arms and replaced with with these. I can barely make this light. It is going to take a long time to get my offensive powers back, assuming I can at all.¡± She stared at the floor, ¡°I might as well just be the fucking Fly now, it is all I am good for. I am sorry that I can¡¯t help more even though you guys came all this way to rescue me.¡±


    Armadillo smiled, ¡°It is ok, I am just happy that you are alive.¡±


    Something crossed Light Fly¡¯s mind, ¡°Oh speaking of alive. Some of the Heroes from L.A. are here as well, Nitro dragged them in with her. If we can we need to rescue them as well to help break out of here.¡±


    This caught Armadillo¡¯s attention, ¡°There were survivors?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Not too many but one of the L.A. captains, Mystral is here. Honestly I am rather thankful that I got captured by the Vespidian and Neon Nurse, rather than Nitro.¡±


    Medavac winced, feeling the shards of diamond digging through his gut, ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Nitro doesn¡¯t have vat soldiers they are all former heroes. She forces them to join her Kraken squad by making them swallow an explosive made of her own blood that can be remotely detonated. After that they are upgraded with a super soldier serum, those that survive are trained further.¡±


    Armadillo¡¯s brow furrowed, ¡°I am aware there have been many reports. Rescuing them will be difficult if not impossible if we cannot remove or disable the devices. We are not exactly equipped to deal with that, maybe Retro might be able to, but it is likely outside of her expertise. To be safe we should incapacitate any Kraken soldiers that we find rather than killing them.¡±


    Above the shakes and rumbles intensified before everything became eerily quiet after something slammed down denting the roof above them.


    ¡°What are our options? Is there a way out through the training course?¡± Asked Medavac.


    ¡°There is, but it is at the very end. It will take a good bit of time to get through safely.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time. From the sounds of things up there Retro is getting her ass handed to her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we will make it through the course in time to help her. Me flying through it took more than twenty minutes.¡± Said Light Fly holding her head.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much options here. We can¡¯t just wait here and we can¡¯t get back up from here so only way is forward.¡± Armadillo nodded.


    To his words, everyone gazed at the cold colorless corridor before them. Light Fly knowing what was ahead was apprehensive, to say the least. She hung her head in defeat, ¡°Ok since I have been through it I will lead the way.¡±


    She hovered off of the ground floating in front of them. The corridor dipped, at a steady 35-degree angle. About a hundred yards or so ahead floor flattened out into a level area out of sight. It was empty of anything, not even vents. The only thing breaking the monotony was the panels symmetrically placed making up the corridor itself and the overhead lighting.


    Light Fly paused, her hand raising to stop them. ¡°Careful there are pressure plates, trip wires and laser sensors all through here.¡±


    Medavac squinted seeing the ever-so-slight glint of the wire at ankle level just before them. ¡°What happens if it gets triggered?¡±


    ¡°It varies. I am not entirely sure. Though basics would be giant saw blades, poison darts, pit traps.¡±


    Undeterred Armadillo set off the trap walking through it as several saws emerged from the roof and floor. Their whirring spinning metal touched him before sputtering, crumpling, and shattering against his armor. These were low-level traps and posed no threat to him in the least. It was odd that one would think this sort of thing could even slow them down. Then again it was a training course likely for newly captured supers being turned into villains.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    He glanced over his shoulder, ¡°What are you waiting for, we need to get moving.¡±


    Light Fly hovered a bit behind him, pointing out the traps as Armadillo deliberately set them off. They hardly did anything to him. Lasers harmlessly bounding off his plated armor. Darts impotently crumpled as they either missed him or impacted against the walking tank¡¯s armor.


    About halfway down the corridor, Armadillo triggered a pressure plate. The whole room rumbled as something behind them crashed down. Their eyes turned to find the hallway blocked off by a large metal ball, it jarred from the impact and began to roll towards them. Medavac raised his shotgun loading in cryo rounds. He shot the floor walls and ceiling at roughly the same area causing large ice crystals to form. The ball seized to a stop before it could gain any real momentum. Stuck in the ice it was not a threat.


    ¡°Quick thinking,¡± Hydronic bubbled happily.


    ¡°The ice won¡¯t last for-¡± Medavac started before something substantial crashed down beyond where the ball was.


    The whole corridor shook from the impact. The heavy, steady rhythms of footsteps echoed, and a sense of unease gripped them. Best case scenario, Retro had beaten Vesper and broken her way in. Worst case Vesper had come in after them. Collectively they took cautious steps back edging away from where they had come from. The giant boulder of metal shifted, turning as it ground against the ice. With a shattering crack, it lurched forward. The slow roll jolted as something smashed into it again propelling it forward.


    The boulder avalanched forward cascading towards them, bouncing off of the roof and floor as it rolled downhill towards them. Every couple of rotations a distinct mark could be seen marring the surface of the orb. A deep imprint that Armadillo knew all too well. It was Vespidian¡¯s footprint the very same mark that had carved his suit. Two talons forward and one back.


    Everyone knew what this meant. They needed to move fast. Hydronic surged out of its suit spilling onto the floor in a wave that carried all of them down the corridor like a slip-and-slide. All sorts of traps triggered rapidly as they slid. Saws missing their mark, acid scalding the liquid being as it writhed around them to protect them. Fire gushing out of holes in the wall. Pit falls gaping to swallow them whole only for Hydronic to crest over them a living wave. All the while the rolling, grating noise of the ball was closing in, and behind it the stomping of the monstrous wasp woman echoed through the deep, a hammer on their hearts.


    They spilled onto the flat floor finding, no exit. No door to speak of. Light Fly shot up slamming into the vent above them. She reached back down to help Medavac up. He grasped her hand and nearly pulled her back down from how weak and light she was. Armadillo grabbed his legs, boosting him up into the enclosed shaft.


    Hydronic shifted forming a set of stairs for Armadillo to ascend. The heavy metal man rushed up the steps forcing himself into that tight enclosed space. The crashing of the metal ball vibrated the vent as it slammed into the flat of the floor. It bounced thundering into place below them crushing, destroying the metal walls as it bulldozed through Hydronic squishing the slimy entity.


    The green viscous liquid splattered all over dripping down the walls and oozing out from under and around the metal boulder. Hydronic was attempting to reform. The heavy, metal denting steps arrived. The wasp woman kicked the ball forcing it to slam through the wall below, rolling it a bit more, she stopped observing the liquids. There was no red to be seen, just that drooling green slime. There was a long pause as she seemed to be thinking something over.


    Slowly, her tentacles wriggled their way into the vent, feeling about. They stayed still not making a noise. After a long moment, the tendrils retracted, and Light Fly let out a quiet sigh of relief. Suddenly Vesper¡¯s head smashed up into the vent her predatory eyes glinting. Her white bone-like face alone was too big for the vent as it spilled over beyond the enclosed square corridor. Light Fly quickly clambered away followed by Medavac and Armadillo heading up the back. Her tentacles invaded the vent, grasping coiling and attempting to drag Armadillo back to her gaped mouth, her mandibles clacking as they bit through the metal. She was chewing her way towards them through the dammed vent.


    His foot grazed her lips as she bit down, narrowly missing. Her many eyes shifted down, something below was gaining her attention. A look of uncertainty covered her face. She squinted at Armadillo her eyes moving back and forth between him and down to what was occurring outside of the vent.


    Her mouth opened with a complaint that devolved into a gasping... moan? Her face twisted between enjoying it and being angry. ¡°What do you think- OOoooh. What even are you? Get your tongue outa my- Oouuuhh oooh. Nobody has ever crawled up my ass before. Take me to dinner first. You naughty whatever you are.¡±


    Light Fly didn¡¯t bother waiting to see what that was about as she thumped and scuttled through the vent getting as much distance as quickly as possible. Armadillo slammed his foot into Vesper¡¯s face causing her to reel back releasing him. The vent flexed and banged as they clambered away from her. The Vespidian¡¯s face twisted in pain as she threw up a green slimy fluid that gushed out of her mouth and surged away from her. Hydronic bubbled and slid through the vent propelling them away from the wasp as she watched them for a long moment, her head descending out of view. They were unsure of what was more concerning, being confronted by her or not knowing where she was.


    ¡°What was that about, Hydronic?¡± asked Medavac.


    ¡°What?¡± replied the gurgling liquid person.


    ¡°That was a rather unorthodox move I would say.¡±


    ¡°Well when you are a liquid you can squeeze through just about anything.¡±


    ¡°So you went through her to escape?¡± Armadillo asked.


    Hydronic bubbled a bit, ¡°Oh I was trying to kill her. Unfortunately she is either immune to acid or has a high tolerance to it, that coupled with her regeneration means I can¡¯t do shit to her. I was trying to melt her but she almost digested me. I might be able to smother her or drown her, but I don¡¯t know she will probably try to eat me if I tried.¡±


    Medavac did a double take, ¡°You are basically made of acid when you want to be.¡±


    Hydronic was a bit defensive, ¡°Yeah, sure but what ever is going on in her stomach is terrifying. She can digest metal in seconds. I lost a quarter of my mass inside of her and I was barely in her.¡±


    Light Fly seemed a bit concerned, ¡°Do you do that often?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You know, going into people.¡±


    ¡°Not often, it a bit of a last resort thing. Since it is gross being inside of some meat bag.¡±


    The others nodded. Medavac didn¡¯t want to think about the implications of that. There was a question that lingered but it was definitely better not to know if Hydronic tasted things that it melted down.


    They were safe? Medavac wouldn¡¯t put money on that bet. Knowing how strong she was that metal wall below them was little more than a deterrent. Soon enough the vent dead ended and they arrived in a large open room. Between them and the other side was a cyborg shark-infested lake-sized tank of water. To make matters worse the ceiling was on fire and the sharks all had lasers grafted onto their heads so that whatever it was that they were hunting got shot. They were further augmented by having propulsion systems attached to their fins making them exceedingly agile as they zipped and swooped through the water ravenously in search of food. Despite the fire above, oddly there was little smoke as it drafted up and out of the room which meant that the ventilation of this room was very good or else the oxygen would have all been consumed by now.


    They stood at the edge of the water. It was far too big to jump and the sharks made it less than desirable to swim across. Thoughts of what deranged impulse made Neon Nurse make cyborg sharks rise as Medavac sighed. She was always eccentric, but this was all kinds of messed up. There wasn¡¯t even any way to get across the water. No tight rope or bridge and with the ceiling on fire flying was not an option other than being about five feet above the water, well within range of the sharks.


    ¡°So how did you get across?¡± asked Medavac.


    ¡°I flew. Last time the ceiling wasn¡¯t on fire.¡± Said Light Fly staring at the glow of the flames with apprehension.


    They pondered on the predicament.


    ¡°I could be bait and lure the sharks in for us to kill.¡± Said Armadillo.


    Medavac thought on it, rubbing his chin, the grizzled stubble scratching between his fingers. ¡°That could work. Your thoughts Hydronic? You are the water specialist.¡±


    The amorphous blob of goo formed two arms and shrugged, ¡°It could work. I could turn the water to acid, but then water would be acid and that would be worse than the sharks if anybody fell in.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you absorb all that water.¡± Asked Light Fly.


    Hydronic looked it over assessingly. ¡°That is a lot of fucking water. I might be able to do it, but that is millions of gallons. That will take a while and we don¡¯t have a while.¡±


    Armadillo squinted, looking back and forth between Hydronic and the water. ¡°You can take on shapes rather well, couldn¡¯t you become a boat?¡±


    Though Hydronic had no face to speak of it was evident that this surprised it. ¡°I could actually. That could work.¡±


    It looked out over the water, thinking it over. Behind them a loud, scraping, thudding noise rose. The scream of metal dying and bending. A smashing blow reverberated making the water ripple and the sharks jump in agitation as flames drizzled down fizzling on the surface. That sounded closer than any of them liked. The ripping, and tearing of metal resounded as the wall behind them dented out. Claws punctured the metal, gripping it so that they could rip it wide open.


    Hydronic dove into the water bubbling back up to the surface as it formed a rowboat shape. Not needing any more encouragement all of them jumped into the see-through boat making it lurch. Below them Hydronic began to tread water, sucking it in and pushing out creating a jet propulsion system.


    As they sped away the wall burst open, the metal ball soaring overhead and slamming into the flame apparatus above them. Flames gushed out spraying in every direction as the severed hoses snaked and spasmed wildly. A shark that lept from the water was incinerated leaving only the metal half plummeting back down, still operating without the organic half. The Vespidian shoulder slammed into view, her momentum carrying to the upraised tank. She tackled through it breaking the clear glass. The water began to surge out pulling them back in her direction as her head sunk under the water. The sharks circled, lasers scalding and zapping haphazardly as they breached the surface attacking Hydronic.


    Their metal teeth gnashing at its sides taking mouthfuls of the slime being. Hydronic concentrated for a moment the water around them bubbled, turning a sickly green as several of the sharks jumped from its surface melting as they splashed back down sinking below. The surrounding water converted into a virulent acid.


    Behind them, a pair of antennae had surfaced much like a shark fin as the large shadow swam towards them in scooping motions. The Vespidian followed in their wake. Her wings pushed her forward, the acid little more than a sting to that monster¡¯s anatomy. It didn¡¯t slow her down. It wasn¡¯t working.


    ¡°Anybody have any bright ideas, I am all ears.¡± Said Armadillo.


    Medavac searched through his storage belt. Inferno grenades, Cryo grenades, Electro grenades, and the corresponding ammo for his shotgun.


    ¡°Hydronic, how insulated are you?¡±


    ¡°Not entirely sure.¡±


    ¡°Guess we gonna find out.¡± Replied Medavac as he hurled an electro grenade just a little past where Vesper was.


    It popped with a sizzling arcing of electricity. The water vibrated as the jolts of power surged through the liquid, dissipating after a moment. Bubbles rose as some of the sharks floated to the surface, fried. Odd that they were buoyant considering how much metal was on them. Each of them glowed and detonated the surrounding water evaporating and leaving pockets of air that were quickly filled in. Whirlpools formed making the formerly calm surface a hellscape between the flaming hoses spraying fire from above and the turbulent waters vortex all around.


    With all the chaos, the Vespidian¡¯s shadow had vanished. Behind them, the water erupted as she emerged. Wings spread, flapping as she rose into the flames above, ignoring them as she ignited. A wasp monster was problem enough, but now it was a flaming wasp monster that was swooping straight for them.


    Light Fly shot out a massive beam of light blinding Vesper. The hulking wasp missed her mark, dive-bombing the water beside them. The liquid surged as though a depth charge had gone off. Hydronic rode the wave, propelling them away from the increasingly angry wasp.

 Battle of Bronson City Chapter 15 Interlude: Wriggling

    The Vespidian


    Arc 13: Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 15


    Interlude: Wriggling


    Light Fly grits her teeth, the blinding light scalding Vesper¡¯s eyes, the bone of her face melting from the heat. The giant, monstrous wasp flopped into the water like a whale that breached the surface. Behind them, the water had misted, a low-hanging toxic fog of chlorine gas. The saltwater bubbled as it began to glow blue, heating beyond the boiling point. The shock surged through the waters a pulse of blue light that fried the cyborg sharks. Above the fires swept and swirled forming twisters. The fire tornadoes drew in the caustic fumes from the electrified acid and vented them out of the room. Hydronic rode the wave from Vesper''s impact, surfing them away from that hellscape.


    Surely that would at least be a setback for the wasp and give them some breathing room. Light Fly peered over the side, her reflection in the water.  Her hair had been cut into a clean blond bob-cut mirroring Neon Nurse. Even the clothes that she wore were the same as that twisted cyborg. She shivered at the thought. The image in the water shifted, distorted ever so slightly as white appeared. A looming shadow surrounded that white. The three black with red iris eyes gazing back at her. It was the Vespidian. She had already regenerated the damage dealt.


    Her insides reeled, and part of her screamed not to harm her Queen. She must serve. She must obey. She bit her lip to the point that it bled, suppressing that alien desire that had taken root in her. She raised her metal hands to fire off another beam when the face sank back out of view. The cold sweat-inducing realization crawled down her back like a spider weaving its web, the wasp was playing with her food. Her mouth opened then closed, unable to speak. She clenched her teeth at the hopelessness of it. Even now she was terrified. Not of the wasp, no, of Xava. Neon Nurse was the true evil amongst that pair. She could feel the tingle, the electric pulse in the back of her mind, those eyes that never blink looking down upon her with the cold calculations of a machine. Nothing more than a statistic.


    Xava¡¯s thoughts when they invaded, were unsettling, and inhuman. The cold, mechanical precision that accompanied them was horrifying and efficient. It gave her pause for a moment, even now the ever so small lump on the back of her neck, under this nurse uniform- she shivered in revulsion. Her thoughts straightened out again, the device attached to her that wrested dominion from her. So long as that thing was embedded in her then any semblance of control that she had, fragile, false¡­ that diabolical psycho nurse could and would take over whenever she wanted.


    Light Fly, lamented. Even now, despite her friends and colleagues having risked their lives to come and save her, she felt helpless. She didn¡¯t know how or why, but she knew, oh Light Fly knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that all of this was going according to whatever evil scheme that sinister cyborg had designed. Was that thing even a cyborg? With how cold and unsettling the thoughts and emotions, if they could be called that, were. It made her question. She didn¡¯t feel human, perhaps, Xava was actually a machine, playing at being human. That made a lot of sense, a lot more than it should. That explained the obsession with feeling, senses, touch, smell, and taste.


    A cold shiver went down her spine. Those eyes, staring through her eyes, ears listening to all that she heard. At this point, Light Fly wasn¡¯t sure if her thoughts themselves were even safe from Xava. It was always watching, always listening.


    While Light Fly had every reason to despise both of them, there was an odd warmth when it came to Vesper. The stark opposite of Xava¡¯s cold unfeeling demeanor. Maybe the polar opposites made each side stick out all the more. It was perplexing, to say the least. By all accounts, the wasp should be number two on her most hated list, yet she wasn¡¯t. It had defiled her, abused her, eaten her fucking arms off, and yet¡­ an errant and discomforting thought wriggled its way through the hate, it had loved her. Cared for her. Even, protected her from Xava be it inadvertently.


    Memories surfaced of the things she had been forced to do. The things she had felt. Her belly was warm, a slight tingling, a fluttering like feathers kneading her insides. It still remembered, the stretching the filling¡­ the eggs. Her body heavy, distorted, stuffed, and misshapen. She reeled at the thought, leaning over the side of Hydronic¡¯s form, throwing up.


    She felt lightheaded wiping her mouth. Idly she mused which was worse, being a brood mother or a meat puppet. Then again they had forced her to be both at the same time. Of the two being a flesh suit was definitely worse. No semblance of control, every action performed against her will, like strings manipulating a marionette. At least with the wasp, she didn¡¯t have to fear about losing control of her body forever. Well¡­ at least, not directly in that way.


    She thought of Vesper, bizarrely finding herself fond of their encounters. Sure she was rough and demanding, but she was soft¡­ an odd thought for a giant exoskeleton-clad monster. Light Fly brushed that thought away. It was one of those crazed thoughts that had begun appearing as of late. Thinking on it, those had started to appear after Vesper had¡­ bred her the first time. Her thoughts meandered attempting to rationalize the proper term for it.


    Corruption. Close, that word was in a general sense correct. Being exposed to Vesper had altered things, her body heating at just the thought of the wasp. Vaguely it reminded her of her stupid youth and drug abuse. The wasp was very alien in her anatomy, there is no telling what sort of effect her secretions- images of that swollen egglayer, the taste, the texture polluting her thoughts.


    She shook her head clearing those thoughts. A twisted idea lingered in the back of her mind, she might be addicted to that thing. Come to think of it, when was the last time she had gotten to taste it, to drink it? Was it yesterday, or the day before? It was hard to tell down here. Those thoughts had settled it, a deep sense of shame and disgust filled her.  She nestled in, arms hugging her knees as he rocked back and forth traumatized.


    Even now she felt, attached. Between Vesper or Neon Nurse, well that was an easy answer. It would be Vesper every day. At first, the giant wasp was scary, but it had a very loving side. She recalled the time spent laying in her lap after being used. Pet and stroked, treated like some sort of cat or some other small animal. It was freakishly calming, soothing, to just lay there not a thought in the world, that large hand that could crush her, gently brushing her, treating her like she was made of glass and would shatter at the merest touch.


    She shook her head and buried it in her lap, her face red with either embarrassment or need, she didn¡¯t know and was distrought that it even crossed her mind.


    ¡°You ok, Light Fly?¡± asked Armadillo. His robust and sturdy form loomed over her.


    Light Fly was exceedingly happy to see him, to not feel so isolated as she had while lost in her thoughts. Why the hell was she thinking like that? She needed to help everyone escape. They needed to get the hell out of here and warn everyone of what that thing was capable of.


    Light Fly opened her mouth, to speak, to inform them of what she had learned here, the inhuman horror that was the Vespidian. But no words came out. She sputtered, choking for a moment, her mouth opening and closing stupidly like a fish out of water. She scowled, her mouth shutting. Xava¡¯s doing.


    The evil bitch had done something to her. Every time she tried to talk, to warn everyone her body would freeze up. Considering that she could speak just fine when not talking about Vesper then, it brought up the suspicions that, Xava really was reading her mind or something similar.


    As though... no, likely reading her mind. Light Fly felt that all too familiar and horror-inducing sensation of losing control of her body. She spoke but they were not her words.


    ¡°Last time I went through this room, there was an elevator at the far end. We should be, safe, well safer if we can reach it. The Vespidian will not be able to fit inside so it will need another route to continue attacking us.¡±


    Light Fly reeled internally, the words were not wrong, that had been the case just the day before. Still, it didn¡¯t make sense that Xava would be actively aiding them, directing them on how to escape. What the hell was her angle? Perhaps she had not given up on that insane deal she had offered earlier. Despite all that she had offered, giving up the Citadel was unacceptable, surely she knew that. Hubris would never give up his base of operations.


    Even if they wanted to, giving up the Citadel would disrupt just about all Hero League operations worldwide since it was a hub that most things filtered through. Not to mention the security risks. If it fell into Xava¡¯s hands then there was no telling what terrible things she could commit. A thought of danger graver by the moment appeared, that crazy bitch might be able to hack into the Hammer Satellites or even the Nuclear arsenals across the globe. That was certainly a doomsday scenario.


    ¡°That is a good point, but something tells me things are not going to go so smoothly.¡± Medavac replied looking ahead of them, where they were speeding towards.


    Land, or rather solid ground was not that far away now the edge of the tank revealed a little more than usual due to the lowering water level. Something stirred in the turbulent waters ahead of them. A dead cyborg shark floated, bobbing to the surface. Just about everyone let out a sigh of relief, until the black and blue fingers, moved ever so slightly, gripping the shark. That deep dark shadow shifted as the Vespidian rose out of the water, between them and where they needed to get to. She had, cut them. From her wide intimidating stance, it was clear that she intended to not let anyone get beyond her.


    ¡°Light Fly, I am hurt you would try to wound me, after all the¡­ attention I gave you.¡± Said Vesper, her voice dark and playful, just the sound of it made Light Fly¡¯s body convulse, wriggling like a worm.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    She made herself as small as possible retreating to the back, out of sight. Thoughts of what depraved things the wasp might do to her flooded her brain. Lewd images of what had already transpired. Whatever Vesper had planned to do with her, it was not in her best interest to stick around and find out. Despite this, there were conflicting emotions, the spectrum bungee jumping between abject terror and a twisted desire to surrender again. It was enough to make her scream, overpowering Xava¡¯s control temporarily.


    ¡°Stop her. We have to stop her! Otherwise she will fill others with eggs like she did me!¡± Light Fly cried out, her hands raised already firing a beam at Vesper.


    The wasp chuckled, blocking the beam with her upper right hand, the laser glancing off the hardened carapace with splintered refractions. Her wings flapped, sending a violent wave that nearly capsized Hydronic.


    Her twisted, alien visage smiled coldly, ¡°You say that, yet you were the one begging for more. Pleading, crying, your body writhing in elation. If I had known you would be this ungrateful of the gift of my brood then, I wouldn¡¯t have talked Xava out of disposing of you or using you for the more dangerous experiments.¡±


    Light Fly looked to the others, Armadillo seemed aghast. Medavac, seemed as though he had been expecting to hear that she had been bred. Hydronic, well it would be hard to tell what an amorphous blob was thinking.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where they keep the eggs but we have to find them and destroy them.¡± Said Light Fly.


    Vesper¡¯s demeanor darkened the moment she heard that. A look of pure unbridled hatred, anger, and blood lust that distorted that already dreadful face. Light Fly regretted her words instantly. Why did she say something so stupid so loudly? Likely it was from being so desperate to speak her mind without interference that she didn¡¯t think it through.


    ¡°Vesper we are not going to destroy your eggs. That is fucked up. And I know fucked up, I have done that shit, far too many times. It is why I left Chimera, retired from the military. Vesper you have to believe me.¡± Shouted Medavac attempting to disarm the Wasp that was about to go nuclear on them.


    Her head twisted inhumanly jerking, to the side, a movement that would have ripped a human¡¯s head off. Her breathing was heavy, enough so that her chest carapace was moving up and down cracking down the middle as it broke. Her eyes were wide open, yet there was only black to be seen. That abyss of anger, a bubbling rage that was starting to foam out as tears.


    ¡°YOU will not touch my babies!¡± The crazed wasp bellowed her hands slamming down into the water.


    It erupted away from her forming a large wave that crested, rolling towards them. Medavac hurled a cryo grenade that sunk into the middle section, after a moment it detonated causing ice to spread rapidly, arresting the encroaching water, and dragging it down to a standstill. The rest of the wave went past them on either side.


    The thudding, trudging of her heavy steps rose just beyond the ice. It impacted lurching forward, towards them. It jerked, rising out of the water as Vesper hefted it over her head, her carapace arms bristling with muscles that undulated below the armored plating making them form odd waves of insect flesh.


    The lights flickered above causing her to flinch, she paused mid-throw, her claws digging deep into the ice as she released the small iceberg. It crashed just to their side. She shifted her head back and forth, the antenna darting, chasing something. She had been hearing it before they had, there was an alarm blaring. For the first time, all of them saw a look of fear cross her monstrous visage.


    Vesper¡¯s wings spread flapping violently as she bolted off ignoring them. She slammed through a wall and began ascending, scuttling on all of her limbs. The metal of the wall dented out as she forced her way through it, the impacts leaving a trail of frenzied destruction.


    They had been confused, and stunned by the abrupt change in behavior. Then they heard the message that accompanied that loud, obnoxious warning siren. ¡°WARNING! WARNING! COOLANT SYSTEMS OFF LINE. CORE MELT DOWN IMMINENT! ALL PERSONAL EVACUATE.¡±


    That was certainly not something they had done. And by how surprised Vesper had been, to the point that it had snapped her out of a blood frenzy, that was clearly not a part of Xava¡¯s schemes. Or at the very least she had not informed Vesper of it. Whichever was the case that didn¡¯t change their current predicament. Now getting out of here was all that mattered.


    Unimpeded, Hydronic surged forward, propelling out of the salty tank. It slit across the floor colliding with the wall. Beside them the elevator opened, someone had called it.


    Light Fly felt that shock to her system as her lips moved on their own. ¡°I believe I overheard Neon Nurse bragging about some kind of experimental reactor for the facility. We need to get out of here before it blows up. This elevator should get us to the access station, which has another elevator out of the installation.¡±


    She didn¡¯t know if that was true or not. The crazy nurse had never mentioned anything like that, not that she could recall. Light Fly questioned if she should dispute this. Then thoughts that she was valuable to Xava and as such surely the nurse wouldn¡¯t deliberately get her killed. She did enjoy using her body so surely that meant that she did not desire Light Fly¡¯s death. This though was only a hopeful guess. But what choice did they have? Her own lips had said it and everyone else was already trusting it. It wasn¡¯t as though she could refute it without a lot of effort and likely time they did not have.


    She could only trust that she was valuable enough for Xava to ensure her safe escape, rather than this being a trap that would ensure their deaths.


    ¡°Armadillo, can you hear me?¡± asked a voice through the elevator as it rose.


    Everyone turned to the screen that flickered. The brimmed hat, tilted up revealed the older grizzled detective, in an unassuming trench coat.


    ¡°Lock Out! Oh that is a relief. I wasn¡¯t sure how things were going on your side.¡± Replied Armadillo.


    ¡°Yeah I was watching everything on the security feeds. Encore is just about finished with escorting everyone from the prison out of the base.¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°In the security department, I got access to most of the facility. I set off that alarm to clear out the Kraken agents.¡±


    ¡°Wait so it is fake?¡± asked Light Fly.


    He shook his head, ¡°No it is melting down, but for some reason there was no alarm. If I had not noticed it then our goose would have been cooked. If this shit is right, then we have less than three minutes before the core is breached and detonates the installation.¡±


    ¡°How big is the explosion going to be?¡± asked Medavac.


    Lock Out shrugged in exasperation, ¡°You got me, it has a weird name.¡±


    ¡°What is it called?¡±


    ¡°Quantum Flux Relay, then it has quotations next to it, Uber Death Bomb of Doom. I don¡¯t know who the fuck named this thing, but they are a weirdo cringe lord. I can feel the angsts just dripping from it.¡±


    Medavac sighed, ¡°It is Dr. Tesla. Oh god. That means this thing has pocket dimension tech.¡±


    Armadillo asked, ¡°Is that bad? I am unfamiliar with Dr. Tesla.¡±


    Medavac replied crossing his arms, ¡°Worst case scenario, that thing is going open up a miniature black hole for about two seconds and obliterate half the city. At this range it might even hit the Citadel.¡±


    Lock Out¡¯s face went stiff. ¡°Best case scenario?¡±


    ¡°It is a ruse and nothing happens.¡±


    ¡°Best case and it is not a ruse?¡±


    ¡°Well depending on the size of it, I have seen a few of these things pop before, if it is small enough it would only take out a city block. But considering it is the reactor powering this whole facility I would assume that it is strong enough to take out the whole lair and then some.¡±


    ¡°That sounds bad,¡± Muttered Light Fly, ¡°How much longer do we have?¡±


    ¡°According to estimates, about two minutes left.¡± Lockout replied, tilting his hat slightly, ¡°I am gonna have to start running if I want out of here. All the doors should be unlocked courtesy of me, so best of luck and I will see you guys top side.¡±


    With that, the image cut out leaving them in the dull buzz of the elevator. The music wasn¡¯t even working, overridden by the distant sounds of that alarm blaring. They looked at the elevator buttons as they lit up. They were ascending rather rapidly, already arriving at the fifth subfloor. At this rate, they would arrive at the junction in about thirty seconds. Which left a little bit less than a minute to either get to the roof and board the drop ship and take off or to hit the ground floor and run as far as possible.


    The elevator bing-bonged as it settled to a stop. The doors slid open revealing a lobby full of Kraken Super Soldiers. They turned, the masks glinting as they raised their weapons. Armadillo took the lead blocking the the storm of bullets that pelted the elevator. The heavy thuds of the munitions cried out, between calls for reloads and suppressing fire as the Kraken agents retreated to cover. Medavac and Light Fly retaliated using Armadillo to block the onslaught.


    Over the gunshots, there was another sound, a rumbling. The concrete vibrated, shaking as something massive smashed nearby. To their side, a wide vehicle bay door leading down into the depths of the installation shattered as a tank turret flung through the fight. The brief moment of surprise buckled as the Kraken agents redirected all of their fire into that entranceway. The Evening Star shoulder tackled into the lobby, using the rest of the dismantled tank as a shield. The flaming hulk of metal hurled through their ranks crushing the back line. The mech charging forward. It didn¡¯t flinch or even slow down as it kept moving.


    Retro Robo¡¯s mech stampeded on all eight limbs, two of which were mere stumps, as it rushed through the mass of soldiers. The orderly and disciplined super soldiers instantly fell into abject chaos and anarchy each of them attempting to escape into the elevators. The hands slammed down crushing and throwing the screaming bodies as it swept through like a blender. Bits, pieces, broken gear, blood, and gore splattered in every direction as the damaged machine crashed through the next wall, and then the next, barreling ahead.


    The utter shock and horror of the scene before them left Medavac and the others stunned for a moment, Light Fly turning green and about to throw up until they realized... they were being left behind. Retro Robo, didn¡¯t even acknowledge them and didn¡¯t slow down her machine as it made for the vehicle bay that they had originally come down in. They rushed to keep up tripping over the squashed and mangled bodies that had moments before been an impassible roadblock.


    The Evening Star loomed over them, a fresh coat of blood caked over every inch of it, dying the once-white paint a deep crimson and black from the burns. The stench of burned flesh steaming off of it. A light movement rose from the domed head, a little windshield wiper squeaking as it slid back and forth cleaning a section in the middle. One of the lower arms clacked the elevator controls and the lift rose. Sparks sputtered from the damaged limbs as they jitter.


    ¡°Jesus, I know it is free fire but that was brutal shit Retro.¡± Said Medavac.


    The distorted voice of the Evening Star replied, ¡°It is kill or be killed, I only did what was necessary. Speaking of we have about a minute before the base explodes as such time cannot be wasted on mercy for the lost.¡±


    As the elevator rose Armadillo crossed his arms, ¡°How did you get away from the Vespidian?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really, it damaged my machine, having thought that I was subdued she left me to be dealt with by Neon Nurse and went to pursue you. I destroyed the nurse, I think killing her set off a dead man switch to blow up the lair.¡±


    Light Fly shuddered, Neon Nurse was not dead. She knew it. There wasn¡¯t a shadow of a doubt, the tingle of the control device shocking her, making her compliant. Her mouth sealed shut unable to refute Retro Robo¡¯s assessment. Clearly, the nurse was attempting to fake her death, to what end? That remained to be seen. Yet another thing that Light Fly would have to wrestle with.


    A long, cord-like cable emerged from the Evening Star¡¯s wrist, it connected to the panel. Electricity pulsing between it and the controls. The elevator adjusted, shifting abruptly as it altered course. The movement jarred the occupants. It ascended faster, the number blipping shortly as it rapidly arrived at its destination. The doors opened, revealing the roof and not the parking garage.


    The clear night skies were a relief, the gentle shimmer of Medavac¡¯s cloaked shuttle gleaming in the fires of the surrounding city. Above the blue glow of the Spore radiating as its tentacles flexed in slow undulating motions.

 Battle of Bronson City, Chapter 16 Interlude: Escalations

    Arc 13 Battle of Bronson City


    Chapter 16


    Interlude: Escalations


    Bronson City bustled and bristled on the northern section of the Warehouse Industrial District. The battle between heroes and villains ebbing and flowing as the majority of both forces were concentrated here. The burnt out hollow shells of shipping warehouses were spaced out leaving large open swathes of jagged concrete and twisted steel where destroyed buildings once stood. Large earth warping impact points scarred the advance of the heroes, the Citadel providing a ceaseless and incremental barrage of devastating lasers.


    The Kraken forces were slowly losing ground as their emplacements were destroyed or abandoned to seek more fortified positions. The sudden and vicious assault had caught most of the rank and file by surprise. Despite the initial confusion the Kraken soldiers were hardened veterans and cool headed. They quickly rebuffed the initial attack, save the supporting fire from the ever looming Citadel. There wasn¡¯t much that they could do about the fortress of doom that slowly encroached upon them, save going even deeper into cover.


    In the midst of all this back and forth chaos something reminiscent of a duel was taking place, Boris the Soviet Love Hammer clad only in a bright red speedo, with a golden hammer and sickle emblazoned on it, his suit long since burned off and discarded. He stood his ground. The imposing man of muscle gazed down upon the scattered bodies of those that had challenged him. Lucky for the heroes, he had not killed any of them, they had simply been incapacitated. Boris was a man of honor even if he was a villain. Which was, very uncharacteristic of Kraken members.


    He flexed, the dying light of the setting sun gleaming off of his pecs as he struck a confident pose. ¡°Da, who next? I can go all night.¡±


    A wide excited smile filling his face as the next challenger approached. The newcomer a tall and imposing man himself. His face covered in a scooping grill that incited the image of a train plow. Steam billowing from the vents attached to the back of his shoulders. White and green armor plates formed his suit, the hands fitted with knuckle guards that formed spiked grills. He was a bull or rather more accurately, a freight train of a man. His fists slammed together grinding like gears as sparks billowed from them illuminating the bright green A and T logo on his chest.


    ¡°Atomic Train. Finally a worthy foe. Da, bring the heat.¡± Boris pointed at the hero declaring his intentions.


    His deep booming voice answered. ¡°You again Boris? You should stop being Molotov¡¯s lap dog. A man of your talents is wasted with the Villains. Speaking of, where is that little gremlin?¡±


    Boris shifted his head a little to the left, towards a different section of the city where a resounding impact toppled over a skyscraper, several streaking figures chased one another through the falling structure. On one side a very minuscule form appeared to be swinging something or rather someone around like a club. The weapon in question was a lithe and lanky black silhouette highlighted by yellow between the explosions that reverberated from every swing. Simply from the details it was clear who that villainous duo was, Molotov and Nitro.


    Though it was hard to see who they were attacking due to the sheer speed in which their opponent was moving, but there in lay a clue. A blue streak swept along the falling building darting along it as it zoomed in and out of focus. Molotov and Nitro floundering to keep up as the blindingly quick figure was literally running circles around them. It was the Fast, the human blurr. The Fast had recently joined the fray after putting down several Kraken uprisings on his way over. They had been little more than speed bumps for him due to not having any high ranking villains. The blue streak of a man was keeping both of the highest ranked villains tied up and distracted, if he wasn¡¯t here then those two monsters would be free to wreck havoc.


    From the looks of things it was a stalemate. They couldn¡¯t hit him but he couldn¡¯t deal meaningful damage due to Nitro absorbing ever blow that was aimed for the smaller, much more dangerous Molotov. The Fast was biding his time waiting for Molotov to slip up.


    Realizing that he was wasting time, this operation was finite in its time frame and they needed to do as much damage as possible to the villains to keep them distracted from the teems that went to scout the various lairs that had been uncovered. Atomic Train started to warm up so to speak as his suit¡¯s gears ground for a moment. The protective grill on Atomic Train¡¯s helmet shifted down, a radioactive glow spilling from the gaps as his entire suit fired up. Step after step he gained momentum, a low chugging noise rose as the vents on his back flared guttering out a thick green acrid smoke. Mid step he slid, his feet locking into position as he surged forward ramping up speed as he plowed forward.


    Boris¡¯s stance shifted as the ground around his feet cratered, his fist pulling back as it wound up a powerful punch to meet the run away train wreck coming right at him. His body shifted as his fist slammed forward, wind gusting away in a shock wave. Fist met metal as the grilled face of Atomic Train received the blow head on, the opposing forces clashed in a devastating blast that leveled the city block around them.


    Pain. Both of them reeling from the impact.


    Through the smoke and debris Boris was flung into the air as Atomic Train kept going bulldozing through three buildings before he could come to a screech halt. He skid, grinding his heavy tracked boots as he turned gearing up for another headlong charge. Though he had won the clash his helmet was dented in from impact, impairing his vision as half of his face was smashed in.


    Chuga. Chuga. Chuga.


    The rhythmic sound of his heavy steps grew faster as he started to gain speed once more. The green steam billowed out as he locked in once more his feet seizing in place yet he kept ramping up speed it was almost as though he was on an invisible set of rails that accelerated him.


    Boris stunned for a brief moment, twisted in the air, repositioning as he observed the rapidly encroaching man of steel and steam. Knowing that a head on against a train wouldn¡¯t work, last time had proved that, he punched down creating an updraft that altered where and when he would land. He shifted lining up with his opponent his elbow out going for the downtown slam. Out maneuvering the one tracked man, Boris slammed down, narrowly missing as Atomic Train suddenly picked up even more speed dodging the blow.


    The pavement exploded from the impact of Boris and several more buildings toppled over as Atomic train shifted gears, this time not stopping, he turned in a wide never ceasing charge that kept all of his momentum. This wasn¡¯t good, Boris needed a firm and decisive strike to put the brakes on his foe. But the movement and sturdiness was hard to deal with. The green smoke guzzling out of his living engine ramped up even harder. Behind him a thick toxic cloud blanketed the ruined streets. Heroes and Villains alike fleeing from the acidic mist. Those that didn¡¯t vanished, their shape melting with horrific screams.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Some of the mist scaled and seared his biceps as Boris rolled away, he quickly got to his feet ready to face down the charge, yet it didn¡¯t come. Atomic train was making a wide circle around him. Perplexed Boris watched. The thick cloud obscuring behind in his wake was forming a wall. It took a brief moment before it clicked what the Hero was up to. Boris leapt back towards the villain¡¯s lines as he and Atomic Train were racing to head one another off. He rushed forward, kicking hard to gain extra distance. The train was closing in and the encirclement would be complete if he beat Boris there.


    Boris¡¯s eyes never left the oncoming Atomic Train as his green glowing armor grew brighter and hotter, the air scalding as the colors changed. Green on the armor shifted into a deep crimson. A loud shrieking whistle, the type of sound that a kettle makes when boiling over was mixed with the rapid chugging. Steam and smoke billowing out of every crevice rather than just the vents on his back.


    The distance shrunk rapidly Boris a mere running leap from breaking free but Atomic Train was already here, already nearly completing the encirclement. The green wall of caustic smoke closing in, mere seconds from arriving. He jumped twisting back as he threw a massive punch propelling himself farther. He rolled hitting the ground having narrowly escaped. The wall of death snapping shut as Boris jump back away from it avoiding the billowing mist that cascaded down wafting over the surrounding pavement. A sizzling noise rising as the concrete corroded and melted from being exposed to the vapors. The red glow and chugging of Atomic Train faded into the mist.


    ***


    Atop a tilted tower, a picnic of sorts of was set up. Blue and white striped beach chairs and umbrellas were arrayed around an inflatable table that wobbled with every impact from the surrounding city. The evil of all evil lounged, observing the fighting below. Only half paying attention to the desperate life and death struggles of the worms below. The lace gloved hands feeding a carrot to the duo of bunnies in its lap. One rabbit pitch black with glowing red eyes, the other pure white with blue eyes. Unlike normal rabbits these had a single wing matching their color, the black rabbit with the left wing and the white rabbit with the right.


    The critters seemed rather content, being pet passively as they were fed. Though behind those eyes an intelligence could clearly be seen, these were not mindless animals. Above nestled on the shoulder of the Sanguine Puppeteer sat the perpetually scowling sphynx cat, Miss Wiggles.


    The deranged vaguely heart shaped mask shifted as the Puppeteer took a large, loud slurp of a sickly sweet drink overly saturated in honey to the point that it did not dissolve leaving large globs. The straw clogging briefly on one such orb, draining the glass dry. Lazily the sound of a bell jingled causing several masked maids and butlers to step forward, they whimsically moved. All of their action exhilarated and drawn out as they served, bringing out fancy horderves, in this case little snacks from cheese and crackers to decadent chocolate covered cherries, one even carrying a bowl of grapes to feed their Master. A maid refilled the glass, unperturbed by the explosions nearby and the distant screams below.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± sighed the Puppeteer, gazing down amused over the current affairs. ¡°The puppets are so lively today.¡±


    As though to punctuate this statement the building directly across from them toppled as a blur of blue swirled around it, Molotov in hot pursuit, swinging Nitro around as a child does with its favorite toy. The Fast dodged left then right, easily outmaneuvering the much slower villain. He even paused briefly through the disorientating vibration of air around him, he and Puppeteer made eye contact. The unnerving smile perpetually spread across the mask jeering back as the Puppeteer wiggled its fingers at him as one does to a feisty cat to tease it.


    He visibly slowed, panic, terror, as he shifted ducking under a diagonal swing from Molotov. For him it was all moving in slow motion, ease to step and weave and dodge. But the puppeteer was moving in real time for him. The fingers moving in an almost hypnotic motion, fluid, ever changing. Something about it was almost mesmerizing. The aura of power surrounding it making every cell in his body jolt away, trying to flee that monstrosity.


    ¡°Visual confirmation on the Sanguine Puppeteer. It is as we feared, it is awake. Molotov and Nitro are on my position, Citadel, concentrate all fire on my location.¡± The Fast spoke so quickly that without a translator that slowed it from a tenth of a second and extended it to recognizable language it would impossible to understand.


    It took a few moments to be relayed as distantly the Citadel shifted. With the villains occupied they didn¡¯t even notice the rows of laser cannons locking on. The energy levels spiking as the glisten and glow of the fully charged weapons twinkled moments before release. As the cannons reached full charge firing, a sudden disturbance, disrupted the aim, as though planned down to the second. A violent explosion. The shock wave reverberating out. The Citadel shook from the vibrations and debris colliding with its shield, its aim altering from the impact.


    The scalding lasers missed, cutting swathes through the city, tearing through the uptown section of the city as the pristine skyscrapers toppled and the mountains beyond melted forming a circular scar through them. The sky peeking through in the dying light of the evening as night descended fully.


    All eyes in the city shifted to the explosion. The cloud billowing up as the streets were consumed with chocking ash and debris. It swept along like a wave of dark waters drowning all that was in its wake. The Heroes and Villains both in disarray over these events, retreated.


    Molotov scowled waving Nitro menacingly as the Fast zipped away in the confusion, vanishing into the darkness of the city. Across from them, the Puppeteer applauded completed unscathed and unfazed by the brush with vaporization, clapping its hands with glee over the sheer wanton destruction. Molotov on the other hand, wiping a cold sweat from her face as the realization of how close that blast was. That attack certainly was strong enough to kill her even if Nitro had been used as a human shield. I was debatable if Nitro would have been able come out of that in piece. They looked back and forth between the devastated north west section of the city and down to the crater that was the Down Town section of the city. In one foul swoop, the city which had been clinging to civility was laid low.


    The twisted mask of the Puppeteer gazed out over its play ground. Oh what grand and intoxicating tales shall it weave? What harrowing and exciting drama yet to unfold? Oh the possibilities. But what theme, what genre shall the play be? Tragedy, adversity, romance! Villainy, or heroism. The underdog clawing its way up from the wretched masses to strike at god and make it bleed¡­ or would god simply crush the ants and worms as the pathetic creatures they are. It was hard to choose, should it choose? Would the show be better undirected or did it need a guiding hand? The Puppeteer wrestled with these thoughts, its wants and needs foreign, inhuman. A madness forgotten for centuries beginning to resurface. The Mad God, stirring from its slumber.


    Distantly, down below the opposing forces reeled away from one another. The clash leaving both bloodied and beaten like the worthless dogs that they are. Heroes and Villains fleeing to their respective bases. The glee and excitement fading as the Puppeteer¡¯s mask stopped smiling. The puppets were cowering, hiding, this fun ended prematurely, the excitement and sensation rotting, decaying into a cold disinterest as the Puppeteer gazed down upon them like ants. Their strings needed to be¡­ pulled. The stakes needed to be raised.


    A depraved smile spread across the mask, somehow it was even more unhinged than usual. Perhaps it was time to be more¡­. Hands on.


    The Puppeteer shifted a single finger, pulling a string, the effects unknown, somewhere someone¡¯s reality had just been altered, unseen but certainly something catastrophic had just shifted. Something horrible had just occurred yet none were the wiser, at least, not yet, not till it was far too late to stop. This stone cast into the lake was about to make tidal waves.