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The Wrecking Belles

Discussion in 'FanFic' started by Danger Rose, Nov 24, 2017.

  1. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    Wrecking Belles: Concilium Capers
    001: Recruitment

    Apple Pie’s office looked more like a palace’s garden than an office. A central pond with a fountain simulating a creek dominated the entrance. Beautiful Japanese Koi fish were the local residents. Potted ornamental plants adorned the sides and a stone bridge allowed to cross to the office’s main area. The level of ostentation was beyond the USAriadnan wildest dreams, but the office, as well as her Penthouse apartment were furnished to her ex-husband’s preferences, and Haqqislamite Sheiks loved to live in luxury.

    The office proper had an antechamber with a huge round marble coffee table and lots of incredibly comfortable cushions for guests to sit. Apple Pie favored the antechamber over her desk area, because it allowed her to work side by side with the rest of the Wrecking Belles. For the last week the four women had been going over Stargem Shipping’s Security Personnel. The plan was to assemble a Corporate Security Task Force comprised of a small group of reliable units, without compromising the company’s safety.

    When Apple Pie’s Geist, Laiqa, had told them that Stargem Shipping was nowhere near as big as the top ten shipping companies, they had thought it was a really small company. As it turned out, the company had a small fleet of freighters, escort ships and a very large Security Detail that could rival Mercenary Companies or the army of a small country. So, even though Laiqa had reduced the number of candidates to a few hundred, it still took them a week to finally find what they were looking for.

    “This says Dumar all over the place.” said Apple Pie referring to her ex-husband. “Ex-Military, Paramilitaries, former gang members, even former Ikari Company thugs!”

    “Well, they all work for you now.” replied Obliterette equally horrified of the firepower at their disposal.

    “No wonder Saladin was so interested in recruiting you.” said Battle Charmer happily.

    Doc Starlight gasped so loudly, the other three Odalisques jumped on their seats. “We have Maghies!”

    The Maghariba Guards were Haqqislam’s Tactical Armored Gear, big, but aesthetically pleasing, and powerful. With the release of the XPR-5 Scorpion model, lots of the XPR-1 Beetle found their way into Mercenary and Civilian markets.

    “What the hell do we need Maghariba Guards for?” asked Apple Pie in astonishment. “Is this a Shipping Company or a Supervillain’s private army?”

    “Even in the best of times, Qapu Khalqi can’t be everywhere.” Replied Battle Charmer in her dulcet tone. “Space Pirates, Crime Syndicates, Hostile Competitors, the Human Sphere is in Code Infinity for a reason.”

    “I’m ready.” said Obliterette uploading three pictures in a holoprojection hovering over the coffee table.

    “This is Ri Yun-Ji” she said maximizing the picture of a young Asian woman with half her hair dyed purple and the other half dyed green. “Codename Countess Calamity- “

    “Countess Calamity?”

    “Yes, Apple Pie” replied Obliterette emphasizing her friend’s equally ridiculous codename.

    “Korean Hacker, very good in Cyber-Security. She works with a trio of former Terra-Cotta Soldiers who served with her in Paradiso. Cui Cihui, Mao Wanran and Hao Huimin. They are very disciplined and highly recommended. Their biggest advantage is that they are posted in Concilium, so we won’t have to relocate them.”

    “Any recommendations to sweeten the deal for them?”

    “Definitely get them Zúyông armors. With their training it would be a crime not to make the effort.”

    “Will do.” replied Apple Pie taking notes the old-fashioned way. “Anything else?”

    “If you could get them a Rui Shi…”

    Obliterette didn’t need to say anything else. The Wrecking Belles have had their share of deadly encounters with those mechanical monstrosities and Apple Pie was well aware of their capabilities.

    “I suppose I’m next?” chirped Battle Charmer while loading her set of pictures on the holoprojector.

    “Captain Zanetta Angelo, from Neoterra.” she said expanding the picture of another young-looking woman, this one, a redhead that could pass for an Odalisque in her sleep. “She’s a former Swimsuit Model and commands a fireteam of Brawlers.”

    “Why is her Modeling background important?” asked Apple Pie honestly curious and without a hint of malice.

    “She’s very popular and has an extremely active Social Life.” replied Battle Charmer opening Zanetta’s Instafeed Page full of provocative Selfies and Sensory Feeds. “This could be a liability, especially in assignments where discretion is advice.”

    “For crying out loud Aurora! That’s every single mission we’re going to recruit her for!” retorted Doc Starlight dumbfounded. “Why such a hot mess? No pun intended.”

    “Because, A: We’re not exactly the most discreet bunch anyway.” replied Battle Charmer melodiously. “Or have you forgotten that people call us the Wrecking Belles?”

    “Touché.” sand Doc Starlight mock-pouting. “And B?”

    “She’s an extremely efficient Operative and an excellent team player. Her record is so good, we can take the risk.”

    “I trust your judgement.” said Apple Pie. “I’ll request her transfer first thing tomorrow.”

    Battle Charmer smiled and nodded at her boss. “The two other candidates are not on our payroll, but they have worked with the company before and their track records are amazing.” she said bringing the pictures of a severe looking middle-aged man and a much younger, and rather handsome one.

    “Who’s the hunk?” inquired Apple Pie perking up in her cushion. Obliterette and Doc Starlight both looked equally interested and the three exchanged an ‘I saw him first’ look.

    “Professor Conan O’Cannon,” said Battle Charmer enhancing the middle-aged man’s picture. “Is an Archeologyst who found his true calling as an Authorized Bounty Hunter.”

    “You did that on purpose.” Interrupted Doc Starlight pointing an accusatory finger.

    “His knowledge of Submundo is vast, especially in the smuggling business.” continued Battle Charmer clearly ignoring her friend. “This is an asset we can’t pass on.”

    “What’s the catch?” inquired Apple Pie noticing the slight change in Battle Charmer’s tone.

    “We need to get him out of jail in Novvi Bangkok. Some trouble about a diamond and some ashes.” finished Battle Charmer with a shrug.

    “I’ll call ‘The Weasel’ tomorrow.” sighed Apple Pie. Carlos De Anderxia, also known as The Weasel, was a very resourceful Nomad Lawyer who could work miracles if you had the money to pay his exorbitant fees.

    “Armand Arsenaud,” began Battle Charmer once again, this time enlarging the picture of the tall, muscular, Auburn-haired man in his early twenties. “He was an amazing Troubleshooter. His record working for the company was impeccable. Unfortunately, he was laid off because he withheld vital information in his work application.”

    “What sort of vital information?” inquired Obliterette with a raised eyebrow.

    “He’s Merovingian.” replied Battle Charmer.

    “He was laid off for being an Atek?” asked Obliterette astounded.

    “He’s a Dogface.” replied Apple Pie referring to the term Ariadnans give to their werewolves.

    “He kept it hidden for quite some time. Until a truck had a brake fluid leak and was about to run over lots of pedestrians. Armand turned into a werewolf and stopped the truck.”

    “Allah be merciful. He was laid off for being heroic?” said Obliterette in disbelief.

    “An injustice I’d love to amend.”

    Apple Pie sat with her arms and legs crossed. It was no secret to any of her friends that she was terrified of Dog Warriors. But she knew how motherly Battle Charmer could get; specially with lost cases, like a young Atek woman alone and overwhelmed by the Haqqislamite Culture.

    “I know I’m going to regret this…” sighed Apple Pie.

    “Thank you.”

    “Well, now that my loins are dry again,” said Doc Starlight to a collective groan form her friends. “Yeah, yeah. Like it didn’t happen to you too.” she said uploading the picture of a mountain of a man. “This is Behnam Mostofi, an Al Fasid who got kicked out for showing his face in uniform. One thousand Dinars that he stepped on somebody’s toes.”

    “Typical.” said Apple Pie well aware of the reputation of the Al Fasid. “Hire him, and promise him as much equipment as he sees fit.”

    Doc Starlight then posted one picture everyone recognized immediately. The grey-haired man had been one of the first Operatives to work with them under Sireen Barakat’s leadership. His name was Jaasir Hasan, but the Wrecking Belles knew him as…

    “Rock Viper!” cried Apple Pie, Battle Charmer and Obliterette in unison. The Hunzakut was an amazing infiltrator who was forced to retire due to a spine injury.

    “He’s fully recovered and looking for some action.”

    “Perfectly understandable.” Said Apple Pie nodding sagely. “You have my blessing.”

    “Awesome!”

    Apple Pie then uploaded the picture of a teenage-looking Japanese woman with jet black hair and pink bangs.

    “Wait, why are you presenting someone?” inquired Doc Starlight. “If you want to hire her, do so. You’re the boss!”

    “And you are my family.” replied Apple Pie candidly, eliciting a collective ‘Aww…’ from her friends. “So, your opinions matter a lot to me.”

    “Who’s the child?” asked Obliterette curiously.

    “Her name is Kyoko Konno, and she’s a Ninja.” replied Apple Pie silently smiling at the dumbfounded expression of her friends.

    “How did you find a Ninja?” asked Obliterette once she picked her jaw from the floor.

    “During the Japanese uprising, Stargem Shipping helped in the relocation of refugees from Yu Jing controlled areas.” replied Apple Pie happy that her Geist had been as compassionate as she would have been if she had been in charge at the time. “She’s the last of her Clan, but she wants to repay our kindness to her people.”

    “And she didn’t take your ‘Think nothing of it’ as an acceptable answer.”

    “Pretty much. Is it ok if I…?”

    “Of course!”

    “What kind of question is that?”

    “We have a Ninja!”

    “Anything else before we go to lunch?” asked Apple Pie happy with their response.

    “Nah, we can discuss your battle armor when we come back.” said Obliterette standing up and stretching.

    “My what now?” replied Apple Pie sensing she wasn’t going to like the answer.

    “Your Power Armor, dear.” replied Battle Charmer as if that explained everything.

    “For crying out loud, she doesn’t know!” interjected Doc Starlight figuring Apple Pie’s confused expression. “Look, even though your Geist has been running the show, you are the ‘face’ of the company. If you die, Laiqa has no legal power to do anything.”

    “Yeah, but- “

    “So, if you’re going to jump off rooftops like we always do, the Board of Directors had made a clause that you should wear armor.”

    “Since when?”

    “Since you got ‘Officially Resurrected’ during the Wotan incident.”

    “Oh.”

    Apple Pie had died and been resurrected several times, illegally most of the times, but during the Wotan crisis, she was resurrected by order of Haqqislam High Command, which made that death and resurrection ‘Official’ and recorded as such. That particular event had had dire personal repercussions for her, including the straining of her now ended marital relationship.

    “They couldn’t uphold the clause while you worked for Haqqislam.” said Battle Charmer predicting Apple Pie’s next question. “But since you made planetfall in Concilium, they have been pestering all of us with it.”

    “Why wasn’t I told?”

    “We were waiting for the right time.”

    “Do I have a choice on the matter?”

    “You could sit it out like Sireen does and let us do the work…” replied Obliterette with a roguish smile.

    “What type of armor?”

    “A Combat Heels model of course; lightweight and highly mobile. We can go do the fitting after lunch.”

    “But what about our costumes?” Apple Pie asked remembering they had just ordered specially-tailored tactical costumes a few days ago.

    “We’re getting uniforms in your company colors instead.” replied Battle Charmer uploading Odalisques uniform in white with orange trims.

    “Aww, those look amazing! How come I don’t get to wear one?”

    “Because you’re the boss, Boss.” finished Doc Starlight leading the friends out of the office.
     
  2. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    Wrecking Belles: Concilium Capers

    002: Shadow of Wotan

    With the devastating incursion of the Combined Army into Concilium Prima, and the now increasing need for secure shipment to and from the planet, Stargem Shipping Company’s business was booming. This meant, however, that the Wrecking Belles were bereft of any support from their Security Teams. Furthermore, with O12’s sight distracted by the Shasvastii infiltration of their infrastructure; they had become Lieutenant Leone’s only backup in her investigation over Crime Boss Ereshkigal and the Novvi Granada Smuggling Ring.

    “Wrecking Belles!” said a holoprojection of Lt. Leone that appeared without warning in the middle of Regina Berger’s luxurious office.

    “How can we be of service, Lieutenant?” replied Regina calmly, only a small twitch of her eye betraying her annoyance at Lt. Leone’s use of their nickname instead of the official ‘Team Foxglove.’

    “An informant just sent me the location where Ereshkigal’s men are moving a kidnapped HVT.” Lt. Leone’s holo-image was clearly behind cover and taking direct fire. “I’m transmitting the coordinates and all the info I have.”

    “How do you want us to do this?” inquired Regina.

    “Discretely.” finished Lt Leone with a warning glare before her image disappeared.

    Regina pressed her palm into a bio-metric scanner in her desk, and four columns opened hidden doors revealing four colorful uniforms, weapons and gear.

    “My kind of assignment.” said Helena Slater turning off her Holomask, her mousy brown hair turning purple immediately.

    “The Lieutenant seemed to be in a bit of a bind.” said Aurora Numina turning off her Holomask as well, her jet-black hair turning silver.

    “She can take care of herself.” replied Regina with confidence. Lt. Petra Leone had proven to be as resilient, resourceful and driven as Regina and her partners, earning the Amazonian brunette’s respect and admiration in the seven months they’ve been working together.

    “Rania, Miss Berger needs the Air Taxi ready to discretely depart in ten minutes.” said Theresa Maxwell on her comlog as the four women began changing into their Tactical Suits.

    “Rooftop. Five minutes. Discrete.” came the ever-efficient reply of Regina’s Personal Assistant.

    In less than ten minutes, the Wrecking Belles had boarded the requested City Hopper VTOL craft; and were flying over Novvi Granada in the direction of South Point Harbor.

    “The HVT is Dr. Jennifer Sullivan.” said Battle Charmer reading the data pack Lt Leone had sent them. “She’s a Biotech…” she paused to silently reread what she had just read, her eyebrows arching up in a display of dread uncommon on the silver haired woman.

    “What is it?” Inquired Apple Pie quick on the uptake.

    “She’s a Biotech Engineer, specialized in Biotechvore Weapons.”

    “Son of a camel!” said Obliterette in a higher pitch than intended. Biotechvore plagues have never been used in a positive way, and the amount of mayhem one of them could cause in a major city in Concilium Prima could prove catastrophic.

    “So,” began Doc Starlight with a big smile. “Little Ereshkigal is moving up.” she finished adjusting her new Multispectral Visor.

    “It’s not funny.” replied Obliterette reproachfully.

    “We’re going to stop him.” said Doc Starlight with a shrug.

    “You betcha.” replied Apple Pie loading her Spitfire. While she had always favored the submachine gun and Contender combo, when Obliterette returned from her Nahab training, she returned favoring the Boarding Shotgun and a retractable Viral Wristblade; so, Apple Pie took on the mid-range spot that Obliterette had left.

    The overhead lights turned red, signaling that they were on deploying distance.

    “It suits you.” said Obliterette beaming at her best friend. And before Apple Pie had a chance to say anything, she opened the flyer’s passenger door and jumped off the flying vehicle.

    Obliterette free-fell for two seconds, then activated the retractable Ribbon-Chute installed on the back of her jacket; a rather expensive custom design, but one that suited Obliterette’s Nahab parachuting skill. She silently glided to the roof of the compound where Dr Sullivan was being held. Upon landing, she counted two guards, neither of which had noticed her arrival. She silently closed the distance to the first one drawing her viral wristblade. With near-Hassassin precision, she dug her blade into the man’s back, while muffling his mouth with her other hand.

    “i-Lhost?” said Obliterette taken aback by the crumpling form of the unconscious guard. Product of their unusually vast experience with LHosts during their decade undercover on the Desert Duchess, the Wrecking Belles had become quite adept in identifying types of Lhosts. The one Obliterette had just taken down was a model reserved for Aleph, or the exorbitantly rich.

    A faint sound alerted Obliterette to the second guard, who was training his Combi-Rifle at her. With preternatural swiftness, Obliterette dashed towards the guard and kicked his weapon upward and jammed her wristblade in his chest.

    “Clear.” she said to her comlog; and a few seconds later the City Hopper was hovering over the compound just long enough for Apple Pie, Doc Starlight and Battle Charmer to drop on the rooftop.

    “What have we got here?” inquired Doc Starlight lifting her Multispectral Visor and looking curiously at the two downed guards. She too had noticed the subtle lines that marked the bodies as i-Lhosts. “Aleph?”

    “If we’re lucky.” replied Apple Pie quick on the uptake. If this was one of the AI’s secret operations, then they were sure to get an earful in the near future, probably even jail time. But if it wasn’t Aleph, then things could get complicated. Svengali, the Rogue AI Kingpin had proven to be impossible to capture or eradicate, even with the full might of Aleph’s Special Situations Subsection AND Bureau Noir. Just the thought of dealing with such a nightmare of an opponent made Apple Pie shiver.

    Battle Charmer dashed towards the rooftop access door and deftly picked the electronic lock with a swish of her palm. Unlike the Sand Cat’s Al Hawwa Hacker, Turret Spider, who favored a Smartphone Hacking Device; Battle Charmer’s Hacking device had been integrated to her face mask. It had taken less than five seconds to link to the building’s mainframe. Battle Charmer never asked Apple Pie how much she had spent on the team’s customized equipment, but she expected it to be a lot of Dinars.

    A pop-up holoscreen on her left eye’s field of vision brought her out of her musings. “The building is on alert.” she said in a surprised dulcet tone. “They know something’s up but are requesting reports.”

    “Do you know where they’re keeping Dr Sullivan?” asked Apple Pie taking the lead.

    “Two floors down.” replied Battle Charmer looking at the building’s security system. “The stairs are clear; they’re going from bottom to top.”

    Apple Pie dashed ahead, Obliterette right behind her, keeping up with Apple Pie’s preternatural speed. “Good thing Teri isn’t here.” she said thinking about their friend Agent Valentine, who unlike them, was not enhanced; and would have undoubtedly slowed them down.

    “Don’t say that.” replied Apple Pie with a pang of longing. She missed her Husam Spec-Op friend and her stone-faced coolness in adversity. “Teri is extremely fit.”

    “Yeah,” replied Obliterette. “But we’re not exactly Odalisques anymore.”

    Apple Pie entered the penultimate floor and moved quickly through a long corridor. Two more guards were posted near a console. Apple Pie opened fire on the closest one, downing him with ease. The second one shot at her with his Combi-Rifle hitting her on the shoulder and her abdomen. Apple Pie winced. While neither bullet penetrated her skin, the lingering pain where the projectiles hit was quite considerable.

    “See what I mean?” said Obliterette as she ran towards the second guard, wristblade drawn, and ready to pounce. A swift breeze that lifted her hair, and the head of the second guard spraying grey matter and blood all over the back wall, signaled her that someone had stolen her kill.

    “Aw, please.” grinned Doc Starlight raising her Red Fury rifle, and ignoring Obliterette’s death glare. She’s been tanking Heavy Rockets since long before our accident.” she finished poking where the bullet had hit Apple Pie’s mid-section, making Apple Pie’s eyes to water.

    “That hurts!” said Apple Pie pulling one of Doc Starlight’s pigtails, forcing a satisfying squeak from the purple-haired woman with no sense of personal space.

    “Girls, please!” admonished Battle Charmer stepping between Apple Pie and Doc Starlight; and grabbing Obliterette by the arm and taking her to the console. “Please, cover me.” she told Obliterette as she began to use the console. “Two guard on the far end of the next room.” she said opening a holo-image of the floor plans “Two more guarding the lab to the left. Target’s inside.”

    “Anything else?” inquired Apple Pie noticing the worried expression in Battle Charmer’s face.

    “Reinforcements are coming.” replied Battle Charmer. “Including a heavily armored unit designated ‘Phantom,’ and I don’t want to know why.”

    “We need extraction.” continued Apple Pie studying the floor plans. “The window will do.” she said pointing at the window at the end of the main room, where the two guards were stationed. “Blit, with me. Doc, support Charm.”

    The security doors opened to Battle Charmer’s command. Obliterette closed the distance to the guards near the window, while Apple Pie provided her cover fire. Two more guards appeared from a secret door to the right of the main room, forcing Apple Pie and Obliterette to engage in a two-to-one disadvantage.

    Doc Starlight and Battle Charmer downed the two guards coming out of the lab. Battle Charmer went in, while Do Starlight waited at the door, trying to take out a few of Apple Pie’s assailants without hitting her friend.

    Battle Charmer was horrified by the familiar scene she was witnessing. Dr. Sullivan was unconscious and completely naked, floating inside a containment pod. A breathing mask was attached to her face and tendrils bore into her neck, where her cube resided. Next to hers, was a second pod containing an equally nude, female i-Lhost.

    “Doc!” she cried while desperately trying to stop what she knew was a Cube cloning process.

    Dos Starlight rushed in and cursed like a sailor when she saw what was going on. Without hesitation, she unloaded the Red Fury on the i-Lhost’s pod, breaking it and filling the synthetic humanoid with bullets.

    Alarms blared, while both women opened the pod containing Dr Sullivan. Doc Starlight cut the tendrils connected to Dr Sullivan’s Cube; knowing full well there was no time to disconnect her properly.

    “Isn’t that dangerous?” asked Battle Charmer in an unusually frightened tone.

    “Not if we get her out of here fast!” replied the petite Doc Starlight hauling a much larger Dr Sullivan.

    Battle Charmer helped Doc Starlight carry Dr. Sullivan out of the lab. The floor was rocked as a D-Charge was detonated inside the main room. Doc Starlight and Battle Charmer carried the unconscious doctor through a cloud of smoke, dust and debris.

    At the hole where there was once a windowed wall, hovered the City Hopper VTOL vehicle. As they were getting closer, Battle Charmer let out a painful yell and dropped on the floor. Two more synthetic guards appeared, both with holo-discs on their right hand and pointing at Battle Charmer.

    Obliterette helped Doc Starlight take Dr Sullivan into the vehicle, while Apple Pie lifted Battle Charmer and opened fire on the attacking Hackers; wounding them, but not taking them out. At that moment, the Heavy Armored ‘Phantom’ entered the room; followed by a grey skinned, blonde woman with the same height and body frame as Apple Pie, dressed in a violet and pink version of Aleph’s Asuras bodysuits. Apple Pie’s eyes widened in horror, and the name escaped her lips before she could even register.

    “Revving Rose!”

    During the Wotan Gate crisis, The Wrecking Belles had been ambushed by an Aleph Aspect calling herself Revving Rose and the units under her command. Apple Pie was captured and her Cube had been cloned before the Sand Cats rescued her. From then on, their investigation into the Cube Smuggling Ring of Sireen Barakat’s father became extremely difficult; since one of their clients had all of Apple Pie’s memories.

    “Give me back my doctor, Regina.” replied Revving Rose with a smile. “Or I’ll be forced to-

    Apple Pie unloaded her Spitfire machinegun on Revving Rose and Phantom, not making a dent on either. Revving Rose shot back at Regina with a similar weapon, injuring her in her left thigh and left arm; but before she could close the distance, Apple Pie hauled Battle Charmer into the City Hopper. The vehicle cruised over the Industrial District as Doc Starlight patched up Apple Pie.

    “That was nasty…” said Battle Charmer removing her mask and wiping blood from her eyes and nose.

    “Where to Ma’am?” asked Leo, the pilot.

    “Grand Garden Hospital.” replied Doc Starlight from the back. “We need to take her to a Haqqislamite facility.” she said pointing at the unconscious Dr. Sullivan, answering the questioning looks of both Apple Pie and Obliterette. “We can’t keep her safe, not on our own.”

    “You’re right.” said Apple Pie resting her head on the City Hopper’s door. “Who’s our Ramah Task Force contact in Maeda Basha?”

    “The tall, dark haired, baby-faced one with green eyes.” replied Obliterette, unable to recall the name of the Kawarij.

    “Latif,” said Battle Charmer a bit more composed. “Latif Tahan.”

    “We better give him a call, fast.” said Apple Pie as Doc Starlight finished patching-up he wounds.

    “What about Lt. Leone?” asked Obliterette almost sure of the answer.

    “We will notify her once Dr. Sullivan is safe.” answered Apple Pie. “Precinct 21 should be considered fully compromised. They have Deva Functionaries working with them; and the enemy is a Rogue Aspect of Aleph.”

    And with that terrifying thought, Apple Pie closed her eyes, mentally exhausted.
     
  3. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    Wrecking Belles: Concilium Capers
    003: Asylum

    “You’ll have a slight headache, that’s normal” said a girlish, yet confident voice.

    Jennifer Sullivan opened her eyes and saw a young woman, almost teenage-like, with purple hair. She was sporting pigtails, which accentuate her youthful look, and was wearing an orange-trimmed yellow hooded coat.

    “Whuh…” uttered Jennifer still groggy and noticing she was no longer naked, but her hands were cuffed.

    The continuous sound of engines and the vibrations of the compact area told her she was, told her that she was inside a flying vehicle of some sort.

    “You are not under arrest.” said a shapely brunette sitting opposite the purple-haired young woman. She was dressed in a skin-tight red and white tactical suit with blue sleeves and leggings, complimented by long gloves and thigh high boots in the same red color as the suit.

    “The cuffs were a precaution.” said the pigtailed teen.

    “In case I turned violent when I woke up.” finished Jennifer understanding her situation. “Who do I have to thank for my rescue?” she said as the pigtailed teen released her from the cuffs.

    Apart from the purple-haired woman and the brunette, there was a round faced blonde with piercing blue eyes; sporting a blue jacket with orange trims over a skin-tight navy blue tactical suit. There was also a silver haired woman in an hooded orange and black dress that accentuated her curves. All four looked more like Mayanet Models than soldiers.

    “Haqqislam.” replied the brunette taking Jennifer out of her musing. “We’re Ramah Taskforce and we’re escorting you to a secure location.”

    “As long as you’re not turning me to O12, it’s fine by me.”

    The four women looked at each other. A worried expression shared in their faces.

    “I request Asylum.” said Jennifer with a hint of panic. “O12 is compromised, they were the ones who kidnapped me!”

    “We suspected as much.” said the brunette in a soothing tone. “That’s why we’re taking you to Haqqislam’s jurisdiction.”

    Jennifer sighed in relief. Ever since she became a Bioweapons Engineer, she knew her life was not going to be easy. The pay was good, but not worth all the running away from people who wanted to pick her brain apart, sometimes literally. With Haqqislam’s reputation for Humanism, she felt she had hit the jackpot among the factions of the Human Sphere.

    Fortunately for the Wrecking Belles, Dr. Jennifer Sullivan had no knowledge of the methods and capabilities of Haqqislam’s Intelligence Agency, Hassassin Barham.

    “We have a problem.” came the voice of the pilot. “There’s a BOLO for City Hoppers matching our description.”

    “Great.” said the blonde woman in an annoyed tone.

    “Land us at the nearest available drop point and then head straight back to base.” said the brunette, who seemed to be in charge.

    The City Hopper had to land five blocks away from Grand Garden Hospital to avoid several checkpoints. The four women led Jennifer out into the busy streets of the city of Edda. Jennifer noticed the women were very alert, and used to working in unison. They flanked her like bodyguards and that’s when the penny dropped; the magazine-style hairs, the porcelain skins, the regal poise; these were Odalisques.

    “Varangian, on our six.” said the silver-haired woman.

    “That didn’t take long.” replied the brunette taking up the rear.

    The blonde lead the group through an alleyway. Jennifer looked back and noticed a muscular redheaded woman, a head taller than the brunette and imposing, had quickened her step to catch up.

    “Hand over the Doctor and there will be no trouble.” said the redhead in a thick accent that told Jennifer she was a Caledonian.

    “Ah recon we’re gonna have trouble. The Doc’s under Haqqislam’s protection now.” replied the brunette in a USAriadnan accent that took both the Varangian and Jennifer by surprise.

    As the rest of the women ushered Jennifer to the next street, the muscular redhead lunged for the brunette, wielding an axe. The brunette expertly dodged out of the axe’s path and landed a spinning kick on the back of the Varangian Guard.

    Turning around the corner, the remaining women were confronted by three Kappa Units armed with stun-batons. The blonde dashed forward bringing out a bladed weapon from her forearm, and taking out one of the Officers with a superficial cut. Jennifer recognized the effects of a Viral Weapon with expertise. The two other landed terrible blows on the blonde woman, as the remaining two escorts dragged Jennifer further down the street.

    “What about your friend?” she asked with concern.

    “She can take care of herself.” said the petite purple-haired woman with a grin.

    “Besides, she’s not alone.” said the silver-haired woman in a melodious tone.

    Jennifer looked back and saw that the brunette had joined the blonde and were dispatching the two remaining Kappa Units with ease.

    “At least they’re not shooting at us.” said the sliver-haired in a dulcet tone that clashed with the gravity of the situation in Jennifer’s opinion.

    Two Beta Troopers jumped from a nearby rooftop, one of them slamming the pigtailed woman against the concrete wall of a nearby building.

    “Go!” said the woman holding on to the Beta Trooper’s mechanical arm. She then pointed her free wrist at the Beta Trooper’s chest area and released a cloud of green gas that engulfed the Remote.

    The Beta Trooper let go of the pigtailed youth and thrashed as the gaps between the armor lit up in green.

    “That’s a Nanopulser!” said Jennifer with a child-like thrill. Since Nanopulsers were banned by the Concilium Convention, she had never actually seen one used on a live target.

    “Yes, it is.” Replied the silver-haired woman dragging Jennifer by the arm.

    The second Beta Trooper raised its arm and responded in kind to the pigtailed youth, engulfing her in a green cloud of nanobots. But, unlike the Beta Trooper that laid sprawled on the floor, the pigtailed girl just coughed a few times and kicked the Remote in the chest as retaliation.

    Jennifer’s Quantronic implants were fired up and sending her brain all the information she had concerning Odalisques. Subdermal Armor made them tougher than average, and they allegedly had special training that made them shrug off otherwise deadly wounds; however, to the best of Jennifer’s knowledge, they had no sort of Bio-Technological Shield to protect them from a Nanopulser blast to the face. Then again, according to her data, Odalisques were not recruited by Ramah Taskforce.

    Jennifer bumped into the back of the silver-haired Odalisque; her attention abruptly brought back to her immediate surroundings. It didn’t take her long to figure what made her escort stop dead on her tracks. An opal armored behemoth, wielding a heavy machine gun had dropped from the sky and wrecked a parked car on the other side of the street.

    “Phantom!” said Jennifer recognizing the robotic bodyguard of the rogue Asura Revving Rose.

    “Oh, you know him?” inquired the silver-haired Odalisque cheerfully.

    “Revving Rose is a chatterbox.” replied Jennifer not taking her eyes off the mechanical brute.

    With inhuman speed, the blonde Odalisque rushed towards Phantom and dug her wristblade between its armor plates. With uncanny speed, the metal warrior dropped the heavy machine gun and whipped out a Breaker Pistol shooting the blonde Odalisque in the abdomen three times.

    Jennifer recoiled as the electrical discharges singed holes in the woman’s tactical suit, bursting and arcing to the nearest structures, tensing the blonde’s every muscle and forcing a painful scream out of her throat.

    Phantom attempted to move forward, but was stopped by the tense, smoking arm of the blonde Odalisque, jamming the wristblade further inside its mechanical body.

    “I’m not… done with you…” said the blonde Odalisque in a gravely tone.

    As she pushed the metallic giant back to dislodge her blade, the brunette joined her, aiming her heavy pistol at the Remote’s head and blowing its Quantronic brain to bits.

    The purple haired youth rushed to give the blonde woman some support as she stumbled into the main gate of the fortified compound they called ‘a hospital’.

    Jennifer saw three more Kappa Units armed with stun batons rushing towards them.

    “This is Haqqislam Territory,” said the brunette Odalisque raising her arms. “Dr. Sullivan is under our portec-

    A stun baton nearly missed the brunette’s jaw. She side-stepped a second blow from another Kappa aiming to crack her skull open. A third Kappa swung his paralyzing weapon at the woman in red, but found his strike parried by an extendable E/M stick. While not nearly as powerful as the paralyzing stun batons the Kappas were wielding; in the hands of the Amazonian brunette, the electromagnetic close combat weapon found its mark on all three Kappa Units, dropping them almost in unison.

    Five heavily armed Ghulams stood at the gate, beckoning Jennifer to go in; but she was too enthralled with the women that had rescued her.

    She studied her four escorts as they walked into the main building of Grand Garden Hospital. The purple-haired youth smiling and joking, when she should have been dead from the Nanobot cloud she inhaled. The blonde killing machine with a hidden viral blade, who by right shouldn’t even be standing after taking three Breaker rounds point-blank. The green-eyed brunette who masked her USAriadnan accent most of the time. And the silver-haired woman, whose peaceful demeanor in such a stressful situation simply terrified Jennifer.

    “Just who are you?” she asked when the four women stood in front of her at the hospital’s entrance hall.

    “The Wrecking Belles!” replied a jovial male voice from behind the four women. The way they all bristled at the name told Jennifer they did not enjoy being called that.

    “A Lieutenant Leone requests you to communicate with her as soon as possible.” said a tall young looking man with dark green hair and green eyes. He was dressed in a Kawarij uniform, and Jennifer could kill for a blood sample from him.

    “Latif, this is Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, Bioweapons Engineer, requesting Asylum.” said the tall brunette with composure. “She had been kidnapped by a Rogue Aleph Aspect working with an O12 Division under investigation by Saladin.”

    “Oh, so she’s the reason you razed an entire industrial complex at Novvi Granada’s Harbor!”

    “What? We didn’t…”

    But as Apple Pie and the Wrecking Belles started to protest, Latif opened a holoscreen with a clip from OXID News Network describing the explosion and subsequent fire that raged over the industrial complex they had just come from.

    OXID: While the current hypothesis is a chemical spill, several sources mentioned gun fire a few minutes before the detonation, so Industrial Sabotage and Terrorism have not been ruled out. An Anonymous source claims the infamous Qapu Khalqi Unit Foxglove, better known as ‘The Wrecking Belles’ for their violent methods and trails of destruction, had been seen operating in Novvi Granada. We tried contacting Qapu Khalqi for a statement, but so far we have received no answer.
     
  4. Cthulhu363

    Cthulhu363 May his passage cleanse the world.

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    Well this was a pleasant surprise today!
     
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  5. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    Wrecking Belles: Concilium Capers
    004: Back-Up

    Grand Garden Hospital, a Haqqislam Medical Facility affiliated with Garden Grove Medical Center, has been a secret Base of Operations for Ramah Taskforce since its inception. With the incursion of the Combined Army at Concilium Prima, the RTF teams have had their plates full with clandestine runs into Breidavlik to identify and evacuate unsepsistorized survivors; a dangerous endeavor that has severely depleted Grand Garden’s Standing Force. So, Commander Kameela Rigel, of the Ramah Aleadl Division, was given the unenviable task of diverting one of her Strike Teams to covertly wrestle a Rogue A.I. from its Corregidor escort, at the behest of Haqqislam High Command.

    “And that is why I summoned you.” she said to the two Hussam Spec-Ops in her office. Agent Thistle, a jovial looking blonde with vibrant flint-grey eyes; and Agent Valentine, the confident redhead with an unnerving slasher smile; who had just rejoined Commander Rigel’s Team after infiltrating The Desert Duchess to take down a Cube Smuggling Ring for the last seven years.

    “The target calls itself Revving Rose,” said Commander Rigel noticing the flicker of surprise in Agent Valentine’s expression. “A ‘Rogue’ Aleph Aspect, if there’s such a thing…”

    Both Hussam Spec-Ops nodded. It was too convenient that every time Human Sphere Forces uncovered dubious activity connected to Aleph, the AI would pin it on a ‘Rogue Aspect’ and get cleared of all wrongdoing.

    “This one has been dabbling into developing Biothechvores…”

    “Lovely.” replied Agent Thistle. “I suppose that’s why High Command doesn’t want it in Nomads hands?”

    “Or in Aleph’s custody.” finished Commander Rigel. “Needless to say, this is officially a covert operation. Angel 6 is on standby for deployment.”

    “Do we have access to Transfer Units?” inquired Agent Valentine, while doing a quick search on her Comlog.

    “We don’t have any Transfer Units.”

    “We have one.”

    Commander Rigel was genuinely surprised. She was not aware of any Transfers arriving in the last year and a half. Then the penny dropped, if Agent Valentine knew about any RTF Units that she didn’t know about, then they were doing clandestine operations.

    “I don’t have the clearance to recruit that type of Units.” said Commander Rigel giving Agent Valentine a ‘You know that!’ look.

    “You do if they were brought here by O12 and you have an immediate need. It was part of the agreement.” replied Agent Valentine opening up a holo-screen for all to see the files she had been looking for.

    Commander Rigel was now intrigued. Agent Valentine never offered classified information so freely. “Do go on…”

    “These are the four Odalisques of Qapu Khalqi’s former Unit Foxglove.” she said enhancing the profile picture of the four Wrecking Belles. “All foreigners with close ties to Haqqislam and loyal to a fault. They were inducted into RTF after being exposed to a Nomad bioweapon that mutated their physiology and Subdermal Armor, putting them on par with some of our supersoldiers.”

    “Interesting…” muttered Agent Thistle, her flint-grey eyes glinting with curiosity.

    “Aurora Numina, Neoterran, was sent to the Odalisques Academy when all her family converted to Islam and became Haqqislam Citizens.” she said pushing forward the image of a silver haired young woman with heavy eyelids and violet eyes. “Her Subdermal Armor is less resistant than the standard, but her Bio-Technological Shield is on par with that of a Mukhtar.”

    “Any special skills?” asked Commander Rigel.

    “Apart from that porcelain skin…” said Agent Thistle wondering if it was the I-Khol makeup or picture filters.

    “Last I heard, she had become quite a decent Hacker.” replied Agent Valentine. “And get used to them making us all look like shit; they’re Odalisques after all.”

    Commander Rigel chuckled. Odalisques were trained to look like supermodels even in the field of battle; a mostly useless skill in her experience.

    “Theresa Maxwell, a Child of the Caravansaries,” continued Agent Valentine enhancing the picture of an oval-faced blonde with electric blue eyes. “While she’s a good team player, she does her best work when left to her own devices. A little volatile at times, she survived a crash course with the Nahab, which says a lot about her capabilities.”

    “Next in line, Doctor Helena Slater, Nomad. She was recruited from the Witness Protection Program.” continued Agent Valentine focusing on the picture of a purple-haired teenage-looking woman with playful hazel eyes. “Her Medical License was just recently reinstated, so she could benefit from one of those new Nasmat A2.”

    “Yeah, sure. More non-existing resources for request. No problem.” replied Commander Rigel making a mental note to outsource a Medbot from the Nomad Recycling Station.

    “And last but not least, Regina Berger-

    “The Angel of Novyy Granada?!” interrupted Commander Rigel, who recognized the name of Sheik Dumar Al Dagher’s former First Wife. The USAriadna-born had become a local celebrity due to her humanitarian work. “Isn’t she a blonde?” she asked remembering the voluptuous strawberry blonde from the AR Feeds that outshined the brunette in the picture.

    “Holoprojector.” replied Agent Valentine. “The other three as well. They are posing as Ms. Berger’s bodyguards. Not that she needs any, I’ve seen her tank heavy rockets with her breasts; and that was before the incredible boost her Subdermal Armor got from the interaction with the Nomad bioweapon.”

    “You’ve seen her do what?”

    “Take two Heavy Rockets to her chest and stand up like it was nothing.” said Agent Valentine as if discussing the weather. “I worked with them for six years.”

    “The infamous ‘Wrecking Belles,’ I presume?” said Agent Thistle raising an eyebrow and giving Agent Valentine a rogue smile.

    “You vouch for them?” asked Commander Rigel paling at the results of the search her Geist had made about ‘Wrecking Bells’ on the Haqqislam Incident Reports database.

    “I trust them with my life, yes.” replied Agent Valentine with a nod. “As an aside, during the Wotan Gate Crisis, we locked horns with this Revving Rose. The four of them have experience dealing with her.”

    “Very well,” said Commander Rigel in a cautious tone. She trusted Agent Valentine, but the psychotic Hussam Spec-Op had a knack for getting into trouble, and from the reports, these four women seemed to be super-soldier versions of her. Fortunately, she had Agent Thistle to reign them in. “I’ll transfer them to Angel 6, effective immediately. You give them the good news.”

    --o--​

    Once the Ereshkigal case was closed, the Wrecking Belles soon found themselves with very little to do and a lot of time in their hands. And while Maidan Basha was as exciting a metropolis as any in Neoterra o Shengtang, not seeing action had started to sink them into absolute boredom. To keep them busy, Layka, Apple Pie’s Geist, has been loading their schedules with Galas, Social Events, Fundraisers and such; as well as providing them with a grueling training regime. The objective of the Vizier Geist was to keep them from getting ‘bright ideas’ that could negatively affect Stargem Shipping Co.

    “So, Captain Keegan’s wife was killed during the Combined Army’s first assault on Concilium Prima?” said Apple Pie while kicking a sandbag.

    “And Revving Rose promised him a Resurrection,” continued Obliterette punching an adjacent sandbag. “In exchange for keeping a blind eye to her dealings.”

    “That’s not going to happen now.” said Apple Pie still slamming the sandbag with devastating side-kicks. “Crap! We made another enemy with a grudge!”

    “Hard not to in our line of work.” replied Obliterette punching the bag with inhuman strength.

    Two high-pitched screams forced both women to turn around; but tensions eased when they saw Doc Starlight and Battle Charmer hugging a tall redhead impeccably dressed in a business suit.

    “Val?” cried Apple Pie as she and Obliterette joined the group hug.

    “You’re being summoned by Ramah Aleadl, my RTF division.” smiled Agent Valentine, handing each of her friends an envelope with the Rama Task Force seal. “I’d understand if you decline…”

    “Perish the thought!” said Battle Charmer.

    “Philistine!” exclaimed Doc Starlight.

    “Shut your mouth!” quipped Oblterette.

    “How dare you!” interjected Apple Pie.

    “I thought you Odalisques were all for the glamourous lifestyle of the Rich and Famous.” said Agent Valentine with a roguish smile.

    “Oh, Heavens no!” replied Apple Pie. “I mean, not getting shot at is a nice change of pace, but…”

    “Adrenaline junkies.” said Doc Starlight unapologetically.

    “So, what’s the mission?” inquired Obliterette impatiently.

    “Our good friend Revving Rose is out of LHosts and has requested the Nomads to get her off the planet. They’re extracting her tonight, so we need to move fast.”

    “How did she run out of LHosts?” asked Apple Pie confused. “Last time we saw her, she still had an Asura body.”

    “Aleph’s OSS happened to that one.” answered Agent Valentine, who had requested all the Intel RTF had on Revving Rose. “Hussam Intelligence intercepted the contract with the local Corregidor Detachment, but we might not have been the only ones.”

    “We need to move FAST!” repeated Obliterette jamming her fingers on both sides of Apple Pie’s ribcage, forcing a squeal from the tall brunette.

    “Layka…” said Apple Pie red as a tomato.

    “I’m sending all your equipment to Grand Garden Hospital. It should be arriving at the same time you do.” came the voice of the Vizier Geist from Apple Pie’s Comlog. “And I’m informing the Board of Directors, so they can start looking for a new CEO.”

    With inhuman speed all four women dashed to the locker room. Agent Valentine started her Comlog’s timer with practiced familiarity. A few minutes later, all four were scrambling in line in front of her, waiting for her inspection.

    “Sixteen minutes, thirteen seconds.” said Agent Valentine in a disappointed tone. “Civilian life is taking its toll on you all.” she said in a mocking tone, skipping out of the gym amidst the four Odalisques protests.

    The ride to Grand Garden Hospital was rife with conversation, as the Wrecking Belles told Agent Valentine all about their work with Saladin and their involvement in the uncovering of Ereshkigal’s real identity; while Agent Valentine gave them a rundown of their new Unit.

    “Your CO is Janissary Kameela Rigel, she’s like a mother to me.” said Agent Valentine with a warning glare to her friends. “You’ve been attached to Angel 6 Emergency Response Team, mostly composed of Ghilman and a few Naffatun.”

    “Hmm, does that mean, perhaps. that we’re the heavy hitters of the team?” inquired Battle Charmer with a hint of apprehension.

    “Like always.” replied Obliterette cracking her knuckles.

    “What’s bothering you, Charm?” asked Apple Pie with concern.

    “We don’t have the Desert Duchess anymore.”

    The Desert Duchess, the Sand Cats HQ ship, was retrofitted with an illegal Phoenix 3000 Resurrection Engine and room for a lot of Nomad-made Clone LHosts; which basically worked as a revolving door from death; and had been a huge factor in the Wrecking Belles’ thrill-seeking and reckless dispositions.

    “Death is for keeps now-

    “Isn’t it exciting?” interrupted Obliterette with flushed cheeks and a nearly psychotic grin.

    “Yes, but that’s not the point!” replied Battle Charmer flushing. “You all still have to be careful. I’m always the one who has to talk at funerals and I loathe doing it.”

    “But you’re the only one of us who can finish a eulogy without, you know…”

    Battle Charmer gave Doc Starlight an exasperated look. Of the four Odalisques, Doc was the most melodramatic crier in funerals.

    “We promise to be careful.” said Apple Pie trying very hard not to laugh.

    “And people say I’m the crazy one...” finished Agent Valentine shaking her head.

    --o--​

    The zone of operations was in Novyy Granada’s Industrial Complex, and the team had to maneuver the city’s surveillance system. In an automated city, this was no easy feat. Fortunately, the Nomads reliance on Arachné, meant that Aleph had a harder time surveying the Nomad controlled areas.

    “I see one Feuerbach Remote on top of the right flank building.” said Apple Pie making a quick scan with her AR mask. “You’re going to need some cover if you want to reach that terminal.” She finished referring to the rightmost of the two Arachné Nodes in the area.

    “Very well,” replied Agent Thistle. “Shazi dear, muddy the pond, please.”

    From the back, the roar of a Kum motorcycle engine signaled the beginning of Shazi’s run. A secondary set of jet engine noises not far behind took Apple Pie by surprise. A Remote as big as an Azra’il zoomed past her, right behind the Kum Biker named Shazi.

    Dodging fire from the Tsyklon Sputnik, Shazi lobed smoke grenades to create a smoke screen thick enough to block the Remote’s sensors.

    “That’s our cue.” said Agent Thistle adjusting her Multi-Spectral Visor.

    Battle Charmer darted into the midfield, and it took both Agent Thistle and Agent Valentine some effort to catch up.

    “I don’t remember her being so fast!” said Agent Valentine taken aback by Battle Charmer’s preternatural speed.

    Battle Charmer jacked into the Arachné Node protected by the smoke screen. She deftly navigated through the security protocols and managed to locate the Server that stored Revving Rose’s digital self.

    “Central building, dead ahead.” she said in her usual melliferous tone. “There’s a high-speed backdoor via landlines half a block away. We need to block it.”

    “Any way I can be of assistance?” inquired Apple Pie.

    With quantronic speed, an AR map appeared in Apple Pie’s field of vision, depicting the route of the land lines and the point where they could be severed. Without wasting a second, she dashed towards the target spot and placed a D-Charge in the designated area; blowing up a hole in the concrete and exposing the thoroughly ruined fiber-optic landlines.

    “Escape route neutralized.” said Apple Pie with a satisfied smile.

    “Maintain your position.” Came the voice of Agent Thistle through her Comlog.

    Apple Pie acknowledged and took a knee behind some crates. She had a good position to protect the left flank and she was on Spitfire-optimal range. A series of shots, and a few explosions later, told her that the smoke had cleared enough for the Feuerbach Remote to strike.

    “Report.” she requested forgetting that she was not the commanding officer of the mission.

    “Shazi took some fire.” replied Agent Thistle with amusement. “She’s fine, but her bike’s a goner.”

    “Tsyklon neutralized.” said Battle Charmer.

    Apple Pier looked at the two new columns of smoke, deducing that they originated from Shazi’s bike and the Remote. A haze in her peripheral vision prompted her to instinctively pull her Heavy Pistol sidearm; a reflex acquired from years of brandishing a Contender pistol. Unfortunately, the range difference and the surprise factor gave her assailant the advantage. A hail of bullets rained over her, a few shots passing her right shoulder and her forearm, making her drop her pistol and crawl for cover.

    The Intruder with the Heavy Machinegun stopped as a Stempler Zond advanced to the leftmost Arachné Node. From her vantage point, Apple Pie could take a shot, if her arm wounds would allow it. She lifted the spitfire with her left hand and rested it on top of her knees. She then squeezed the trigger with her left index finger. Most of the shots missed, but one struck the Stempler and it stopped moving.

    “Report.” came Agent Thistle’s voice through Apple Pie’s comlog.

    “I’m pinned.” replied Apple Pie. “There’s an Intruder with a mean looking HMG. Got me in the right arm.”

    “May I?” said a synthetic version of Doc Starlight’s voice from behind her.

    Apple Pie turned her head and came face to face with modified Zondcat taking her arm with utmost care.

    “Doc?”

    “Neat, eh?” replied the Remote inserting porbes into Apple Pie’s wounds and doing quick micro surgery on her arm. “There,” said the robtic voice. “It’s just a patch, but you’ll be able to shoo-

    “Doc?”

    Apple Pie lifted the spitfire while trying to calm down. The little Remote’s eyes had flickered and shut off, which meant that it had disconnected. Trying not to thing about the worst possible scenario, she stood up and unloaded a burst on the Intruder, flooring him.

    “Come in, Doc!” she said to her comlog, feeling her pulse ringing in her ears.

    “She’s down.” came Obliterette’s voice through the comlog. “There was a Moran hidden. I neutralized him.”

    Before Apple Pie had time to react, a bloodcurling howl and a smoke grenade going off, brought her stress level to absolute panic. She had been deadly afraid of Werewolves since one unexpectedly transformed and rampaged in front of her when she was five years old.

    Out of the smoke, the imposing figure of McMurrough advanced towards the trembling Odalisque. His savage expression changing to a surprised smile.

    “Apple Pie!” said the massive werewolf still advancing. “Still afraid of us, I see.” he said after every single bullet she shot at him missed him by a wide margin.

    As Apple Pie’s legs gave out, a pair of Heavy Rockets impacted on McMurrough’s chest and head, sending the Werewolf flying into a nearby wall.

    “You seemed like you could use the backup.” came a male, soothing voice through Appel Pie’s comlog. She looked back and on top of a parapet, a Kawarij dressed in yellow with a white coat waved at her.

    “Thank you, Saaid.” said Apple Pie trying to regain her composure, and grateful that she remebered the Kawarij’s name.

    “Baldie.” said the soothing voice.

    “Thanks, Baldie.” replied Apple Pie, who, like all four Wrecking Belles, also requested to be addressed by her codename.

    “Status report.”

    “You really want my job, don’t you?” said Agent Thistle playfully.

    “I’m terribly sorry, force of habit.” replied Apple Pie glad no one could see her turn red as a tomato.

    “The deed is done.” said Battle Charmer sending a cute skull emoji to Apple Pie’s AR feed.

    “What about Doc?”

    “She just vomited the bullets.” came Obliterette’s reply on the comlog. “I have it on video.”

    Apple Pie smiled listening to Doc Satrlight’s hoarse protest. From all four Wrecking Belles, Doc Starlight was the one with the oddest change. She could no longer shrug off injuries like the rest, but she could heal impressively fast, given enough time.

    The return to Grand Garden Hospital was a jovial one. Their first mission had been a successful one. Revving Rose was gone for good. Nothing exploded, no civilians died, no market collapsed. Things couldn’t get any better...
     
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  6. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    WAR

    ***I am rewriting the last part of this particular story. I didn't like the direction I moved the story, as I felt I painetd myself into a wall and couldn't for the life of me write a follow-up.

    I'll post the reworked story as soon as I finish it.***
     
    #46 Danger Rose, Sep 26, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2022
  7. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    Wrecking Belles: Concilium Capers
    Epilogue: WAR

    The cut-thoat corporate battlefield was not unfamiliar to Regina Berger. She was the daughter of a prominent Ariadnan Arms-Trade tycoon, ex-wife to a Haqqislam Mega Corp magnate and taken part in several Covert-Ops against the underbelly of the Corporate Sphere. But the hostile takeover of Stargem Shipping by Echo-Delta Holdings took her completely by surprise, not only by its speed, but also by its brutality.

    It started with the release of videos of several strip-cage-fights Regina had been forced into while in captivity aboard The Amberwitch, CINDER’s slave ship. Regina’s memories of that ordeal had always been incomplete. She had seen one of such fights, unable to remember the event. It was shocking to learn there was a set of seven fights broadcasted along with image galleries in a JustFans Maya Channel. With Quantronic speed, the Masked Stripper/Cage Fighter ‘Apple Pie’ was unmasked as Regina Berger, ‘The Angel of Novii Granada.’

    And Regina had not been the only one targeted; other shareholders had been similarly harassed. Some had been coerced into selling their stocks, others had legal cases overturned against them, and Vadim Borisov, a Tunguskan Member of the Board who always made Regina laugh during meetings, was found dead in his apartment. At the end of one nightmarish month, Echo-Delta’s Proxy War ended with Regina voted out of the Board of Directors and the unanimous approval of the acquisition.

    “This makes my blood boil!” said Theresa Maxwell. “Why aren’t we fighting them?” she finished with an accusatory stare at Regina.

    Regina raised a finger to forestall her hot-tempered friend. She had been avoiding the subject as long as she could, but now that they were secluded in a shuttle, on their way to Bourak, she figured it was time to address the situation.

    “How far are we from Concilium Prima?” she asked on her seat’s built-in com.

    “Half-way to the Vila Booster, Ma’am,” came the voice of the pilot from the seat’s speaker.

    “Charm?”

    With an acknowledging nod, Aurora Numina spread her fingers, materializing two AR dials and started tapping on both at the same time. A softly shimmering bubble grew from the center of the cabin until it covered all four of the passengers.

    “We’re as secure as I can make us,” said Aurora with a satisfied smile.

    Regina sighed and slumped on her seat, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. The last month had been extremely taxing, and she hadn’t had much sleep. Despite her superhuman endurance, she felt exhausted.

    “What’s going on?” asked Helena Slater giving an inquisitive look to both Regina and Aurora.

    “CINDER,” said Regina straightening up again. “They infiltrated Stargem Shipping’s network and have been monitoring us all this time.”

    “But we cut their head off! We killed Sarcophaga!”

    “We don’t have much to go on with, but…” said Aurora opening an AR window with the picture of a long-faced, violet-haired woman dressed in a business suit. “This is Giselle Horner, Chief Marketing Officer of Echo-Delta Holdings.”

    “She’s also Reverend Stratagem, of the Magpie Conclave,” said Regina gripping the arm rests of her seat, her knuckles whitening with the strain. While her memory of everything that happened to her aboard the Amberwitch was patchy, she clearly remembered the faces of three Reverend Custodiers that tortured her just for fun.

    “I recognized her immediately and asked Charm to scan for bugs and trackers.”

    “And everything short of our comlogs was compromised,” said Aurora opening a 3D model of Stargem Shipping’s office building with a myriad of warning signs on nearly every room.

    “That has to be the stupidest plan in the history of the Human Sphere!” said Theresa in an even fouler mood. “Why not outright kill us and be done with it? Why risk exposing themselves.”

    “It’s typical narcissistic sociopathic behavior,” replied Helena. “Someone like Stratagem can’t do things quietly. She has to boast that she was the one who took us down and she’s too smart to fail,” she finished making air quotes with her fingers and rolling her eyes.

    “I’m not even angry that they showed their hand,” said Regina cracking her knuckles. “They just saved me the trouble of tracking them down.”

    “What’s your plan?”

    “As soon as we get to Ramah HQ I’m quitting,” said Regina. “I’ll use some of my reserve funds to buy myself a ship and a Letter of Marque against Echo-Delta Holdings.”

    “Privateer Apple Pie?” asked Theresa with a roguish smile.

    “Scarlet Tanager,” replied Regina. “I don’t think I can bear showing myself in public as Apple Pie again.”

    “Fair,” said Theresa with a shrug.

    “Hmmm. I wonder how Teri will take the news of losing all four of us,” said Aurora in her dulcet tone, with Theresa and Helena giving an acknowledging nod to Regina.

    Agent Valentine, the Husam Operative that worked for several years with the four Odalisques of Unit Foxglove, had been sent to Bourak a week before the hostile takeover of Stargem Shipping took place; and, as usual, had been unreachable. But Regina was used to Teri Valentine disappearing and then reappearing every now and then. She had been trained by the Hassassins after all.

    The trip to Bourak space was quick and uneventful; an advantage of chartering a ship with Minotaur Engines that could traverse the Wormhole Gates without needing to wait for a Circular to latch on to. The trip to the planet’s surface, however, was an ordeal due to the influx of pilgrims for Haj. By the time the four women finally collected their bags and passed the final security checkpoint, they were all ready to simply get home and sleep.

    Among the numerous individuals waiting to pick up loved ones, business people, students and tourists; Regina noticed a tall woman with tan skin, red hair and dark glasses, dressed in a fitted Ghulam uniform and a neon AR banner that read “Wrecking Belles.”

    “Could you please turn that off!” said Regina mortified as she sped towards Agent Valentine.

    “It’s encrypted,” replied Agent Valentine dismissively. “Only you can see it.”

    “How did you know we were coming to Bourak?”

    “From High Command, actually. I was tasked with picking you up and taking you straight to HQ.”

    “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” asked Helena annoyed. “We just travelled all the way from Concilium Prima and the Customs line was the worst! We’re exhausted!”

    “Well, I suppose I could tell Tarik Mansuri to wait until tomorrow…”

    With preternatural speed, the four super-soldiers loaded their luggage into the flyer that had been waiting for them and in less than a minute they were ready to fly. Without hesitation, the four friends began touching up their make-up, fixing their hairdos and straightening any wrinkles in their clothes.

    “Odalisques,” said Agent Valentine shaking her head. If there was one person who always managed to turn these four grown-up women into pre-teens it was Tarik Mansuri, Amir of the Kawarij. The five friends had the opportunity to meet the living legend during the Kurage crisis in Novii Cimeria. Since Regina was born in Dawn, Tarik Mansuri had requested her assistance as a guide for his strike team. Of course, any attempt to mention that Regina had never set a foot on Novii Cimeria was swiftly neutralized by the imposing brunette. After that mission, Regina became insufferable for several days, fangirling over Tarik Mansuri’s physical prowess to everyone within earshot.

    Once inside Ramah Taskforce HQ, Agent Valentine led the four Odalisques to a small conference room. A central table was beautifully decorated with delicious Al Medinat dishes and an assortment of teas. At the end of the table stood the imposing frame of Tarik Mansuri dressed in full combat gear.

    “I’m terribly sorry to summon you so unexpectedly and after such a long journey,” said Tarik in a deep yet soothing voice.

    “It was just a skip and a jump, nothing we can’t take,” replied Helena with a broad grin, ignoring Agent Valentine’s judging glare.

    “I’m terribly sorry about what happened to you, Young Lady Regina.”

    “Thank you, sir,” replied Regina, her heart skipping a beat. Tarik Mansuri remembered her name!

    “Which brings us to why I summoned you five here,” said Tarik taking a more solemn tone. “It has come to High Command’s attention that the case of CINDER is far from closed, they would like us to do something about it.”

    Tarik Mansuri activated his AR dial and transferred an encrypted file to each woman in the room. They quickly scanned the document and were surprised to see that they all had been transferred to a new unit.

    “Congratulations, Lieutenant Valentine,” said Tarik with a big smile. “You have always given us results. I’m confident this time it won’t be any different.”

    “My own unit?” asked Teri Valentine honestly taken aback. She had always seen herself as a lone operative, never a team leader.

    “Among our Ramah Taskforce operatives, you are the one with the most experience dealing with CINDER,” replied Tarik encouragingly. “The choice was not a difficult one.”

    “Taskforce Wrecking Belles?” asked Regina forcing a smile to mask her mixture of disappointment and resignation.

    “I pulled a few strings to allow your team’s name on the Ramah Taskforce roster. After all, we don’t get many Odalisques in our ranks.”

    “Thank you, Sir,” replied Theresa on the verge of tears.

    The four members of former Qapu Khalqi Unit Foxglove never liked being called Wrecking Belles, but this was Tarik Mansuri, and he was offering them the support of Ramah Taskforce in their war against CINDER; so, they swallowed their pride and accepted the name.

    “Now, all that’s left is addressing the issue of Young Lady Helena and Young Lady Regina having personal issues with CINDER.”

    Helena nearly choked on the tea she had just started to sip. While Regina’s ordeal at the Amberwitch was now public knowledge, not many people knew that Helena had been coerced to work for CINDER; and that it was due to her involvement in their illegal experiments that her Medical License had been permanently revoked.

    “We’re professionals, Sir,” began Regina, but was forestalled by Tarik Mansuri’s raised hand.

    “Ramah Aleadl is mostly composed of Janissaries,” said Tarik shifting his gaze to Theresa, Aurora and Teri. “Men and women saved from battlefields, slave trade, and other forms of oppression. For most of them, the war is personal. I invite you; Young Lady Theresa, Young Lady Aurora and Young Lady Teri; to make your job as personal as Young Lady Helena and Young Lady Regina.”

    All three women nodded solemnly; a fire lit inside their chests; steely determination visible in their eyes. And for the first time, Teri could understand why the four Odalisques admired so much the legendary Tarik Mansuri.

    “Welcome to Ramah Taskforce.”
     
  8. Golem2God

    Golem2God Just a Kooky Kumotail serving others.

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    @Danger Rose Another adventure for the ladies has come to a close & a new one is just beginning. Thank you once again for posting these stories. I certainly enjoy reading them.
    Does this mean we will get to see pictures of your Ramah Taskforce soon?
     
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  9. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    I'm still in the process of re-painting a few units (mostly Ghulam profiles I just never use, so I don't have the drive to paint them, and a Shakush proxy that I simply can't get to work listwise with my current Wrecking Belles roster). But the main force I'm taking to Salt Lake Showdown is ready and magnetized. I'll post a pic as soon as possible.
     
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  10. Golem2God

    Golem2God Just a Kooky Kumotail serving others.

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    That is good I guess. I hope you will get the drive to finish teh reminder of your units painting & converting.
     
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  11. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    Yeah, I've been toying with the idea of using the other minis in a second list that doesn't require any of the Wrecking Belles profiles (1Namurr, 1Nahab, 2Mukhtars), similar to what I did with the Sand Cats (one list was the Odalisques Core fireteam and the other was around the Iguana TAG).

    My plan for the second list would be to be a rival team for the Wrecking Belles, and play off their respective win-loss ratios as story points (especially since I'm currently working on introducing a Warcor into their antics).
     
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  12. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    Fox Hunter

    The trip to the Duban Prospection Site in Novyy Cimmeria had been a rather straightforward one. Ramah Task Force had such a good reputation, that Haqqislam corporations rarely denied them passage through their installations in order to infiltrate less friendly territory.

    The Wrecking Belles needed access to an Arachne Node in order to unscramble some of the backdoor dealings of Echo-Delta Holdings and get a better idea of how to better strike back at them. All previous attempts, done from the safety of Bourak, had been met with encryption levels beyond Aurora Numina’s hacking capabilities; so, the team decided to try their luck at Johnny-Five, the Arachne Node on Planet Dawn, a few miles North-East of Duban’s prospection site.

    Their target was an antenna array on the farther end of the Johnny-Five facility. After a short stakeout, it was deemed the most lightly guarded part of the complex.

    “How did you know about this place?” asked Delara Reza, a curly haired woman with a perpetual scowl, who specialized in motorized scouting. At first, the Wrecking Belles had been a bit hesitant about adding more people to their Task Force, but Tarik Mansuri requested them to take Delara in; and, well, the Wrecking Belles just couldn’t say no to the Amir of the Khawarij.

    “We were deployed here during the Kurage crisis,” replied Regina as she signaled Eddie, the Total Reaction Shihab Rem and Mini Maggie, the Guided Missile Launcher Shaytaniya one, to take positions at the left flank, while Helena, Aurora and Teri secured the right side of their advance.

    “But this unit is brand new.”

    “Oh, we were working for Qapu Khalqi back then. We’re Odalisques,” said Regina flashing a toothy grin.

    Delara opened her mouth, but a barrage from a multi-Rifle brought down the Total Reaction Shihab Rem.

    “Crap, we lost Eddie!” said Regina finding cover behind a building.

    “Yeah, yeah,” came Helena’s response on Regina’s comlog.

    “JSA scouting party,” said Teri Valentine nonchalantly.

    A string of very unladylike expletives made Delara raise an eyebrow.

    “It’s ok,” said Regina with a dismissive wave of a hand. “Doc curses like that when she gets shot. And if she can curse, she’s not really hurt.”

    “Not all of us have boobs of steel, Tanager!” replied Helena in a shrill tone.

    “Tanager?” inquired Delara a bit perplexed by the curious interaction between the purple-haired teen and the tall brunette with the evidently ample bosom.

    “Shit! I’m supposed to be doing your induction!” replied Regina.

    “Now?” asked Delara as Mini Maggie sent a missile into an Aragoto Rider, with a nasty looking scythe, trying to outflank their position.

    “I was supposed to do it on the trip, but…” said Regina apologetically.

    Delara gave her an understanding nod. Ramah Task Force operatives flew to their target locations in MSMC Drop Ships, the initials meaning ‘Maximum Speed, Minimum Comfort;’ and they lived up to their name. There had been a motorcycle and at least three Remotes between Regina and Delara during the trip, so there had been no room for pleasantries.

    “During operations we only refer to each other by our call signs. I’m Scarlet Tanager, the potty mouth is Doc Starlight, our Hacker is Battle Charmer and the parachutist still in the air is Obliterette.”

    “And the Lieutenant?” asked Delara furrowing her brow.

    “She’s Agent Valentine,” said Regina rolling her eyes. “She’s never told us her real name, and her file is restricted; so, we work with what we have.”

    “Do I get a call sign?”

    “If you decide to remain with us. We’re going after very dangerous people, and we’d rather you make an informed decision after you’ve worked with us a bit.”

    “Dammit, I can’t take a shot!” came Helena’s voice on Regina and Delara’s comlogs.

    “I’ll handle this!” said Theresa Maxwell flanking the Domaru Butai squadron.

    With unnatural speed and savagery, Theresa swung her wrist-blade taking out the closest Japanese armored trooper. The second one shot a barrage of shrapnel from a Chain Rifle, before being cut down as well.

    Right as the third Domaru Butai turned around to fight the berserk blonde, Helena shot him in the back.

    As Regina began to protest Helena’s dirty tactics, a heavy rocket incinerated Mini Maggie.

    “Ryuken Nine Operative on the central building rooftop,” she said in a serious tone, then gave a painful expression at the hapless campfire that was once Mini Maggie. “Bruno is going to kill us.”

    Bruno was the Monstrucker contractor who gave maintenance to the Wrecking Belles’ Remotes and equipment. A gruff and rotund man with a very short temper, matched only by his skill.

    A crooked smile crossed Delara’s face. At first, she thought this assignment was just a way to get rid of her; but now she realized why Tarik Mansuri had chosen this unit for her. These women were just like her.

    Delara launched a smoke grenade between Agent Valentine and the central building. She knew both Agent Valentine and Helena Slater were equipped with Multi-Spectral Visors, and could capitalize such an advantage.

    “All yours, Agent Valentine,” she said revving her bike’s engine and zooming towards the communications antenna further ahead.

    “Acknowledged,” replied Agent Valentine taking down the Ryuken Nine Operative with her Marksman Rifle.

    Delara then revved her bike’s engine and zoomed past the target antenna into the small access side street. From the rooftop of the building closest to her, three Keisotsu stepped up and pointed their Combi-Rifles at her. She immediately dropped a smoke grenade right next to her bike, obscuring their view.

    “The floor’s yours, Scarlet Tanager.”

    With inhuman speed, Regina moved towards the obscured transmission antenna and connected a Quantronic Datamining Device.

    “Charm, we’re good to go!” she said on her comlog, then proceeded to take down the Keisotsu with her spitfire.

    A silent shimmer displaced some of the smoke, it was almost imperceptible. The swift drawing of a blade was all the warning Delara had. With preternatural reflexes, she parried the blade with her Chain Rifle.

    “Omae wa mou shideru,” said the attacking shadow before letting out a loud groan as the tip of a tesseum bat was forcefully jammed in her abdomen.

    “I know you are, but what am I?” replied Delrara with a maniacal grin.

    A full swing of the bat connected with the assailant, and the lithe body of the legendary Shinubu Kitsune was flung away from Delara, and ended sprawled on the pavement.

    The last time Regina had been face-to-face with Shinobu Kitsune, the kunoichi had slayed Holly and most of the Sand Cats’ support team, then vanished before any of the Wrecking Belles could do anything about it.

    “How?”

    “I’ll tell you when you tell me how Odalisques joined Ramah Task Force.”

    “It will be my pleasure,” replied Regina with a toothy grin.

    While Aurora Numina monitored the data transfer, Regina told Delara the story of how the four Odalisques were exposed to an experimental bioweapon that the terrorist organization CINDER had been developing; and how the strange interaction between the bioweapon and their Subdermal Armor altered their physiology, putting them almost on par with Ramah Taskforce’s supersoldiers.

    Delara then explained that she had been part of the Saeiqa Supersoldier Program, but never made the quality control to be a fully-fledged Nahab.

    “I still remember the training, though,” she finished spinning the Tesseum bat with preternatural dexterity.

    Helena patched up Theresa as best she could. The Chain Rifle shrapnel had penetrated her skin in several areas.

    “I swear, before our accident I was never this squishy,”

    “You mowed down two Heavy Infantry units and dare to call yourself squishy? Geez!”

    Regina smiled at her friends’ exchange. Then turned to Delara, who had that intense look in her eyes once more.

    “What’s wrong?”

    “I want a call sign.”

    Regina’s smile widened even more. Delara had proven herself beyond any doubt. And having another teammate as scary as Obliterette, was a gift she was not going to refuse.

    “Welcome to the Wrecking Belles, Fox Hunter.”
     
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  13. Brokenwolf

    Brokenwolf Well-Known Member

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    Wonderful! I didn't realize how close Carmen's stat line and skills were to a Nahab until this great story! As always, I love your fiction! And now the Namurr is actually as tough as Regina!
     
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  14. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    Yes! I'm extremely happy with the Namurr changes. Lost NWI, but now has 2 Wounds, which means when she goes down she can be brought back. +1BS, +1CC and CC Attack (+1B), while not OP, for someone like me, who likes to make the most out of his units, instead of just using the best units, it's going to make using her as an aggressive piece more interesting. BTS 6 got me like "THIS IS OP!" but then @HeadChime pointed out that she had lost Bioimmunity, which explains it. I would have rathered an ARM 3, BTS 3 compromise, but overall I'm not complaining.

    The Namurr's Tactical Awareness profile helps to make my old list (with Doc Starlight as a Hakim) a lot more viable. I'll be testing it against Invincible Army next Saturday.
     
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  15. HeadChime

    HeadChime Well-Known Member
    Warcor

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    I feel this. The Namurr is really solid now, but I've only got the chance to play it once. I was moderately impressed.
     
    #55 HeadChime, Mar 28, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 28, 2022
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  16. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    Durgama Takeover

    Here are my Batreps for Phase 1 of Durgama Takeover. Sadly, these don't remain preserved for eternity (all the links for Flamestrike, Wotan and Kurage are down). I'll post a summary of the events that transpired, but if you wish to see them in "real time":

    Affair at Caramelldansen:
    https://durgamatakeover.warconsole.com/battles/danger-rose-vs-chaospanda-1657846534


    Join BiotechVera as she dogs every move of the Wrecking Belles and gets access to their TacNet conversations.

    The Magpie Conclave Strikes Again

    https://durgamatakeover.warconsole.com/battles/danger-rose-vs-chaospanda-1658154262

    As the Wrecking Belles get closer to the Equinox lead at the Darpan Xeno-station, the Torrid Trio of Reverend Custodiers, Stratagem, Verity and Amnesia, do their best to obstruct our heroines' investigation.

    And these are the only two of Phase 2:

    Wrecking Belles vs Crazy Cats
    https://durgamatakeover.warconsole.com/battles/danger-rose-vs-nomad-reaper-1658503520

    The Wrecking Belles square off against the rivals of the Sand Cats, Intruder Midnight's Crazy Cats. But will the Belles be able to take on the conniving Crazy Cats without the support of the Sand Cats?

    Close Encounters of the Simian Kind
    https://durgamatakeover.warconsole.com/battles/danger-rose-vs-warchitect-1658679458

    Leaving the Darpan region, the Wrecking Belles and Emergency Response Team Malak 6 encounter a mechanized squadron of Morats. Outgunned and outmatched, the Wrecking Belles face a new and improved Morat Aggression Force.

     
    #56 Danger Rose, Jul 19, 2022
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2022
  17. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    MISSION CRITICAL 2023
    001: Durgama Aftermath


    The Durgama incident exposed Equinox’s presence in Concilium. This would have been a cause of celebration for Regina Berger and The Wrecking Belles; however, they uncovered that her Geist had been corrupted when CINDER kidnapped her and released her with no memory of her week-long ordeal at their Lab Ship; and had been relaying Regina’s every move and conversation back to CINDER.

    This security breach required Aleph’s intervention; isolating and replacing Regina’s Geist. And given Aleph’s involvement with Equinox at Durgama, Regina’s new Geist was flagged as a security risk; taking The Wrecking Belles off the CINDER case, which was taken over by Hassassin Barham.

    No longer working undercover, Regina was finally free to properly communicate with her ex-husband, Dumar Al Dagher. When she was resurrected for the first time, Regina’s life before being Dumar’s wife felt like a foggy dream. She did not remember her parents, but somehow, she knew they loved her. She didn’t know why she was afraid of Antipodes and Dog Warriors, but that didn’t stop if from being visceral. What she did remember clearly was how much she loved Dumar, and how much she felt he loved her back. And he didn’t disappoint her.

    Despite his best efforts, Dumar couldn’t stop Daghercorp from filing and executing their divorce. The trial and appeals had been protracted and futile; especially since Dumar’s mother had been pressuring the Board of Directors to follow through. And rumors had it she had bribed at least two judges to make sure the divorce was finalized. Not that this was a surprise to Regina, the woman enrolled her at the Odalsiques Academy to ‘educate the Atek out of her.’

    However, there was no clause that could prevent Dumar from marrying Regina again. Which was exactly the first thing he proposed when they were allowed to communicate again. The fact that he had fought for their marriage and was going against his mother’s efforts to keep them apart struck a chord with Regina, who didn’t hesitate to reply ‘Yes’.

    Their joyous reunion was short lived, though. Just a week after the Wrecking Belles returned to Bourak, they were once again summoned by Malak Alrahma for a new assignment that would take them off planet once again.

    So, here she was, on her way to a space station in the middle of nowhere; slowly roasting inside a tech-coffin on a Maximum Speed Minimal Comfort Ramah Taskforce dropship; with her bodysuit peeled off to her waist; trying to rebuild her financial life with a new Vizier Geist that, Regina felt, didn’t seem to like working for an Atek.

    “I have registered Honey Badger Solutions LLC.” said the dispassionate holographic image of an orange skinned female Djinn. “As requested, shares have been transferred to Theresa Maxwell, Aurora Numina, and Helena Slater’s portfolios. An ill-advised move. It facilitates you losing control of the company once again.”

    “I trust those women with my life, Rhiss.”

    “Noted. Your active fleet consists of five ships. Two equipped with Minotaur Engines. All manned and ready to start taking contracts.”

    “Tell Captain Angelo she has full discretion on choosing contracts.” said Regina wiping her sweaty brow with her forearm. Captain Zanetta Angelo had been one of the few Stargem Shipping employees who quit on the spot when CINDER’s front company, Eco Delta Holdings, made the hostile takeover; and was first in line to work for Regina if she wanted to start another shipping business.

    “It will be done.”

    “Thank you, Rhiss. That will be all.” replied Regina, stretching as much as her tech-coffin allowed her.

    “Incoming call from your Ex-Husband.”

    A holoscreen opened without warning, making both Regina and her ex-husband yell in equal measure of shock and embarrassment.

    “Whoa!” said Dumar covering his eyes.

    “What the fuck, Rhiss?” said Regina hurriedly pulling up her bodysuit and zipping it.

    “Bad time, as usual.” said Dumar with an embarrassed smile.

    “New Geist.” replied Regina mortified. Sure, there was nothing he hadn’t seen before, but there could have been other people at the other end of that call.

    “Really quick, I know we don’t have much time.” said Dumar looking more like a kid plotting some mischief than the CEO of a Megacorporation. “I got us booked for the 25th of Shawwāl. That gives you three months”

    “If things go well, I’ll be in Bourak by the end of the month.”

    “Do you have your guest list?”

    “Just the Belles. You?”

    “Sadiq, Abdul, Naseem and Murad. Witnesses?”

    “Theresa and Helena.”

    “Honeymoon?”

    “Local. Olabisi?”

    “Sounds perfect. Please be careful, Omega City One is a junkyard held together by spit and prayer.”

    “Hey, I’m a super soldier. What could happen?” said Regina with a wide grin.

    “You’re impossible.” finished Dumar shaking his head.

    Regina smiled and took a second to imagine Dumar and herself windsurfing at Olabisi. She had always wanted to go to that hidden paradise island. It was not part of the tourist circuit of Bourak, which made it even more attractive. Also, any excuse to get her six foot-two, bronze skinned, chiseled husband into a bathing suit was perfect in her book.

    Regina’s thoughts were rudely interrupted by a series of loud bangs at her Tech-Coffin hatch.

    “Tanager! Get over here!” came the muffled voice of Theresa Maxwell.

    “Sounds serious.” said Dumar with a smile.

    “With Blit it’s always serious.” replied Regina rolling her eyes.

    “Go save the Human Sphere.”

    Regina opened her Tech-Coffin and found Theresa Maxwell, Helena Slater, Aurora Numina and Teri Valentine in similar states of undress, sweating like pigs, and huddled up in front of a holographic model of a circular space station.

    “What’s up?”

    “Omega City One is currently under Martial Law.” growled Theresa.

    “Oh goodie.”

    Omega City One had been such a complete failure that there never was an Omega City Two. Overcrowded, underfunded and understaffed, it had increasingly become a safe haven for Space Pirates, Smugglers and Criminal Organizations; one of which was the Bio-Terrorist group called The Secret Ingredient, and its leader, a masked man known only as Lab Rat. They had a Biotechvore manufacturing laboratory hidden somewhere inside the space station; and the Wrecking Belles have been assigned to find it and shut it down.

    Martial Law meant that The Wrecking Belles would not get any support from local law enforcement. Not that Regina was expecting to get any; so far, The Secret Ingredient had been operating with impunity, and Regina was almost certain they had protection from either the authorities or some other influential group.

    “All hell broke loose down there.” said Helena with a worried expression. “The station’s main water treatment plant had a catastrophic failure, and there are riots in the affected Districts.”

    “The Private Security companies have their hands full.” said Teri in her aloof tone.

    Regina scanned the holographic model of the station and confirmed the presence of several Mercenary Companies working on Omega City One. JUSTICE was stationed at the two outermost districts, which belonged to the Oligarchs of the station. There was also the Jeppson Brewery Security Force and a Mercenary Company called Moonracer. She also noticed the presence of several gangs including The Blitzkriegs and The Northside Havocs, but the one that stood out to her was a name she hated nearly as much as CINDER.

    “Black Lotus is here?”

    Before they had been assigned to the Cube Smuggling Ring case, the Wrecking Belles were part of a Haqqislam Task Force on Mars investigating RajCorp’s involvement with illegal human experiments. They had turned the results of their investigation, including a super-soldier serum sample, to Unit Desert Scorpion to custody on its way back to Bourak. Sadly, Desert Scorpion turned out to be an infiltrated Black Lotus Strike Team. They stole all the gathered evidence and vanished without a trace. A humiliation Regina was not keen on forgetting or forgiving.

    “Well, that explains why no one can find The Secret Ingredient’s lab.” said Theresa with a scoff.

    Regina nodded in agreement. Black Lotus was a criminal organization with a very profitable arms trade on the Black Market. It was not farfetched to assume they were somehow linked to Lab Rat and his cronies.

    “Right, we’ll put a pin on that.” said Regina with effort. “What’s the deal with the water treatment plant?”

    “It seems to be a very aggressive virus inside the plant’s mainframe.” replied Aurora opening several holoscreens with news clips and a press release form the Mayor’s Office. “They have isolated it, but can’t seem to be able to delete it.”

    “Could you try using that Uber-hacker program you used on Revving Rose?” inquired Regina remembering their encounter with the Rogue AI at Novyy Granada.

    “It’s worth a shot.” replied Aurora melodiously. “I’d have to be on site, though. They put up some brutal firewalls to contain it.”

    “Very well, let’s try it.”

    Aurora nodded with a big smile, then spread her fingers and the Evo Rem in the back of the ship came to life. Regina understood that with the Evo Rem, Aurora could tap into restricted channels with more ease.

    “This is Scarlet Tanager of Taskforce Wrecking Belles.” Regina said once she had the thumbs up from Aurora. “Requesting permission to help with the water treatment plant situation.”

    “This is Chief of Security Ferro.” replied a no-nonsense sounding voice through Regina’s Comlog. “We have reports of armed hostiles inside the plant. The case has been reclassified as a Terrorist Attack. I’m sending you what Intel we have.”

    Regina blinked several times in disbelief. Usually, she was met with angry remarks questioning their intrusion into restricted channels. This was the first time she was even offered information without request. The situation must have been dire indeed.

    Regina shared the files with the rest of the Belles. A group called The Northside Havocs had taken credit for the cyber-attack on the water treatment plant; and were demanding the release of their incarcerated members, and yield control of Omega City One to their leader, in exchange for shutting down the virus.

    “Lethal force has been sanctioned.” said Chief Ferro in a cold, steely voice. “Godspeed Ramah Taskforce.”
     
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  18. psychoticstorm

    psychoticstorm Aleph's rogue child
    Moderator

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    That sets up to be great.
     
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  19. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    MISSION CRITICAL 2023

    002: We are the law.

    Infiltrating the water treatment plant was not a difficult task. The Northside Havocs didn’t take into account that by crippling the plant’s mainframe with their virus, they also lost access to the plant’s security cameras. Moreover, thanks to the firewalls that prevented the virus from spreading outside the plant’s Module, any Hacker in the area would be quantronically blind to Battle Charmer’s presence until she was inside their Hacking area, by which time it would be too late.

    Delara’s monocycle crossed the entrance to the plant’s control center, dropping smoke bombs into the barricaded thugs posted there, while dodging their incoming fire.

    “Showtime, Belles!” said Delara taking cover, followed by her faithful Rescue MUGEI [Military Unit of Genetically Enhanced Intelligence] Cat, Baguette.

    Doc Starlight then led the way into the main entrance. Her suit making brief copies of her that would blink in and out of existence, similar to a Holoprojector; making her a harder target. She waltzed through the smoke in a deadly dance, shooting short bursts from her Red Fury, bringing down every single one of the sentries. Scarlet Tanager never ceased to be amazed by the petite purple-haired woman, who was just as efficient with a Red Fury as she was with a Medikit.

    Moving as silently as an owl fly, Obliterette and Kyoko moved into the elevator hall and took out the guards in a flurry of blades; the young Ninja keeping up with the super soldier with deadly ease.

    Scarlet Tanager and Battle Charmer took the elevator to the second floor. As they reached the door to the Command Center, Battle Charmer signaled Scarlet Tanager to wait.

    “I can deploy the program form hereAAAAHH!”

    “Charm!”

    Battle Charmer dropped to her knees, holding her right eye with both hands. Scarlet Tanager saw blood trickling from Battle Charmer’s nose and from under her hands. After working for so long with Operative Valentine, and seeing her do the same to enemy Hackers, Scarlet Tanager deduced that there had to be a Killer Hacker on the other side of the door.

    The Amazonian brunette kicked open the Command Center’s door and rushed in; ending face to face with a Yu Jing Pheasant Rank Imperial Agent. For a second, Scarlet Tanager pondered that, maybe, the attack on Battle Charmer could have been an honest mistake.

    A barrage of four Chain Rifles peppered Scarlet Tanager’s body full of red-hot shrapnel. While only some pellets pierced her tri-weave reinforced bodysuit, none bypassed her Subdermal Armor. Which was of little comfort, considering how painful such an assault felt. Before Scarlet Tanager could even see her attackers, a shot from a Combi-Rifle struck her temple; cracking her AR mask and sending her reeling to the floor.

    Several hands took hold of her body. Scarlet Tanager could feel them cuffing her hands. She tried to tell them that it was a mistake, that they were on the same side, but only an unintelligible mumble came off her mouth. Something hard hit the left side of her face, making her see stars; then everything went dark.

    Scarlet Tanager had had her share of rude awakenings, but 50,000 volts of electricity to her armpits and lower back would take a very high spot in her top five most painful ones. The Yu Jing agents had placed a Stun Belt around her chest, with two Tasers under her armpits; and another one on her abdomen with the Tasers on her lower back. If she weren’t concerned with the immediate pain, she would have been outraged of their violation of her intimacy by placing the stun belts inside her still unzipped bodysuit.

    As the electricity contracted her muscles, she tried to scream, but found her mouth stuffed with something soft and a gag preventing her from spitting it out. The muscle spasms made her push backwards toppling the chair she was bound to; adding a resounding blunt trauma to the back of her head to her already mounting body aches.

    “You idiots! Pick her up! And next time hold the damn chair!” said a female voice outside her visual range. The language was clearly Chinese, but Scarlet Tanager’s Comlog translated the words in real-time and relayed it to her mask’s built-in bone conducting earphones.

    Scarlet Tanager then saw two Kwang Shi lean close to her and prop her chair up. She then scanned the room to see two more Kwang Shi, a severe looking female Celestial Guard and a male Imperial Crane Agent.

    Scarlet Tanager tried to speak through her gag and another electric discharge made her thrash on her chair once more. When it stopped, she locked eyes with the Crane Agent. She got the message quite clearly. Speak only when addressed.

    “Take off the gag.” said the Crane Agent.

    One of the Kwang Shi parted Scarlet Tanager’s hair and unlocked the gag from the back. As he removed the gag, Scarlet Tanager slowly spat the cloth inside her mouth.

    “You will speak only to answer my questions.” continued the Crane Agent.

    Scarlet Tanager nodded. Gathering information was an Odalisque specialty. A lot could be gained from appearance, voice patterns and very crafty counter-interrogation. So far, she gathered the Crane Agent was in charge; by the dirty looks the Celestial Guard gave the Crane Agent every few seconds, she hated his guts; and neither of them looked like they wanted to be here.

    “You are Regina Al Dagher, associate of the war criminal Obliterette.”

    Scarlet Tanager’s heart skipped a beat. At the moment she wasn’t Mrs. Al Dagher, but in three months’ time, she would happily be. Then, another thought interrupted her romantic musing.

    “Hey, how come Obliterette gets to be addressed by her callsign and I by my naAAAAAAHH!!!

    Another long electrical discharge told Scarlet Tanager that this was clearly not the time to be cheeky. At least, this time she was allowed to scream her lungs out. When it stopped Scarlet Tanager tried to stifle a whimper.

    “We can make your life unbearably difficult, but you don’t have to suffer unnecessarily.” said the Crane Agent in an unconvincing ‘Good Cop’ routine. “We can’t locate your ship, so you will call your people and offer an exchange. We release you if they surrender Obliterette to us.”

    “Oh, thank God!” replied Scarlet Tanager with a heartfelt sigh of relief. “And here I thought you were here for some other reason.”

    The Celestial Guard activated the stun belts again, but this time Scarlet Tanager didn’t thrash or scream; she broke her restrains as if they were made of paper; and with the speed of a cobra, she moved her arms over each of the chair-holding Kwang Shi; placing both of them in a headlock; and wringing their necks while mouthing a small plea for forgiveness.

    Both Kwang Shi detonated as they died, leaving only Scarlet Tanager and the horrified Crane Agent still conscious. The Crane Agent spoke, but Scarlet Tanager’s ears were ringing; her mask had finally broken off her face completely; and, while she could read lips, she could not understand Chinese.

    Scarlet Tanager advanced on the Crane Agent like a slasher from old horror movies. The Crane Agent shouted something else she couldn’t hear. She then cracked all the joints of her right-hand fingers as she closed her fist. No one would hear it, but she knew it happened every time she was going to punch someone as hard as she punched the Crane Agent.

    With the Crane Agent down, Scarlet Tanager picked up her scattered gear and saw that the door had been blasted by the explosion of the other two Kwang Shi that were in the room. She tried to get her bearings and noticed she was at an auxiliary port between Modules 4 and 5. A very convenient place to take someone to torture, since no one would hear them scream.

    She ambled the hallway back to a populated area, expecting more ISS agents on every turn. She didn’t encounter any; which she found a bit offensive, being underestimated like that. As soon as she opened the hatch into District Four, she activated the Evac signal on her Comlog. It was now that she noticed her bodysuit was in tatters, and that she had second and third level burns on her sides, chest, back, thighs and inside of her arms.

    So, no strapless mermaid gown for the wedding, she thought as her legs finally buckled and she fell butt-first on the floor of the alley.

    It didn’t take long for the Belles to find her and take her to their Ahaket Camp, the mobile medical facility that Taskforce Wrecking Belles is attached to. Fortunately for Scarlet Tanager, they were set up just outside of District Four.

    Doc Starlight oversaw her treatment, giving priority to Scarlet Tanager’s ears. There was no point in ranting at her if Tanager couldn’t hear the rant.

    Scarlet Tanager’s roommate was Battle Charmer, whose eye did explode, due to the quantronic attack from the Killer Hacker overloading her AR retinal implant. They both had to remain hospitalized for quite some time; in order for Scarlet Tanager to get the best in vat-grown skin grafts, and microsurgery to hide any scarring; and for Battle Charmer to get a cloned, AR enhanced eye to replace her lost.

    In their downtime, Battle Charmer told Scarlet Tanager that their mission had been a success, despite losing Tanager; and that they had earned the trust of Chief of Security Victoria Ferro, who turned out to be an Ex-Alguacil and a fellow Flamia Island Veteran. Tanager on her part told the Belles about ISS dogging them to hunt down Obliterette.

    With Scarlet Tanager and Battle Charmer out of commission, it was left to Obliterette, Agent Valentine, Kyoko and Delara to track down The Secret Ingredient and their Mobile Lab. With so much time in their hands, they also learned about Black Lotus’ place in the Organized Crime hierarchy.

    The Belles got the Mobile Lab’s movement pattern and predicted that it would be stationed on District Six by the time Scarlet Tanager and Battle Charmer were out of the hospital. They also learned that Black Lotus had been using the threat of releasing a Secret Ingredient Biotechvore on any District that didn’t comply to their racketeering. They have also kept the station’s Security Service in check, by arming and extorting the smaller gangs to keep the Security Service busy and spread thin.

    The latest attack on the water treatment plant was meant to weaken Omega City One’s Mayor, Robert Green’s standing, and boost the numbers of his political opponent Howard Gosselin. The Wrecking Belles’s thwarting The Northside Havocs benefited Mayor Green, but has put the Wrecking Belles on Black Lotus’ radar. Which is why very early on, they had kept their ship cloaked; and built the Ahaket Camp on the outer section of the space station.

    After a month and a half, Scarlet Tanager and Battle Charmer were deemed combat ready and allowed to leave the medical facility. And Scarlet Tanager was beginning to feel the pressure of taking out both The Secret Ingredient and Black Lotus in such a short time.

    “That’s impossible.” said Operative Valentine when Scarlet Tanager confided her concern. “We can’t take both of them at once. And taking down one will mean the other will feel threatened, and either hunt us down or try a ‘scorched earth’ shenanigan.”

    “You’re right.” sighed Scarlet Tanager feeling petty for even bringing it up.

    “Cheer up, Green Eyes. The man wants to marry you. Again! I don’t think in a month and a half he will change his mind.”

    Scarlet Tanager nodded feeling a bit better, and steeling herself for whatever was to come.
     
    Daireann likes this.
  20. Danger Rose

    Danger Rose The Wrecking Belles

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    Mission Critical 2023

    003: When a plan comes together

    The raid of The Secret Ingredient’s mobile laboratory went like a walk in the park. The Wrecking Belles found very little opposition. In a matter of minutes, all of the armed guards had been neutralized; and Battle Charmer and Operative Valentine were gathering as much data for later processing.

    “I’m the dumb Atek…” said Scarlet Tanager looking curiously at the lab equipment.

    “Slander.” replied Obliterette reflexively.

    “But none of this looks like Biotechvore manufacturing gear.” finished Tanager after gifting her best friend one of her big smiles.

    In their line of work, The Wrecking Belles have encountered Biotechvores and shut down their creators more times than they found comfortable. So Scarlet Tanager was, to her dismay, extremely familiar with the type of equipment used to create such monstrosities.

    “That’s because it’s not.” replied Operative Valentine reading a set of notes next to one of the lab computers. “This is a Quantronic Rooting and Splicing Lab.” she said matter-of-factly.

    “Wait, what does that mean?” inquired Scarlet Tanager feeling that she was about to learn a new thing about the Human Sphere.

    “Designing and distributing Quantronic signals that alter your thoughts and make you a slave of the creator.” said Operative Valentine showing the paper where the notes were written. In the bottom corner, stenciled in a high-tech looking font, Scarlet Tanager read one word that made all the hairs in her skin stand up.

    “Equinox…” read Obliterette equally horrified.

    “This is a Meme-Worm Dispenser?!?!” cried Doc Starlight horrified. She used to be part of CINDER before she became a Hassassins Whistleblower; so Scarlet Tanager knew to be worried whenever Doc got agitated about anything CINDER related.

    “Quite right.” replied Battle Charmer who had fully dived into the lab’s Quantronic Database, standing trance-like sided by several AR Dials. “I’m trying to get the origin and coding of the Meme-Worm but the firewalls and Quantronic defenses are-SON OF A GOD FORSAKEN CAMEL!!!”

    Battle Charmer’s AR Dials shattered and she dropped to the floor, taking her left hand to her temple.

    “Charm, are you OK?” asked Scarlet Tanager dashing to her friend’s side.

    “I’m fine…” replied Battle Charmer softly. “I triggered a SWORD cyber-attack. It was my fault.”

    At that moment, all the lab security doors swiftly closed and locked on their own. Scarlet Tanager saw Obliterette and Operative Valentine going to the control panels and try to override the lock-down.

    “Ah, such a pleasant surprise.” boomed a silvery male voice.

    A giant AR holoscreen appeared next to Scarlet Tanager, showing a slender man all dressed in white and wearing a full helmet with a minimalistic design that evoked an albino mouse or, as Scarlet Tanager pieced together, a…

    “Lab Rat.”

    “I’m honored to be known by you,” said the man tilting his head in acknowledgement. “I must admit, I’m a huge fan, Miss Apple Pie.”

    Scarlet Tanager froze. She had changed her code-name after the name ‘Apple Pie’ was defamed all over Mayanet as an Underground Cage Strip-Fighter. It was not good PR for Ramah Taskforce.

    “I bet you are.” replied Scarlet Tanager disgusted. She had his attention, that meant Blit and Val could work on getting them out of this place.

    “At first, I didn’t understand Reverend Verity’s obsession with you.” said Lab Rat twirling his right hand in a dismissive manner. “You survived VX-501 like your Odalisque teammates; but unlike them, you became far more formidable than them, with none of their shortcomings.”

    A chill ran down Scarlet Tanager’s spine. Lab Rat had casually mentioned the name of Scarlet Tanager’s torturer; he also knew the name of the Bio-weapon the Wrecking Belles had been exposed to, something the Wrecking Belles didn’t know; and to top it all, he somehow knew that Scarlet Tanager had been the only Belle who got significantly more resilient.

    “You are part of CINDER!”

    “Smart and beautiful. A deadly combination.” said Lab Rat tilting his head to the side once more. “Sit tight, you will make a superb trophy wife.”

    Scarlet Tanager’s skin crawled. They were sitting on a lab designed to turn people into thralls of Equinox. The implication of his remark made her nauseous.

    “Like hell I will!” said Scarlet Tanager shooting at the holo-projector on the top. “Blit, Val, get us out of here!”

    The lab rumbled and began to move on its own. Scarlet Tanager and Battle Charmer scrambled to the control panel, but the local system had been shut down remotely.

    “Give me the tl-dr!” said Obliterette now deploying a D-Charge and setting it on the reinforced door in front of her.

    “Lab Rat is a CINDER Operative and wants to bang Tanager.” said Doc Starlight, proving to Scarlet Tanager once again that she had no filter at all.

    “I meant the moving lab!” replied Obliterette annoyed.

    “Remote controlled. Local systems shut down. We’re trapped.” said Battle Charmer in her usual singsong manner.

    Obliterette detonated the D-Charge, making a small dent on the door.

    “That won’t work.” Shouted Operative Valentine from the other side of the lab. “These doors are magnetically sealed and able to withstand nuclear blasts.”

    “The floor too?” inquired Obliterette whipping out her last D-Charge.

    “Not that I know of.” replied Operative Valentine in an impressed tone.

    As Obliterette began to set the charge, there was the sound of a huge explosion, and the Wrecking Belles were lifted from the floor and slammed back into it.

    “Are you trying to kill us?” said Doc Starlight, who had fallen face-flat on the floor.

    “That wasn’t me!” answered Obliterette defensively.

    Another sequence of explosions sent the mobile lab tumbling; with the Wrecking Belles bouncing all over the interior, like rags inside a washing machine. The lab finished its movement on its side, with all the Wrecking Belles sprawled all over the bottom wall.

    A Monofilament blade slowly traced a large square on the now vertical floor of the mobile lab; revealing a Tohaa Cube Jaeger, followed by an imposing figure with grey hair, tinted glasses and smoking a cigar.

    “Jesus, Soraya, I think you killed everyone inside.” said the man surveying the inside.

    Scarlet Tanager struggled to get upright. Even in her current state, she recognized the manager of the Soldiers of Fortune.

    “Hannibal?”

    “Apple Pie! What are the Wrecking Belles doing here?”

    “It’s Scarlet Tanager now,” said Tanager s bit sheepishly. “And we came to shut down this lab.”

    “What a coincidence, that’s just what we did. You’re welcome.”

    Scarlet Tanager saw that a team of Neoterran Bolts flanked Hannibal; one of the female Bolts was sporting a Missile Launcher.

    Soraya, I presume; Tanager reckoned.

    “Funny, this doesn’t look like a Biotechvore lab.” said the observant Hannibal with a quick glance.

    “It’s a Meme-Worm Dispenser.” replied Scarlet Tanager trying to sound more informed than she actually was.

    “A what?”

    “A Meme-Worm Dispenser.” said Doc Starlight standing up. “It spreads a signal that penetrates through most AR systems, right into the brain and up to the Cube. It then hijacks the Cube and uses it to rewrite the targets’ memories of an event, or in more advanced cases, their loyalty to Equinox.”

    “Well, I’m eating my words. Soraya you’re no longer on probation, and are getting a bonus for this mission.”

    “We only knew of one mobile lab.” said Scarlet Tanager biting her lip. “Any chance that there are more out there?”

    “Not likely. These things are hard to conceal.” replied Doc Starlight reassuringly. “I’m surprised The Secret Ingredient actually built one to begin with.”

    “How long has it been operational?” asked Scarlet Tanager as she realized the dark implication of having this machine moving all over the station. “How many people could it have affected?”

    “At least a thousand.” replied Soraya pointing outside.

    A mob of people was running towards the tipped over mobile lab. Scarlet Tanager could now hear discordant sounds in the distance, the roar of thousands of Equinox mental slaves.

    “Everybody, prepare for battle! Spyrodooxx, get us a roof access!” said Hannibal as he activated his Comlog. “Laxmee, we need Evac ASAP! Thousands of hostiles!”

    The Cube Jaeger Spyrodoxx climbed to the top side of the lab, and began using his Monofilament blade to carve an opening.

    The Neoterran Bolt Soraya started shooting missiles indiscriminately. Much to Scarlet Tanager’s horror. But, as she tried to protest, Operative Valentine grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back.

    “This is not the time for moral dilemmas.” said Operative Valentine in a measured tone. “Those people are as good as Sepsistorized and you know it.”

    The Wrecking Belles and the rest of Hannibal’s team reached the top, in time to see hundreds of men and women running and yelling as they approached. The Bolt Sniper started shooting; and was soon joined by Operative Valentine and Doc Starlight, who had the longest ranged weapons among the Belles.

    “Chief Ferro, this is Scarlet Tanager. You need to lock down District Six now! We’re sending you the data, but time is of essence!”

    As Scarlet Tanager finished, a drop-ship descended next to the mobile lab and hovered level with the highest point.

    “I’m saving your ass.” said Hannibal with a grin. “But you will have to do me a favor in return.”

    Scarlet Tanager looked at the rapidly advancing mob, undeterred by missiles or bullets, disregarding life and limb for a master they wouldn’t have voluntarily followed.

    “Anything, just get us out of here!”
     
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