Wendy steps out of the room, looking not so angry, but a little… worn.
”86? Please join us.”
"Things have been safe enough," Nines says to 86. "We have thus far avoided drawing too much attention to ourselves this far away from Terran civilization. But as you have seen, there is no way that we could have remained hidden forever. Still, I am confident that we will be able to resume our mission soon enough."
Sua Eck merely grunts.
***
Tyr Gal shrugs his shoulders at 86's question about her pod. "Bad luck, unfortunately. The ship suffered heavy damage as we entered Earth's atmosphere. A fissure opened up in the hull near the stasis bay, and your pod was closest to the breach. You are fortunate that the structural integrity of the pod itself remained secure, or we would not be having this conversation now.
"Given your unique relationship with the Terrans, it would not be the best use of your skills to have you working on the matter compressor. I would ask that you stay with this team that has taken you in, at least for the time being, and do what you can to aid the pack alongside them."
***
While Wendy invites the others to speak with her one-on-one or in small groups, Megan glances around the enclave. There's no sign of Tumbler. Where has she gone?
***
This was probably a stupid idea for Tumbler. But she wasn't about to let the team do something even worse by nabbing these hired guns. Someone had hired them and she aimed to learn what she could and negotiate in good faith.
First thing she needed to do though was find out if she was in control. Extend the peripherals of her metal sense and see if she could grab what made them dangerous.
Looked like she would have to get too close to figure that out. Well, this was always going to be a bit of a gamble.
"Sorry for before, friends, She calls out. "Think everyone was too jumpy before. Which is why I came alone to talk."
"Hold, Shell," Carbine says as she walks up beside the other woman. The redhead has a pistol drawn and trained on Tumbler. "I remember this one from my A.E.G.I.S. days back in Halcyon. The White Rabbit's apprentice, Tumbler Locke. Looks like we both found ourselves on opposite sides of where we started. Where's the rest of your team, Tumbler?"
"If you know me, then you know I don't care for threats when it's easier to negotiate," Tumbler tells Carbine. It's not the first pistol ever leveled at her head. "As for my team, they're arguing right now and getting nowhere. So I sought to take some initiative since it didn't seem like we were getting anywhere."
She turns slowly so as to not set off any hair triggers as she looks out at the mountain range. "Though I suppose we did find the rest of the aliens. They're eggheads in giant furry bodies capable of twisting steel in their grip. There's far more than even you two would be able to deal with on your own. But you and your employer probably know that. Which is why you'll have your back up ready to come in to help."
She looks back over her shoulder at them. "However, what we want from them requires for the team to take care of you both. I find that it's easy enough for everyone to get what they want. If you leave, pretending to give up the job, they'll be less guarded. My team gets what we want today. And tomorrow, you can use the tracker I'll plant to get what your employer wants."
"I mean, the fact I'm here on my own instead of leading a whole mess of furballs to wreck you both seems like a pretty good clue that I'm being honest. The base and everything you find in it is yours, if you can lay low long enough for my team to get out of the crossfire," She tells them plainly and as honestly as she can be. "Give it until morning. We'll be out of your way by then."
"But, I understand you might want something real to bring back to your employers," She adds, before revealing a piece of tech from the Treznaks she'd slipped out with that was quite shiny, and as far as she knew did nothing important. "Unfortunately, slipping a whole seven foot tall cat plushie out unnoticed is beyond even my capabilities."
While she's talking, she wracking her brain for ways that she could resolve this without a fight.
”Alright. This’ll do for now. You’ve got until tomorrow morning. Then we make our move.”
"Glad we could come to an agreement. Now, because my team might not believe I've run you off, I'm going to set off an avalanche. Just have enough to do a controlled snow blast, so that should make them feel content and off of their guard," She says to them, nodding at them as they part ways.
She turns after a minute to give them time to get out of the potential danger zone. A small charge designed for blowing out locks wouldn't do much, but it would probably be enough to convince them she was serious about this plan.
Tumbler to her credit does not drop her bomb when Megan reveals herself. She bites onto her lower lip to keep from yelling, as the sound would carry. She turns to Crimson Tide and asks, "How much of that did you hear?"
She glances back towards where Carbine and Shell have left to make sure they're out of sight, checking for any microphone they might have planted on her just in case before speaking again. "Look, I have zero clue what our fearless leader is doing with these interviews of hers, but it's not getting the job done. Those two are just the scouts to a larger mission that'll come in force. And I take from their reactions they care less about the Treznaks and more about their tech."
"So, the plan as I've told them is that I'll have a tracker turned on so they can be ready to take the base. I plan to honor our agreement - they can have whatever they find in there. But what they find will be up to us. Either the Treznaks will dig in to their dying breath firing what weapons still work on their ship until one side remains standing - or, we convince them to scuttle everything they can't carry and come with us off the mountain. I would prefer the latter, and leave their employer with nothing more than slag to pick at when they come."
She crosses her arms across her chest. "...Though, there's also the back-up plan of leading them into an ambush, kicking their asses and doing the victory selfie. That'll be great until the next group comes up looking for them."
"I haven't thrown in with them. I..." Tumbler looks a little flustered, obviously not having thought she'd need to defend her actions, at least so soon. "I'm just trying to make sure that wherever the dice land, we still come ahead. I don't want anyone on the team getting killed, so I'll scrape up as many advantages as I can."
She sighs, glancing back over her shoulder. "The annoying thing is that I was hoping to get them to slip and give me some idea of their employer. There's too many power people who'd want to strip an alien ship for parts. I doubt that it would be the Curator though. Someone else's purse strings have been loosened to fund this venture."
She looks at Megan again. "You think I'm acting foolishly? It's hard to read you when you're all sharky like this," Tumbler tells her, trying to figure out if she thinks that the thief is acting like a selfish person.
Wesley arrives in her prison, barely noticing that she is clad in her harem's outfit. Her mind is in a tumult, running through her memories of Wendy and second-guessing every thought and action she'd taken since being wished back to Earth from Razarra. She hadn't known Wendy rubbed the lamp, so everything she'd done was with the illusion of free will.
Ignorance truly is bliss, she realizes bitterly.
Their relationship had progressed, first with Wesley trapped as a girl, then trapped as a guy, and then back again. Wendy had started firmly as a lesbian. She started to like Wes when he'd been female, and realized the depth of her feelings when he'd become male. Was I just being what she needed at the time?
She looks down at herself. "Why am I a girl again?!?" she blurts out to the ornate chamber.
Wendy stares at the lamp.
I need to be in there, she thinks.
Wendy taps the lamp.
”Hey, you didn’t take me in the lamp when I really needed you to come out. And if you were sensitive to my wants and needs, you wouldn’t have escaped inside or doubted me to begin with.
“I don’t know what else to say, Wes. Our whole relationship was a lot of me changing myself to please you. I didn’t just flip a switch and turn bi…
“I… I just faced the fact that you were a guy in a girl’s body. You wanted a one-nighter, and I almost died and said yes because… I mean—look at you.”
She tries to be empathetic but also brutally honest.
”The way you question the authenticity of our relationship over me being honest that I rubbed it is selfish—and it cheapens my feelings for you. What lesbian dreams of a guy rocking her world?
“No lesbian, that’s who? If I was magically forcing you into s*~#, I’d change you—not myself. I’d make you like it so much you’d never be a guy again. And you’d introduce me to your parents like I keep asking you to!”
Despite the harshness of her words, her tone isn’t.
”There are exactly TWO explanations of this:
“One - buIIshit. The lamp doesn’t overtake your will.
“Two - it doesn’t because I don’t.”
Wesley paces back and forth. She'd changed herself, trying desperately to agree with Wendy. She wanted desperately to believe that it wasn't the lamp that made her relationship with Wendy possible. That she hadn't become a girl because that's what Wendy desired.
She forces herself back into male Wesley. "Whoa..." she voices in her deeper voice. It sounded odd to her. Her body was too big, and the harem's outfit looked ridiculous.
It was a relief to switch back. "Oh, damn, what have I done?"
The lamp rings like a gong. Someone was tapping it.
Wesley appears before Wendy. Before she opens her mouth to speak, Wendy eviscerates her -- gently but forcefully -- about her doubts about the lamp's power over her and her will. She listens, nodding, knowing that she deserves it.
"You-- you're right. I'm sorry. I panicked. I've been afraid my powers are growing too fast and my doom is right around the corner. This was... just the last thing I needed right now. Like, imagine if the one good thing in your life was all of a sudden a lie?"
She looks down at her body. "... And I think I screwed up."
”You didn’t screw up. You asked a legit question, and fortunately, it’s answered beyond the shadow of a doubt.
“Now, are you ready to kick a cyborg’s steel ass?”
|
<"Well I am glad to see you both relatively unhurt."> She placed a grasper on Nine's large arm reassuringly, >"I must speak with Tyr'gal about my assignment, be well Nines."> if Megan had stayed long enough to witness the transaction, this was about as close to physically comforting as most Treznak got in their company.
Standing more rigid after being given orders to accompany the terrans 086-732 had to worry slightly that she had done something to eqrn the pack's ire. Though she did already have a more or less settled relationship with the crew. <"I shall work with them and do my best to establish relations with the local forces to secure our position and resources to aid the repair effort. Before we leave the area I shall see about working with 086-729 and setting up a tight-band communications relay so that we may stay in touch easier."> It was shortly after that that Wendy called her into the ship section, but she waited for dismissal to leave Tyr'gal's side.
Stepping from her time with Wendy, 086-732 nods to Tyr'gal, "We shall commence when Wendy-red is ready. For the time being I am going to do what I can to assist here while we are present." She starts towards her batch sibling. "<086-729 I see you are assembling the matter compressor. It seems to be progressing slowly? Do you require a pair of helping paws? We all know Engines are your speciality.">
"No, it was that I--" Wesley trails off. They have hero work to do. They can sort everything else out later.
"Um, nevermind. Okay, yeah. Let's go kick some cyborg ass."
She draws her cloak around herself and floats a couple feet off the ground. "What's the plan?"
Wendy admits, ”I don’t have one.”
She says this, but her mind is obviously racing. ”Those two women, alone, cocky, unafraid of a bear-cat-thing, outnumbered by us and still cocky…”
She’s trying to figure out the opponent’s long game, then reverse-kaos-theory her way to the next logical step, plus the illogical alt-step.
She looks to Wes’ boobs for help. Her eyes are up…
Wesley doesn't seem to mind Wendy's eyes focused on her chest. Or doesn't seem to notice...
"Well, their bullets pinged off Meg-- Crimson Tide harmlessly enough. They probably have heavier caliber weapons, though. They weren't prepared for Ziss' tech, and having metal parts is a pure liability when facing Tumbler. Dervish, too, is squirrelly enough-- Where'd he go? <Sigh>"
She draws Wendy into a hug. "We can take them, I'm sure of it. Just as long as we make sure you, Ziss, or Tumbler doesn't catch a bullet. Maybe... you remember Jurassic Park? 'Clever girl?'"
Wendy grins, ”All too well.
“Ruined a perfectly good character in that scene. In the book, the hunter has a rocket launcher and blows a raptor’s leg off! The lawyer’s a weightlifter, not a balding joke who dies on the s!$!ter, and Malcolm dies beautifully and the geezer also dies, as he deserves!”
For some reason, Wes getting Wendy to rant about the major differences between a 20th century book and 20th century film get her riled, but in a good way. Her mind is triggered to look into branching possibilities that end in two opposing outcomes. ”And even the book hunter backed into a pipe and worried he’d get bit in the ass!”
" 'S not that complicated. I asked you if you thought it was a smart plan 'cause I wanted your answer. You're always thinking, but you don't carry the same baggage about it as Derbs, so I figured I could just ask you if it was a good idea as opposed to one you where you were proud of how clever it was."
She shrugs, tucking her hands into her armpits for warmth. "Seems to me we care more about getting intel from the mercs than keeping a relationship with 'em, and 's kinda the other way around for the treznaks. Ambushing Carbine and Shell with your trick sounds like a good way to make it all work."
Wendy deduces that Carbine and Shell are likely just advance scouts for a larger force. They most likely are trying to locate the Treznak enclave before informing their employer. Their best way to do that would be to confront an isolated individual and either convince or coerce them to divulge the information they're after.
Speaking of isolated individuals...where did Carmen and Megan get off to?
”Plan: part A. Locate Tumbler and Crimson Tide.”
Once Ziss, Arcana and 86 are ready, the Darling Derby moves out!
Wendy easily finds the pair. Crimson tide is neither sharky nor dressed for the weather. Damn, she’s tough!
”I see you’re taking initiative. Good to know. I’m come to some conclusions about the scouts’ play, but maybe you two know something I don’t. Please, spare no detail.”
As Wendy is questioning Tumbler and Megan, Ziss comes closer to Wes and whispers to her. "Yes or no question, honest please. Do you fink it is good for Wendy to always expose herself wifout caring for her wellbeing?"
Wesley twists her beautiful mouth into a frown. "Your question is loaded. Of course it's not good if she doesn't care about her well-being! But are you sure she doesn't? Let me ask you: would you think it's good if she always stayed in the back and never fought because she was afraid to get hurt?"
"A NO then. Yes, I'm sure, she told me. She can defend herself pretty well, but she chooses not to do so because she wants to have a good reputation and don't look weak." She says, and then frowns as well. "I did not say she should be in de back. I've asked about exposing herself wifout caring for her safety. Does it have to be one extreme or de oder? Eider have no regard to her safety or be cowering in de back? Can't she just punch wif one arm and block wif de oder?"
Wesley sighs. Ziss's concerns were completely legitimate, but she had to acknowledge that Wendy's reckless disregard for her own safety was working. And she'd always be there to shield her.
"There's a saying on Earth: 'Sometimes the best defense is a strong offense.' It means that committing fully to an attack can actually be a good thing. It puts the other side on full defense so they don't get a chance to fight back."
Her eyes glow blue. "Besides, I'm not going to let her get hurt."
Tumbler has a somewhat desperate look to her as she walks to Megan. "I hate how I can't lie to you," She complains before putting her forehead to the girl's torso. "I...I'm scared, Meg. All the time. So I'm always looking to increase my chances of survival. I keep worrying what will happen if it's another choice between the team and my own skin..."
She places a hand on Megan's abdomen and looks up at her. "...I don't want to live like that anymore. It's lonely." She looks up at her eyes intensely, biting on her lower lip in a worrying way...
When the rest of the team find Megan and Tumbler, the smaller of them quickly steps back from the Bull and straightens herself out. "Oh. Well. I might have agreed to sell the Treznaks out," She tells Wendy. "But really, we're going to lay an ambush. I'm going to set a tracker for them to follow. They'll be bringing their reinforcements with them in the morning. Gives us time to set up a place to trap them and take them down."
”Good thinking,” the Derby replies. ”So you stalled the scouts, took the liberty of buIIshitting them… and I trust the ambush is just us, 86 included?
“If we bring in the treznak, I’m concerned they’ll use lethal force.” She did not miss the word ‘reinforcements.’ ”How many people we gotta worry about?”
Ziss crosses her arms. "Being reckless and being brave are different fings." She then sights, defeated. "I guess I'll never understand. I'm glad dat you are wif her, Wes, for now I'm certain I could not be in your place... I could not back her up in dis matter."
"Just... can you promise me dat you will keep her safe? Even if she'd rader hurt herself?"
Wesley's eyes continue glowing blue as she speaks. "I could put her in the lamp and never let her out. I could trap her in amber and preserve her for a thousand years." She looks straight at Ziss as some of her genie powers swell around her. "Is that safe enough? How about putting her into a bubble and hiding her at the bottom of the ocean? Shall I turn her into living diamond? Shrink her beyond perception? Send her beyond the farthest reaches of the universe?"
Wesley forces away the nimbus of power around her and she looks human again. "Be careful what you wish for," she whispers hoarsely.
Ziss seems rather shocked with Wesley's response. "You... what is wrong wif you?... you know dat is not what I meant..."
Scared and feeling strangely alone, she steps back from Wesley's show of power. "I wish you had never found dis f%!*ing lamp..."
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY!?!?! she shrieks in shock and outrage!
The Jinn glows painfully bright with a pulse of power and then stands, unchanged, in the snow. She opens the large cloak and checks herself, revealing a stunningly attractive body wearing the harem's outfit. She closes up the cloak, then glares at Ziss.
"I didn't FIND the lamp, Ziss!!! You wished to undo something that didn't even happen!"
"Well, they know what aliens they're dealing with and I'm also assuming they know the size of the crashed ship they're looking for. If we're talking forces just to secure the ship and fight back against the Treznaks...minimum a crew of a hundred. Less if they're bringing in more heavies like Shell and Carbine, but definitely a force that's more than guaranteed to get them access to the ship and strip it down. The black market for alien tech is honestly thriving these days." Tumbler explains with her knowledge of this risky business.
It's about then that things sort of explode around Wes - when did she become a girl again? - and Ziss. It seemed fairly apparent what had happened, the forbidden word being used. She really didn't want to get involved in any more drama today. "Everything all right?" She asks.
Wendy turns around. ”Ziss?! There is no WTF in Team!”
S@&%.
Wendy storms over. Calm. Public. Don’t shame her. ”I should have insisted you stay in the private meeting until I dismissed you. Since you chose to walk out, I’m forced to address you here and now.
“I did not defy you or Carmen when you were on Lead. I expect the same courtesy when I’m on Lead, which in case you forgot, is Usually.
“You’re out of line. The lamp is or…was Wes’ business, and the W-word is never to be uttered still without Wes’ consent. I am asking you very kindly:
“Stop being reckless.
“Yes. Reckless. You acted without thinking, and the proof is in the end result. The solution is to focus on using your own abilities, not W-wording everyone else to conform to your perception of how they should be.”
"Something happened."
She closes her eyes and tries to think, but it was like that time Carmen wished to see the Curator's face. She just did it, without thinking even of how she might do it. This was the same, except Ziss's wish was impossible to grant.
Wasn't it?
A feeling of dread creeps over her.
Ziss instantly covers her mouth, realizing she had accidently voiced her thoughts. Her eyes go wide as Wes shrieks at her and they stay that way while Wendy berates her. It takes her a couple seconds to react.
"I... I... Request permission to cool off and gader my toughts. I'll return in ten minutes." She asks to Wendy.
”Of course, Sister.”
Wendy takes Ziss’ hand just long enough to give a gentle squeeze, but not lingering because she’s trembling with bottled rage.
She contemplates the numbers. ”Hundreds. S%$+. This could result in multiple deaths, Tumbler. Your power over metal will help of course, but… this plan to wait for doom has too many possibilities. I want to bet on the ones that don’t likely end in a bloodbath.
“Explain your ambush. My lack of bulletproof skin may be biasing my mental kaos diagram.”
To Wes, ”My favorite part of the book. It’s like Crichton gets how I think!”
|
|
The terrans were easy to follow especially with all the yelling suddenly. 86 plods up towards them and gives a quizical look across the entire batch. It was probably for the best that she had been assisting the other Treznak with things and missed the conversation previous.
"What has happened, are the two hunters dealt with? That was efficient, where are the bodies? We must make sure they are handled with care. Despite their intent it would be best to not start diplomatic incidents, and turning them to your local authorities would do well to ensure a stable supply for my own people." As she assessed the situation, she noted that Wendy looked like she was reprimanding Ziss. Ziss looked like a frightened Bigglepup and about to flee, must have been something serious.
"I have also been given orders to aid you for the time being." Her voice remains flat and orderly as if simply belting off a report of orders.
Ziss steps back and pulls her hand from Wendy's, before turning around and hovering towards the mountains. Her suit would keep her protected from the extreme cold.
~~~~
About fifteen minutes later, she returns to where the others were gathered and planning. "I fully realize I've made many mistakes and I do intend on correcting all of dem as soon as possible. Derby, rest assured dat I will not undermine your autority anymore." She says, before turning to Wes. "Arcanum, I'm deeply sorry to have done what I did. It was an accident, dough I'll not fault any of you for not believing dat. Nonedeless, I promise dat I'll do everyfing I can to undo any harm I did to you wif my mistake."
Said that, she pulls her white fox mask and covers her face. "Let me know how I can assist during de remaining of dis mission."
"I set the signal for them and they come. We borrow one of the Treznaks camouflage devices to give it some legitimacy and lure them in. They'll expect us to be gone so we got to make it look like the Treznaks are putting up a fight but are outgunned. Make them over-confident and charge in without reserves," Tumbler says as she plots out the ambush.
"We'll have to locate a good location with a bottleneck and two ways in or out at least. Then, once they're in and they realize the ploy, that's when we'll strike. Take out their exits, strike any powered players first hard and fast, and mop up the goon squad," She finishes. "I mean, smart play in that scenario is they surrender. It's not like we can arrest them or turn them over to the cops."
She finishes as 86 shows up, waving to the alien Outsider. "Hey, so, they've left the mountain for now. They'll be back in the morning with reinforcements. We're planning to lead them into an ambush."
The Derby agrees, ”A bottleneck and means of blocking exits will suffice.” To 86 (and maybe Tumbler?) she adds pointedly, ”No killing.”
|
|
Wondering about Ziss leaving 86 grunts in response to Wendy, "I make no promises. I will do my best, but if my life and those of my pack are threatened, you understand?" She thinks about an ambush, a tactic that has fallen out of favor unless expecting a truly overwhelming force.
"I can warn the others have them set up defensive measures... though they would be lacking given our current lack of ready materials. I will do my best to assist during this coming battle however. So long as it means the pack is safe, and the command given to you is fulfilled."
"It's too late," the Jinn replies to Ziss's apology. "The damage is done."
As the time comes to engage the enemy, the magical being tries to draw energy to herself.
There's a soft, strangled cry as pulling magical energy to herself is more taxing than she'd expected.
Wendy says to 86, ”Assume that lethal force from an alien force will draw unwanted attention from the military. There’s your incentive not to kill.”
"It certainly is." She replies.
|
|
The alien thinks for a moment her brow creasing, before she puffs her chest out again. "Ah a personal challenge of my skills. To fight and kill is simple, but to fight and incapacitate for later interrogation!" She muses wistfully at the promising aspects of such a task, totally ignorant of why Derby and the gang might actually want to not kill anyone.
<"Since I am to accompany you I do have questions. How is it you know our language strange Siss.>" She shifts from the translator to actual Treznian which seems to fit theisculature of her jaw much better than when she tries to sound out human words naturally.