by Baron Sord
Watching her fade into the distance reminded me of the day Lady Liberty and I had met, when LL had dropped me off here and driven away without looking back. Today, yet another perfect woman was leaving me at my house with zero interest in seeing me again.
Talk about bad luck with women.
Who said looks were everything?
They certainly weren’t helping me any.
When the Mustang approached the gate, the gate opened automatically.
This was it.
Stazia was leaving and never coming back.
I heaved a sigh. I’d get over it.
The car’s brake lights suddenly lit up red and the car stopped. The driver’s window whirred down and Stazia stuck her head out and shouted, “Doug! C’mere a sec!”
I hesitated.
Arnold chortled quietly, “Better go get her.”
“She’s not interested,” I said sourly. “I’ll explain later.”
“She sounds interested to me. Go already.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Go already!” he hissed.
“Fine,” I grumbled and jogged up to her car and leaned over her window. “What?”
“C’mere.” She nodded her head once. “I want to tell you something.”
“What?” I sighed and leaned my hands on the window frame and hung my head.
She grabbed the collar of my polo shirt and twisted it in her fist. “If you tell anyone about us, I will totally kill you. Do you understand?” Her emerald eyes glimmered with intense emotion.
“Yeah, yeah,” I groaned. “I’m a man of my word.” It was true. “I won’t say anything.”
“Good. Now kiss me.” She yanked hard on my polo shirt and pulled me toward her.
Surprised, I nearly fell forward and my lips crashed into hers.
Her tongue dove into my mouth and attacked mine.
For a second, I was startled, then I kissed back hungrily.
Woman could kiss.
Like she was eating me alive in the best way possible.
The sensation was overwhelming, bolting down to my dick like a stroke of lightning.
No woman had ever kissed me like this.
I could only imagine what those lips could do elsewhere…
Before I could even think, Stazia broke away and grinned at me, “Don’t tell anyone about that either.”
“Can I tell him?” Grinning, I hooked a thumb at Arnold.
“Go, Doug!” Arnold started clapping, then put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly like you do at a rock concert, “PHEE-EW-WEEE-EW-WEEE!”
I laughed at him, “Do you mind?”
“Encore!” he laughed, still clapping. “Kiss him again!”
“Oh my God,” Stazia blushed and covered her face with one hand before peering at Arnold through her long and slender fingers. Yes, even her hands were gorgeous. She muttered, “Who is he again?”
“My best friend,” I grinned.
“I can see that,” she giggled.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s awesome.”
She nodded.
I looked down at her cleavage.
She saw. “Stoooop,” she drawled like she did want me to look, but not right now. “I have to go. We’ll talk when I’m back in town.”
“Where are you going?” I couldn’t wait to see her again and she hadn’t even left.
“East coast for a bunch of trade shows.”
Not only did YouDoIt cater to B2C (Business to Consumer) clients, it also catered to B2B (Business to Business) clients. We had a number of software products aimed at corporations ranging from individually owned LLCs to Fortune 500 enterprise companies. That was why we had a sales team with people like Stazia working in it.
I said, “When do you come back?”
“Next Wednesday,” Stazia said.
“Wednesday in five days, or Wednesday in twelve days?”
“Um,” she chuckled, “twelve.” She nodded. “Definitely twelve. See you then?”
“Do you want me to pick you up at the airport?”
“Such a gentleman,” she said.
“That’s me,” I grinned.
“Work sends a limo for me. If I cancel, someone’ll ask questions.”
“Got it. I guess I’ll see you at work?”
She shook her head, “You most definitely will not. Gossip factory, ’member? Buy me dinner on Friday after I get back.” She frowned. “That came out wrong. I’m not a gold digger.” She patted the steering wheel of her Mustang affectionately with both hands and said, “I buy my own toys. No man is paying my way.” She probably had no idea she was saying all the right things. She smiled, “Take me to dinner when I get back?”
“Gladly. I’ll even pay.”
“We’ll split it. Give me your phone and I’ll put my number in.”
“I have a habit of losing phones.” Prior to getting my super powers, I never lost phones. But these days? Forget it.
“You too?” she laughed.
I tapped my head, “Tell me your number and I’ll remember.”
She did.
I asked, “Can I text you while you’re gone?”
“I’ll be super busy with clients, but you can try.”
Not wanting to push my luck, I said, “We’ll talk when you get back.”
She smirked, “I didn’t say don’t text me.”
“Okay,” I grinned. I knew women liked to know you were thinking about them. Sleazy Gigi had taught me that. At least Gigi had been good for something. She would piss her panties if she saw me now — in a bad way, for those of you into golden showers. You know, Gigi would piss herself while she was talking to her boss or in church or over at Jean’s parents’ house while sitting in Jean’s mother’s favorite chair. That kind of piss herself — the embarrassing kind.
Stazia smiled, “I should really go. I have a million things to do before my limo picks me up.”
“Drive safe.”
She reached out, grabbed my shirt, and kissed my again. This time with no tongue. She broke away before I could blink. “Bye-eeee!” She waved out her window as she drove into the street.
I walked up to Arnold with casual ease.
He said, “You could eat shit with that grin. Or her.”
I winced.
He added hastily, “But only after washing your mouth out first. Gargle with mouthwash for like two hours.”
Grimacing, I shook my head, “Stop while you’re ahead.”
“Right,” he nodded. “What’s her name?”
“Stazia.”
“For real?”
I nodded.
“Very sexy,” he said.
“You can say that again. I’ll tell you about her inside.”
“Just tell me you banged her,” he chuckled. “Unlike with Vanessa. Wait, Stazia’s not married, is she?”
“No,” I grinned.
“Good. Did you bang her or not?”
“Almost,” I said like I planned on sealing the deal, which I did.
“Nice! My man!” He held up a fist.
I bumped it. “I’ll tell you all about it over burritos. I’m fricking starving.”
“Dinner’s on me tonight. But you have to tell me everything.”
When we finally sat down to eat takeout Mexican food in the main house in front of Arnold’s TV, I started by telling him about Stazia giving me a color copy of her boobs.
“She gave you WHAT?!” he laughed. “No freaking way!”
Chuckling, I told him the rest.
—: Chapter 12 :—
Tick!
Tick!
Tick!
Tick!
Lady Liberty was screwed.
She had six minutes to stop the viral bomb.
It was hidden somewhere here in the outdoor pentagon-shaped park that connected the 200th floors of the five Tokyo Towers standing proudly in the center of Megapolis.
If the bomb blew, it would scatter a deadly airborne virus across Megapolis.
The payload of alien DNA was designed to kill humans but spare the city’s massive population of Mutam (mutant-animal) inhabitants.
Lady Liberty was determined to find the bomb and stop it.
The three evil Mutam master criminals who’d planted the bomb were determined to stop her.
Rhinock, a rhinoceros-octopus mutant hybrid.
Tygor, a tiger-gorilla.
Grizzlion, a grizzly-lion.
The Trio of Terror.
They were immune to the virus. They didn’t care if the bomb blew with them up here. As long as they weren’t within the immediate blast radius, they’d be fine. The bomb was intended to disperse the airborne virus into the air currents, not destroy Pentagon Park, which was more than big enough for them to hide safely during detonation.
If the bomb exploded, Lady Liberty wouldn’t survive.
Her half-human heritage meant she’d be killed by the virus within minutes. The virus was that virulent, especially when you were this close to the concentrated epicenter of the upcoming blast.
Lady Liberty scanned the scene.
Pentagon Park was essentially five wide bridges spanning from one tower to the next in a pentagon shape, obviously. The center of it was open air all the way down to the ground.
Scattered everywhere across the walkways and paths running through the grass and trees lay dozens of bloody humans, shot dead on their lunch hour by the Trio of Terror when they’d arrived by aerocopter to plant the bomb. The victims were businessmen and women who worked in the building, as well as private citizens who lived in the building’s extensive private living apartments, and a few heavily-armed members of the private security force (the TTSF, aka Tokyo Towers Security Force) whose job it was to prevent Mutam terranimal attacks like this one.
The TTSF had never expected a roof attack on the 200th floor. By law, all avian Mutams had their wings clipped at birth, and the airways around Tokyo Towers were heavily patrolled 24/7 by human aerocopters, which Mutams were forbidden to fly in or pilot for obvious reasons.
The Trio of Terror weren’t just any Mutams.
Not only had they gained illegal access to a military-grade aerocopter, a sleek Shokasu DragonFly XKX, they were also three of the most powerful and notorious Mutams in Megapolis. The Trio had easily decimated the small contingent of TTSF guards patrolling Pentagon Park within a few minutes of landing. At that point, they’d taken their time enjoying gunning down the human civilians.
No Mutam citizens lay dead amongst the dead humans and TTSF guards because Mutams weren’t allowed in the Tokyo Towers. Despite the Mutams accounting for half of Megapolis’s population, they were fourth-class citizens at best. Yet another reason for the Trio of Terror’s bitterness.
“There she is!” Tygor roared, bounding out of the bushes.
Grizzlion followed hot on his heels, running swiftly on all fours.
Both Mutams wore combat rigs and nothing else. The rigs were harnesses that carried a hefty supply of ammunition and grenades. Strapped to their backs were a variety of rifles.
Rhinock came last, snorting from his rhinoceros head and running somewhat slower on his eight octopus legs, four sprouting below each rhinoceros knee. Sprouting from each rhinoceros elbow were eight octopus arms. They coiled around four guns and four dangerous blades. Rhinock also wore a combat rig bristling with spare ammo, grenades, and blades.
Lady Liberty carried no weapons save her deadly feminine hands.
Tygor and Grizzlion stalked slowly toward her, padding across the manicured green grass.
Lady Liberty backed up cautiously until she felt her boot heel touch the concrete railing. Behind her was a 2,000 foot fall to the streets of Megapolis. If only she’d worn her wingsuit. A girl couldn’t think of everything.
“She’s cornered,” snorted Rhinock, his tentacled arms coiling and uncoiling as he leveled several machine guns at her.
“I get the kill,” Tygor said, licking his fangs.
“No, I do!” Grizzlion growled, his own fangs dripping and slick with anticipation. “I always get first kill!”
Tygor hissed a low warning growl, “No, you get the carcass! After I’m finished with her!”
“No, I—”
“SILENCE!” Rhinock boomed, his arms coiling to point his four guns at the two Mutams. “No one kills her until I finish with her!”
Tygor and Grizzlion both snarled, their snouts curling back over fangs in frustration, but both lowered their heads in deference.
Rhinock eyed Lady Liberty lasciviously, his fat gray tongue lapping out of his snout and teasing his stout horn as he advanced on his coiling and uncoiling tentacle feet.
Two of his guns now pointed at Lady Liberty, the other two still covered Tygor and Grizzlion. They were both down on all fours and hadn’t yet unslung their rifles. Their advantage in speed was a disadvantage in armed combat, as were their savage instincts. Rhinock’s octopus mind was much more refined.
His beady black eyes roamed over Lady Liberty’s luscious costume. “I like what I see.”
“I don’t,” Lady Liberty smirked, trying to ignore his erect tentacles. Her steely cyan eyes were determined and she held her hands up and ready to fight.
“A very pleasant specimen,” Rhinock offered, nodding his horny snout. “Very pleasant.”
Lady Liberty arched an eyebrow, “Would you like a pleasant kick where it counts?”
“I welcome it,” he grinned. “Mutam mating has never been gentle.” He chuckled low in his rhinoceros throat. “They say human women are far too fragile for Mutam mating. Gaia knows, every time I’ve tried, they’ve been right. But you? I think you’re made of tougher stuff.”
“You’re right about that,” Lady Liberty quipped.
Rhinock was now towering over her, forcing her back against the concrete railing.
The only place to go was down.
Not on Rhinock’s erect tentacles.
200 effing stories.
Not today!
Lady Liberty shot forward with a lightning-fast kick teeming with speed lines firing right at Rhinock’s crotch.
If not for her incredible reflexes, Rhinock’s four swords would’ve sliced her leg off at the knee. They all came around and down at once in a blinding blur.
The kick had been a feint.
Lady Liberty leaped high, planting one hand on Rhinock’s head as she vaulted over him, front-flipped, and landed behind him on the grass.
Rhinock’s coiled arms came around to his backside almost as easily as they’d come around the front. If not for his shoulder blades and forward-facing skeleton, he would’ve been equally deadly in all directions. But he wasn’t. This limitation was a liability Lady Liberty could exploit. His blades couldn’t quite reach her position behind Rhinock.
She jumped away from him, flying high over Tygor and Grizzlion as they stood on hind legs, unslung rifles, and started firing.
KUKKA! KUKKA! KUKKA!
Then she ran across the grass, fleeing speed lines and heading toward the trees. She wasn’t here to fight. She was here to find the viral bomb.
The Trio of Terror gave chase, guns blazing.
KUKKA! KUKKA! KUKKA!
With rifles in hand and advancing on hind legs, Tygor and Grizzlion were much slower than Lady Liberty. She leapt and dodged, Parkouring off every tree trunk and grabbing every tree branch as the bullets brutally smacked into the bark.
Rhinock trailed far behind, taking his sweet time. He knew there was no place for Lady Liberty to go.
When the Mutams stopped to reload, Lady Liberty paused, crouching on a high tree branch hidden from view by dense leaves. She frantically tapped the comm button on the side of her masquerade mask, opening a channel to Megapolis PD.
She hissed a whisper, “Hunter! Where’s the damn bomb?!”
Abel Hunter was the head of MPD’s CTU (Counter Terranimal Unit) and a close associate of Lady Liberty. Hunter was located far away at MPD Headquarters with his cyber team, who were closely monitoring La
dy Liberty’s every move on dozens of glowing computer screens inside their dimly lit ops center.
Hunter stood behind two of his team, leaning over their shoulders. He wore a headset mic and said, “Tower 4! The bomb is hidden somewhere on Tower 4!”
“On it!” Lady Liberty hissed.
“Make it fast! You’ve got less than four minutes until it blows!”
“I said I’m on it!” she growled.
KUKKA! KUKKA! KUKKA!
Down below, Tygor and Grizzlion were firing.
Lady Liberty flew from branch to branch, doing her best to constantly vary her path of travel and height above the ground, going wherever the bullets didn’t.
Bullets and speed lines whizzed past her ears, slicing apart leaves with deadly accuracy as she flew safely past.
“Useless!” Tygor shouted and threw his rifle aside. He dropped to all fours and bounded toward the closest tree, jumped, and clawed his way up the trunk.
This was Tygor’s element.
Lady Liberty knew she was in trouble.
She couldn’t beat him in hand-to-hand combat on the ground, let alone up here in the trees. And she couldn’t outrun him on the ground. Up here, where precision gymnastics were an advantage, she could. Tygor was too brutal for precision. Lady Liberty’s only chance was to stay in the trees.
To make things more difficult, Tower 4 was almost directly opposite her location between Tower 1 and Tower 2. At some point between here and there, the trees ran out. Sooner or later, she’d have to go to ground.
That meant fighting Tygor.
Undeterred, she leapt from branch to branch with ninja precision, trying to pace herself. She had a long way to go to get to the bomb. If she exhausted herself along the way, Tygor would cut her down.
“SNARL!”
He was right behind her, speed lines spraying around his wide open mouth, his fangs razor sharp as he growled, “When I catch you, I’m gonna tear your belly open and eat your entrails, human scum!”
“Eat a kitty treat,” Lady Liberty said dryly. With a flick of the wrist and a wicked grin, she missiled a pink pellet right down Tygor’s throat.
Gulp!
His jaws clamped shut and unwittingly crushed the fragile pellet in his mouth. A pink cloud burst out his nostrils and around his fangs. He inhaled reflexively.
