5.1K results

Tightness. All-encompassing and inescapable tightness. Ash had to be conservative with the breathes she took. Mounting further with each passing moment, the pressure around her torso made her nearly blue in the face-and thankful for every ounce of oxygen she *could* get. Her body was shaken violently. Such were the hugs from one Annabelle “Anna” Hamrick-Ash’s mom and #1 fan. “OoooooOOOOO! I missed you so MUCH, Scooby!” Ash’s face turned beet red as she was flailed about-there were enough people in earshot of the campus apartments to hear her mom’s favorite little pet name for her. “~hrrk~” She struggled to get her words out from the hug, “m-kk-mom! P-pleaskkkkk!” Mrs. Hamrick gave one last tight squeeze before putting her daughter back on the ground. She straightened her oldest’s bangs before placing her hands on her own hips. “I think the hug is only fair, Scoob!” Ash winced again at the nickname, “Least you can do for not even trying to call! You know I talk to your sister weekly, right? I’ve got to get all my updates on you through her!” Ash rolled her eyes, “Yeah? Because Aidan’s a college freshman? She’s homesick? Of course she calls mom every week!” “Once a quarter wouldn’t kill you!” “Fine, FINE, sorry!” Ash crossed her arms and pouted for a moment-then her confrontational furrowed brow softened. “Missed you too, mom.” Anna Hamrick beamed-drawing in her daughter for one more, far less violent, hug. “So what are you even doing here?” Ash asked. “I know it’s ‘Parents’ Weekend’ and all-but that’s sort of, y’know, for the freshmen? I’m kind of in my fifth year? And you guys live, what, thirty minutes away?” “You SAY that-but we haven’t ever seen you for a visit, have we?” “Moooooom, I’m BUSY! You know this!” “Busy busting the chops of those LlamTech assholes for your adoring fans? You know you can hold off impressing lonely guys on the internet for ONE weekend!” Ash buried her face in her hand. Much to her dismay, her mother truly WAS her biggest supporter. Even on the ugliest streams, Anna Hamrick was logged in to Twitch to offer moral support-and usually call the cops to help as needed. Not *terribly* often though-any good mom wants their kids to be able to solve their own problems. And sometimes those problems are ten-foot tall robots that your kid just needs to learn how to beat themselves. “Ok, ok-fair enough.” Ash flicked her hair. “Shouldn’t you be checking in with Aidan though?” “Track meet weekend.” Anna popped a finger gun. “You’ve got me all weekend, Scoob.” Ash grumbled (as pleasantly as she could in front of her mother). Anna Hamrick was a busy woman, to say the least. After years in the reporting field in the 90’s, she was now sitting in the comfortable chair of Editor-in-Chief for the Austin Globe. For most of Ash’s teenage years, their mother was constantly sandwiched between meetings, calls, and paper deadlines. Austin was a lively city-even without the evil robotics companies she turned a blind eye to. Didn’t she have articles to review or something? Then again, her mother had a reputation for breaking protocol and getting in the trenches herself-insisting on being on the frontlines for a story, no matter how dangerous. The infamous Senator Schertz biker gang bribes in 1992. The Bat Country Traffickers raid. The “Sludge in the Soda Machine” expose. Hell, her mom even got the scoops on the LlamTech/PeachCorp tech war that was at its height in the 90’s, leaking upcoming innovations from both companies as they were fighting for dominance in the new digital age. Her methods were unorthodox. Ill-advised. Dangerous and frankly *stupid* most of the time. But they got results. They were what made Annabelle Hamrick one of the most notorious names in Texas media in the 90’s. While other journalists waited to cut through the red tape of a story, she was the one that broke the locks, got in the faces of her quarry, and exposed scandal and corrpuption for all the world to see. Anna Hamrick always chose to ask for forgiveness instead of pers mission. And goddammit, if Ash didn’t want to be exactly like her. Much to the dismay of the journalists in her employ, Anna had a knack for continuing to live like it was 1992. She didn’t *need* to get herself into the offices of corrupt politicians or poke around drug smuggling operations-but she couldn’t help herself. Being a renegade in her field was what kept her feeling young and alive-and for a woman who looked twenty years younger than she actually was, it seemed to work pretty damn well. Sure, she had the fancy Editor-in-Chief desk-but a stuffy job couldn’t keep a good girl down-no matter how much her subordinates begged her to let them handle the more risky stories themselves. Given all this, Ash realized just how *unusual* it was for her mom to just decide to show up on parents weekend without their dad. Something seemed *off* about this visit. Given her reputation and her schedule, her mom didn’t just show up to Southern U just to say “wha’s up”. In fact, it just now occurred to Ash that her mom was still in her best professional attire-a burgundy two button jacket, *alarmingly* short matching skirt, dark nylons, and heels that any reasonable woman would have difficulty walking in. She wasn’t exactly dressed for a casual weekend trip to a college campus. “…..You’re here for business, aren’t you?” Ash pointed an accusatory finger as she widened into a smile. For once, it wasn’t HER doing things she wasn’t supposed to! “You’re here to beat your own reporters to the punch” Anna Hamrick crossed her arms and smiled at her daughter. Apples not falling far from trees, and all that, huh? “Alright. You caught me.” Her mom threw up her hands-her collected wry smile never leaving her face. “I’m here on a bit of off-the-record business. Our legal department has sort of told me I’m not allowed to get into any more scraps, but hey-what are they gonna do? Fire me? I’m the boss.” “I KNEW IT!” Ash was hyped as all hell-shaking like a small dog that just ate an entire bag of sour skittles. Growing up, Ash had NEVER been able to convince her mom to take her along on business for the paper-reasonable enough, given what she had been through on jobs. But now? Ash had dealt with robots, drug lords, mad scientists, and death traps by the dozen. There was no way she couldn’t handle whatever her mom got into at this point. Was this finally her chance to shadow her mom on a stakeout?! To see how a REAL renegade journalist gets things done? “Shhhhh, keep it on the DL!” Ash’s mom grabbed her shoulder in brought her in close, leading her to the apartment parking lot. “What do you say to a ride-along, Scoob? I might need a hand, anyway.” “ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY” Ash said in a half-assed stage whisper. This was awesome. This was killer. She was about to tag along for some REAL gueirilla journalism. The unstoppable duo of Anna & Ash Hamrick. What a team! There was no was this could go wrong! No way that this could disappoint in any way whatsoever! ……………………………………………….. Holy shit, was this disappointing. Ash and her mom sat at one of the patio tables of “Taco Fantastico”, each halfway through a farm-fresh burrito bowl. Her mother’s eyes were scanning the restaurant, peering under tables and trying to get good passing glances at the operations behind the counter. She had been dragged along for one of those “Sludge in the Soda Machine” columns! Not a drug bust. Not hush money. Not even killer robots! Just…Unsanitary dining conditions. And lackluster kitchen maintenance. Ash poked the lettuce and beans in her bowl as Anna focused on a corner of the restaurant-apparently watching a rat scuttle beneath one of the ovens as she scratched something down into a notebook with fervor. This sucked. All that excitement and here she was being Deputy Health Inspector. Anna Hamrick noticed her daughter’s sour expression. “What’s on your mind, Scoob?” She asked, glancing between her notebook and her phone. “Nothing..” “Nothing?” “Yep.” “Bored?” “Yep.” “Disatisfied, even?” Anna smiled cheekily. “You could say that.” “Let me ask you something, Ash-have you ever seen those campus delivery robots? The TOGO bots?” Ash blinked. “The food delivery ones? Yeah. The little ice coolers on six wheels right?” “Precisely!” Ash shrugged. “All the time. Not exactly anything to be impressed with after what I’ve dealt with. They just sort of zip around campus with Whataburger bags inside them. Nothing crazy.” Anna tapped her notebook. “Ever considered what a perfect opportunity for a dead drop such a device makes? An all-terrain insulated robot that can get into just about any place unnoticed?” She rested her chin on her hand. “Would be interesting if a business was using that for, oh, I don’t know? Smuggling operations?” Ash’s eyes narrowed. Her mom *was* on to something. “Do tell?” “I don’t gotta tell.” She gestured to the back of the restaurant. “I can *show* you.” A chirpy digital tune came from the kitchen, followed by one such all-terrain delivery robot. Built like the lovechild of a Mars rover and a school bus, the happy little bot rolled across the restaurant and out the door to make whatever delivery was set for it-*presumably* a farm-fresh ‘Tacos Fantastico’ burrito bowl or two in its payload. Anna leaned in to the table. “I’ve got reason to believe these things are making deliveries outside of their regular schedule. A couple of weeks ago, I had one of my interns start tracking the movements and traffic patterns of those bots all over the city-the app let’s you track your order via GPS, y’know? Had him place a few dozen orders on my purchase card. Different pick up and delivery locations. Nothing seemed amiss at first, honestly.They left their dispatch warehouse, picked up their food from the restaurant, then delivered it to their destination.” Ash pursed her lips. “..But?” “BUT-we started running some heat maps. None of these bots took the most linear course. Hell, some of them took MAJOR detours.” Anna pulled out a map of the city and pointed to a spot circled in highlighter, “On all trips, they made sure to pass by this same spot on Congress Street. No matter how far out of its way it was, these little guys made sure to swing by this single spot.” Ash’s smile widened. “So you think somethings up, huh?” “I like to think I’ve got a pretty good sense for when fuckery is afoot, Scoob.” Ash straightened her jacket over her shoulders and leaned in. “Sounds to me like we’re headed to a little warehouse Congress..” ……………………………………………………………………. UNMARKED DISTRIBUTION WAREHOUSE S. Congress-Austin, TX 04:51PM The duo kept their profiles low, moving with the footsteps of the warehouse worker to avoid detection. The building was nothing particularly special-shipping containers made a maze around the edges, with wooden crates unloaded and stacked toward the center of the warehouse. The only indication that anybody was home was an occasional thud and clatter coming from the very middle; so naturally that was what the two zeroed in on. Ash stopped at a corner, holding up a hand to signal for them to stop. This was as good of a vantage point as they were going to get-a foot wide gap in a stack of boxes gave them just enough space to see the central part of the warehouse, while still providing enough cover to remain unseen. A heavy set man of about forty or fifty had just pried open a crate when the TOGO bot had they had followed made its way to his workstation. The man then crouched down to the bot, opening a circular hatch in its aft section-an opening not unlike a torpedo tube, before standing back up to reach into the crate. After tossing the packing materials to the side, his greasy hands reached inside to retrieve some of its contents. Both hands held a three foot metal canister, like a bizarre cross between a giant battery and a propane tank. A tank with the silver “LLAMTECH” logo emblazoned on the side. *FUCK* Ash pulled back to the darkness, frantically rubbing her temples. “MOM.” Ash pressed in a hushed but stressed whisper. “You REALLY barked up the wrong tree here. These guys aren’t a freaking biker gang or something. You guys were tracking LLAMTECH. Literally THE bad guys.” Anna scoffed, poking her head through the gap to see what Ash was panicked about. “C’mon, Scoob! Do you know who you’re talking to? I’ve had my fair share of tussles with nasty tech corporations!” “LlamTech isn’t exactly the wacky sixties Batman villain of tech companies you dealt with back in the day, mom!“ Ash’s concerned tone remained just above a whisper. “Yeah, yeah, I KNOW you pissed off that Peachcorp company or whatever over lobbying or something back in ‘94-“ “Actually it was straight up kidnapping politicians, but go on sweetie-“ Anna interjected. “WHATEVER.” Ash threw up her hands. “You realize why Peachcorp doesn’t exist anymore, right? You realize why ALL those companies like that don’t exist anymore? If they didn’t get bought, they got trampled-in more ways than one-by LlamTech.” “So they have an aggressive acquisition plan, big deal-“ “MOM, I have literally been kidnapped and menaced by these guys more times than I can count! You’ve SEEN my streams! Human experimentation! Robot soldiers! That doesn’t raise any red flags?!” Anna Hamrick turned to her daughter-sure, Ash was a little manic almost all of the time. But she was the one in the thick of it these days-even with all her experience, Anna wasn’t the one getting in the trenches to get a story anymore. That torch had pretty much been passed to Ash at this point. Anna sighed. “You’re right..I’ll take your word on this one.” Anna gave a side eye to the man unloading the crate. “Maybe my crew IS in a little over their head.” “YOU THINK?” “Ok, I get it! Approach with caution!” She looked back over to the large man and watched him load the LlamTech canister into the torpedo hatch of the TOGO robot. “So what do we do? We’re already this deep…” Ash deepened into her crouch, twirling her ponytail in thought. What the hell was in those tanks? And what were they being loaded into these delivery robots for? “Well, these shipments gotta be going TO or FROM somewhere. If they’re doing this operation out of an unmarked warehouse, there’s no doubt this is some sort of PR nightmare they want off the books.” “So you think a shipping manifest ought to be here somewhere?“ “SOMETHING to tell us what the next move is. I don’t want to hang around here any longer than you do. If we can get that next breadcrumb, we can get out of here.” Anna nodded, putting her eyes back on the warehouse worker. As if on cue, the beep from another TOGO robot came from outside the warehouse door-making him abandon his workstation to go tend to the new arrival. “Now’s our chance-GO!” Anna pulled Ash’s arm as they dove out from behind the boxes toward the workstation. “We’ve got maybe two minutes to get what we can, mom. Move fast” Ash went over to the table opposite the man’s workstation where a laptop sat, while Anna scrambled through the open canister shipments themselves for any kind of packing slip or indication of *what* might be inside those tanks. The pc, as expected, was locked-and there wasn’t going to be enough time to crack the thing, even if she had her tech pal Adrianne to assist. As expected, the greasy hillbilly didn’t exactly keep excel sheet printouts of every thing coming and going from the warehouse-so there wasn’t going to be an easy grab-and-go on this. “Aren’t gas tanks supposed to be labeled?” Anna asked, scanning every side of one of the canisters. “Like corrosion or toxicity levels? Doesn’t matter if it’s propane or mustard gas, there’s a federal standard for that, right? I mean, I’d imagine you’d at least put the chemical abbreviation for what was in it for the safety of your own guys..” “That’s sure as hell not a good sign.” Ash continued rifling through the desk. “They don’t even want their own people to know about whatever’s in there. My guess is the circle of people who they’ve got informed on the full scope of this operation is in the single digits. Grease monkey over there probably doesn’t know a thing; he just knows he’s getting paid to load robots and go home.” “Not worth questioning him?” “Mom, he’s got two-hundred pounds on both of us. What are you gonna do, punch him until he says he’s annoyed?” “Your father and I should have signed you up for those kickboxing classes.” Anna sighed as she continued cracking crates open. “Something tells me those theater camps didn’t teach you how to drop a guy twice your size.” “I can hold my OWN, thank you! I just know when-“ Ash stopped as she noticed something peculiar beneath the mess of papers, “Hellooooooo!” Before her was a a cadastral map of Austin-showing every boundary, powerline, sewage route, and street. Ash dragged her finger to the spot on Congress street where the warehouse was. Around her finger, a substantial cluster of red dots had been marked in the surrounding area. This particular spot was obviously the hotbed for whatever they were doing-but the red dots fanned out into the whole city. More concerning, was seeing just how dense some of the spots around the university and the capitol building were, amongst other heavy population centers. What the hell were these marking?… Anna crossed over and looked over her daughter’s shoulder, trying to make heads or tails of the map as well. “Drop off points?” Ash asked. “That, and then some I think.” Anna dragged her finger along the the linear paths of dots. “Look at all the main drags in the city. 6th. Congress. Rainey. Major sewage pipelines on all of those. There’s a mark on those points almost every ten feet.” “So they’re…” Ash thought for a moment. The robots. The canisters. The heat map. The unmarked gas. “This is some kind of next level chemical warfare they gotta be planning..” “Using the delivery bots to cover ground on every inch of the city? Have them swing by here for every delivery they have, load up, and do a dead drop in as many spots as possible.” “But for WHAT?” Even as they found answers, Ash only grew more concerned. “There’s no way that’s just a poisonous gas in those tanks. LlamTech doesn’t just KILL people without reason. There’s gotta be a long play here.” “You know these guys better than me, Scoob. I leave that part to you.” Anna patted her daughter’s back before turning away to check for the warehouse worker and see how close he was to finishing up with the new arrival. But he was gone from his spot at the gate. Anna Hamrick didn’t even have to think twice about springing into action. For Ash, everything happened so fast that it took a few moments to fully process what had happened. She registered a hand grabbing her shoulder and another clamping over her mouth. Before she even had time to react, she found herself pressed against another body, followed by the sounds of two separate firearm hammers clicking into place. In less than a second, an assailant held Ash in a tight handgag, with the barrel of a firearm fixed to her temple. Her mother had moved just as quickly-having her own .38 revolver focused on the man holding her daughter. Ash tried not to think about where that gun had been hidden, as Anna Hamrick’s outfits didn’t exactly leave a lot to the imagination. Best to focus on the life-and-death situation at hand and *not* her mom’s revealing wardrobe. “Let. Her. Go.” Anna Hamrick hissed. Her small pistol was trained right over Ash’s shoulder-her expression chillingly focused. The usual levity in her face was gone-replaced now by the countenance of someone fully prepared to fire at another human being. “Or what? You’re gonna shoot me?” The man chuckled with a west Texas accent, muffled through a black ski mask he had slipped on to conceal his identity. He pulled Ash closer as she strained to escape him, pressing the gun even harder against her head. “If ye’ really meant that, you would’ve already done it.” “Nobody has to drop dead tonight. Just-“ Anna took a deep breath-clearly boiling under the surface of her collected expression. “Just get your hands off my daughter and walk away, fucker.” “I ain’t dumb, newslady. I see the way ‘yer holding that piece. You don’t think you can make the shot. We’re juuuuust far away from each other that ya’ run a chance of putting one right between these gorgeous green eyes..” He playfully brushed Ash’s bangs with the barrel, holding her head firmly as she tried pull away. He chortled to himself as she writhed against him, uselessly trying to break his grip. “Even if you did put one between my eyes-I’d make goddamn sure to pull this trigger on my way out.” Anna’s face was starting to flush red. The man holding her probably didn’t notice-but Ash could definitely see a bead or two of sweat beginning to form. Her arm remained firmly outstretched, ready to pull the trigger. GOD, she was so fucking cool! “Do you have any idea who I am?” She asked coldly. The man’s hot breath came up close to Ash. “‘Do we know ‘er’, she asks! HA! Not a lot of news reporters get famous, Miss. But the ones that do? I reckon there ain’t a soul in Texas that don’t know YOU, miss Annabelle Hamrick.” “Hlllhhh yhhh, mhhhhm!” Ash cheered her mom’s notoriety through the handgag, only to be quickly met with a jolt from her attacker and a firm *’shut up’*. “Great, so we’re already familiar.” Anna raised her chin. “So you know I’ve got a reputation..” “Reputation? Shit, I got buddies that are STILL in jail after that Bat Country story of yours back in ‘92.” Although masked, a lecherous smile could be *heard* in his voice. “Got a couple of newspaper clippings of ‘ya I used to keep under my mattress, too!” “Ghhrrssssss..” Anna Hamrick wasn’t about to flinch in this situation, so Ash made it a point to be creeped out for both of them. “This ‘yer daughter, huh?” The heavy set man grunted as he pulled Ash close, making her squeak. His fingers playfully twirled through her hair. “DAMN if she ain’t the spittin’ image of you twenty years ago. Pretty girl’s got a face for TV, alright-just like ‘er mom! Hell, she’s even wearin’ that biker babe leather just like you!” “Shut up.” Anna’s eyes were cold as she watched the man wrangle her daughter around. “We’re done here.” The grunt knew he was in control of the situation-so he decided to press his luck a little further. “Can I be a lil’ personal with ya, Miss Hamrick?” The man’s eyes moved between Anna, then back to Ash. Eyeing them both down. “Lemme tell ya, me n’ the boys used to see you on the evening news down at the station-I could NEVER take my eyes off those legs’ve yers. Hell, this might be a little T.M.I., but I used t’-“ “SHUT IT.” Anna Hamrick shouted. She was reaching capacity-and this situation was about to get a lot uglier if it didn’t resolve itself. “I’m going to count to three. You get your fucking hands off my girl by the time I reach one-understood?” “Oooooh, momma bear is gettin’ real serious now, huh?” The man growled in Ash’s ear. “Three.” Ash bucked her shoulders, trying to break out before it got things erupted. “Two.” The cold barrel pressed harder against her temple. “One.” Ash shut her eyes. ….Nothing happened. Wait…Did her mom?.. “Well, well, well-looks like Annabelle Hamrick’s a little less BOLD these days!” Ash opened her eyes back up-her mom stood before her, slowly lowering the pistol. Her face showed no sign of anger, frustration, or fear-just..Resignation.. ….She couldn’t make the shot? “MHHHMHHH!” *C’mon, mom-start blasting!* “Now ‘ah can’t help but admit I’m a little disappointed.” The man laughed, “You sure you’re the same woman who put out three rounds in Screwball Juarez’s leg back in the day?” “I just forgot to stretch, is all.” Anna tried to play down the seriousness of the situation. “That’s a damn shame…” he held the gun back up to Ash, “now, why don’t you put the gun down, pretty woman?” Ash saw the tinge of anguish wash over her mother-and genuinely wish she hadn’t. Her whole life she had been this proud, outgoing, *badass* of a woman who didn’t flinch in the face of ANYTHING. But here she was-having to hold back. Having to let herself be beaten. All because of *her*. Anna never took her eyes off the man as she slowly kneeled down to put the .38 on the concrete floor. “Now slide it over.” She complied, contemptuous sneer never leaving her face. “Good girl.” Without another word, the man released Ash-throwing her towards her mom with a shove before reaching down to pick up the other gun. Anna caught her and brushed her off-her eyes still furiously fixed on their rival who now had both barrels trained on the duo. “Now then ladies-there’s a few bundles of rope on that crate over there. Why don’t you get to work?” ………………………………………………. “Now THIS I wish I had some newspaper clippings of back in the day.” The man cackled as he tousled Anna Hamrick’s hair. He stepped back to snap a few pictures with his phone. “THE Annabelle Hamrick all tied up like a pinup girl. Shit, and her fine-ass daughter carrying the torch!” He placed his hand under Ash’s chin. “DAMN, if I was only twenty years younger!” Fucking creep. “Listen, pal.” Ash jerked her torso to the side to see just how tight the ropes were. “Maybe if you had spent less time ogling news reporters back in the 90’s and more time, I dunno, exercising? Talking to women? Painting? Maybe then you wouldn’t be working graveyard shift for a bunch of evil comic book villains all alone in a warehouse.” The man grunted before shoving a rag into Ash’s mouth. “Silver-tongue bitch, eh? Just like her mom. You must be proud, huh?” He proceeded to tie a scarf around Ash’s head. The side of Anna’s mouth lifted into a wry smile. “You have no fucking idea, hillbilly.” Ash’s eyes widened-even as she was getting gagged. Did Anna Hamrick just say-? The moment was quashed as the man did the same to her mom-stuffing another rag behind her lips before fastening another scarf gag around her head. It didn’t matter though-Ash was beaming. Holy shit, her mom said she was *proud* of her! “Well, ladies-as much as I’d LOVE to keep snapping photos of this beautiful sight-I gotta get moving.” He placed a hand on Anna’s thigh and gave a firm squeeze. “DAMN-wish we could’ve met under different circumstances, gorgeous.” “Hhhhss Hfffff…” Anna groaned. She was mature enough to know that there wasn’t a damn thing she could do while trussed up like this. If this asshole wanted the excitement of getting a reaction out of her, he’d be disappointed. Ash’s mom really was a woman of resolve-because the hick’s hands moved right up to the collar of her coat and blouse. As if he knew Anna was making a concentrated effort not to appear phased, he firmly tugged open her top-revealing the woman’s ample chest and black lace bra. To her credit, Anna looked the man in the eye and didn’t even flinch. Even as he stepped back to take another few photos of the humiliating site, there was not even a twitch of embarrassment to be seen on the seasoned journalist’s face. Ash WOULD have been in continued amazement at her mother’s badass constitution, had she not turned away in beet-red embarrassment; cringing at an atomic level. *Jesus FUCK her TITS are out and she’s still trying to be a badass…* Ash thought to herself-her thoughts far more manic than normal. *WHY IS SHE SO COOL? JESUS I’m embarrassed FOR her what is WRONG with her?!* “Aaaaaand those are some gooooood shots, Miss Hamrick!” The man snapped one last photo of his local celebrity crush’s predicament before sliding his phone back away. “Suppose I ought’a get to *dealin’* with y’all, huh?” The two women watched as he crossed over to a crate and lugged out another TOGO robot like the one they had followed to get here. “You probably already know this-hell, you probably wrote a story or two about it!” The man grunted as he overturned the robot, “but these things have a REAL bad overheating problem. Poorly engineered batteries, ah think. They’re meant for short distances. Run ‘em without stopping for an hour or two?” They watched as he popped open a panel and flicked a pair of switches. The wheels started rolling uselessly as the robot sat there like an overturned turtle. “After a good while, these batteries tend to swell up and go BOOM.” The motor whine of the capsized robot steadily grew in pitch as it got up to speed. Within a minute, the little TOGO robot was at max cruising speed-or would have been, if its wheels were touching the ground. “Seeing as Austin Globe’s finest already knows what’s going on here, boss is already making the moves to relocate this lil’ shindig. This place ain’t much use to ‘em anymore-and he’s willing to sacrifice a little bit of product to keep us going in the long run.” The masked man cupped Anna’s gagged face. “Not sure if we could weather all that ‘bad publicity’ if you lived to run a story, Annabelle. I’m sure ‘ye understand?” “Dhnnhh chhlll mhhh hhnnhbllhhh…” Ash’s mom grunted, pulling her face away from his gloved hand. While her mom and the goon were exchanging good old fashioned villain/victim pleasantries, Ash couldn’t help but notice the straining little robot directly in front of them. The part of its underbelly with the exposed motor had begun to emit a soft orange glow; and it looked like the coils within were beginning to struggle with its own output. The whine of the motor was steady, but one could tell just how much this little robot was fighting. “As I’m sure your brilliant deductive thinkin’ probably figger’d out, those canisters you tracked down to us are a little volatile…” *Thats a big word for YOU, hick* Ash thought to herself. “All the crates in here? Wouldn’t take much to send ‘em all up in smoke. N’ like I said-boss is willin’ to take a loss.” He kicked the heavy robot straining on the ground. “Give this lil’ feller about ten minutes at this speed? That battery’s gonna blow. Then? All these shipments go with it. Pretty likely blowin’ the whole block if not just the warehouse..” “Yhhhh fhhhkkkrrrhhh….” Anna cooly cursed the goon beneath her gag. “-Blowing the warehouse, and any would-be heroes tryin’ to muscle in on our operation! So-“ The goon stepped forward and pulled Anna’s gag, removing the rag from her mouth. “Got anything you wanna say for posterity’s sake before the famous Anna Hamrick becomes a black spot on the concrete?” Anna spat out the gag furiously before locking eyes with the man. “I just gotta know-what’s the game here? Why blow your ‘operation’? This has to be *millions* of dollars in product. There’s no WAY you can just weather losing all that..” “Aww, sweetheart! You’d be surprised! This is just a stagin’ area! We ain’t buyin’ n’ sellin’ outta here.” The man stepped back and patted one of the shipping crates full of canisters. “These cans move on to bigger n’ better things around the city from here! Everything’s building up to the boss’s *main event*.” “…Main event?” Anna’s tone was one of skeptic concern. Ash knew her mom never doubted her research on LlamTech-maybe disagreed with her *methods*, but never *doubted* her. Maybe this gave even more credence to what she was telling people? It was all too damning-a warehouse full of mysterious gas canisters with LlamTech logos plastered all over them? For what? Maybe Anna would finally realize that LlamTech really was that boogeyman Ash had been saying they were… “Listen, lady-I’m just a heavy-liftin’ guy. And even if I knew what the folks up top were doin’ with all this stuff, it wouldn’t do me a bit of good to waste my time explainin’ their plan to ya.” He tugged on the ropes around her chest, making sure to cop a feel on Anna’s exposed bust. “Seein’ as you an’ your daughter ain’t gonna be around much longer. Shame about that!” “Listen, I don’t care what happens to me.” Anna gestured to Ash on her left. “But let *her* go. You already know I’m a liability. I get it. Who’s to say I wouldn’t tell the whole world about this operation? But your risk is with me-not her.” “S’much as I’d LOVE to grant you that request, Miss Anna-“ he stepped over and playfully patted Ash’s gagged cheek, “‘fraid the girl’s seen just as much as you have. Sure, she ain’t *famous* like mom, but who’s to say that apple don’t fall far from the tree? What if she tells all them younger folks on MySpace what were doin’?” *Damn. That kinda stung* Ash exhaled in disappointment. This guy REALLY hadn’t heard of her? Of “AshInvestigates”?…Or even of “that blonde girl that breaks into places and fights robots”? The ‘thug grapevine’ of Austin pretty much knew her by name at this point. Huh. ….She was a microcelebrity, dammit! “I know I won’t be able to get you pretty ladies to beg,” he shoved the rag back into Anna’s mouth before tying the gag back around her head, “so I’ll go ahead and let y’all spend these last moments however ya like.” The man tugged the ropes around Ash’s legs, then her mother’s. before stepping back to admire his handiwork one last time-the little (soon to be exploded) robot’s motor screeching all the while. Not one to leave without being creepy one *last* time, he pulled his phone out once more. “Smile, Hamricks!” He gave a nasty chuckle, snapping a few more pics of the bound and gagged mother/daughter duo. “Won’t need to hide those under the mattress, I reckon!” “Ffhhhkkknn ghhrsssss” Ash and Anna grunted in muffled unified disgust. With a tip of his imaginary hat, the man disappeared into the labrynth of crates to exit the warehouse-likely planning to get himself far away from the unpredictable blast that was to come. A minute had passed as they both writhed next to eachother-trying to find slack in even one of the knots holding them. Anna Hamrick stood just as proud as she had in front of Creep McHick moments ago-but *now* the nervousness had washed over her. She was doing everything she could to remain resilient in front of her daughter-but the very real threat of death coming for both of them was starting to make the cracks show. “Mhhhmmh?” Ash tried to nudge the woman next to her. Anna Hamrick wordlessly turned her gaze to her daughter. Her expression was very clearly deep in thought on how to get out of this-gears turning in her head as she tried to recollect years of experience in tight situations. All coming to nothing. The motor’s sound steadily grew in pitch as the robot inched closer and closer to detonating-and both women knew that a sudden end was coming fast. Ash nudged her mom one more time, trying to get her to snap out of it and get back to the famous Anna Hamrick everybody knew. C’mon-she had to know something about using the robot to untie themselves, or maybe she had prepped an escape plan while they were snooping! Anything… If she hadn’t sprung into action by now? Then she really had to be out of ideas. No quips. No fast thinking. No overwhelming confidence in the face of danger. Her mom always had a plan-and this was her first time seeing her without one. Anna Hamrick wasn’t a woman to admit defeat-but her silence was about the same as doing so. “Hyyhhh, mmhhhmmm?” Ash tried to prod her to think of something. “Nhhhy hhdhhs? No response. Her mom just sat there-trying to think of a solution that wouldn’t come. Ash felt something wash over her. Not sadness. Not regret. Hell, not even fear. The woman resigning herself to fate wasn’t just her mom-this was motherfucking Annabelle “Anna” Hamrick. Literally the coolest, most resilient, most *badass* woman she ever had the privilege of knowing. A woman that, frankly, had never been reduced to a situation like this-to be overpowered, defeated, and facing certain death with no chance of escape. Failure, plain and simple. And Ash sure as FUCK wasn’t about to let defeat consume the coolest woman to ever live. Because you know who was something of an expert on colossal failure? Ashley Hamrick. Daughter of said coolest woman to ever live. And if there was anything that she got from her mom, it was that it didn’t matter how many times she got acquainted with failing. She *always* got back up. How many death traps just like this had she faced? How many humiliating scenarios where she had been tied up and left to die by some third-rate goon? Too many to count. But no matter how many times she got thrown *into* those scenarios, she always fought her way *out*. Ash shouldered her her mom a little more aggressively this time. The hit rattled Anna Hamrick out of her daze. “Phhktttt! Jhhkht pkkhht!” Ash gestured to her torso, turning into face her mom. Anna shook the fog out of her head and raised an eyebrow. Jacket potatoes? Jerk putz? “Jhhhkk. Htttt… PHH.. KHHTT!” Ash was almost slamming her hip into her mother-trying to gesture to the zipper at her side. JACKET POCKET! Duh. Anna turned away from her daughter, using her bound hands to try and shimmy the zipper down on Ash’s purple leather jacket. It took a few moments of fidgeting around with the zipper-as doing it behind her back with roped wrists wasn’t exactly easy-but eventually she managed to wriggle Ash’s phone out, giving her daughter an affirmative pat on the side to tell her it was free. Ash’s next few movements were actually astounding to watch, from Anna’s perspective. With practiced ease, she unlocked her phone without even looking. All from behind her back with bound hands, she swiped forward through two pages of apps before tapping- …..Twitch? The streaming app? Anna had supported enough of her daughter’s streams to know that *occasionally* viewers would call the cops when Ash was in danger-but that was NEVER when time was of the essence. A quick glance at the struggling robot told her that time was not something they had an abundance of. The robot’s motor was now a vibrant glowing orange- If she had to guess, there were maybe less than five minutes before that thing gave out and ignited all of these gas canisters. C’mon, Ash-what was the move? In the brief moment that Anna was looking at the struggling TOGO robot, her daughter was already live on Twitch. From what it looked like, she already had a few hundred viewers in the chat-all of them spamming dozens of emotes that she couldn’t quite make out from this distance. It was what Ash did next that was, frankly, baffling. Baffling, but brilliant. Ash grumbled into her gag-turning her face away to hide her crimson-flushed face. A deep breath was released, and Ash tossed her phone on the ground with purpose. Front-facing camera side up. Right between her legs. Anna’s complexion suddenly matched Ash’s as she, too, flushed red-hot with embarrassment. It had only been a quarter of a second that she let herself see what was showing on the stream feed-but it was long enough to see the chat absolutely ERUPT. “Dhhhnttt EVVHRR thhll ddhhd…” Ash groaned, still avoiding eye contact with her mom. She was fortunate enough that her dad still had *zero* clue about what exactly it was she did online-and it needed to stay that way. Ash foolishly looked down at her own stream to see if her plan had worked yet. The chat was exploding-as expected. Lots of the usual pandemonium in response to fan service. In fact, her fans appeared to be particularly blessed today-the camera was kind enough to give juuuuust wide enough of an angle to show upskirt shots of both her AND her mother Oh god, this REALLY had to go to the grave with them. “HHHH, YYHH HVV GHHT THH BHH KDDDDHNG MHHH!” Having seen a pantyshot of her own mom, maybe exploding didn’t seem like such a terrible fate. It’d be quick. Painless. And it *wouldn’t* haunt her for the rest of her life. That image was going to be burned into her memory until she died. With any luck, that would be soon. Hoping she could avoid making eye contact with the spectacle that her camera was getting, she zeroed in on her chat. The robot’s whine was getting to sound like the highest pitch of a violin-so any indication that her plan was working would be GREAT. Ash could feel her mom’s shoulders wriggling next to her, followed by seeing a rag hit the ground out of the corner of her eye. DAMN, mom really was good at this! The gag was out! “Alright, Scoob-“ she continued to try and loosen her ropes, with no luck, “I THINK I see your plan, but-OH GOD, THAT’S BOTH OF US ON CAMERA, HUH?” Both women looked away from eachother, very much hoping to avoid the pervy elephant in the room. “I uhhhh…” Anna cleared her throat, trying to pretend she wasn’t aware they were both having their dignity broadcasted over the internet. “-what’s the move? Even IF someone in that chat of yours called the police, there’s no WAY they could get here in time. Hell, why didn’t you just CALL the police yourself? I’m-I’m not saying I’m panicking or anything, I’m just trying to figure this out!” “Mhhh nhhh chlhhh phhhlhh…” Ash mumbled into her gag, her eyebrow smugly raised. “You what? Wait. Hold on.” Anna leaned in to Ash’s cheek and pulled her gag down with her teeth. Ash spat her own rag out and looked her mom dead in the eyes. “I wasn’t calling the police, mom.” “Okaaaay,” Anna remained as calm as she could-even as the TOGO robot started smoking. “Then, my beautiful daughter, the light of my life-and I mean this in the calmest and nicest way possible, please tell me-who the FUCK are you trying to get the attention of with a stunt like that??” Ash smiled and raised an eyebrow. The sound of another motor could be heard-this one much deeper, and with a whole lot more horsepower behind it. Another TOGO robot? Like the sound of a car mounting louder and louder as it picked up speed to hit someone, Anna could tell something big was coming directly for them. “ASH, WHAT DID YOU DO?” Ash just smiled and rolled her eyes-as the wall behind her straight up exploded into a cloud of smashed concrete and dust. All the while, Ash didn’t even flinch-her cool, collected smile unwavering as slabs of wall flew over her shoulder. The only movement from her was the act of raising her hand to push her bangs out of her eyes. “Wait, holy shit, you got your hands untied too??” Anna’s face widened into impressed disbelief. In spite of the certain death and peril of the situation, Anna couldn’t help but feel her body swell up with pride. Sure, she was usually one to keep her emotions *mostly* in check under pressure-but this called for an exuberant- “Fuck yeah, Scoob!!” Anna, despite being bound, shouldered the hell out of Ash-the closest approximation of a hug that said ‘Holy shit, I really DID raise a badass.’ Over Ash’s shoulder, a single red hi-beam light could be seen glowing ten feet off the ground; as an enormous silver monolith on tank treads pushed through the dust-stopping right in front of the bound duo. “STATEMENT-WHILE THE GESTURE IS APPRECIATED, PLEASE DO NOT FEEL THE NEED TO SACRIFICE YOUR DIGNITY TO APPEASE ME.” “Good to see you too, Iggy.” Ash said. “Wait, do you know this thing personally?” “ADVISEMENT-IT WOULD ALSO BE IN YOUR BEST INTERESTS TO DEACTIVATE LOCATION SERVICES ON YOUR PHONE. WHILE I AM GRATEFUL THAT IT MAKES FOLLOWING MY PROGRAMMING IN RESPONSE TO CERTAIN-“ the towering tank of a robot twitched, “CERTAIN STIMULI EASIER, IT IS UNWISE TO SHARE THIS MUCH DATA ON THE INTERNET. I HAVE JUST SENT A FASCINATING ARTICLE TO YOUR PERSONAL EMAIL REGARDING PRIVACY ON THE INTERNET AND THE EXTENT OF TRACK-“ “IGGY! I appreciate your concern but we REALLY need to get moving.” Ash was already untying the ropes around her legs, moving on to her mom’s bonds. “This place is a powder keg full of gas and that little bot over there is about to set ‘em ALL off.” The robot snapped to attention. His single eye darted its focus to the now sparking and smoking TOGO robot on the ground-likely seconds away from detonating. “ASSESSMENT-AH, YES. THE TEE-ZERO GEE-ZERO MARK FOUR COURIER UNIT. MOST KNOWN FOR THE COMBUSTIBILITY OF ITS POWER SOURCE. THIS PROBLEM WAS REMEDIED IN THE MARK FIVES DUE TO AN INGENIOUS METHOD OF DIV-“ “IGGY. We can get the tech specs later! You got room for two in that chassis?” “AFFIRMATIVE. I AM EQUIPPED WITH STORAGE FOR UP TO FOUR APPREH-“ “GREAT. Open up! We gotta move!” Having untied her mom, Ash pulled Anna to her feet. “Let’s go, lets go!” “Ash, are we really sure we can-“ The robot slid two human sized panels in his chassis open-revealing padded storage compartments. “I don’t have time to explain what I don’t have time to explain!” Ash pushed her mom into one of the compartments, before turning to the other-only to find one of the robots long tendril arms shoving her back into the same compartment. “DETONATION IS IMMINENT. PLEASE REMAIN CALM.” The door slid behind them-sandwiching Ash in the tight compartment with her mother. The space was small for even an individual-so naturally one would likely find themselves pressed far too close for comfort with another person if they were forced to share said space. As it stood, Ash found her face pressed firmly into Anna Hamrick’s ample chest-with very little room to even wriggle or object to the situation. Both women said nothing-but they knew not a word would be spoken of this. “Hmhhhhhmhhh…” Ash tried to give her mom a courtesy warning to brace herself-but her current predicament made words just as muffled as when she was gagged. There was an abrupt “POP” outside the chamber. This was it. The box they were in suddenly tumbled violently-spinning one direction, then another. As thick as the walls of the robot were, the sound of the collective explosion was like getting exposed to a thousand gunshots at once. The six inch steel absorbed the higher frequencies of the sound, keeping shell shock to a relative minimum as the two were tossed around against eachother. Ash closed her eyes and imagined that one scene from the bad Indiana Jones movie-the one where Indy crawls into the fridge to weather that nuclear blast. Not because she thought it was a cool scene, or that it was a comfort in the face of danger or anything; it was just all she could fill her mind with to avoid thinking about the fact that her face was buried in her own mom’s bazonkers in the middle of a chemical explosion. The little things, ya know? Within a few seconds, the sound of all the blasts made by exploding canisters had subsided-with nothing more than the low echo of the shockwave remaining. The cabin inside the robot stopped rolling with a heavy slam, rattling both of them violently. The two women fidgeted inside the cabin as their makeshift bombshelter lifted itself upright. Iggy proceeded to open the pod door to let Ash and Anna tumble out, quickly splitting apart to try and ignore the awkwardness of the last two minutes. The smoldering wreckage of the warehouse was three to four blocks away-meaning they were REALLY rocked by that explosion. Enough so that their little mobile bomb shelter must have literally been FLYING through the air from the blast for them to have landed this far away. A pause. “Never a word of this to dad?” Ash asked, straightening her bangs. “To anyone. Ever.” Anna replied as she assessed her outfit-noting a few tears in her stockings with a disappointed sigh. She looked back over at her daughter. “Proud of you, Scoob.” Ash popped a finger gun at her mom-doing everything in her power not to let the over-the-moon excitement of her mom’s praise show and make her look like a dweeb. It was showing, though. Her smile was taking up her whole face. And she *did* look like a dweeb. Ash paused for a moment. “You know what? Fuck it.” She turned and wrapped her mom in the strongest hug she could muster. Tight, all-encompassing, and inescapable. Anna Hamrick beamed, and promptly followed suit-eliciting a desperate squeak from her daughter as she proceeded to squeeze a little *too* hard. As was her way. Both women noticed the hug start to get a little tighter than usual. As if another set of very large (and cold) arms had joined the moment. The two opened their eyes to see a charred black robot, his armor still scored and smoking, joining in on the embrace-his long tentacle arms making several passes around them to complete the hug. “STATMENT: THIS IS A LOVELY MOMENT AND I AM SATISFIED THAT WE HAVE RETAINED A CASUALTY RATE OF ZERO PERCENT.” “Thanks Igg.” Ash patted one of the tentacles gingerly, trying to indicate that the moment was over. “You’re a real one.” The robot pulled away, allowing the other two to separate from his massive embrace. Anna took a long sideways glance at the smoldering robot, then to her daughter. Then back at the robot. “Sooooooooo, is this-?” Iggy snapped his attention to the older woman. “APOLOGETIC: FORGIVE MY PREVIOUS FORWARDNESS, MRS. ASHLEY’S MOTHER.” He tiled forward on his treads as if to bow. “I AM DESIGNATION EYE-GEE-EYE-EYE, MARK ONE. YOUR DAUGHTER AND I HAVE BEEN FAMILIAR WITH EACHOTHER FOR SOME TIME A-“ “This the boyfriend?” Anna cocked an eyebrow with a wry smile. “CLARIFICATION: IF WE WISH TO DISPENSE WITH FORMALITIES, THEN AFFIRMATIVE. I AM ASH’S BOYFRIEND IN A TRADITIONAL SENSE.” “He’s not my boyfriend, mom.” “CORRECTION: I HAVE RECENTLY DOWNLOADED AN ARTICLE TITLED ‘ARE WE DATING, OR ARE WE FRIENDS? A TEEN’s GUIDE TO DATING’ FROM THE MARCH 2009 ISSUE OF TIGER BEAT AND BY THE CRITERIA SET IN THE QUIZ AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE, IT WOULD APPEAR THAT WE EMBODY THE STANDARD FRAMEWORK FOR BOYFRIEND-GIRLFRIEND RELATIONS.” Iggy extended a steel claw from his body toward Anna, offering a civil handshake. Anna’s smile was very near bursting into laughter as she looked at a now thoroughly embarrassed Ash. GENUINE STATEMENT: IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET THE MOTHER OF MY BEAUTIFUL GIRLFRIEND, MRS. ASHLEY’S MOTHER. IT IS OBVIOUS WHERE ASHLEY DERIVES HER FAVORABLE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.” “Well, consider me charmed!” Anna shook the menacing metal claw gingerly before turning to her daughter. “Ash, why didn’t you tell me about the nice ten foot iron man you were dating?” “H-hey! It’s not like that MOM!” Ash brushed soot off of her leather skirt, not sure of what to do in this situation to make it any less awkward. “Listen, it’s a really, REALLY long story and I’m not sure HERE is where we want to have this discussion-“ “Mister ‘Eye-Gee’, I-“ ”INSISTENCE: PLEASE, CALL ME ‘IGGY’” Anna gave her daughter a shit-eating grin, savoring this opportunity to stir the pot. “Iggy, then-“ Anna continued, “You know, ‘The Iron Giant’ used to be one of her favorite movies as a kid. That might explain a lot of things. Hell, this is news to *me*.” A loading bar flashed on the robot’s display for a brief moment before returning to his regular red eye. “I HAVE JUST DOWNLOADED THE FILM AND WATCHED IT IN ITS ENTIRETY. YOUR DAUGHTER AND I WILL DISCUSS THIS INTERESTING NEW LAYER IN OUR RELATIONSHIP AT A LATER DATE.” “Awww, that’s sweet. See, Ash? This is the kinda guy I always wanted for you! Takes interest in the things you like, polite, bomb-proof and indestructible. Y’know, just a good fella!” Ash threw up her hands and was already leaving the scene. “I’m done. I’ll see you at Christmas, mom. Catch you later.” Anna carried on after her daughter-still surprisingly adept at running in heels. “Awwww, c’mon! Don’t be like that Scoob! We still gotta make plans for having tall, dark, and bullet-proof over for dinner!” Iggy scooped Anna Hamrick to let her stand on the ledge of his chassis. ”ANALYSIS FROM PREVIOUS DATA: ASHLEY IS AN ALARMINGLY ADEPT RUNNER. PLEASE ALLOW ME TO OFFER TRANSPORT TO MAINTAIN PACE, MRS. ASHLEY’S MOM.” Anna allowed her self to perch on the large robot’s base, just above the treads-gripping onto one of the panels for safety. “You really are the consummate gentleman, aren’t you?” Ash’d mom gave a gentle peck to the robots charred chassis, before reassuringly patting his frame. “Go get her, handsome.” …………………………………………………………………………….. LLAMTECH EXECUTIVE BOARDROOOM Austin, TX 07:08AM CST “-authorities are still investigating the source of the explosion, having not ruled out the possibility of arson. Although the damage from the blast extends over three blocks, no fatalities have been reported. We’ll update you with the latest as soon as we-“ The tv at the foot of the long boardroom was turned off. “Well, that’s not exactly a good look.” A stern woman with vibrant pink hair said curtly, leaning back in her chair. “Are we compromised?” “No m’am. Protocol was followed to a ‘T’” responded a smartly-dressed twenty something Hispanic girl organizing her stack of notes into a leather binder. “Say what you will about the warehouse labor we hire, they ALWAYS follow orders. No witnesses, no collateral, not even a a scrap of debris linking LlamTech to this.” The pink haired woman-LlamTech CEO Juliana O’Mara-tapped something into her phone to make note before looking back up at her assistant. “As always, Jackie-doll, you’re a peach.” The older woman sighed deeply before standing up. “Have a crew perform damage control on the site, discretely. Don’t want a trail to have been dropped from this.” “Yes m’am” O’Mara turned to a gaudy historic map of Austin, Texas that hung on the wall behind her, taking a moment to observe the painstakingly hand-drawn craftsmanship of it. Upon further observation, she took note of the pins placed throughout every area in the city-a heat-map of sorts keeping track of *something*. The highest concentration of these pins came from a single point, then fanned out to the entire city from there. A single point on Congress street where, interestingly enough, an abandoned warehouse had just exploded. The CEO took a thick marker from the desk and crossed out that point of interest on the map-it was, after all, just a smoldering crater now. “I like to see this as an opportunity, Jackie.” The sultry pink-haired woman said over her shoulder. “It’s time we diversified the reach of our distribution anyway. I hate to sit in one place for too long.” Jackie nodded, making notes in her day planner. Juliana O’Mara crossed the room to the window overlooking the Austin skyline, letting out another wistful sigh. “….And the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from her power,” The CEO crossed her arms as a sinister sharpness grew across her face, “and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels was finished.” Jackie looked up from her notes, reasonably alarmed. “…Revelations?” O’Mara paused. “Don’t tell me my Jackie never had to be dragged to Sunday school?” Her assistant smiled awkwardly to break the tension. “N-no! I figured! Just.. Wasn’t sure what you were trying to get across…” she was floundering, worried she might have overstepped her boundaries. “N-not that you need to explain anything, m’am!” O’Mara twirled back around to face Jackie, her dress trailing with a flourish. “Don’t worry your gorgeous head so much, sweetheart!” The CEO’s expression softened as she crossed over, placing a gentle hand under Jackie’s chin. “I suppose even the best of us get those little power trip moments! Standing in front of a window like that, view of the whole city! Oh, it just goes straight to your head! You start to feel like…Ohhhh, what’s that character’s name? The one from the Star Wars?” “….Darth Vader?” “That’s the one! I’m just being ridiculous. Please don’t worry yourself Jackie…” the older woman tugged the collar of her assistant and pulled her close, taking in a deep breath of her perfume. “Just a little over-stimulation, going to one’s head. A little show-boating, that’s all.” Jackie found herself blushing as her boss (and mistress, privately) pressed into her-forcing her to take a seat on the conference table. From everything she had been told, this endeavor was for the good of everyone in the long run. What harm was there in letting the woman in charge have those little moments of eccentricity? What tech billionaire *didn’t* have those? “We’ll just reposition, adapt, and move forward from this setback..” O’Mara’s tone became a little more lofty as she ran her nails along Jackie’s nyloned legs, almost melodic. “In any case, I think we’ve had enough discussion about all that Project L.O.C.U.S.T. business, haven’t we?” Jackie Garcia tried to maintain her professional demeanor as O’Mara pushed her hair behind her ear. “I-I’ll go ahead and move your eight o’clock, m’am.” “That mess from last night has me a little behind, Jackie.” O’Mara said with a lifted eyebrow. “Why don’t we push out my nine o’clock, too?” Jackie let the CEO pull her close, her nails digging into her thigh. The assistant finally let herself loosen up with a soft smile. “Yes m’am…”

Homeopathy, a natural and holistic form of medicine, has gained widespread popularity for treating kidney-related ailments. Its gentle and effective remedies focus on stimulating the body’s natural healing processes rather than suppressing symptoms. If you are searching for the best kidney homeopathic doctor in India, this comprehensive guide will help you understand homeopathy's role in kidney health, what to look for in a doctor, and how to make the best choice. Understanding Kidney Health and Common Problems The kidneys play a vital role in maintaining the body’s overall health by filtering waste, balancing electrolytes, and regulating blood pressure. However, these essential organs are susceptible to various ailments, including: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): A gradual loss of kidney function over time. Kidney Stones: Hard deposits of minerals that can cause severe pain and block urinary flow. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs): Infections in the kidneys, bladder, or urethra. Nephrotic

Deidre was tired. Mentally, at least. Her mind was clouded with fear, doubt and anxiety, and it sought to be freed from the torment that they inflicted upon it, which was why for the first time in her life, she was heading towards the deepest parts of the Posian Trench. She was barely an adult, her throat plates while mostly solidified still felt soft and quite bendable in certain areas. The sign of adulthood was a terror that she did not wish to bear, not at least today. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong, and the ocean was the only place that she could think of where she could find anything that could resemble peace. The water's pressure felt horrible at first. Her muscles tensed, her throat was clogged, and she found herself swallowing over and over with her closed mouth as if that action was a remedy of the ancients blessed upon her. But with time, her body relaxed, with the exception of her ears, which listened to the ocean's silent lullaby. It was a song that was

THIS STORY PICKS UP FROM THE END OF “NEVER POKE A RESTING HARPY, PART 2.” Millie takes a moment to check her handiwork. Erica’s feet strain against the tight bonds the sadistic sibling has improvised from hair ribbons found in a supply drawer. The ribbons wrap around Erica’s big toes, keeping her feet together side by side, then run back to knots on the cutout handle in the sawing prop’s ankle stock. Millie tests the tension on the ties and nods in satisfaction. “You’re not going anywhere. It’s time for your warm-up, Granny!” Millie sneers at the immobilized feet. She picks up a bottle of massage oil and drizzles some at the base of Erica’s tightly bound toes. Millie carefully smears the oil over the singer’s stretched soles, making sure every inch of them gets covered. The wicked young woman wipes her hands with some paper towels before gathering the rest of her equipment. She pulls a stylist’s cart in front of Erica’s glistening feet and retrieves a hairdryer from one of its shelves. Millie plugs in the dryer, inverts it on a stand atop the cart and flicks it on its highest setting. She positions the dryer to blow on her captive’s soles at only a few inches’ distance. Millie tests the airflow with her fingers and shakes her head disapprovingly, prompting her to pull a second dryer from the cart and set it up alongside the first. With both dryers blasting away on high heat, Erica’s feet start to wriggle in the torrent of hot air. XXXXXX Back in the studio, Erica winces in growing discomfort. “It’s getting hot, Dax. Where’s Loni?” she asks anxiously. Dax holds her hand and tries to comfort her. “She’s still on her way. Malcolm will let her in here as soon as she arrives.” He pats her hand sympathetically as she lets out an occasional whimper. XXXXXX Loni zooms toward the “laundromat “ in her forest green Saab, frequently glancing in her rear view mirror. So far the lightly trafficked evening streets have allowed her to speed to the scene, but she remains cautious to avoid any encounters with local law enforcement. As she pulls to the curb in front of the hidden studio, she looks in the mirror one last time before exiting the vehicle. Loni’s eyes shine yellow in the reflection. “Cutting things too close once again!” she humorously rebukes herself as she walks to the storefront door under a bright full moon. XXXXXX Malcolm leaps from his seat when he hears footsteps approaching the reception area. Loni steps into the room to an unusually warm reception. “Oh, Loni—I’m so glad you’re here!” the worried young man exclaims as he throws his arms around the startled realtor. Loni growls, causing Malcolm to break off his embrace and take a cautious step back. “Too soon? If you’re still mad at me, I get it,” he says sincerely. Loni answers awkwardly, “No, no, Mal, we’re good. It’s not you, it’s me, heh heh. Uh, do you have a dressing room or wardrobe closet I can use real quick? I have to change NOW.” Malcolm looks puzzled, but offers, “There’s a room right off the practice studio, but you didn’t bring in any other clothes. What are you going to change in…to?” The question dies in his throat when Malcolm sees Loni’s gleaming yellow eyes and mouthful of increasingly pointy teeth. The studio manager smacks his forehead with a damp palm and laughs, “Oh, of course, THAT kind of change! I forgot about the moon tonight. Follow me, please.” XXXXXX TEN MINUTES LATER… Loni steps out of the dressing room in her werewolf form, but modestly wrapped in a dark blue robe spangled with gold moons and stars. She quickly crosses to the studio door and enters the practice space. Malcolm mops his brow with a handkerchief as he stands by the Zig-zag Cabinet, while Dax hovers protectively over Erica’s upper half. The frontwoman herself is straining to keep from crying out. “Oh look—you’re a wizard, hairy!” she jokes in a cracking voice, trying to keep her girlfriend from getting upset. Loni snuffles at the jape, then hurries to Erica’s side to give her face a lick. “It’s good to see you, dear. Millie’s been roasting my feet for nearly half an hour,” Erica reveals. Loni turns her shaggy head to growl and bare her fangs at Malcolm. The studio manager raises his hands defensively and sputters, “I didn’t know what she had planned, I swear! It looks like Millie wants some payback for the way Erica and I went at each other when you came to get help for Bella.” The tense moment passes when Loni tilts her head curiously and leans toward Malcolm, sniffing the air near him. She wrinkles her snout and asks, “Redicine?” Malcolm quivers, “What?! Oh, medicine, right! This is a bit embarrassing,” he states, dabbing his forehead again. “I—well, Millie and I—suffer from hyperhidrosis. The Van Helzen twins are very sweaty people, in case you hadn’t noticed. Millie and I signed up for a clinical trial antiperspirant last month, but it hasn’t been working too well.” Dax interjects, “If it’s any consolation, Malcolm, it is working in some respect. I don’t notice any odor at all.” A sudden realization brightens the master illusionist’s clouded countenance. “But Loni obviously does! Loni, since Millie’s been using that preparation as well, do you think you could track her by its smell?” Loni barks and nods vigorously. Following the new lead, Loni starts sniffing and prowling around the people and props standing about the studio. She works her way to the mirrored wall on the far side of the space and cautiously pushes on it. The panel gives way under her clawed hands, and Loni bounds excitedly into the passage behind the hidden door. Malcolm exhales in relief with the promise of an end to Erica’s ordeal. However, his face soon becomes a mask of fear and he worries aloud, “Is it really such a good idea to have a werewolf hunting down my sister? I know Millie’s been acting like a fool and all, but…” Erica smiles and replies evenly, “I promise Loni won't do a thing to her, Mal. Omorose gave her a remedy some time back that calmed her feral nature. That sweet girl’s basically an oversized Golden Retriever.” Dax and Malcolm grin at the wholesome image until Malcolm’s smartphone rings in his jacket pocket. The studio manager looks at the phone screen and notes, “Hmmph—unlisted number. Probably a telemarketer, but you never know,” as he connects the call and answers with a crisp “Hello.” “Mal? It’s me. I’m on a cheap prepaid phone, so you can’t track me. Put her on,” Millie insists. Malcolm nods and passes his phone to Erica, who continues to writhe painfully in the prop. “Millie? You do know you’re in a great deal of trouble, don’t you?” Erica snaps. Unfazed by the singer’s ire, Millie responds with a mean-spirited laugh. “At first I wanted you to apologize for how you treated my brother, but now I just want to hear you cry.” Erica proposes reasonably, “I’ve already made my peace with Malcolm, and there’s no reason to make things worse for yourself. Why don’t you just leave my lower half alone and tell me where to retrieve it.” Millie cracks, “Nope! That’s not going to happen, lady. I’m going to make you suffer all night!” Millie’s phone clatters on the other end but remains connected. A few seconds later, Erica yelps and nearly drops Malcolm’s phone as she experiences another unwelcome sensation on her distant soles. XXXXXX Millie puts her phone on speaker mode and drops it on the counter. She abruptly turns off the hair dryers on the cart. The frontwoman’s feet flex weakly against their bonds, her soles an angry red from their prolonged exposure to heat. Millie then increases Erica’s torment by pressing a plastic bag filled with ice cubes against her steamy soles. The singer’s bound feet squirm feebly against the pressure of the shockingly cold bag, and Millie grins at their tortured movements. “Oooh, I bet that HURTS!” she cackles. Erica groans over the phone’s speaker. “Millie—unngh—it’s only fair to warn you—aaah—-my dear girlfriend Loni is coming for you. Do you think you can—neheheh—negotiate with a werewolf?” the pained performer bluffs convincingly. Millie snatches the baggie away from Erica’s feet and hastily disconnects the call. She sits in wary silence for a minute, then shakes her head and chuckles to herself. “Yeah, right. I don’t have to be afraid of the big bad wolf! Loni may be able to track me here, but she can’t get in without setting off the burglar alarm and making a big scene. Those Kastle Kreeps wouldn’t be happy to get that kind of publicity,” Millie concludes smugly. Reveling in her apparent impunity, the young woman lights a thick scented candle on the counter and laughs maliciously as she rummages through the supply drawers again. XXXXXX Elsa and Omorose sit on the overstuffed sofa in the Doctor’s suite. Elsa’s booties lie on the floor and her bare legs are folded under her as she caresses her wife’s face. “Now that I’ve seen it both ways, O, I’ve gotta say I like your neck better when your head’s attached to it,” Elsa giggles. Omorose gives her a sultry smile and tilts her head back, sighing, “I like my neck whenever you kiss it, my love.” Elsa wraps her arms around her spouse’s slender torso and pulls her closer. “Oooh, good answer!” she approves with an impish waggle of her eyebrows. A few knocks sound at the suite door just before Elsa’s lips contact Omorose’s swanlike neck. “Aw, nuts!” the Doctor growls. “Patience, dearest,” Omorose advises soothingly, patting her love’s arm. “Please come in,” she calls to the unseen visitor. Countess Bella enters the suite in merry mood. She is wearing her “Count Orlok” ensemble of high-collared brown frock coat over a sleek black bodysuit. However, instead of the glowing bald pate that originally inspired the look, Bella sports her familiar short, spiky hairdo. “Hello, besties. I have interrupted your lovemaking, yes?” the vampire begins with a mischievous fanged grin. Elsa quips not unkindly, “Yeah, you sure did, but… Hey, wait a minute—your hair’s grown back!” Omorose observes with characteristic grace, “Indeed, dear friend. You’re back to yourself with the return of the full moon.” Bella titters, “You are both so sweet to notice I am restored to my accustomed beauty!” She twirls in place and hisses playfully at her “besties” to show off her hair and outfit. “Be that as it may, I have come here with an important question. I greatly enjoy seeing my darlings standing beside my coffin when I rise for the night, but tonight they were not there. They weren’t in Loni’s suite, and the Harpy’s Nest was likewise vacant. Do either of you know where they might be?” Bella queries longingly. Elsa and Omorose collect themselves and sit up straight before hazarding an explanation of Erica’s and Loni’s whereabouts. TO BE CONCLUDED…

Finding love is a beautiful journey, but maintaining it can sometimes become challenging. Misunderstandings, emotional distance, or external pressures can affect even the strongest of relationships. If you’re struggling in your relationship, it’s time to connect with a trusted love problem specialist in Mumbai. Our goal at Superbeing Healings is to guide individuals and couples toward emotional clarity, healing, and lasting connection. Whether it’s a breakup, family disapproval, or fading communication, our personalized solutions are designed to restore harmony and love in your life. 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁? Almost everyone experiences love-related issues at some point. A love problem specialist in Mumbai offers deep insights for: Couples facing frequent arguments People experiencing one-sided love or emotional pain Lovers dealing with third-party interference Challenges from parents or societal pressures Trouble with commitment or long-distance

September 5th 𖦹 When his mother yelled him awake on Thursday morning, Ian's eyes opened in a flash. He had never been so happy in his life to get torn from his slumber. Or, at the very least, not roused up from something other than his alarm. He found himself turning the thing off, not caring about what sleep-type Pokemon he caught. Not at the moment, at least. The current soccer player, on his high school's varsity team, working hard for Old Mill school corporation amongst New Hope, Pennsylvania, was still in the game. He had played against the Springfield Township Spartans. He had done his absolute best last night, showing Coach Bolin what he had been practicing for, the reason he breathed, the reason he brushed his teeth in the morning. Showing everyone the reasons behind why he ate, slept, and put on clothes to go through life. Why he strived for better. Why he fought for this position. Old Mill lost last night's game 2-1 last night, in the longest, dullest, sorest game that the team had seen all season. Couldn't win them all, isn't that what they said? Oh, well. As bad as last night's loss was, Ian didn't let it get him down an inch. In fact, he was giddy. Gillan felt like he won that game last night, in some form or other. He felt like he won the lottery, hit a jackpot, and started life all over again. When he had gotten on the transfer bus, Mr. Bolin had sat next to him on the aisle over, his big hand on Ian's shoulder. "That's my boy! Didn't think I'd be keeping up with you, did you? I saw that B in art!" The soccer coach beamed. Ian felt so warm inside, like all his cells buzzed. He hadn't felt so seen for his efforts- not like that. "Well, I'm trying to put a new foot down in there, coach," he said. "I wanna stay on the team." "I know you do- and Ian- you go right on ahead. I'm not worried about you a bit. You do whatever you put your head to, I know that." The older man hummed. "Wish my boys were like that. I'm trying to get Tommy through this year." He let out a low whistle and fanned himself with his cap. Ian snickered. Tommy Bolin was in his class. He didn't know Tommy intimately, but he knew someone who did. Gillan glanced back at Glenn Hughes, on his phone. Probably Snapchat, from the way he was making Coverdale pose with him. "Anyway- I just wanted to thank you for taking this seriously," Bolin continued. "You're a good kid, Ian. I don't want to see you slipping off the wagon. You hear?" "Oh, no, I understand, sir." The black haired boy nodded. Tough. Empowered. "This won't happen again, either." Coach smiled. "You do your best out there tonight, tiger," he patted Ian's shoulder one last time before a racket further down the bus caught attention. "Glenn- I don't wanna see your boyfriend's nudes!" Coverdale's voice erupted. "Sorry!" Was Hughes' giggling reply. Coach groaned and got up. "Now, boys, shape up back there!" He called and lumbered back to the seats. "We're gonna go over plays, heads up!" And then they lost. But it was fine! It was all good. Coach knew that Ian was working on his grade, which he still was. The threat of being kicked out like a mangy dog was gone. He had saved his own hide from being tanned. He was safe. And best of all, Coach felt like he could trust Ian. MVP status in the future...? Possible GOAT rankings...? Who knew? Ian might just become a soccer manager. Soccer general manager. Soccer regional manager. Soccer president. CEO! He was kidding himself. It just felt nice to get recognized and have people off your back. And, actually, as strange as it was, he was kind of sad that it was Thursday. He didn't have art today. He knew that he was just itching to watch the little letters on his Sapphire profile change, see his GPA go up. But he also had to admit that in some sort of way, he thought art was fun. Not the vocabulary- not at all- but the creative process was what he liked. And he was entering this new world of art because of one person. Roger Glover had been very kind, and very smart. It took Ian a while to ask why he was in Art 1, but he found the courage. Gillan learned that Roger was actually in the AP class for art- along with everyone but Ritchie, Glenn, and Ian. But the curriculum for both AP and beginning art was the same, it was just the expectations that were different. And since the school did not want to burden themselves with art as a class, they let Mr. Braggard teach both at the same time. So, that explained a lot. He felt a little silly, not paying attention to such things. No wonder he felt far behind. Nevertheless, Ian was finding other things about Glover. Roger preferred to work with headphones on, and he really got choosy about music. Ian saw him scrolling through Spotify a lot. The redhead boy was also very quiet, even if he gave tips. He was very solitary. Ian would peek up at his surroundings time and time again, watching the clock, seeing what people were up to, looking out the glass window into the hallway, reading the board, looking at supplies in the closet... But Roger just kept his head down. He sketched. He erased. He sketched again. He reworked things. Made a new box. Drew in it. Sat back and scanned his work. Added charcoal. Took away charcoal. Filed his pencils with sand paper. Made details. It was sort of like watching a bee work. A very busy bee. Perhaps a beaver. Even a quick hummingbird. Not even Jimmy was this dedicated to a drawing. It sort of rubbed off on Gillan. He wanted to buckle down more. Tap in to that creative outlet in his head and go on. So that's what he was doing all day long. Making himself do little exercises. His painting of the watercolor tray had been done since yesterday. Did it look good? Not really, if he was honest. But it looked miles better than the work he had been previously turning in, so he felt like he was improving. But now he was in Geometry. And he realized that he was trying to draw the back of the head in front of him, directly on his notes packet. It was a bit meditative, wasn't it? Sitting down. Just you, a paper, a pencil, and whatever was in front of you. Ian spent all of last art period trying to draw what he saw: the paint set. Roger had given him tips for it all. Light pressure means the sketch can be erased easier, you didn't have to ruin the paper. Wet the paper first, then apply overall color. Dry brush strokes for details. Colors dull when they dry. Leave for a bit and let your eyes look at something else before taking another step when you feel something is off. So he took the advise to heart. He felt like he was making Mikhayla's head a bit too lumpy. It was hard to draw her long, blond hair- especially because of how bad it was thinning. He could smell the product in her hair from where he sat. Or maybe it was the memory of the product. Last year, he had been really picking on her- going to her locker every day, popping up to walk her to and from class. Then he got distracted by Haylee, and then India again. At least India thought it was okay to kiss on a first date. As he tried to round out her shoulders, Ian started to think a little more about his romantic life this school year. It has been very dry so far, which wasn't like him at all. He knew it wasn't him exactly- even in that short depressive state he had earlier this week where he used dry shampoo and didn't mind too much about wearing anything but comfy clothes he found in the darker and unseen corners of his closet. Today proved it. He brushed his hair for the first time since Monday, made sure he washed his face, and even kept a little bit of stubble on his jaw while he found something nice to wear. Good leather shoes, jeans, button-up and jacket. He saw many girls giggle and stare as he prowled the hallways. He still had it. He just... Didn't go for anyone yet. That was alright, wasn't it? Just trying to take some time and put thought into love for once. Grow up a little more, instead of having month-long flirts or dating just to see how far it would go. In some ways, he felt he was maturing. And in some ways, he felt he needed to mature a lot more. It was a little hard, seeing the soccer team with the people they cared about. And cared about genuinely. The bell rang during work time. Ian got up, figuring it was time to stop staring at the mole on Mikhayla's right arm, and go get his things at his locker. He tucked his books and notes under his arm. He wasn't very far down the math hallway, when he heard a scoff, and someone snatch at his papers. "What the hell is this?" Ritchie Blackmore asked poignantly, briskly walking beside Ian. He squinted at the drawing of the girl, looking like Anton Ego when served something without perspective. Obviously, this drawing deserved a negative-5 Michelin star rating. "Been doing some portraits- jealous?" Ian beamed like the sun at Blackmore's noticing. It wasn't every day Ritchie commented on his drawings with such enthusiasm. Ritchie, clad in black with eyeliner to match, shoved the notes in Ian's chest. "Is that how you've been picking your grades up?" He questioned. "I thought you broke down and got a tutor." Ian hummed, and shrugged. "Well, some people just have to learn to get good." He grinned. There was a scoffing snicker from Ritchie. "You're still going to have to learn, then. I can't tell if that's a girl or a horse's ass." Gillan started to laugh. "Well, it was Mikhayla Schule, so, I think ass." A rare Ritchie smile! He was sure to get bonus points for that. "Just don't focus on art so much you forget to put in notes for finding side B." He said, a bit less harsh. "We got to page ten in our lesson." Ian's sea blue eyes widened. He stopped in the hallway. He looked down at the paper. Indeed, he had not filled out anything past page 3. Uh oh. He didn't pay attention to the notes. Ritchie rolled his eyes. "Mr. Cheek puts up a video for the notes on the geometry page online." He instructed. "Do those tonight. Coach won't want you skimping more academics than you are." Ian gave a look to his teammate as the sea of students swam around them, like fish around sharks. "How come you're gonna tell me I'm so shit at everything- and then give me pointers on homework?" He asked, cutting through some crap for once. Ritchie smirked and crossed his arms. "So I can blame all our missteps on you, and I won't have to get an earful after soiled games." He said with that awful, ratty smile of his. "You tripped me yesterday!" Ian pointed directly at Blackmore. "Even the ref saw!" Ritchie shrugged. "As far as everyone else is concerned, you just wanted to eat grass." Ian was struggling for a comeback, because frankly, he still could taste Springfield Township's lawn and Ritchie's cleats. But then he looked over, and saw a dark figure in a leather jacket, keys dangling by his finger. In his other arm were two helmets. Ian smiled. Calmed. "Hey, Cozy," he called. "You wanna take your princess away, he's calling me names." Cozy Powell smiled and walked up behind Blackmore. The corners of his mouth picked up big lines that made his grin look wider and softer. "That true?" He asked, looking down at the shorter Ritchie. "Not being nice today?" The only time Ian ever saw Ritchie put his hard walls down, and think about what he said, was when Cozy was around. "I thought about it earlier." Blackmore stated simply. "Didn't fit into my routine." Cozy hummer, handing his counterpart a helmet. "Yeah? What about me, you going to treat me like that when I take you home?" Ritchie snatched it. His face was getting pink. "I'll consider." Ian snickered. "See you at our next game?" He called at Powell. Cozy smiled and nodded, winking. "Always." Gillan and Powell exchanged a fist bump, and Ian went on to his locker. Just not without shouting behind him. "Byyyeeee, Ritchie-kins!" He sing-songed. Then he laughed to himself. He heard Blackmore's mad grumblings. He loved getting the last word in. As he went to his locker, he saw Glenn and Tommy Bolin walking past. They held hands and were laughing as the two strutted out the building. You could always tell Glenn in a crowd because of how tall and storky he was. And Tommy stuck out like a sore thumb because of his wild, colored hair. That, and they were perhaps the most obnoxious couple in the school. They didn't ever keep quiet. Ian turned to watch them go as he fiddled with his locker combo. He kept watching the way they leaned into each other. How they kept smiling and grinning so big. When he finally got into his locker, he tossed his textbooks in, and got his backpack out. Fished for the keys to his Nissan. Inside was already his earth science and health books. He reached down to get his geometry papers. Why didn't he just put those in first before throwing them in? He wasn't thinking right. "Hey," A hand slapped on the side of his open locker door. "Practice is Friday, yeah?" Ian looked out. David was there, backpack on. Looking expectant. "Yeah, four to eight." He nodded, getting his own pack and shutting the door. It revealed a short boy next to David, with jet black hair, and big, blue eyes. "Hey, Rory. How's scouts?" "Oosh, 's tearin' me from inside out, 's what 's doing," Rory Gallagher said all huffy. "Cannot tell if they're buildin' me up, or tearin' me down!" He said in as a joke, though. Made Ian smile. "Hey, make your man ice his leg before bed- that fall he took yesterday's making him waddle something terrible." "Quit," David warned. "It's wrapped, it's fine." "Shoo- got your leg hurt? Where at?" Rory tuttered, going to crouch down immediately. "'S it tender right there, Davey? I got some medicine at home that'd set you right quick." Ian smirked as he went to go away. David scowled. Both boys knew Coverdale wasn't going to move until Gallagher said he could, which would possibly be half an hour, if Rory thought it was that bad. Rory fancied himself a medic, and was notorious about packing around a little kit of remedies all over. Gallagher also worried a lot about Coverdale injuring himself at the games. "I'll get you back." David warned Ian. Even if he smirked. He liked the attention, deep down. Ian just blew back a kiss, and headed for the doors. He was home free, and he was going to the Wawa for a treat before he got there. 𖦹 "Well, my boy, what have they got you doing this fine quarter?" Granddad Watkins peered over as he cut precisely into a cube steak. At the table, Ian stopped privately kicking his sister, and sat up a bit straighter. "Uh, well. In geometry, we're finding out the missing length of sides on triangles." He offered. "I kind of wish I knew that when I got into woodshop last year. It's pretty helpful." Pauline gave him one last swift punt to the shin, a non-verbal warning to her older brother that violence was always retaliated in double. Trying not to make a face, Ian showed his surrender by slowly and gently rubbing the spot, because it hurt like hell. Fuck you, Pauline. "You should get back into woodshop again this year, dear." Grandmother smiled from her plate besides her husband. "You did a load of things last year that just blew me away! Oh, made me remember all the times you'd come in from the garage with a new sort of contraption, all excited and giddy. A lever to dispense the perfect amount of coffee, the squirrel-proof bird houses- Audrey! You remember that ping-pong ball pistol he made?" Taking a big sigh through her nose, Ian's mother nodded slow. "I do, yes." And gave a weary, thousand-yard smiling stare. Ian's mother, Audrey Watkins, endured much from her son. For example, whenever the inventions that Ian made were brought up, both mother and son immediately thought of one particular instance. When he was still supposedly a small, innocent toy, Ian strong-armed a friend of his to crawl inside of a home-built submarine. The friend was doing no less than piloting and testing the thing out, and after careful and important instruction from the builder, Ian promptly pushed the sub-on-wheels into a pond. It was a wonder the boy didn't drown, because after he came up gasping for air and crying, Ian started to breathe him for not taking care of the now sunk sub correctly. Audrey did not know how they came out unscathed after that ordeal. Ian had gone back to the drawing board about the submarine, until there was a new, firm, shiny rule about never getting the idea to make it again. Unfortunately, her son was very smart, and very inventive. It didn't stop him from wanting to make more objects of mass destruction. All a mother could do was bite her nails and hold him back from fatal destruction as best she could. Thankfully, all this time later, Ian kept the knack for tinkering, but approached the subject in new ways. "And you, Pauline?" Granddad looked at the sixteen year old. Pauline carefully bit into mashed potatoes, as to not harm her perfect application of Colourpop Panther Ultra Matte lipstick. "Choir trip's this year." She said after a swallow. Ian glanced over to his sister. Talking about the choir trip instead of actual school work? Something smelled. Audrey perked up. "Oh, for you and Ian both," she smiled. "Is it Chicago this year?" Ian shook his head. "Vote's not in yet. I want Disney." Pauline scrunched her nose. "Why not Chicago?" She asked. "You can go to Disney whenever." Fat lie, he wanted to shout. This family has never been, and will never be able to go to Walt Disney World. It was a simple math problem. Five people, one airplane, no money, plus happiest, most expensive theme park ever. The math couldn't math here. No computation necessary. Answer didn't have to be said. "Well, you can go to Chicago any time, too." Ian said. "I just wanna see the park in my lifetime, is all." He knew she just said that because her makeup would melt in Orlando. Audrey silenced them both. "You'll just have to see the vote outcome." She said in a sturdy way that meant, 'quit arguing.' Now, Ian may have exaggerated. They weren't poor. They had a good little house in a cul-de-sac on Bronco in Willow Grove. He liked it well enough, but didn't care for it too much. This area of Pennsylvania was absolutely full of rich houses. Sometimes it was tough not to compare. Especially with the batty New York contractors building minimalistic mcmansions that looked like big, white, cardboard boxes. He forked at some peas. Started to dribble one and aim for the mashed potato goal. Score. Wish he could have done that last night. "Are you alright, baby?" Grandmother asked. "You've been poorly since you've got home." Ian looked up at everyone. He noticed they were staring. Poorly? Him? No... He was glad it was Thursday. He was glad to be home. Wasn't he? "Oh, I'm fine," he blurted. "Maybe, ah... Upset about the game last night." Grandad puffed his chest. "You'll conquer the Spartans next time, lad. They've got an undefeated streak so far, I assume they're out for blood this year." Granddad has been listening to the radio broadcast of every game in the tri-state area. He enjoyed soccer, but called it football. He called football rugby, and berated anyone who used any other terms. England did not leave that man's body easy. Ian smiled back. He liked the enthusiasm. "Steal the streak right off their noses," he nodded. Granddad smiled. "That's my boy." Ian felt warm. But he still didn't seem very right. Maybe he was feeling poorly.

Kayla sighed to herself thinking "This guy seems great, I'm so excited to meet him". She had been talking to Jack for a couple weeks. Now they were finally going to meet. She was looking herself over in the mirror. Kayla had long brown hair, warm brown eyes, a kind and yet shy face a bit rounder then she liked at times with a small chin she had large breasts her pink nipples hard from the chill in the room. Her slightly chubby body and larger than average butt though friends told her she looked great had always made her feel kinda fat. She was trying to decide what to wear when she heard a knock on her bedroom door." Just a minute" she said quickly dressing in a pair of jeans and a simple black shirt with a deep but not slutty v trying to show off her assets, but not to eagerly. Clearly she was taking to long because someone knocked again. In a quick rhythm this time, and just like that Kayla knew exactly who it was her friend and roommate Red. Red though her real name was Rose which she never went by had vibrant red hair light sky blue eyes her face gave off a confident sexy vibe squared with a perfect taper from her jawbones to her chin. Her body had great curves, her breasts though smaller then Kayla's were perky D's that looked great on her frame as it curved down to her tight perky butt which again rivaled Kayla in size. Kayla had always been jealous of Red because she had never been chubby like Kayla was even though she was just as gifted. It didn't affect their friendship though they had met as little kids and been close their whole lives. Sure enough Kayla opened the door and in strode Red beaming and looking very proud of herself."What's got you so excited?" Asked Kayla knowing if she didn't ask, Red would play coy until she did." Ooohhh nothing much, just a little something to help on your big date". "Really" said Kayla knowing Red had something of a dramatic flair and that she was superstitious still believing in magic and all that. "What, you don't believe me?" Red asked sarcastically. Kayla simply raised an eyebrow. Red burst out laughing, unable to hold it back anymore, Kayla quickly followed suit "Ok what is it really?" Kayla asked, still laughing. Red blew out a couple times shaking her hands to focus and stop herself laughing. "Ok so seriously I got you this" Red held out her hand in it was a small necklace, a simple brass chain with a small pendant the shape of a cow bell."Really Red" Kayla said, slightly annoyed, not sure if she was making a joke about her size which had never happened before, but Kayla had a tendency to be defensive, or the fact that she was meeting up with Jack at his small ranch. Either way Red quickly caught on and said "don't worry it's not a joke or a jab I'm not that much of a smart ass. It's just a little good luck charm I got one for myself too and one for Blondie" Blondie or Bonnie, their other roommate who was a new addition to their little trio, was a work friend they had quickly gotten to liking, and after a string of bad luck had moved in with them. She was somewhat taller than the other girls, not as busty or curvy but toned and in good shape. She especially liked working out and hiking especially. She enjoyed being outside and could wander for hours without a care in the world. This however didn't pay the bills and as such she had gotten a job at a small coffee shop where she had met Kayla and Red. Red had quickly taken to calling the blonde haired Bonnie, Blondie and she had just rolled with it being a laid back and easy going person. Kayla looked at her ginger friend, raised her eyebrow again and said "Really you got us friendship necklaces". Red took in a sharp breath scoffing before responding with a heavy layer of sarcasm "What can't I get my best friends a gift?" "We're your only friends" replied Kayla just as sarcastically. This was quickly followed by another bout of laughter after which Red gasping said "seriously they're good luck"! "Says who the lady you bought them from"? Kayla asked knowing Red had something of a dealer when it came to this weird stuff. Now it was Red's turn to raise an eyebrow "come on Kayla you've known Clio for a while she's the real deal." Kayla could help but point out " I've only met her a couple times and that thing she sold you had nothing to do with you getting your job, I put in a good word for you". "It was an old Irish coin firstly and secondly it was pretty lucky I had a friend to put in that good word". Kayla chose not to respond to that joke; she just laughed and rolled her eyes. Still there was something about Clio Kayla could never put her finger on. Clio was a strikingly beautiful woman. She was fair haired with beautiful deep green eyes that seemed to draw you in and hold you. Her body left nothing to be desired either between her large breasts, thin waist, curvy legs and butt. She really was perfect like something out of a dream. Kayla remembered the first time she had met Clio. Unsurprisingly Red had set the whole thing up convincing Kayla to come check out this new shop she had found and she'd told her to come by after work with an extra coffee because they were meeting a friend. The friend was of course Clio, the owner of the small shop. The shop itself was about what you would expect from a new age magic shop with a number of plants,symbols, jewelry and a number of other things that hadn't meant anything to Kayla, but she had played along and humored her friend. Clio had been quite friendly, thanking her for the coffee saying she'd be sure to thank her for the gift. Kayla had responded that it was nothing. This happened a couple more times each the same as the last Clio had offered Kayla a number of things in her shop, but each time Kayla had simply said no thank you. The last time she had gone there Clio had remarked she'd have to find something very special for Kayla to reward her and that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Kayla had politely agreed, but hadn't been back since. It seemed however that Clio had found this special something as Red had gone there earlier in the day with Clio sending her home with the three identical necklaces. Now Red sat on the edge of Kayla's bed holding out Kayla's necklace well Red proudly wore her own. " It would be rude to refuse a gift," Red stated. Kayla sighed "Fine but I'm paying her back for this I don't want to take advantage of her". "Please" said Red "you've been bringing her free coffee she's just thanking you she's funny like that with gifts, she doesn't like to feel like she owes someone" Red explained "Now put this on and go on your big date!" The date went amazing and so did the next two. Jack and Kayla had hit it off instantly. Kayla hadn't ever left like this about anyone, and she'd never thought it could happen so quickly, but she was loving every second of it. Now for their fourth date Jack had offered to show Kayla his small farm. Kayla was super excited. She loved farms; she'd only seen them from a distance, but the idea of them and the animals and a quiet life removed from the BS of everyday life. She was on her way there now and she couldn't be more excited. It was pretty far out in the country, but she had been driving for a while now and was coming up on the driveway. At least what might be considered a driveway she had passed the mail box and was headed down a dirt road. Kayla kept driving for a good 5 minutes, starting to think she made a wrong turn nervously playing with the necklace from Red.When she saw a beautiful ranch house with a huge front deck running the full width of the house. The house was wooden like a log cabin one story but still fairly large, surprising as Jack lived alone. Behind the house but offset enough to be seen clearly was a large red bard adjacent to a green pasture. The pasture even had a river flowing through it. This place was like something out of a story book or a movie. Kayla could hardly believe her eyes. She put her car in park, hopped out and there was Jack standing just inside the doorway. He was tall with dark blonde hair and blue eyes. He was muscular and strong from working on his farm for the last couple years. Hey there he said with a smile. Hi Kayla said returning the smile thanks again for inviting me out here I'm really excited to see it all. Jack smiled again, laughed and said well I won't keep you waiting we'll start with the house then move on to the barn then I thought we'd have a picnic in the pasture over there. Kayla smiled even bigger, that sounds amazing! Great let's go Jack replied. The house was just as amazing inside as it was out of slightly under furnished and under decorated then Kayla would have done herself but she figured she might remedy that one day. It was very open and spacey with a nice entryway opening to the living room on one side and a large hall leading to the bedrooms on the other. They made their way to the kitchen again large and open where Jack grabbed a cooler and a blanket. He then opened the back patio door and Kayla saw the deck wrapped all the way around the house. The back deck had a grill and a number of wicker chairs even a couch which looked to be the same brand as the chairs probably a set. The view was magnificent green lush grass a pasture with small rolling hills woods off to the left hand side the barn off to the right a simple wooden fence running from it's side over to the woods then turning and running up into the horizon. the river which cut through the land running from the woods down into the small pond a small group of trees close at hand to it. She played with the small brass bell around her neck wishing she never had to leave this place. "What do you think?" came a voice pulling her back from her own thoughts. "I love it, it's absolutely perfect". Jack smiled somewhat shyly and thanked Kayla. Kayla wasn't sure what was driving her but she closed the small gap between the two of them and passionately kissed Jack on the lips. Jack leaned right in kissing her right back. The wet sound of their lips filled the barn Kayla let out a small moan she felt more turned on then she ever had before her wet pussy felt like it was on fire. She kept on kissing Jack reaching her hand down to play with his harding bulge. She slowly moved her hand up and down the front of his jeans teasing him, driving him to want nothing but her to focus on nothing but her. Kayla was running on pure animalistic need, the warmth of her pussy making her ignore the pressure building up in her chest, The small points of pain on top of her head, and the numbness of her ears. Kayla unfasten Jack's belt with a deft movement of her hands still not breaking the kiss not wanting to stop the greatest make out session of her life. Had either one opened their eyes they'd have seen Kayla's ears growing longer changing from round to pointed at the ends a small curl forming at the top the backs slowly being covered in a coarse brown fur, but neither noticed. Kayla undid the button of her lover's pants slowly pulling down the zipper before reaching in. Jack's cock was rock hard and long. Kayla drew her hand up and down his length lingeringly on the tip where his precum was starting to leak. On the top of her head a different point was growing two white horns grew from the top of her head painlessly and completely in mere seconds. Elsewhere Kayla was feeling pressure her bra was cutting into her breasts she felt as though she was completely overflowing it, but that was impossible. As if on cue Jack reached behind her undoing her bra. The relief was instant. Kayla felt like she had just come up for air. What she didn't expect was the weight that came bouncing down onto her chest. Her breasts felt massive, much larger than her already large DDs had felt minutes ago. She nearly opened her eyes to look when Jack moved his hands down her back and grabbed her ass it felt amazing and for some reason it tingled like it was asleep. Kayla also was thrown off by how far back and apart Jack's hands were her ass wasn't as big as it felt now? As if on que the heat in her loins redoubled driving a long moan out of her mouth. Kayla was so wrapped up in Jack and Jack so enamored with Kayla neither one had noticed her turning into a huge breasted curvy cow girl! During all this Jack hadn't been spared from the transformation his hands had gotten bigger as muscles filled his ears changing just like Kayla's but matching the blonde of his hair. Horns even larger than hers had grown in as his neck got larger to support the new weight Kayla's hand seemed to have to strock farther and farther as his cock grew to a foot long. The two cross breeds never noticed wither from the heat between them or some unknown force keeping them in the dark neither the forming cow or her bull noticed, but Kayla was done with for play she pulled up her skirt moving her panties to the side guiding the large cock to her wet slit. She rubbed it on the opening toying with them both when a long low mooooooo escaped her lips both their eyes shot open. They screamed looking at each other "What happened Kayla yelled what happened to us what are we!" Jack was freaking out grasping at his horns ears and finally his huge dick before turning beat red but staring at Kayla she was an absolute knockout, her long brown hair cascading two white peaks pointing from the top of her head. Her cow ears looked adorable; they even flicked as she moved around frantically but her body. Her tits were absolutely huge easily in the M range Jack thought of Arifaith as soon as he saw them but her frame was curvier the flare of her wide hips was amazing her full thick thighs and her massive ass she was absolutely a cow in the sense of her sheer thickness. Jack quickly took all this in and grabbed her hands Kayla instantly noticed how much larger they were then before but she looked into his blue eyes seeing his concern but they gave a sense of calm even as his voice said "breath calm down we'll figure this out. I don't know what happened but we'll get help. It'll be ok" Kayla started to breathe short and fast at first but eventually slower and deeper." Help we should get help, but who do we call?" "I'm not sure yet" Jack said "and I'm not sure 911 is a great option". " How the hell did this happen? Cow parts just show up like magic!" Wait Kayla cried magic I don't believe this shit I think it was magic I think it was this Kayla reached around her neck for the necklace to find it had grown larger as well still not the size of a real cow bell but definitely bigger. Kayla felt her stomach shift. It's real, it's really real. I have to get Red! She'll know what to do. Kayla whipped out her phone quickly texting her friends.GET HERE NOW!! WE NEED YOUR HELP! Kayla hit send looking back at Jack when she felt a strange but familiar tingle in the base of her spine she reached back quickly to feel her tail bone getting longer and longer with a look of horror on her face. Jack saw it and was in the middle of asking what was wrong when he felt the same thing himself. They looked at each other again, tails they had each just grown a cow tail! To make matters worse the heat in Kayla's pussy hadn't gone away and it was building. Building until she was having a hard time concentrating. Looking at Jack she couldn't help but be turned on his muscles had gotten bigger well his still half stiff cock was hanging from his jeans even the horns and ears turned her on as she thought of holding on to them we'll she rode him and he sucked on her massive tits maybe he'd bend her over and grab hers well he fucked her from behin..wait what was she thinking this was wrong she wasn't a cow, but the heat disagreed driving her forward again as it surged brining the animal out again Kayla walked up and kissed Jack grabbed his cock and started to strock it again. "Wait what are you do.." Jack didn't get to finish, Kayla pushed him on his back where he landed in a pile of straw. Kayla put a finger to her lips "shhhh" she whispered demanding his silence in a seductive tone. She striped her tight shirt and skirt from her body not caring how stretched and torn they were before getting on her hands and knees just in front of Jack's raging boner Kayla pulled Jack's pants off him not wanting anything in the way she looked longingly at the shaft in front of her leaning in licking it again and again. Earning growns from Jack loving every second of it. She ran her tongue back up the length before placing her lips over the tip. Kayla paused building the tension. The heat in her pussy burning with need. Then with a small breath she started to suck Jack's dick slowly at first getting her throat to relax to accommodate the massive length she couldn't get to the base but that didn't phase her she focused on the tip not letting the suction stop for a second her tongue moving back and forth on the surface teasing drops of precum from her bull….her bull she thought for a second before a second stronger thought said yes your bull and your his cow his sexy horny cow. Kayla loved the thought and sucked even harder before pulling her lips off with a wet pop. Jack moaned and looked up wondering why she had stopped only to see Kayla had now mounted him her dripping pussy right over the tip of his cock. He could feel the heat radiating off of her. Their eyes locked again hot burning need burned in them. Kayla slowly descended her pussy wrapping the huge cock inch by inch her heat still growing as her wet folds gripped the shaft as hard as they could she continued her decent when she was more then half way down she felt a rising in her chest as she let out another long and animalistic "Moooooooooo!" The noise didn't scare her like it did before she loved it; she loved what she was and what she was becoming. She rode her Bull's dick like the good cow she was. Faster and faster building and building she could feel her tension building feel the movement in his cock she knew what was going to happen and she wanted it she wanted every last drop she grabbed Jack's horns pulling him face to face with her, but it wasn't his old face anymore it was the face of a bull a long sexy mussel and she loved it she looked him deep in his still blue eyes and Mooed again long and load her pussy tightening on her Bull's massive cock as he bellowed shooting ropes of cum deep into her deep into his cow. Kayla sat for a moment breathing deep recovering from the event they had just performed. Slowly she stood up a soft wet popping sound coming from her cum soaked vagina. As she stepped she looked down at her legs; another change had snuck up on her; her legs and feet had changed to those of a cow; she now had a pair of digitigrade legs covered to the upper thigh in brown cow fur. Her feet had transformed into a pair of cloven hooves. Glancing over she saw that Jack too was now sporting blonde digitigrade bull legs and large hooves cloven like hers. Kayla smiled. She loved how he looked like a minotaur. She loved how she looked, a busty curvy cowgirl she laid on the straw next to him he wrapped his arm around her and they laid there together basking in each other. They fell asleep like that when Kayla woke up with a start. Was that a car outside!