For the Love of Botany (Revisited)

Renae drew in a sharp intake of breath, before moaning her encouragement. After leisurely attending to one breast, Grant gave similar attention to the other, until both breasts had swelled in pleasure and were topped with two erect nipples. His own shorts bulged; he was getting very aroused in his erotic ministrations of his lover.

By now Renae was at a fever pitch. Her excitement was getting the better of her. Grant had wanted to take things slow; to move seductively downward, kissing nibbling and caressing his way to her quim, teasing around her sex, before moving down her legs. Renae decided that she had other plans. Spinning them around quickly, Renae was now the one on top.

Grant was taken totally by surprise. “Hey, what..?” he said. He looked into Renae’s eyes and saw a hunger he had not seen before. Renae stood up quickly and slid her shorts down over her firm thighs. She stood before Grant momentarily, only giving him a second to drink in her full naked beauty before she leaned over him. Her full breasts hung deliciously close to Grant’s face as she grabbed both sides of his shorts. Grant arched his lower body slightly and allowed her to slip them off, releasing his erection, which soon became even harder. He lifted his head to suckle of one of her tempting breasts, but Renae had had enough foreplay. Sitting down, straddling Grant’s thighs, she took Grant’s stiff cock in her hand and guided it into her.

“Uuuuuhhhhh!” he gasped as she took him deep within her moist folds. She took only a moment to settle herself before she started her wonderful thrusting, slipping up and down over his hard rod. Her hands spread out across his firm chest for additional support as she sped up her movements. She closed her eyes as she felt the approach of her orgasm, tipping her head back and moaning her pleasures.

“So good, so good,” she gasped, sweat glistening on her skin, “Feel so full, Richard, I love you inside me, I love you so deep inside me.” Grant opened his own eyes; he wanted to see her, he wanted to see her as she moved over him, back and forth, faster and faster. He wanted to see her face as she cried out, as she came on top of him.

“Richard, Richard,” she called out as the powerful feelings of her climax swept over her, “I’m cummmmingg, yes, I’M CUMMMMINGGGG!!” She closed around him hard, her muscles quivering around him. He answered her cries with his own as he too came, spurting his seed deep within her. Eventually, Renae slipped down from him, kissing his chest before stretching out beside him.

Grant turned his head and gave Renae and affectionate kiss, which see lovingly returned. “What happened there?” he asked her.

“It must have been all those pent up emotions I’ve been carrying for the past while,” she answered, “I just needed to get them out of my system.”

“Are you sure that you’re okay now?” he asked, concerned.

“Well,” she said, “Maybe I could do with a little more…therapy,” she ran her hand up and down his front, “Just to make absolutely sure.” Smiling broadly, Grant rolled on top of her again.

“Happy to oblige,” he told her.

Later, Renae came out of the tent to take her turn at sentry duty. Carol and Amy looked over at her and smiled. One glance was enough to tell anyone what she had been doing. The General came out of his tent; he was also taking his turn to guard the camp.

“Come on,” he told Carol and Amy, “Get to sleep, we’re taking the watch now.” He watched them go before turning to Renae, “Alright, Corporal?”

Renae grinned despite herself. “Yes sir. Very much so.” The General looked suspicious but didn’t pursue the matter.

For the Love of Botany: Chapter Nineteen:

Morning came and the General assembled everyone in order to tell him what they were going to do next. “I have been carefully considering our next move.” He told them, “I have decided that we are going to use our supply of herbicide where it can do the most damage to the enemy.”

McGuire stepped forward, “Using the computers on the helicopter, I have determined where the plants’ signal is strongest. As we always thought, it comes from the south.”

“That’s where we are heading,” The General explained, “We are going to find exactly where the source of the plants’ control is and dump our supply of herbicide on it. We are going into the heart of darkness, people. Anyone who doesn’t want to go on this mission is free to stay behind. You can take the carrier and catch up with the convoy. Nothing will be said.”

Everyone looked at each other. No one came forward. Each of them drew strength from the group. Nobody was going to leave them. The General smiled. His people hadn’t disappointed him.

“Very well,” he said, “It’ll be a tight squeeze in there. We’re taking extra fuel canisters; we have a long journey ahead of us. Let’s get started.”

They quickly packed up what they were taking; food, water, fuel weapons and of course the herbicide. The two barrels didn’t seem like much, but it had only taken two small bottles to decimate the plants in the Base. Even using it in the open air, with much of the mist floating harmlessly away into the air, it should still do a lot of damage to the plants. Grant helped to heave the barrels aboard.

“Hey, do we know what this stuff will do to the other plants in the jungle, the native trees and so on?” he asked.

“Apparently it won’t effect them any more than it effects us,” said Andrews, “Rousseau told me that it was designed to attack only hybrid human-plant cells. Anything else should be okay.”

“Right!” said the General, “We’re ready everyone aboard.” Once they were strapped in, McGuire powered up his computers and equipment. Looking over to Carol, he gave her the thumbs up signal. Everything was ready on his end. Seeing the signal in her rear view mirror, Carol nervously activated the helicopter’s engines. They roared into life, driving the rotor blades.

Mumbling a quick prayer, she started to pull back on the joystick. “Please, please, don’t let anything go wrong now,” she thought to herself. Her prayers were answered, as the helicopter began a lurching ascent, leaving the ground behind. She worked hard with the joystick and got the helicopter levelled at about fifty feet.

“Great! Said McGuire encouragingly, “Now, turn us due south. That’s where we have to go.” Carol complied, and they were soon speeding towards their destiny.

As they travelled, Grant found that he had little to do now. He checked and rechecked his converted flamethrower that now sprayed herbicide. No, no problems there. He looked around the cabin at his comrades. The General had taken this opportunity to get some sleep. Grant had wondered how he could sleep with the noise of the helicopter so loud. Then he thought, “Hell, he probably had to sleep through a lot worse in his time, he’s used to it most likely.”

Andrews and Nurse Jean were busy making up first-aid kits for the mission. He looked at Jean; she had been his friend for years now, from long before the plants made their first appearance. He knew that she would keep a cool head when the time came. Anderson was sitting in the co-pilots seat next to Carol. She had no flying experience at all; she was just there for moral support. McGuire was sitting in front of the onboard computers, checking their position and monitoring the plants’ frequency. Private Clark was also at a loose end, sitting strapped in her seat with nothing to do. He didn’t know much about her; he knew that she had been a part of Blake’s squad with Renae, and had played an important part in the battle at the Base, but apart from that he didn’t have any more information on this young woman.

At last his gaze came to Renae. Like the General, she was taking this time to catch up on some sleep; he must have really tired her out last night. He stared at his love as she slumbered, he had never seen her so beautiful. He was overcome with the urge to go over to her and give her a loving kiss before…

Suddenly the helicopter lurched over to the side. It straightened out after a moment. Carol looked back, embarrassed. “Sorry about that.” She apologised.

“That’s all right,” answered Grant, “But if you could keep movements like that to a minimum, we would appreciate it.” He turned his eyes back to Renae; she had woken up.

“What’s happening she said, blinking.

“Just a bit of…turbulence,” Grant said to her, “Go back to sleep, Renae.” Looking back, Grant smiles as he saw that the sudden movement hadn’t disturbed the sleeping General.

The hours passed. The dry landscape of New Mexico had given way to the jungle where the plants had asserted their dominance. Flying over the thick canopy, Grant remembered all the missions he had been a part in that jungle. All the battles he had fought, all the people he had lost over the years. These were sobering thoughts. And now they were again deep in enemy territory, off to face who-knows-what.

“That clearing down there looks good,” he heard Anderson say, “Do you think you can get us down in there okay?”

“I’ll try,” was Carol’s less than inspiring reply. The helicopter began its decent. As it approached the jungle floor, everyone suddenly braced themselves, in case Carol’s first landing repeated itself. Thankfully, she had had some practise since then; she touched down reasonably softly. Grant unstrapped himself and went over to wake the General.

“Okay then,” said the General, when he was updated as to the situation. “We’re only stopping for a moment to refuel. Several of the group took this opportunity to stretch their legs, making sure not to stray too far from the clearing. As a canister was emptied into the helicopter’s fuel tank, Grant walked over to the General.

“This will be our last mission, won’t it sir?” he said to the old man beside him.

The General didn’t look up. “That’s correct Colonel,” he confirmed, “Even if we survive this, I won’t ask any of you to continue fighting. You’ve all done more than enough.” The General looked older than Grant had ever seen him. The loss of the Base and all those people had hit him harder than he had let on. Grant would never insult his commanding officer by showing pity, so he kept his face expressionless.

“I thought as much,” he told him, “I agree sir. The others have served humanity well. They deserve to live on in Sanctuary for their service. As for me, my place is with Renae. Maybe we’ll find another band of rebels somewhere and carry on the fight.”

“I was wrong to give you such a hard time when you two got together,” confessed the General, “In the old days, I could see how it would have been a problem, but Corporal Renae has proved to be the greatest thing ever to come into your life. You both have shown that you love each other deeply. It’s kept you going through these tough times. She reminds me of my dear late wife. It’s her love that kept me strong.” He stopped as Renae came over.

The refuelling is complete, General,” she reported.

“Very good, soldier,” returned the General, “Get everyone back inside, we take off in a couple of minutes.” Renae went off, calling to the others. “Right,” said the General, “We better get going then.”

The journey carried on like that, with the helicopter always flying deep into South America. Every so often, they would land to refuel or to give Carol time to rest, before heading off again. All the while, the signal got stronger and stronger. The jungle below them started to change as well; the native foliage of the rainforest was replaced more and more with the plants, in all their forms. Tall black sentry plants, large armoured thorny plants, and the ever-present green viny plants could be seen. Carol flew the helicopter higher, in case their presence was detected.

“Hey!” said McGuire, getting everyone’s attention, “I’ve just finishing checking our global position. This can’t be co-incidence!”

“What?” asked the General.

“Where we are,” he told them, “Is the same area where the laboratory where the plants were created was. According to our records, it was located almost fifty miles to the south west.”

“Any bets that that’s where the signal will be at its strongest?” asked Grant.

“I was about to suggest heading in that direction,” said McGuire.

Carol turned the helicopter and flew in the new direction. Inside the aircraft, everyone quickly prepared themselves one last time. It was Anderson who spoke first when they saw it.

“Oh my God! Do you see that?” she said, stunned. The plants below had given way to a new sight. Towering above the jungle beneath them was a huge copse of giant plants, each as big as a skyscraper. Their bases were gigantic and anchored deep in the ground; they had sacrificed their mobility for their massive size. Some of their vines had become branches, as thick as tree trunks, with smaller vines coming out of them.

As they got closer, they saw that some of these vines held on to Breeders. The surfaces of these plants were almost covered in the writhing bodies of these naked women. They were permanently held by the vines; all their holes filled continuously. Kept in a constant sexual arousal by the plants, these Breeders kept the plants fed with orgasmic juices all the time; the massive size of the plants demanded it. If this scene was not bad enough to take, there was worse to come.

Around the bases of these plants could be seen the missing piece of the puzzle: the offspring. They were the massive plants’ attendants, seeing to their every need. It was they who kept them supplied with Breeders to sate their relentless thirst. And when the Breeders were finished with, dead by dehydration or sexual exhaustion, it was the offspring who cleared away the bodies and replaced them with fresh victims. Everyone looked at the scene below them in horror. These plants had been among the first to issue forth from the laboratory that created them ten years ago. They had had all that time to grow strong with the juices of their victims. It had allowed them to send their signals all around the world, using Breeders such as the Queen as a willing carrier for their frequency.

“The scum don’t care how many they kill!” said Renae in a menacing tone, “Thousands must have died by now to feed them.”

“There!” said Grant pointing. One plant towered above all others. Without saying anything to each other everyone knew that this was the original plant; Dr. Sanchez’s creation, the driving force behind all the plants. It had to be, could only be their final target.

“That’s the one!” the General said, “Take us above it, Weiss, and we’ll drop our barrels.” The helicopter turned once more and headed straight for the plant. As they got closer, they could appreciate just how big it was. It could easily rip redwoods from the ground with it enormous vines. The helicopter was like an annoying insect to this colossus. Grimly, the crew prepared for their final battle.

For the Love of Botany: Chapter twenty: The Final Battle

The helicopter bore down at the plant; Grant and Renae pushed the barrels of herbicide towards the open hatchway and waited for the order to push them out. Carol steadied the helicopter when it was directly over their target. She nodded to the General.

“Okay! Let the bastard have it!” the General exclaimed. Renae heaved with all her might and her barrel flew out, dropping directly at the hated original plant. For long seconds it hurtled down, before a vine shot up and grabbed it, seconds before it hit.

“What the...?” cried the General.

“It knows that we are here,” said Andrews suddenly, “It can sense our desire to destroy it.” Grant looked at the doctor, then at the General, unsure of what to do. They only had this one barrel of herbicide left, and that which was kept in their converted flamethrowers. They couldn’t afford to waste any more.

“Right, Anderson. Man the chain gun. We’ll blast it’s vines when Colonel Grant drops the last barrel. Anderson quickly got into the seat attached to the impressive looking weapon and was pushed into position at the doorway by the rest of the crew. Both barrels of the chain gun chattered into life as she fired a continuous stream of bullets onto their enemy. The chain gun fired thousand of rounds of large calibre bullets per minute, but it soon became apparent that against this foe, it was next to useless. Most of the bullets bounced off the impossible thick skin of the plant.

“Okay, try the missiles,” the General ordered. McGuire activated the targeting computer and unleashed the biggest missiles the helicopter had in its arsenal. They shot down and exploded violently against their target. As the smoke cleared it became apparent that that too had a negligible effect on the plant. The plant suddenly responded to this onslaught; holding up a vine, the crew saw that five-foot wide thorns appeared along its whole length. They shot out in all directions.

“Get us out of here!” shouted the General, but it was already too late. Despite Carol’s attempts to avoid them, some thorns hit he helicopter, smashing all in their way. One thorn hit a rotor blade, sending it spinning away.

“I can’t hold it up!” shouted Carol, as the helicopter started to drop wildly downwards the earth. The helicopter lurched violently, and Renae watched in horror as Grant went careening out of the doorway.

“NOOOOOOO!!!!” screamed Renae, as Grant plunged down between the giant plants and out of view. Anderson grabbed her in her powerful arms, as she almost leapt out after Grant. Everyone grabbed something to brace themselves with as the ground approached them. Anderson held on to Renae tightly, holding on to the chain-gun housing for support. There was a tremendous crash, and then silence.

“Uuuuuuhhh!” groaned Anderson as she lifted her head. Looking around, she saw her comrades lying about the wreckage of the helicopter. She quickly got up and ran over to Carol, who was draped on the helicopter controls. “Carol! Are you all right?” she said to the prone form.” Her heart swelled with gratitude as Carol lifted her head, bruised but alive. Helping her to her feet, she told her to help here check the others. They went to their task, helping their friends to stand. Anderson went over to McGuire, who was sprawled over the computer consoles. One look at him was enough.

“McGuire’s dead,” she told them bleakly, “His neck’s been snapped.”

“Poor man,” said the General, getting up. Pushing his personal feelings of grief for his friends, the General knew that he had to be a leader now. “Any other casualties?”

“Yes,” said Andrews, “Private Clark has broken her arm.” It was bad news to lose Grant and McGuire, but they just as easily could have all died in the crash. The General quickly assessed the situation. They certainly couldn’t stay at the crash site any longer; the plants would be there in seconds.

“Take would you need and let’s get out of here!” he ordered. Everyone grabbed a weapon or in the case of the medical staff, a first aid bag. The General quickly led them into the jungle of plants. Renae followed them, numbed with the pain of her loss.

“Why haven’t the plants attacked?” asked Carol, still badly shaken from the crash. The plants all around them hadn’t moved, not even when the plants had crashed in their midst.

“Perhaps they are so close to the source of the leader-plant’s signal, they can’t perceive anything as close as we are. Maybe it’s only the original plant that retains that ability.” It was a hopeful suggestion, and one that the group were happy to accept. They hurried about the massive plants, following the General.

“Why don’t we open the barrel now,” said Clark, her arm in a sling, “We must be close enough to kill the original plant now.”

“Negative Private,” said the General, “We get as close as humanly possible to that thing before we use the herbicide. We have to make sure of the job!” They ran around the base of another huge plant and suddenly stopped. In front of them was a group of offspring! They stood before them, they all looked about twenty years old, slightly older than Venus. They all had expressions of hate on their faces as they started to advance, thorn appearing on their bodies.