Hunter Hunted Ch. 03

"Bravo One, got a boat moving from the compound," came Eagle One's radio operator. "Should be passing over you in thirty seconds." The low hum of an outboard came through the water as Tom and the convoy slowed down and shut their running lights off to let the boat pass overhead. They started up again and cruised silently into the bay, manoeuvring underneath the long, rotting jetty.

"We're here," Niner said. "Ready weapons, prepare to move." Tom slowed the scooter and watched as Levantis and Burns pushed off from the scooter, lifting their M4 carbines and bobbing to the surface slowly. Tom tapped Tigerlilly on the hand and eased himself out of the cockpit, lifting his own rifle and slowly swimming up to break the surface of the dark water.

It was pitch black outside. They snuck out onto the beach, leaving the flimsy scooters and scuba tanks behind. The things were home made and readily expendable, since there wouldn't be enough time to load the V-22s once the fireworks started. Tom paused, glancing through the scope on his M4 and activating the night vision lens as Baird, Paz and Levantis crouched beside him, Tigerlilly's paws on his back.

"Nice place," Baird whispered. "What do we blow up first?"

"That should be our motto," added Burns.

"You know the drill. Jorge, Andrea, rig the vehicle depot with C4." Andrea Levantis, her black hair bunched under her hood, turned towards the trucks lined up along the western side with McKnight behind her, while Imahara and Sopot turned towards the eastern boathouse to conduct their own sabotage on Niner's word. Paz, Burns and Tigerlilly stayed with Tom as he moved up the road towards the main complex, while Baird, Oak, Niner and Evie mirrored him on the far side of the buildings.

Their main target – a large multi-story structure – was surrounded by a number of small shacks and square, single room huts used for storage or sleeping in. It meant close quarters combat, lots of dark rooms potentially full of hostile pirates. At this hour most of those on the base would be asleep, but Tom was taking no risks, and as they passed each building one of the team examined the doorway, checking for any occupants. Occasionally they disappeared inside, neutralising any threats silently enough that those waiting outside wouldn't even notice the noise had they not known it was happening; each of them had done it many times before.

Tom stepped into the low doorway of a long building and stared down with revulsion at the sight that met his eyes. Several rubbish mattresses littered the floor, with two filthy, beaten young girls lying huddled together on one of them. The teenagers were tied at the ankles with rope and looked like they hadn't bathed in a long time. In the corner a pirate sat in a large cushy chair, his pants down around his ankles and a shotgun leaning against the wall beside him. Tom stepped over to the man, rage burning in his eyes. Tigerlilly, sticking close to him, moved to follow until he held his hand out, telling her to stop as he drew his knife.

Tom leaned forward, taking the lever action shotgun away and tossing it onto one of the mattresses. He then reached out, quickly clamping his hand over the man's mouth. The pirate woke up instantly, unable to call out or struggle as Tom drove the knife into his stomach, twisting it back and forth and carving the man's intestines apart. He watched the terror and pain flash through the rapist's eyes, pulling the blade up through his abdomen until the he stopped struggling and slumped forward, his life passing away.

Tom backed away from the pirate and saw Tigerlilly biting through the rope around the girls' legs. As they stirred, Tom shooed her out the door and cut through the rest silently. They didn't wake, but Tom knew when the fighting started they would be able to escape this place. Find a new life, he thought to himself.

Tom returned from the building and made his way on up the path to the main structure, the other mercenaries sneaking along with him. As they rounded the corner to the next building a sentry was leaning against a wall, smoking casually. His weapon was hanging loosely from its straps and he wasn't looking their way.

Evie leapt from the roof and landed silently two metres behind the guard, without Tom even knowing she had been up there. Her strike was equally silent; the effects were permanent. Tom hoped Tigerlilly wouldn't be called on to use the same lethal skills as Evie very often.

"Bravo Two, charges planted." Andrea's reassuring voice came through on Tom's radio. "All vehicles are rigged to detonate on your order." Levantis was one of Tom's most reliable soldiers; he figured she would be finished before anyone else. The girl was a natural.

"Bravo One, this is Sopot," came a rough Russian accent. "The boathouse is ready to blow. Awaiting further instructions."

Tom looked across the compound and saw Niner pause by a doorway. "Bravo One copies all. Move to the weapons cache and form up for entry. Levantis, you're on point." Tom didn't add to the discussion – Niner had made the call, and they all knew what needed to be done. He motioned to Paz and they moved on up the laneway towards the main block, the short Filippino commando almost completely hidden in the shadows as they flitted from wall to wall.

The target building had boarded up windows and a wide double door as an entry, with other windows on the upper levels either covered up or simply closed at this hour. Tom positioned himself to one side of the doorway, with Tigerlilly crouched behind him and Paz and Burns stacking up on the other side. Taking a small screen from his chest pouch, he slid a tiny camera on the end of a flexible metal cord underneath the bottom of the door, giving them a full view of the interior on the screen.

"Five men, most of them armed in some way," he whispered to Burns, who moved up next to him. The large Irishman pointed to a long barrelled weapon resting on a low solid-looking tripod.

"MG42...and there next to it, Russian RPG's." The machine gun was old but still lethal. Ox had stored one in their old home base for novelty's sake before the dust up in the jungle. Tom examined the rest of the room, taking in the positions of the men, mentally tallying the rifles and grenades lying on tables within reach.

"Can we go in silent?" Burns, rubbed his chin, quickly assessing the size of the room and the number of people likely to be inside.

"Maybe, but with that kind of firepower lying around it's risky. I'd say hit them hard and fast, keep the element of surprise going. We move too slowly trying to be cautious and someone will wake up, and then we've lost the initiative." Tom moved back to the side of the door, withdrawing the camera and tucking the screen away.

"Bravo One this is Alpha Two, in position to provide sniper fire on your go, over." Tom glanced up to the hillside where Riggins and his team would be camouflaged. With the backup units now in place, Tom had to make a decision. He hadn't wanted to risk waking the entire compound until he absolutely had to, but he trusted his team's abilities; once the doors were open they would move fast, catching their enemy off-guard with their aggressive tactics.

"Alpha One, Alpha Two, we are moving on the main building silent but fast, be ready to move. Eagle One, we are in position. Eagle Two, stand by for Alpha One's request for air support."

"Eagle One copies all, good luck Bravo One."

"Eagle Two ready for firing solution."

Tom readied himself on the side of the building, gently working a flash grenade back and forth in its pouch and taking a deep breath. He glanced back at Tigerlilly and caught her eyes staring up at him, full of anxiety.

"Stay silent," he whispered to her. Tigerlilly nodded, then with a glance across to Evie the two girls crouched down and leapt up the side of the building, their claws finding purchase as they sailed all the way up to the first floor window. Tom marvelled at their abilities – they had shown themselves to be excellent climbers and jumpers in the last few months, and now they would put it to good use. Almost noiselessly, the girls climbed the wall to the very top floor, pulling themselves over the edge of the roof.

"Alpha Two reporting open windows on the third floor, left hand side." The sniper teams were angled at opposing sides of the compound to cover as many directions as possible. "Multiple enemies spotted, no sign of Rombosi. They must be on the next floor up."

"Then he belongs to the girls. Alpha teams, you hit the ones on the third floor. Tigerlilly, Evie, strike fast and retreat to cover, and keep clear of the staircases, we'll be coming up in a hurry." Tom heard a click-click over the radio and knew the girls were listening. He readied his rifle.

"We go on three." Burns and Paz lifted their weapons. Tom took a deep breath, counted to three, and pushed the door open as the others popped up in the windows. Shots started flying from silenced rifles, and even as Tom saw his enemies fall the only thing he could think of was whether Tigerlilly would be alright without him.

–-

Tom sat quietly in the supply bay, perched on a crate full of preserved food tins, staring at the very old photograph clutched in his hands. A young and amazingly cheerful Niner smiled up at him through space and time, short fluffy blonde hair spiked up in the breeze, flanked on both sides by Tom and almost a dozen other comrades. Oxley – by far the largest of the lot – stood at the very back, his tree trunk arms folded across his chest and a grin plastering his face. Each of them held a weapon and most of them were filthy, but it was one of Tom's happiest memories.

Back then things had been good. They had experienced war, and tasted victory. Each of them felt he had a sense of ownership over his life; order and control were theirs to enjoy. Those days had been successful, even fun, and Tom had felt that he had a good grasp of the way things should be.

Then came the losses. The failed missions, the fire fights, the crash...

The jungle. One last mission, and everything changed.

Tom's smile disappeared as those who had passed in the line of duty began to fade from the photo, the size of the group getting smaller, the sky greying, the faces less cheerful. Jack Anderson was long dead. So was Casey. Reynolds was still MIA.

The grass under their feet wilted, turned brown, patches of lifeless dirt showing through. Marcus, Shaw, Wilson, Rodriguez...all gone from his life, one way or another. Clouds turned dark. Shrike had been hit and hadn't returned to service. Even Ox, left behind in the jungle, still alive but no longer by his side...

"You tryin' to hatch eggs in that food bin, sir?" Tom stirred from his cloudy daydream, glancing up at Parker standing in the doorway.

"If there were eggs in these bins I don't want to eat them," he called back, remembering the tasteless rubbery gunk they called ration food. Parker nodded, smiling.

"Actually it's the bacon I can't stand. Or I should say,' he added, making quotation signs with his fingers, "the 'bacon'. Why tease a man like that – we're already in the field, how much more disappointment do we deserve?" Tom nodded in agreement as Parker started lifting the crates into a large container, packing them safely and securely. Tom glanced back at the photo, coloured and restocked with his old friends, before tucking it into a pocket on his jacket.

"Need a hand with that?" he asked. Parker shook his head, the scars on his neck shining in the light as he reached for the last crate that would fit.

"No sir, I got it covered. I always do this on my own." he said, patting the crate before reaching for the container lid and sliding it into place. "Kind of a ritual, I guess. A way of saying thanks for the life I have." On cue, Tom looked over at the doorway as an almost pure white tiger-girl walked through the door on all fours.

Her colourless fur was occasionally marked by light blue spots, similar to a snow leopard's patterning, and her rather large, rather furry cat ears poked out of a head of pure white hair. Her human face was almost porcelain, with rosy cheeks and big blue inquisitive eyes that gave the impression of a creature on the prowl at all times, but Tom knew her to be one of the most relaxed, serene girls he had ever encountered.

The white girl, purring quietly to herself, wandered past Tom and gave his leg a gentle brush of affection. The straps of her cloth harness matched her white colouring, as did the strip of smooth material covering her relatively small breasts and her naked behind, fitting her like an evening dress compared to the practical rig Tigerlilly wore during training.

"Well hello Ms. Flake," Tom said gently, stroking her ear. Snowflake purred again and sat at Parker's feet, one arm gently curling around his upper thigh as she looked up at him.

"She tends to watch me when I do this," he said to Tom. "I guess this bay has meaning to her as well." Tom nodded and left Parker to it, heading out of the supply bay and leaving him with Snowflake.

A few weeks after returning to the world, Tom and Niner had decided to send food and other supplies like ammunition and survival equipment to Oxley back in the jungle, to help him in his effort to protect the wild girls from anyone who came across their location. On the second drop, after healing from the gunshot wounds he sustained during their escape, Parker had chosen to go along, and he returned with Snowflake by his side.

Tom had been accepting of the situation provided Parker took the suitable precautions with her care, but as it turned out he needn't have worried. Snowflake's arrival sparked a journey of learning that Tom was still on. She was different to the other girls in that she showed an almost immediate acceptance of the group organisation that existed prior to her arrival; Tom as the alpha with Tigerlilly as his mate, then Niner and Evie behind them and so on down the line.

Snowflake had fitted in well with the two girls as well as the other soldiers in the company without getting aggressive towards anyone. For Tom it was a sign, an indication of the pack mentality they were capable of developing, and so he began Tigerlilly's training.

Teaching the girls the art of war and using them as soldiers alongside his mercenaries wasn't something Tom wanted, but Niner and the other men had pointed out the reality of their unique situation to him.

"It's only a matter of time," Niner had urged. "They need to protect us, it's hardwired into their brains. We can't stop them forever, and I'd rather do what we can to make them ready for war than hope they never have to defend themselves. Need I remind you that Grant wasn't alone in that courtyard."

As much as Tom didn't want to expose Tigerlilly to that kind of environment, he knew Niner was right – Tigerlilly would never sit quietly and watch him risk his life. Even worse, he feared the dangers they faced if anyone ever found out about their existence. There were too many people who wouldn't see them the way he did. All they would see is an animal...and profit.

In the jungle Oxley and his pack had the advantage over intruders, but in the real world the girls were too vulnerable. Without proper training, and experience, they wouldn't last against a determined well-equipped enemy.

And so it began: the harnesses, the training, the drills, all to prepare the girls for combat as best as he could, practicing their skills and developing teamwork strategies to take advantage of them. Even after a successful first mission, Tom was in no rush to have them on the front lines again, but he also knew he wouldn't be able to keep the girls and their protective tendencies out of harm's way for long.

Making his way through the facility, Tom opened the door into his large private quarters, the lights dimmed low and soft in a way that reminded Tigerlilly of the jungle canopy she had grown up under. The walls were a combination of soothing deep green and an earthy brown, and the main living space had been deliberately left empty to give Tigerlilly as much room as possible to roam around and not be hampered by foreign objects like chairs and lamps. The cabin were very much like a small apartment, which was appropriate given that Tom lived at their headquarters. Any less space and it might have been a tad uncomfortable.

Tom crossed the main living room and opened the door to the bedroom to find Tigerlilly lying on her belly on top of the sheets. She was completely naked, her soft orange fur glowing in the dim light of the room as she stretched lavishly, her tail flicking up and showing off her bare asshole. Tom stared at her from behind, revealing herself to him in all her naked beauty, her soft, pink skin stretching from her belly down over her groin and ending around her asshole, while her bottom and thighs were covered in the orange fur.

"Well hello there," Tom said smoothly, taking a good look at her bare pussy folds between her thighs. Tigerlilly almost never wore clothes when they were in the privacy of their own space, and he never asked her to. To him she was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen, and he loved every inch of her, from her clawed hands to her orange pointy ears poking up through her flowing blonde hair to the slightly darker orange stripes running down her body, breaking up the colour coating her shoulders, back and thighs.

Tigerlilly sat up and turned around, showing off her white-pink belly and her very human breasts, full and round. Her body was a curious and arousing sight, the pink of skin and very human shape clashing with the most non-human look of being almost entirely covered in orange fur. She tilted her head to the side and gave Tom a very familiar look, the kind of look that needed no explanation.

"Oh, I see," he said quietly to her. "Couldn't sleep?" Tigerlilly shook her head and gently thrust her chest out towards him, her nipples hardening slightly in the presence of her Master.

Tigerlilly knelt up, sitting back on her legs as he approached her, her eyes locked onto his in that unblinking stare she often gave him when not sure how best to act. She often seemed to be fighting between her animalistic nature and the more gentle human behaviour she had started exhibiting over the course of their relationship.

With a deliberate slowness, Tom eased his arms around her midsection and felt her press her naked breasts to his chest as she leaned up and pressed her lips to his, letting him guide her actions. His hand slid up her back and through her hair, his thumb brushing her tall pointy cat ear the way she liked it. Tom kissed her more passionately, feeling she was far less tense than the first few times he had handled her this way.

Tom broke the kiss and looked into her eyes again, seeing a sense of fear, a search for reassurance, and a hint of curiosity. In response, Tom slid his arms down to hold her closer to him, his forearms brushing the fur on her back, and licked her cheek to earn a small smile from her in return. Then, slowly, he picked her up and felt her legs wrap around his waist, her tail flicking back and forth as he held her in his arms, one hand moving down to cup her furry bottom, his fingers brushing her two holes gently.

"I've got you," he said to her, holding her tight and gently rocking back and forth with her in his arms. The small girl curled her tail around his leg and started grinding against his chest, her nipples hardening as she licked his neck lovingly. She had been calm and comfortable, and now she needed more attention.

Tom carefully lowered her to the bed and, instead of putting her on her hands and feet so she could back up on him as they had done so many times before, he laid Tigerlilly down on her back, and slowly but surely spread her legs.