Project - Prometheus Ch. 29

"I am really glad that you talked me into bringing guns! I didn't know that Dexter had that sort of a security measure in place!" Ziva breathed, the actions of the past few minutes catching up to her.

"OK. Dexter is going to know his place has been ransacked, but if all goes well, we can stay ahead of this bastard! We need to adjust our plan and get this directly to my handler," Lucy stated.

"I thought we were going to wait for him to contact us!" Ziva protested.

"There's no time! We need to get this evidence to my boss now! If we don't, Malkaran can disappear and we won't be able to find him. I'd rather get our hands on him and find out just how many Collective agents are stationed here under our noses!" Lucy argued. "There is evidence on that datapad, right?"

"Checking, hold on," Ziva replied as she entered Dexter's usual passcode, which let her in. She scoffed, thinking about how Dexter had become overly predictable. Ziva's smirk then turned into a frown at what she saw next.

"What is it?!?" Lucy asked.

"Fuck! There's a prompt asking for a retinal scan and thumbprint! I don't have either of those!" Ziva lamented.

"Give it here! I think I can get around that!" Lucy told her, gesturing with her hand.

Ziva gave her the datapad, and Lucy turned it over. She sighed and went into diagnostics, hoping that this little trick a hacker friend of her taught her would work. She put the tablet into diagnostic mode, which would temporarily disable its safeguards, while allowing her access to its files. It was risky, as accessing the tablet could trigger any anti-tampering protocols.

Lucy used her wrist computer and uploaded a de-activation program, which would sniff out any anti-tampering programs or protocols and disable them. Several such programs were located and disabled, while she searched for any evidence of what Dexter was up to. She was waiting for the programs to finish when her timer beeped, startling her.

"That's nine minutes! We need to leave now!" Ziva told her.

"We need to bring this with us! I need to hold on to it as evidence, so we can arrest Dexter and bring him in!" Lucy replied.

"Give it to me. It's not unusual for me to have such items when I'm running errands for Dexter. Come on, we need to go, now! Before more guards show up!" Ziva stated.

Not wanting to fight or kill any more than was necessary, Lucy handed over the tablet and the pair of them left the office seconds later. Both women had been lucky, as they hadn't been hit with any blood spray from either guard that had caught them. Ziva did have two holes in her shirt, but that was covered by her clutching a sheaf of papers close to her chest. Only someone looking closely would notice the holes, but thankfully, no one did.

Lucy was also happy that Ziva had insisted that the guns they carried also have silencer capability. Though the offices did have muffled walls and doors, they weren't immune to the sounds of guns going off. Thankfully, no one had taken note of the missing guards, nor at the brisk pace at which the ladies left the offices. Ziva stopped by her desk for a moment, to power up the detectors once more, before leaving.

While she was doing this, Lucy fired off a message to Graham, hoping he would see it soon. Though the plan had to change, there was still a good chance of success if they made it aboard the Dauntless. As long as they made it there, they stood a chance of walking away unscathed. That was Lucy's hope, as she was not only gambling on her life on this mission, but Ziva's as well.

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Graham was busy going over some engineering reports in his quarters when he received a notice from his operative in the field.

'Mission successful. Cover maintained, but actions will be noticed. Requesting immediate extraction to a place of safety,' the message read.

'Acknowledged. Use ID at military gate twenty-nine and head to docking bay seventeen. Will arrive in seven minutes for extraction,' Graham sent back, before closing the secure line and bolting from his room. He moved as briskly as protocol dictated, doing what he could to not give anything away. He then tapped the commlink in his ear, before subvocalizing a command.

"Establish and open a secure channel with Commodore Williams."

"Secure channel established. Connecting," the automated voice replied as it connected him to his wife. "Line connected, proceed."

"Graham? What's going on?" Ana asked.

"I need you to do me a favor, hon. I need authorization to use a shuttle to head over to the station. Forgot to pickup something needed for your little... pet project," he told her quietly.

Ana understood what her husband was getting at and sent the authorization through immediately. If Graham had to head to the station with no real warning or explanation, it was something serious. She understood the work that he did was dangerous, and it needed to be done. That didn't stop her from worrying though, and as his wife, it was Ana's job to worry about her husband. She hoped that whatever this was, that it would see him back aboard the Dauntless, unscathed.

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Lucy and Ziva moved as quickly as they dared, trying not to draw attention to themselves. They passed through the military checkpoint with little issue, as the soldiers there had already received orders to waive them through. The women proceeded to the docking bay, but Ziva felt that something was off as they neared the bay. Straining her ears, she detected voices and grabbed a squawking Lucy over behinds a large stack of crates.

"What the hell?" she breathed, glaring at her girlfriend.

"Look!" Ziva pointed.

Lucy craned her head over in the direction her lady was pointing and spotted a quartet of men idling around the docking bay. They looked to be dock workers, but Lucy froze as she detected something familiar about the way they moved. She watched them for a few more minutes before realizing that these men weren't ordinary dock workers. The way they moved screamed military, but why they were there, she did not know.

"Who do you think they are?" Ziva worried.

"I don't know, but I doubt they're here for maintenance and cleaning. You see how they're moving?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah. I remember my dad moving the same way from time to time. How did Dexter find out about us so quickly?" Ziva questioned.

"I don't think these guys are Dexter's. I think they're Saubath's," Lucy replied, drawing her weapon.

"Two versus four aren't great odds. They could be carrying bigger guns or have a few hidden around somewhere close by," Ziva cautioned.

"What choice do we have? Our ride will be here soon and we're going to need this area cleared!" Lucy argued.

The pair of them would have bickered, had it not been for the sound of an incoming ship. The four men milling around the docking bay turned their heads to see what it was and were surprised to see a shuttle coming in for landing. Two of the men tried waving off the shuttle but were nearly crushed as the vehicle moved to land, anyway. They scattered as the shuttle landed and shouted at it, trying to make themselves heard.

Once the shuttle had touched down fully, the pilot killed the engines and opened the side door. Out of it came Graham Williams, looking confused and curious about what was going on.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!? Don't you see we're trying to do our jobs?" one of the workers yelled, catching Graham's attention.

"Sorry boys! I wasn't aware that this docking bay was under maintenance," Graham replied as he stepped out.

"Well, it is, and if you don't mind, Lt. Commander, could you please leave? We can get our job done faster without a ship here," the mouthy one fired back.

"I have a job too. I'm here to pick up some cargo for the Dauntless, and I'd appreciate it if you boys could give me a hand," Graham stated, as he headed back into the shuttle and came back out with a tablet.

"We're maintenance workers, not dock loaders," the leader scoffed.

"Do I need to make it an order, gentlemen?" the Lt. Commander asked quietly, his voice conveying his displeasure.

"Where is the cargo located?" the leader asked in resignation, knowing it was stupid to argue with Graham Williams.

"It should be... over here, according to the manifest," Graham replied, taking a quick jaunt over to a large stack of crates. The men were momentarily distracted by Graham rushing over, and as one, moved with him. Lucy saw the opening and gestured for Ziva to follow her and to stay close. Nodding, the Arabian woman followed her girlfriend, dashing to another stack of crates while staying low.

The women moved as quickly as they dared, trying to keep their footsteps masked. Lucy and Ziva kept their heads low while the men were preoccupied with helping Graham. The duo closed to dashing distance of the shuttle and hovered behind a refueling station, waiting for the right moment to run for it. They were about ready to move when a voice called out behind them.

"Hold it right there!"

Both women turned and saw that one of the men standing behind them, with an auto rifle pointed at them. Turning slowly, Lucy and Ziva raised their hands and stepped out into plain sight, hoping Graham would do something. They saw him walking in front of the other three men as they moved a small stack of crates on a hover sled. He wasn't in a great position, and Lucy's eyes widened at what happened next.

"Good catch, Krug! Let's process these two and clean this place up before we get going," the leader stated as he drew a pistol that was concealed beneath his coveralls. His compatriots did the same and moved to shoot Graham. The moment his weapon was in plain sight, a blast of smoke emanated from Graham, and shots rang out. The men cursed as their bullets missed, and they tried to find their target.

Additional shots sounded, as the man holding Lucy and Ziva at gunpoint fell like a stringless marionette, his head rupturing like an overripe watermelon. Ziva squeaked in alarm, but Lucy tackled the woman to the ground as more shots were fired. The bullets pinged off nearby crates and Lucy clamped her hand over Ziva's mouth to keep her from giving away their position.

Maybe a minute later, the smoke cleared, and Graham stood there, holding a pair of hand cannons, while looking over the men he gunned down. His eyes caught the women standing there, and he groaned.

"Well? Don't just stand there! Get on board!" Graham ordered the women.

"How in the hell did these guys find us so damn quickly?!?" Lucy groused as she got to her feet.

"Men like Saubath don't get to their position by being careless. Odds are he had such a team on standby, in case situations like this happened," Graham mused.

"Dexter as well. The man has done pretty damn well for himself and that trap he set in his office? We almost didn't walk away from it," Ziva commented as she and Lucy moved to the spacecraft.

"Yeah! I always thought that someone in the administration was involved in something shady, but I didn't expect this," Lucy commented as she followed behind Ziva.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement on the ground. Lucy turned her head just in time to see one of the men, who was still alive, clasp his pistol and aim it at Ziva. Without thinking, Lucy threw herself in Ziva's path, knocking the woman down while shouting at the top of her lungs.

"GET DOWN!"

A shot sounded and Lucy crumpled like a sack of potatoes, groaning weakly as she writhed on the ground.

"LUCY!" Ziva cried out, screaming in denial. Graham turned, pulled one of his hand cannons, and fired, blowing the mercenary's brains out. He drew his second cannon and aimed at the other corpses, half expecting them to still be alive. He put an additional shot in each one to be sure, before he turned to his operative, brushing Ziva aside.

"Is she going to be OK?" Ziva sniffled.

"Damn! You know, you must have a horseshoe up your ass or something, Lucy! Bullet caught you right on the edge of the vest," Graham told her, looking at where the bullet had hit her.

"Still hurts!" the woman groaned through gritted teeth.

"You'll have a pretty nasty bruise, but you'll be all right. Can you stand?" Graham asked. Lucy nodded and grunted as she stood up, with Graham and Ziva helping her to her feet. The three of them clambered on board, and Graham jumped into the pilot seat, guiding them out of the docking bay.

"Activate secure channel to Commodore Williams," he ordered as the shuttle made its way to the Dauntless.

"Secure channel activated," the computer beeped in reply before the line rang. It picked up maybe a minute later, with Ana Williams answering.

"Graham, what happened?" Ana wondered, knowing that if Graham was using a secure line, it was serious.

"I'll tell you in person, but right now, I need a cleaner team at docking bay seventeen. One of my operatives was nearly compromised, but I got her and her asset out," Graham told her.

"Compromised? How?" Ana asked.

"Mercs, by my guess. How they knew to look at our meeting point, I'll figure out later, but right now, I need to secure my operative. I'll be at your quarters in ten minutes," the man promised.

"Understood. Team is being dispatched as we speak. Hopefully, those fucker's corpses will yield some answers. I'll see you soon," Ana replied, as she cut the line.

"How did those bastards know where to find us? The lines are secured, aren't they?" Lucy moaned as she shifted in her seat.

"We received some new personnel, and I was going through some of their files, but I haven't had much time to look over everyone's file," Graham grunted.

"Maybe what we picked up can help?" Ziva offered.

"I have zero doubts it will! That reminds me, you two need to fill this out," Graham smirked as he reached into his jacket and pulled out an expandable tablet. He popped the device open and handed it to Lucy first. She took the item and looked through it, a smile making its way onto her features.

"The RA-2178!" Lucy squeed through the pain. Ziva shifted over and looked at it as Lucy filled out her part before handing it to Ziva. The Arabian woman looked through everything and had Lucy take her through a few parts before she filled it out and signed it. Graham had landed the shuttle in one of the Dauntless' hangar bays when he was handed the device.

"You two went through that pretty damned quick!" Graham commented. "You sure you went over everything?"

"Sir, please, I do administrative paperwork for a living. Filling out a form like this isn't that hard, nor does it take me that long," Ziva scoffed.

"Fair enough! Now you two stay close. If our lines of communication are compromised, I don't know who I can trust," the Lt. Commander replied.

Nodding, both women filed in behind him and walked out of the ship, sticking on his heels. Graham led the women deep into the engineering deck, heading to a small sector of the ship that saw little foot traffic. Mainly because almost no one was aware of this area of the ship, as it was a hidden storage compartment.

The Dauntless was equipped with this sort of extra space, on the chance a boarding action was happening, or a mutiny. Graham had discovered it by pure accident and was sworn to secrecy by his wife and her XO, who were the only other ones who knew of its existence. Using his access codes, the trio walked into one of the disused rooms, which was a comfortable cabin.

"You two are to stay here and not leave this room. There's a functional bathroom just there and some IMP rations if you get hungry. Oh, and one last thing. Don't open this door for anyone, unless it's either me, or the commodore. Understood?" he questioned.

"Yes, sir!" Lucy replied as she saluted wearily.

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Ziva sat on the bed, sighing heavily, as she processed the events of the last few hours. In that time, her entire world had been turned upside down, and she didn't know if it was for better or worse. She held her head in her hands as she focused on her breathing, so she didn't freak out. Ziva felt a light tap on her head and looked up to see Lucy standing over her, with a soft drink in her hand.

"Drink up, babe," she told her.

"I'm not thirsty."

"Drink. All of it. It will help your nerves," Lucy told her. Reluctantly, Ziva took the drink and downed it, the fizz tickling her throat. She let out a large belch after, which made Lucy crack up with laughter.

"Stop it!" Ziva huffed.

"Never heard you burp quite like that before!" Lucy giggled.

"Yeah, well, you told me to drink it all down, so..." and she stuck her tongue out at Lucy, who just snickered.

"Feel better?"

"Surprisingly, yeah! So, now what do we do?" Ziva asked.

"We wait until either Lt. Commander or Commodore Williams comes down here to give us the all clear," Lucy said.

"No, I mean, what do we do now, with everything that's happened?" Ziva clarified.

"Oh! Well, there is a lot I'm going to need to tell you about when it concerns my work from now on," Lucy started.

"What about from when you and I had met? Can you tell me about that stuff?" Ziva wondered.

"I can. What did you want to know?"

Ziva posed her questions and Lucy answered them honestly. Now that Ziva was read in, she didn't have to hide what she did anymore. She was happy for that, as lying to Ziva about what she did and what she was up to, it hurt. Lucy could have lied about certain events, but she didn't. She wanted there to be no secrets between them, and secrets would cause trouble if there were any.

"So, I have another question, if you don't mind me asking about it," Ziva said.

"Well, you pretty much know everything there is to know about me, so go ahead," Lucy replied.

"Why did you go through with the procedure of becoming a Futa? I'm not being accusatory... I'm just curious," Ziva questioned.

"Oh! Well... it was originally about... curiosity," Lucy admitted.

"Curiosity?"

"Yeah! I was curious what it would be like to have a dick swinging between my legs. I could have tried shifting, but it didn't feel right. And I really love my body! I love my legs, my curvy ass, and I especially love my tits!" Lucy smirked. "So, I thought, why not see if becoming a Futa is a viable option? If nothing else, I try it out for a year and see what all the fuss is about. If I didn't feel like it was working out for me, I could always revert back."

"I see. How long have you been a Futa for?" Ziva asked.

"Around eight years now. After the year had come and gone, I found that really did enjoy having a dick. Makes going to the bathroom much easier, for starters!" Lucy giggled.

"I'll bet! There is one more question I have for you," Ziva continued.

"Which is?"

"How many women have you had with it?" Ziva wondered as she sidled up to Lucy, who sat next to her.

"Only three. Because of the job that I do, it's... difficult to get out and meet people. Especially since any attention I received was from the wrong gender," Lucy huffed.

"Well then, let's change that," Ziva replied huskily as she turned Lucy's head towards her before she kissed her. Lucy moaned happily at the sudden change in direction and was enjoying the sensation coursing through her. She winced at the pain that throbbed through back, just beneath her neck.

"What's wrong?" Ziva asked as she pulled back, sensing Lucy's discomfort. "Oh shit! I'm sorry! Let's get you out of this vest and see how bad it is."

Ziva opened Lucy's shirt and helped her out of the garment and her vest. Lucy kept her bra on as Ziva scooted around behind her, and she heard the woman gasp.

"By all that is holy!"

"Is it that bad?" Lucy groaned, the throbbing of the bruise coursing through her body.