Steampunk Harlots Ch. 16

"Alright, listen up," Emma started. "Short version. Some of you have been here a while, others recently. This man isn't one of them, just wearing a uniform as a cover. We are going to get out of here and we have friends looking for us. We need the radio upstairs to call them in. We are going to fight our way there. You can help or stay here. Stay and you get the collars back on if we fail, come with us and you might get shot on the way. Helping us will increase the chances of getting out. I know you have been through a lot, and probably need to clear your heads. We don't have much time for that so it will just have to wait."

"Fuck, our clothing is over here. Or, well, theirs is. Mine is on the floor over there or in the vents." Leira interrupted.

"Okay, you have until you get dressed to sort out your heads. Then you make your choice."

Foxy quickly got her uniform back on and loaded up with the ammo Leira had been wearing. The rest of the girls helped the others get dressed and put on whatever was available in the bin since elegant dresses were not made for combat.

The four women from the hall stayed behind with one of the men. Yet they all kept their distances, trying not to even look at each other. Quite possibly the first real alone time they had had in a long time. Seven other men nodded their agreement to follow the Harlots. Light on her feet, Foxy stalked up the staircase behind the door the woman with the hooves had come out of to laugh at her claw work.

At the top of the stairs was a short hallway connecting the area where the soldiers were to a locker room and shower. Hearing nobody in the locker room, Foxy ushered everyone inside. Taking some time to listen closely, Foxy then joined the rest.

"There are at least twenty of them in there with guns," Foxy reported to her friends.

"I got an idea." Adler smiled.

Foxy was suspicious of him, but Emma stopped her from speaking too aggressively, "Go on."

"We get you all against the wall so they can't see you when they come in. Then I call them in and you aim your guns at them. With any luck, they leave their guns behind."

"That's weak. How are you..."

"Alright!" Adler shouted as he turned on one of the showers. "What one of you fuckers took a shit in the shower?!"

He turned on some showers as commotion came into the shower room. Foxy, her hand forced, took up against the wall with the others, rifle ready. The men came in and looked around on the floor in the far corner where Adler was looking.

Confused, one asked, "Where is the shit?"

"Kid, you just stepped in it." Adler smiled as he pointed towards Foxy.

Having not brought their weapons with them into the shower room because nobody needs to look at shit while armed, they raised their hands in surrender.

"That worked better than I thought." Adler smiled at his successful ruse.

The men were liberated of whatever possessions they had brought with them into the showers before being gagged and tied up. Foxy looked at them.

"This is going to be loud, others will come. If they do, they will get set free and be our enemies again."

Leira picked up on her meaning, and took Emma out of the shower room before she could protest. Foxy looked at the former slaves holding knives they took from the soldiers and nodded towards their prone former owners. She left and listened to their muffled screams that only lasted for a few moments. Emma was shaking in the hall and looking almost sick as Foxy walked by. She entered what was now obviously the armoury and found no other soldiers. Not that she expected any to have been silent enough to avoid her, but she was careful regardless. Two were on catwalks walking a patrol route. One between them and the radio room, and another walking a lengthwise catwalk along the side of the wall. They didn't need to go the second direction but taking out both would help ensure stealth for as long as possible.

Easy walked up behind her, "What next?"

"Lots of guns here that we can take, but if those two see us load up we are fucked. We got to take them out."

"How fast are your legs?"

Foxy smiled, "Faster than most, I would think. I will get the one along the far side there. The man on the walkway is closer. Can you handle him?"

"Emma is a wreck. I get why she is, can't blame her but I can't blame you either. I don't like it, but I didn't learn to shoot because I never thought I'd have to be ready to kill someone."

"Use a knife."

Easy swapped her pistol with one of the men for his knife and hushed them all to wait while Foxy set her rifle and ammo down. Foxy went off dashing silently along the side of the building while Easy crossed the central walkway that ran over the trench they entered by. Slowly, in bare feet, she crept up behind the guard as he slowly walked over the breeding hall and took in the sights. Just as she was about to cross the final few feet, he stopped almost at the end of the walkway to turn around and come back. Easy sprinted the last few steps and leapt into the air as she beat her wings as fast as she could. Her body cleared over the guard just out of his field of view but the sound of her wings made him look up only to see an arm extended with a knife that slashed across his exposed throat. Easy landed softly before finally resting her wings and helped guide the dying man to the floor so he wouldn't make a noise.

Looking back up, she saw Foxy already on her way back, holding a rifle and ammo she had taken from the guard. Easy took up the weapons from the dead guard and crouched by the door to the radio room and waited. Hoping nobody would notice the body on the walkway. She could see the flurry of activity as the slaves gathered up weapons and ammo. Easy had just put the knife on the barrel of her rifle when the door opened. A figure emerged and stopped in his tracks upon seeing the dead body and suddenly having a bayonet rammed up under his chin at the same time. Easy pulled her rifle back and the man turned to look at her before stumbling away from her and over the side. Some bulky headphones that were resting around his neck went with him.

"What the?!" A voice shouted, and Easy turned to look in the open door to see a soldier who had been bored out of his skull a moment ago.

Easy twisted to align herself and shouldered her rifle to fire. The report boomed inside the confined space, and the man slumped back against the wall he had been leaning on a moment ago before his chest had a hole in it. He slumped to the floor, and Easy turned to see Foxy and the others hauling ass across the walkway. She ducked inside and soon the rest followed. They got in and dropped what they were carrying before suddenly sprinting back out.

"Not staying?!" Easy asked surprised.

Foxy knelt near the open door and took aim to cover the others, "The more stuff we bring over here the less we need to worry about them using. Also, there were some blasting charges they use to clear trees. Had to do 'something' with them"

Five of them had made it back by the time Foxy had to fire off a round at a curious soldier who had poked his head in from a door down in the breeding hall. His body propped the door open when it fell. Leira held Emma next to the radio, trying not to let her look at the dead body. When the others had made it across, Foxy pointed them to where she wanted them to shoot from.

"Just shoot at them and keep their heads down if nothing else. Stay calm, learn a new skill, and maybe you get to kill more of them. I'm going to use the radio."

"Oh, my fault," Easy spoke up. "Guy with the headset surprised me and stumbled over the ledge."

"Damn. Leira, look for a spare set while I tune this."

Leira got to work searching around in drawers and cupboards while Foxy flicked switches and turned dials. Coming up empty, Leira shook her head at Foxy who sighed.

"Well, we can still transmit," Foxy flicked the switch on the microphone as someone behind her started taking shots. Moments later she heard the return fire coming back and breaking some of the windows, "Foxy to the Lucky Harlot, Foxy to the Lucky Harlot," she repeated a few times until a faint buzz from the socket the headphone plugged into changed pitch. "Unable to receive, transmission only. Located at a farming complex near a forest and train tracks. Many hostiles, demanding you come in hot. All four safe for now but under fire. Caution on entry, crates contain children and collared Emberborn noncombatants who may be unable to avoid being in the line of fire."

Easy saw Foxy look at her in case there was more to say, "Just leave it open, if they can't transmit, then they can listen."

"Right, leaving the channel open."

Foxy locked the mic button down and took up her weapon again. She fired out of the window at some guards who appeared on the walkway near the body of her sentry kill. Only her shots seemed to find their mark, but soon enough the enemy might be too close for accuracy to matter much.

She motioned for Emma to take the mic and repeat what Foxy had said in the first place. If they hadn't received it the first time, then they might have been scanning channels. Two of the men, one of whom was the fox that had been breeding her in the pool, were lifting one of the machine guns they had taken onto a desk. Quickly she showed them how to load it, but told them not to fire.

"They aren't grouped together yet. That window is closed, but it looks out over the walkway. Aim at it and don't fire until I tell you. They will try to rush us at some point and I want that ready."

They nodded and the fox shared a look of regret with Foxy. The gunfire kept her mind on the matter at hand and returned to her spot. More and more guards seemed to be gathering below and on the walkway. Of course, the majority were gathering in the armoury, looking for weapons that weren't there.

"Now?" The bull behind the machine gun asked as the fox got ready to load.

"No, at least not you," Foxy turned to an amphibian of sorts. "You can go now, though."

"With pleasure!" His wide mouth grinned even wider.

All along the armoury wall, where most of the soldiers were taking cover getting ready for a charge, suddenly erupted in a hail of carnage as the blasting charges went off the moment the detonator was twisted. The concrete walls kept the blast contained for the most part. Easy and the others had taken cover moments before, but those below had no such luxury. Fortunately enough, the damage to those still wearing collars was minimal.

"You fucking animals!" A voice shouted after the dust had settled. "You are fucking nothing! You can't compare to a human! You bitches can't compare to a man! Filth like you won't kill me!"

His mad ranting was cut short as Easy fired at his manic face. Far too in shock to have taken cover, he just looked down at the hole in his chest before looking at Easy, his face contorted in confusion.

"You just got killed by a sparkly fairy, asshole!" Easy shouted back.

Gunfire was traded back and forth as Emma repeated herself over and over on the radio. She watched Adler and Leira dragging the wounded away from the windows. Suddenly the big gun on the table erupted in a cacophony of noise and men started screaming outside as they were hit or fell from the walkway. It stopped soon, and the two men worked quickly to reload. The others took this time to start firing again to keep the enemy away. Emma pushed herself back against the wall, trying to get away from the fight. Even knowing she was already against it, she pushed away harder and suddenly the wall slipped away.

Emma lay on the floor, looking up at the tall, powerful, red-skinned woman with hooves standing right near her head. Farther away, huddling in the corner and weeping like an infant was the fat man who had put collars on her friends.

"Do something!" he screamed.

The woman knelt down and offered her hand, "Hello. Need a hand?"

Emma took it and stood up with her help while the man shouted, "What are you doing?!"

"You said to do something. I'd suggest learning to be more specific, but..."

A pistol shot ended the conversation, much how the red woman expected it to end.

Emma held her pistol in a steady grip, "Thank you. Can you help us?"

The woman stood there staring at the corpse. Emma could see she was wearing a collar and cringed, thinking of the drawer her key must be in. Foxy came around the corner taking a quick look, then turned around to order some of the others to shoot from the window in the private bedroom. The red woman remained motionless except for her eyes tracking those in her field of view. One of the men at the window tripped over the body trying to line up a shot.

"Can someone move this piece of shit!" A crow man shouted.

Emma walked over to try and drag the fat body but it was too heavy. The jacket ripped as he tried to pull and she fell over. From the pocket on the breast of the jacket fell a key ring. Like the one they found in the desk, but ended up not really needing except there was another key on it. A collar key. Emma whipped around and clamoured over to the woman while trying to stand at the same time. Too short to reach, Emma sighed and grabbed hold of her breasts and lifted herself up. Wrapping her legs around the woman's slender waist, she reached for her shoulders and then standing on the powerfully wide hips and gripping one of her horns, Emma fiddled with the collar and key until a click popped the collar off. The two of them collapsed to the ground. Emma straddling the woman's chest as she lay on the floor, stroked her hair gently until her eyes focused on her. She could swear her eyes were on fire.

Lifted by powerful arms, Emma was set down on her feet as the woman stood while she had been lifting her, "Thank you so much. We can talk later. Right now I have two things to do."

"My name is Emma. You are welcome."

"Mine is Vile. Now help me with this sheet, Emma, I've been naked for years."

Emma helped Vile fix the sheet around her body like a toga robe. Not perfect, but good enough as far as Vile cared. She picked up her collar and ripped it apart, breaking the metal joint, before tossing the pieces to the ground as she left the bedroom.

"Poetic, welcome to the fight. We got guns if you want to use one, but running low on ammo. They have stopped advancing so probably trying to wait us out," Foxy explained after her offer.

"I appreciate that, but I brought my own fire power."

Vile strut past the broken door and onto the corpse-strewn walkway. Bullets whipped by her but those that got too close deflected away the same instant they were turned into molten lead. Holding her hands open at her sides she let out a deep rumbling howl of rage and was suddenly consumed by fire. She hurled a fist full of it into the armoury to the screams of the men now burning inside it. Vile lept from the one walkway to the other and landed amongst the soldiers there, slashing with claws of flame.

"Holy sweet fuck," Leira blurted, as they all stopped firing to watch. "I want new powers. She has rocking tits and fire shit."

"I feel slightly emasculated," the crow muttered.

"Fuck it, I'm done being a man. I'm switching genders again," the amphibian added.

Vile seemed to be taking her time with the men who, simply by being near her, found her too hot to handle, let alone fight. Undoubtedly, Vile was working out a great many frustrations on them. Below in the breeding hall, the collared didn't stop their work but watched in amazement as they went from partner to partner. In the back of their minds, they were starting to process what was going on. Although they couldn't acknowledge the end of their breeding as anything they had an interest in, they were suddenly starting to get happy. For the first time in a long time.

There was a rapidly dwindling number of people to kill for Vile, and once exhausted of her enemies, they all stood around wondering what to do next. Foxy and the rest cautiously started walking out onto the catwalk.

"What the fuck Foxy?!" came a shout from below that, as Foxy looked down to see, came from Juno. "I thought you needed help?!"

Foxy laughed, "So did I!"