Three Square Meals Ch. 101

Jade tensed her muscles and slithered closer, waiting for that telltale chime. The moment it did and the door slid open, the green snake undulated towards the opening, being careful not to get underfoot and stay just out of sight. There was a long security chamber beyond, with dozens of turrets covering the entrance. Jade froze as she hugged the wall, then thought twice about brazenly following the pilot down the centre of the room. Instead she travelled wide, sticking to the base of the wall and slithering as quickly as she could to try to keep up.

***

Sergeant Green led the reporter to the interrogation chair, just waiting for her to try something. She was as feisty as she was beautiful and it was obvious to him that she was nowhere near to breaking yet. He'd seen plenty of men start to crack up even under the relatively mild pressure they'd applied to her so far, but Jehanna was showing no signs of stress.

Keeping his stun pistol trained on her, he glanced to his colleagues. "Restrain her."

"Is that really necessary?" she asked with a faint smile.

He nodded, trying to appear as intimidating as possible as he glanced longingly at the torture implements. "We don't want you thrashing around when we start using some of these... toys... on you."

Jehanna studied him for a while, and he could see the intelligence behind those beguiling brown eyes. "I'm sure there's no need for all that. Why don't you ask your questions and I'll tell you whatever you want to know..."

Green lowered his pistol once his men locked the manacles in place around her wrists and ankles. "You're going to talk... just like that? Excuse me if I find that a little hard to believe, Miss Elani."

She shrugged. "I've got nothing to hide. I'm fairly sure I know who you're going to ask me about..."

He glanced at his men and they chuckled nervously, not sure what game she was playing. This was a far cry from the usual behaviour they expected from people they dragged in here. There was typically plenty of screaming and begging... lots of begging.

"Alright Miss Elani, I'll play along," Green said, leaning against one of the tables. "What can you tell me about John Blake... the so-called 'Lion of the Federation'?"

Jehanna let out a happy sigh. "Well, he's really handsome... and absolutely phenomenal in bed!" She shook her head in wonder. "Seriously... I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!"

Sergeant Green couldn't help himself, his jaw dropped open in surprise. "You openly admit you're sleeping with him?!"

"Well, we didn't get much sleeping done," Jehanna replied with a playful wink.

His men tried not to laugh and Green managed to keep a straight face.

Before he could say anything else, she continued, "So what else do I know about the Lion? Well... I know he's basically an unstoppable killing machine; he's slaughtered his way through thousands of enemies, destroying anyone that got in his way. I'm sure you've all seen the video of him in action against the Kirrix?"

Green glanced at his men with a flicker of apprehension. Of course they had... it was replayed almost non-stop on TFNN for weeks.

Jehanna leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "You know that was heavily edited, right? The version that went live was incredible, but they actually cut out all the really brutal carnage..." She shuddered with distaste, then continued, "There's only so much blood the public can take..."

The sergeant tried to picture the video again, it was hard to recall all of it, but he definitely remembered Blake and four of his Lionesses mowing down thousands of Kirrix troops. When they strolled away victorious at the end, they didn't have a scratch on them...

"And he's got all those Lionesses with him... And they have that Mech, the gunship, and the Invictus, which packs more firepower than a border fleet," Jehanna said, shaking her head in awe. "I almost pity the poor bastards that upset them..."

"Alright, that's enough," Sergeant Green said, finally realising she was trying to intimidate him.

Jehanna gave him an innocent look. "Are you sure? I know plenty more about him... For example, John's fiercely loyal to the women he surrounds himself with. Can you imagine how he's going to react when he finds out I've been locked up in here?"

The sergeant backhanded her, making her head whip around with the slap. "I said that's enough!"

Jehanna took the blow, then glanced back at him, a victorious glimmer in her eyes. They both knew that she'd got under his skin...

***

Weber marched down the corridor, breaking into a jog for a few steps, before regaining control of himself. His heart was hammering in his chest and he was scared out of his mind. Buckingham was dead and somehow that fucking Fernandez bitch knew that the two of them were responsible for kidnapping Jehanna, abducting the Nymphs, all of it!

He had no idea how they found out, but he wasn't going to stick around and ask. This was probably his only chance to slip away, taking advantage of the confusion after the Battle of Terra, when all the Federation fleets would be reeling after the bloody battle against the Kintark. If he could just get to the ship, he could run for the border worlds and hide out there, then live a life of relative luxury on the emergency funds he'd stashed away. With a bit of luck, he'd be able to steer well clear of John Blake and escape his vengeance.

Hitting the button on his wrist communicator, he called Friedrich as he jogged deeper into the bowels of Tartarus.

"Admiral," the Professor said, a sullen pout on his face.

"Where are you?" Weber demanded as he strode along the brightly lit corridor.

"Still in my lab..." Friedrich replied, his eyes darting to one side. "Can't I just-"

"Goddamnit, listen to me!" Weber snapped, his temper frayed to breaking point. "Blake and his Xeno-loving sluts will be sniffing around for this base! We have to get out of here now! You can do your experiments later..."

Friedrich was mollified by that and smiled as he pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "Alright, we're on our way."

***

Sergeant Green turned around to the table of vicious torture implements and picked up a barbed knife. "I know what you're doing, Miss Elani. You're just trying to scare us off... but it won't work."

Jehanna shook her head and said earnestly, "No, that's not it at all. I'll answer any questions you ask me as truthfully as I can."

His men looked at him in confusion, but Green was lost as well. She seemed completely sincere, but that didn't make any sense at all. He honestly had no idea what game she was playing, but she was clearly far from broken, much too strong-willed to crack this early.

"This is some kind of trick..." he muttered suspiciously. "You're pretending to cooperate, but this is all a plan to protect Blake; to stop us finding out what we really want to know..."

"Do you want to know why I'm so willing to talk?" she asked him quietly, her expression without guile.

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. "Alright... I'm listening. Why?"

Jehanna gave him a look of sympathy. "Because whatever I tell you, will die here with you. When John comes after me, and he will, he's going to slaughter every last person in this base. If I was you, I'd start running while you've still got your legs..." She glanced at his right hand and gave him a look of sincere remorse. "You hit me, so I'm afraid that hand's done for... he'll probably want to make an example of you."

Despite all his many years spent doing very unpleasant things, Sergeant Green was shaken. "Y-you're bluffing," he stammered, glancing nervously at his hand and taking an involuntary step backwards.

"Am I?" Jehanna asked, tilting her head to one side. "Do you remember that interview I did with John a few weeks ago? Where he demolished that base of assassins?"

Green nodded, watching her with suspicion.

"Before John and the girls obliterated that base, they hunted down every last assassin in there," Jehanna said quietly. "They made them all suffer for daring to kidnap Calara. When the Invictus blasted that tomb, it was a warning... meant for High Command. John was saying: Fuck with me or the women I care about, and we'll hunt you down like rats, then burn your house to the ground."

There was silence in the interrogation room as Green and his men darted anxious glances at one another.

Jehanna made a point of looking around the interrogation room, before turning her gaze on him once again. "New house, different rats, but the lesson will be a lot bloodier this time. John will make sure no one ever wants to mess with any of his girls ever again..."

The sergeant knew she was telling the truth, he could see it in her eyes. That look of pity sent a shiver of fear down his spine.

***

Jade's serpentine body writhed back and forth as she slithered across the floor, her scales making the softest of rustling noises against the titanium decking. It was a bit brighter in this long security room, so she was far more worried about being spotted. She just hoped that anyone watching via cameras would see the pilot striding calmly along the hall, assume that everything was fine, and pay no attention to the walls.

She had made it half-way across when a dozen turrets on the opposite wall swung around to face her, the ones on her side of the room unable to tilt down enough to aim in her direction. Half those moving turrets were now inadvertently pointing at the pilot, who glanced at them when he caught the movement, then did a double-take in alarm. When the room was suddenly filled with the shrill whine of Gatling Lasers winding up a split-second later, the man gaped at them in terror then dived to the ground.

Jade exploded into action, shimmering and growing huge into her triceratops form. She was up and running before the guns had finished winding up, stampeding full tilt towards the door opposite. The dimly-lit room blazed to life with the staccato blasts of bright-orange laser fire, streams of bolts arcing towards the charging dinosaur. Jade's form was fully armoured, so when she was struck by a dozen shots, the bolts hit her plating but failed to penetrate.

That's not to say Jade didn't notice them; the armour plating was still formed from her body, and it was irritating being struck by the energy bolts. Jade growled in anger, feeling like she was being peppered by bee stings as she shrugged off a bewildering crossfire of laser streams. Lowering her head, she slammed into the bulky reinforced doors, a massive booming crash echoing around the room as she tore them off their hinges. They cartwheeled away as Jade hurled herself through the sundered doorway, her enormous, armoured body smashing into the doorframe and demolishing half the wall.

Then she found herself flailing through the air as she dropped into the waiting crevasse. The bridge beyond had been retracted, leaving a yawning gap between the two security rooms. Hidden laser turrets along the walls began to open fire as she fell, marking her descent with orange streams of laser bolts.

***

Professor Friedrich reluctantly released the straps on the last Nymph, who looked at him bright-eyed and without accusation. He marvelled that she didn't seem to bear any grudge or even view him as a threat, despite the fact that he'd been about to cut into her flesh only seconds earlier. He glanced at the two soldiers and saw that they were just untying the last straps holding the waif in place.

"Come on then," he grumbled sourly. "Follow me."

"Are we going to see this one's new master?" the four Nymphs chirped simultaneously, looking at him with hope in their trusting eyes.

He was about to say no, but then figured they would probably be easier to control if they were willingly accompanying him. "Yes, we're off to meet him right now..."

The Nymphs looked elated, bouncing up and down with their excitement. Considering how busty two of them were, that made for a very distracting sight, even for a man like Professor Friedrich. Troopers Collins and Halverson certainly appreciated the spectacular view.

As Friedrich walked towards his lab door, a shrill siren went off and red warning lights flashed on lamps mounted around the walls.

Halverson held a hand up to his earpiece. "Sir! Intruders at the Barbican! They picked up something trying to sneak in with the heat sensors... it's a Nymph!"

Friedrich turned to frown at the man. "It appears Admiral Weber was correct. It might be prudent to evacuate..."

***

There was a tense silence in the interrogation room as Green and his men shared anxious glances with one another. Jehanna's little speech had deeply unsettled all of them, and whether or not what she was saying was actually true, they could all see that she believed it. This certainly wasn't the way it was supposed to go, with her torturers too terrified to even touch their victim, let alone anything else.

Suddenly an alarm went off, making the three soldiers jump. They looked at each other first, eyes widening with fear. When they glanced at their prisoner, Jehanna appeared greatly relieved and relaxed in her chair.

She gave them a look of sympathy. "I knew they'd come for me..."

At that moment Green was not feeling relieved... quite the opposite in fact. The sergeant backed towards the door, unsure what to do. His men beat a hasty retreat with him, but they made sure they gave Jehanna a wide berth as they did so. A chime on his wrist communicator made the sergeant jump again and he glanced down to see that Professor Friedrich was calling him. Stopping in the doorway, he accepted the call, the professor's holographic head appearing above his forearm.

"Sergeant, I want you to bring the girl to the ship," Friedrich said, and from the way his head was bobbing in the hologram, it was obvious he was walking at a brisk pace.

Green stepped out into the corridor and said in a hushed voice, "But Sir... she said Blake was on his way; that he'll butcher anyone who touches her!"

"He's not here yet, but he has sent his Nymph..." Friedrich muttered, his brow creasing with worry.

"Like those harmless girls we captured?" Green asked, frowning in confusion.

The Professor shook his head. "No... like the one that can turn into a T-Rex. She's storming the upper security tunnels as we speak..."

Jehanna had overheard and she smiled at them. "Jade's here? I'd start running now, while you still can..."

Friedrich saw the panicked look on the Sergeant's face and said sternly, "Bring the reporter with you! We're evacuating Tartarus, but we need as many hostages as we can get! Hurry, I've got more calls to make..."

Green nodded and closed the call, then glanced back at their prisoner. He noticed that his men made no move towards Jehanna, obviously scared of losing their hands. The sergeant was in two minds himself, then he reluctantly darted back into the room and started rapidly undoing the metal restraints.

"It's not too late, Sergeant," Jehanna said quietly. "If you let me go now, I'll forget you slapped me..."

He hesitated then unlocked the last one. "Shut up, we're leaving..."

***

Jade focused her will inward as she fell, drawing deep to tap the vast amounts of psychic energy she contained within herself. She needed a more versatile form, something that would let her handle all the security checkpoints and obstacles in her way. Picturing the shape in her mind, she pictured herself growing much larger, her limbs turning into claws, a tail sprouting out behind her and leathery wings unfolding from her back. Her reptilian body was covered in a glistening coat of diamond-hard scales, and as the misty green haze faded away, her wings snapped out, arresting her fall.

With a couple of powerful beats of those scaled wings, she propelled herself upwards, back towards the sealed security door on the opposite side of the canyon. Laser bolts pattered off her armoured hide, but this form was strong and they felt like no more than irritating pinpricks. Jade opened her draconic maw, electricity arcing around her huge fangs as she kept her emerald eyes locked on target.

Channelling her willpower she unleashed the lightning blast, thunder booming around the crevasse as the bolt blasted into the door. She strafed the arcing beam of energy across the width of the entrance, melting a huge hole in the wall. When that blistering column guttered out, the edges of the breach glowed bright orange, while sizzling blue sparks of electricity danced over the rift she'd just excavated.

With a few more beats of her wings, she soared up to land on the smoking ledge, her long claws gouging trenches in the titanium as she hauled herself inside. The security checkpoint beyond was a blackened mess, the overhead lights blown out, leaving the room pitch black. The gloom didn't matter as her highly-sensitive draconic eyes could see in the dark and she launched herself into a loping run, her dragon form taking up most of the width of the corridor.

The turrets inside had all been electrocuted, thick black fumes pouring off their fried shells. There were several blackened smears on the ground; all that remained of the soldiers who had been killed in an instant, the smell of their cooked flesh thick amongst the acrid smoke. Jade paid them no attention and rushed towards the next reinforced wall. She pounced with forelimbs extended, driving her foot-long claws through the titanium wall then tearing across and down, her viridian talons ripping through the metal like it was made of cardboard. She head-butted the critically ravaged barrier and it toppled backwards, letting her barge through the new hole she'd made for herself.

Jade heard a brief scream of terror, which was silenced a second later as the wall squashed the soldier behind it like an overripe melon. A dozen more special forces soldiers were retreating here, their terrified cries echoing around the corridor as they backed away. Jade bared her fangs and roared, then charged after them, vicious claws flashing out to brutally disembowel the closest trooper as she ripped him in half. She caught the next with a quick backhanded slash that tore through his legs, dismembering him with almost casual ease. He fell to the floor screaming in pain and she stomped on him with a rear claw as she pursued the rest, her heavy weight crushing him with a sickening squelch.

The next pair turned around and began firing frantically on full auto, the bullets striking her armoured head, but bouncing off harmlessly. The deflections sprayed rounds everywhere like a demented and very deadly sprinkler, bullets ricocheting down the corridor and even striking one of the fleeing troopers in the thigh. Jade pounced on the fourth soldier, impaling him with both sets of fully extended claws, and he was dead by the time she brought him to the ground. She lunged forward and bit the fifth, clamping her huge jaws around him and shaking him fiercely, before hurling his mangled body into the wall.

She set upon one fleeing man after another, remorselessly slaughtering her way through the soldiers who had dared to capture her friend and sisters. Their fearful screams turned into sickening gurgles as the jade dragon brutally eviscerated each in turn. Amidst the carnage, an explosion rocked the corridor, and Jade winced from the blast from an underslung grenade launcher. As the smoke from the detonation cleared, she glared at the hopeful soldiers, seeing the astonishment and horror dawn on their stricken faces as she shrugged off a high-explosive grenade.

Her claws made a grating squeal as she dug into the titanium decking and charged towards the petrified soldiers.

***

Admiral Weber heard booted footsteps ahead, the sound echoing strangely in the dimly-lit intersection up ahead. He froze in fear, worried that Blake had somehow found him, until he heard a man mutter with dread, "Oh fuck me... nothing's stopping that thing!"