A/N

I suppose I should throw in a very quick disclaimer that this chapter, as well as the next few chapters, will contain some rather brutal and graphic violence. I'm not sure anyone who has been reading this story cares; since Tigress has contained plenty of violence since the very beginning. But still, be warned.

Chapter 46…

Ashley scrambled out of bed with all the grace of a woman who was still doped up on painkillers…

That was - her left leg got caught on a sheet and Ashley promptly fell onto her face…

"Fuck…" Ashley growled to herself, her fingers scratching against the old wooden floorboards. The dark haired woman scrambled to her feet and stumbled in the direction of the room's door.

She heard it again… the sound of gunfire. The loud noises were only slightly muffled by the thin walls of the inn. Ashley could feel her heart pounding in her chest and settled into her breathing technique to prevent panic.

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

Ashley finally reached the door of her room. She pressed her entire body against the wooden panel; but she did not open it, instead pressing her left ear against the wood.

Other than the distant crack of gunfire, Ashley's hearing was undisturbed. The dark haired woman closed her eyes and focused entirely on her hearing - all while maintaining her breathing pattern.

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

Pale fingertips curled against the surface of the door, feeling the rough texture of the panel.

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

There was another sound now! It was the sound of feet pressing down on the creaky floorboards of the inn's hallway.

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

Ashley cracked her eyes open in suspicion. The footfalls outside her door were loud and heavy… but also slow and lackadaisical. There was gunfire outside… but whoever was in the hallway didn't sound all that concerned.

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

Pale fingertips pressed deeper into the surface of the wooden door…

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

A slamming noise interrupted the footsteps. The slamming noise was punctuated by a crack… the sound of a wooden door being kicked in…

Ashley's breathing came to a sharp halt. The dark haired woman thrust herself off of the door and scrambled back towards her bed. Ashley slid her upper body under the piece of furniture and began groping at the loose floorboards underneath.

Her ultimate target was the loose floorboard closest to the wall and farthest from her. Underneath the floorboard was Dema's stolen handgun.

Ashley fingers grazed the particular floorboard but the woman did not have the proper angle. Her fingernails succeeded in disturbing the board - but she did not have the leverage she needed to lift it.

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

Ashley fell back into her breathing pattern and tried to focus. She craned her ears as she groped at the loose floorboard.

She could hear the heavy footsteps again… and the sound of the door directly across the hall being kicked open.

Now even more frightened, Ashley tried to work faster…

'Inhale…...exhale…...inhale…...exhale…...inhale…...exhale…...inhale…...exhale…'

The footsteps were in the hallway again…

'Inhale…...exhale…...inhale…...exhale…...inhale…...exhale…...inhale…...exhale…'

The footsteps stopped. There was a momentary lull as a boot reared up to kick in the door to Ashley's room…

'Inhale…...exhale…...inhale…...exhale…...inhale…...exhale…...inhale…...exhale…'

The boot swung forwards - the sole smashing against the wooden door and cracking open the feeble lock. With a rush of air the wooden panel swung open and crashed into the adjacent wall - it's hinges creaking and groaning.

Only moments after the door swung open did a rifle barrel poke into the room. The opening of the barrel was leveled on the room's bed - where a human sized lump was hiding underneath the covers. There was a series of sharp cracking noises as a three round burst tore up the covers - most certainly killing whoever was hiding in the bed.

Smoke curled from the hot barrel of the rifle. There was a moment's hesitation before the rifle's wielder stepped into the room…

… and right into an ambush.

Ashley screamed like a banshee as she leapt from the furthest corner of the room. Her enemy was taken by surprise - judging from their sluggish reaction time. Ashley couldn't blame them; she too would have been surprised if she was them and a half-naked woman had jumped from the darkness.

Ashley's right hand settled on the rifle's barrel and the dark haired woman wrenched the weapon upwards. There were several ear-shattering cracks as the gun's owner squeezed the trigger out of panic. The bullets impacted the ceiling - causing a spray of dust that irritated Ashley's eyes.

There was a squawk of pain as Ashley repeatedly mashed the sharp barrel of the rifle into its owner's face. The dark haired woman immediately followed with a punch to their solar plexus; but her fist painfully scraped against a metal neck guard - rendering the attack ineffective.

With their shock wearing off, Ashley's opponent pressed into an offensive attack. Their rifle was still pinned against their chest, so they kicked off into a push that forced Ashley backwards.

Ashley grit her teeth as her feet were forced back into a shuffle; the bare wooden floor bit and scratched at the sensitive soles of her feet. Her unknown opponent forced Ashley all the way back to the far wall of her room and painfully slammed her against it - back first. The dark haired woman bit back a yelp as the sensitive welt on her shoulder was ground into the wall; a careful mixture of painkillers and her body's adrenaline was the only thing keeping the pain at bay.

For a moment, Ashley and her opponent struggled. They were locked in a stalemate and Ashley had to think fast if she wanted to survive. The room was dark, which kept Ashley from getting a proper look at their opponent. But she did know that they were tall; and judging from the pressure against her body - quite strong.

Getting desperate, Ashley threw her left leg up to kick her opponent in the groin. She heard a deep sounding yelp of pain, indicating that she was fighting a man; but the presence of a smooth codpiece stopped the kick in its tracks.

Tiring of the struggle, Ashley's opponent opted to lift her off the wall and throw her to the floor. This action backfired, however, as Ashley retaliated by kicking herself off of the wall. With practiced ease from years of grueling pilot training, Ashley rolled over her opponent's shoulder and wrapped the crook of her elbow around their neck. She landed on the floor in a painful slam - but she now had her would-be assailant in a tight chokehold.

Ashley grunted as the man on top of her struggled. She could hear the wheezing breaths escaping his lips and his legs kicking hers. The dark haired woman did not relent - keeping her hold tight.

"Who are you!?" Ashley demanded in a seething tone. The man pressed against her did not answer; instead continuing to wheeze as he was strangled. "Answer me!"

The only answer Ashley received was a sharp elbow jab to her stomach. She huffed and felt the urge to vomit as the air was forced out of her lungs.

Taking the opportunity they had created for themselves, Ashley's opponent broke the chokehold and promptly straddled her. Ashley tensed and braced herself as two hard punches mashed into her face. She blocked the strikes with her forearms, but she could feel the stinging scrape of knuckle guards against her scarred skin.

Instead of punching her again, Ashley's opponent wrapped their large hands around her slender neck. Ashley felt her eyes pop as her windpipe was swiftly constricted.

'...Inhale…..exhale…'

Ashley's breathing technique had been stopped in its tracks. Biting off her opponents fingers would not be an option; Ashley could feel the texture of gloves on her skin and would not be able to bite through the protective fabric.

In a panic, Ashley looked to her left. She was on the floor next to her bed and had a full view of the floor underneath the piece of furniture.

Ashley saw her salvation… and reached out an arm…

The hands curled tighter around her neck. Ashley could see black spots dancing in front of her vision.

Ashley's fingers probed along the ground until they reached their target…

At this point… she had only seconds before she blacked out…

Ashley's fingers wrapped around the cylindrical object that was within her reach. With great dexterity Ashley managed to grip the object with her palm.

With a shattering crash, Ashley withdrew her hidden bottle of booze from under her bed and cracked it against her opponents head. The bottle shattered against the man's helmet; but the scream of pain Ashley heard told her that the move had been successful. The gloved hands reflexively flew off of her neck…

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

Ashley quickly fell back into her routine. Every single muscle in her body felt alive and strong as the fresh oxygen circulated in her bloodstream.

There was no way that she could lose this advantage…

Still clenching the neck of the cracked bottle in her hand, Ashley leapt forwards and went on the attack. Her opponent was still clutching at their lacerated face and were defenseless against the jagged edges of the broken bottle.

Ashley shoved the bottle against her opponent's neck. Her hands suddenly felt warm and slick; and a rattling gurgle was the only noise her opponent was able to make. The dark haired woman stood there for a few moments, keeping the bottle tight in her hand.

After about a minute… Ashley felt brave enough to let go. Both her opponent and the half of the shattered bottle clattered to the floor.

"Fuck…" Ashley rattled out in a shaky breath.

The profanity felt appropriate for the moment…

Ashley raised her slick hands up to her eyes. In the dim light of the room, it was difficult to see the blood coating them. The dark haired woman considered wiping her hands on her pant legs, but realized that she was clad only in her undergarments.

"Who were you?" Ashley breathed out.

The woman stumbled back in the direction of her room's bed stand. Atop the stand stood a small lamp, which Ashley quickly turned on to illuminate the room.

Lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood was a tall man. Like Ashley had suspected, he was rather well built. But what really caught Ashley's eye was the clothes that the man was wearing.

Shielding and protecting the dead man was a patchwork assortment of armor. The parts seemed random - ranging from more modern looking alloys to worn out kevlar patches.

The man's rifle was lying on the ground - having been discarded in the heated struggle that had transpired only minutes ago. Ashley gingerly approached and picked up the weapon, turning it over in her hands and inspecting it.

Ashley knew this type of gun… everyone on the frontier knew this type of gun…

It was a R-101; coloured a basic coyote brown and fitted with cracked holographic sights. The weapon felt very comfortable and natural in Ashley's hands, given her many years of using this rifle configuration.

But why an R-101? Ashley knew that there were probably some operators who felt nostalgic or comfortable about the weapon; but the newer R-201's had become more common in years since Demeter.

Ashley looked at the weapon, and then she looked at the fresh corpse soiling the floorboards. She could still hear distant gunfire outside.

"Mark!?" An unfamiliar voice called from outside the room.

Ashley froze.

"Are you done in there!?" The unfamiliar voice called again. "Come on! The guys at the bar are having a hard time!"

The voice fell silent for a moment.

"Mark!?"

Ashley could now hear one… no, two sets of footsteps coming down the hallway…

Panicked, Ashley began to formulate a hasty plan. She looked to the corpse at her feet - spying the pistol holster on the man's thigh and the small objects dangling off of his belt. Ashley took the chance to snatch what she could before quietly darting into her room's tiny bathroom.

With gentle motions, Ashley closed the bathroom door. She kept the panel open just a crack - just enough to have a general idea of what was going on in the main room.

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

The two sets of footsteps abruptly stopped once they reached the door of Ashley's room.

"Oh… fuck!" One of the unfamiliar voices called. "Is that Mark?"

"Of fucking course it is…" Another voice growled.

Ashley heard the two strangers walk into the room. If they were smart - they would have their guns up.

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

"Fucking hell…" The first voice added. There was the sound of ruffling fabric and "Mark's" body being moved. "Looks like a throat wound."

"Whoever did this knew where to hit him," the second voice growled. "Windows?"

"Closed and locked."

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

Ashley settled her trembling fingers on the round object in her left hand. She pinched the pin with her fingers and tore it off of the object.

"Bathroom door is closed…" The first voice pointed out.

Ashley could hear the clicking noise of guns being raised.

It was now or never…

Ashley thrust herself against the bathroom door. She kept the small object in her left hand, while the pistol she had looted from Mark's body was in her right.

"Freeze!" The first voice called. Ashley now had an idea of who it belonged to - an older looking man in scraped up IMC armor.

"Drop it!" The other man warned. He too was dressed in a patchwork assortment of armor. The man's hair was long and unruly, it stuck out from under his white helmet in thick clumps.

"Which one!?" Ashley questioned. She wiggled both of her hands to bring attention to their contents.

In her right hand was the newly looted pistol, which was trained on the man with the longer hair.

But in Ashley's left hand was a frag grenade - the pin dangling from the tip of her pointer finger. Ashley's top two fingers were squeezing the device's safety handle.

"You know what this is…" Ashley warned, her tone low. "Drop your guns… because even if you shoot me... you two both know that you won't escape the blast…"

The two men looked pensive. Their guns were still held at the ready, but the unsure looks on their hard faces gave Ashley some confidence.

"I took it off your buddy. Mark, right?" Ashley jerked her head in the direction of the corpse. "It's real… so drop your guns to the floor…"

"Fuck you, bitch." The man with the longer hair spat. Despite his harsh words, the man lowered himself and set his gun on the floor. His friend did the same - placing his rifle on the ground and standing back up.

"Good…" Ashley muttered. "Now… who the fuck are you?"

The men looked at each other and then back at Ashley; but they said nothing.

"I'm the one with the gun… answer!" Ashley demanded.

"Fuck you…" The longer haired man growled and mock-bowed. "There's your answer…"

For a brief moment, the two men looked amused. But this brief moment of mirth was ended by a gunshot. The man with the long hair collapsed to the floor - a shocked look permanently etched on his face…

… and a new hole in his forehead.

"F-fuck…" The other man quivered. He looked between Ashley and his two dead friends. "You killed him!"

"He shouldn't have talked back to the guy with the gun…" Ashley spoke coldly. "Or girl… whatever. Are you going to listen now?"

The other man said nothing, but he did fearfully nod.

"Good…" Ashley mumbled. The dark haired woman brought her hands together to pinch the pin back onto the grenade. "Go stand in that corner and face the wall… I need to put some pants on. After that… you and I are going for a walk..."