The Mist 2: Rescue Operations
Chapter 18: Arizona
''It's this way, right...?''
''Yeah. You hang back Arizona, we'll scout ahead.''
Arizona hummed softly, her rigging manifested around her as she followed after Cleveland and her sisters, the four cruisers leading the way down the damp and desolate tunnel. It was hard to see but they made up for it with their searchlights, the beams of light scouring the tunnel ahead and above them for any sign of a monster.
With so many of them gathered together the chances of them getting ambushed without noticing was lower. And although Arizona personally preferred being with others, she understood Deutschland's reasoning behind splitting up. As it stood they only had so much time until either the bunker got swarmed with monsters, or their guards at the tunnel entrance got overwhelmed and had to either bail or fall to the monsters, both options leading to the monsters to flood the bunker anyway.
Time was of the essence. And as much as it made her uncomfortable, Arizona knew that it was only smart to split up and cover more ground.
As such the five of them were moving fast, their shoes clicking and thumping against the concrete ground as they half-walked, half-jogged down the hall. Several times now they had to duck into narrow gaps in the hall or behind boxes to hide from passing monsters, though thankfully the growing chaos of the surface distracted them from noticing them, none of the monsters slowing down enough to scan their surroundings.
''Mm...'' Arizona bit her lip as they neared the end of the tunnel; the medical bay just up ahead.
If there was anybody here, they'd be in there.
However as they approached Arizona began to spot something not quite right with the doors. The handles, she realised after a moment – they were bent and warped in a way that bound them together, effectively locking the doors. Such a feat could only be performed by a Ship-Girl given their superhuman strength... but that meant whoever was on the outside had purposefully locked whoever, or whatever, was in there inside.
Cleveland and her sisters came to a similar conclusion, trading uneasy glances. However they were here for a reason, and so with a reluctant look Cleveland approached the doors and gripped the hands, grunting as she began to pull and pry the metal apart. A loud groan and screech echoed as the metal was twisted, the metal bars carefully untangled bit by bit; until finally they were no longer bound, and Cleveland pulled the doors open.
Arizona wished she hadn't.
The medical bay was no more. Gone was whatever medical equipment and beds that sat there, and in its place was a horrifying hellscape of off-white nests. They lined the walls, they formed small cone-shaped structures populated by bulbous extensions and dotted with thousands of little holes. Sticky goop dripped from the ceiling and covered the floor in a congealing mess, but even then the ground was covered in rocky nests barely ankle-high, each nest mound nearly reaching the ceiling.
However the part that petrified Arizona the most, was what was contained within the nest. The Ship-Girls. From her position behind Cleveland she could see the lower half of a Ship-Girl sticking out from one of the mounds, her torso buried within the nest. Her skin was pale and her exposed stomach marred by ugly stretch marks, her legs completely limp. She could also see another girl buried inside from her stomach to her neck, leaving her head and crotch exposed. Saratoga.
''Oh god...'' Arizona clasped a hand over her mouth, horrified.
Denver made a retching sound, and Arizona couldn't stop her own reaction when the smell hit her – the scent of stale, dead air mixed with the already-unpleasant smell of insects. Still Cleveland pushed on in, her eyes wide as she slowly stepped inside the massive nest. Arizona reluctantly followed, noting with some measure of horror that there were others here too.
Z23 had her legs spread out to the sides, each leg buried in the nest up to her knees and with her arms also buried in the rocky nests, leaving her front bare for the monsters to violate. Cygnet was only barely buried inside a nest, but had a disgusting flesh-like thing over her mouth and nose, the slow inflation and deflation motions betraying the fact it was a monstrous breathing apparatus of some kind. Fubuki was on her front, her ass sticking out of a nest and her head hanging out the other end, expression lifeless – blood long-since dried around her lips.
''O-Oh god...'' Denver's gasp made Arizona look over – and flinch at the sight of the last person in the room.
Vestal.
The Repair Ship was laid on her back against a wall, her arms held back and off to the sides by a nest and her legs spread too. Her stomach was visibly bloated – pregnant, Arizona realised after a morbid moment. She was conscious too; barely, but the way her head lolled in their direction made it clear she had heard them.
''...who...?'' Vestal croaked in a rough, wispy voice.
Cleveland wasted no time in rushing over, liquid splashing as she ran through the goop. ''Vestal... i-it's me, Cleveland. The others and I are here to rescue you.''
''Rescue...?'' Vestal honestly didn't even seem to process that for a few moments, a testament to how fractured her mind was. ''Yes... yes, rescue...''
Cleveland tried to smile, but it died before it truly formed. ''What the heck happened here? A-And are you alright? Can you be moved?''
Another long few moments passed, but Vestal responded all the same. ''We... were attacked. Monsters, everywhere... some bugs came in, from the vent... we were overwhelmed... they mated with us... again, and again... I've lost count, of how many times I've given birth... they just don't stop... all I can hear, is the buzzing... ahh...''
Cleveland shuddered at the breathless, dazed tone her comrade used. ''Can we break the nests? And where are all the, erm, bugs...?''
''They're gone... but they'll be back...'' Vestal visibly twitched. ''It's almost time... I'll give birth... very soon... and they'll, be back to lay more eggs...''
''Then we gotta be fast. I'll get you out.'' Cleveland decided, glancing back at the others. ''You guys help free the others! We can't waste time!''
A chorus of uneasy agreements came, and with only moderate hesitation the others went to work. Denver approached Z23 and, with a disgusted expression, grabbed onto the rock-like nest and began to pull. Under her superhuman strength it broke like plaster, cracking into chunks with sinew-like goop connecting it to the other surrounding chunks, making the grey-haired girl gag. Montpelier went for Saratoga and Columbia went for Cygnet, leaving Arizona to look between Fubuki and the other girl buried in the nest.
After a moment she went with Fubuki, carefully approaching the girl. The nest she was buried in wasn't super thick, and with a delicate twist of her waist Arizona reared her rigging back – before using it like a ram, slamming it into the top-half of the nest. As she hoped the pointed tip collapsed off onto the side, revealing the hollow interior of the nest itself, allowing her to see Fubuki more clearly – peeling apart the bits of nest around her bit-by-bit, the crunch and crack of the plaster-like shell making her gag.
Until finally she got the girl loose, and picked her up.
''HYA!''
And then immediately dropped her with a cry of shock.
Fubuki was dead; she realised that intimately as she gazed down at the naked girl. Her entire stomach and chest was gone; a massive hole chewed through it, as if some monster had gone inside her and eaten her from the inside out. The mere thought brought tears to her eyes and she gagged, the urge to be sick rising, but she quelled that urge barely.
She had thought the monsters wanted to mate with them. If that was the case, what would make them eat their own mate from the inside out?
'Unless...' Arizona was hit by an odd thought. '...they found something they didn't like?'
A fact confirmed when Vestal spoke, her voice croaky yet still carrying in the stiff silence. ''She... was caught by a Demon, before she came here... the Demon, it absorbed the eggs the bugs laid, and mutated... it was too big to be birthed normally, so it ended up... eating its way through her until it... could get out... and flee...''
''Z23...'' Vestal added, her head lolling in the Destroyer's direction. ''...the bugs mated with her relentlessly for a full week, barely pausing, to let her give birth... until they were sure there was no trace of the Demon left in her...''
Arizona shuddered, and with a silent prayer to the deceased Fubuki she moved over to the other girl in the room – one who she couldn't identify, on account of her lower half being embedded in a nest. She repeated the process she did on Fubuki, but since the nest was hollow she could peer inside, and immediately see who it was. Shiratsuyu. And like Fubuki, she was dead – her eyes lifeless, her chest still, her skin a deathly pallor. If she was to guess, she'd assume it was probably suffocation that got her, that or some kind of shock.
Two dead. The thought tugged on her heart, but the reminder that four others were still alive reignited the hope in her chest.
Hope that was steadily growing when she turned around and discovered that the others had all rescued their own charges. Columbia was carrying Cygnet, Montpelier was holding Saratoga, and Denver was carefully holding Z23. All three girls were unconscious but mercifully still breathing – a miracle, considering the conditions they had to live in. Most humans would've undoubted died within days, if that. It was a testament to how durable Ship-Girls were that they could live in such deplorable conditions.
Cleveland however was left in a bind. She had freed Vestal, but the Repair Ship couldn't move under her own power. Due to her pregnant belly she couldn't be carried easily, and even if Arizona was to go help carry her that'd put them in a bad spot tactically. Yet, Arizona could see in Cleveland's eyes the blonde didn't want to leave Vestal behind, even if it was tactically sound. It would only be so long until the bugs returned. And if they did return, the chances of saving Vestal while they were around was next to zero.
Thus, despite how worried it made Arizona, she mustered up her confidence and spoke. ''I'll stay with Vestal. You four go take the others to the surface.''
Cleveland looked over at her. ''You sure?''
Arizona nodded. ''You girls are faster than me; I would only slow you down. At least this way you can save them and get back here fast, without having to slow down for me.''
Cleveland clearly hesitated, since that essentially meant Arizona would be on her own, but after a moment her desire to save as many people as possible shone through – and with a reluctant sigh she stood up. ''Got it. Vestal, hang on tight, we'll be back for you. Arizona, run if you need to. Everyone else, follow me!''
With a chorus of affirmatives Cleveland led her three sisters out of the medical bay, their quick footsteps disappearing down the tunnel until they faded entirely, leaving Arizona and Vestal alone. The silence weighed heavily on the nervous Battleship, and in an attempt to distract herself she picked up Fubuki's corpse and gently pulled her out into the hallway. She wasn't able to be buried underground, given their surroundings were made of concrete, but she laid her up against the wall and soon dragged Shiratsuyu over too, leaving the two girls to be taken home once the operation was over. If it'd ever be over.
Shuddering at the thought Arizona strode back inside the medical bay – and was surprised when Vestal spoke.
''You should... de-summon, your rigging... the bugs... they can sense it...''
Surprised, Arizona silently heeded the advice of her defiled comrade, approaching her. ''Do you think you can move? I might be able to pull you out into the hallway a bit.''
Dimly, Arizona swore she heard something mid-way through her sentence, but her own words muffled it.
Vestal shook her head, distracting Arizona from her thoughts. ''No... I'll probably give birth, any minute now... I can feel it...''
Slowly the Battleship began to nod – only to freeze up as she heard a distinct buzz above her. In a panic Arizona jerked her head up just in time to see a Wasp lunge at her from the ventilation shaft near the ceiling, wings buzzing and mandibles open.
''A-AH!'' Arizona cried out in shock, stumbling back – but in her panic she tripped over a discarded bit of nest, causing her to slip on the goopy floor and fall, landing on her back with a grunt.
Hastily she rolled over and got onto her hands and knees – but before she could stand up a pair of teeth dug into the back of her neck, and all feeling below her neck faded. She face-planted against the floor cheek-first, her ass staying stuck up in the air thanks to her knees digging into the floor. The Wasp wasted no time in mounting her, a threatening hiss escaping the insect as it arched its body; allowing the paralysed Battleship to feel its thick cock prodding her ass.
''V-Vestal...!'' Arizona managed to slur out. ''Get-!''
''...hehe...''
Arizona froze at the sound. With what little strength she had she tilted her head and peered behind herself, paralysing terror creeping up her spine as she found Vestal gazing at her with alert eyes – her pupils dilated and eyes bloodshot, the mask of fatigue gone. And in its place, revealed the raw insanity that the medic had previously kept carefully hidden, one induced by weeks upon weeks of hearing nothing but maddening buzzing and hissing.
''...rescue...? There is no rescue...'' Vestal whispered almost giddily, something like a laugh but far too breathless escaping her chest. ''No... there is only, the 'hive'~''
Arizona wanted to respond; only to squeak as she felt sharp legs dig into her ass, yanking her black panties to the side. She panicked, a choked sound of alarm escaping her – but faster than she could plead the oversized Wasp acted, its pinkish cock pushing against her pussy lips-
-before with a jerk, it slammed inside her womanhood.
''Myn-!'' Arizona slurred out a high-pitched cry, the sound muffled by her sluggish throat muscles.
The Wasp's cock was long and slightly curved, the smoothness of its shaft allowing it to push deep inside her on the first thrust. Her inner walls were spread apart by its cock and she spasmed against the floor, wheezing, but the overgrown insect wasted no time in rearing its cock back and plunging it back inside her folds once more – gleefully beginning to mate with her, jerking its cock inside her with each lustful thrust.
Arizona gasped, a harsh wince crossing her visage as the inhuman cock forced its way deeper inside her, unheeding of how tightly her inner walls tried to clench around its shaft. It wasn't long until the pointed tip poked her cervix, hitting her deepest parts with each thrust and bringing stinging tears to her eyes, barely able to even cry out as she was defiled. Humiliation stung at her heart but fear was more prominent, her very being terrified of becoming a baby factory like the other girls had been.
''Mn-!'' Arizona buckled as the Wasp dug its sharp legs into her sides, slamming its shaft into her a little rougher – the harshness not helped by the fact it was going in dry.
However Arizona was helpless to stop the insect; grunting and gasping as it pounded her from behind with each relentless buck of its body. Its girthy cock plunged in deep and rough, battering her cervix like a ram. Even though she was effectively paralysed below the neck she could still feel everything, her nerves alight as the curved cock buried itself inside her pussy, stretching her formerly-virgin insides and sending spikes of pain rushing up her pelvis.
Then the Wasp sped up, the tip battering her cervix with purpose. Arizona's eyes widened as she realised what it wanted and sluggishly shook her head, desperate pleads tumbling out of her mouth – begging for the beast to stop, and for Vestal to help her. However the medic just watched her with a look of twisted delight, laying against a nest with a twitching grin, one that looked wholly unnatural on Vestal's normally-gentle visage.
''Mn! N-Nn!'' Arizona winced harshly as the creature's cock pushed and pushed – until finally it forced its cock through her cervix, extracting a harsh cry from Arizona. ''A-AH!''
Her cry echoed slightly, but her voice was weakened by the paralysis, robbing her of someone potentially hearing her. The Wasp seemed to take glee in that, buzzing against the back of her head as it humped her faster, jamming its cock inside her vagina roughly – making Arizona weep from the roughness, pain flashing in her pelvis as the monster poked and prodded her womb with its cock.
Its shaft began to throb and pulsate, the subtle movement briefly going unnoticed – but when she heard the insect hissing in higher and higher pitches, she realised what was coming. The mere thought made Arizona struggle with frantic desperation, jerking her body as strongly as she could, but all her efforts did was made her hips sway slightly side-to-side. Whether because of the movement or simply because it was close to climax, the monster railed her pussy all the harder.
''M-Mm...!'' Arizona winced, feeling the harsh poking in her womb – until the insect suddenly buried itself in deep, and gushed thick warmth inside her. ''AH!''
The oversized Wasp didn't thrust anymore, instead simply rocking its body back-and-forth, humping her slightly and depositing its load inside her womanhood, its eggs going right into her womb. Arizona felt it; shivering and whimpering as the cum filled her up, some of its hot load slowly beginning to seep out of her defiled pussy.
A whimper escaped Arizona as the Wasp yanked its cock out, buzzing as it floated off her. Thinking it was done with her Arizona jerked her weight to the side and finally managed to roll onto her side, panting and whimpering from the pain between her legs – but to her horror she noticed several more insects had entered the room in the time she was distracted. Several Ants climbed across the walls, a Centipede was skittering across the floor at the far end of the room, a Bee was hovering near the place where Fubuki's body was; and even more were coming.
Due to her position and how limp her body was, Arizona's legs ended up lolling apart, her muscles too weak to consciously close them. An oversized Ant rapidly took advantage of that, skittering over the wall and across the floor towards her – before it mounted her, its insectoid face right in her face. From so close she could all the details of the beast, its overall shape nigh-identical to a regular Ant, albeit one up-sized to the size of a large dog. And one with a curved cock extending from its abdomen.
''E-Eep...!'' Arizona squeaked in fear. ''W-Wait, not-!''
Too late. The Ant's cock reared back, before with a jerk of its body the Ant slammed its cock into her abused pussy. The cum still inside her made the penetration slightly gentler, but not by much – the mere penetration eliciting a sharp cry from Arizona as another cock was buried inside her. However much like the monstrous Wasp the Ant didn't care for her feelings on the matter, a low hiss escaping the insect as it began to plunge its inhuman cock inside her.
Several quick thrusts was all it took to bury itself all the way inside her, the tip prodding her already-weakened cervix. A few more thrusts was all it took to penetrate it, eliciting a wince from Arizona as the Ant's curved cock pushed up into her womb, pounding her deepest parts with bestial abandon. The insect's shaft was just as big as the Wasp's if not slightly thicker, forcing Arizona to feel its shaft each time it roughly entered her.
''Mn!'' Weakly she lifted her arms, but they flopped back down before she could even consider grabbing the Ant – not that she had even half the strength needed to push the insect off her.
A fact the oversized Ant seemed intent on reminding her of; hissing into her face as it jammed its inhuman cock into her pussy over and over again, reshaping her womanhood to better fit its shaft. She gasped and twitched but the insect didn't stop, its intent to use her vagina as a breeding machine all too clear. The thought made Arizona cringe in fear, whimpers passing her pursed lips as the insect mated with her.
The Battleship shuddered as the Ant pressed itself against her body, its motions becoming more like humping as it plunged into her cum-filled pussy, pounding her womb with each thrust. Its mandible-clad head buried itself into her clothed chest and its middle section pushed against her stomach, all but holding onto her as it sped up. Paralysed as she was her legs could only twitch and buckle on either side of the insect, her clothed chest heaving into the thing's face.
''M-Mm...!'' She felt it throb inside her; the meaning not lost on her.
However there was nothing Arizona could do but screw her eyes shut and wait for it to be over, sniffling as the insect's thick cock plunged into her womanhood over and over again – until with a sharp hiss the beast came inside her, gushing its thick load inside her womb and causing its cum to leak back out around its cock, the creature's eggs filling her womb.
''Mn!'' Arizona buckled from the feeling, her breathing sharp and raspy – shuddering as the insect pulled out. ''Ow...''
From the corner of her eye Arizona could see another insect beginning to move, igniting fear in her heart as she knew what it wanted-
-only to be shocked when a shell boomed from the doorway. It flew true and blew up the airborne Wasp, and not a second later several more shells followed; utterly obliterating the other insects in the room. The Centipede managed to evade the initial burst of fire as did the Ant that had just mated with her, but when both insects charged for the door they were quickly dealt with too – leaving all the insects in the room dead.
And when a familiar face stepped inside the room, Arizona almost passed out in relief. ''C-Cleveland!''
''Arizona...'' The blonde had regret clear on her face, rushing up to her side – the silent apology clear in her eyes.
Despite what had just happened, Arizona didn't blame the blonde girl one bit. ''It's fine... let's just, snf, get out of here.''
The cruiser would've responded – had Vestal not. ''Get out? You can't.''
Cleveland and her three sisters eyed Vestal warily, perhaps realising something wasn't right with the former medic – but Vestal was unheeding of their cautious stares, continuing to speak in a mad, jittering tone.
''You'll stay, and you'll become a part of the 'hive'... haha...'' Vestal spread her arms out. ''Together... we-''
Faster than the weakened woman could perceive, let alone react, Montpelier closed the distance between them and whacked Vestal on the head – hard. The medic went down instantly and landed in Montpelier's waiting arms, unconscious. Her previously-insane expression melted into nothing, an almost-peaceful expression on her face now, her shallow breathing the only indication she was still alive.
Cleveland gazed at the medic with sorrowful eyes and some measure of disappointment, as if she had hoped that the medic was truly alright despite all that she had been through. After a moment she visibly steeled herself, and with a sigh she reached down and scooped up Arizona; awkwardly holding the tall woman in a bridal carry. It wasn't an easy balance, but they made do.
''You good to go?'' Cleveland asked softly.
Arizona nodded with what little motion she had available. ''Y-Yes, let's... go.''
Nodding firmly the four cruiser abandoned the medical bay before more monsters turned up, taking both the defiled Arizona and insane Vestal with them.
[END]
A/N: Poor Vestal; hard to stay sane after listening to incessant buzzing for weeks on end~
Next: Cleveland, Montpelier, Denver and Columbia.