Author's Note: Aaaaand we're back! From outer space! We just walked in to find you all here with that sad look upon your faces! If there were locks on the internet, we would have changed them. Do passwords count? Someone make us a remake of that song for the internet! Ahem. Anyway. We'll write stuff for you people now.

Disclaimer: We're too sleepy to write a decent disclaimer. Zzz.

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Chapter 14: Getting to Know You

Marie and Evie took turns drawing Xs and Os, playing Tic Tac Toe over and over again in the dim cavern they were hiding in. Martello and Ninja had been taking turns keeping watch, waiting to be found by the Elder and some of the other aliens.

With much patience, Martello had managed to explain to Evie and Marie that the person who Marie had tried to stab was, in fact, a very important person in their society, an Elder. And, evidently, this Elder was terribly fond of his cape. That Marie had stabbed.

Evie sulkily drew an X, blocking one of Marie's attempts to get three in a row diagonally. "I can't believe, of ALL the people you chose to stab yesterday, you pick the person IN CHARGE. Not ONLY that, but you ripped his cape and didn't actually do anything but piss him off! You're slipping."

Marie scowled darkly, drawing a circle quickly. "Oh, shut up. He was going to do something to me. I just reacted. And if he hadn't moved, it would have been fine. He'd just be limping a bit. They're sturdy guys, these aliens. I didn't want to stab the human girls because, well, they're human. And squishy. And delicate."

Evie snorted, sketching out an X. "And kinda scary."

With a triumphant grin, Marie drew a circle. "Ha! Tic Tac Toe, three in a row! I win! After 34 Cat's Games, a victor emerges! Who's slipping NOW, Evie?"

Evie pouted. "Get me a deck of cards and then we'll see who has the last laugh!"

Marie smiled sweetly. "Oops! No cards. Besides, you know the only the card game I can play is Go Fish. More Tic Tac Toe?"

Evie shook her head. "I can't believe you can never remember how to play War. It's the simplest game EVER."

Marie shrugged. "Cards are not my strong suit."

They heard a scuffling noise and looked up, expecting to see Martello or Ninja. Unfortunately, this was not the case. In front of them was one of the aliens that had captured them previously and brought them to the Elder. The quiet one who was a funny yellowy brown color, not the mean green one.

He quirked his head at them, then held out a hand, waving the two women over. Marie was in a defensive crouch, eyes darting about, searching out a possible escape. Then, the stranger alien held out his hands, giving the two girls a thumbs up and grumbling out a barely recognizable word. "Friend."

Marie blinked, then looked over at Evie. "Well? What do you think?"

Evie pondered this. "I think that if he knew the meaning of that word, he wouldn't have said it. But, this means he had contact with Martello and Ninja. So, they probably sent him to come get us."

Marie thought this over, then nodded. "I'm still keeping an eye on him, though."

The girls stood and dusted themselves off, then followed the stranger through the twists and turns of the tunnels.

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Back in the main cavern, Evie and Marie stuck close to each other as they were led through a much larger crowd of alien warriors than they had originally seen. Marie counted about fifteen of them before they were pushed towards the small chamber that belonged to the Elder.

Gulping a little bit, the women entered. There, they found Martello and Ninja. The girls smiled to see their friends, before being knocked back to reality when they spotted the Elder looming nearby. He stared at them, then nodded.

Marie went forward and sat next to Martello, looking up at him, confused. He gazed down at her, then patted her on the shoulder. Evie was settling down next to Ninja. When everyone was comfortable, the Elder began to talk.

It was a long process, but Martello translated what the Elder was saying to where Evie and Marie could pick up the general meaning.

The Elder accepted that he had been overly hasty and had invited the attack upon himself, and his cape. He was willing to forgive the insult, due to their ignorance. But, it would not due to have the two women stabbing other, less forgiving, warriors, unless the girls felt that they were to be injured or attacked. The Elder wished for them to stay in the caves for awhile, due to the fact that he wished to have Martello and Ninja assist him and his group in hunting down a Queen Xenomorph. The women would stay in the main cave, protected, and would be kept company by his women.

Marie and Evie were mildly annoyed with this arrangement. They wished to be out, fighting alongside Martello and Ninja. Even if the other warriors didn't think they were capable of doing so, both Evie and Marie were certain they could help take out a Queen. Martello talked them out of this, however, due to the fact that Marie and Evie were still not back to full strength after their winter ordeal.

Grudgingly, they conceded this point. In the end, it was agreed that, provided no one was stabbed without cause, the girls would stay in the cavern and train, to regain their strength and skill, and they would be tested to see if they were, indeed, worthy. In the mean time, Martello and Ninja would assist with tracking the Queen and killing it.

As the conversation shifted to the hunting of the Queen, Marie and Evie stood, pacing about awkwardly. They didn't want to leave without Martello and Ninja, but they weren't part of the conversation anymore. And, it was very obvious that the Elder had a chip in his shoulder about the cape fiasco.

Marie and Evie were preparing themselves to go out into the main cavern and face the other aliens, when the other girls appeared, out of nowhere.

Faith smiled at them. "Hey there!"

Marnie bustled past her and grabbed Marie's hand. "Come on, we have a cave all set up for you two! It's very nice. Perfect size!"

Marie and Evie were confounded once more. "What?"

Faith laughed. "Well, we can't have you sleeping out there with all of those boys, can we? So, we made up a cave, special for you and your guys!"

Marie and Evie shook their heads. Marie verbalized their feelings. "No! No guys! We're very not wanting of dudes in our, uh, quarters!"

The other three looked at each other, then back at Marie and Evie, and all of them burst out laughing. Marnie rubbed a tear from her eye. "Oh, you two! You're going to be so much fun!"

The trio bustled Marie and Evie off, taking them through the main cavern area, chattering the whole time. Evie and Marie felt the eyes of all the alien warriors on them, judging them.

Soon enough, in a dim corner, the other women nudged them through a shadowy doorway, hung with a cloth. Inside, there were two smaller alcoves, both stuffed with pillows and blankets. In the main area there was a large, round flat rock to serve as a table, and several rugs and pillows.

As Marie and Evie took it in, the three filed out. Faith waved and Marnie blew them a kiss, while the last girl winked at them.

Marie and Evie stood together, feeling awkward, for quite some time. Evie made the first move. "So. We still don't know the blonde's name."

Marie nodded. "Yup."

Evie moved from foot to foot. "Well. What room do you want?"

Marie shrugged. "Don't care. I'll go to that one, I guess."

Evie nodded. "So. This is awkward."

Marie sighed heavily. "No doubt."

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Marie grunted as Evie landed a solid punch to her gut. Recovering quickly, Marie crouched and whipped her leg about, knocking Evie off balance. Taking the opening as Evie recovered from her stumble, Marie grabbed for Evie and the two grappled, rolling about. Finally, Marie managed to pin Evie and twisted one of her friend's arms behind her back.

Evie pounded the rock floor. "You win! You win!"

Marie laughed, then stood, panting. Reaching out a hand, she pulled Evie to her feet easily, patting her partner on the shoulder. Marie smiled. "Damn, girl, you're getting better! Giving me a run for my money in close combat. I've still got plenty of muscle on you, though."

Evie sniffed, brushing bangs out of her eyes. "I'll get you next time, musclehead."

Marie went and picked up a small cloth, wiping her face. "Yeah, yeah. How many times have you threatened THAT one?"

Evie scowled, grabbing her own cloth. Exercising near hot springs really got them sweating. Both girls eyed the water, then the beings surrounding them.

Martello and Ninja had left long before the girls had woken. Not knowing what to do, Marie decided that she and Evie should work on getting back into shape. They had been going for a few hours now and they still didn't feel any less awkward.

The warriors in the cave were, to put it mildly, extremely intimidating. The Elder was doing his thing, being in charge, while there were five guards at the entrance, per usual. But, there were two other warriors who seemed, for lack of a better term, to just be chilling in the cave.

One was a few inches taller than Ninja, with a mottled brown coloring. He had come in early on while Marie and Evie were working out and had made a bee line for the springs. After that, he simply went off to the side of the cave, laid down, and dozed off.

The other alien was a huge monstrosity. He was just shy of Martello's height, but with far more girth to him. He had been staring intently at Marie and Evie the whole time, his massive musculature rippling under his olive green and tan skin. His coloring had earned him the nickname "Camo".

Marie sighed, leaning towards Evie. "Do you get the feeling that Camo has less than friendly feelings for us?"

Evie rolled her eyes. "I get the feeling that MOST of these dudes have less than friendly feelings for us. Haven't you seen how they act? I know we both hear them talking."

Marie shrugged her shoulders, coughing awkwardly. She HAD been hearing them. Only snippets, but she could easily fill in the blanks. They weren't liked. They were only tolerated because the Elder had said not to harm them. They were alone and without friends, save for Martello and Ninja.

Marie hung her head, rubbing her temples. "Goddamnit. First, we're hated by humans for hanging out with these guys. Then, we're hated by these guys for hanging out with them. And mostly for just BEING human. Why does life suck?"

Evie yawned. "I dunno. Cause life is a bitch?"

Marie contemplated this answer, then nodded. "I can work with that."

Sighing, the two moped for a moment. Straightening, Marie spied something interesting. The wall of the cavern was plenty tall, with lots of hand and foot holds. She decided to give Evie a chance to win at a competition.

Sidling closer to her friends, Marie nudged Evie. Evie looked up, confused. Marie smiled. "Hey, come on. Let's have a climbing contest! You know you're good at that and we need to build up our upper body strength. How bout it?"

Evie grinned. "You're on. Clean up after this?"

Marie nodded as she headed for the wall. "You're on!"

The two stood at the base of the wall, staring up. There was a large crack high up on the wall and Evie pointed to it. "The first one to the crack wins!"

Marie nodded and rubbed her hands together, readying herself. Taking a deep breath, both girls tensed and started a count down.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"START!"

The two women grasped onto the hard rock, hauling themselves up with impressive speed. At first, the two remained neck and neck, neither one gaining the lead. But, Marie began to tire, struggling to pull herself up on the small ledges. Evie darted ahead, laughing merrily.

Marie smiled, glad to give Evie something to feel good about. Marie was about fourteen feet, and Evie a few feet above her, just short of the crack. In an instant, Marie felt the world shift around her. Her hands slipped and she felt herself falling backwards, tiptoes clinging to the small ledge.

Time slowed. Arms wheeling, Marie toppled backwards, reaching out to grasp something, a startled shout escaping her lips. Evie looked down just in time to see the look of shock and terror on Marie's face, before Marie fell from the wall, plummeting towards the rock floor below.

Evie screamed, scrambling down the wall as fast as she could, even though she knew she'd never reach the bottom in time. Marie fell, shutting her eyes, preparing for impact. She hoped it would be quick.

But, the rock floor never came. With a thud and a sudden exhalation of air, Marie landed on something much softer than rock. But, not by much. Blinking, dazed, Marie looked about, wondering why she was only feeling mildly bruised, instead of dead.

Looking up, she found herself face to face with a mask, the same one that the sleeping alien wore. He looked at her, said something, and abruptly dropped Marie from his grasp. With a yelp, Marie only dropped a few feet, landing hard on her butt.

Groaning, she started to stand. "Damn you, rocks! You bruise my behind!"

Evie, also surprised at the rescue, ended up releasing her hold on the rocks and falling a few feet directly onto Marie, sending both of them to the floor once more. Marie groaned, pushing herself up yet again. "I don't DESERVE this! I really, truly don't!"

Evie rolled off of her friend, standing easily and offering a hand. "Thanks for breaking my fall! I'm glad you're okay. Man, he was FAST to get to you in time!"

Marie nodded, irritated. "Yeah, yeah. But he didn't have to drop me, damn it!"

Glaring, Marie scooped up a small pebble, tossing it up and down in her head. Grinning, she took aim, and let the small rock fly through the air, pinging into the back of her rescuers head. He stopped, then looked back over his shoulder.

Marie, unremorseful, stuck out her tongue for extra emphasis of her irritation. Growling, the warrior picked up his own small rock and flung it at Marie. Giggling, Marie darted out of the way of the projectile with ease, launching a counterstrike that pinged off of the warriors mask once more.

Thus, an epic battle began. Marie would chuck small rocks with amazing accuracy, while darting and dodging about the much clumsier throws of the alien warrior. Neither seemed deeply intent on harming the other. Then, Camo let out a loud snarl that startled both the rescuer and the rescuee.

Camo growled out something, turning to face both Marie and her rock flinging buddy. Then, the behemoth nodded sharply and settled back into staring out into the cavern. Marie was annoyed by the fun wrecker. And so, in another moment of brilliance, she chucked a pebble at Camo, and it hit dead on, pinging off his helmet.

Camo started and Marie laughed loudly. Until Camo roared and charged her. Yelping, Marie darted away, fleeing for her and Evie's cave, where Evie was waving at her to hurry. Running, Marie could feel the ground vibrating with Camo's footsteps.

Then, a familiar pinging noise rang out and the thundering steps stopped. Marie made it to the small side cave and looked out. The one she had been playing rock wars with was leaning against a wall, staring away from Camo. Camo had stopped in his tracks and was staring angrily at the small rock that he now held in his hand.

Snorting, Camo went back to his post in a huff, muttering under his breath. Blinking, Marie and Evie peered about, looking for who had intervened. Then, the one who had saved Marie turned his head to them and waved. Both girls smiled brightly and waved back, before ducking into their hidey hole.

A new ally had been found.

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Marie and Evie sighed, content. There was a hot spring just outside of the main cavern that had been cordoned off for use by the five women. Marie and Evie had made it a point to NEVER EVER bathe with the other three, if there was any way they could possibly avoid it. The one time they had, Marie and run shrieking from the spring, with Faith charging after her, shouting something about oil and wrestling.

Evie and Marie had finally learned the blonde's name was Alex and that she was, in reality, a woman of Hispanic origins. Hence, the roots appearing at the top of her blond hair job. With these small mysteries solved, Marie and Evie had turned to a much more important problem.

Evie stared intently at the three girls across from her and Marie. This was one of the times that the two women had been unable to connive their way out of the potentially awkward experience. She and Marie made sure to keep all their private bits below the milky water, arms crossed carefully to prevent any boob gropage by the Elder's women.

Faith, Alex, and Marnie had managed, for once, to slip into the springs at the same time as Evie and Marie. This had Marie ready to bolt and Evie a bit worried as to the potential molestation she would have to endure. But, this did prove to be an excellent time to answer a question that had been bothering her.

Clearing her throat, Evie called out to the three girls across the way. "So, how did you end up here, with the Elder, anyway?"

Faith sighed, leaning back. "Well, we three were all working at Target when all the shit went down. We stuck together, since we knew each other, and we managed to survive through sheer dumb luck."

Marnie took this time to butt in. "After awhile, we traveled around. You know the early caravans? We actually stayed at a town for awhile, one of the places that we were trying to rebuild society in?"

Faith cleared her throat. "Well, that place got trashed by Xenos. So, we three make it out and we're running and we run into this very cave system. We wandered around and got caught by some of these guys."

Marnie took over once again. "So, there we were. Scared. Alone. Unarmed. The dudes take us to their leader! They all talk and then we three are shoved in a side cave. They keep us there and feed us and we can't leave!"

Faith nodded. "After awhile, we totally get bigger. As you can tell. But, for some unknown reason, Hot Rod liked that better. One thing led to another and now we are WELL taken care of."

Evie quirked her head. "Hot Rod?"

Alex chimed in. "All we could catch when he tried telling us his name was Car, so we called him that for awhile. After a bit, we decided that was too simple for him, so he became Hot Rod. And, BELIEVE me. He DOES have a 'Hot Rod'."

Marie put her hands over her ears and began humming to herself, while Evie just cringed. The other three women laughed, shaking their heads.

Marnie seemed particularly amused. "Oh, come on! Why are you two so shy about it? It's just sex. You'd think you two were virgins the way you two carried on."

Marie glared, only her eyes and the top of her head poking from the water. Evie cleared her throat. "No, we're not… Virgins, that is. We just, well, don't like men right now."

Alex raised an eyebrow. Evie waved her away. "And we don't like girls like that. Sorry."

Alex flopped backwards, clearly deflated and disappointed. Faith quirked her head. "But, you two DO have sex with those two boys, right? The big red one and his little buddy? They sleep in your cave with you and everything."

Marie spluttered, emerging from the water, forgetting her modesty in the process. "We do NOT HAVE SEX with them! They see us as fellow warriors and friends and companions and how could sex with them even WORK?"

All three girls laughed. Marnie smiled brilliantly. "Of COURSE it works! They have all the same parts we do. Just, bigger. And MUCH better."

Alex sent her own bemused smile towards Evie and Marie. "Besides, you don't ACTUALLY expect us to believe that crock? They see you as 'friends'? You can't fool us, so don't even try."

Marie growled. "We're not. LYING."

Alex smirked. "Suuure. By the way, I LOVE the view you're giving me. I still can't believe those knockers are the real deal."

Evie was eyeing Marie warily throughout this conversation: she was getting angrier and angrier. Alex's statement was the final straw for Marie. With a shout, Marie dove for Alex, perfectly prepared to beat in the blonde's face.

Fortunately for the unsuspecting woman, Evie had been prepared and managed to wrap her arms around Marie's waist, holding the broader girl back. Alex gave a small shriek and scrambled away and all of the other three girls seemed distinctly terrified at the look of bloodlust gleaming in Marie's eyes.

Marie snarled viciously. "EVIE. Let me go. NOW."

Evie grunted, straining to keep Marie at bay. "No. We can't have you killing them. The Elder is already super pissed at you about the cape."

Marie grappled her friend's arms. "They called us LIARS. And I am SICK and TIRED of getting GROPED and HARRASSED by a posse of DITZES who wouldn't know a GUN from a shiny ROCK!"

At this point, life just got more awkward. Martello and Ninja, alarmed by the screams that emanated from where Marie and Evie had gone, charged onto the scene, ready to kill something. The Elder Zulfaqar, also worried about the screams he recognized as coming from his women, ran into the area as well.

All three warriors were confused by what they found. Marie had just escaped Evie's grasp and had Alex in a chokehold with one arm, while she reached out, grabbing Faith's hair, ready to pull her under the water. Evie was screaming, trying to pry Marie's arm loose from Alex, who was still able to breathe at least a small amount.

Marie looked up and found herself being watched by the three men. In an instant, she realized that she was still stark naked and mostly exposed above the water. With a gasp, she released both Faith and Alex and put an arm over her chest, glaring pointedly at Martello and Ninja.

Martello and Ninja nodded and immediately turned around, moving a bit further away, ensuring that they would see nothing of Marie, Evie, or the others.

The Elder, on the other hand, was perfectly happy keeping an eye on the situation. He had never seen what Marie and Evie really looked like under their clothes, and he approved of what he saw.

With a shriek, Marie flung a rock at him. "TURN AWAY, YOU OLD PERV!"

Evie had sunk under the water, face flaming. This was a worst case scenario that she had never thought would ever come true. And now, it had.

Faith, Marnie and Alex finally convinced the Elder to turn around, and that was when Marie and Evie got out, hurrying into their clothing. As soon as she and Evie were dressed, Marie walked to Martello and tapped him on the arm.

The red giant turned about and reached out, touching Marie's shoulder, chattering a few noises. Smiling wanly, Marie sighed. "Don't worry, Martello. We're fine. Just some issues between girls. Let's go back to the cave, all right?"

Faith stepped towards Evie, who was speaking comfortingly to Ninja. Clearing her throat, Faith caught Evie's attention. "So, uh, they turned around."

Evie nodded.

Faith blushed, though it was barely noticeable. "So, you guys were actually telling the truth? You two AREN'T sleeping with them?"

Evie nodded again and began walking away with Ninja, following Marie and Martello.

Faith sighed. "Well, sorry. But, it's kind of weird you aren't."

Evie glared over her shoulder. "We have our reasons. But we don't want to share them with you."

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Some time after Marie's confrontation with Alex, Evie and Marie had forgiven the three women for their lack of faith and for their incessant molestation. The women all began getting along relatively well.

However, one day, Faith came to both Evie and Marie, who were busy lifting rocks to try and gain back more muscle.

Faith waved to them. "Hey! You two! Could I talk to you for a moment? It's pretty important."

Marie and Evie looked at each other and set their rocks down, nodding. The three went into Marie and Evie's cave and sat around the makeshift table.

Marie sighed, wiping sweat away. "What's up, Faith?"

Faith shifted, clearly feeling awkward, which was strange. "Well, Hot Rod has been talking with Marnie, Alex and I, and we all felt like we should warn you."

Evie quirked her head. "Warn us of what?"

Faith cleared her throat. "Well, Hot Rod told us that he'd been hearing about some of the guys, well, taking an interest in you two. They all know better than to mess with Marnie, Alex and I, but you two are relatively fair game."

Marie frowned. "What do you mean?"

Faith sighed, fussing with her hair. "You see, some of the guys want to know why Hot Rod is so into human girls. It's not normal for them, you know. At ALL. He's different. But, he's an elder. So what he does is pretty much okay. They want to see what he likes about it."

Marie and Evie blinked, not quite grasping what Faith was trying to say. Faith groaned. "Basically, stick close to your guys, or some other dude is going to think you're open for business, as it were, and take one of you for a ride."

Evie stared in horror and began trembling. Marie wrapped an arm around Evie, pulling her terrified friend close. Marie stared at Faith, who seemed confused by Evie's actions. Marie snapped her fingers to get Faith's attention again. "Hey! Would they be willing to do it by force?"

Faith snorted. "Well, DUH. Do they LOOK like the most conscientious and gentle of people?"

Evie choked back a whimper, and Marie rocked her gently. "Shh, Evie. It's gonna be okay. I'm not going to let it happen again. I promise. You're gonna be fine."

Marie sighed and turned back to Faith. "Would you leave us? I need to take care of this."

Faith nodded and stood. "Just remember. Stick near Big Red and Darkie there. Hopefully no one will challenge them for you. If that happens, and another one wins, you're screwed. Literally AND figuratively."

Faith left and Marie continued comforting Evie. Finally, Evie returned to her normal self. Gulping large breaths of air, Evie smiled at Marie. "Thanks."

Marie nodded. "No problem. Now, we gotta think of what to do."

Evie frowned. "Do?"

Marie stood, pacing. "Yes. We gotta convince the other guys to let us be. That we aren't free game."

Evie nodded. "But, I don't want to do anything really overt… And I'm NOT sleeping with Ninja OR Martello. Or the Elder for that matter."

Marie nodded. "Well, what can we do then?"

The two thought deeply, Marie still pacing. Then, Evie sucked in a breath. "I think I know."

Marie stopped her movement. "What is it?"

Evie gave a small smile. "Just gotta do the little things."

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Dho'mago'te and Tvrtko paced along in the dark tunnels, keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of the Queen they were hunting. As they came to an intersection, Dho'mago'te tapped into his wrist computer, trying to decide where to go next.

Tvrtko, suddenly, spoke. "They are acting strangely."

Dho'mago'te knew who 'They' were. "Yes. They are."

Tvrtko turned and looked at his partner. "What could have brought this on?"

Dho'mago'te looked up from his computer thoughtfully. Dai'za'te and Faru'qi had been sticking surprisingly close to them recently. The women would follow them and talk with them far more often than they had before. But, the strangest was the physical contact.

Dho'mago'te had been trying to ignore it, but he had been greatly pleased that Dai'za'te had willingly come to him recently. She would embrace him warmly and had taken to snuggling up against him at night to sleep. The most amazing change had taken place in public. Occasionally, Dai'za'te would actually place herself in his lap and talk to him, or another, nearby.

Tvrtko had been having similar occurrences with Faru'qi. She wasn't as physical as Marie, but even she was doing far more than she used to. She would sit near him always and stayed next to him at night. She had even reached out and grasped his hand, to slow him if he was walking to fast. While Dho'mago'te gladly embraced the change, Tvrtko found himself in a losing battle against the attention.

The two warriors stayed lost in their own thoughts as they finished their rounds and headed back towards the main hall. They had to make their report to the Elder.