Sunday, January 8th, 2017
Blairhoyle
"I'm going to miss you."
"Come on, 'lectra, please stop crying – we're only heading home," Stephanie grimaced.
"You're both really important to me," Electra protested.
"Okay, I will miss you as well," Stephanie admitted. "Go hug Abigail; she enjoys this sappy shit."
"You enjoy it too, Stephanie Lizewski," Abigail pointed out and Stephanie grinned as Electra ceased hugging her.
"You look after, Steph, right?" Electra told Abigail as they hugged.
"I'll try," Abigail replied. "But she's a stubborn bitch."
"Tell me about it!" Electra laughed.
"You stay safe, 'lectra," Stephanie ordered. "Look after Mary."
"I don't need looking after!" Mary growled.
"Yes, you do . . . Your Royal Highness," Electra said with a broad grin.
Mary scowled at the use of her title being by her best friend.
"Look after 'lectra, Your Royal Highness," Stephanie called out as she walked to the car.
Mary laughed, ignoring the dig. Stephanie was a character, and Mary enjoyed her company, as well as that of the very different Abigail. Mary wrapped an arm around Electra's shoulders. Electra cared immensely about both girls and Mary knew that Electra would miss them, however, the distraction of school should refocus the girl's mind.
Electra hated to see them go – the three of them had a special bond; not one full of good memories, but still a bond.
Two days later
Tuesday, January 10th
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
Glasgow
The apprehension in the air could be felt by the entire family.
Blake could read the apprehension in the faces of Alexandra, Cassie, Andrew, Naomi, Kaitlin, Jake, and Charlotte. They were the advance party, the very first to see Naomi in over a week. Behind them, Keira followed with Harper and Diana. Keira was there to be with Cassie as Keira had first-hand knowledge of having a loved one at death's door. Harper was not happy to be back inside a hospital's walls, and neither was Diana. Both girls had spent far too long cooped up inside such a place.
Blake smiled as they stopped before him.
"Naomi regained consciousness about an hour ago as we reduced her sedative. She is very weak, but she appears to be all there, mentally at least – her first words were: 'What the fuck happened to me?', I believe."
There was muted laughter which lasted barely a second.
"Cassie, Andrew, would you both come first, please," Blake said as he guided the pair through a set of double doors and down a long corridor.
..._...
Naturally, it had quickly become public knowledge that a Vengeance vigilante had been wounded, possibly even killed.
However, a press release, announced by Police Scotland had advised that the vigilante was alive and undergoing emergency surgery. To protect Naomi's identity, along with those of her friends and family, a ruse had been put in place; actually, it was a double bluff. Word had been leaked (on purpose) that the wounded vigilante was recovering in a certain secure ward, in a distant wing of the hospital, and it was that ward which was receiving the full attention of the media. In contrast, over on the opposite side of the hospital, young Naomi Perrin was just another little girl receiving treatment on the children's ward.
Naomi was no longer in intensive care, but she had a private room, all to herself. The youngster was still connected to various wires, drips, tubes, and catheters, but she was alive and breathing by herself which was all that mattered. Cassie froze as she entered the room and her right hand went to her mouth as she took in the scene. Naomi looked a state. Her eyes were sunken and red, and the vivid bruising from her wound and surgery could be seen beyond the dressing on her bare chest. However, Andrew pushed Cassie forward, towards their daughter. Naomi caught sight of the movement and she turned her head towards the sound. She smiled weakly as she recognised Cassie and Andrew.
"Hi, sweetie," Cassie said, forcing back the tears which welled up in her eyes.
"Hi, Mummy."
Naomi reached for Cassie's hand, but Naomi's wrists were secured to the sides of the bed to prevent any of the drips coming loose. Cassie took the hand and she could feel a gentle pressure as Naomi squeezed with all her strength. Naomi's emotions overflowed, as did the tears. Cassie dabbed at the tears with a tissue as she gently ran a hand over her daughter's hair. She looked up at Blake.
"Let the kids in – let Naomi see them," Cassie said.
..._...
Naomi was feeling rotten, but surprisingly happy, both at the same time.
She figured it might have had something to do with the numerous tubes entering her body which presumably fed drugs directly into her bloodstream. Her mind was still trying to figure out what was going on. She had only been awake for about an hour and she had been very confused and a little frightened. Eventually, the sight of Blake had calmed her down. She had already figured out that she was in hospital, but she had no idea how she had got there – her mind was completely blank with no recollection of previous events. Seeing Cassie and Andrew, but especially Cassie, had caused an explosion of emotions and she had been overcome with happiness. Then, as her haze-clogged mind began to clear, she saw her family gather around her bed. Kaitlin was sobbing quietly, and Naomi could see the tears. The little girl was being supported by Jake who looked horrified. Alongside the boy, Charlotte had tears of her own running down her cheeks and she was holding Alexandra's hand tightly. Naomi decided that she must look pretty bad.
The nine-year-old grinned weakly at everybody before she began to feel very tired and she fell into a deep sleep, happy that she was not alone.
..._...
"Is she going to be okay?" Kaitlin asked Blake.
Blake sat Kaitlin down on a chair and he knelt before her, holding her right hand.
"Naomi is in a bad way, but she is getting the very best care. She has a rocky road ahead of her, but she will survive."
"I believe you," Kaitlin replied. "Thanks."
Keira, Diana, and Harper entered the room and Keira winced at the sight. Harper went very pale and she walked straight up to Naomi and took hold of her left hand. Harper could remember how important touch was when you were too tired to communicate in any other way. Diana stood beside Harper, her expression one of intense concern; she could well remember her own long stay in hospital, only, she had not had any family to rally around her. Keira gave Cassie a hug and whispered into her friend's ear. Cassie smiled weakly at the words of support, willingly accepting the hug from her friend.
Cassie's mind was in turmoil. The sight of her little girl had been like a kick in the stomach. The feelings of guilt had just increased, and she had struggled to even look at Naomi as she lay in the bed, covered in wires and tubes. Cassie had always thought being a mother would be full of joy, even being a mother to first two, and then three, troubled youngsters. There had been trials, but there had also been extreme happiness as the girls had returned Cassie's love for them. Maybe she had been naive to ignore the possibility of something horrific happening to her family, but she was realistic enough to know that fate could be cruel.
The past week had been horrible – she had never gone so long without talking to all of her children.
Blairhoyle
Electra was lonely.
On the Sunday afternoon, she had been forced to say goodbye to her friends as they headed back across the Atlantic Ocean. It had been emotional for the youngster, more than she had expected it to be. Stephanie and Abigail were both a key part of her life – a bad part, it was true. They had all endured some of the very worst that their oppressors had been able to throw at them without succeeding in their plan. They had expected the young Abigail Wilde to win, killing Electra and the troublesome Stephanie Walker along the way. They had wanted to make Stephanie suffer, but instead, she and Stephanie had turned the tables on Abigail and won. They had survived. There were times that she hated Abigail for the scars which she would carry for the rest of her life. They were a constant reminder of that horrible part of her short life. However, she had almost forgiven Abigail, just as Stephanie had. To be honest, Electra was a little horrified by how well the two girls got on – any better and they would be getting married and fucking!
Maybe, they already were. . .
The next morning
Wednesday, January 11th
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
Glasgow
Naomi was awake when Cassie entered her room.
The little girl grinned happily. Her memories were starting to come back to her, but she still had no idea how she had ended up in a hospital bed. The young girl was also struggling to process Cassie's facial expressions. Was that horror? Naomi could remember visiting Harper, soon after she had been rescued. Harper had looked like a corpse hooked up to life support. Naomi reasoned that she had to look just as bad – or maybe worse. She actually had no idea what her injuries were, and it had not occurred to her to ask.
"Mum."
"How are feeling, sweetie?
"Like crap!"
Cassie grinned. It was a typical Predator response. However, the grin faded as she saw that Naomi had questions. Blake had warned her that Naomi would want to know what had happened – in detail.
"You have questions for me?" Cassie said as she sat down on a chair and held her daughter's right hand.
"What's wrong with me?"
Cassie hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"To put it simply, you have a hole in your abdomen – back to front."
Naomi processed that information for a moment before she responded in the only way a Predator could.
"Cool!"
"No!" Cassie exclaimed. "It is not cool, young lady!"
"You got a photo of the hole?" Naomi wanted to know.
"No, I have not!" Cassie retorted incredulously.
"Oh – it would be really cool."
"No, it would not."
"What was it? An arrow? A bullet?"
"Try a Pilum on for size."
"A Roman javelin?"
"That's what they said."
"Now that is fucking awesome!" Naomi grinned.
Cassie was astounded. She was glad that Naomi was feeling well enough to grin, but fuck!
"Am I out of danger, yet?" Naomi asked, suddenly turning serious.
"We don't know, sweetie, it's still early days."
"So long as my scars are better than Harper's, Electra's, and Steph's."
"It is not a competition, Naomi!"
Naomi rolled her eyes.
"Of course, it's a competition," Naomi countered as she rolled her eyes. "Might as well get something good out of all this."
"Fucking Predators!" Cassie exclaimed.
..._...
Suddenly, Naomi braced up, and she looked like she was struggling to breathe.
Cassie moved to help the girl, but she had moved just a few inches when Naomi projectile vomited a crimson stream of blood which splattered across the white sheets of the bed and down the young girl's front. Cassie screamed at the sight of so much blood – it looked like gallons of the stuff were being spewed up. A senior nurse flew in the door and she took one look at the situation.
"Call Doctor Schneider!"
The nurse began swiftly disconnecting wires from wall connections and transferring them to a portable unit. The IV bags were pulled off their stands and dumped unceremoniously onto the bed between Naomi's legs. The pillows were pulled out of the way and thrown to the floor.
"Ready to move!" the nurse called out.
"Let's go," Blake said as he took one look at the scene from the door. "We have haematemesis, let's get this girl to theatre."
The bed and girl, both drenched in blood, were rushed past a horrified Cassie without any explanation.
..._...
"She projectile vomited blood?" Kaitlin demanded with a massive grin.
"Yes," an ashen-faced Cassie explained to her family and friends who had been waiting a few yards down the corridor when all hell had broken loose.
"How far are we talking – in feet?" Harper wanted to know.
"Are we talking gallons, here?" Charlotte queried.
"Do they have cameras in the wards?" Jake asked.
"You lot are fucking sick!" Cassie exploded before she stormed off followed by Andrew who glared at them all as he left.
"Too much?" Harper asked.
"Way too much!" Charlotte decided.
"I couldn't help it," Kaitlin moaned. "It just sounded so cool."
..._...
Andrew steered Cassie into a seat just as Keira and Diana arrived after parking the car.
Instantly, Keira went on guard as she realised that something was badly wrong. She knelt down before Cassie.
"What's happened?" she asked calmly.
"Naomi was okay one minute," Cassie replied. "Then she vomited blood – a lot of blood – and they took her away. Then . . . is it just me, or is there something severely wrong with them . . . I know that they are fucked up, but damn!"
"What did they do?" Keira demanded, knowing exactly who, or rather what, Cassie was referring to.
Andrew grimaced.
"They all seemed too interested in the blood, rather than Naomi," he explained.
"Doesn't really surprise me," Diana admitted frankly.
Keira nodded.
"Doesn't really surprise me, either," Keira added. "However, their young minds work in a very different way to normal people. They also handle grief very differently, too."
"I know," Cassie admitted.
..._...
Harper saw her sister and Diana approaching and she caught the angry look on both their faces.
"Fire in the hole, guys," Harper said as she stared down at the floor avoiding her sister's glare.
"Look," Keira began. "I know that you are all trained to be little shits. I know that you are all trained to bury your emotions. I know that you are all fucked up in the head."
Harper cringed at that last one.
"But what you said was unforgivable! I know you all care about Naomi, and that you're dealing with this in your own way, but damn, that was cold. Harper, I ought to slap you stupid, only, I think you'd fucking enjoy it."
Harper felt really bad. Keira had hit home worse than if she'd taken the strap to her bare arse.
"We didn't think," Harper admitted. "We were stupid, and we know better. We let ourselves get caught up in the situation."
"We're very sorry," Charlotte said, knowing that she had fucked up really badly.
Keira saw the tears in her sister's eyes. The tears were also in Kaitlin's eyes.
"Let's just put it to one side, right? You had better go apologise to Cassie and Andrew."
"No need."
Keira turned to see Cassie and Andrew standing behind her.
"I'm sorry I shouted at you guys, but you made me mad," Cassie said. "Please stop to think about what you are going to say as I'm certain your first words will always be wrong."
Harper and Charlotte grimaced. Jake and Kaitlin stepped forward and they each gave Cassie a big hug.
"No harm done," Andrew said. "Let's go sit down and wait to see what Blake has to say about Naomi."
A rather subdued group sat down, their minds fully focussed on their wounded colleague.
It was over two hours before Blake returned.
The man looked exhausted and he was not smiling. That filled everyone with foreboding. Nobody made jokes and nobody spoke, not even to ask Blake how Naomi was. No one wanted to be the person to ask and then hear that which they did not want to hear. Keira was the only one to move. She stood up and intercepted Blake a short way away from those waiting for news. Blake and Keira exchanged a few words before they both approached the waiting group.
"First time I've ever seen you guys sit so quietly," Blake offered in a poor attempt at a joke. "Naomi is out of surgery and back in intensive care – just for observation overnight. There's not much more that she can take . . . her body's been through a lot and it has not had much opportunity to recover from the last surgeries. It's going to be touch and go if she survives the night."
Harper jumped to her feet and she glared up at Blake.
"Don't let her die, promise me that," Harper said.
"I can't promise you anything, right now," Blake tried.
It was the truth. Naomi's situation was that bad. Blake was a professional and he had seen many bad cases, Harper and Diana among them, but Naomi's wound while a simple impaling, had caused a lot of internal damage which threatened to kill the girl at worst . . . or paralyse the girl at best. Right at that moment, Blake could see no good outcome for the nine-year-old girl.
"Everybody is doing everything that they can for Naomi, okay?"
"You need to do more," Harper persisted, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I want her back."
It was a very rare show of emotion for Harper who usually kept everything bottled up and who saw emotions as a weakness. But Blake could see the worry and concern in Harper's eyes. He was very aware that Naomi and Harper had a history together which had been very bad. Since their return from France, the youngsters had grown very close to the point where they were inseparable. Indeed, Naomi had not been herself after Harper had been taken until the day Harper had been recovered.
"Naomi is getting the very best attention, and you know what, she will continue to get the very best attention until she is out of the hospital," Blake said to the nine-year-old. "We will all then keep giving her the very best attention until she is back to her normal self and kicking your arse."
"Nobody kicks my arse!" Harper scowled.
"Well, I will if you don't sort yourself out, young lady," Blake said sternly, putting an end to Harper's immediate issues. "Go sit with your friends."
Surprisingly, at least to Keira, Harper did exactly as she was told, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket. Diana made room for Harper who leaned into the eleven-year-old as she sat down.
"You guys stick together as Naomi will need you all when she gets out of this place," Blake said. "Stay strong, Cassie, Andrew . . . she has a long road ahead of her and I will stay with her every step of the way."
"Thank you," Cassie replied in almost a whisper.
That weekend
Saturday, January 14th
Training Facility Wolf
There were many more in the facility that morning.
It was the very first opportunity for many to put on their brand-new uniforms and take their place amongst the chosen few who made up one of the United Kingdom's security entities. That entity was the secret vigilante organisation known as Vengeance. As Crimson and Drift studied the scene before them, they grinned. They now numbered twenty-six – almost double that of just a few months previously.
"Not bad," Nemesis commented. "We have plenty of fighters now."
"Yes, we do," Drift replied.
"Let's get the little fuckers organised," Crimson decided.
The three commanders headed towards the throng of youth and proceeded to sort out the youngsters.
..._...
It took almost twenty minutes to arrange everybody correctly.
To the left was Lion Squadron, headed by Operator Stripe. Behind him stood Junior Operators Polaris and Rigour. Opposite them, about a dozen yards away was Vindicator Squadron, headed by Junior Operator Arbiter. Behind her, two miscreants stood grinning; they were Junior Operators Resolute and Intrepid. Facing inwards between the two operations squadrons, the two training squadrons were arranged. First was Vigilant Squadron, which would normally be headed by Senior Trainee Operator Prowl, however, due to her absence, Vigilant Squadron was headed by Trainee Operator Ajax. Behind her were Trainee Operators Belle and Forager. The other training squadron was Valiant Squadron, headed by Senior Trainee Operator Glide. Behind her were Trainee Operators Harrier, Overrun and Aegea.
Behind Vindicator Squadron stood the technical support section which consisted of Operator Q, Junior Operators Insidious and Viridian, and Trainee Operator Pyrrha. Beside them stood the MI5 Liaison, Sleuth, and their medical support, Doc. Behind Vigilante Squadron stood the aircrew: Senior Operators Scorpion and Raptor, Chief, and Junior Operator Goshawk.
The assembled forces of Vengeance were finished off by the two canines: Commando and Crusader.
..._...
Crimson began to speak as soon as silence reigned.
"We have many new faces, this morning," Crimson announced. "You all look very smart in your new uniforms, too. Vengeance is the largest that is has ever been. Everyone here has seen some form of combat or fighting. Everyone here has fought for their lives at one time or other. You all have rank while you are wearing your uniform. I expect the new members to respect those ranks. Some of you are starting as senior members; show us that you deserve that. For the first time, Vengeance has a defined structure. We have two operations squadrons and two training squadrons. For the moment, both operations squadrons will operate together and take elements from the two training squadrons. Promotion is simple; work hard and follow instructions. We all look after one another. We are a family. You need somebody to talk to or you need help with something, you can speak to anybody. Everybody here has a past. Everybody has bad shit in the back of their minds and from time to time, we need to talk. Don't suffer in silence."
"We are serious about talking," Nemesis said as she took over. "More than one of you has got themselves buried in their problems and then gone off on their own with bad results."
"Yeah," Polaris called out. "You go out and trash a police car."
There was general laughter.
"You make one tiny mistake, and nobody ever forgets it!" Glide complained to more laughter.
"Vengeance has been through a lot and several of you had to learn very quickly. As such, security has been tightened up and we do not tolerate lapses in security. Ajax has given her permission for me to use her as an example. She broke the rules and Polaris was taken. Everyone else was put in mortal danger as a result. When Stripe discovered Ajax had broken the rules, he went to town on Ajax. She was stripped and hooded. Ajax suffered quite badly due to her lapse in security. She hadn't quite understood why the security was there. It wasn't her fault – she had been thrown in at the deep end with no idea of what she was getting into. You Predators will know all about getting out of your depth and your skills are a welcome addition to Vengeance. Some of you came to us via one of Hit Girl's dubious rehabilitation schemes and you have all made a new start here. We hope you enjoy your new lives."
Crimson and Drift then stepped forwards and they began to hand out ID cards and rank badges to the new members. Resolute and Intrepid (Jake and Charlotte) grinned happily as they received their new rank and IDs. Arbiter (Dakota) was just as pleased although she preferred to act in a more mature fashion as opposed to the excited youngsters standing behind her. For Goshawk (Kate), the investment of rank included the girl receiving her wings which made her happier than she had been in a long time. It was also the first time in uniform for Aegea (Diana), and Polaris had asked to be the one to give the overexcited eleven-year-old her new rank and ID.
"You'd better live up to this," Polaris grinned.
"Thanks," Aegea said as she looked down at Polaris.
"Are you crying?" Polaris asked as she looked back up at Aegea.
"Maybe a little," Aegea admitted.
"Christ!" Polaris muttered as she made for Pyrrha who stood next to Insidious who was receiving his own rank and ID.
"This is so cool!" Insidious (Ewan) commented.
"That's what I thought when I got mine," Viridian said.
Beside the boy, Pyrrha (Scarlett) appeared less sure as Polaris approached. The girl was nervous as hell, not least because of who she was and what she had done.
"Don't look like that," Polaris said. "You need this, Pyrrha, and I am happy to give you this. I know we both need to talk about a lot of things, but now we can do that as equals, right?"
"I suppose so," Pyrrha commented.
..._...
An hour later, the uniforms had been discarded – neatly by some – and most wore white T-shirts and navy-blue shorts, both with the Vengeance logo visible.
The training area was occupied by several groups sparring together. Intrepid and Resolute were with Belle and both were enjoying kicking a Princess. Although, Belle was simply biding her time.
"Belle, stop playing with them," Rigour yelled as she put Ajax down hard. "Ajax, have you learned nothing?"
Belle grinned as she began to fight back properly and first Resolute went down, crashing to the mat hard enough to empty the air from his lungs, while Intrepid caught on a little too slowly and she found herself thrown across the mat to collide with Glide, knocking the younger girl over.
"Strike!" Belle grinned.
"Okay, we fell for that," Intrepid commented. "Not again, though."
Aegea was spending time with Polaris and Viridian. The double amputee needed to learn a style of fighting which did not rely on her legs. Viridian had already learnt some of those skills and he would pass those skills onto the younger girl with Polaris' help. Polaris had roped in Pyrrha to help, although Pyrrha was soon beginning to think that Polaris had another agenda. Polaris was still having issues with her left hand and she was very careful about using it, however, her right arm and her legs were fighting fit, as Pyrrha soon found out.
"You need to jab," Polaris said to Aegea. "Like this..."
Polaris struck Pyrrha hard in the chest with her right fist.
"And this..."
Again, the fist struck and Pyrrha grimaced with the pain.
"You will find using your legs not so easy, but I understand that it can be done – try this on for size..."
Polaris executed a perfect front kick and Pyrrha flew backwards with a scream, crashing down onto the mat, rubbing the area between her breasts.
"Here," Polaris said, offering her hand to the older girl.
"Thanks," Pyrrha grinned, seizing Polaris' right hand and yanking hard, swivelling around and taking out both legs, sending Polaris crashing to the mat.
In response, Polaris managed to kick out Pyrrha's legs and the older girl crashed down beside Polaris.
"I suppose I'm going to be your punchbag, right?" Pyrrha asked.
"Don't see why," Polaris replied. "You can look after yourself . . . but a few sly jabs will make me feel a lot happier."
"Thank you for this," Pyrrha said quietly.
"Thank you for my life," Polaris replied.
Over lunch, Charlotte and Jake blasted Mary with questions.
The pair of them thought it great to have a real live Princess to harass. Mary had no problem with it; she loved the chance to be normal. However, when Mary and Charlotte began teasing Jake about his height, Jake decided that it was time to move on and he left the two giggling girls and went off to find solace with Craig and Jordan.
Craig and Jordan were busy winding up Kate who sat with Dakota. The two girls had spent their sparring time together as they were a good match, skill-wise. The two girls were doing their best to ignore the boys but eventually, they had both had enough and with Jake appearing, a broad grin on his face, they decided to put a stop to things. Kate swiftly reached over, and she grasped the two boys between the legs, squeezing slightly.
"You two ready to quit?" Kate asked pointedly as she squeezed slightly.
"Yes," Craig squeaked.
Jordan simply nodded, a look of pain spreading across his face.
"You are cold," Jake commented as he used his hands to cover his groin.
"I seriously hope your dicks grow, because right now, those peckers are pretty pathetic."
"Oh, I don't know," Olivia commented as Kate released both groins. "He has enough to satisfy me."
"Maybe it grows some," Kate said.
"Oh, it grows some," Olivia confirmed and both girls giggled.
Jordan and Craig studiously ignored the two girls as they finished their lunch – Jake decided he should find somewhere else to cause trouble.
..._...
Scarlett was seated with Ewan, Electra, Harper, Kaitlin, and Diana.
The group was chatting quietly when Jake squeezed in between Harper and Electra. Both girls scowled at the older boy who simply ignored them both as he grinned.
"What do you want?" Harper enquired.
"Just wanted to see my friends," Jake said.
"Not buying it, Jake," Kaitlin commented.
"How?"
"I am the trouble causer, and I know what you are up to," Kaitlin replied.
"Me?" Jake squeaked coming over all innocent.
"Give me a break!" Jessica exclaimed as she walked over with Christopher and Jeremy.
"You are not innocent, so don't pretend that you are," Jeremy said.
"What? How?" Jake blustered. "Now I know how you feel?" Jake complained as he looked at Kaitlin.
"Tell me about it!"
"For the love of. . ." Harper groused. "Little kids!"
"Er, Harper," Diana reminded the younger girl. "You are only nine."
Scarlett laughed, eliciting a scowl from Harper.
"She has a point," Electra chuckled.
"She usually does," Ewan threw in.
Diana frowned at the rebuke. She was still getting used to the way Predators talked. They talked tough, but she ignored that as simple bravado. Their conversation was often crude and usually offensive to whomsoever they were talking to . . . not intentionally, Diana figured, but it was just the way they were, she supposed. Before meeting Harper, Diana would almost faint on hearing a 'naughty word' but considering that Harper used a 'naughty word' about once every ten words . . . and sometimes twice every three..., Diana had no desire to faint every ten seconds, therefore, she had forced herself to grow used to the sewer that began at Harper's lips. Not to mention the one that began at Kaitlin's lips, Naomi's lips, Electra's lips etcetera, etcetera.
"I don't envy them," Mary said to Diana. "It's not their fault they behave as they do."
"No, definitely not," Diana replied.
The two girls watched as Electra, Jessica, Harper, Jake, and Kaitlin continued to bicker between themselves, just being kids.
..._...
That afternoon, they descended to sub-level four, and the range.
"Okay, little people," Drift commented. "This is the range – I see one person fucking around, Glide, you are out!"
"Why pick on me?" Glide complained.
"Draw your weapon, and show us that you're not all mouth," Drift suggested.
Glide pulled her Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Compact .22-calibre pistol from the holster on her right hip and she stepped up to the first firing point, ejecting the magazine and placing it to one side and then placing her pistol down before her. Crimson stepped forward and she placed three magazines beside Glide's pistol.
"You have two magazines with five rounds each and one with ten rounds," Drift explained. "First will be standard target shooting. Load the first five-round magazine and stand ready, ear defenders on."
Glide stepped forward, adjusted her ear defenders and she loaded one of the five round magazines into her pistol and she pointed the weapon down range. Glide never made mistakes when it came to handling a weapon. She may not have had many weeks training, but it had been enough, and the girl had brushed up on her shooting ever since.
"In your own time," Drift directed.
Glide pulled back the slide on her weapon, chambering her first round. Then, with consummate skill, the youngster took aim at the target, regulating her breathing and then squeezing off her first shot, then the remaining four. Straight away, Glide cleared her pistol and ejected the empty magazine, placing it and the gun down on the firing point. Drift pressed a button beside the firing point and Glide's target motored towards Drift.
"Oh, yeah!" Glide grinned.
"We have four in the chest and one in the head," Drift said approvingly. "A perfect fifty!"
"Beat that, Sharpy!" Glide quipped.
"Little shit!" Polaris grumbled.
"Next target," Drift chuckled as he clipped another target up and then pressed a second button beside the first to send the paper target down the range. "Second five-round magazine, Glide. Shoot when ready."
The second target was harder than the first. It was a classic hostage situation with the bad guy using the hostage as a shield, a gun to the hostage's head. The aim was to shoot the bad guy but not to injure the hostage. Glide brought up her weapon, pulling back and releasing the slide as she did so. Five rapid shots later, Drift brought back the target and examined the five ragged holes in the reinforced paper.
"Not too bad – Glide went for style over points, I see."
Indeed, there was a single hole in the bad guys head, one in each of his shoulders – the left shoulder was a tight shot and very close to the hostage's neck. The fourth and fifth shots were both in the chest, with one in the bullseye, just missing the hostage.
"It pains me to say this," Polaris said. "And I will never repeat this as long as I live, but here we go. When little Kaitlin was taken, she took it badly – we all know about the grenade in the dunk tank – but to combat events, Kaitlin went out of her way to be good at everything which crossed her path. She was, and still is, a very intelligent person and one of the hardest workers that I have ever met. When she puts her mind to something, she rarely fails – a certain, thoroughly trashed, BMW comes to mind."
Amongst the laughter, Glide's mouth dropped open. She had never expected to receive such praise from anyone, let alone Polaris. The little girl grinned fiendishly.
"That means a lot, thanks," Glide said. "Does that mean we're best friends? Or if you're just wanting to have sex with me, then I don't go in for that kind of thing."
"Can I shoot her?" Polaris asked Drift.
"Not today," Drift chuckled. "Okay, Glide, final magazine, free shooting."
Glide turned back to her weapon and she fired off the remaining ten rounds into a fresh paper target.
..._...
Once Glide was finished, everyone spread out across the five firing points.
Glide stood with Aegea and Pyrrha to guide them both through weapon's safety, most of which had been covered the previous week. Pyrrha had shot before and she was aware of weapon's safety but for Aegea, it was frighteningly new. On the next firing point over, Intrepid, Resolute, Arbiter, Insidious, and Goshawk were with Nemesis and they were each about to fire a weapon for the first time in months. Each bore a pistol in a holster, on their right hips. Intrepid had selected a Glock 19 Gen4 in nine-millimetre as her personal weapon. Resolute had chosen the very same weapon. Crimson was already considering pairing the two up as their skills were very closely matched as was their choice of personal weapon. Insidious had selected the full-size Glock 17 Gen4 pistol in nine-millimetre as his personal sidearm. As for the two older girls, Goshawk favoured a Heckler & Koch SFP9-SF while Dakota preferred the Ruger SR9, both weapons in nine-millimetre.
"It feels good to be handling a weapon again," Resolute commented.
"It's not like he has much else to handle," Intrepid grinned.
"We are so going to talk," Resolute hissed to his friend as his face reddened at the laughter. "But that wasn't what you said the other night."
"What!?" Intrepid spluttered as Arbiter burst out laughing "You little cunt!"
"Careful, Intrepid, you're going to set off some bullets with your face," Goshawk cautioned.
"She is looking a little red in the cheeks," Insidious confirmed.
"Are any of you actually going to shoot?" Nemesis asked.
"Not Resolute," Intrepid quipped.
Before Resolute could retort, Nemesis slapped him and Intrepid around the back of the head.
"Intrepid – you're up first," Nemesis said.
Intrepid rubbed the back of her head before she adjusted her ear defenders and drew her pistol. A few minutes later, she was pleased to see that after twenty rounds, her skills were not too far from what they had been.
"Not bad, girl," Nemesis said approvingly.
"Thanks – it's been a while and I need to get back in practice. I enjoyed being able to shoot without trying to take a life."
"You keep practicing," Nemesis replied before she grinned down at the younger boy. "Let's see what Resolute can do."
Just as with any Predator, Nemesis observed the boy's flawless behaviour where weapons were concerned. The boy controlled the pistol well and his bullets struck the target with a fearsome accuracy. After his twenty rounds, he cleared his weapon and stepped back.
"Very good," Nemesis congratulated the boy. "You have a good eye."
The boy smiled at the praise.
..._...
"That wasn't too bad," Polaris commented as Aegea's target stopped before them.
"Shouldn't there be more holes?" Aegea asked as she pulled off her ear defenders.
"Yes," Polaris replied. "Looks like two are missing."
"Found them," Pyrrha commented.
"Where?" Aegea asked.
"Here!"
Polaris glared at Arbiter as the older girl held up her own target with seven visible bullet holes. All seven were in the centre circle.
"Okay, you got two bullseyes," Polaris deadpanned. "About six feet from where you were actually aiming."
"Sorry," Aegea said.
"We'll work on your aim," Polaris said calmly as she saw the appalled look on Aegea's face. "Pyrrha, let's see if you can at least get your bullets on your own target!"
Pyrrha ignored the pouting Aegea as she steadied her Walther PK380 pistol and lined up the sights with the target. She had shot various weapons since about the age of eight, along with her other training. Therefore, punching a few holes in a paper target was not a problem for the girl. She fired off her twenty rounds without any problem before she made her pistol safe and then stepped back from the firing point.
"Very good, Pyrrha," Drift commented.
"It was easy," she replied as she waved her hand dismissively.
"What else have you fired?" Drift asked.
"I was pretty good with a shotgun – my Dad owned several. I generally used a Browning B525 12-gauge over-and-under."
"Okay, try this on for size," Drift said as he passed over a Franchi SPAS-12 combat shotgun with folding stock.
"Cool!" Pyrrha commented as she took the weapon and she checked that the magazine and action were clear.
"Here."
Pyrrha took the box of 12-gauge shells and she loaded five rounds into the magazine tube.
"You've used a pump-action before?" Drift asked.
"Yes."
"Ear defenders on, please," Drift directed, and all watchers pulled on their ear defenders as Pyrrha stood ready.
"Shoot when ready."
Pyrrha had lowered the folding stock into place and she raised the weapon comfortably into her shoulder. She tested the weight of the unfamiliar weapon and set the sights on the paper target some forty metres away. She squeezed the grip safety with her hand before she squeezed the trigger and fired her first round – the target vaporised. The next four rounds hammered the reinforced rear of the range as she squeezed the trigger four times in rapid succession. Pyrrha was grinning broadly as she applied the safety and lowered the weapon.
"You enjoyed that?" Crimson asked.
"Yeah!" Pyrrha replied.
"Bet her shorts are soaking wet," Ajax suggested.
"Maybe," Pyrrha grinned as she crossed her legs.
..._...
That evening, before they headed for their evening meal, all went to shower.
For Scarlett, it was her first time naked before others in a long time and she felt embarrassed as she hung up her towel and stepped into a shower. After ten seconds of soothing hot water, Scarlett screamed as the water suddenly went ice cold and the thirteen-year-old jumped out from under the water to find a laughing Harper waiting for her.
"Not me freezing and naked, this time," Harper grinned.
"Funny!" Scarlett growled as she saw others watching her.
"She truly is scarlet," Charlotte commented. "Right down to her pubes."
"Harper – hot water?" Scarlett grinned as she crossed her legs and her face turned scarlet.
"Sorry," Harper said as she turned the hot water back on for Scarlett's cubicle. "Actually, I'm not, but anyway."
After a few more jokes, Scarlett and everybody else finished their showers and sat down to the evening meal. Scarlett and Diana were appalled by the behaviour of Olivia and Dakota, especially as Olivia could not blame a Government programme for damaging her mind.
"She was nuts before she got involved with Vengeance," Craig explained. "But she has a nice twat."
"My sister has a thing for Craig's jizz," Jessica commented. "She can't get enough of it – drinks it down, daily."
Olivia simply grinned.
"Ewww!" Kaitlin groaned. "That is sick!"
"Can we change the conversation, please?" Diana asked.
"Yes," Keira suggested strongly.
The remainder of the evening was actually relatively peaceful as most of the youngsters were thoroughly worn out, much to the adult's relief.